Man. I really wish I were here when the thread was originally made.
In all honesty, though the viewpoint of the original post may seem to take advantage of the high-end technology of the setting, let's keep in mind what happened in Vietnam. Technology is good. What isn't good, is if we think it trumps everything, that one breakthrough invalidates older, tried and true methodologies.
On Tanks, we do need them. Though we like to blitzkrieg, a city will always stop it cold - tanks have the firepower necessary to root out entrenched units with their large High Explosive round. Air and orbital support is simply not always guaranteed, though it would be in an ideal world. Something on the ground and with the soldiers is simply more reliably on hand to aid them.
On Gunshps, I must note that as Fred pointed out, such vehicles are always easier to detect and also shoot down as a result. The concept of a heavily armored gunship is still good however - it's just that a gunship and a tank should remain in inventory at all times, as they have very similar yet distinct and separate roles on the battlefield. Gunships don't have staying power, while Tanks do. One is fast and can go to any hotspots but will leave infantry behind whie one is slow and will stay with them - one is Cavalry, one is Armor. One is easy to spot and shoot down, the other more difficult to find and easier to hide.
The
Shredder may look like a good ship at a glance, but it's actually pretty bad. My guess is that when Uso made it, he did not consider the fact that the various pieces of equipment that players get to use simply does not have the firepower to shoot it down - the Shredder is SDR in terms of shields and hull. What's worse, is that I don't think he took into consideration that its weapons are all insta-kill against players. When he took over 4th Fleet prior to his departure and Sigma taking the reins, we had precisely that problem. I recalled that you yourself Wes, suggested he tone the difficulty down.
And Kai is correct - I am working on that gunship that the Star Army needs. There will be three variants - a light, medium and heavy - at the very least. Right now however, I'm just finishing off the ground vehicles meant to support the players and keep their momentum going. The basis of that is in the NTSE right now.
On Infantry, I say the general concept is solid. A few holes are here and there though, such as what Fred pointed out with player simply preferring to be in the flesh and blood once in a while. Honestly, that's pretty fun for us as players. Just not for our characters of course. Though the Powered Infantry can fly since they're Iron Man +1, doing so is not always a good idea - they can get shot down, and another PA hiding and waiting will always get the jump on a flying PA. And as I said before, Fighter/Bomber/Gunship/Orbital support is always good, but not always there. Best to have something there alongside them. Additional deployment of the light frames such as the
M9 Tasha, the
Keiko and
Kirie into squads, as well as the addition of a tank such as the
Jinsoku Oni per platoon (30 Infantry Units) would give us a far better rounded force.
A blitzkrieg will always stall at some point, and this improved mix will give enough flexibility for the Long Fight through cities.
On Space Superiority, it's as I've been saying before in my post. I don't mean to repeat myself, but space superiority won't always be there. At least, not in a good plot where the story is dynamic and the players kept on their toes. And it's certainly how it goes IRL - we on't always have fighter-bombers or drones on hand. Here in SARP, we may come into a system and wipe out the initial fleet or space force present, or perhaps they'll retreat to counter attack later. A relief force coming in to help the planet may arrive too. Because of this, assets must be in place as a reliable safety net - it's why I've worked on
Anti-Air Platforms to shoot down enemy fighters, as well as new
Mobile Guns which may serve as artillery or armor destroyers.
Having these makes it far harder to break the SAoY's back - without them, a clever enemy just simply disrupting the fleets in orbit would even the odds, if not outright turn the tables on the planetside forces.
On Situational Awareness, I need to say that though knowledge is power, it's simply not always a good idea to have that power on hand. Since we're GMs trying to weave a good story and excite the players, do we really want them to always know everything that's around the corner? No! Or at least, I should hope not! If we need them to know something, we'll figure something out. We always have. I'd rather the players be crafty and put effort into searching out the enemy than simply use an "I win" device that gets rid of the fog-of-war in a potentially good match.
*****
Naturally, everything I've said is my own opinion - thoughts on the matter. I hope I've covered everything...and yes, I'll try hurrying up on that gunship.