Possible Mech component list

[Faille]

I want to come up with a super list of all possible components that people think might go onto a mech.
Feel free to go wild with ideas, we can always cull them out later 8)

I know some of the specifics aren't decided yet, like cool downs and energy and heat and god knows what else, but some things should be no brainers, like most weapons.

The format for submitting ideas should be type - category - desciption

so like

Lasers - Weapons - energy weapon that deals more heat damage.

[Bizanich]

Originally Posted by Faille

I want to come up with a super list of all possible components that people think might go onto a mech.
Feel free to go wild with ideas, we can always cull them out later 8)

I know some of the specifics aren't decided yet, like cool downs and energy and heat and god knows what else, but some things should be no brainers, like most weapons.

The format for submitting ideas should be type - category - desciption

so like

Lasers - Weapons - energy weapon that deals more heat damage.

You could probably just rip off almost every module in Eve, honestly, so I'll try and suggest more outlandish stuff then just lasers + missile launchers .

If the 'Mechs can jump.....

Mech Upgrade - Movement - Jump Jets

Need me some DFA action..

Mech Upgrade - Weapons - Web
Can't think of the right name, but in my minds eye y'know in some movie where people throw two balls connected to rope and it wraps around the guy and trips the guy up?

[Kez]

Originally Posted by Bizanich

Mech Upgrade - Weapons - Web
Can't think of the right name, but in my minds eye y'know in some movie where people throw two balls connected to rope and it wraps around the guy and trips the guy up?

That would be Bolas.

[kollos]

maybe something like the link gun in ut

[splok]

looking for things like this?:

foam (or tar or glue) dispersion system - weapon - impedes movement, possibly reduces effectiveness of other weapons

fixed force shield module - defense - similar to a traditional shield, but able to be quickly activated for cover

forcefield module - defense - less powerful than a shield module, but protects in a spherical arc (note: firing a weapon with your forcefield active is extremely undesirable)

grappling clamp - weapon - latches onto enemies and provides a high level of crushing damage

extendable grappler - weapon - tethered projectile clamp that can clamp onto enemies and be wenched in

barbed titanium treads - armor - increases traction on most surfaces at a small speed and acceleration cost

static generator/discharge system - weapon - attempts to overload an enemy's electrical system with a massive static discharge

smoke emission system - defense - creates thick black smoke by burning off oil reserves

communications disruption module - weapon - attempts to disrupt communication of any mech within a certain radius, effectiveness decreases with range (including the user)

radar module - equipment - displays information about other entities in the area, difficulty with complex terrain

radar countermeasures module - defense - attempts to confuse or give misinformation to radar users

petroleum based flamethrower - weapon - discharges a sticky stream of flame

[Khorum]

I was all over the PNP Battletech game but one thing I always felt they should've added were Drones. They can be DPS drones or sensor/ECM utility drones but they'd serve as 'pets' and could add a whole new dimension to gameplay. They could be flying drones or tiny little hover drones or even passive mine drones. The drones would fill up mass and heat/energy constraints on each mech 'chassis' like any other weapon, but they would be 1-shot drone 'bays'.

There's also a bunch of weapon mechanics I've always felt they could've changed. Specifically Missile behavior and ballistics. Even real ballistic weapons can behave radically different based on their ammunition. HEAP/HEAT/APFSDS ammo serve different roles vs. different types of armor. Missiles are the same, there's straight chemical vs hybrid shaped warheads that serve radically different purposes.

You could expand the survivability 'sphere' to allow different types of armor/agility/ECM that react differently to each weapon/warhead type too. I didn't like how HP was basically the only abstraction layer for survivability in Battletech, it could've easily tweaked with metrics that factored in the mech's agility, its size and current velocity (they sorta did but it was understandably abstracted to make the game sane).

Also although I liked ECM the way EVE implemented it, it felt pretty clunky and 'improvised' and often ended up being gimmicky. An ECM system would be great in a Battletech-type game but it needs to be built-into the core mechanics of combat. You could have ECM affect direct weapons range or maybe have ECM affect weapons effectiveness on a target. It won't need to be actual ECM in the modern sense, it could just be grabbag of information-warfare countermeasures that simulate one mech electronically reducing the range/effectiveness of another, but there should always be a recourse for the ECM victim.

If done well an ECM-like system could allow a gameplay angle for 'melee' mechs: mechs that are designed for speed and to close in to do their damage (not necessarily in hand to hand) and would even explain why anyone would need piloted giant robots anyway, kinda like what Minovsky Particles did in Gundam.

[Linbog]

Dang it Splok got most of the easy ones...

Armor Plates - Defense - Improves survivability again enemy weaponry

Sonar - Sensor Module - Enhances underwater detection

Rocket Rack - Weapon - Non-guided light missile rack

Missile Launcher - Weapon - Guided missile launcher

Artillery/Mortar Cannon - Weapon - Indirect fire shell launcher designed to attack at extreme distances.

Laser Missile Defense System - Defense - Multiple mounted lasers designed to target and detonate incoming missiles

Flak Cannon - Weapon - Air-burst projectile launcher used for its shotgun effect against lightly armored targets, usually aircraft

[Linbog]

EMP Burst Emitter - Weapon - Damages delicate electronics like ECM and Radar

Stealth Plates - Defense - Made from a radar absorbing material these plates shield a unit from long range radar.

Command and Control Module - Communications - A strategic tracking and integration module designed to assist multiple units working together with enhanced targeting and sensory information.

[Angerz]

If you plan to use heat:

Upgraded Coolant system - Weapon Enhancement / Mech enhancement - Reduces Heat Generated by either the weapon or the mech as a whole, depending how you want to build it

Kill Switch - Mech Enhancement - Dumps all coolant into the weapons, allowing them to generate no heat for XX amount of time, mech shuts down afterwards for YY amount of time

[fucker]

cloaking technology

you wont be able to move, or shoot but will have a predator-like camouflage to hide from enemies. make it so that is still possible to see you (like the predator the invisibilit isnt 100% perfect) or have technology that helps you with that

what mechwarrior multiplaying was missing is the ability to bring your enemies into traps. the shutting down was too limiting

[Troll]

Placable camera pods.

Placable smart turrets: multiple shot cannons, single shot missiles, etc.

Limited drones with various types of attack: aerial strafing, grenade drops, direct impact, etc.

Holographic deception.

Defensive stances: being able to "hunker down."

Power-linkages between mechs.

Launchable tracking devices.

Heat-dispersion weapon: being able to channel an over-heat into an enemy mech at close range.

[9n1or9]

Some lower tech/old school ideas:

Misting System - Defense - Emits a fine water vapor / mist surrounding the mech through strategically placed ports, to reduce the effectiveness of enemy laser damage; at the cost of added weight for pumps & dispersition system, water storage, and a CCM slot (computer controlled module).

Heat Flares - Defense - Ejects heat flares away from the mech to distract incoming heat seaking missles; at the cost of weight, chassis slot, CCM slot.

I like the idea of close range combat for this, like rock'em - sock'em robots (bad analogy). Splok's grappling calmp, and extended grappling clamp are good examples. Long and medium range combat can be strategic and fun, but there is something satisfyingly visceral about unleashing hell on your opponent with in-your-face heavy machinery.

Saw arm - Offense - Close range cutting, like a chain saw hand. (Ok, so I'm a fan of the Evil Dead series)

Piledriver - Offense - Big ass sledge, you know what to do.

Cutting laser - Offense - Close range cutting damage (like knife)

[Wrathcaster]

I think a cool idea would be to integrate some aspects of the mech gaming found in the Armored Core games into a MechWarrior-esque environment. I think you could add dimensions to gameplay by offering greater diversity in mech types apart from just light, heavy, medium weight class and traditional Mechwarrior weapons systems.

For example, you could implement Mechs similar to AC's which offer movement similar to human bodies, with the full range of motion of arm and leg parts while using shoulder and hand-held weapons to supplement the mobility. I'd imagine the strategy involving an AC to much different than a Mechwarrior machine. If you've ever played Armored Core before, you know what I'm talking about. The AC's are for the most part extremely mobile, and you really excel if you can develop a skill of "skiing" similar to what you could do in Tribes, by closely controlling the boost of what I guess you'd call jumpjets. I've played the Mechwarrior series and the Armored Core series extensively, and I think it'd be cool to include Armored Core type mechs as a smaller, more mobile with weaponry much less damaging than the standard mech, but with enough mobility to make use of aimed shots on the move.

So, I think it'd be cool to integrate aspects of both games, even if you wouldn't want to include AC's as a new mech type. Some examples are:

-A variety of arm parts to choose from that allow greater customization in both the way arms move but also how they equip and fire weaponry.

-A variety of leg parts for much the same reasons, but could also could add a level of customization in the particular mechanics of legs, like if extra jumpjets were attached or if you wanted the leg parts to operate completely different from standard bipedal. AC used parts such as hover-legs and tank treads, as well as more human looking legs and of course the legs that you see on most mechs in the Mechwarrior series.

-Effective mortars or grenade launchers that worked with a rangefinder target ing system or up close using simply good judgment and aiming.

-Different heads/cockpit types would be cool.

I guess basically I'd support being able to modify your mechs to better suit your needs in battle. The way you can completely construct an AC from the ground up has always enticed me, and I had always wished you could do more of this in Mechwarrior. Interchangeable parts FTW

[Rezz]

Flak cannon - weapon - multi part low damage short range impact weapon

Thermal gun - weapon - short range high damage/high energy cost heat weapon

Ceramic plating - defense - reduction of impact and heat based damage

Magnetic burst cannon - weapon - eletrical damage that can damage internal componenets

.XXm Rifle - weapon - medium range fast firing medium damage impact weapon

Heat Seeking EMP missile - weapon - long range single shot eletrical damage ae weapon

Basically, you could simply take any combination of damage type and mix with range, damage potential and peripheral effects. Generically speaking:

Long Range Low Damage Electric-based Weapon - weapon - does electric based damage at long range with a low damage potential

Is there a specific range of damage you want, such as heat/electricity/energy/impact/explosive?

Defensively, those damage types would be "resists" and you could have specifically strong defensive measures to counter those, as well as generic ones.

Anti-Missile Self Destruct System - defense - has a % chance to instantly destroy some incoming missiles as long as they are emp/explosive/energy based.

Rubbernium Insulation - defense - reduces damage from eletrical based weapons

Hyper-reflective plating - defense - reduces energy based damage with a chance to reflect the damage back at the fire-ee.

[Ghiest]

Railgun/gauss/Long range balistic weaponry
Autocannons, hi calibre medium ranged baslitic weapons
Particle Projection Cannon
Plasma Ejection cannon (short range)
Good ol chain linked Machine guns

Armour
Reactive - uses many small explosive plates that protect against armor-piercing ballistic weapons (ripped straight from Battletech :P)
Fiberous - much like carbon fibre but lightweight high protection against most weaponry
reflective - as it sounds, laser reflective armour