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OOC [OoC] Miharu Discussion thread

FYI: Kishi is japanese for 'Knight'. It's a five letter world so it matches the five-letter naming policy of the KFY armors, and might sound even girlish if you don't account for its meaning in japanese. The 'Kishi' would be named in homage after Miharu's power armor squad: the Black Knights.

Now... ideas I've been tossing around in my head:

An onboard computer-controlled set of robotic 'arms' that would replace the shoulder racks of the present Daisy. Conceptually nicknamed 'SQUIRE' by me at present, the idea is to:
  • When empty, can be used to brace or hold against surfaces.
  • Function as a normal shoulder weapon rack, except that it can move to either offer or receive any handheld weapons - thus greatly facilitating weapon swapping.
  • When holding heavy weapons, can also serve as a turret-like mount to use them. A shoulder-fired 50mm gauss cannon would in fact be detachable to also serve as an handheld 50mm gauss bazooka.
  • Assist user with indirect fire weaponry (homing missile launcher, thrown grenades/mines, mortar fire, etc...)

A weapon mounted under the arm was amongst my ideas. Something fired from a position not too different from where Spiderman fires off his webs.
  • Plasma torch-style weapon: Like mentioned by Kokuten, and knowing of Blas' concern with the Daisy lacking solid melee weaponry, I figured the plasma torch/sword-like weapon could be envisioned. Maybe even make it detachable to use like as 'plasma saber' weaponry (this is kind of stepping on Lorath-weapon-territory, though) though I wouldn't expect much more than melee range for the detached saber.
  • Graviton projector: Make bursts of gravity to pull, violently shove or even slam targets aside as well as hold on, heave up telekinesis-style, or reel in. Could be a useful utility tool just as much as a convenient asset in battle for increased control and breathing space.
Maybe even both, one of each on each arm?

Other close weapon could include over the back-of-the-hand katal-like triangular blades that could slide out to chop stuff; or reinforced knuckle covers that would include shaped explosive charges offering that Bubblegum Crisis-like knucklebomber effect. I don't think both ideas are compatible together.

Armor composition:
I'm pretty fond of Yama-Dura like the Daisy has, but the insert seems to be a point of contention as most pilots seem to dislike the fleshy hemosynthetic one... though going without it spoils certain of its advantages. Personally, I'd think it'd be possible to use a kind of hybrid between nodal material (like the Sylph II) and hemosynthetic muscle fiber (like the Mindy II) covered up by the same sort of synthetic layer found in the Kylie.

The synthetic layer is there for comfort and allows users to use the armor suit while fully garbed. If the power armor sustains damage, then the covering layer is breached anyhow, and the HS material can come into contact with flesh and heal seal/mend wounds.

Insert/inner power suit concept:
I don't think SARP's ready for it, but I've had thoughts over making the actual insert of said power armor into an independent power suit. Seeing the tendency I see in players to don power armors inside starships - even on the bridge - to be safe from boarders... I figured the power suit could in fact serve to cover combat uniform, flightsuit, the AMES-suit role, provide extra protection like bodyarmor and also the enhanced strength of power armor without the bulk (making it useful as much for combat as for utility).

When the time comes to use power armor, the 'inner' power suit would then be slid into the support frame of the power armor exoskeleton and then operate from there.

Additional close weapon ideas:
Drawing from increased presence of nodal components, perhaps the armor could be able to form up the kind of forearm/elbow/knee blades we've seen used to deadly effect by Meni and Mani, except that they could spontaneously spring out locally in the same fashion as a NH-18/Arethusa can generate melee weapons?

I'd rather do without the monstrous freedom of shapechanging weaponry, but using the same system to simply compact such weapons and then deploy on use might be nice.

Shield-clubbing is an art?
Nimura shield-clubs. I make you shield club sometimes too in my narrative. Seems silly not to in melee, and the shield seems a credible bludgeoning weapon and better than your armored fists.

A while ago, I thought about why the Daisy only seemed to use a shield on just one side. Why not have a forearm shield on the other side too?

Is encumbrance an issue? Can't easily wield weapons with shields in the way? In that case, what if weaponry becomes integrated with the shield: the shields the Daisy use is hollowed out zesuaium so conceivably weapons could be built and integrated in the middle. The end result could be similar to the M.W.S. Shion Uzuki used in the Xenosaga video games.

Elimination of Mini-Missile use:
All I see from players most of the time is missile use for offensive warheads or shield-canceling warheads. Countermeasures are rarely used by anyone except GMs.

With this in mind, and me not liking the mini-missile concept because I've some trouble picturing beercan swarms rocketing off to the explode and cause significant damage. I'd rather see over-the-shoulder propelled grenades, actual homing rockets and tossed grenades assume that role.

Speed:
I don't see this needing much more than 100kph given the challenge my plot has been offering. Using power armor as space fighters has never been popular in my plot and seems to be growing out of fashion in SARP too. If a power armor needs to go places, why not provide a proper power armor transport instead (shuttle appropriate for filling Hoshi's dropship role?).

I figure greater speeds could be obtained, but I'm not keen on anything higher than lightspeed - power armors shouldn't space travel in my book. If they have access to greater speed, it'd probably come off at the expense of the modular back mount - which may usually be the primary location for the barrier module. Space maneuverability or greater protection - that sounds like a decent tradeoff to me.

Sensors:
I'm bad at giving you radar input. I'd probably default with visual sensors mostly. I'm not very fond of drones either so don't expect me to be forthcoming with them. I'm however pretty fond of mission operator and spotting done from a nearby mobile base with better sensors as it goes much better with my narrative style.

Discuss?
 
Honestly, aside from the graviton projector, I like everything you just said. The only reason I dislike the graviton projector is that it does seem like it could be very overpowered, depending on how you use it. I'd much rather see tandem plasma projectors.

As for the possible nodal weapons, I'd rather they be retractable or folding, then nodal. Just because I know the trend has been trying to move away from it being so dominant.

I both agree and disagree about the inserts. In some ways, I understand that some people dislike the idea of dealing with the fleshy inserts, but it's also one of the major points that has always kind of "defined" Yamatai. And nothing really prevents players from doing what Kai has done and replacing it if they really disagree with it.

The power suit idea I like, and was actually talking to some other Eucharis players about the other day. It seems to me that it would make sense for the AMES equivalent to fit in the non-flesh insert armors, for the reasons you've mentioned. Especially for characters like my Eucharis one, who spends a lot of time working as an armor pilot, even though up until very recently she's been a engineer for the most part.

As for the shields and mini-missiles... Well, to be honest I like the shield idea. It seems like something that could be really useful, and seems to make sense to boot, so I'd say go for it. The mini-missiles, on the other hand... Well, I know part of my lack of their use is that you're one of the only GMs who I would actually trust to play them straight, and I've gotten used to not using them because of that.

Speeds and Sensors I can work with you on both of those. Speed seems reasonable as hell, and I can agree with you on trying to give us radar style sensors. I think both of those two seem very sensible.
 
In my honest opinion, I think you should use a smaller version of the Dragoon's plasma gun/cutter. Have it to where the wrist-mounted item can switch from shooting to cutting. That way it can double it's utility as a pistol, along with a knife.

The suit idea? Brilliant! Fallout 3 uses this in their Recon Suit, as it's actually just an under-suit for the Brotherhood's power armor. The linking suit could double as a sort of armor to be worn in security or infantry situations. Though, the down side is that Asher can't oggle breasts like he used to.
 
Squire sounds good, if a bit odd to play with.

Plasma torch I can see as a utility, not as a weapon if only because in Miharu, going to melee range seems to more often than not mean death -cough cough-

Graviton Projector sounds like the Nepleslian AIR's PPG, except stronger. I have to agree with Aendri that it does seem like it could get really overpowered depending on it's use.

Armor composition... can't really say much about this. Seems more like a GM side for determining damage than it is something on the player side. I haven't had personal experience with what a fleshy insert might feel and I haven't really had a problem with it, but that's probably because I've used mostly nekos in Yamatai. I'm sure Nekos wouldn't have an issue.

Lessee... other things. For mini-missiles, I like them. Might tone down the damage but they were a nice secondary weapon that had a lot of utility. Though, imagining an image of a PA, if the calf-located weapons are removed it might make it seem top-heavy especially with the Squire system.

As for sensors, you could have them be weakened or whatever that you planned, but do the same thing as the Daisy with a set variant with heightened sensors.
 
Seconding (or thirding or fouthing; I lost count) the 'inner power suit' thing, or just making a light armor for non-combat personnel. It always seemed weird to me that, in times when ships were in danger of being boarded, most of the potential defenders aren't wearing any armor at all. (I'm suddenly curious what modern navies do in such circumstances, though I understand that boarding is pretty rare.) It'd make sense to have an intermediate step, armored enough to not be a corpse the second a power armor glances at you, but still able to do delicate work. I don't know how this could work physics-wise, but it seems like it could be helpful for this to shield the wearer so that they don't fry the second somebody with an active CFS walks by.
 
Fred said:
An onboard computer-controlled set of robotic 'arms' that would replace the shoulder racks of the present Daisy. Conceptually nicknamed 'SQUIRE' by me at present, the idea is to:
  • When empty, can be used to brace or hold against surfaces.
  • Function as a normal shoulder weapon rack, except that it can move to either offer or receive any handheld weapons - thus greatly facilitating weapon swapping.
  • When holding heavy weapons, can also serve as a turret-like mount to use them. A shoulder-fired 50mm gauss cannon would in fact be detachable to also serve as an handheld 50mm gauss bazooka.
  • Assist user with indirect fire weaponry (homing missile launcher, thrown grenades/mines, mortar fire, etc...)
Click to expand...
I still wonder about the durability of these arms ... but if they're firing gauss cannons, they must be pretty darn tough. So I'll bite on these.

A weapon mounted under the arm was amongst my ideas. Something fired from a position not too different from where Spiderman fires off his webs.
  • Plasma torch-style weapon: Like mentioned by Kokuten, and knowing of Blas' concern with the Daisy lacking solid melee weaponry, I figured the plasma torch/sword-like weapon could be envisioned. Maybe even make it detachable to use like as 'plasma saber' weaponry (this is kind of stepping on Lorath-weapon-territory, though) though I wouldn't expect much more than melee range for the detached saber.
  • Graviton projector: Make bursts of gravity to pull, violently shove or even slam targets aside as well as hold on, heave up telekinesis-style, or reel in. Could be a useful utility tool just as much as a convenient asset in battle for increased control and breathing space.
Maybe even both, one of each on each arm?
Click to expand...
The only thing I don't like about under-arm mounted weapons is the action of having to move the hand out of the way.

If you stick out your arm and put your hand in a fist, the inside and bottom of your "arm" is covered by fingers. The top is, too, so I'm excluding that. I'd be more comfortable with a weapon that's on the outside of the arm, especially if it is small and not prone to recoil.

However, I would kill for that graviton projector, no matter where it goes. That's too awesome a tool, in my mind, to not want.

Other close weapon could include over the back-of-the-hand katal-like triangular blades that could slide out to chop stuff; or reinforced knuckle covers that would include shaped explosive charges offering that Bubblegum Crisis-like knucklebomber effect. I don't think both ideas are compatible together.
Click to expand...
It would be cool to introduce a bladed weapon back into the power armor mix, but I thought we always had trouble coming up with one that would be effective. Katars might be cool, but would they not have to vibrate or heat up or something?

I would like to see a chamber or container (ala Daisy's thigh compartments) that holds some kind of knife or short sword or (guiltily) a collapsing baton. Something like the Ingram from Patlabor.

Armor composition:
I'm pretty fond of Yama-Dura like the Daisy has, but the insert seems to be a point of contention as most pilots seem to dislike the fleshy hemosynthetic one... though going without it spoils certain of its advantages. Personally, I'd think it'd be possible to use a kind of hybrid between nodal material (like the Sylph II) and hemosynthetic muscle fiber (like the Mindy II) covered up by the same sort of synthetic layer found in the Kylie.

The synthetic layer is there for comfort and allows users to use the armor suit while fully garbed. If the power armor sustains damage, then the covering layer is breached anyhow, and the HS material can come into contact with flesh and heal seal/mend wounds.
Click to expand...
A THOUSAND TIMES YES.

Really good balance of the hemosynth and synthetic.

Insert/inner power suit concept:
I don't think SARP's ready for it, but I've had thoughts over making the actual insert of said power armor into an independent power suit. Seeing the tendency I see in players to don power armors inside starships - even on the bridge - to be safe from boarders... I figured the power suit could in fact serve to cover combat uniform, flightsuit, the AMES-suit role, provide extra protection like bodyarmor and also the enhanced strength of power armor without the bulk (making it useful as much for combat as for utility).

When the time comes to use power armor, the 'inner' power suit would then be slid into the support frame of the power armor exoskeleton and then operate from there.
Click to expand...
I dig this idea and think it would work really well!

I do not want to relay it to Wes not even a year after he established new uniforms and paid for a whole bunch of art.

Additional close weapon ideas:
Drawing from increased presence of nodal components, perhaps the armor could be able to form up the kind of forearm/elbow/knee blades we've seen used to deadly effect by Meni and Mani, except that they could spontaneously spring out locally in the same fashion as a NH-18/Arethusa can generate melee weapons?

I'd rather do without the monstrous freedom of shapechanging weaponry, but using the same system to simply compact such weapons and then deploy on use might be nice.
Click to expand...
The thing about these weapons is that they're very superbadassninja-type weapons. Mani and Meni using them is understandable, but a PC?

I think this hits on something larger — we rarely do hand-to-hand PA combat. If there's hand-to-hand going on, it's the enemies doing it and we're stuck shooting back. Two reasons for this:

1. Few (if any) PA combatants have been up to the skill of their opponents in melee combat.

2. No melee weapons on the Daisy.

I believe the second problem's being kicked around already, but the first is what bothers me. Can you see Nyton, much less Yukari, taking on a Mani or Meni in melee combat? I can't. They're extremely efficient close-range killers using very effective melee weapons, who are going up against experienced long-range soldiers with no melee weapons.

I guess what I'm saying is, if we want more melee combat, we need to know we've got a fighting chance — both in weapons and skill. No one would want to fight Mani or Meni hand-to-hand because they would surmise they'd be slaughtered.

Shield-clubbing is an art?
Nimura shield-clubs. I make you shield club sometimes too in my narrative. Seems silly not to in melee, and the shield seems a credible bludgeoning weapon and better than your armored fists.

A while ago, I thought about why the Daisy only seemed to use a shield on just one side. Why not have a forearm shield on the other side too?

Is encumbrance an issue? Can't easily wield weapons with shields in the way? In that case, what if weaponry becomes integrated with the shield: the shields the Daisy use is hollowed out zesuaium so conceivably weapons could be built and integrated in the middle. The end result could be similar to the M.W.S. Shion Uzuki used in the Xenosaga video games.
Click to expand...
Shion didn't carry a handheld weapon. The shield-gun, especially on both sides, would eliminate a need for handheld weapon.

I like shield clubbing ... but again, consider the opponent. Would an armored opponent really take much damage from a shield beating? The shield would knucklebombers of its own.

I'm going back to Patlabor because I suck. Its shield might be a better option. It's a narrow buckler, but could be useful in clubbing or batting opponents away (especially if used more as a punching aid). It also does not encumber the armor when using handheld weapons. The coolest part is that beneath the buckler is a slot for a weapon — could be a firearm or rocket launcher ala Iron Man or even storage for a melee weapon ala Patlabor. Options there, but again, it allows for a handheld, long-range weapon to be used without awkwardness.

Elimination of Mini-Missile use:
All I see from players most of the time is missile use for offensive warheads or shield-canceling warheads. Countermeasures are rarely used by anyone except GMs.

With this in mind, and me not liking the mini-missile concept because I've some trouble picturing beercan swarms rocketing off to the explode and cause significant damage. I'd rather see over-the-shoulder propelled grenades, actual homing rockets and tossed grenades assume that role.
Click to expand...
Totally down with this. The missiles seem like they'd be so tiny anyways.

Speed:
I don't see this needing much more than 100kph given the challenge my plot has been offering. Using power armor as space fighters has never been popular in my plot and seems to be growing out of fashion in SARP too. If a power armor needs to go places, why not provide a proper power armor transport instead (shuttle appropriate for filling Hoshi's dropship role?).

I figure greater speeds could be obtained, but I'm not keen on anything higher than lightspeed - power armors shouldn't space travel in my book. If they have access to greater speed, it'd probably come off at the expense of the modular back mount - which may usually be the primary location for the barrier module. Space maneuverability or greater protection - that sounds like a decent tradeoff to me.
Click to expand...
Also down with this. Feels like the original Daisy, before I stuck on the gravimetric engines on the legs (thus starting the 1B Spacy version).

Sensors:
I'm bad at giving you radar input. I'd probably default with visual sensors mostly. I'm not very fond of drones either so don't expect me to be forthcoming with them. I'm however pretty fond of mission operator and spotting done from a nearby mobile base with better sensors as it goes much better with my narrative style.
Click to expand...
Affirmative. I can dig this, though if the armors are away from their base, they would need some other way to detect the enemy. Yuzuki's creativity aside, dropping drones is good.

I'd like to hear the overarching concept of the Kishi. The only point I've gleaned so far is "better at melee combat."
 
Alright time for ideas. Thing is quite a few already got mentioned and with good reception.

Koku, that plasma cutter is nice. I like it.

I also thought of pop out spring loaded weapons like blades or spikes on the body. It's definitely something on my list of ideas. I think the ability to expand and retract blades from the body is very useful. Lets face it, the big bads are always strong at melee. Everyone will shoot at them and they still get in close to rip you apart. You might as well have some sort of close up weapon that can be pulled out without having to shuffle your hands from rifle to weapon.

That graviton projector idea you proposed Fred is awesome. I put that a couple notches above appendages like the VAW or Arethusa or Kishi/Squire even. That makes for a fantastic all around tool. I am more fond of it for it's non-combat applications as a tool you can use to get your gear together, reload, or snag that out of reach weapon.

Since the concept of drones is being eliminated then how about some sort extension that pops out of the finger or wrist or something that can go around corners to give a view of what lays ahead so that the Armor doesn't have to expose itself. Like skin vision but without having to risk losing a finger. Kind of like those little scope cameras used today but more advanced with a long reach and fully adjustable angle. I know sensors already map a lot of things out like some sort of super soliton radar but they always seems to get duped despite the advances made. Sometimes just seeing is enough.

The mission operator idea makes me think of Metal Gear. The game used some sort of..... I dunno, radar and communication stuff.... whatever, to help Snake navigate. In SARP though how do you get the operator in range to be able to effectively use sensors? Unless you've got a very powerful means of not getting jammed then it's very difficult to operate like this from afar, forcing the Armor team to operate independently. The same can happen if you do get an operator closer to the site but then you have to worry about security for the operator. Or if they send something like a Chibi-MEGAMI probe or whatever again the device is possibly exposed. Sorry I have no answers on this. A mobile command post, even with big guns, can still be considered a vulnerability.

For making it possible to dual wield shields what about making a shield capable of collapsing into the arm? If it seems like carrying two shields is burdensome then why not make the shields part of the arm? It may have to be smaller, like the size of say a buckler or small shielf, but durable enough to function as well as a full size.

Here is another idea for Armor armament but I've never really been able to flesh out since it almost requires the Armor itself to be configured for it. I think of it almost as a Armor Combat Engineer set up. It would have a light combat role due to basic weapons because it's focus would be reshaping the battlefield. This would limit it's roles to non-space applications such as planetary assaults. It would be heavily loaded with modular explosives that the ACE could set up to make traps that would either defeat the enemy's advance or force them to approach from a different avenue. It's a very niche concept though so there's not as much broad application to it.

Following this modular explosive idea, I thought it would be a very cool notion for combatant Armors. It would be a melee weapon you could fit to the gauntlets. Everytime the Armor touches the enemy it sticks a shaped bomb that is designed to focus the blast toward the enemy's body (you know what I'm talking about Fred, kind of like that one Panzer Kunst guy Alita fought on her way to finding Merlin).

Anyways that's all I have at the moment. The internet is being obnoxiously slow and I need to get to bed.
 
Regarding the NH-18 in a Daisy, you're dealing with something (a nanomachine colony) that will be able to reconstitute materials fairly quickly. So, yeah. Too bad she shares Kotori's affinity for defense. >_>;

Regarding Yukari's gauntlets, touching the tentacles had some of their nanomaterial get on them and start 'converting' the matter there. Nimura's attack grated off the 'assimilated' parts. Essentially, Nimura just saved Yukari's hands. With the gauntlets recover from that, though? The insert can probably form a protective scab over where its exposed and raw, but the yama-dura that covered the inner-side of the gauntlet is gone for good.

Also, take into account that Nimura isn't just going to stand there. I've plans for her to attempt to help Rin but there's only so much I can have her do within a set IC timeframe and this was the stopping point I chose.
 
Ugh this internet connection is going bad. I just now read all that. I kind of figured that's what happened to the gauntlets, Fred. My intent was to have everyone push through, let Kai and Nimura go first and then have Nyton fire off a SLAG round to slow down Kotori for a second before he slipped through as well. Hopefully they could stabilize Rin before resuming the fight. So maybe Nimura can do whatever you were planning on the other side of the door.
 
Fred said:
I don't see why lack of armor covering should prevent weapon usage.
Click to expand...
The sniper rifle's recoil is too powerful. It will bruise/bloody the insert at the palms and fingers, whereas the revolver's recoil will be felt, but not hurt.
 
A defined concept for the power armor? Melee-focus isn't quite it... Eh... instead of explaining it, why don't I just quote PM conversation I recently had with Doshii. It doesn't feel very 'secret'.

Doshii said:
I realized it in the shower. Where all great thoughts occur.

All of our major opponents have been melee masters and subsequently beat the crap out of us with melee weapons (Mani and Meni's spikes, Eve's kama, NH-18's blades).

This almost seems like a necessity ... because real combat is hard to write out. Think of modern combat: People find cover and shoot at each other until they can flank or call in added support. Or something along those lines. Hell, most shoot'em up movies end with some sort of melee fight at the end. Something messy that leaves us gasping at the end.

Doing that with one opponent likely is hard to write out and be epic.

However, it does put all of the armors at risk, while making Kotori something of a stand-out, since she's probably the best melee fighter, with Nimura a close second.

It makes me think about my plot and how I'm going to handle combat.
Click to expand...

Fred said:
Not just that.

Other factors could include that Meni and Mani were indeed capable of taking kills out in a 'sneak attack!' fashion. Stealth, creep in silently, stab to the person's vital and -boom-, the fight's over before it begins.

Another asset Meni and Mani had was that they had built-in melee weapons that they could use in up very close with high lethality when their opponents (you guys) did not share the same advantage. Up close, all the Daisy has is physical pummeling and shield-clubbing... so, of course you'd all look outmatched.

Point being: Meni and Mani looked good while doing it because they could do it well, yes, but also because you people couldn't do it at all in the first place. Reverse that and the result might not be equal, but it might also not be all that sucky.

Also, there's also an issue concerning the Mishhuvurthyar. So far, if I have one wrap their tentacles around your Daisy, odds are that if that Mishhu is any smart (and mine usually are), it's a deathflag for the grappled pilot. Include elbow-blades and wrist-daggers into the mix (sharp but not necessarily augmented ones), and cutting out becomes somewhat more feasible.

We're not just talking anti-armor weaponry here. There's a good deal of anti-personnel here too. Also factor in that power armor strength is still a pretty big deal. Nimura could tear the heads off Nekomachina with her shieldclubbing, so imagine what a wrist-dagger or an elbow-blade can achieve with power armored strength. without zesuaium in the mix, this can end up being lethal.

Giving extra melee capabilities doesn't mean it's always a good idea to use them as your primary means of harm... but if you get into the kind of pinch that makes them more appropriate than a ranged weapon used point-blank, they could end up being very useful.
Click to expand...

Agreed on all fronts. Though I still prefer handheld melee weapons to ones sticking out of elbows and knees (too ninja for me).
Click to expand...

Concept? Streamlining the power armor for players to use it and find it better rounded, more useful to build on the successful legacy the Daisy left. Maybe toe in on the Mindy II in an effort to have both line of power armor recombine, thus not forcing ship captain to pack two different power armors. Make sure the power armor can be worn by anyone. Try to make the power armor more rugged and combine some Yamataian aesthetics to the tougher look of the NAM power armor.

Visually, I'd like to make the jump from something that's Bubblegum Crisis hardsuit inspired and wander more in the direction of Samus Aran's power suit in term of bulk or design lines (Aran's power suit is elegant, but also looks unisex too).

I guess that's about it for the moment?

So...

Close-range nodal weapons:
I was not under the impression nodal weaponry was being eliminated so much as an effort was being made to not make it overpowered. In this case, I understand that having a fold out/retractable blade would be a concept that also works... but here, we have the technology to sort of explain why we can pack more stuff in a highly miniaturized contraption... and the ability to nodally generate said weapon (even if such is tightly programmed, to allow only select weaponry instead of full shapeshifting freedom) looks like a sound idea to me.

Graviton Projectors:
Seems controversial. Mm.
The inspiration mostly came from Jedi telekinetic powers and Samus Aran's grapple beam and the way it ends up being used in game's like Other M.
Blas, though, pushes the bar on the amount of control that could be exerted with it. I didn't mean anything more than push/pulls with it. I mean, it's probably way too small for anything more intricate than that.

Plasma torch:
This one seems fairly well received, and yeah, I figure it might go the way of the dragoon plasma weapon. Might settle for it being modular and interchangeable between missions, but not detachable in itself.

The reason I went for under-the-wrist positioning was especially because I wanted to have the hand flip up as a control mechanism for using it in the Spiderman webslinger position. I see the advantages of putting it on the side of the arm, but I don't find it as dynamically or visually evocative.

I'm not fond of the idea of putting it in the palm. I know the PHALANX and Ironman does it... but frankly, I don't see what room there is in the front of the hand to have somesort of plasma projector.

Independent inner suit:
I'm surprised by how fond you guys all are of the idea.
The idea for this one would be to last longer against anti-personnel weaponry (like bodyarmor with the insert alone) and be able to wield power armor-tier weaponry in addition to power armor strength. With an helmet, gain extra-vehicular operation/mobility, yet, be slim enough to do work in the tighter spots of a ship.

I figure the actual inner-lining of the insert could be up to the wearer since the 'power suit' might actually be part of a character's wardrobe just like an uniform with the power armor exoskeletons remaining in armor bays. This surely reinforces their identify as combat uniforms, though, which makes the visual design of them very important.

Personally, despite the thematic value of going for flesh insert, I find it more practical to go for synthetic inner lining as less players will go 'eww' to it, therefore making it more player-friendly.

Armor composition:
I'm pointing out the yama-dura alloy as base protection, Kiki, because it seems to be the better rounded one. Durandium is light and Yama-dura retains that. Yamataium is heavy, tough and the self-restorative properties of the material usually do not lend it well to smaller finer components because it'll 'naturally' round the edges and make the dimensions of any fine components less precise - but the alloy itself combines the strengths and eliminates most weaknesses.

SQUIRE robotic harness:
The title says mostly all: it's a robotic harness that can sort of double as turret or a crude mechanical limb. The name 'squire' has, of course, tie ins to the assisting nature of the apparatus to the 'knight' that is the power armor operator.

Forearm Shields:
I find Patlabor shields to be too small. They're reinforced forearms that don't even deserve the 'buckler' appellation. I'm aiming for larger shields, at least the size of Shion's MWS in Xenosaga 3, minimum.

Drawing a weapon from under the shield sounds nice - I remember Macross F had their Messiah Valkyries draw close-combat mecha-sized daggers out from under those and it looked neat enough. If the shield is already used for clubbing, then there's some nice synergy with shaped-charge knucklebomber-style weapon, yes. A cannon in the shield could be decent too, though the presence of the underarm plasma torch could make that redundant.

Then again, stuffing too much ammo around there could be a disservice to the user. The shield is still primarily to block so any sizeable damage to it could compromise the ammo as well... though this bring up the following thought: barrier generator inside the shield, for the shield?

as for making the shield extendable... well, considering the hollowness of the present shield, I suppose some extension mecchanic could be implemented to eliminate the bulk in non-combat... but every hinge or seam in the shield sort of ruins the advantages zesuaium gives it - to be physically impregnable.

Mini-Missiles:
I can relate with the possible utility of the mini-missiles, but they still feel more like a fightercraft thing... and like doshii said, they're so tiny.

Mission operation/lack of drones:
Comm loss with mission ops is an operational hazard. Losing support and satellite uplinks, etc, are things that can happen in missions and create dynamic events.

As for looking around walls... well, nothing to offer here beyond the drones, really. Usually, people just take a peek or use skin vision... and yes, there's a risk.

Armor Combat Engineer setup:
I'm not warm to this, mainly because I simply don't understand the concept as presented.

I figure that it'd be possible, with some modularity, to help with a couple of more specialized variants. That's to be determined later.
 
Is heading into the hole... really the best option? Just a thought seeing as we're sort of heading towards more enemies, like Melisson (assuming she's there)... soooooo.... yeeeaaaaah. Just my thoughts on it. It might be the right thing but -shrug-
 
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