Lives

=Live Preparations=

Assist Selection
After selecting a song and difficulty, a list of center divas from other players is given. Every center diva shown will also have its main episode plate equipped. Players should choose their assists carefully as the stats and center skill of the assisting diva's episode plate will also contribute to the overall strength of the player's team. Players can also utilize the refresh button to generate a new list of assisting divas should the current list provide a lackluster list of assistants to pick from.

Unit Formation Changes
After selecting an assisting diva, the player will be taken to the last part of the preparation screen. This screen is exactly the same as the unit formation menu, and it gives players the same functionality without having to cancel their current song selection. =Live Screen Layout=

The layout of the live performance includes:
 * Pause Button - At the top right corner is the pause button. Pressing it will pause the song until the player either resumes playing or quits the performance. Resuming the song will initiate a 3 second countdown to let the player readjust to where they left off.
 * Bio Fold Wave/Enemy HP Bar - The top of the live performance screen will display the current Bio Fold Wave levels of the player's performing diva and the enemy's HP bar during Valkyrie Mode.
 * Score - The player's score is displayed at the bottom left.
 * Letter Score Gauge - This gauge displays graphical progression of the player's score relative to the song's letter score requirement. The letter score gauge is broken into 4 sections with each of them glowing a different color. Players initially start at a C rating and continue climbing to B, A, and S after breaking into the next section. Completely filling up the gauge means that the player has reached the requirements for an SS score ranking.
 * Active Skill - Players can tap the bottom-center button to trigger their equipped active skill.
 * Life Gauge - An indicator of how much life the player currently has. Should the life gauge be completely drained during a live performance, the player must either pay Song Crystals in order to continue or retire. Any progress and loot will be forfeited if the player chooses to retire.
 * Loot Drops - The bottom right section displays the amount of loot the player has obtained over the course of the live performance.

=Live Performance=

Rhythm Game Mechanics
Uta Macross utilize rhythm game mechanics that are very similar to other rhythm games on smartphone and tablet systems. Circular notes will drop from the top in accordance to the beat, instrumentals, or vocals of the song and players must time the proper inputs depending on the note type on the area the note will eventually drop down to. In the moment of panic and frenzy and the player touches outside of the expected input zone, the input can still be accepted so long the location of the input reasonably close to the area. The primary, but minimal goal is to complete the song without running out of life. As players improve, the game becomes more centered around consistent performance and properly timing inputs as they will inevitably lead to higher scores and better rewards.

Note Types
There are 4 main types of notes that may appear in a live performance:
 * White notes - White circles that simply require the player to properly time and tap.
 * Blue notes - Blue circles with a trailing line that to another connecting blue circle. The player must time, tap, and hold down their finger on the first blue circle until the other circle reaches the tapping zone in which the player must release their finger. The timing of both the initial press and the release are important with maintaining the player's combo count.
 * Pink notes - Pink circles with an adjacent arrow. The player must produce a flicking motion starting with the area the note is expected to fall and flicking towards the direction designated by the arrow.
 * Lined notes - A combination of 2 of any above types of nodes connected with a line. Players must perform the actions designated by the notes at the same time at the expected areas of input. These notes either emphasize patterns in lower difficulties or attempt to throw off players in higher difficulties by giving unexpected note pairings.

Notes may also have symbols embedded inside them and episode plates can increase the number of appearances of these special notes:
 * Hearts - Tapping this note will result with the life gauge being restored.
 * Green Stone - Tapping this note will accumulate common loot.
 * Gold Stone - Tapping this note will accumulate rarer loot. Having more luck stat points will increase the probability of rare loot note appearances.
 * Rainbows - Tapping this note in the beginning phase of a live performance will give a bonus to the Bio Fold Wave gauge of the performing diva.
 * Cross-hair- Tapping this note during Valkyrie Mode will deal a critical hit to the enemy.
 * Musical Notes - These notes grant more score points than regular notes and only appear during Diva/Super Diva mode.

Mode Transitions
The live performance usually consists of 3 phases: normal game play, Valkyrie Mode, and Diva/Super Diva Mode. Understanding the 3 phases and consistently playing well will ensure the player higher scores and maximum rewards.

Normal Game Play
In normal game play, players focus on building the Bio Fold Wave gauge. Every well timed note will increment the gauge a small amount, but poorly timed notes will cause deductions from the Bio Fold Wave gauge. Notes with embedded rainbows will grant an extra bonus to the Bio Fold Wave gauge and only appear during the beginning phase. Loot may also appear during normal game play. Should the Bio Fold Wave gauge not reach 100% by around the halfway point of the song, the game will display a LOW ENERGY warning and an audio cue that they will not transition to Valkyrie Mode and continue to play normally for the rest of the performance. Having high fold wave stats on the player's divas and episode plates will increase the rate of Bio Fold Wave generation.

Valkyrie Mode
About halfway through the song and with a current Bio Fold Wave gauge of 100% or more, the game changes the perspective from the performing diva to the sortied fighter. In this mode, players must defeat the stage boss by damaging it with notes before the timer runs out. However, even with well timed notes, the boss will not be damaged unless the player is currently maintaining a combo count of 4 or more (no confirmation if cross-haired notes are an exception). Cross-hair embedded notes will deal a critical hit. Players must defeat the boss within the allotted time period given in the song. Should the player fail to do so, the enemy will retreat, the game will display a TARGET LOST notification, and the fighter pilot will mention something regarding not being able to finish off the target. The game will then transition back to normal game play for the rest of the performance. Having high support stats on the player's divas and episode plates and a strong fighter will help increase the damage done to the boss.

Diva Mode
Should the player successfully engage and defeat the boss, the border area of the screen changes to a light blue color, the diva gives an audio cue that Diva Mode has been activated, and the game will transition to Diva Mode. In this phase, the player is usually treated to a laxer phase of increased loot drops and bonus score notes as they are treated to background animation if the option is enabled and finish the rest of the song.

Super Diva Mode
Super Diva Mode is similar to Diva mode except it only actives if the player quickly dispatches the target. Like the transition to Diva Mode, an audio cue from the diva will state that Super Diva Mode has been activated, but the border area of the screen will change to a rainbow colored background instead of light blue. The increased loot and bonus scoring opportunities is even greater than Diva Mode, and players should always strive to reach this phase of the song.