Modular Mechs

[Nullbear]

 

Roboticists can find times getting rather dull, when they only have two or three mechs that are really available to them, and the only customization is between three different equipments being added to them.

My Suggestion is to revamp the mech constructions to be more modular, and customizable. Potentially with different colors as well. It would be a large project, but definitely worthwhile if done well. A good inspiration for this is the "Strike-The-Earth" APLU that not many have ever come across. Why cant roboticists make mechs like that?

Another suggestion that may go hand-in-hand with this idea is for mechs to be built up of separate parts, and be able to take local damage, to say arms, legs, chassis, head, Or whatever combination of parts that seems suitable. Paired with the previous idea, the parts could be replaced with different types, affecting the way the mechs function, similar to the way you would equip different gear to them, but more satisfying.

Different head gears could include HUD's, Meson Scanners, Thermals, Etc, Which would go well with Odysseous, Ripley, and Maulers.

 

What ways do you think mechs could be revamped? Any new gear? Are you for or against this idea?

 

I've already started coding for this, but havent recieved much feedback about it yet. Who here thinks this is a good idea? Do you have any suggestions or things to add on to it?

 

[Midaychi]

 

I suggest an alternative that fits in the middle of a triangle between cyborgs, exosuits, and power armor.

 

A modular frame or M-frame. Basically a big powered mechanical harness. Open to air, bigger than the wearer, and more bulky and robot-suit like.

 

Kind of like this I guess?

http://yournewsticker.com/wp-content/up ... rmer-2.jpg

http://images.gizmag.com/hero/power-jacket-mk3.png

 

With the right materials and research, you can print out one of the m-frames, which differs from mechs in that you have to insert plain robot arms/legs, then the correct circuit board.

 

The result is pretty much a mechanised harness that is an enterable vehicle and has an exosuit interface, but the driver is still visible as it is not a fully enclosed chassis. The M-frame would require that the driver isn't wearing an exosuit as well.

 

The m-suits are not atmospherically sealed and do not have an internal cabin. Further; it is possible to physically wrestle a pilot out of the M-frame with some effort and good luck. The pilot can wear whatever eyewear they like, and gain a cyborg-like module belt at the bottom of their hud for using their utilities.

 

Each m-frame would have a replaceable battery for power and accept exosuit tracking beacons, and special mod/utility slots. Each m-frame would also accept an id card, which can be slotted in by anyone and ejected out by the pilot. Mostly useful if you stick an MMI or Positron in there.

 

There would be varying levels of m-frames, each successive one requiring better materials and higher research.

Better frames = more mod/utility slots and higher durability.

 

As for the mods and utilities.

 

Mods would modify the frame and how it functions, and utilities would be the tools you use.

 

Examples of some potential mods:

 

1. Atmospheric sealing - Gives the M-Frame housing a translucent forcefield that traps in gasses. Enables the exosuit pilot to venture into space and have a m-frame mounted air supply. Seals against all gasses, but does not seal against temperature (besides the vacuum of space, which shouldn't be cold anyways :V).

 

2. Fireproofing - Gives the M-frame firefighting ripley-like heat temperature resistance, and air-seals against plasma gas.

 

3. Transit mode - Allows the pilot to enter or exit transit mode, which shuts down the use of utilities but allows the M-frame to wheel around at fast speeds like a cart. Has a cooldown.

 

4. Vector Thrust - Basically a mounted jetpack.

 

5. Fine Manipulators - Enables the toggling of FM mode on/off. When in FM mode, you cannot enable/disable transit mode or use utilities, but the m-frame gains a pair of hands that can pick up/drop/manipulate objects and buttons/levers/switches, also punch. Has a cooldown.

 

6. Resistance modules - shielding or armoring of various types. Drains power but gives you resistance to a specific damage type. Potentially including a radiation shield or a meteor deflector.

 

7. PullJack - Allows the driver to pull things behind them by hooking it up to a magnetic jack. Also allows drag-manipulation of certain things like loading crates onto mule-train cars so you can pull them behind you or loading people onto the ambulance bucket, or buckling people to a roller bed.

 

 

Examples some potential utility mods:

 

1. Utilibelt - Does nothing by itself, but allows you to load a brown tool-holding utili belt into the m-frame. FIll the belt with tools beforehand, stick on the frame, and the pilot can access the tools inside of the belt from the utility interface and equip/use them in a similar fashion to cyborgs. Unlike cyborgs though, you would need to eject the belt and refill it manually if you, say, ran out of cable coil.

 

2. Fire extinguisher - Basically the m-frame variant of the exosuit module of the same name.

 

3. Hydraulic Clamp - The little brother of the Ripley hydraulic lift. It works more like a maintenance drone magnetic gripper, but can hold one ore crate or metal crate at a time.

 

4. Exosuit power mounter - Lets you pick up and use one utility-mount exosuit power module as if you were in a normal exosuit. Ie: Energy relays, plasma generators, etc.

 

5. Pneumatic armature - Basically a M-Frame mounted pneumatic cannon-ish thing. You can pulse-fill its internal tank to 1013.12 by using it on a canister, enable load mode and stick tiny/small/normal objects into it by using the utility on the object, and launch them out with adjustable valve rates.

 

6. Pneumatic Foodomatic - The chef version of #5, can suck up food ingredients and beakers/milk cartons/egg cartons/condiment bottles, and milk cows. The items go into a storage interface, which has microwave functionality that lets the chef select ingredients and cook them together, the result being dispensed into the storage interface. Sliceable objects in the interface would have a 'slice' option next to them, and the chef can choose what goes into the pneumatic part. Engaging launch mode would allow the chef to launch selected items out of the foodomatic and into the waiting hungry mouths of the crew.

 

 

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Possible tiers?

 

The first variant could be made mostly from plastic and a little metal, and has the fewest mod slots, is flimsy and fast.

Just as an example, as probably game balance would have to determine what actually gets implemented, let's say plastic m-frames have two utility mounts and a mod slot.

 

You could give it an atmos seal and a utilibelt + a clamp and give it to an engineer, or firepoofing and the utilibelt + an extinguisher and use it for firefighting.

Transit and Foodomatic+clamp and give it to the chef/clown.

 

Stuff like that.

 

Second tier could be a plasto-ceramic composite, higher research, a bit of plastic and glass and plasma. Would be slower but have more mounts.

 

Third tier could be even higher research and be made with plasteel and a bit of glass and plasma, etc etc.

 

I guess for third tier you could have choices between three frames instead of a definite end tier frame. Could use rare materials and trade off and choose between more mod/utility slots or more speed and durability or other things.

 

[Regen]

 

Meh, I like the modular mech thing.

 

Make it so you can personalize a mech more, install a "Combat" or "Civilian" board to define it, all that.

 

Its a huge project indeed, and not on our priority list right now, so others doing the coding is great!