What Changes Should the Mindy 4B include?

[Wes]

I'm making a iterative update of the Mindy 4 article right now and adding a 4B model. I figured I should as the community: After 8 years of using the Mindy 4, what tweaks should we make to it?

Already I was thinking:

• Now that ship-based teleporter rooms are starting to make it into the fleets, free up the dorsal slot for new accessory modules
• Make it more clear who can use the Mindy and how that works (e.g. non-Nekovalkyrja use)
  • Sthibon Symbiote compatibility for Norians

Let me know what feedback you have so I can take it into consideration in the edits.

 

[Soban]

The Mindy-4's default teleporter doesn't use a dorsal slot. The teleporters that add extra capabilities on top of the Mindy-4's are the ones that take up the dorsal slot. Unless the 4B now has 2 dorsal slots? If so, then I'm not sure I'm in favor of that change, probably better to list it as a sort of technical slot perhaps? IDK, The current set up allows us to use a nice table layout for the options you have picked. We might have to change how we do that table. It's really nice.

Given that the Mindy is always custom made, we might want to remove the language about it not fitting properly if you aren't a Neko.

We might want to allow custom 'paint' via photonics.

I think we might want to add a 'mindy notes' to the species struct and then use that for a auto generated table.

 

[Rizzo]

I’m thinking an M2-4B is unnecessary. The standard is perfectly fine. I do believe the article has a few Wiki page based updates that would be useful.

I’ll just point them out here:

• Forearm weapons are way too high to justify their power, even with aether. They’re sidearms. Most cutting tools I’ve seen have a T3 attack. That’s equivalent to a .50 BMG. As it stands you have no need for an ASBR in your arm.
• Speed standard violation makes Mindy outperform the EUNA to the point it is unable to fulfill its intended purpose in character. The difference between .375 and .38 is small on paper, but by interstellar standards it’s like a biplane racing the SR-71. And frankly, being too good at anything reduces the options available to GMs for making dangerous encounters dangerous.
• Any removal of teleporters works fine for a plot that has a plotship. The integrated teleporter is something no spec-ops team would ever want to give up as it’s perfect. Nobody needs to teleport three times the distance between the Earth and sun. 100k KM is way more than anybody ever needed to ever teleport. Generally less than half a kilometer will get you out of the way of whatever horrible danger is about to kill you.
• Updates to accessories and weapons to make certain weapons fill their intended roles better and updates to the new format we use. This will improve readability and make weapons like the SLAM and shoulder missile pod not do the same job with such a size disparity. Seriously, if a PA is going to engage a full sized tech-equivalent mecha it needs a bigger gun. That big gun should be able to fill its intended purpose.
• Last is a suggestion for an FAQ section answering questions that new players might have.

EDIT: since I’ve been so outspoken about these items I’ll volunteer to take the lead in submitting updates based on current standards. While I’m at it, I may as well check in on the Daisy and make sure it is up to snuff.

 

[Charmaylarg Dufrain]

The current mindy has a lot already and the armor itself I think feels pretty complete. Tho I was never a fan of the skin-tight look of it, that's just a preference for chonkier aesthetic tho.

What I think anything upcoming would be is more utility and variety. Most of the accessories, while a lot of them, don't feel all that diverse. Its capacitors, shields, nodals, missiles, teleporter, and a couple of missiles and shoulder weapons.

It kinda means you are either the teleporter cat. the missile cat. or the cat with gun-shoulders with a bit of mix and match between. The star army has a lot of occupations, and we should have more variety or variants to support them in their jobs other than the SAR for medics. It might be a lot of work but if you make an event out of it kind of like my Submission Santa did in giving participants random-ariticles to make for each other but instead make a submission event for making stuff for the mindy(s) I'm sure we could get a batch of components, utilities, or accessories to fluff it out.

Other than that thought tbh I'm not sure what else a new mindy might actually use or need other than what the couple people have already pitched. Maybe focus on minaturizing more tech to put in it? Make AETHER EYE BEAMS or give it a vocal projector that can rupture your enemies eardreams while you fly on by blasting aethersperm?~

 

[raz]

Going to take a moment to note that a Mindy vartiant with its teleportation module removed has been used by Legion 777 since YE 42 as a “ground Mindy,” and it’s listed on that article as “M2-4B.” It was part of their “Star Army Infantry, Type 42” loadout scheme, which itself inspired updated Rikugun loadouts for subsequent years.

Just a historical note to keep things consistent and credit developments to the RP.

Generally, I don’t think big changes are needed to an iterative update to the Mindy 4. It’s always been clear who can use the armor and the standard sizes make sense from a military logistics standpoint. And beyond removing the teleporter for formations beyond my Legion because of tech updates that allow cost cutting in the Uchuugun, the M2-4 isn’t in need of any buffs or nerfs.

 

[Ametheliana]

Let the Mindy stealth its heat signature.

 

[Andrew]

If you wish, the Loken Institute can provide the Heat Management Device as it did for the SAOY version of the Molly - Keg'sta Heat Management Device on Star Army Space Roleplay

 

[raz]

I think Xiulurium coating is sufficient to achieve the basic goal of masking an aether generator's baseline energy signature. That's been the case in canon for a long time.

Earlier, I missed the mention of my EUNA. I don't think the Mindy 4 should be nerfed for the EUNA's sake (or for anything's sake), but do think the Uesureyan armor should be buffed to its intended design parameters because its design intent is fundamentally ruined by the meddling of people who don't really RP. But that's not a discussion for here. I just don't like my submission being used as a justification to nerf the Mindy 4's speed.

 

[Rizzo]

Okay, I owe apologies for having a literal reading issue. I managed to confuse myself with basic English!

Let the Mindy stealth its heat signature.

This is GOLD, and I legit cannot endorse enough that stealth is a practice. Not sure how my brain read it wrong but I'm stupid sometimes.

Earlier, I missed the mention of my EUNA. I don't think the Mindy 4 should be nerfed for the EUNA's sake (or for anything's sake), but do think the Uesureyan armor should be buffed to its intended design parameters because its design intent is fundamentally ruined by the meddling of people who don't really RP. But that's not a discussion for here. I just don't like my submission being used as a justification to nerf the Mindy 4's speed.

Oh yeah, sorry to drag your article into it. It's more of a 'this is something that should be technologically equivalent' argument.

If you wish, the Loken Institute can provide the Heat Management Device as it did for the SAOY version of the Molly - Keg'sta Heat Management Device on Star Army Space Roleplay

That's similar to what I was thinking about the 4ix emission baffle!

 

[Ametheliana]

I also agree that MOS specific items don't really have a place on the Mindy. Where does a science scanner even go? The buttpack? What about engineering tools or the medic tools, which were mentioned. The Mindy seems streamlined for infantry but every time I play a non-infantry I realize just how hard it is to lean into the tools of the trade when there aren't a lot of Mindy-specific tools of the trade.

 

[raz]

Speaking to the topic of stealth, I think all @Ametheliana really wants to see is that a Xiulurium coating be added to the latest iteration because, as the initial variant stands, its aether generator can be seen by enemy sensors at all times. Therefore, a Xiulurium coating would allow Star Army soldiers to perform the most basic infiltration tasks—walking around somewhere quietly while wearing their issued power armor—without being lit up on enemy sensors.

I've run SAINT-issued Mindys (of all variants) in this way for at least 10 years. You can't mask weapons fire or a Turbo Aether Plasma plume, but Xiulurium coating can certainly cover up an onboard aether generator's most fundamental emissions.

It's a basic survivability enhancement is all I'm saying.

I also propose that this be called the Mindy M2-4C, since as I mentioned earlier the 4B has existed since YE 42. And more stuff is being changed to this YE 46 iteration than the removal of its teleporter.

 

[Rizzo]

Oh.. I've been calling it the M2-4i...

 

[Wes]

Update notes:

• Made it more obvious the original aether generator has a Xiulurium stealth coating
• Added the Norian-original Kegsta heat management device to the 4B (thanks Ame and Andrew)
• Explained the Kegsta is located where the teleporter module is on the 4A (near the aether generator, to manage its heat)
• Added a historical note about the original unofficial 4B used by Legion 777 (thanks Raz)
• Decided to keep current damage ratings and speed
• Due to no changes to the stats and only adding existing tech that's approved, did not put up for re-approval
• All changes are in the live article and the 1B is available in the RP now.
• It's possible to convert a 4A to a 4B onboard your starships.

 

[raz]

I'm not sure why the original 4B has to be relegated to an "unofficial" variant since it's been used, produced, and available on a mass scale for 5 years. The only reason I never put it on the M2-4 page before was because I didn't want to mess with your article. But a mention at all is better than the usual ignoring Kaiyo's historical contributions, thanks.

 

[Wes]

I'm not sure why the original 4B has to be relegated to an "unofficial" variant since it's been used, produced, and available on a mass scale for 5 years. The only reason I never put it on the M2-4 page before was because I didn't want to mess with your article. But a mention at all is better than the usual ignoring Kaiyo's historical contributions, thanks.

KFY gets to set the nomenclature....I run KFY but didn't even realize or remember it existed because it wasn't on the Mindy's wiki pages. Since, as far as I can tell, no one was using that term but the 777th it appeared to be unofficial. I'm not sure why a Rikugun legion had Mindy armors instead of the standard DAISY in the first place.