Hidden 7 yrs ago Post by Krayzikk
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Also, unsure if this was already asked, but how do walkers organize and operate? Do we operate similar to modern day armor companies? Combined arms approach like today's mechanized infantry? Do we operate alongside traditional tanks and jets or are do we operate on our own?

Questions pertaining to Raptors specifically, the walker mode is incapable of flight, so when we change mid battle I assume we slow down and go close to ground before changing but how does walker to fighter work? Do the walker forms move fast enough to jump and perform short takeoffs without a dedicated runway? Or are they VTOL capable?


The exact approach of Walker warfare is mostly theoretical, since there hasn't been any large scale conflict in which to put it into practice. In theory, Walker-to-Walker conflict represents a significant portion of conflict. Infantry remaining in use for actually invading facilities or areas that Walkers cannot access, but since infantry can't pose a significant threat to an Arsenal Walker alone Walkers represent the most dominant force on the battlefield. Walkers are primarily for taking out the brunt of the opposition, with infantry for close-in or mopping up work.

Since Raptors are so new, fightercraft are still the dominant aerial force. They fulfill, in large part, the same sort of role that they do now. Whether or not they would be supplanted by Raptors is, at this point in time, largely hypothetical. Tanks are still in use, just in slightly altered capacities.

I'll freely admit, right off the bat, that this is based solely upon my relatively limited knowledge of how such things work now. As a result it's more an answer based off of how the game is run, rather than running the game based off of what the answer is.

As for Raptors, you're dead on about how they convert in battle. Getting close enough to the ground and slowing down enough to convert to humanoid. In the reverse, Raptors have significant enough thrusters even in humanoid configuration to take a running "jump", for lack of a better comparison, and convert back for take-off. Obviously that's more difficult than the reverse, but it's the present technique for going from Walker-to-fighter.
Hidden 7 yrs ago 7 yrs ago Post by ArmorPlated
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@Krayzikk

Posted Alexander to Characters section with two modifications.

1) Added the thermal-blade that all/most FAWs are supposed to carry. bog standard, but equipment is equipment.

2) added an addendum to Weaknesses to address the potential for needed sheet change without the need to retcon or rewrite history: "Due to the I08's use of nonstandard equipment, loadout may change or diminish due to irreparable damage to nonstandard systems, unexpected wear-and-tear or depletion of nonstandard munitions."

Now that that's done, any players want to try to pin down barrel sizes so we have a guide to go by if we want a boomstick or a peashooter?

I'll start off with some data.

7.62mm = AK47 rounds. no good against armor, shreds infantry.

20mm is the size of the ammo used on some Infantry Fighting Vehicles. too small to do substantial damage to tanks unless you're hitting them in a weak spot or at an advantageous angle.

30mm is the size used by the GAU-8, the gigantic rotary cannon strapped to the A-10 Thunderbolt II "Warthog".

105mm = M1 Abrams cannon. A tank cannon, enough said.

150mm = cannon size really only used on naval ships.
Hidden 7 yrs ago 7 yrs ago Post by vietmyke
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Now that that's done, any players want to try to pin down barrel sizes so we have a guide to go by if we want a boomstick or a peashooter?


I'm down, I have a couple thoughts on the topic myself.

Seems to me most people seem to be using 20mm as the standard for anti infantry/light vehicle work and point defense, which makes sense because many nato vessels use 20mm Vulcans for their close in work and point defense, but given the size of a Naval ship compared to an Arsenal Walker, I'd wager that's a bit high on the armament scale, especially given its weight and the weight of their primary weapons systems.

I personally think it's a bit on the high end (which is why I put my sparrowhawk's pd weapon at a rifle caliber) and also a bit overkill to be used for soft targets like infantry and light vehicles. I'd suggest scaling down to a 7.62 or a .50 Cal.

For other weapons, I tend to just take modern day equivalents and scale it up a little because future tech. Ie my sparrowhawk uses a GAU-11, which is based off the modern day GAU-8, which is a 30mm Vulcan that makes the brrrrt sound that A-10s are famous for. So since it's the future, I scaled it up to 35mm

I guess in the terms of this world, I'd consider something like 35mm to be a 'low' caliber weapon.

Since it would make the most sense for Federation units to use similar ammunition, perhaps a 60mm shell for 'rifle' style weapons and a 150mm shell for the rail guns and heavier weaponry? Or if that seems a bit on the high side, scale it down to like 120mm?

I guess the power scale also depends on how quick AWs are taken down with conventional weapons. I assume the warriors are capable of taking at least one tank shell to the chest, otherwise why wouldnt they just stick to tanks?- tanks have a shorter profile and I imagine easier to train for, and are pretty mobile.

Walkers I guess also have the advantage of being able to function in space, but I assume the armor of a standard Walker is armored enough to take some amount of heavy fire.
Hidden 7 yrs ago 7 yrs ago Post by ArmorPlated
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@vietmyke 20mm does seem to be on the heavier side of general purpose, but it's just big enough to squeeze in AMS viability. need to crunch some numbers on head size to see what kind of space AWs have for guns.

GAU-8 is an absolute beast. Warthog besthog. Though, if your Raptor Custom has something that big, where does it go when it converts to walker form? does it unclip and act like a handheld weapon? does it replace an arm like Airmech's Warthog?

One problem with just flat increases to round size is that the power increase isn't linear. 3 50mm rounds won't come close to a single 150mm. I'd say 100mm is about as big as any unmounted FAW weapon can ever hope to be. and round size would depend on a weapon's role.
spray'n'pray? 35mm.
controlled burst? 40-50mm.
marksman? 55-65mm.
anything over would edge into sniper/Anti-Vehicle territory based on space-combat against opposed fleets. This is all for slug-thrower rifles though.

Mobility is king. Tanks are common because they're efficient at carrying big loads and putting big slugs down range, but air superiority is more important. with a tank that walks upright and stands at 17m like the Scout, you go from around 5km view range to the horizon, all the way to 14.7km. 3x longer sight lines and high maneuverability on the ground makes you a bigger threat and less threatened because you can see them coming, and threaten them sooner. also maximum traverse is better on a mech than a tank.

Maybe AWs are equally durable, maybe more, can't really tell yet.
Hidden 7 yrs ago 7 yrs ago Post by vietmyke
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@vietmyke 20mm does seem to be on the heavier side of general purpose, but it's just big enough to squeeze in AMS viability. need to crunch some numbers on head size to see what kind of space AWs have for guns.

GAU-8 is an absolute beast. Warthog besthog. Though, if your Raptor Custom has something that big, where does it go when it converts to walker form? does it unclip and act like a handheld weapon? does it replace an arm like Airmech's Warthog?

One problem with just flat increases to round size is that the power increase isn't linear. 3 50mm rounds won't come close to a single 150mm. I'd say 100mm is about as big as any unmounted FAW weapon can ever hope to be. and round size would depend on a weapon's role.
spray'n'pray? 35mm.
controlled burst? 40-50mm.
marksman? 55-65mm.
anything over would edge into sniper/Anti-Vehicle territory based on space-combat against opposed fleets. This is all for slug-thrower rifles though.

Mobility is king. Tanks are common because they're efficient at carrying big loads and putting big slugs down range, but air superiority is more important. with a tank that walks upright and stands at 17m like the Scout, you go from around 5km view range to the horizon, all the way to 14.7km. 3x longer sight lines and high maneuverability on the ground makes you a bigger threat and less threatened because you can see them coming, and threaten them sooner. also maximum traverse is better on a mech than a tank.

Maybe AWs are equally durable, maybe more, can't really tell yet.

So I took a page from Macross/Robotech, and their whole shtick is fighter jets that transform into humanoid mechs, and have the gun placed in a removable 'gun pod' placed underneath the aircraft, which is then removed and held like an assault rifle when in its humanoid shape.


And regarding weapons, you also have to put into account changes in weapon technology, perhaps they're using better penetrators, denser cores, more efficient incendiaries, idk who knows.

Also I assume we'll be taking some creative storytelling liberties when it comes to combat, because though its realistic, just sitting out of visual or just inside visual range and shelling targets from kilometers away with even the lighter weapons doesn't sound incredibly exciting. I get the feeling people want to mix it up in melee and the mecha equivalent of 'CQC' range.
Hidden 7 yrs ago 7 yrs ago Post by ArmorPlated
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@vietmykeAhh, so it detaches into a handheld. I'm guessing you want that "bare barrels" look?

and yeah, round size slimming down is good when space is a premium, and space is always premium, so everyone's probably packing some amount of tungsten.

I was talking more about how FAWs probably mess with the value and viability of air superiority when sighting/lock-on ranges of ground forces triple and mobility skyrockets. Tanks will probably stick around since they can pack bigger guns, but they're probably going to be paired with or follow behind FAWs.

EDIT: realization: With longer sight ranges, longer weapon ranges and better computing technology, aircraft would be much easier to predict, and thus shoot. Air is no longer king because all front line armor is packing some measure of AA capability. doesn't matter if one FAW alone is particularly good with shooting aircraft, all of them can and stand a good chance of landing a hit.
Hidden 7 yrs ago Post by vietmyke
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Nah, I'm okay with a covered gun pod, I just don't want it to look like a plain tube.

something like this one's gun fits the bill better with what I had in mind. Also, the shield is about what I envision for the Raptor too


and yeah if thats the case, I hope Raptors at least are more durable than modern day fightercraft. Or maybe have some EM jammers to fuck with the targeting somewhat, idk.
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Hidden 7 yrs ago Post by ArmorPlated
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@vietmykeHey, Raptors are their own dropships. Even if their armor is comparable to a Scout's they'll still be solid on the ground. They'll also probably own the stars with their maneuverability. Mobility is king now, and Raptors have the most out of all the FAW models.

Aside from that, if you want something heavier, you have the option to take a Warrior or Gunner.
Hidden 7 yrs ago Post by Krayzikk
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<Snipped quote by ArmorPlated>
Also I assume we'll be taking some creative storytelling liberties when it comes to combat, because though its realistic, just sitting out of visual or just inside visual range and shelling targets from kilometers away with even the lighter weapons doesn't sound incredibly exciting. I get the feeling people want to mix it up in melee and the mecha equivalent of 'CQC' range.


This is definitely the case. We might be a little more on the realistic side than some examples of the genre, but this is ultimately a game about giant humanoid robots. Most of the engagements not performed by a sniper-specced machine will be well within visual range. Melee's a valid strategy, if you get close enough.

As for calibers, you've both actually come to about the same as what my old notes said. 20mm for vulcans, 30mm being roughly 'handgun' size (for a Walker, obviously), 60mm being fairly standard for a rifle, 90-100mm (don't have it written down anywhere at hand) was Walker-scale combat shotgun. 150mm was the Gunners' railguns.

Sorry I haven't quite gotten to looking over your sheet yet, vietmyke, project wound up taking a lot out of me. Walker looks good, I had time to skim, just haven't gotten to character yet. First thing tomorrow.
Hidden 7 yrs ago Post by CaptainSully
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CaptainSully 🆆🅸🆃🅷🅸🅽 / 🆃🅷🅴 🆁🆄🅸🅽🆂

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@Krayzikk Could have just said no instead of writing a massive wall of text hope this works out for you though
Hidden 7 yrs ago Post by ArmorPlated
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@CaptainSullyHe was telling you what you need to fix to get the character approved. Considering your comment, you're giving up because you can't have "The Ace: The Character"? C'mon now.
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Hidden 7 yrs ago Post by CaptainSully
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CaptainSully 🆆🅸🆃🅷🅸🅽 / 🆃🅷🅴 🆁🆄🅸🅽🆂

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@ArmorPlated I can appreciate that but I have just spent the weekend on an alcohol fuelled weekend away so I found the length of the post funny. Usually any posts about OP characters are a few lines. He thought my misjudged attempt at a character was worthy of several paragraphs of what was wrong. Maybe I'm strange but it gave me a giggle
Hidden 7 yrs ago Post by Krayzikk
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I prefer specificity. If I'd just said 'no', you would have asked why and I'd have had to explain anyway. Explaining why something is wrong, in my books, is better than just stating the problem.

Nevertheless, I wish you well.
Hidden 7 yrs ago Post by Silvan Haven
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Silvan Haven Interstellar Paladin

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@Krayzikk

Beryl, awaaaaaay.

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Hidden 7 yrs ago Post by Strange Rodent
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Strange Rodent Rodent of Unusual Size

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Hey guys. Sorry, I'm thinking I'll drop this one. A bunch of things have popped up, and I've kinda just lost interest. Sorry to just take off like this.

If anyone wants to use Colin as a secondary char, go right ahead, though!
Hidden 7 yrs ago 6 yrs ago Post by Silvan Haven
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Silvan Haven Interstellar Paladin

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@Krayzikk

Beryl's mech.

Hidden 7 yrs ago Post by Norik
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Norik mutualist mecha pilot

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New guy



Hidden 7 yrs ago Post by Krayzikk
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@Selvariabell Eun is good to go, for the moment. I have some reservations, but we'll handle anything that comes up if it comes up.
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Hidden 6 yrs ago Post by Crimmy
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Crimmy Oi brat, what're ye using that noggin for?

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Name: Holly Yuan
Age: 25
Sex: Female
Profession/Rank: Lieutenant - Pilot and Internal Affairs

Appearance:


Personality: An upbeat young woman, every action the cheerful Miss Yuan takes is infused with enthusiasm, whether it be partaking in her many hobbies (such as gardening, board games, or association football) or doing her job as a lowly peon of Internal Affairs (and general pinch-hitter for anything that needs to be done around Panama as long as it doesn't interfere with performance reviews). She's somebody who dislikes being too somber, and is easily deflated and demotivated if there's too much, in her own words, "negative juju" floating around. While this may make her out to be a seemingly flighty person, she's in fact a rather serious individual. Holly may appear to be unsubstantial, but her enthusiasm is a sign that she takes everything she does very seriously, and will not shy away from doing whatever is demanded of her task no matter what it is.

Skills: Jack of all trades in regards to manual labour thanks to her serial hobbyist tendencies, but also multilingual. Thanks to a software background, she can use Excel.

Weakness: Mild aquaphobia that manifests most commonly as thalassophobia.

History: A native of the People's Republic of China, Holly was born in the port city of Shanghai to a pair of provincial workers. Her memories of them, however, are unfortunately vague, as she would grow up an orphan after losing them to conflict when she was merely ten years of age. The younger Miss Yuan learnt to be independent rather quickly, taking on a number of odd jobs even while she studied for her high school and university entrance exams. Her experiences were enough to help her land a scholarship into Fudan University, where she studied Software Engineering. Following graduation, Holly found herself desiring adventure, and soon joined up with the Federation attache at Dachang Airbase to become a Walker pilot.

Her journey to an officer position was not particularly straightforward, however. Holly was shunted around branches frequently throughout her career, only managing to be promoted to lieutenant upon entering internal affairs. Said promotion also took her to Horizon, far from her beloved motherland.

Equipment: Standard issue.

---

Base Model: FAW-007
Designation: San Su Wu
Appearance:

Armaments:
- Chest Vulcans
- Shuangdao: the San Su Wu, a limited production Warrior variant from the Federation PRC Far East Division's factories, was built initially to test out the effectiveness of melee combat between Walkers before later being repurposed for military parades every October 1 to celebrate the National Day of the People's Republic of China. It was during this time that it acquired two mech-size dao, which have heat and electrical properties to improve effectiveness.
- Armoured hands for punching
Weakness: Which very effective in close range, it has zero ranged capabilities.
Pilot(s): Holly Yuan
Hidden 6 yrs ago Post by Krayzikk
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@Crimmy @Norik, both good to go.

@Silvan Haven, I'd appreciate a little more detail regarding how effective the additional thrusters are for Stream. And in the vein of experimental technology, I'd request a flaw within the tracking software. My personal suggestion would be that too many enemies or weapons tends to bog it down, but considering the potential efficacy combined with the thrusters, I do think it needs some kind of drawback. I'm open to talking about what, these are just my suggestions.

My own personal CSes are in the Char tab, now, approved by @Plank Sinatra to ensure I'm following my own rules. Had a bit of writer's block for the past couple weeks, but we're starting to get back into gear now.
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