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NAM VOID Commando Armor

Exhack

Exhack

Inactive Member
More post-Kennewes tech for the SAoN.

https://wiki.stararmy.com/doku.php?id=vo ... nder_armor

A project I've been working on for a good two weeks now. A high powered defensive and ECM package that will be in relatively small numbers compared to the rest of NAM's PAs. It's not that I don't want everyone to have access to our new tech level, but it might be a bother if everyone runs around with shield drones and 4 kinds of ECM. I had been contemplating using Tachyon, but figured I should just stick to Subspace.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demron

Quick reference on the radiation blocking layer.

As well, just a quick thank you to Moonie, Limey and Fian, who set up much of the groundwork for this new unit.
 
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Re: NAM VOID Commander Armor

First, you lack a DR rating for the first weapon. Please amend (or point it out if I just missed it)


Second, your Orange grenade dows 2 damage "persistent". Elaborate. You don't mean it keeps doing damage every turn, do you?


Normally, I'd be asking "What guarantee do I have that the shield ignorant weapon won't be abused?", but in this case I ask "How can the blade reach through the shields to the hull if it's only 6 feet?"

In short, I fear this second mode wold be twinky, if it could be used at all. Please explain or re-work.


Give a DR for the short-sword please.


Are your drones outside or inside the shields they generate?


While Entropy's Shroud is fine for ships, I find it far too powerful for conventional PA. Furthermore, the effects of Entropy's shround at the ranges specified would give this PA an obscene advantage just by being in close proximity to the enemy--a given since it seems to be a melee Power Armor to begin with. Please remove.


I am a bit concerned about abuse of the NAM Eavesdropper Device, but less to than some other aspects. Just know that most non-civilian communication (and some civilian communication) is highly encrypted. I don't see this working in a combat scenario. As long as it doesn't decrypt in the heat of battle, it should be okay...
 
Re: NAM VOID Commander Armor

First, you lack a DR rating for the first weapon. Please amend (or point it out if I just missed it)
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As it is an Antimatter weapon I placed the DR at 8. It marked it lower than the marked DR because it has slightly lower output than other positron weapons.

Second, your Orange grenade dows 2 damage "persistent". Elaborate. You don't mean it keeps doing damage every turn, do you?
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White Phosphorus will stubbornly cling to surfaces and persistently burn, even when submerged in water. Actually, it's something akin to being covered in a powered blue flame. It won't do very much damage to any combat vehicles and armors, but be very effective versus infantry.

Normally, I'd be asking "What guarantee do I have that the shield ignorant weapon won't be abused?", but in this case I ask "How can the blade reach through the shields to the hull if it's only 6 feet?"
Click to expand...

The blade was originally 8 feet. That, and my original assumption was that vessels used conforming shields rather than large bubbles. If need be, I can drop the shield bypassing effect altogether.

Give a DR for the short-sword please.
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Done.

Are your drones outside or inside the shields they generate?
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Seems I forgot to mention that. Inside.

While Entropy's Shroud is fine for ships, I find it far too powerful for conventional PA. Furthermore, the effects of Entropy's shround at the ranges specified would give this PA an obscene advantage just by being in close proximity to the enemy--a given since it seems to be a melee Power Armor to begin with. Please remove.
Click to expand...

I'm tuning it down to 1% effectiveness of the starship-grade version.

I am a bit concerned about abuse of the NAM Eavesdropper Device, but less to than some other aspects. Just know that most non-civilian communication (and some civilian communication) is highly encrypted. I don't see this working in a combat scenario. As long as it doesn't decrypt in the heat of battle, it should be okay...
Click to expand...

The Eavesdropper can pick up on signals being sent around, but I specifically mentioned that it probably cannot decipher all the data it picks up on. At best, it could be gathered in the field and decrypted after the battle, or databursted to a nearby vessel for them to handle it.
 
Re: NAM VOID Commander Armor

Just to be clear, I didn't use the exact same name. The properties are somewhat similar, but I didn't call the layer "Demron" or anything quite similar to that. I mentioned it as a precautionary measure in case someone said that a polymer couldn't block radiation.

As well, I tweaked the values on the PA's Entropy's Shroud to make things more fair, to a certain extent. I might have to go lower, mind you.
 
Re: NAM VOID Commander Armor

==== 14. ECM/Cloaking ====

[[freespacers:entropy_s_shroud|Entropy's Shroud Electronic Warfare Suite]]
+
+ **Values on PA Variant:**
+
+ * vs. Starship Superweapons -- 75% hit chance
+ * vs. Starship Main Guns -- 45% hit chance
+ * vs. Starship Secondary Guns -- 30% hit chance
+ * PA and star ships lose computer tracking except at short ranges, between (.01AU 150000km) and (.005AU 7500km), where targets can be acquired using visual tracking
+ * PA and starships lose wireless communication inside the wake, at up to **0.005 AU** (7500km) from the Shroud's PA.
+ * PA and starships, including the user's ship, count as being inside an interdiction field when within a **0.0025** AU (360000km) radius, due to spatial distortions.
+ * PA and starships, including the user's ship, will be considered stealthed and therefore extremely difficult to detect using passive or long-range scans, when within a **0.00025 AU** (360, 000km) radius. Detection of stealthed ships is considerably easier as one closes distance.
+ * PA and starships will take **[DR 4]** //per minute// against //shields only// when within a **0.0001 AU** (140000km) ( radius, due to the powerful EM emissions and spatial warping putting persistent strain on the integrity of a shield. The user's ship cannot maintain a shield at all due to the combined strain and power drain of running the Shroud.
+
+ //Note: Can only be used in space.//
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This is too powerful.

I don't like the percentage based stuff (remember Jess's Freespacer ECM system being attacked by tech dudes over that?) and the idea of a power armor doing 4 DR per minute against big starships is unsettling. Not only that, but it (as written) blocks all communications and sensors.

Submission rejected.
 
Ah, I see what's happening now.

Basically, the Freespacers were allowed really awesome ECM tech because at the time they were an independent, mostly weaponless faction. Giving the freespacers unusually good ECM stuff was done for BALANCE. Now, however, you're putting the best of Freespacers' distinctive technology on a Nepleslian mecha to gain new, higher tech levels never intended by the tech approval staff (kind of like Lorath hooking up with the Sourcians which was a disaster in my eyes).

It's not good on an OOC basis because you get all the balancing benefits of being an "weapons-impaired" nation but at the same time get the full benefit of Nepleslia's advanced weaponry, too.

I don't like it.
 
But can, and should tech collaboration between two allied nations be forbidden because of OOC?

Maybe this is a topic on its own to be looked into.
 
Since applying an Entropy's Shroud on a NAM design seemed to pose OOC problems, I dropped it.

Are there any remaining problems that need to be addressed?
 
Thanks--I've got to visit my fiancee's parents in a bit but I'll be able to re-review this by mid-Monday. I'll posted again then. In the meantime, treat yourself to somethign tasty--you wrote up a nice design there.
 
Might be a bit off-topic now (internet was down two days ago!) but the Entropy Shroud's sheer energy requirements, coupled with its perpetual energy output, renders one's own shields inoperable while it is online. Furthermore, one's own ranged targeting suffers almost just as bad unless one is fed targeting information from outside the field, (i.e., probes on tethers, since the noise disrupts wireless signals). I think I should add this to the OOC notes list, just in case some people might miss it when skimming the article.

Anyways, if your system was scaled, I imagine the changes made would be...
  • You would lose accuracy. Firing by eye is fine, but computer-assistance is lost to both sides.
    • Tethered drones could nullify this accuracy loss, but they'd be so bulky you could only carry a pair, and they would make easy targets for the enemy.
  • You would not have shielding active while this device is active.
  • You would lack the emissions strength to perform other functions (interdiction, shield decay, comm jamming)


  • However, they a few key uses I can see on smaller scales...
  • Melee weapons are highly effective, due to both the enemy's lack of assisted firing, and forcing them into close ranges where they can spot and take shots at you. Even then their shots won't be nearly as accurate. A high agility, melee power armor might benefit extraordinary from his.
  • Snipers, or long-range PA could fire off a heavy barrage, then activate their Shroud and move to prevent accurate counter-firing. Relocate, reload, and fire again. Shroud, and relocate. Repeat until stuff blows up. Yay.
  • On a heavier, vehicle chassis you could cause battlefield blackouts. Jam communications so you can take out an enemy position, and it could take hours before the enemy sends forces to investigate. Also, throw enemy organization into a mess by cutting them off an off-field command post. An excellent asset for marauders or forces performing raids. A higher intensity generator like this would allow one to create an entire attack force composed purely of high agility, melee PA

Just thought I'd stick that in there.
 
Umm...is it really necessary to have three separate sections of armor like that? I'm not exactly sure what it amounts to, but if this does indeed triple the Armor ratings of the submission, I can foresee people continuously stacking armor on top of armor in future submission to the point of redundancy. So, my real question is does this thing have total Armor DR of 19, or is the overall amount of these different hulls the same as our old armor standards of around DR 5-7?

Also, keep in mind that Nerimium is a very dense, heavy metal...using a lot of it should limit the speed and flexibility of an armor.
 
MoonMan said:
Umm...is it really necessary to have three separate sections of armor like that? I'm not exactly sure what it amounts to, but if this does indeed triple the Armor ratings of the submission, I can foresee people continuously stacking armor on top of armor in future submission to the point of redundancy. So, my real question is does this thing have total Armor DR of 19, or is the overall amount of these different hulls the same as our old armor standards of around DR 5-7?

Also, keep in mind that Nerimium is a very dense, heavy metal...using a lot of it should limit the speed and flexibility of an armor.
Click to expand...

It stays in the normal range. If need be read this as a reference. I clearly defined the DR on each section, so people can't abuse the DR system with the new armor.

Oh... and thanks for the pointers on the ES, Jess. If another NAM design is going to have one, it will have the penalties you mentioned, as well as the vastly lowered jamming effects, and won't be on another defensive/offensive powerhouse like the VOID.

EDIT LOG: The VOID's frame is now composed of Durandium, for weight balancing issues.
 
I believe that rather than being scaled, Entropy's Shroud should remain a ship-only technology. Its power demands are excessive on a PA, and require the energy output of a ship to produce.
 
Well, the system is no longer on the VOID. And as I said before, it wouldn't be a full blown system with all the same effects. At best, you're looking at a highly localized sensors blackout generator, though you'd be sacrificing your shields and sensors to use it.

Are there any remaining problems to be dealt with or can I request a final review?
 
After talking a little bit with the other Nepleslian GMs, Ex, we are hesitant to ask if you could reconsider leaving the CDD system on this armor.

First of, it would be the first Nepleslian armor with the ability to move at FTL speeds, which is an achievment in itself simply because we think our current level of technology hasn't yet reached the point where we can create working CDD systems as an integral system in a powered armor. Fian himself wanted the first FTL-drives for the ELEMENT series to be large, cumbersome attachments at first, then slowly migrate into better, more compact systems. And currently we just don't want to get into that area until the situation warrants an armor-based CDD system.

Having the VOID have FTL speeds also puts it way, way above the other Nepleslian armors. I know you probably feel we just keep trying to chop away at your design, which is nice by the way...but this particular issue I have with the VOID has more reprocussions behind it than it simply being fast. Would you consider removing it, Ex?
 
Toshiro said:
I believe that rather than being scaled, Entropy's Shroud should remain a ship-only technology. Its power demands are excessive on a PA, and require the energy output of a ship to produce.
Click to expand...
Signed.
 
Moonie, I'd like to conference (YIM, IRC) precisely how we're going to introduce CDD drives to NAM Power Armors, in a more coordinated manner. But for the time being, the drive has been removed.
 
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