>>24175323

Archive link:
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?tags=mechengineer+quest

Sarna.net for a helpful reference and to learn more about the Battletech world.

Camospecs.com for paint jobs, miniature work, and more forums.

>>24175323

Good morning, Lord Shun. Please excuse my casual attire, I seem to have been caught unaware by your summons. What do you need of me?

Rolled 6

>>24175462
Seconding this with sidelong glances at the mech.

>>24175462

"Ah, Daniel. Good morning."

The man steps to meet you and clasps your hand firmly with a smile.

"Attire is not a concern, of course. I am in your home, and I assure you, were you visiting me in mine, I would be all smoking jackets and flannel pants. Now come, I have a diversion for you whilst my techs and engineers pour over your blueprints and speak to your Crew Leader. And after this, I have planned a light lunch and discussion between you, I, and your beau, Ms. Steiner. Does this sound acceptable?" he asks, gesturing to the 'Mech beside him.

>>24175323
Oh hell yes,, here we go

>>24175545
"More than acceptable, thank you Lord Shun. If I may ask, what are your first impressions on the Phobos?"

Aw yuss.

Rolled 3

>>24175545
"Oh yes, Lord Shun. Please, lead the way."
Say it with barely suppressed eagerness at getting to see a new mech design.

>>24175545

"That sounds great."

"If I may ask, what is this you have here? I've never seen a Battlemech like it before."

I was thinking that if the deal goes through, we could ask Lord Shun for a couple of Warriors to hang around.

Not only would they be protecting a manufacturer/designing company that's on good terms with them, but would also serve to test the lastest technology from us. This would allow some of their men to not only get experience with our tech before it goes on the market, but would also allow them to offer suggestions for improvments, as well helping us to design our products towards their needs.

It's win-win as far as I can tell, but I'd like to see what the other anon's think about it.

>>24175614
The problem with other people's mechs hanging around the base is:
a) it identifies us as in league with that faction, which means that faction's enemies will be more likely to target us, and
b) sooner or later those warrior mechs might get orders to take over the base.

I can see the advantages of having some additional guards, but there are concerns to weigh them up against.

>>24175589
>>24175579
>>24175568

"Well, I can say that from initial calculations of speed and performance, it seems more than adequate a pairing for our new pride and joy, here..." he gestures grandly towards the mystery machine.

"This, my friend, is the hallmark of a new breed of warfare, or shall I say, one not seen in hundreds of years of war and darkness. A new era, dare I say. This is the Raven."

He walks you to the foot of the 'Mech, and steps back, seeming content to turn you loose and let you poke around.

Rolled 9

>>24175614
I would say no, because then we'll never be able to work on our lostech items or use our Star League facilities.
We're lucky ROM hasn't found out yet, or Mask discovered the facilities during this visit.

>>24175614

If there are any Capellan Mechwarriors who don't mind and if it won't offend the FWL, that may be something to consider.

Although I am unsure if it would be wise to have a Death Commando hanging around all the time. They'd volunteer for this type of duty with gusto if they were ordered to, but they're pretty badass. The CC may not want to allocate such elite warriors to that duty.

Perhaps some retired mercenaries or mechwarriors would be a better bet. Or a Solaris mechwarrior who isn't doing so great in the circuit.

>>24175614
It's only a good idea if you plan to go all in and declare your banner for the Cappies. And even if you did, packing up and moving to Cappie space would still be a better idea.

I believe the idea we had was for Ivan to contact his old Solaris buddies. Should be easy enough to find someone out of his or her "prime" who would make a great test pilot.

Rolled 1

>>24175668
Nerdgasm over the Raven.
Poke and prod at it, asking about internal structure.
"Not seen for hundreds of years? Does it have anything to do with the communications blackout we experienced?"

>>24175674
>>24175670
>>24175643
Valid points, I was thinking we'd offer them a token salary and employ them officialy as 'wartime consultants' or another equally fake title.

As for the living conditions, I kinda imagined they'd be living off the compound, like in a small barracks off-site like whatever the hell they're doing right now.

Heveans forbid I wouldn't want them in our facilities, it'd be horribly boring for them, what with us having absolutely nothing interesting here.

Make a lame atempt to scare her with your mask.

>>24175699

"It is likely known to you that all Battlemechs are capable of EW action against each other; hence the propensity of battles to be carried out over hundreds of meters instead of kilometers. This machine possesses EWAR equipment powerful enough to put the best standards to shame. And it is but the tip of the iceberg."

He snaps his fingers, and you see the cockpit light up dully from behind the sapphire shell. A female computer voice can be heard through the open hatch:

"Fǎn yìng qì zài xiàn.

Chuán gǎn qì zài xiàn.

Wǔ qì zài xiàn.

Suǒ yǒu xì tǒng de míng yì."

>>24175668
Have at it, Daniel. Target the unfamiliar bits particularly and see if Lord Shun will tell us what they do.

>>24175829
>Fǎn yìng qì zài xiàn.
>Chuán gǎn qì zài xiàn.
>Wǔ qì zài xiàn.

Haha, fuck yeah

>>24175829
"Uhhh...."
Stand there looking like you have no clue what's going on.

>>24175829
>Reactor online
>Sensors online
>Weapons online
>All systems nominal

>>24175890
Is that
>Reactor Online
>Sensors Online
>Weapons Online
>All systems Nominal
?

>>24175924
Yup

>>24175924
>>24175918
welp

>>24175829

I have no idea what the computer voice is saying, but it sounds reassuring.

So would this 'mech be able to interfere with targeting systems and sensors? Like turning SRMs and LRMs into dumb-fire rockets? Or dare I say it, assume direct control of enemy battlemechs?

>>24175918
Unless Daniel speaks Chinese, the Mech just spoke a bunch of gibberish at him.

>>24175956
Even in spoken Chinese, it's very hard to mistake what the computer just said.

>>24175890
>>24175899
>>24175918
>>24175924
>>24175925
>>24175930
>>24175947

"It is sadly not a strong enough system to override the neural interface, but it is capable of thwarting direct targeting systems, as well as indirect ones to several degrees. Please, step inside."

He gestures to the stepladder being wheeled up to the cockpit by one of the jumpsuited commandos.

>>24175992

Climb the ladder, see what we can see inside.

Perhaps ask if there's anything we shouldn't try to mess with while we're up there.

>>24176020
Seconding this.

>>24176044

Also: vainly attempt to suppress childlike glee/curiousity and nerding out while we're up there.

>>24176020

"The controls are all locked; so don't fret about bumping anything. You will notice the cockpit layout is quite different, as well as familiar in a way I believe you will find appreciable."

You climb up, and poke your head inside. Immediately you notice what he was talking about, and it puts a smile on your face.

The cockpit area is fairly narrow, but very elongated, almost like a small hallway. It has a lot of storage, and several more computer banks than you would typically see in a 'Mech this size. Many of the controls are unfamiliar, but some you recognize: throttle, neural interface, etc.

Anything in particular you are looking for/at?

>>24176100
Wouldn't hurt to have a look at the E-War systems to see what its capabilities are. Take note of the precise layout too.

>>24176100

See how they handle storage units and other stuff. Do they have anything like refrigerators or insulated compartments? Or other amenities such as sinks or water dispensers? Are they real obvious, or does the pilot pull them out of the walls to utilize them? Is there any extra capacity for passengers?

Also check how the viewport frame is angled. The Raven appears to have a panoramic view, which could imply that it could be more vulnerable to headshots. While we won't want to copy their design, perhaps studying its geometry might reveal how sturdy it is, and if there are any construction techniques we might want to try in the future. Also take note of how the pilot's chair is situated relative to the viewport.

Also see if there's any reinforcement of the extra computer banks, and any labeling that we might be able to read.

>>24176100
Checkout all of the shit. Take note of space-saving stuff.

EXAMINE EVERYTHING!

If we find some inspiration from it, it's not too late to go back and tweak the phobos cockpit plans since the first prototype hasn't been built yet.

>>24176100
Chuckle. "If I didn't know better I'd have thought you cribbed my cockpit design."

Take a look at everything, learn as much as possible, get as much inspiration from it as possible.

Ask about the Raven's specs and so on.

>>24176100
A rumble seat.

>>24176307
This is a good point. We're selling the Phobos pretty much exclusively to these guys, right? Why not ask if there's anything from the Raven they'd like incorporated into the Phobos as a last-minute change.

>>24176193
>>24176232

You start to poke around, seeing if you can isolate the EWAR panel first. Everything is labeled in Chinese so far, if labeled at all, so it's slow going but after a few minutes you locate what you think is the panel in question. Being locked, you can't activate it to examine its features, but you do see lots of fine-tuning knobs and scales, and several digital displays, along with at least one full LCD screen, complete with fingerprints on it, which tells you it is touch-sensitive at least.

The rest of the cockpit is spaciously cramped; the chair seems roomy but to get into it, it seems there is a latch that rotates it 180 degrees, otherwise the consoles are too close and you would never be able to squeeze through. There seems to be several lockers and compartments all over, and one is revealed to be a fold-out sink.

The optical sapphire that comprises the cockpit has a thin layer of gold film over it, likely because this unit is meant to be used in space if need be. The actual viewing area is relatively small, but offers a panoramic view; good for a scout. It would be difficult to hit from the sides, and from the front it offers as small a profile as possible while still allowing plenty of viewable area. It also seems the sapphire extends slightly over the armor/structure as well; perhaps to give a false sense of vulnerability/ease of cockpit targeting.

>>24176398

The seat in particular is fully shock-absorbant, and seems to be an amalgam of mesh, memory foam, and kevlar composite with carbon fiber reinforcement. It seems to sit on several fluid-filled pistons with what appear to be tiny pumps that must adjust the seat orientation for times when the Raven is at an odd angle, or perhaps when running at top speeds.

>>24176490
No, a rumble seat. A little fold-down seat to let another person ride along.
So that we can go for a ride maybe

>>24176405
I can't think of anything else to look at, other than searching for any out of place panels.

And now it's 2AM and I need to sleep.

>>24176405
>>24176490
"You have some clever engineers, very efficient. I'm slightly embarrassed I hadn't thought of some of these things already."

Keep on checking things out, see if it looks like it has multiple redundancies for important systems, judge how well it could take a hit, any small niggling flaws we could notice.

>>24176405
>>24176490
Seems the designers went out of their way to make it a stable platform for the pilot.

>>24176550

(was getting to that, i try to post smaller snippets instead of long posts for this specific stuff so people have something to read while I post more)

In addition to the main seat, you find a spot where two smaller 'rumble' seats fold out from the wall behind the main pilot's chair. It seems cramped for a larger person, but someone of your size would have no issue riding alongside someone similarly sized for a few hours, so long as it wasn't for more than a day. The seats themselves are simple heavy molded plastic with aluminum bracketing; a simple 5pt harness is all that keeps you in your seat should things get rough.

>>24176571
>>24176381

"Believe me, Mr. Holdt, what you have managed to do yourself, by yourself, is impressive enough. This machine was designed by an entire team, and has a nation's pride riding with it. Of course one mind, clever and creative as it may be, is not capable of out-thinking several equally-trained minds working in unison on something for years, where you have for what I presume to be a far shorter timeframe. Do not sell yourself short."

You ask about some general specifications as you poke around more, and he obliges with anything he says isn't deemed a matter of national security. Which is sadly less than you'd like to hear.

>>24176722

You are sharp enough to notice in your examinations, that several panels appear similarly arranged; and some in condensed versions nestled behind the main console, where the pilot can pivot and reach them if need be. Backups, you presume. The whole layout seems very strange; much of the control interface is archaic and appears to be analog, but you do know that such interfaces tend to be more robust, and so that might be deliberate. You also know the CapCon is not a rich state, so it may have also been necessary. And given the spartan nature of the control software they are leasing you, it is likely a combination of both. Still, there are more than enough 'modern' bells and whistles to let you know this 'Mech is no more than ten years old, at most.

>>24176798
Excellent. If there are no objections, perhaps we could move on now?

>>24176831

Seconding. Although perhaps after investigating if there are facilities for sleeping, excluding sleeping in the pilot seat.

>>24176722

(for specs, anything basic about the 1X Raven you can see on Sarna, you know. Armament, speed, (not armor mass though), and chassis weight (but not the weight of the EWAR suite). Just enough to whet the appetite, but not enough to sell the farm)

>>24176798
I just realized; if we became BFFs with the Lyrans, they might have brought a Hatchetman.
Dammit.

>>24176831

(it seems i've typically gone too far with the 'not building mechs' stuff again. sorry about that)

>>24176850

In moving back towards the hatch, you take note that there are no provisions for sleeping, it seems.

>>24176798
'It feels like you let me up here to tease me, Lord Shun. Some interesting bits to draw me in while the best is kept out of reach. I'm going to have niggling thoughts about this mech for the rest of the week.'

>>24176877
no, this is fine. It's research.

It's just one impatient dude ATM.

>>24176877
It's okay, it might just be that I'm tired and forgetting to ask/look at things. Continue however you like.

>>24176624
"I'm impressed, this machine seems pretty comfortable short-term."

Over a protracted campaign, with no chance to leave the machine, it could prove fatiguing, but that shouldn't be a problem on an EW unit."

>>24176911

"But of course, Mr. Holdt. A mind such as yours does not view such things as disappointments, but instead as challenges, correct? Feel free to take more time looking if you wish, but I am certain you have probably already made note of everything interesting to you. And I thought it would be very interesting indeed to see that there are other minds like yours working for the Confederation, so your designs will be appreciated for what they are. Which, I am sure as an engineer and an artist of sorts, you can take pride in."

It's up to you if you want to look some more, or get on with talking about other things with Lord Shun before your lunch date, which is in an hour.

>>24177032

"The pilot's seat reclines 150 degrees, almost horizontal. I myself have laid in it. It is actually quite comfortable unless you are the sort that sleeps on their side habitually."

>>24176571
We did think of making a shock absorbing seat. But making the seat auto-stabilize (and presumably sync the heads up display so that it tilts too) would be going one step further.

Something we were also thinking of looking into was a sort of "pod within a pod" cockpit for quads where the pilots chair can be raised up for a direct view tank commander style and dropped into the hull for protection. If we could combine that with an auto-stabilizing chair we could give the quad a very smooth ride. Something the early quads are notorious for lacking.

>>24177070
(I was actually referring to a lack of an apprent shower, but whatevs.)

>>24177072

(yours is very basic, but better than what's in say, an Urbanmech, a Spider, or any of the Bug 'Mechs you've seen/dissected in your training)

>>24177040

Hmm. We might want to go check on Janine and see if she's been notified that Lord Shun wants to do lunch... and also perhaps get her thoughts on what Lord Shun might want to discuss over such a meeting.

I can't think of anything else to discuss with Lord Shun, unless it's just geeking out over battlemech design and other minutiae.

>>24177138

Also maybe see how the Capellans are reacting to the work crew and the rest of our staff. See if there's anything that needs smoothing over before it boils over.

>>24177120

(ah yeah, it doesn't seem to have one you can find. perhaps the pilot is expected to have a whore's bath if they feel grungy. The sink might have hot water and a toiletries kit someplace. I did forget to mention that it has a commode too. seems to be airline-style; uses minimal water, and ejects the waste into a chute, probably into the fusion core for recycling)

>>24177040
Hm. So he's basically going "Your shit is real good bro, but CAPELLA STRONK." in a fairly subtle way. Expected.

That said, I really cannot dislike Shun at all. Especially not after smoking jackets and flannel pants.

>>24177072
>Give the quad a torso cockpit
>But also fill up the crits in the head with a useless motive system
>On the already crit-cramped quad
Yes.
What a great idea.

>>24177133
Hard to be less sophisticated than a Spider, given that it completely lacks an ejection seat.

>>24177156
>>24177138
Seconded

glad to arrive while there's still things to do in the game rather than discuss the aftermath

I'll just sit in the background until I have anything more than base agreement to add

>>24177138
>>24177156
>>24177236

(anyone else want to take a break from Shun and go speak to Janine or see about other business around the compound? and if so, what?)

>>24177040
Maybe discuss with him our idea for those fancy dual ammo bins and see what he thinks?

>>24177236
>>24177181
>>24177040

"Well, that was more invigorating than a cup of joe, but as I suppose I'm not allowed to take this beauty apart, I should probably go put some powder on my nose before our little luncheon rolls around the clock. It's been a pleasure of a morning, Lord Shun"

halfway back down the ladder
>>24177376
"Oh, yeah, I've been working on this little number, you've got enough of a background to find any holes I might've missed-" and elaborate on the half-bins

>>24177409
*split bins

>>24177360
>>24177376
>>24177409
>>24177501

(okay, so far looking for more thoughts on taking a break from Shun to talk to some other people before lunch, and also need more input on the thought of revealing one of your projects to Shun, as has been suggested)

>>24177592
I'm half of the posts you responded to, but hey, details
"How much do you want to bet Ivan has one of your Commandos in an arm wrestling match?"

>>24177592
>>24177592
Going off to do stuff Y, talking about projects N. For now.

>>24177592
The Cappies are going to return again in the future to do their own field tests of the completed prototype right? Would Shun be returning with them? If so I would rather spring the concept on him then when it's more fully developed. Don't want to tip our hands too early.

>>24177703

Seconding this. It's just a neat concept that Daniel has thought of so far. It'll probably be better to speak of it to potential investors when we have something more concrete to show.

>>24177592
I'd say hold off on spit-balling ideas off of lord Shun, he's a customer but also something of a representative of a competitor after all.

You and Shun speak for a few more moments, and you quip that Ivan and one of his commandos are probably arm-wrestling as you speak. He chuckles and agrees, stating that even the best disciplined troops are still susceptible to boredom. Using that as a segue, you mention that you'd like to have leave to speak with Janine before you do lunch, and he agrees.

"Oh of course. I had assumed as such. I merely wanted to let you get your hands on the Raven before we got down to business so there would be no distractions. My plan is to have a quiet lunch in your commissary, followed by discussions about some of the workings of the deal, and an initial report from my engineers, to be delivered to us as we dine. After that, I would like to be escorted to the burial plot of your late Founder to pay my respects."

>>24177815

"Alright. I'll see you in an hour then, Lord Shun."

Go and check in on Janine, and talk with her about Lord Shun. And if there might be any potential security issues with Shun visiting Goddard's gravesite in the 'mech bay.

>>24177815
"Of course. I'll see you at the commissary."

Wander off, find Janine, we've got stuff to talk about.

>>24177185
Actually I was thinking we could design our own. Start with a normal cockpit, but move one of the life supports to a torso crit. Then the pilots seat would occupy twice the critspace, one in the head and one in the torso. If the seat is raised the pilot can control the mech normally. If the pilot feels threatened or the head armour is compromised he can drop his seat down into the torso space and pilot from there. Unlike a torso cockpit if the mech's head is obliterated the pilot will be completely blind. The difference is with this design the pilot can still eject.

>>24177963
TCs can eject too. They just can't into full-head-ejection for obvious reasons.
Also, torso cockpits are blind too when their heads go.

>>24177920
>>24177923

You excuse yourself from Lord Shun's presence, and head off to Janine's quonset. You knock on the door, and she beckons you in.

"Oh good, it's you. I was hoping you'd show up before our lunch with Shun. How much did he tell you about his itinerary?"

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>>24178036
Alright, nevermind.
After a reread of tac ops apparently TCs can't into ejection in any form. Wonder where I would have got that idea.

>>24178036
According to Sarna ejection isn't possible, I'm not sure where the most up to date rules are. I can ask in the other thread.

Normal torso cockpits don't go totally blind, they have a third sensor crit in the torso. If the head is destroyed the pilot can still see and fight but with a really harsh +4 penalty.

>>24178041

Well, he gave me a tour of that bird-looking 'mech outside (VERY cool, by the way), and he says he wants to talk about more business over lunch. I think the preliminary reports from his engineers and other staff will be delivered to him during this time, so we might expect some grilling over business arrangements or over some of the technical junk in there.

He also said that he would like to personally pay respects to Goddard's grave site. That'd be great, but I'm a bit worried about the fact that we buried him near a functional Star-League Era heavy 'mech bay.

>>24178041
"Pretty much all of it."

>>24178120

(with the liberties we've already taken with the system, we're on a pretty divergent timeline from the canon one anyway. it'd take a lot but at this point anything is doable within the bounds of the hard and fast rules, aka the ones that keep the whole system together. you;d just need to figure out a way to make it work within that system)

>>24178041
"Lunch with us, talk about the deal, report from his engineers and then going to Goddard's grave. I think that pretty much covers what he told me.

It's a solid mech, I'm happy to see someone else trying something new and interesting. If it turns out to do what they want of it half as well as Shun is hoping we'll be making a lot of Phoboses for them."

>>24178041
count them off on your fingers

"head off any questions about the raven by showing me everything but the kitchen sink- no, wait, he showed me the sink, just not the EWAR suite's good bits; you, me, him, and one lucky bodyguard are having lunch in commisary and I still don't know how he made it sound like a five-star cafe and during this little private shindig we'll have a techno-corporate accompanyment performed by his collection of engineers and gold-plated pencil-pushers; to end the night, we'll be leaving what I assume are exotic flowers from Cappela on Goddard's grave..."

"Is it just me, or am I jealous of the bills lining his pockets? or maybe I just want to lovingly rip the raven apart and scrounge through her guts- and now its a slasher film. How are the boys doing on the floor? All playing nicely?"

>>24178167
Strap a shitload of rockets underneath the pod
And give it a pointy, hard top.
Just have it cut its way out of the goddamn mech.

>>24178207
"ours shall be the drill that pierces the heavens"

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>>24178232

>>24178126
>>24178130

"I recall him saying he wanted to visit Goddard's grave, and I'm not that worried about the security there. I mean, we haven't found any reason to believe MechBay 5 is LosTech, have we? It looks old, and doesn't look any different than the other bays, so far as I can see.

Anyway, I'm glad he told you, so I don't have to. I want to spend the next little bit going over some figures I've worked up, and some ideas I have about all this. It's not stuff you'll get dragged into most likely, since you're our resident nerd, and not our resident business slave, but I want to be on the same page anyway."

She looks a bit frazzled as she sifts though some paperwork. Looks like she hasn't been sleeping well. Dark circles under her eyes tell the story, and she's actually smoking without you enabling her, as you can see by the half-pack sitting next to the before-unseen ashtray on her desk.

>>24178241
Ask her if there's any duties she can delegate to us or Hatamoto, now that we've finished designing the Mech, we should have a bit of free time for stuff.

>>24178241
Give our girl a hug and a kiss, then give her a back massage as she goes over stuff with us. She's tense and tired.

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>>24178238
This really is a pretty close mech.
Someone should shop the sunglasses on this guy.
But I'm way too fucking lazy. And I can't into photoshop.

>>24178305
>>24178317

You get up and stand behind he as you continue your discussion, rubbing her shoulders, which feel like they are made from rought iron. This is probably what it'd feel like to rub Ivan's shoulders, only less hairy.

"Oh god, yes please...

Er, I dunno if I'd feel okay with giving you more work, I mean I know once the Capellans leave you are going to want to make tweaks and have to work with Ivan on the construction, which is going to take months. Are you really going to have that much free time? I mean I'll get a lot less of a workload once I finish sorting this Goddard-mess of papers out, and get everything straight with the Capellans as far as finances and whatnot.It's not that *yawn* bad, really..."

>>24178167
Making a TC eject wouldn't be impossible but the entire mech would have to be designed around it. You could have it eject out the back of the mech crab style for instance. Or out the top of the mech if the torso is elongated like a bushwacker. But most humanoid designs would have issues, you would need to rig the entire head with "explosive bolts" or another system that moves it out of the way so that the pod can escape upwards. It might work better if the mech was headless or offset like a hollander or thor.

As far as game mechanics go our design isn't all that different from a regular TC:

- Move life support to side torsos
- Cockpit moved to CT
- Extra sensor crit placed in CT
- Piloting skill penalty
- +1 ton
- No ejection

vs

- One life support moved to CT.
- Cockpit occupies a crit in the head and a crit in the CT.
- Pilot can move between the two locations
- Skill penalty if pilot is in torso
- +1 ton for equipment to move cockpit
- Pilot can eject at will

It's like a elevator that only goes to the basement and the basement is just big enough for the elevator car and nothing else. If that makes sense. It doesn't have the redundant sensors but ejecting is no problem because there is nothing above the chair that would block it.

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>>24178238

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>>24178392

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>>24178401

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>>24178414

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>>24178425

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>>24178439

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>>24178449

>>24178378
"Snookums, I will want to tweak it some, and help Ivan, but currently you're smoking more than me and you look like you haven't gotten a good night's sleep in a week.

Once you reach this hypothetical 'lower workload' I'll leave it to you, but until then I'll help out where I can. And look into getting a personal assitant for the scutwork.

But moving on, you said you wanted to fill me in on some figures and ideas."

>>24178449
turns out that I wasn't as clever as I thought I was.

>>24175323
I realize that bipedal robots are a retarded design for warfare, quit my current job, and go work for a firm that designs missiles specifically designed to fuck up the knees of bipedal robots.

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>>24178464

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>>24178491

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>>24178504

>>24178481
It'd just need to be some sort of high-force squash warhead with the booster agility to hit thin moving targets like legs on mechs, the joint would even be the prime spot for a stress failure

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>>24178511

>>24178464
So the Urban Lagaan's power is to make bigger and bigger fuckoff ACs?

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>>24178519

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>>24178534

>>24178481
Thanks be to you, anon, for creating the market for knee-mounted AMS.

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>>24178544

As funny as Gurren BTis, Id like it if we got back to MEQ.

I think we should stay away from TC for awhile, until we design a non humnoid mech.

>>24178481
Tandem Charges? Landing a direct hit on a moving target without dumb luck is going to be a nightmare though.

Makes me wonder why no one has invented mech slat armour yet. We should get on that.

(i'm just waiting on more than one person to respond to the latest update. it's 'changing of the guard' time I think, so the thread's gonna be a bit slow for a few. that or being gone for so long has killed interest. i dunno)

>>24178473
This is fine.

>>24178663
No thread got derailed but image dump.

>>24178378
>>24178473
I just go with this.

>>24178473
seconding.

>>24178663
>>24178691
Continuing agreement from the passenger seat.

>>24178378
"I can help until you get that 'less of a workload' at least. The majority of the designing has already been done, and while I won't have loads of free time, I can spare a few hours a day for administrative work."

>>24178663
I didn't say anything because I pretty much agreed with
>>24178473
Barring calling her 'Snookums', of course. It'd feel kinda pointless making a post amounting to what pretty much amounts to 'I agree'
Maybe hire an accountant in the future, too.

Sometimes your posts lead to options that are kinda pointless, IMO. Like in the last thread where there was a post that was pretty much 'person knocking on the door, wat do?' I feel that a post like that could easily be linked to a post assuming we answer the door with no repercussions.

>>24178774
Yeah, but eventually that knock at the door with be a wetwork crew.

Search your feelings, you know it to be true.

>>24178663
you have my interest sir

>>24178473
>>24178605
>>24178691
>>24178700
>>24178701

"Well, if you're sure you can help, and not screw your own work over, then alright. I'll see about putting you to work sifting through Goddard's stuff so I don't have to. Pretty simple really; toss anything that looks like garbage and has no letterhead or numbers on it, and keep the rest, organized roughly somehow. It doesn't matter how, I will change it later because I am OCD."

You chuckle, and she sighs.

"Okay, so for the meeting... this is when we are going to hear about what his people think, professionally. They won't pull punches. Don't get mad. They will probably have things they want to change, or will criticize. They may be harsh about it. Shun is a nice guy, but that's his job. He's an envoy. His people are the ones paid to be assholes, and he still smells great even after they shit all over your hard work. Just be ready for that, okay? We will also need to get a rough estimate as to how much these are gonna cost per each, so if we sell direct or collect royalties, either way we can plan our finances. We are gonna be living paycheck-to-paycheck for a while, I think. We better know what we're gonna have afterwards. Do you have any rough numbers to throw at me?"

>>24178774
The person at the door was a door-to-door salesman selling RPG-8's, which are designed to fuck up the knees of bipedal robots at a tiny fraction of their cost.

>>24178821
>Do you have any rough numbers to throw at me?
Do we?
I assume so, given our training, that we have a rough idea of how much the components cost.

>>24178774

(>>24178815 this, to be honest. I learned a long time ago to take as little for granted from my players as possible, because that ONE time you auto-pilot them into something based on what they always do they get mad. not saying you guys will do that, but I've pretty much conditioned myself at this point. your results may vary. if you want me to autopilot you through 'mundane' stuff, then i'll do it, or try to remember as much as possible anyway)

>>24178481
But Bola pods are shit.

>>24178821
as much as i love this quest, I have absolutley no idea how much mechs go for.

>>24178815
>>24178869
Yeah, but doing that every time get tedious, it should only really happen if there's something strange enough to actually give us pause.

Unless you're a hyper paranoid nut, you wouldn't spend time deciding wether or not to answer the door everytime someone knocked on your office door in real life

>>24178821
I've never played Accountantech so I have little sense of what everything costs. Maybe the better question would be what profit margin we are aiming for?

Talking with the engineers should be good though, feedback is crucial even this early in the process. If they demand changes we can easily fit them in as long as they don't involve scrapping the legs. (that would just take longer)

>>24178821
"Well, Hatamoto would know the rough price for the engine and electricals better than me, and [whatshisface weapon/computer guy] would know the weapons and computers.
Then throw a rough estimate for structure and armor costs at her.

>>24178821
Run out the figures in raw materials and prefabs, expected fabrication time, expected delay time during initial fabrications, boot-up failures, time to correct on those failures and additional labor, field testing, repairs on field tests, fine-tuning, shakedown run, and finally doing shakedown runs on proposed variants followed swiftly by shifts into full production

>>24178903
Just make the mech in SSW and add 10% or something.

>>24178901
and who are we?

>>24178865
>>24178879
>>24178903
>>24178904

(i figured someone would just pull the SSW file for it and read that off. It's basically the same thing as going down a parts list, and you'd be fairly familiar with a ballpark number by now, something rounded to the 100,000th Cbill at least.)

(>>24178901

(if I do that then you'll know something is up meta-wise, and Daniel doesn't have a spider-sense sadly. if you can figure a way to make it work i'm happy to oblige. don't wanna fall on the wrong side of the fence one way or the other)

>>24178901
Perhaps, but we're also sitting on a Star League cache of the kind that people have been killed over for.

>>24178913
...did ...did they teach us this in engineering school?

>>24178976
You could have Max be our spider-sense. If his ears are flat and he's growling at the door we know something is likely to be up.

>>24178976
I would love to, but nobody apparently wants to tell me fucking anything so I don't know the entire loadout.

>>24178943
>>24178980

We're a hyper-paranoid nut who can design mechs above and beyond a team of of peers over a longer time-span

>Price of a mech: 15 Million
>Price of an RPG-7: 300
>Destroying a mech with technology over a thousand years old: Priceless

>>24179003
Max liked the femme fatale who summoned us, he's a dog, not a plot device

>>24178943
Not a hyper paranoid nut?
>>24178869
>>24178980
This is valid, but at the same time if you're wondering why you're not getting much discussion over such a mundane situation.

>>24179024
>Implying
Man-pack SRM-2s are a thing, dingus.

>>24178821
"You're the one with a head for business so I'll leave telling them how much more than the actual price it is so they can haggle it down to the expected price. It also depends somewhat on which configuration of it, but not that much.

Around 2.8-2.9 million C-Bills if it wasn't so innovative for the basic model. Add some good percent because of all the cool stuff it has, and another pile on top of that to make them haggle down."

>>24179024
Price of a mech with well over 2 points of armor in all locations: 15 million
Price of a weapon that does two damage: 300
Getting hit by a weapon designed to slag vehicle armor after firing a 2 damage weapon at a mech: Priceless

>>24179050
Ah, but that might be quite expensive and hard to obtain, whereas Abu can buy an RPG-7 on a street corner quite easily
>Bonus points for it being over 1000 years old and still being able to get mobility kills on billion dollar future tech

>>24178933
>>24178976

Eh, base cost for the chassis is 2,674,710 C-bills (assuming 6.5 tons of armor); 2,661,210 with 5.5 tons.

2ML x 2 SRM4 (+1 ton of ammo) = 2,944,710 C-bills.

LLaser + Flamer + 1 Heat Sink = 2,822,535 C-bills.

5.5t armor + LRM5 + SRM4 + 2 Mlaser = 2,890,710 C-bills.

Since 'mech prices in SSW are identical to those on Sarna, it might be reasonable to assume that those are something like suggested retail prices (with labor and other such things factored in).

>>24179073
Joints, how do they work?

>>24179096
RPG-7s can barely get mobility kills on modern day civilian vehicles (There's a toyota driving around in the Middle East that's been hit by THREE of them. It's not pretty, but it still moves.)

>>24179073
Well, you know, it isn't actually priceless...
You just got to divide the cost of a ton of ammo by the number of shots you get from said ton and you found your price.
And then your commander yells at you because you are a poor-ass merc and AC/10 ammo doesn't grow on trees.

>>24179057

(yeah i get about 3mil per, so this seems right. you are of course free to adjust this as you see fit, and talk janine into doing the same, but remember these guys also know how much stuff generally costs so being forward might be a good idea)

>>24179128
Armored. There's a chance that you'd get a TAC, but it's more likely that you won't, and then you get a Flamer / 50. cal machine gun / pulse laser to the face.

>>24179128
you can't get TACs on limbs.
So apparently joints work pretty damn well, all things considered.

>>24179073
The cost of a single missile seems about right, but 15 million C-Bills would buy a whole lot of 'Mech.

>>24179119
And that's not even factoring in how much being so cheap to maintain, being impossible to kill, and all of the other goodies we added in are worth. I'd make that a good 10% personally, or somewhere around there. Because no other Mech in our weight class has as much durability, flexibility, ease to swap between roles, and so on.

>There's a chance
Which is my point entirely.

>>24179188
I think 15 million would be an assault. They tend to be in the 10-20 mil range.

>>24179198
Even if you do get a joint hit, mechs can hoist themselves up on their arms and fire at you, or even crawl along if they have to. BT mechs are pretty agile.

>>24179188
just looked it up, according to a few military blogs, going price for the RPG launcher is ~$220, whilst missiles are ~$25
>arm 15 peasants with RPGs
>mobility kill mech
>mech falls down
>laugh at silly design that depends on inefficient bipedal locomotion

>>24179244
Hell, a single knee? Most mechs can still limp on that and continue using it as a brace.

>>24179244
And even if they could not do all those things, they can still throw a mech sized temper-tantrum and squash the fuck out of everyone.

>>24179256
There are rules for this, you know.
And it usually does not work out in your favor.

>>24179148
Tell her the basic retail price and our estimate on how much our improvements would be worth to them.

Leave the haggling business to her.

>>24179256
Mech throws a tantrum and squishes all your peasants
OR
Mech throws waste heat from it's fusion reactor in the form of a Flamer and completely vaporises your militia.

>>24179193

Well, let's just say 3,000,000 C-bills for the sake of round numbers as our asking price. Might be able to sneak in an additional 3% for easy maintenance, and perhaps an extra 5-10% for those weapon railings in the torso and arms that allow for easy weapons switching. It's not quite omni-tech, but as long as they don't mount stuff like PPCs or 2 Large Lasers on the thing, the 'mech gyro should be able to be calibrated without too much trouble.

(i wondered how long it was gonna take before the people that are against quests targeted mine. if you guys wanna keep arguing with them, that's cool, I'll go make dinner.)

>>24179285
And?
I just downed a futuristic robot with a few poor peasants and 1960's tech.
>inb4 NUH UHHH

>>24179129
you actually want the RPG-29, which is the tandem charge warhead

>>24179210
Okay then. I just pulled up the stats for the Pillager PLG-5Z, a 100-ton 'Mech that costs just over 15 million C-Bills. It has 19.5 tons of Stealth Armor, providing 42 points of protection to each of its legs.

You would need to hit one of its legs with 21 SRMs before you even got to its internals.

>>24179256
Same could be said for treads on a tank.

You still need to be in a position and close enough to hit it. Also you need to actually hit.

>>24179312
It gets back up and limps. The legs are designed to go straight if the joints are damaged so the mech can use it as a crutch.

>>24179323
>>24179285
>>24179265
>>24179330

Guys, stop arguing with the anti-Battletech/anti-quest guy and get to number-crunching for the HZP's asking price.

>>24179342
Also
>3075
>Not armoring your hips

>>24179330
Tanks don't fall down and spaz on the floor when they lose their treads.
Tank treads can be replaced in the field by engineers
Tanks are still 100% deadly without their treads
None of the above can be said about bipedal robots with leg joint damage

>>24179309
I'm not against your quest, I love MEQ ,I'm just saying if you throw a lot of mundane situations against us, don't expect a bunch debate about it.

In my experience, when people stop posting in a quest thread, they're usually waiting for the OP to update.

OI fucknuts, stop shitting up the thread with your pointless arguments, go to /k/ for that

>>24179347
Does anyone disagree with the 3 million ballpark price?

>>24179302
3.000.000
3% rugged and simple
7% multi-role

total: 3.300.000 C-Bills

Haggle-bar: 3.5 million

>>24179342
>YFW the other leg

>>24179388

(I am referring to the people arguing with RPG-7 guy. your criticisms about pacing and whatnot are valid, and not at all out of place. i'm also not going to put a ton of effort forcing people not to get trolled when i already put effort into running this. just saying)

>>24179374
The mech can literally hold itself up with one arm and fire with the other. It can limp along on one leg. If it has jump jets then it's mobility isn't even affected.
The tank does have ease of maintenance for sure, and can't fall over, but with no ability to move whatsoever, it's dead in the water if it's mobility is killed. Not moving = Dead in a few turns, unless it's an Assault class or fire support

>>24179374
>Make quad
>Put turret all up ons
>Shit on vehicles

>>24179440
no worries, we're /tg/, we get everything done at the same time, just not in a span of time that is survivable by one anon

>>24179418
>>24179411
>>24179302
>>24179148

(3.3-3.5 mil seems to be the price tossed around. sounds like a good starting point for haggling. sounds good to everyone?)

>>24179440
Someone else already gave the figures, so I'm just biding my time now.

>>24179466
Fine with me.

>>24179466
Sure.

>>24179468
>>24179466
oingo-boingo

>>24179466
Sounds good to me, make sure to say that the base price is 3 mil for something like this but not awesome, some more for all the improvements, and a bit more as haggle room if she wants to use it.

>>24179418
>>24179466
This sounds fine, I was thinking Three-and-a-Half, to Three-and-a-Quarter, factoring Haggling, I'm just glad everyone agreed.

Rolled 52, 42 = 94

>>24179466

Sounds good. Janine knows business, she can handle most of it in case Daniel's engineering degree didn't prepare him for aggressive Capellan negotiation 101.

>>24179466
Seems like most reasonable way. I sold a vaccuum for 2400$ because of how durable and easy to repair the thing is and as long as I got 1600 Id make commission.

>>24179503
"We think our factories can produce it at less cost than what you offer"

"And I think you probably could, but your peers will probably take your initial refusal to outbid you"

>>24179544
if they get snippy about us offering to others we can always say we gave them a first shot at the whole thing and if they take the offer straight off the table, nobody else even gets a peek at the thing, unless they bid higher without any idea of what they're bidding on

>>24179503
>>24179500
>>24179497
>>24179492
>>24179491
>>24179482
>>24179468

"Three and a half as the top-end? That's not bad, I don't think? You said you put a lot of refinements and innovations into it, so I have to assume that there's a premium on that. So the core is 2.9 mil for the loadout you were initially settling on? Alright, I'll start them at 3.5 and see where they go with it. I think I can work with that. Just be ready to counterpoint anything his people say about it, or explain things or decisions you made. Okay?"

It looks as though there is about twenty minutes to go till you meed Shun in the commissary for lunch. Any last-minute business?

>>24179579
and then the test rig explodes on top of goddard's grave, taking Ivan and Hamato with it

>>24179584
sudden thought, can anyone do a price comparison with high-end mechs in the same class and output range? like the jenner, how much does that thing go for?

>>24179588

From which a stray piece of shrapnel will fly out and break through a Machine Gun manufacturer's ammunition line, resulting in a catastrophic explosion that will plunge the planet into a nuclear winter.

>>24179584
Have one of the techs make a mock up of the face-plate to give to Lord Shun.

>>24179584
I can't think of any.

If anyone else can I'll second it. Otherwise kill sometime until we need to head over to the commissary.

>>24179622
second third and fourth

3.5 sounds good for starting out. We may have to make adjustments given how much redundancy the mech has and the extra manufacturing time.

>>24179622
That's in the works already.

>>24179584
Give her a kiss, smoke a cigarette, drink some coffee.

I think we were planning on making a faceplate of Phobos to give to Shun, if we don't have one fabbed up already bring the make we already have to place on the table in front of us, practice our grin in the mirror to closely resemble its rictus smile.

>>24179612
3,198,375 C-bills

>>24179584
I believe we're ready. Let's get to that meeting.

>>24179656
second

>>24179652
Is it? I've seen occasional votes for it, but I don't recall it actually having occurred.

>>24179612

(jenner 7D is 3.1 mil base, and costs always base because it has been in production for a long time. it's like a DVD player at this point, 30 bucks or bust. it might have cost 3.4 before or somesuch)

>>24179622
Thy're doing that already.

>>24179612
JR7-D Jenner: 3,161,925
5D Spider: 2.9 mil
Firestarter: 3 mil

It's a bit high end, but that's mostly because of the fuck-off huge engine we put in it.

Engine is usually the big price booster.

>>24179612

Jenner: 3,198,375 C-bills (less armor, but more JJs and lasers).

Wolfhound: 3,141,180 C-bills. Slower by one movement profile (6/9/0 vs. HZP's 7/11/0), but more armor, and all-energy load-out.

Panther: 2,485,710 C-bills (probably due to the tiny engine on it).

The extra price could be justified due to the weapon railings, which eliminates the need for retooling the entire design to accept specific weapon loadouts, and expedites field refits. The modular armor also allows for flexible customization due to the weight savings.

>>24179671
Decided on aaaages ago.

>>24179715
>>24179702
So we definitely don't go below 3.2 mil and try to keep it at 3.4 or higher

anyone else in favor of tossing the haggle out to 3.7 mil?

>>24179773
3.6 mil is a little more realistic. We don't want to start off too high.

>>24179671

(yeah, the techs are fabbing it now, as of last night. Ilsa is directing them)

>>24179670
>>24179669
>>24179656
>>24179652
>>24179642
>>24179631

You smoke one last cig with Janine before the meeting, and get her some coffee to get her more alert.

Then, you head over to the commissary.

Entering, you see Shun, sitting at a table that's been decorated with a red silk tablecloth, embelished with gold designs. There is china laid out, and food is being arranged on a large lazy susan at the center.

To your surprise, you see Hatamoto sitting at the table with Shun, talking. Shun notices you and waves you over.

"Ah! Join us, please. The food is ready and I am looking forward to speaking more with you. I hope peking duck is fine with you."

>>24179715
>Wolfhound: 3,141,180 C-bills. Slower by one movement profile (6/9/0 vs. HZP's 7/11/0), but more armor, and all-energy load-out.

Wolfhound's cost Skyrockets to almost 5 million if you include the full-head ejection system though, (Which standard rules don't account for.)

>>24179799
>so long as it doesn't start pecking at me
durr hurr hurr

We probably shouldn't say that, just in case Anontech has a chance of taking this post seriously.

>>24179799
"Of course, Lord Shun. I'm afraid that I may not be able to fully appreciate it, as my tongue has been thoroughly ruined with years of late-night takeout."

>>24179827
>just in case Anontech has a chance of taking this post seriously.
Do we have a common sense filter?
I always operate on the assumption that there isn't one.

>>24179799
"It sounds good, though my ignorant barbaric palate is unused to such lovely cuisine."

Find a good place to sit down, we should be next to Janine as we're working together on fielding questions.

>>24179799

Of course. It would be a nice change of pace from cigarettes, coffee, and CAD programs.

>>24179857
>"It sounds good, though my ignorant barbaric palate is unused to such lovely cuisine."

Joking or not, that's going to sound *really* caustic. Let's not.

>>24179857
get that dick out of your mouth, boy, you gotta stroke the damn thing lightly first, not swallow it whole

>>24179859
This one, possibly after making the joke up on
>>24179827
and getting zero laughs from both hatamoto and lord shun

>>24179799
Of course, The life of an engineer doesn't tend to lead me to new food experiences, expedience and quantity generally being of more importance when on a deadline.

>>24179918
>>24179857
>>24179831

Jesus christ guys, why are we ssuddenly goign with shitty, offensive jokes?

Just be confident, yes, please, thankyou, and everyone's fine and happy. We don't need to be subservient drones here.

>>24179954
nobody ever said we were perfect, y'know? and poking fun at yourself is a healthy behavioral trait

>>24179827
>>24179831
>>24179847
>>24179857
>>24179859

Shun chuckles. "I assure you, good food is good, no matter the origin. Everyone's palate is different. I myself enjoy a good T-bone steak and baked potato as much as any red-blooded Lyran does, I'm sure."

He motions for you to sit, and you notice that Hatamoto does NOT seem pleased to be here. You've been around him enough to recognize his 'polite indignation' face. He really wasn't kidding about wanting to avoid Shun.

"Well, serve yourselves, please. There is plenty to go around. While you do, I'll share some thoughts with you."

You get some plates, and pick some of the duck, as well as some random food and dig in. You realize you are quite hungry.

"I have spoken a bit with my men, and they have been looking at a copy of your plans. I asked them if they would want to pilot such a machine, and the results were interesting, to say the least," he says as he begins to serve himself.

>>24179980
Making shitty racist jokes on the other hand, is an awful behavioral trait.

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>>24180028
>the results were interesting, to say the least
That is not encouraging at all.

>>24179980
>"It sounds good, though my ignorant barbaric palate is unused to such lovely cuisine."

This, however, is bordering on self-flagellation, not to mention implying nasty racial stereotypes.

>>24180029
what's the diplomatic language in the IS anyways? english? french?

the pecking pun doesn't quite translate outside of, I think, english and some form of scandic

>>24180072
Could be good, could be bad.

>>24180028
grab something to eat and listen to what he has to say

>>24180083
English, I think, since Terran Hegemony was AMERICA STRONK.

>>24180072
"I am morbidly interested as to their opinions."

>>24180083
I'm pretty sure it's English. Most factions have it as at least the second most spoken language.

>>24180028
"Is this good interesting or bad interesting? Just so I know what to prepare myself for."

Lets chow politely and listen to what the guy has to say.

>>24180073
Seriously retarded.

>>24180083
Actually, I thought almost everyone but Americans loves puns. I mean IRL, everybody but the Americans fucking love simple wordplay.

>>24180028

"The reactions were, as expected, quite individual. Most of them are curious why it is you felt the need to make your machine along the same vein as the Atlas and Banshee, while being so much lighter. Others said they saw the wisdom of such tactics in a 'pack-hunter' type design; overrun one target at a time, the stragglers, and the radio traffic alone is a priceless intimidation and psychological warfare. Many of them however are more... old-school soldiers that tend towards conservatism and 'function over form' in their tools.

I myself see the wisdom in both arguments. Of course, the interior was well-received; it is roomy and allows for great comfort while on long patrol. Though, this is more a garrison trait than a pack-hunter trait. They are curious to know which role you favor."

>>24180180
I always saw it as a mix of both, versatility, dependability and a decent punch.

When in a garrison, it suits for long range patrols and allows for harrying tactics while reinforcements approach.

When in the field it can lie in wait and ambush effectively, with the pilots refreshed and ready for battle, and the pack can then hunt.

>>24180180
"It was originally intended to be a garrisson design, but as the design process progressed, it became apparent that the 'mech had the capability to serve in a broad variety of roles, thanks to the versatility offered by the modular construction. Emphasising the Garrison and Hunter roles specifically was the most effective use of our design resources, at the time.

>>24180180
"I actually designed the Phobos so that it could fulfill both roles. A garrison mech that is able to hold off the enemy via guerilla ambushes and hunting in packs long enough for reinforcements to arrive, as well as being able to fulfill most utilitarian duties that a base may require."

>>24180180
Well, I can't honestly say I didn't try to make a solid, dependable garrison unit, but at some point I think the project itself took on a life of its own and this pack-hunter aspect infiltrated the design, you'll see what I mean when you get your present (a bit form over function, though it is not without the latter, I assure you). As I look over it all myself, I'd have to say the balance between the two roles might be inseparable from the particular utility it provides.

To toss out every buzzword that just rolled off my tongue, it's both, to diminish one role might drastically diminish the other.

>>24180264
>>24180270
>>24180276
>>24180308
wow, talk about a cohesive statement

>>24180180

We favor both. Though a garrison defender knows well the value of such comforts, a pilot on a long-range patrol or deep within enemy lines can always use morale boosters to keep them in high spirits; a hot meal and/or shower can go a long way to blunting the edge of an extended campaign.

The Phobos' modular design allows it to accept a variety of weapons without the need for having multiple battlemech variants on hand. It is thus appropriate for whatever role you wish it to perform, so long as you have the parts and technicians to modify it.

>>24180150
havent you seen le rebbit? Its litrerally english puns the website, an shit stolen from 4chan.

>>24180180

Both actually, the idea of its modularity is not restricted just to the ordnance it can carry, but also the roles it can fill.

Like the Assaults, it is the heaviest in its own weight class. The Phobos can match speed with any in its class while being heavier armored and much more reliable even when damaged; the idea is it wont quit and it can come back quickly repaired and rearmed with just about any basic armament that is on hand.

>>24180348
>The Phobos can match speed with any in its class
In the 35 ton range, at least. the 30t spider and the 20t Locust are both faster in regards the entire Light-mech class.

>>24180180
"I'd like to note that while Phobos is certainly unique looking I refused to sacrifice any functionality so it looks better. None of the aesthetic improvements have made it less capable, though I admit that it could take some getting used to for those unused to it.

As for which role I favor, it can accomplish both, as well as others due to the ease of changing armaments, durability, and the versatility of its core design. It isn't even restricted to one armor weight. While I must say that the image of a pack of these hunting is quite vivid and brings a smile to my face it is able to perform any garrison task that you need of it and act should you wish it as a scout or in a pitched battle.

In addition pack hunting often takes a mech further afield than would make resupply and return to base comfortable so providing amenities for that is helpful."

>>24180264
>>24180270
>>24180276
>>24180308

"I see. A slightly specialized generalist then. I can see your intent: easier to maintain and repair, easier to modify for resource-strapped garrisons. Even my own faction, being nowhere near as resource-rich as our neighbors, would appreciate something versatile. Much like the Vindicator.

Some of the traditionalists are concerned with the 'front' we put up by fielding something that appears as the Phobos does though, at least as a standard field unit. I had a thought about that..."

He sips some tea and continues.

"What if you were to offer two versions? Citizens being defended by the Phobos might not feel so safe around something so... menacing. It would not be as suitable to do police work, for example. At least not with such a visage. Perhaps two versions? One for 'special operations' that has a specific armament, and one for 'general duty' that serves the more 'generalist' role while still keeping all the capabilities intact?"

>>24180180
Eh don't really have much to add that hasn't already been said.

The creature comforts were added because being able to eat well, get clean and have a good nights sleep will put you ahead of any opponents who lacks those things. Sleep deprivation has well known effects. Hunger leads to weakness. And filth is one more distraction the pilot would be better off without.

I wonder if we should mention all of the shock and awe components we came up with like the loadspeakers and screamer jets. If terrifying the enemy is your objective then we have the tools to crank it up to 11.

>>24180423
"I'm sure we could manage that. It shouldn't be difficult to make a less menacing visage for it. Perhaps more of a blank slate look, similar to average police riot armor?"

>>24180423
"And take away that beautiful smile? You wound me Lord Shun."

"As much as she is my baby, that's a fair point, I'm sure you have an aesthetician on hand to design something more... inspiring that goes with the body of the Phobos?"

>>24180423
"I'm sure we can accommodate such a request. Did you have any specific face type in mind?"

>>24180476
>inspiring

XIN SHENG!

>>24180423

It could be done. However, if it were presented in the right way, I'm sure that any citizens being defended by the Phobos would cheer for it as much as I would cheer for an Atlas or Banshee being charged to defend my home.

>>24180423
>>24180465
>>24180476
>>24180488
>>24180490

Guys, let's stick a Gundam Faceplate on it and call it a day.

>>24180423
"It wouldn't be hard to do that, though I have come to love that grin. Some people like the thought that the scariest thing around is on their side. I have yet to meet a man who would feel unsure about an Atlas as their protector.

I could even make it modular and be able to switch between scary and menacing with little trouble. It already can switch weapon load outs quite easily compared to other Mechs, letting it switch faces wouldn't be hard."

>>24180509
...we'll have to put an aim feature on our screamer baffles for work in areas still populated by friendlies

>>24180476
>>24180509
Both of these.

>>24180385
7/11 vs 8/12, Pretty sure the to-hit movement modifiers are the same, but the Armor and weapons differences are tremendous.

>>24180423
To some extent, the menacing appearance is integral to the Phobos, the spike out its back being its heat sinks which we did not have space for internally, the faceplate on the other hand, is entirely superfluous.

That being said there is a quote from an ancient philosopher "We sleep soundly in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm." The Phobos, is a tool of those rough men, their fearsome appearance also reminds of the surety that the guard on their border, the ones keeping the watch, always stand ready to do their part.

>>24180528
Hm. We can use the modular-armour hooks to swap the faceplate, can't we?

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Perhaps similar to this helmet, but with a different face?

>>24180540
8/12/8 on the spider. That jump is huge factor.

>>24180548
Yup. Wouldn't even be that hard to have a SCARY GRIN face and a friendly face, maybe even a childish pink one with rainbows, you know, for kids.

>>24180552
Oh wow.
That's not exactly better.

I am in favour of a darth vader mask.

>>24180509

"This is of course true, but the Atlas has a reputation of being fearsome, but it is also familiar. The Phobos is new, and people fear different. At least, different that is not innocuous. That is why I offer this solution; the spec-ops version would be perfect; unknown and terrifying. The 'generalist' version is less so, and rightly so?"

>>24180465
>>24180476
>>24180488

"Oh, not really. Simply something more... neutral? Actually part of my motivation is twofold: I want the Phobos to terrorize the enemies of the Confederation, wearing black and doing the work it was intended for. But I want a neutral-looking design that I can field with little change that -looks- like a different machine altogether. At least to the unobservant. Do you get my gist?"

>>24180567
8 movement = +3, +1 from jump, same result as going 10+ hexes.

>>24180423
>"What if you were to offer two versions? Citizens being defended by the Phobos might not feel so safe around something so... menacing. It would not be as suitable to do police work, for example. At least not with such a visage. Perhaps two versions? One for 'special operations' that has a specific armament, and one for 'general duty' that serves the more 'generalist' role while still keeping all the capabilities intact?"

"I was actually thinking about a.... sort of Deluxe version. A sportscar of mechs, if you will. Slightly heavier, a little more space for weapons and armor, more bells and whistles but the same feel and speedas the base model... I'd need a better engine to put under the hood, though....

>>24180601
That's why I said different face. But the helmet itself fits the Xin Sheng. Give it a riot helmet face and call it a day.

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>>24180594
>childish pink faced mech
>rainbows
>splattered with gore and streaks in the paint from ricochets

>>24180535
Not really, either make them a modular option that can be added or removed as needed, or just add a switch to the cockpit that would turn them on.

In fact I think the switch is the best idea anyways, if they're always on they can track the Phobos easily by sound, if you get to choose when they turn on you can get some cool effects like choruses of shrieks filling the air and dying off sounding for miles.

Then there's also the fact that adding a switch allows for using a Morse cipher to communicate when dealing with EWar

>>24180626
What? that's not what he's asking at all.

>>24180625
And ignoring intervening terrain. And ignoring most buildings. And crossing bloody big rivers.

>>24180630
When the enemies of the Capellan Federation silence our radios, they cannot silence-

OUR SCREAMS

>>24180613
"Ah. Well, part of it's appearance is based on functionality, such as the heat sinks on it's back. With the modular armor system, however, it should be fairly easy to strap on light surface plating and make it look different. It could probably be done in the field even. It would look more bulky and almost certainly have a different profile, without affecting performance."

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>>24180613
>Do you get my gist?
"Perfectly, Lord Shun."
Let's sketch out a quick drawing on a napkin or something.
"How about a stylized dog face, to bring to mind a guard dog?"

>>24180613
"We can do that. If we utlise teh system that makes the Phobos' armour semi-modular, we can set it up so that it can be switched simply between the two faceplates. The original for enemies, and, say, a helmet-style visage of sorts for friends."

>>24180683
Just think about it. Ewar jams the communications of several packs of Phobos out in the wilderness--as night falls?
>Ree!
>Ree Ree!
>REEEEEEEEEE!
Echoing back and forth all night long.

>>24180613
I understand what you mean, a little bit of deniability can go a long way. The faceplate is an easy enough change, unfortunately the profile is something of another matter entirely.

We are designing for various load-outs so that should help some, but the spikes and cockpit are arranged as they are due to space considerations.

>>24180613

Hmm. The Phobos DOES have modular armor plates; we could try to design another set of armor plates that look less like scale-mail and more like traditional armor. And it may be simple enough to make the twin spires on the back look like a part of a secondary weapon mount of some sort.

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>>24180613
Hmph.
So maybe make one with straighter, flatter, entirely-more-boringer armor and a generic viewplate?

>>24180670
Just saying that the additional 1 mp of the other mechs was not a big deal, and of course ignoring all that shit. Good news is we have a variant that can mount 7 jjs!

>>24180714
like wolves counting their numbers and intimidating other packs in the area, mang

>>24180718
>>24180720
Guys, remember that we put weapon mounts on the arms as well.
Garrison and civil defense versions could have water or foam tanks attached to the arms, completely superfluous but changing the profile slightly to confuse enemy computers.