An entry with a Bang! - A BT roundrobin II

[EdBecerra]

Originally Posted by evilauthor

You know what would be really funny? If Greene accidentally stumbled over it.

Oh wait, that would be "EARTH WANK!!!"

I'll go look it up. Expect a post shortly.

Ed.

EDIT: The Centurion weapons system. An attempt to create a mag-pulse weapon that didn't work, but was salvaged as a training aid for mock combat.

During trials, engineers ftted test units with a special transponder that would automatically shut down those units when struck by the weapon’s beam, just to be sure. Thanks to those transponders, initial trials went well enough for the SLDF to order an extended test. Even with the transponders, however, the weapon ultimately proved unreliable, with a limited arc of effectiveness and widely varying range. The Centurion weapon itself was shelved, but the transponders were modified to allow the remote shutdown of ’Mechs and vehicles in the case of unauthorized use or theft.

The transponders were put into limited use, with the codes necessary to shut down the parent unit supposedly entrusted only to SLDF field commanders, the colonels and generals who led the star league’s armies. In reality, the codes quickly found their way into the hands of just about anyone in the SLDF that wanted them. among some MechWarriors, it became a practical joke to shut down each other’s ’Mechs. Not long thereafter, the codes began to fall into the wrong hands, leading to several disasters, including the loss of nearly two battalions of brand-new SLDF battlemechs and the destruction of several more companies by pirates on the world of Zebeneschamali. The entire Centurion system was shelved at that point, but thousands of transponders remained in service, while thousands more that were supposedly destroyed may have been stockpiled as a part of integrated communications systems in SLDF depots across the Inner sphere.

[Rodon]

Originally Posted by Cpl_Facehugger

"Oh damn! We just lost four tons of armor!"

"IDDQD IDDQD IDDQD!"

"Greene, what the hell are you blathering about?"

"Boss said it was like a computer game, so I'm trying to turn on god mode!"

"This is Daedalus someone has unlocked Fist of God mode."

[EdBecerra]

There you go. Addenum to my previous post, from page 127 of Interstellar Players II, which wasn't available by 2005, but might be in the author's notes.

Additionally, tearing apart battlemechs in order to understand the technology might result in researchers stumbling across the transponder and going "Gee, what's that doing here?" and then "oh! damn, this could be FUN!" later on.

Ed.

[evilauthor]

Originally Posted by EdBecerra

There you go. Addenum to my previous post, from page 127 of Interstellar Players II, which wasn't available by 2005, but might be in the author's notes.

Additionally, tearing apart battlemechs in order to understand the technology might result in researchers stumbling across the transponder and going "Gee, what's that doing here?" and then "oh! damn, this could be FUN!" later on.

Wait, there's an actual chunk of hardware in there that will shut a mech down if given the right code? I thought the shut down thing would have been buried entirely in he software!

[EdBecerra]

Originally Posted by evilauthor

Wait, there's an actual chunk of hardware in there that will shut a mech down if given the right code? I thought the shut down thing would have been buried entirely in he software!

The Centurion gear was intended to be more akin to a MILES-fashion training aid, once they realized they weren't going to get it to work as a weapon.

You'll notice that last line, though:

"...while thousands more that were supposedly destroyed may have been stockpiled as a part of integrated communications systems in SLDF depots across the Inner sphere."

Integrated communications systems.

Entirely possible that these commo systems were simply grabbed and used by desperate Successor States without paying too much attention to that little daughterboard stuck deep inside the guts of those stockpiled commo consoles, because they were bleeding too many machines during the First and Second Succession Wars.

And by the Third, they'd probably forgotten it even existed...

Boy, that's gonna be a rude shock for someone.

Ed.

[Typhonis 1]

And here I thought the rude shock would be some of the mechwarriors being shown all those thousands of tanks and being told" Oh that isn't war level production" Especially true once we start asteroid mining.


Ed any thoughts about the pms I sent you?

[hpackrat]

Originally Posted by Chaos Blade

Agreed, reverse engineering is not easy, hell it might be even more difficult than coming up with the things on its own, specially if you have limited samples.
And as Facehugger noted, this is a path not traveled, alien to the IS.
It will take years for them to understand how it is made, and even more to figure out the industrial tools needed for massproduction of the parts.

Keep in mind that this is not one of the early PCs but more or less modern by the time of the ISOT.

they aren't gonna learn how to make them tiny. that will take time. what they can do is make them just as fast while retaining BT style bulk. hmm, that means a likelihood for the early development of the targeting computer.

[Mosati]

Originally Posted by Duna Typon

By the way do forget the idea of asteroids fortress in Earth orbit, some nice big Nickel-Iron ones the type you have a 2-3km iron armor . It could taken up to ten years to move into orbit but by then we will be able to kit them out.

Turn them into armed shipyards. Your mining the guts out of them as is, so why not arm them and build the ship cradles as the room becomes available. By the time you mine the entire asteroid out you could have it in a usable in-system orbit or even in a planetary orbit.

[DarkObelisk]

Originally Posted by hpackrat

they aren't gonna learn how to make them tiny. that will take time. what they can do is make them just as fast while retaining BT style bulk. hmm, that means a likelihood for the early development of the targeting computer.

The Kicker is that while the Inner Sphere will be trying to copy C-Earth's computers, C-Earth is going to be moving to Quantum Computers.

Which would be quite funny if you think about it.

They spend decades reverse engineering C-Earth computers, and by the time they can mass produce something that is equivalent to what we have now. We'll have left them in the dust again because we switched over to quantum computers.


Now somebody mentioned that it seems that Evil is doing most of the writing.

I'm a little busy right now, but I should have another piece done by Sunday. So he won't be the only one.

[hpackrat]

Only a battalion for the training? Why not go for broke & ask for an RCT of Clan mechs?

[hpackrat]

Originally Posted by EdBecerra

Funny thing is, a lot of Star League era mechs DO have a "god mode" shutdown command buried in their programming...

Ed.

And CEarth has an SL era Battlemaster to reverse-engineer... Hmm, this has some possibilities... Depending on the number of SL mechs fielded by Vorax, the Combine & the FedSuns, GDI could hamstring their CnC since commanders are gonna prefer SL gear over the regular stuff... How much luck are the researchers having at discovering the shutdown codes? This could also be used when the Clans arrive...

[Cpl_Facehugger]

Originally Posted by hpackrat

they aren't gonna learn how to make them tiny. that will take time. what they can do is make them just as fast while retaining BT style bulk. hmm, that means a likelihood for the early development of the targeting computer.

If they could make them powerful yet bulky (easily), they would have done so already. They might learn stuff looking at the samples they have, but a lot of what they learn probably isn't going to help them produce a more powerful computer based on Btech principles.

[EdBecerra]

Originally Posted by hpackrat

How much luck are the researchers having at discovering the shutdown codes? This could also be used when the Clans arrive...

Oh, please. Once the transponder is discovered, and its purpose is realized, every freakin' hacker on the PLANET is going to drop what they're doing like a lead balloon and start sniffing the machine language source for the shutdown code.

I mean, come on... you and your computer and a WiFi node, able to be the first to claim you can shut down a 'Mech, and actually DO IT?!

My god, man, you'll become a hacker SAINT! Baby script kiddies on irc channels around the world will build web shrines in your honor!

Ed.

(who still remembers the 80's, and had friends acquaintances in the Chaos Computer Club...)

[PossiblyEnos]

Originally Posted by hpackrat

they aren't gonna learn how to make them tiny. that will take time. what they can do is make them just as fast while retaining BT style bulk. hmm, that means a likelihood for the early development of the targeting computer.

Except when they stumble over that speed is dependent on size and to get up to our speed they need to shorten signal paths, meaning having to build smaller than they can manage.

[Kerrus]

Originally Posted by EdBecerra

(who still remembers the 80's, and had friends acquaintances in the Chaos Computer Club...)

I suspect if we 'released' the movie Hackers as a historical recreation, every intelligence agency in the IS would shit themselves.

[bluepencil]

Okay... I've been following this thread for a while now, and it's been impressive-- including the bickering. Agh. It's not going to end well, but please allow me to toss my two cents in.

My stance on a moldy debate is that there is nothing wrong with Japan building a Gundamlike battlemech. In fact, they SHOULD. The mistake would be in trying to make it a medium/heavy combat-oriented machine.

There are already other jump-capable mechs in the Inner Sphere, even up to Assault class, and their LAM project makes another high-mobility mech redundant. The Veritech Variable Geometry fighter weigh around light to medium, and pack most of their firepower in Earth's excellent missiles. There is no need for mechs purpose-built to fight 'on the bounce' where there is close air support.

The Gundam, for a sixty-ton machine, is rather anemic in firepower and focused on close combat (even leaving aside that Mega Particle Beams apparently act like mini-Hellbores). Throw away that context, please. There is no point in replicating all the components that appear in the show (such as the useless Core Block system, verniers, internal propellant tanks, and assorted other doodads. Strip it of everything including the outside armor and it's just a humanoid frame. This frees up space for other Btechish things.

We know that the humanoid frame is used, and that there is plenty of internal space. It's just a matter of arranging the components- the Awesome and the Centurion are kin in the same way the Catapult and the Masakari share the same overall chassis. I believe it's been said before-- the Gundam (and their ilk, as proposed in this story) is just a matter of shaping the outside armor and a paint job. Noted earlier here, the Wolverine, looks very much like a Zaku, only with a Destroid Spartan head.

The issue is not why Earth should build a Gundam (for wanking purposes), but that why should Earth even build a humanoid frame battlemech in the first place? Well, apart from that plenty of IS mechs that they already have, from Battlemasters to Hunchbacks, have humanoid frames. Most of these have arms that end in gun barrels. Why does the Inner Sphere keep building these things? Armored Knights in cultural identification?

The avian frame has many clear advantages; among them a more stable firing platform, simpler construction and more compact profile, and overall greater top speed at a run. I'm really liking the EarthCat RevolverOcelot WildCat as GDI's frontline combat mech.

However, there are situations where these advantages may compress into mindless slugfights. The differences do not become penalties, exactly... more like a limitation in possible tactical options. Whether speed, armor, or firepower can make up for these depend upon other variables.




The assault on Earth had the defenders taking full advantage of their local intelligence assets, no need for supply lines, and Earth's massive stockpiles of missiles. It is however inevitable that GDI would have to perform urban defense again, but of new offworld assets.

Think about it.They can't throw around nukes with impunity anymore. Garrison duty is something of a waste of time for good equipment and personnel-- when they could be off pounding some sense into other planets and pirates. Seized (ahem) freed territories are to be groomed to self-sufficiency, yes? Including defense? Unfortunately what they understand is not combined arms (given that their populations and manufacturing levels tend to be low) but 'mechs.

It is also true that teaching new IS territories mass combined arms and giving them the equipment to do so would make it more difficult to take back those territories if and when the Great Houses subvert them into 'rebellion'.

They understand mechs. It makes them happy. Give them mechs.




For the sake of site defense, the humanoid frame actually has several advantages over the avian frame. It can't carry as much firepower, true, but now benefits from a reduced vertical profile. What we're good at is hit-and-run attacks. Urban combat is where Heavy and Assault mechs show their worth; being able to take and dish out close-range punishment. It plays to the IS' strengths to meet them head-on, and again, also a bit of an expensive waste to detail too many mechs (or tanks) of that quality just for garrison duty.

. It's more than just being able to peek around corners, which is moot when there are gunsights at the end of arms or we're using UAV drones for spotting. The humanoid frame is more unstable, perhaps more expensive to construct. It nonetheless should have flexibility that is sorely needed when all the advantage one may have is familiarity with home terrain





Another Heavy or Assault jump mech is pointless. However, a Medium jump mech would be much less complex than a LAM and would be able to carry more direct firepower. In the above image, there remains quibbles about materials and joint strength, yadda yadda - but it also stands that if an avian frame mech can't reach a spot in one jump, then it likely wouldn't be able to reach it at all. But a humanoid frame doesn't even need to jump. If the contruction materials are good enough, it can try to -climb-. Hands, handholds, you know.





A humanoid mech can also squeeze through tighter areas and alleys than the comparatively lumpy shape of an avian pod.

Setting aside jump capabilities for a moment, the unstable humanoid is thus because of a higher center of gravity. In traversing difficult terrain, avian frames rely on wide feet, as a tank's treads may grip at an incline. However, because the knees are bent backwards, their weight rests upon the back leg. If not careful, they could lose balance and fall over. By comparison, the bend of a humanoid walker puts the weight on the front leg, meaning that it can go up at nearly full power. The arms add to adjustment of the center of gravity, and of course would be useful in case it really does fall over.

Look at a mountain goat's legs for a moment. Bent in to a point, an agile quadruped is basically two thin biped legs directing the center of gravity at will. Hell, humanoid frames DO have -four- limbs- after all. Birds, when not possessing useful wings, are designed for long straight runs (ref: ostrich). Urban combat is less about top speed than being able to turn on a dime and outflanking the enemy (ref: Mechwarrior3 Intro Movie, wherein a light mech on top of a roof is instrumental to taking out an Atlas).





That's basically the premise of this, anyway. ARMS are a GOODNESS. If an avian walker gets a leg blown off, it's stuck. A humanoid can still try to pull itself up on a vertical surface, try to limp away, or even if both legs are gone may try to crawl towards battle.





Let's discuss hands now. They don't really need to be too complicated, all that's necessary is a manipulator unit and strong joints. Remember the proposed builders for a moment. To Japan's mecha culture, hands and modular components go (hem hem) hand in hand. Consider to where we're taking these mechs... often in the aftermath of a major assault, or places where it's difficult to maintain supply lines.

We know Battletech has the technology for externalized weapons systems (as ref the Battlemaster's original handheld PPC). Omni mechs proved their utility with being able to switch loadouts as necessary. The thing is that there could be a difference in definition between the IS and Earth of what constitutes a 'general purpose' mech.

The Bushwacker, for instance, is an excellent medium mech because it possesses a mix of weapon mounts to fight at any range. Omnimechs are good because they can mount many different weapons, but often (like the Mad Cat) a powerful mix of long and medium-range guns and missiles.

Working upon the premise that a general purpose mech, in Japan's mind, is omni'ed out the wazoo- a Medium could be made to withstand the punch of a Heavy with the addition of applique armor (ref: the Armored Valkyrie, Full Armor Zeta, etc, etc) or threaten it from long range with PPCs or VACs (ref: Puma/Star Adder). Once the heatsinks are strained or the ammo is exhausted, pop off the weapons, and RUN with the speed of a Light mech without the constraints of a heavy weapons load.

The thing is, even if cranes and joists are destroyed, as long as there are two humanoid mechs with arms... they can -outfit each other-. Instead of waiting around for the enemy to arrive, something with -hands- can be put to -work-. Modular components are cheaper than having to build a mech from scratch just for one task (Catapult, Rifleman). While specialized mechs are of course more efficient, a garrison mech needs to be able to adapt to whatever circumstances may arise.

I'm reminded of that old saying about "Spearmen do not contribute to a kingdom's prosperity, but rather a drain on its coffers..." or something like that. Think of the logistical footprint. There's nothing here that a lot of trucks or manpower can't accomplish faster on their own. But all those trucks and technicians can't follow too close into combat. Outside of combat, dedicated combat mechs have the burden of maintenance even while standing around... that's why mechwarriors tend to be higborn, eh? The idle rich, who can afford to just lounge around and when called ride off into battle in awesome engines of destruction. Whee.

What is the difference between the concepts of the omni slot and the hardpoint?

Why can't weapons be reloaded externally, as like drum magazines? Why should a mech not be able to make battlefield salvage, strip out downed enemies' (or allies) unused ammo/missiles to refill one's own launchers?

Oh, right. Armored knights. Sense Theft Scavenging like that is for peasants salvage crews.





The caveat is of course that all those joints add up to manufacturing costs. It's BAD when your recon/support mechs are more expensive than your dedicated combat ones. That is why a Medium frame if mass-produced must be able to handle itself across any circumstance. Otherwise, we'd enter into the Inner Sphere rut of dozens of different options between 35 and 55 tons, differing only really in top speed and the amount of weapons they can carry. It might
be better to start off with a 'heavy' Medium and reconfigure as necessary for speed or firepower.

Consider the scenario again, please. Perhaps a backwater IS world, one without prepared defense points. GDI has to start from scratch to prepare defenses. Not enough of a tech-inclined population to support a large military, but a place important enough not to leave unguarded. Or a larger settlement, where there may be greater available manpower but not enough time to cure the populace of their habits. Again, give sell them the tools they are most familiar with. To STAY is colonialism, and worse than that; having to deal with the paperwork of their governance. Not even taxes would make up for the hassle of collecting them; trade would be much easier, less aggravating. They want mechs? Yeah, we got mechs. Let's make a deal.

With enough standadized parts and mass production, these humanoid frame mechs would not really be all that expensive or tie up Earth's logistics. Earth-made humanoid frames would serve as a testbed for examining and exploiting the strengths and weaknesses of Inner Sphere humanoid battlemech designs. Then IMPROVE upon them. It is not only inevitable but essential to build one, to attempt and understand the process of their creation is to catch an echo into the psychohistory of the Inner Sphere.





The people of the Inner Sphere have this ingrained -respect- for battlemechs and those who own them. Inefficient as they may be, for more than thousand years they have been the symbol of nobility. Running roughshod over their culture IS Earthwank- for while cultural dominance might be the goal, a hegemony being more stable method of takeover (ref; Alexander, China, America) crushing the spirit of those conquered is not the way to go. We want THEM to join us. We want them to LIKE us. We want the Inner Sphere to take us seriously as a power both economic and military.

Symbols are important and the key to cultures. Hell, it goes from common threads tying different peoples and cultures (like, heh, fanfiction) down to paper and fiat currency. In many ways, the battlemech -in itself- represents the power of an interstellar nation. While they might be ludicrous in terms of 'fusion knights', honor is not something useless. Honesty, reliability, and self-sacrifice... these are common aspects that can be found running from the honor of a regiment to the reputable business practice. The symbol of Clan martial superiority was/is the Timber Wolf. In making our version of that, we are tying upon the symbols carried by the Battletech universe. NOT making the Wild Cat is inconceivable at this point... it's a colossal 'fuck you' to those who are too smug in their 'superiority'.

However, Earth and GDI seeks a different reputation; for kindness, cultural tolerance, technology and progressive aims. We may crush them, we may rub their faces into their foolishness, but even with combined arms and total victory it will still seem like cheating and breed resentment. To defeat an enemy is one thing, but the best-fought battles are those that are won before they can even begin. To truly absorb the enemy into your ranks, give them back their self-respect. Tie it to your own existence. Nothing is as valiant in defense (of a faith) as a recent convert.

Generousity in granting the IS better living conditions is one thing, but showing them the power of Earth's culture is another. Give them battlemechs for local defense and we appear to be filthy filthy rich; too rich in fact, to risk messing with. This plays on the 'Grantville' connection, like in the 163x novels; wherein are introduced to the spectacle of what to them is a ruling class with all the powers that entails... and don't act like they're naturally better than those they rule. They -elevate- the common man, not by destroying his culture (as like the Colonial powers did to 'help' the primitive pagans they encountered) , but removing the differences between social classes. Being too 'in your face' in promoting change is just obnoxious. There are symbols, levers to deliver compliance. Use them.

The above image has nothing to do with my point, only that the few minutes delay in getting a humanoid mech to stand up seems to me to be better than the difficulty in trying to get up to the cockpit if there's no goddamn ladder.





We know there are workmechs, and protomechs. Battlemechs are symbols of the ruling class. If Earth is to take over these worlds, the proof of humility is in actually having these symbols serve purposes that help the populace. We (and in this context, the Japanese) do not think of robots as war machines alone, but as helpers for many different tasks. Is it a waste to use 45-55 ton 'mechs just for firefighting or reconstruction duties? Perhaps. On the other hand, it's not as much of a waste as just letting them gather dust while waiting for a pirate attack. And if there are no 'mechs on a planet, the pirates WILL attack what they think is a totally defenseless world.

In this manner we may -destroy- the old order about battlemechs being symbols of the nobility. And through that actually erode the very foundations of the Inner Sphere royalty. As said before, merc units go into debt rather than lose their precious battlemechs. No one, not even the Japanese, should really be ashamed of making essentially 'hick mechs'; that's the ethics of mass production. They already have the LAM to play around with, to prove technological merits. A cheap, truly general purpose mech would serve more as a symbol for Earth's impartiality and disdain for self-serving 'mechwarriors'.

It's not as if the GM would be patented such that only the Japanese can produce them, after all. A medium humanoid mech is a matter of internal compartments, armor shapes, and a paint job. Let everyone who expresses an interest be encouraged to produce. Even mediocrity, in sufficient density, has its merits.

The above picture has nothing to do with the point, really, just another odd tangent on how the legs of an avian mech have naturally-occuring limits in trying to get through tight confines or stepping through traffic. Adding more joints (ala the Uziel) would not really improve the stance by any great degree.





But meh. Everything... -everything- above can be ignored. It can be summed up as just that [b]Arms Are a Goodness[b], even if they're dead weight that may be devoted to weapons. Even that is worthless pandering, as it's all just a half-assed rationalization for that there should really be a scene wherein pirates, Clan or a Great House attack a world presumably defended only by a 'bunch of workmechs'. Then of course get their asses kicked; in the fullest irony of turning plowshares into swords.

That said, I suggest using

General Utility Nihon Demonstration Mech
GU-NDM

and

General/Guardian Machine
GM

for the prototype and production runs.

---

[bluepencil]

we

Moving on... actually, the GM is not really all that bad of a design. There are other humanoid frame battlemechs in the Battletech universe, and the differences between them, each other and this, are more of a matter of armor shape and tonnage. The GM's armor is decently sloped, even if Btech's magic ablative armor makes that less important. Strip it of all extraneous components, such as jump packs, heat sinks, etc. and it's no different from any other humanoid mech. The Atlas and the Wolfhound have pretty much the same open proportions for weaponry; it's the weapons themselves (size, weight, capacity, really) that determine effective combat loads.

Places that used to contain verniers and propellant tanks may instead be devoted to heatsinks or ammo. The leg thrusters can be removed, though the bubble at the leg may be retained for additional armor protection. Jump jets may be standard or in backpacks. The 20/40mm head cannons remain, of course; and I suggest that the GM come with 4 torso-mounted Medium Lasers as standard. The 'beam saber' might instead be a sensor pod or transmitter.

The jutting center torso might be a solid lump of heatsinks or opened up for more weapons/sensors. I suggest a chained anti-personnel MGs on a limited up-down traverse. The cockpit, different from 'canon' GM, could be relocated higher up and below the neck; for easy ejection. Unlike certain 'mechs (coughShadowCatMadCatcough) the pilot doesn't have to face every single shot into the center mass; the Vulture's cockpit location might have less visibility but is more sensible from the point of view of pilot's survivability.
Seriously, the only thing worse is having explosives strapped onto the very center of a mech (coughtoomanyexamples) just begging for a lucky PPC shot to set it off.



All avian frame machines have a L-shaped assembly. All humanoid frame machines have a T-shaped assembly. From there, it's a matter of slapping on components around the reactor, joints, and the cockpit. For the T-shape frame, weapons may go upper or lower torso, right, left or middle, and then the arms. Manipulator fingers or claws take up weight and slots that could be used for weapons instead; thus why those mechs (specifically Clan ones) without articulation tend to carry more firepower at the arms while IS mechs hardmount big punch guns into the body.




Modular components need to be tested anyway. It's always cheaper to manufacture components than to build a new mech from scratch. Make enough GMs, and they'd be as ubiquitous and reliable as the Kalashnikov. The GDI must seek to standardize with IS parts as much as possible; since certain weapons and materials technology remain far behind, it would be best if mech salvage could be utilized with little in the way of modification.

• A GM is a Gauss Rifle/Railgun and a counterweight away from being a Hollander anyway. Yus. We must have PAULDRONS. For the EMPRAH!
• As said before, arms are dead weight. Depending upon their tonnage, it might be possible to fit VAC or AC/20s for close/urban combat. SRM missile pods are rather easy to build; check with the WildCat's prototyping reports. Medium to Long range with Larger Lasers, PPCs, or whatnot. Essentially, it's a Warhammer/Destroid Tomahawk, at about 50 tons.
• Building on that, an air defense or missile artillery platform is a matter of replacing the torso-mounted guns with AA Pulse Lasers or Cannon and adding launchers ala Longbow or Catapult. It's not like missiles have great recoil in the first place.
• The GM Cannon would be a Full Armor version for challenging Heavies; mounting a pair of AC/20 or PPC equivalents. Contrary to expectations, recoil is not that much of a problem; by the simple expedient of putting one leg back and leaning forward, shock travels down the length of the mech and into the ground; bending the front knee to absorb the recoil. Besides, the IS already solved this issue (and firing on the move) with their Hunchbacks.

Etc, etc. Omnimechs have varied loadouts, but sometimes there's a benefit to having the changes -visible-.




There are basically three ways of increasing mech speed, anyway.

• [1] Increase the power of the engine, thereby improving how fast each leg can switch
  [2] Reduce weight of the machine, thus less strain on the legs in gaining momentum
  [3] Increase stride length by giving it longer legs in the first place

Thus why avian frame mechs tend to have the advantage in straight tests. However, even a GM may serve as an effective scout by the choice of components.




But let's go back to symbolism for a moment. The whole point using GMs is to take advantage of the human tendency towards athromorphism. Mechs have 'personalities' either inherent or assigned to them. The crude, blocky Atlas is still popular for so encapsulating brute firepower and resilience. Look at the GM; how easy it would be to underestimate its potential. Sheer numbers may hint at economic power, but when it comes to combat... the GM just looks so damn
-average-. And IT IS average. Look at it again. It's meant to hit the Golden Mean between speed, firepower, and armor protection- like the Uziel, Shadowcat and Bushwacker attempt to do; and what makes them so cost-effective for their tonnage.

It should really come as a utter surprise for the IS when these things 'get serious'. The GDI, who do not, heh, 'objectify' their war machines would expect whatever little gaps be made up for with combined arms. Mechs such these serve as either force multipliers or for rounding out the assault.

We DON'T NEED the GM; that much is true. The IS however, does need a machine that's easy to understand and serves as proof of Earth's cautious benevolence. The GM is just so... non-threatening. Useful on its own, but not enough to start beating up on your neighbors. The Valkyrie LAM would be an impressive showpiece of technology, while the WildCat a symbol of equality- the GM would perhaps stand better as a lasting impression of safe and sensible engineering. Even if it's false, the impression that they might be buying as if multiple mechs for the price of one would help... the secret is combined arms, but who's to say the ingrained prejudice of the Inner Sphere towards battlemechs would lead them to the nearest excuse for their failures to live up to their boasts?

Which might lead them to field underweight, middling performance machines without fully understanding the logistic requirements. Is it Earthwank or unrealistic?

(shrug)

All I'm just saying that I like the concept of the GM as a symbol. Once this RR is past Port Kirin, may I join in with little snippets about reconstruction or cultural contamination?

[PsyckoSama]

Originally Posted by evilauthor

You know what would be really funny? If Greene accidentally stumbled over it.

Oh wait, that would be "EARTH WANK!!!"

Evil, shut up. What it would be is an eye roller. Not as much earth wank as making it to damned easy and stupid.

If it was that easy, the sucessor states would have done it, so drop the goddamned wangst.

[Cpl_Facehugger]

...

If only someone had explained such things before, I might not have had such a terrible reaction to the gundam/GMmech. Now that you've shown there's an actual decent reason behind it beyond "lolJapan", I find my objections vanish.

may I join in with little snippets about reconstruction or cultural contamination?

Absolutely. The more the merrier.

[EternitynChaos]

Holy Carp BP, nice post, though, all that logic may well kill some of the posters here /snirk or if it dosn't it may well make there heads explode.

[PsyckoSama]

bluepencil, those pics are awesome.

Now, while I don't think the check cockpit should be in the production model, I think otherwise that is outstanding.

[EdBecerra]

Originally Posted by Kerrus

I suspect if we 'released' the movie Hackers as a historical recreation, every intelligence agency in the IS would shit themselves.

Like I said, I was there during the 80's, with my Commodore by my side and an entirely unlicensed modem. (In Germany, at that time, you had to have a license to own and use a modem, courtesy of German Post Office, who also ran the Federal Republic's telephone service.)

A different alias, a different time, and yeah, I was a LOT younger. Twenty-five years is a lot of water under the bridge as it were. But while the times have changed, the attitudes haven't. Keyboard cowboys are still out there, and still rise to the challenge.

Given the feudal attitudes of the IS, I suspect that turning our script-kiddies and hard-core criminal crackers loose on them would be a nightmare - for them.

Ed.

[PsyckoSama]

Thinking about the shut down code... might be a useful tool to have once, maybe twice if it gets figured it out. Like everyone says, the IS will adapt and a shut down command in some of their mechs? That would get figured out adapted to ASAP.

[PsyckoSama]

Originally Posted by EdBecerra

Given the feudal attitudes of the IS, I suspect that turning our script-kiddies and hard-core criminal crackers loose on them would be a nightmare - for them.

Ed.

Problem is they'd have to re-learn damned near everything. IS computers are very different.

[evilauthor]

Bravo!

Now I'm tempted to make my own cartoons for this thread.

Just some little nits:

AFAIK, a mech can't hang from its hands.

Although I agree a mech should have hands. They're just too damn useful even if they're technically weightless.

There's no functional difference between humanoid and avian mechs in BT even though it should make sense that there ought to be.