OOC [OoC] Miharu Discussion thread

I do my best thinking in the shower.

AT LEAST ACT LIKE YOU'RE SURPRISED.

I'm cool with an MWS-size shield, since it's not so big; I just don't like having one on each arm. If there's only one, no sweat.

I see the advantage of having a barrier module inside the shield when it comes to space (can equip a spacy propulsion system while not losing the barrier), but for ground combat it feels dangerous. You're not as maneuverable on the ground and having a full "cloaking" barrier is much safer and more effective than having a monodirectional barrier.

Totally down with knucklebomber-like instruments in the shield. THAT would make shield-clubbing an art!

Instead of having the wrist maneuver being the activating motion to turn on a plasma torch ... why not just a thought? That's all it takes for most things on a power armor anyway. That would allow folks to use different hand motions for it (bladed hand with fingers straight out; a clawing motion, but with the wrist still bent up a bit; even a fist, if the torch is set a little lower on the bottom of the forearm).

The "webslinger" spot is ... small. And awkward. That's what I was getting at with the "side" position. I would rather see a torch that can be used like a built-in short-sword/dagger (i.e. something that turns your arm into the "handle" of a bladed weapon) than one that turns on via a modified goat symbol (which would look silly as one swings an arm around).

The webslinger spot was just to convey the location. When I mentioned moving the fist, I really meant tilting the fist up with a fist or an open palm as way of imagery.

The barrier over the shield itself was something I figured could give the shield itself more endurance against the very things which can end up damaging it: anti-matter and aether attacks. I didn't mean it as an additional layer of protection for the user so much as something that would extend the life, usefulness and reliableness of the forearm-mounted shield.

I'll take that trade.

Oooooooh. That (the shield part) I can get into, then. That definitely would extend the shield's life. Would it be reasonable to make the shield's barrier stronger than the cloak of the armor, in order to increase reliance on the shield?

Fred already stated my concerns regarding lack of melee weaponry for the Daisy. It's a shortcoming that I have for a long time been critical of. Every enemy in this setting has a form of melee. The Mishhu are just built for melee combat and can shoot guns. NH-25's can reform their body for melee and shoot guns. Like Jake pointed out, every boss fight we have encountered was against a melee master. Its like John McClane (Die Hard) versus anyone with any fighting skills. The ONLY reason he just BARELY wins is because he outlasts and outsmarts his opponent.

The Knuckle Bomber idea is great and I love it but to me that's still swinging your fists. How do you KB a Mishhu if it wraps you up in tentacles? So yeah lets get that KB and make it awesome but lets also get some back up weapons too. Small blades that like Fred mentioned, don't even have to be 'powered' or anything. Just something the Armor pilot can flip out and stab or slice their opponent with. At that close range it's hard to miss.

Okay one more point and then I'll stop harping because this is about future Armor concepts and weapon ideas, not arguing the point of why we should have melee weapons.

When I was deployed to Afghanistan we all carried weapons. Hey great but I also carried several knives on my person, even inside the FOB, everywhere I went. Why so many knives in different locations of my person? Because if some guy jumped me, which could still happen even while in the relative 'safety' behind the walls, I would not have any time to pull up my M-4, chamber a round, and then shoot. Clubbing with the weapon is an option but at a close grapple you can't get enough momentum to really hurt your opponent to a decisive conclusion. That's where knives come in. I don't care how tough a guy is, he'll pause and scramble once that blade starts to sink into him. And not just one and at one location. Several. In different locations. So if my hand couldn't reach the knife on my hip I had another by wrist or boot. Excessive? Maybe. But the options it gave me I thought were worth giving me a better chance of living.

Alright so moving on from reminiscing, the notion of having even small pop out blades on the shoulder, elbow, arm, whatever, only makes sense. The YSA has been fighting melee heavy monsters for years so it should be second nature. I know the Aether Beam Saber is a pretty good option but in a smaller less aether heavy Armor, then solid melee blades, even if they're collapsible, should be the norm. Like you mentioned in that one PM, Fred, these weapons wouldn't be primary means but rather a fall back secondary for when the enemy is so close they're right on top of you. I know Spike (Cowboy Bebop) did a good job of gunning at close range against Vicious, but he's a rare breed.

I like the idea of pop out blades over changing the hand into the weapon. And no not from the 'webslinger' point because I agree that would be awkward. Rather I like the notion of spurs that pop out from the forearm and flip out to secure onto the back of the hand. Kind of like those katars you mentioned but the blade shape is not a big issue for me. Just so long as it can be wielded it can look like Wolverine claws for all I care. If the web slinger spot is to be utilized it would be more for some collapsible weapon that was stored inside the forearm and then pops out into the hand. I don't see how it can be done yet without some odd overhauls yet.

Which is why I loved the VAW. Yeah I don't like 'changing' the hand to be the weapon but the VAW I felt addressed it since it could make a 'hand' and then become whatever. Get tied up by a Mishhu and the VAW can slice through the tentacles without the user having to generate kinetic force. Then again I don't like being limited to just one 'weapon' as it is.

I do find myself leaning towards a more Samus suit direction. The old hard suits were cool and I love them but they're very feminine and we're trying to apply a more unisex model. I'm not too versed on the aesthetics of Armor and the materials used. That's territory I don't seem to be able to think through very well since density and such physics escape my understanding.

Back to weapons:

Nodal weaponry, especially in my hands I admit, can be a little extreme. I do think that preprogrammed nodal weapons that only take the shape of ONE item (or even reprogrammable between combat) would be a great idea. And now that I think about it, this could be one answer to the storage issue as far as where you would keep it and how it would be deployed. The Armor could have the nodal weapon stored in the arm and when summoned it would flow out into the hand and construct itself. I am unsure how large a store of nodal goo you can store to make a weapon. I figure it would be a great way to create an instant knife. It would be a basic knife too, just a solid sharpened piece of metal with no grip, just a handle which the Armor can safely hold.

Graviton Projectors, Fred you're the one who suggested it be used to push back enemies to give you breathing room. Yeah it kind of rings of Force Unleashed level of Jedi power. I was all for it giving you a good limited 360 area which you could use to push the enemy away with. Now you're back tracking and saying it's for limited push/pulls. Nothing wrong with that since this is all just ideas for design, not anything remotely set in stone. Ironically, the smaller push/pulls was exactly what I felt made it highly useful. It doesn't take a lot of force to reload a weapon. And the small pull is all you need to drag a unfettered weapon back to you. Or you could use it to pull an opponent's grenade pin from afar, ala Magneto. Say you limit the 360 breathing space burst to only a few uses so that it has to charge back up before you can use it but you've already got an opponent on top of you. Could the graviton projector be used to push the one foe? If not the whole body maybe the hands? Maybe it can be considered an extra 'hand' to fight off your opponent. These are ideas that, as Fred feared, I would start to expand upon. Okay maybe the push/pulls can't do intricate things like guide a grenade through a maze of ducts but just pushing and pulling things from afar leads to a world of possibilities.

The plasma torch is best as an extension rather than a built in 'palm emitter' style. When I hear torch it makes me think of a tool. The current notions are very good I think. I can't really think of anything else to add.

The SQUIRE is a good idea however I still cannot see it precisely meshing yet. The picture I get in my head makes it seem almost unwieldy. I want to see it work but I haven't yet figured out how to visually imagine this. All I see is some blocky robot arm that juts out at an awkward angle. I need a better example to envision this. If anything, a nodal arm, to me, would do everything this robotic arm could do and without the limitations of free movement or joint angles. All you would need to do is remove the 'weapon' aspect of the nodal arm, and make it just a helper, at most a turret. Have it emerge from a location other than the hand such as the shoulder or the hip. The best I can envision it is as a Doctor Octopus like appendage that is collapsible.

With the whole Mission Operator thing, yeah there really isn't much you can do. Its is an occupational hazard. What else can you do? However with all this technology on hand I find it hard to believe something as simple as a camera that can peek around corners would be unfeasible. We already have this technology today. In this setting it would be possible for something smaller and more capable then what we have now. Just a simple robotic cable that can extend from the Armor from anywhere (really anywhere! Head, hand, foot, back, hip, crotch) with the simple task of peeking around a corner to help preserve the pilot should be as basic as having a backup weapon. If drones are phased out then this should at least be standard.

Okay now to expand my Armor Combat Engineer. I had a hard time doing so last night due to limited time and very annoying internet connection. Now this is just an idea, nothing I would promote just yet since it's just a concept so let me try and broaden this. The ACE model suit would be less a direct combatant and more geared toward affecting the battlefield. It would carry demolitions to blast through obstacles (like Yuzuki just did). It would also have explosives designed for anti-personnel/heavy machinery operations like setting up traps and ambushes. It could carry miniaturized mines that can be set up to force the enemy to avoid certain areas. It could be used to deny the enemy terrain and allow for a tactical approach. I sort of imagine it being a bit on the heavy side so as to protect it from getting blown up by its own ordinance (like Nyton so recently suffered, ha ha). I like to imagine it having a delivery system where it touches a surface, the bomb sticks to the object, and the user keeps planting more bombs in strategic locations to nullify an enemy's approach. It feels more anti-personnel to me than anti-armor though so I really don't see it being too much use there. The weapons it would carry would be light. Maybe a torch too which can be used offensively but is more for cutting.

Anyways that's all I have on that design. Its late again so I have to cut short on tech ideas. I'm not much of a tech guy but melee combat is something I can home in on. When melee combat ensues I just draw from stuff I've seen, like MMA, DBZ, Hong Kong action movies, etc. The devil is when you're directly affecting another player. I don't envy that spot although Uso and I pulled off a nice short little scrap a while ago. I thought that was pretty cool (yes with Uso of all people).

Hey guys,

Lappy is down and out at Best Buy getting fixed. Looks like something slipped in under the anti-virus. They said it should take a couple days but we'll see. For now though I have access to the free lobby computer at the hotel so I'm still good. I might not have the fastest of reply times though so just thought I'd let you all know.

Inner power suit:
Despite its popularity, it's still the idea I like implementing the least.

• There's established art for uniform and tech outfits. These work. The power suit could certainly fill in both roles in addition to combat outfit, but it'd have to be designed to be a solid contender.
  • Possible inspirations:
  • Samus Aran's Fusion suit.
  • The combat gear worn by Mithril in the anime Full Metal Panic.
  • Other stuff (anime: Innocent Venus)
  • The Crysis Suit.
    One problem to take into account would be the kind of helmet the power suit would wear. The helmet for the power suit could size-wise make the head look silly once the full power suit is worn - and making it bigger could give the power suit an equally ridiculous looking big head.
• Right now, Yamatai insert tech is at the point where it's feasible to have clothed individuals board a power armor and operate it. An independent power suit would be very new.
• Assuming extended operation, how do you pee and take a crap?
  • Gloss over it, say you can't inside it, and make sure there's a conveniently placed zipper for such occasions? (note: peeing in space is hazardous to your health).
  • Go for the whole catheter thing? (Eww, I never liked those)
  • Wear nothing under the power suit and pee/crap at will - nanomachines would break the waste down and recycle it in time (whee >_>; )
• If a power suit is implemented, then the transition from power suit to power armor would need to be ironed out.
  • Would it be applying each armor piece (chestplate, forearm guard, greaves, etc) separately over the power suit, making the power suit as tough as the flexible portions of other power armors?
  • Are we talking about an armored exoskeleton?
    • If so, is it just a frame the power suit can slip in mostly like someone boards a Daisy power armor? How should the boarding sequence go? (it's not only an issue of putting it in a armor bay - what if you need to enter/exit while in the field?)
    • How does the power suit become securedly fastened to the power armor?
    • How does one ditch the exoskeleton? Exit as normal? Eject it somehow?
    • What happens if the power suit is wearing a grenade bandolier and has holstered guns on its belt? How would those fit in?
    • Does the Exoskeleton have no muscle-mobility at all without the power suit? I see the line being very blurred on wether its an extra layer of armor with the insert being removable because it's a suit, or the extra layer of armor being an actual mecha akin to Bubblegum Crisis' motoslaves.
    • What happens when you don't wear a power suit, but need to get in a power armor quickly?
      • You can't?
      • Some power armors inside a bay actually have the power suits already inserted, requiring the operator to slide himself in old-style (which brings the question: can you actually wear clothes in the power suit if it's supposed to replace the uniform?)
      • Extra power suits are in the changing rooms. you drop by, don one, and you're good to go.

Blades: Retractable zesuaium or nodally generated. Would be situated on:

• top of forearm to deploy over the back of the hand
• the rear outer side of the forearm to extend out of the elbow
• over the top of the lower leg to extend out at the knee.

Don't see the point of shoulder spikes.

Underside of forearm: Two elements would see to fit well there.

• Graviton Projectors: Aimed in the direction the arm is being pointed at, used to push/pull targets, but incapable of fine manipulation and also much less effective on barrier-shielded targets.
  
  That would allow to shove and drag a target around, a prepared user to push/deflect incoming missiles and grenades, to snag a discarded weapon and quickly drag it back and such. The projector would be inappropriate for fine manipulation that would allow to reload a weapon or remove the safety off a grenade (the beam would, in essence, be too wide to do so).
  
• Mine dispenser: This could be like an armored casing that flips out horseshoe-shaped explosives/shaped charged/sticky mines. One in hand the user has but slap them over the chosen spot and have them detonate as programmed or on signal. There's some nice imagery in slapping this on somethings back and then withdrawing only to have it then blow up.

Outer side of the forearm:
I wanted to avoid putting too much stuff on the forearms to avoid having them look too blunky, but you guys also seem to be very fond of the plasma torch idea, and Doshii appears insistent on it not being on the forearm's underside... so this is pretty much the only place the Plasma Torch can go.

Note that if you have a forearm shield mounted on that forearm, firing the arm-weapon requires to lose out on most of the shield's protective value. with that in mind, if a weapon would be inbuilt into the bottom of the shield, it could make up for the lack of offensive weaponry on the forearm.

Another possible weapon would be the Daisy's forearm cannon. I wouldn't put it on a turret, though: straight firing. By the same logic, we could always go for the forearm-mounted aether weapons (like the Mindy II) but that's something I want to avoid, especially if the power armor remains battery powered.

Additionally, the telescoping/swiveling camera to look around corners could also be set up there. I remember Mao using such on her M9 ArmSlave in Full Metal Panic and I can kind of get around the idea.

Possibility of palm-built weaponry:
What if the power armor's forearm is actually larger than the power suit's and that the power suit's hand only reaches as far as just before the wrist of the power armor's forearm? That would give the forearms a less elegant and beefier look, but would protect the power suit's hands and afford stronger robotic gauntlets rather than muscle-fiber.

The inside of the palm could then have a weapon more feasibly mounted in it. I suppose it's mostly an issue of artistic style and wether you like looking like an armored gorilla or not due to the implied greater bulk. Then again, the hardsuits of the Bubblegum Crisis' Knight Sabers seemed to manage putting railguns in those fairly ably. Dunno - what do you guys think?

SQUIRE:
The Kishi has shoulder hardpoints, the SQUIRE is pretty much meant to replace the shoulder racks with a set of motorized units that would:

1) Allow heavy weaponry to be wielded like other shoulder-mounted weapons and yet be also useable handheld.
2) Provide easy weapon swapping capabilities for the user.

I understand the nodal tentacle could achieve the same, but - to be honest- I'm seeing Arethusa go and it's one facet of it that I find overpowered. I want the SQUIRE to assist its user, not do part of the user's job to that extent. I'm not content with the way Arethusa is firing an ASP right now or helping reload like Nyton recently demonstrated.

Squire is not a Doc Octopus tentacle. It's a motorized shoulder rack. It's rugged and can put weapons in easy reach over the shoulder or under the armpit for the user, but I don't think - deployed - that it'll end up being that bulky in comparison to the weapons it'll serve as harness to.

Until I can convey better imagery for it, I'll ask to reserve judgment.

Helmet:
I talked about helmets before and how they couldf end up looking mismatched for the sizes. Also, a combat helmet might not always practical for extra vehicular operations where you could use a wider field of vision (redundant with skin-vision) or whatever.

One thing Fiver made for the MCAS is an assault helmet with weaponry on it. Seeing the Kishi is so far missing in anti-personnel pulse cannons like the Daisy has, I'm wondering if such would be a good idea - after all, other mecha heads like Full Metal Panic's Arbalest/M9s as well as several iconic gundams have machineguns on the sides of their heads.

If a weapon is integrated to the sides, it'd need to be one with low-or-no-recoil, I'd think. Possibly one that's not going to have all that much ammo. There's also an issue of viability with the power suit worn alone (lack of power?).

Another thing I wanted to do with the helmet, if the Kishi lacked the independent inner suit, was to make the neck-section beefier/more resilient. I think the vulnerability of the neck is often overlooked for the sake of visual style - but honestly, if a power punches at another's helmet, it'd look like the person's neck is pretty likely to snap.

Another point I wanted to cover was the life support system. how do these things have enough resources to last their user's a whole week in the vacuum of space, while looking all slender and non-bulky? If some thought is invested in it, I'd think it'd be possible to make the life support aspect somewhat more credible.

Weapon holsters (hips):
On the power armor, I figured that the top of the hips could be good spots to have clamps that would hold on to any of the smaller handheld weapons you wouldn't trust to a shoulder rack or SQUIRE. Stuff like a anti-personnel pistol, a chainsaw knife and such.

I figure the behind of the hips could also have an harness which would serve to hold something like that, though that section may be better served for the buttpack-kind of content (though the sides of the hips might also be able to hold packages like that too, maybe).

Sorry for not chiming in earlier, but i've really had nothing to add that hadn't already been said. so far it's all looking pretty awesome.

However, I do have one major concern, and that is useability from a player's standpoint. What you've been describing, is really rather complicated, in terms of use and deployment, though that may be partially because you've listings of several different ideas for things.

You need to make sure that what we get is clear, simple, and easy to use by players. That's what I look for when designing things because, in the end, a player can only really enjoy something if they can understand it, as far as using it is concerned. If a player can't figure out how to use it, it gets really annoying and tiresome really fast.

Lord that's a lot to digest ... How about this.

Skip the Power Suit. Go with the hemosynth-topped-with-synthetic liner. It's more Yamatai anyway and doesn't create an art competition.

Keep the catheters. They're ew, yes, but do we ever use it in RP anyway? Not a single person who armored up this time even mentioned it. It's natural for Yamataians.

Retractable Zesu is great, but isn't it OP? I thought we were trying to keep the Zesu out of weapons. The shield, after all, is a carry over from the LAMIA ... Having the blades coming out over the back of the hand probably is easiest for players to comprehend and use. Ninja stuff coming out of elbows and knees would require a level of training soldiers likely don't get.

Graviton or mine or PLASMA TORCH; all are good with the underside of the forearm. I don't mind using the underside of the forearm, I just don't want a character to make the webslinger motion to make it work. You allayed that fear, so I've got no beef there.

I like the Daisy's forearm cannons, too. Maybe make the forearm modular, to switch out between the four options?

I'm bias to "palm-built" weapons because I like BGC (clearly). However, I definitely prefer to skip bulkier forearms and robotic hands. I don't know about you guys, but that feels too mecha for me; I would prefer a character be the one to deliver a killing blow, not making a robotic (X) do it.

Squire is cool.

Helmet weapons ... I would prefer different sensors or maybe the extending camera coming from the helmet before weapons. We're talking about something as big as, maybe, a motorcycle helmet. Ain't that much room up there. Trust me, I know.

Beefier neck is good!

Life support ... I handwave it, I admit. If you're doing a plot where you've got characters worried about a week's worth of time when they're probably not fighting, that is a mighty long time and could get boring. Besides, who knows what's in that special fruit juice.

Weapon holsters sound good, especially with hip placement.

The inner suit discussion I don't really have anything I can feasibly add to that. I've liked the concept of a life support sustaining system that the inner suit does but the moment I read the catheter in the description I wrote Nyton notably turning the damn thing off and never using it. His bladder can handle battle.

On a realistic note though, I have wondered about this notion of dealing with bodily waste during combat. I think I'll ask some of the infantry guys in my class about how they handle such things as having to take a leak in the middle of a firefight. I imagine they're either too hopped up on adrenalin to notice or they just go and don't care. Life and death kind of takes more priority.

Oh hey remember the hydration system from Dune? That thing dealt with bodily wastes too, didn't it? Maybe a system like that but based on our own sci-fi tech to work around.

Heh, I have to agree. Shoulder spikes are pretty and 'might' be useful but I wouldn't put them in the necessary list.

I can live with the defined functions of the graviton projectors there. That's really the best I could figure a small PA sized projector could do. It's not a ship and I figure the energy requirement would be too great. I still like the 360 push back limited to a few charges idea but I recognize that maybe a bit much so its cool.

The mine dispenser fits perfectly with my idea for explosives. Perfect! Gonna learn me some Slap Boom Fu!

You know what, I never thought about the vulnerability of the neck. That's a damn good point there. We could use something especially considering the amount of impact force our pilots encounter. I guess I just took it for granted all this time. >_>;

Helmet guns are cool and yeah I'd say they need to be non recoil energy weapons. But I do wonder if that would make the head too bulky. I dunno. I say it's doable but care would be needed.

Oh hey, Jake, for the knee and elbow blades, maybe they don't have to be pop out and use, they could be AIES guided to do so when hand to hand combat is ensued. That way the user doesn't have to worry about forgetting to use them so much. And then the user doesn't have to worry about needed the skill to use them since they're only out for 'really close up' emergencies.

My only thing with the forearm weapons (any of them), is that I think it makes much more sense, from a usage standpoint, to make them setup in the positions of the one-shot laser system in IM2. It's a much more natural position for the arm, and more reflexively simple as well. Maybe I'm just having a hard time wrapping my head around how you intend the underarm position to work, but it just seems less simple to me.

Ignore me if I'm just being dense though.

Weapons on the hands or wrists allow a much better aiming range than anything mounted on the chest or under the arms (and underarm cannons would look weird). If a melee weapon is needed, why not integrate it into the plasma cutter? I think extra arms could be awkward.

Hey! Why don't you all go for your ideas and implement them as more stuff for the MCAS. I'm going to do my best to put your ideas into it in the future, but it might take a while.

On regard to the retractable blades, I pretty much think zesuaium is a must - it's the only reason I can justify it over my nodal blade idea. I agree with the need to use zesuaium sparingly, but then again the material hasn't been invalidated in this roleplay. As far as blade-vs-power-armor materials go, it's the most likely to be able to successfully do the job right.

I'm in agreement that the over-the-hand wristblades would be the most intuitive to use, but I've no plan to throw away the knee and elbow blades. They'll be there for the people whom want to use them - those whom don't lose nothing.

I've been pondering on the underarm position and pondering that I've come to the conclusion that I'd like to leave it as bare as possible since I wanted the Kishi to focus on handhelds and shield-incorporated equipment. With shoulder, hip and leg compartment to hold gear, I don't think the Kishi will have much shortage in weapon choices during a mission. I do think the underside of the arms are a perfect location for the sticky mines I mentioned earlier. Maybe more utility/demolition stuff could fit under the arm depending on loadout.

The Dragoon Core's plasma weapon is too versatile for me to want to stick it mounted in, but I could see it integrated into a forearm guard that the user could wear at will.

Same goes for the specs ops equipment like the extendable camera Blas pointed out. Like Blas said, we have this today and I understand it being available, but the truth is, there's a reason why skin vision works through fingers and sticking a skin-stealthed finger out of a corner to look there is actually not that major a problem to actually warrant the use of a constantly integrated alternative. I guess it makes sense from a human point of view to want to keep your fingers, but for a nekovalkyrja, even if you have a mishap, you probably get your lost finger back at the end of a mission.

Besides, the only character I remember losing a finger in that fashion is actually my very own Kotori.

Moving on: the piece of equipment I do agree should stay on the forearm by default are the graviton projectors. I originally slated it to be underarm with a visible projector, but I've come to change my mind - I now believe that the gear can be built into the forearm itself. Gravity/inertia control is probably one of the technologies that the Yamataians are the most adept at - it's everywhere from the nekovalkyrja themselves (without clear cut organ, location or explanation as to how it happens) to power armor, ships, shielding, etcetera.

The ability to use the arms to project attractive/repulsive fields combined with the close-combat retractable blades ought to make the Kishi stiff competition to the Black Mindy. Any ranged potential, from plasma torch, energy sword, handheld rifle or heavy weaponry... those are loadouts I think would be better suited to be selected.

This said, yeah, I've noticed the fondness for the plasma torch. I'll make sure you get your Type 33 "Asher" Plasma Immolator (mwuahaha). This said, I'm not sure I like how that weapon appears to be replacing in role both the plasma rifle, flamethrower and the aetheric saber-rifle. A plasma torch serving as a sword and a plasma rifle as separate weapons I can get around with, but... there's a reason Yamatai made the Saber-Rifle and uses it so much. I'll have to think about it.

Heh, forgive me guys. I'm not being inconsistent so much as balancing the options and trying to make the end result work. Kai pointed a very important point and I also mean to stick by it as well in the finished product.

* * *

I never implied extra arms, Wes. That's not what the SQUIRE is meant to be or look like. This said, I've no plan to make SQUIRE go away either.

* * *

Five, I've no plan to contribute on the MCAS. I tried it in my plot and it fails to suit my needs, and no addition of components, powers or added versatility will add to it considering the way it's presently depicted. Therefore, I'm working on something else I believe will be better. You can surely add to the MCAS, but it's not going to solve the issues I have with it that make it undesirable to stick with it in the long run.

Nah Fred, don't worry about it. It's okay to be inconsistent here. This is just the planning phase of things. Brainstorming and getting some ideas to flesh out. So yeah keep the ideas coming.

I still think the extending/retractable camera notion should be explored from an equipment perspective. Yeah a neko losing a finger can regenerate it later. But an Armor doesn't. And if that finger happens to be your trigger finger, which, lets face it we all instinctively use, then it's going to make for very awkward shooting.

Oh, hey! It doesn't have to be built in. How about having it be a piece of separate equipment then? That way we can just say it's there and available but its not necessarily standard equipment on an Armor.

I guess my only concern about using Zesuaium for the weapons is retracting and weight and stuff. I'm cool with using it I just want to be sure it's not going to gum things up. What about other materials? Are those available or do they run into the same problem?

Just a few notes.

Nyton; I like your 'Combat Engineer' concept. I shouldn't have to throw together mines from spare artillery charges and there's a good IC reason now to develop that specialized field. It seems more of a modular thing than a suit-specific thing, and a loadout more than a feature, IMO.

As to the catheter, I just wanted to throw in that I had always assumed it was simply a natural feature for the Daisy armor. Just like getting butt-naked before donning it - some people like it, some people don't, and I've seen both mentalities played straight in the past. Yuzuki, for instance, uses the thing. I have never noted this, because it isn't one of the most dramatic moments in a suit-wearer's life, but there's no reason she - or most of the Nekovalkyrja - wouldn't do so, and therefore it becomes a non-issue until you run onto someone like Kai, who can't stand the idea of getting nakkey in front of other people, or Nyton, who I expect doesn't appreciate a tubelike organ violating him in terrible ways (I would not appreciate this too much myself, either).

Yeah I think you're right. The Combat Engineer concept probably will work better as a load out mod rather than a whole suit. I think I'll take that into consideration. Now I'm seriously pondering giving it a go as a tech addition. I still have to do some research on materials as well as brainstorm on devices and tool concepts.

Feeding the tangent ... The "Combat Engineer" is a little hard for us nonmilitary folk to get our heads around.

If you're talking about an engineer who can help entrench positions and set traps, you're talking about a facet of power armor combat we don't see much — slow moving or fixed-position combat. While we're doing a little of that on Miharu, and it might be in other plots, you guys are discussing something really new.

Also, how often are we blasting open barriers with bombs instead of our handheld weapons? How often are we setting traps?

How often are we acting like real soldiers?

Yeah I know which is why Gallant's suggestion of it being a modular loadout makes a lot more sense then a full suit. On the other hand what about boarding actions? It could be of use there especially in if you throw in some sabotage with it.

I think this would be something the other forums might find useful. Maybe we should tangent this somewhere else then rather than taking away from what the focus is supposed to be which is developing the Kishi.

*eartwitch*

HARU SENSE... TINGLING?!