Mech suits

Started by Knudsen, October 06, 2013, 09:20:54 PM

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imacds

The theme of this game is a band of survivors, but, then again, they DO have the ability of building a huge fortress out of solid steel using standard tools that even oafs own.

The exoskeleton could work as a low-mid onward item, augmenting the wearer to be better at mining, construction, etc. I would argue for them to have to be researched and manufactured or bought before being used (They are not that unique if just a named passive research). I would even go as far as have the wearer having an "exoskeleton" skill which dictates how much benefits the suits would give.

As a late-game toy, I even agree with the concept of larger mechs. I imagine them to be slower, bulky 2x2 machines (I don't know if large entities work in the game though) controlled by a person.
They could require the purchase/salvage of a power core (can't be built) and several other kinds of parts that can be either researched from scratch or faster by reverse-engineering. Once the parts have been researched, copies of the parts can be manufactured and the mech can be assembled at dedicated "mech assembly station".

Mining and construction mechs would be unnecessary due to the exoskeletons, but the combat mech could function as a tank. It would have good armor and high health, and could equip tank-grade weapons. It would, however, be slower than people. It would require power to work, having a decent but finite battery life and, to recharge, having the option of being plugged into any nearby power conduit for a minute or a charging station for several seconds. The mech would also require a character with a high "exoskeleton" level to operate it. Anyone with a low "exoskeleton" skill could hurt themselves while operating the mech, in addition to less efficiency and higher maintenance needs.

NPCs of wealthier factions would be able to bring these combat mechs over to raid you. When mechs are destroyed, they would obviously explode (still leaving a few salvageable parts), although mechs could also be recovered by killing the person inside before the mech itself (this would need to be difficult/rare).

There are three main issues I have with mechs:
Can my version of mechs even be programmed into the game (they are 4x as big as a person)?

X -person

\/
/\ - mech

Do these mechs fit into the lore of the game?
Can mechs be made to fit into the balance of the game? (Mechs must be optional; they can make combat slightly easier due to the investment costs but MUST NOT be a requirement)

Semmy

altough ive been a big mechwarrior fan for a decade or 2 i cant seem to find joy in encountering them in this game.

They feel way to high tech for rimworld and way to expensive.
The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.
Edmund Burke

AspenShadow

Quote from: Semmy on October 09, 2013, 12:48:44 PM
altough ive been a big mechwarrior fan for a decade or 2 i cant seem to find joy in encountering them in this game.

They feel way to high tech for rimworld and way to expensive.

I'm sorry dude, but I agree, my opinion on mechs is well-demonstrated earlier on in this thread:
Good, but not RimWorld. I just really think it wouldn't work.

Ontogenesis

I don't think this is a bad idea as a late game technology, although restricted to manual labour/construction tasks and melee only combat for balance. It would be good if they were difficult enough to build that you only ever had 1 or 2. Would be interesting for the possiblity of difficult level raiders having a mech in their party just to terrorise you a bit.

Finjinimo

As an enemy like a mega-beast type, they could be interesting (especially when accompanied by raiders).

As something you might be able to capture at great cost and possibly then repurpose, that also could be interesting especially with the sense of accomplishment that entails. If Rimworld were to have something like this, I hope that they are incredibly unreliable and hard to maintain -- but cause a hella lot of fear.

As something you can build yourself, I don't really like it. I think it detracts too much from the fragility of the colonists. Life should be hard and cheap for these guys.

Conti027

I'd also be against mech suits but I'd be into people size or smaller mech/robots.

The reason I'm not into the mech suits is because it sounds like Tynan will be putting in some kind of body augmentation. I'm thinking Deus Ex kind of body augmentation.

British

Quote from: Finjinimo on October 09, 2013, 11:41:09 PM
As an enemy like a mega-beast type, they could be interesting (especially when accompanied by raiders).

As something you might be able to capture at great cost and possibly then repurpose, that also could be interesting especially with the sense of accomplishment that entails. If Rimworld were to have something like this, I hope that they are incredibly unreliable and hard to maintain -- but cause a hella lot of fear.

As something you can build yourself, I don't really like it. I think it detracts too much from the fragility of the colonists. Life should be hard and cheap for these guys.
This person speaks The Truth (although I'm not fond of the capture part).

Semmy

Quote from: Finjinimo on October 09, 2013, 11:41:09 PM
As an enemy like a mega-beast type, they could be interesting (especially when accompanied by raiders).

As something you might be able to capture at great cost and possibly then repurpose, that also could be interesting especially with the sense of accomplishment that entails. If Rimworld were to have something like this, I hope that they are incredibly unreliable and hard to maintain -- but cause a hella lot of fear.

As something you can build yourself, I don't really like it. I think it detracts too much from the fragility of the colonists. Life should be hard and cheap for these guys.

+1 one of the most awsome ideas.
The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.
Edmund Burke

hoggerlivestwice

I REALLY WANT MECHS!

Oh man!

Even just mod support for adding our own exo-vehicles with custom add-ons. Even rigs:

http://lostplanet.wikia.com/wiki/Utility_Rig

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQCd_K-Yxfg

or better yet Shrikes:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_scQk45tBzQ&feature=player_detailpage#t=578


Well rigs fit rather perfectly, just need to have research labs for complex hydraulics and rudimentry motor skills articulation software drivers and controllers.

Well alright maybe not RUDIMENTRY but yeah, touch, go and engineering.



But the other stuff?

Well youre space ship should still be littering the surface of the planet with debri, maybe you can explore caves or outside world and discover remains, or maybe under the planet you can discover rare caches from a lost civ with old bad ass technology for reverse engineering. No doubt this game will have research labs?

Dude Mechs, please.

MECHS!!!

Noxmutagen

Wanted to say id love mechs, id hope we get bionic implants as well, making our own suped up soldiers who lack humanity, or may be susceptible to like hardware failure, and madness. Or if we had AI units that controlled things like power management and doors or whatever, theyd go rogue at times and hijack our cyborg super soldiers and attack the colony from the inside

Reaver41


TankaaKumawani

#26
I think the best option would be small "walking tank" mecha similar to Armored Troopers, Heavy Gear, AMP Suits, the Metal Frames in Solarstorm, or the Power Loader from Aliens.  ("Mini Mecha" in the words of TVTropes.  Link omitted to minimize distraction)  They're small enough to fit into industrial buildings, and their simplicity, scale, aesthetics, and limitations would fit the Rimworld setting.

Their primary use would be as multi-utility labor elements for farming, construction, and cargo handling.  Most pawns (and even an unfortunate Muffalo) could be carried at full speed (Mooo?!).  But like any other vehicle (or potential draft animals) in a setting like this, people would want to bolt weapons and armor onto them and send them into battle.

Due to their size, a truck can probably only carry one mech, and a crawler could carry two.  This would cost most of said vehicle's payload capacity.

Example Models
MF-55 "Henry" - A well-tested civilian mechaframe, suited to agriculture, logging, and cargo work.  Some individuals have equipped them with improvised armor and weapons for more aggressive actions.
Required Facilities:  Machine Shop, Electronics Lab, sufficient space in a Motor Pool
Required Technology:  Advanced Electronics, Advanced Vehicles, Advanced Machinery

EDIT:  Maybe they're best off ordered from traders or captured from raiders.  The colony might have the capability to build a truck itself, but a Scopedog would be pushing it.

Example Equipment:
Power Tools:  Mechaframe-sized hydraulic power equipment for more efficient labor.  (Drill, chainsaw, hydraulic rams, winch, etc.)
Range Extender:  Backpack-mounted batteries or fuel tank allow for longer-duration operations at the cost of carrying capacity or storage.
Improvised Armor:  Metal plates and plexiglass windows, with a heavy nylon backing to protect the occupants from spall and fragments.  Similar to improvised armor for vehicles.
Mechaframe Weapon:  Allows for the carriage of a Clydesdale MG12 or Viridian AC25 (effectively modifying them into a mecha-scale handgun or rifle)


Combat:
Weapons:  Machineguns and autocannons.  Howitzers and mortars are for crawlers.
Armor:  More durable than pawns, bikes and buggies, but armored trucks and crawlers are sturdier.  Can shrug off small arms and vehicle machineguns, but autocannons are effective and a crawler or crew-served howitzer will quux it up.
Mobility:  Can climb over things, take cover, and enter buildings like infantry, but its speed is similar to that of a crawler.  There's a risk of it getting nibbled to death by buggies or armored trucks in the open.
Chunky Salsa Effect:  Bad things happen to pawns in melee with a mecha.  The kinds of motions found in combat are not conducive to a light touch and pulled punches.  (Under more normal conditions, pawns can be dragged or carried safely.)

Example Image (MF-77 Ogre Civilian Metal Frame from Solarstorm, fitted with claws instead of hands):

Cooky

I love the idea of some kind of powered exo-skeleton to aid in building, mining or other heavy lifting tasks, as something that simple could be built out of scrap metal & salvaged parts (And if you search the internets, there are numerous examples of people making these like this one http://www.popsci.com/scitech/article/2009-05/man-machine )
However full blown war mechs doesn't seem like something that would mesh with this game all that well

DeltaV

I agree that a mech suit would work well, but only in a context where it's going to be used for mining/constructing/etc. Maybe it adds a temporary skill boost to the person in it while they're using the suit, but takes fuel (There's uranium already in the game for unimplemented reactors IIRC).
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Greski09