Active Battle Dress

[mike wightman]

Very polite reply, thanks for that.

By the way if you are wearing the suit then 100l is enough for most human occupants/operators (treat them as seated).

A true form fitting suit that you wear as BD is depicted should really require the exact volume of the crew person

 

[flykiller]

Why not take the man out of the suit entirely?

I want a man in a suit though for those decisions and tactical creativity a bot just isn't going to have.

that was "take the man out of the suit", not "take the man out of the loop". think of a human fire-team leader with three or four robot troops.

 

[kilemall]

that was "take the man out of the suit", not "take the man out of the loop". think of a human fire-team leader with three or four robot troops.

That's exactly what I am thinking of. Those BD suits are good for neutralizing mere rifles, artillery fragmentation and even advanced small arms, but not so much for man portable anti-tank weaponry.

Heck, I just realized looking over the Striker recoilless rifles that a Vietnam-era grunt would have a shot at taking out BD- and at a considerable range.

BD still remains flexible, as you pointed out usable in tight spaces and should not be discarded, but it's clear to me that they are not the automatic cost-effective jump once, win and done system.

Jumps can be pretty lethal to put your leadership on the line not to mention comms packages, sensors, etc. and a frontal assault is going to get a lot killed even with extensive orty support. In both instances I want to put that kind of critical function under armor.

 

[kilemall]

Very polite reply, thanks for that.

By the way if you are wearing the suit then 100l is enough for most human occupants/operators (treat them as seated).

A true form fitting suit that you wear as BD is depicted should really require the exact volume of the crew person

Most mecha has the pilot in a seat with a complete surround avionics suite that would be the envy of Imperial fighter pilots. I'm shooting more for the natural suit movement of moving legs and arms naturally, with some options such as grip/mag boots, claws and winch, and possibly an extra set of natural arms for more delicate work.

So the legs go in the legs, that means standing up.

 

[mike wightman]

Nope - standing space in Striker allows you room in a vehicle for full body movement, you can turn around, bend down, swing your torso around, flail your arms.

A form fitting suit, one you wear, will only need to allocate the volume of the wearer plus the controls, hence the cockpit/seated space in Striker is a better model for wearable armour.

 

[kilemall]

Nope - standing space in Striker allows you room in a vehicle for full body movement, you can turn around, bend down, swing your torso around, flail your arms.

A form fitting suit, one you wear, will only need to allocate the volume of the wearer plus the controls, hence the cockpit/seated space in Striker is a better model for wearable armour.

Hmm, well I did want cockpit space for the pilot and definite eject options, I'll consider it. May be forced to just to have space for a 1m³ standard suite of comms/computers/sensors/weapons and an additional 1m³ for the optional package.

While working through this, realized a working grav tank and possibly these suits have to load up on the armor forward, bottom and top, since they can get hit from all altitudes. I may load up on that glacis armor, put a turret in for the head for main assault weapon and heavy facing, and go lighter on the sides and back.

Also, a seated cockpit would allow for potentially putting the grav generators on the bottom of the torso, so if the legs get shot off it's still mobile, or the generators get hit the legs may potentially still work. Have to figure out what is more important to heavily armor, the fusion plant or batteries.

 

[flykiller]

a seated cockpit

like this bunny suit? something special for amber ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPl2TzUGYKA

 

[kilemall]

like this bunny suit? something special for amber ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPl2TzUGYKA

Yes, that's the idea, shorter on the legs though, need to be able to crouch and fire turret top exposed only from a reverse slope/protected position.

I'd look into the various low tech jet/rocket options instead of grav, except for the exploding fuel part.

 

[flykiller]

Yes, that's the idea

well, actually, I meant it as a joke. tactically it's a nightmare. it has the profile of a super tiger, the armor of a bradley, and the firepower of a pzkwiii. it might work on a wwi battlefield if no field guns see it, but a platoon of t34's would clean its clock, and it wouldn't last 30 seconds vs m1's.

 

[atpollard]

well, actually, I meant it as a joke. tactically it's a nightmare. it has the profile of a super tiger, the armor of a bradley, and the firepower of a pzkwiii. it might work on a wwi battlefield if no field guns see it, but a platoon of t34's would clean its clock, and it wouldn't last 30 seconds vs m1's.

I am not a huge fan of walking tanks, but what about something with a more ant-like shape.

A lenticular turret in front to present an extreme slope to enemy fire, then a 6 or 8 legged truck chassis under/behind it. It can crawl close to the ground to reduce profile, but can climb over vertical surfaces too steep for tracks and peek the turret over a ridge to take a shot.

[EDIT: Ignore this as drifting off topic.]

 

[kilemall]

I am not a huge fan of walking tanks, but what about something with a more ant-like shape.

A lenticular turret in front to present an extreme slope to enemy fire, then a 6 or 8 legged truck chassis under/behind it. It can crawl close to the ground to reduce profile, but can climb over vertical surfaces too steep for tracks and peek the turret over a ridge to take a shot.

[EDIT: Ignore this as drifting off topic.]

No it's a quite logical design.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCxKs9tYhn4

Start at 01:00 for an example of the combat superiority of the 'flying beetle' design compared to the humanoid form.

Those humanoid mecha are just too darn tall, very inefficient armor scheme, they just scream 'knock me down I have a sig like a Saturn V'.

Never liked most mecha, they are ridiculous vehicles of war. Battlemech makes me sick to my stomach. Let's not discuss WH40K.

But the beetle form works, which surprise surprise is close to a tank form.

What I am working here however is a more man-sized, maybe double man-sized tops, and brings survivable firepower to an otherwise light expeditionary jump.

 

[kilemall]

well, actually, I meant it as a joke. tactically it's a nightmare. it has the profile of a super tiger, the armor of a bradley, and the firepower of a pzkwiii. it might work on a wwi battlefield if no field guns see it, but a platoon of t34's would clean its clock, and it wouldn't last 30 seconds vs m1's.

I said that's the idea, not that's the design criteria or a perfect example.

Has to fit in a jump capsule and survive at least RAM GL/FGMP/PGMP fire, remember?

T34 85mm KEAP high velocity round is considered penetration 30 by Striker standards, I'm already adjusting to at least 35 frontal/top/back, I'm not worried about the tank threat.

TL15 BD at penetration 18 however, do have to worry.

 

[flykiller]

I am not a huge fan of walking tanks, but what about something with a more ant-like shape.

I dunno man, between treads and grav I just don't see the need for anything else.

Has to fit in a jump capsule and survive at least RAM GL/FGMP/PGMP fire, remember?

dude. battledress dropped into that is like the charge of the light brigade, man. were up to me I'd just use meson fire from orbit, or drop on another site rather than into intact defenses. unless your goal is some kind of "theirs is not to question why" thing.

 

[kilemall]

dude. battledress dropped into that is like the charge of the light brigade, man. were up to me I'd just use meson fire from orbit, or drop on another site rather than into intact defenses. unless your goal is some kind of "theirs is not to question why" thing.

Certainly orbital bombardment is in the cards, but often you could suppress the surface stuff and still have surprise meson emplacements, tunnel forts like Iwo Jima where the enemy pops out of holes anywhere and it doesn't matter that you plastered the place heavily.

Short of a hostile planetary assault, there are plenty of 'light' interventions that would occur where jump troops might be after some heavily armed pirates/corps, adventurers, merc forces, etc. that can be well equipped but small and would not be good full bore ortillery treatment- using a chainsaw when a surgeon's knife is appropriate.

In other words exactly the scale the adventurers are likely to be involved in.