Tesuro said:
Well you do have a point there, but I still think that for many combat situations form-fitting power armor fills the niche just a bit better. It's true that relatively speaking there isn't much protection between you and your enemy's attacks, and should it pierce through the armor it is going to hit you...but using that logic one could assume that if the same hit were delivered to a bulkier power armor/mecha not only would it be more likely to hit (because of the increased size and decreased overall manueverability), but the disability caused by the hit would more than likely put you into a position to be slain regardless. Personally I'd rather have complete control over my power armor than have to base my movements to compensate for the extra space that comes with a larger mecha.
While the concept of being a small a target as possible is great
in theory, it sounds like you're thinking of it in terms of a roelplay system; -2 defense points for +2 agility. However, in terms of engineering it isn't always a flat tit-for-tat system. Take, for example, modern tank warfare.
Recently has there been a move from big 70+ ton main battle tanks to higher speed armored fighting vehicles, because the one-hit kill range of the modern tank is beginning to reach several kilometers in distance. But, before armored warfare reached these extreme ranges the MBT was the mainstay of armored warfare. Why? Simply because in combat (extreme range sniping aside) the defense bonus of armor was
exponentially better than the slight speed bonus of removing it. Given that SARP alloys are supposedly "stronger" than modern alloys (more defense for the same mass), it's fair to assume that the armor vs speed argument tilts in favor of heavier armor rather than speed. The only exception would against armor-ignoring DR10 weapons like Aether -- in which case armor is completely useless, so it's probably better to go without armor to maximize speed.
Back to the point of close fitting armor: don't forget the pilot. If you're wearing skin-tight armor and your plating gets dented inward even a few degrees your limbs will be crushed, broken, and probably pinned -- if you're lucky enough not to get killed. If a component begins to overheat, it's in immediate proximity to your body -- you'll get (partially) cooked alive. And so on. There is no spacing, therefore no damage control or tolerance. Even minor damage can have a much more massive effect, because the weaker human component will still be in immediate contact with damage, regardless of how strong an alloy you use.
Still I wouldn't go so far as to say that either a form-fitting power armor or a bulky mecha are totally useless. As stated, if the enemy is using Aether-based weapons or something similiar, if you get hit--you're dead. In that particular case it would be more beneficial to be able move more swiftly and therefore a form-fitting power armor would probably be more beneficial. For other forms of combat, caking on the armor would prove a more fruitful effort.
