Mecha in SAoY

[OsakanOne]

The concept started out as for Yamatai. Mid-way I realized it wasn't what Wes wanted. Someone else hops up, says they're interested in what I've shat out. Things have continued since.

 

[Nightowl]

For a moment when you said "another country" was interested, the thought that flashed through my mind was "North Korea". lol

Just some technical nits, Davy Crocketts were not explosive weapons, they were "dirty" nuclear rounds that killed by radioactive contamination, an area denial weapon, not a blast effect weapon.

 

[CadetNewb]

I'd argue otherwise about the Davy Crocketts, but that's another story.

Focusing on the mech/frame for the SAoY, Wes last said that he basically wanted a 'Chicken Walker' similar to the ED-209-14. We've already agreed that hover and low level flight is a standard must given the setting, but in addition to that, we should likely make it a fast runner. It'll have digitigrade style legs, so we might as well take advantage of that and say it makes it run even faster. Now, I know some of you - myself included - would prefer a humanoid design, but we should work with what we got. Already, it's accurate to guess it'll have at least two 'gun pods' or little arms of some sort.

If it's 3m in height, two ADR 4 cannons with HE rounds of some sort with coaxial guns like the LASR would likely be its bread and butter. It could likely also carry perhaps 2-4 medium sized mini-missile racks on its back in addition to leg options. Swapping those out with another pair of 'over the shoulder' cannons wouldn't be a bad option either. If it'll be 6m in height, a similar layout wouldn't be too bad, with ADR 5 cannons instead, and some sort of ADR 4 autocannons in place of the LASRs. This isn't counting any point defense lasers or possible drones it can deploy though. On the other hand, that's just a generic layout too.

 

[Nightowl]

 

[OsakanOne]

For a moment when you said "another country" was interested, the thought that flashed through my mind was "North Korea". lol

Just some technical nits, Davy Crocketts were not explosive weapons, they were "dirty" nuclear rounds that killed by radioactive contamination, an area denial weapon, not a blast effect weapon.

Actually, the M-388 round used a version of the W54warhead, a very small sub-kiloton fission device. Beyond the initial concept, most of them were fission weapons.

Thanks for playing though :3

I'd argue otherwise about the Davy Crocketts, but that's another story.

Focusing on the mech/frame for the SAoY, Wes last said that he basically wanted a 'Chicken Walker' similar to the ED-209-14. We've already agreed that hover and low level flight is a standard must given the setting, but in addition to that, we should likely make it a fast runner. It'll have digitigrade style legs, so we might as well take advantage of that and say it makes it run even faster. Now, I know some of you - myself included - would prefer a humanoid design, but we should work with what we got. Already, it's accurate to guess it'll have at least two 'gun pods' or little arms of some sort.

If it's 3m in height, two ADR 4 cannons with HE rounds of some sort with coaxial guns like the LASR would likely be its bread and butter. It could likely also carry perhaps 2-4 medium sized mini-missile racks on its back in addition to leg options. Swapping those out with another pair of 'over the shoulder' cannons wouldn't be a bad option either. If it'll be 6m in height, a similar layout wouldn't be too bad, with ADR 5 cannons instead, and some sort of ADR 4 autocannons in place of the LASRs. This isn't counting any point defense lasers or possible drones it can deploy though. On the other hand, that's just a generic layout too.

Bro I already gave you a robot on the bottom of page 12. It has wings and is kinda cute.

 

[CadetNewb]

I know, but it still doesn't fit the criteria. We know it's somewhere in the 3-6m range, and assuming two of those blocks is 1 meter in the image, that one is far larger when fully standing up. More importantly however, we're not exactly at the design stage yet - weapons, armor and so forth haven't even been discussed let alone agreed on yet.

 

[Rizzo]

if you started a private thread with the people interested in developing a weapon system that fits what you want perhaps you wouldn't have ideas that don't satisfy your concept of what this mecha should be.

 

[Nightowl]

Rizzo, the start of this thread did not even call for a mecha design, it was a question that spiraled out of control.

Osakan, er... you do know that a "nuclear weapon" produces this little thing called "radiation"? Just because it is a "Fission" weapon does not mean it is a blast effect weapon. The 10-20 ton yield is only as big as a MOAB/FOAB, and it isn't a groundburst, the M-388 had only one adjustable setting. How high above the ground it is going to go off at. It does not blow up at ground level, it blows up overhead and gives people fatal radiation dosages. Basically the ancestor of the neutron bomb concept. Which is also a good thing to look up.

 

[OsakanOne]

Right, and the maximum yield of rounds ever fitted *to* a Davey Crockett launcher was... 40 kilotons, iirc?

Some mucking about in NukeMap, adjusting fission ratios for SARP era efficiencies and then redoing the math (I like doing the math) suggested the following even if we didn't use sarp-era efficiency mods, as a baseline;

• Fireball radius: 350 m (0.38 km²)
  • Maximum size of the nuclear fireball; relevance to lived effects depends on height of detonation.
  • If it touches the ground, the amount of radioactive fallout is significantly increased.

• Primary Air blast radius (@ 20 psi): over 0.74 km (1.74 km²)
  • At 20 psi overpressure, heavily built concrete buildings are severely damaged or demolished;
  • fatalities approach 100%.
• Secondary Air blast radius (@ 5 psi): over 1.57 km (7.7 km²)
  • At 5 psi overpressure, most residential buildings collapse, injuries are universal,
  • fatalities are widespread.
• Radiation radius (500 rem): 1.58 km (7.82 km²)
  • 500 rem radiation dose; without medical treatment, there can be expected between 50% and 90% mortality from acute effects alone.
  • Dying takes between several hours and several weeks.
• Thermal radiation radius (3rd degree burns): 2.6 km (21.3 km²)
  • Third degree burns extend throughout the layers of skin, and are often painless because they destroy the pain nerves.
  • They can cause severe scarring or disablement, and can require amputation. 100% probability for 3rd degree burns at this yield is 9.3 cal/cm2.

It does everything it needs to do, in terms of controlling the movements of unprotected units, running interference, demolition and topography modification. Used tactically, the ionization curve relative to static electrical wavelengths is more than ample if used properly to produce an emp capable of shutting down a conventional city today or in SARP, I would assume breaking a fieldic system. OUREX packs eight submarine style armored hatches concealing missile-tubes in its rear. The real bite is the main weapon - the railgun - which we could load a ridiculous number of different types of warheads into. I figure the nukes are for discouraging landings and conventional starships from entering the upper ionosphere; if something like the Sakura couldn't produce lift because its gravity control failed and it was trying to rely on its aether engines, it would become a *very* predictable target and if it can't produce lift (no lifting surfaces) it will fall like a stone short of a cobra hover.

 

[Rizzo]

Thank you for pointing that out, nightowl, your right. The question was:

So I got a question. I have several times heard about SAoY using Origin frames like Ashigaru and Asura, but only time I actually saw it used was in plot GMed by @Nashoba so I am curious if this is still a thing, cause you know, mecha are cool and actually fits Yamatai's profile.

The answer was:

There are currently no mecha units in the Star Army of Yamatai.

then shotjohn pressed the issue seeing it as a flaw. The reality is that mechas in general combat are just too big. this topic is only being forced because someone wants to play with something big. Unfortunately the SAoY is not equipped with mechas and has found ways to not need them. Not a problem, it is a style.

 

[Nightowl]

Osakan, nukemap has a davy crockett preset. Use that and see the results then.

 

[OsakanOne]

...Where the hell did I get 40 kilotons from?

I need to sit down and go through this again. Though, each one is about the size of a coffin.

Was I thinking of the M65?

 

[OsakanOne]

>maintenance is expensive on mecha
>lol not my problem

 

[CadetNewb]

No, no no! You did it all wrong. You're supposed to do it like this, since this is Yamatai;

>maintenance is expensive on mecha
>lol not my problem

Now again, and from the top!

*****

In all seriousness though, that'd still basically amount to time which the unit has to heal/self repair.

 

[Eistheid]

Are we talking operational maintenance? Or post-combat damage?

If I'm understanding it properly structol units are supposed to eliminate the former or at least reduce it to negligible levels.

I'd imagine that systems could be devised to ease the speed of repair when it comes to combat damage.

This thread before it died and was revived largely comes down to someone needing to produce a mecha, and be willing to run a plot for them, or at least make an effort to acquire one for use should they be wanted IC.

It's much easier to implement something that is going to see immediate player use rather than spitballing concepts like has been done here.

 

[CadetNewb]

You've about summarized it; though there's interest in having mechs, there's honestly not enough to get things rolling here. Even then, the desires between mech-fans differ. For an example, Wes wants a chicken walker for Yamatai, while I'd prefer something humanoid. I even feel that's the inverse to how things generally are IRL; the Japanese prefer a system that is human-like, and can act as a part or extension of the user. Sort like how many consider the katana to be the soul of the samurai for an example. Meanwhile, Americans prefer something relatively utilitarian and robust, with lots of firepower since we typically think of them as just another war machine.

 

[Eistheid]

Well, that is in my opinion where the players would come in. After getting a group together you'd poll what the players want and then cater to their needs. No point in writing a chicken walker if the players want a gundam, and the opposite is true should interest be reversed. In the event that a player wants something aside from the standard option for the plot they should be encouraged to write up their own unit and get it submitted.

 

[CadetNewb]

Pretty much. No players, no nothing.

 

[OsakanOne]

Maybe the ideal can do or be both. Compromise may be possible; a weapon to surpass mechanical giants

 

[Amaryllis]

I want an extremely phallic mecha that can grapple opponents and ejaculate plasma or some other more suitably damaging substance from its head. Alternatively one that looks like that green feminine Pokemon everyone wants to have sex with. If it can have sex with its pilot it'll probably be in high demand the same way humanoid races are a lot more likely to get usage.

Much less seriously I'd take anything that looks like a giant Zaku/Zeon mecha or something from VOTOMS like my fav machine. I'm also for transforming into any kind of really sleek airplane like thing.