[OOC] Cities in the Sky: A Mecha RP (Still Accepting)

[ArenaSnow]

The mech may yet appear tonight. No promises on the pilot and the mech will probably need polishing still, just want the concept out in the wild...

[ArenaSnow]

Well well well, guess what popped out of my wordpad doc...

Tell me if I left ___ anywhere, have a lore inconsistency after a few dozen revisions this evening alone, or if I need to clarify something after pressing the "F it I just want to get this done in the 21st century" button on it...

Several late nights later

Name: Albatross 3230

Appearance

Tada

(Shield is on the gun side and looks something like...

Too many hiders

recognizer.net/mahq/unicorn/rx0_shield..
^Perhaps a little more on the width. Bah, you get the idea.

Height: 6 Meters

Weight: 20 Tons

History and Development
In the beginning...
The Albatross 3200 was for a short time a golden standard for mobile, equipment-oriented mechs focused on tactical warfare as compared to slugging with weapons and tanking with many tons of armor. Developed in by Shrike Hepatic Mobile Technologies and Battlemaster Relic Incorporated, it featured the most raw equipment to be safely put on a single mech to date, putting it ahead in targeting, agility, and hit deflection tactics. It reached peak fame the Grand Tournament a year after release, yet was defeated a mere few matches away from ultimate victory. The Albatross 3200, being an early model of mech design, was quickly outstripped by new technologies and fell into obscurity, leaving Battlemaster Relic near bankruptcy and Shrike Hepatic relegated to back-end technology sales.
Now...
The latest tournament, however, has spurred corporate leaders of Shrike Hepatic to create a new project with the foundation of the 3200 model, financially boosting Battlemaster Relic to allow the former alliance of engineering to flourish once more. The result, still closely under wraps and barely known outside internal circles, is the Albatross 3230 - a mech more than twice as efficient (statistically and by early testing) as the original of its time and sponsoring new technologies barely out of experimental stage. It has seen several internal tests, but it has not as of yet seen proper combat, and the companies sponsoring the project feel the pain of finding a pilot capable of piloting one of the more complex machines of its time - the 3200 model was considered one of the hardest to pilot, and some claim it failed to win the Grand Tournament simply from user inexperience. The 3230, if rumor is to be believed, is even more complicated.

Equipment
Armor: Medium-Light Steel IV Alloy, durable, slightly flexible, resistant to heat and somewhat effective at reducing the impact of raw ballistics when lucky. Does not do well against direct hits - however, the shape of the mech is expected to help reduce the blows of more accurate hits by deflecting them ever so slightly to the edges of the frame. Supported by a heavier Medium Steel IV Alloy Shield mounted on a reinforced left arm designed to take some hits. This variant of proprietary steel is unique in that it does not share metal's normal ability to carry electrical charges and has the flexibility of metal with the magnetic potential and electrical connectivity of a slab of stone. Despite the advantages, it only barely keeps up with the average armor of its type.
AI: The mech uses a proprietary system developed exclusively by Shrike Hepatic that provides a basic foundation for targeting, data input, equipment and weapon management, and all other electronic components. It is not an independent system, but it is very efficient and built with several interlinked microchips that form a closed network - if one is destroyed, the others can duplicate code and either repair itself or simply ignore the missing segment, while one that is not sustained by the network will wipe itself. It was designed with security against live hacking and durability in mind, not so much for raw functionality and accessibility. It is effective for its purpose. For security reasons, access is only permitted by direct connection - the wiring is an important part, though it is not as vulnerable as some may assume. It includes modules for basic targeting, more advanced sensor systems (see the capabilities section), and to a lesser extent components mentioned in the first sentence.

Power: Safe Fusion developed by Battlemaster Relic, providing an ample supply of power while designed to reverse traditional effects of breached reactors: instead of exploding, the resulting impact will eat itself. The reactor is crushed, but the mech is otherwise intact. It is the second most heavily armored piece of the mech, the first being the basic skeleton around which it is based (for trivia, 3rd is cockpit and 4th is shield)

Targeting: Caspian 34 Microbit Assistant Module, designed to snap onto desired locations when acquiring target locks as designated by the built in AI. It makes reasonable guesses against moving targets, though it becomes less effective against targets moving erratically. It serves as an addition to the AI and can be disabled or removed.

Additional Protection: Tanger Electronic Blocking Mechanism (TEBM), a jetpack extension creating deceptive heat signals in a 20 foot radius all around the mech with 16 small round balls that move to intercept moving projectiles. Effective anti-missile weapon, but not fast enough to take down small, quick streams of fire, "agile" swarm shots, or weapons designed with a "dummy" system where a false round is positioned in front of a heavier one. 256 standard quantity, one ball replaced every 3 seconds (up to 4 in a 1 second period). Functionality is controlled by the AI network.

Jet Packs: Allows for jumps up to 60 feet in the direction of the mech's legs with limited mid-air turning and no mid-air direction change. Recharge is slow, but is more efficient when less than 30 feet's worth are used. The pack is connected to the mech's AI but can be disconnected and triggered independently.

Modular arm slots: Both arms allow detachment and attachment of items to the elbow, including heavy fists, ranged and melee weapons.

Weaponry

Attachables:
Battlefist: designed after a human hand, connected to the AI, and very strong by itself (same material as the shield). Can also include spiked fists and can be used in various shapes and sizes.
Battleaxe/sword/mace: Melee weapons of heavy material that are designed for raw impact while being convenient to carry on the somewhat light mech. The melee part is simple enough, capable of ripping through light metal easily and able to break average armor in multiple hits (or at least knock a mech off orientation).
Weapons: For the moment, two ranged weapons are in production for this mech (both accommodate the shield arm): a mech assault rifle designed against softer targets and somewhat ineffective against mechs with anything above average armor and a custom designed medium autocannon by Battlemaster Relic that is lighter than standard versions. The mech asasult rifle fires small rounds that gain their sting when leaving the barrel, rapidly gaining kinetic energy as they fly through the air. Individual shots are weak, but concentrated fire does hurt, particularly against softer spots - though it isn't too effective against more tanky mechs. The autocannon fires relatively quickly (a tad faster than the normal version) and does well blasting in medium armor, but it does require some degree of facetime - individual shots hurt but don't blow through as easily as a standard version of this weapon would.
Neither of the above weapons can be exchanged with standard market versions as they are customized to work alongside the shield arm. On one hand, they are more sturdy than normal versions and have a better rate of fire, at the same ammunition cost and size. On the other, they don't hit as hard, and that can be a nasty weakness on a mech with armor barely scraping average. The default configuration is a battlefist holding a mace combined with the autocannon, shield, and the below weapon:
Flechette Cannon: While this weapon is almost useless against good armor, it is a fitting last punch attached to the center of the mech against exposed contents or light armor on enemies. It fires several explosive (small, just to dig in easier) daggers. They are slightly tweaked by the targeting system to be deadly efficient against open components. A half dozen of these can be fired a couple times in quick succession, though it takes longer for them to reload afterwards, and ammunition of these is limited.

Capabilities / Available Functions

These are additional functions - the shortcuts all have their own levers and buttons in the cockpit, as do movement controls. These are all functions that the mech may execute, either from a button or from an entry into a built-in keypad with numbers and extension, enter, clear and back keys. Weapons are fired from the same controls as movement; a special suit is worn by the pilot to register specific body movements to engage in melee actions. Ask about any command here.

Secure mode commands are indicated with ● and require a 3 character pin code on each use, after secure is turned off. - indicates a potentially unsafe command.
Shortcuts
[-] - 1: Main Power and Systems On/Off
[-] - 2: Enable All Ranged Weapons
[-] - 3: : Toggle Full Melee
[-] - 4: Load AI
[-] - 5: Run Abstract Command Interface
[●] - 6: Secure Off
[-] - 7: UNASSIGNED
[-] - 8: UNASSIGNED
[-] - 9: Override Heat/Damage Shutdown
[-] - 10: Select Closest Target
[-] - 11: Select Target in Reticule
[-] - 12: Economy Power Mode
[-] - 13: Eject
[●] - 99: Developer Reconfiguration Mode (Physical Connection Required)
Hardware Settings
[-] - 100: Reactor Power Toggle
[-] - 101: Electronics Power Toggle
[-] - 102: Jetpack Power Toggle
[-] - 103: Toggle Component Power
1-Cockpit, 2- Left Arm, 3-Right Arm, 4-Left Leg, 5-Right Leg, 6-Center Torso, 7-Jetpack
[-] - 104: Half Power Component (^ values)
[-] - 105: Eject Cockpit
[-] - 106: Eject Seat (Cockpit used first unless it is too damaged for command 13)
[-] - 107: Deactivate Safety Latch (Manual Exit)
Weapons
[-] - 201: Toggle Ranged Mode for Primary Weapon (melee, the other setting, will close open weapon doors and make them less suspectable to damage up close)
[-] - 202: Toggle Ranged Mode, Secondary Weapon (if applicable)
[-] - 203: Melee Mode (battlefist, weapon or shield, depending on user configuration beforehand)
[-] - 204: Jetpack Defense Module - TEBM Interception
[-] - 205: Jetpack Defense Module - TEBM Plug Holes (attempts to use TEBM to fill potentially crippling holes - effective only on weapons dealing clean holes through the mech and assuming they fit well enough, and a futile defense at best against an onslaught)
[-] - 206: Disable TEBM (useful to reduce power draw and AI load)
[-] - 207: Alternate Ammunition (useless at this time)
AI
[-] - 300: Toggle AI Assistance On/Off
[-] - 301: Autopilot (currently functional for entering and exiting the arena, not so much use for anything else)
[-] - 302: Manual Database Backup
[-] - 303: Toggle Targeting Computer
[-] - 304: Toggle Sensor Jamming Module (short spurts, can break locks and targeting data for a couple seconds every couple of minutes)
[-] - 305: Acquire Intel (Attempts to identify opposing mech, weapon systems and estimated status of those systems)
[-] - 306: Sensors Off
[-] - 307: Toggle Comm. Radio Channels (extension keypad for channel numbers and controls)
[-] - 308: Silence External Communication (force override against any non-integrated communications)
Jetpack
[-] - 401: Force Drain (drains pack of fuel; the fuel isn't necessarily explosive any more than the reactor is, but it is possible for things to go wrong with it)
[-] - 402: Defensive Posture (tightens all parts together to allow for a less nasty impact, typically by jump jets but also from impact caused by other mechs).
[-] - 403: Swift Jump Toggle (mech can jump faster at a higher reactor and jet pack drain rate)
[-] - 404: Bugged Command (Error Code: Not Found - infamous on the 3200 model)
Misc
[●] - 500: Detach/Attach (see 103)
[●] - 501: Reset AI
[●] - 502: Firmware Update (Physical Connection Required)
[-] - 503: Flush Reactor (effectively a hard reset of the power core while still keeping the mech standing)
[●] - 504: Lock Mech (inaccessible to anyone without a developer's Physical Connection)
[-] - 505: Radio Toggle

Functions are configurable and not set in stone development wise by the mech creators.

Yes, I know, he's pilotless. I'll let autopilot do it. If mech pilots in that tournament are as smart as the average human being on earth, it might actually win a match or two. I shall spare that headache for tomorrow.

[Cultural Titan]

@ArenaSnow

I like its story. Not sure how the mech is supposed to be complicated. It doesn't appear to have anything to it that would make it more complicated.

Monthian Reactors do not explode and provide power indefinitely so there is no reason to use anything other than a single Monthian Reactor unless you need more power at one time than it could provide. I am open to other reasons that you may want one. Admittedly I think I forgot to put anywhere that Monthian Reactors were not volatile.

For the TEBM what are the balls made of and how do they move? I might have more questions about this later.

So is the mech itself the character then?

[ArenaSnow]

Mostly the array of how the controls are setup and some functions I was going to add that didn't actually get added were the source of complication - the context (didn't define it very well, here it is) would be the perspective of the pilot in the cockpit - a lot of buttons, slower setup, various safeguards developed by a security-paranoid company that makes anyone not trained in its usage have a rather bad time just picking it up and going.

Think of the balls as small drones, with a tiny computer and a few things at the center giving it its capabilities and a small array of boosters similar to the jet pack in the back, otherwise encased in the same stuff the shield is made out of. That's the only component that is wireless.

I'll update the reactors given the standard suits regular needs :p

I'll probably add a char at some point, autopilot is rather dumb. But there could always be an update to make the difference...

[Cultural Titan]

@ArenaSnow

Without the autopilot the mech sort of lacks any super advanced technology. well, maybe the TEBM. Speaking of which how exactly do the balls stop projectiles? Is it just that they attract heat seeking ones or do they run into them or what?

Also I can see why shrike would be in such a financial crisis if it cannot make a machine that is user friendly.

[ArenaSnow]

Yeah, you might have noticed a void there. It's the sensor systems and I'll update that at some point. The balls do both - using the identification system, they see if the missile(s?) attract heat, and if so, act accordingly; the ones that don't they will meet head on. If they can't decide they will simply meet head on.

I have company info cooking in the background, one main distinction is that Shrike produces firmware for AI, targeting and sensor technology almost exclusively, making mechs a little bit of a stretch for them, and Battlemaster Relic started off as a salvage company for dead mechs that were redesigned and rereleased cheaply, usually not as good looking or working as before.

In short, shrike doesn't do machines all that much and BR is a bit of a B company. They're both far from major producers in the mainstream, the 3200 was a lucky break for them.

Off to work in 10 mins or so, next response from me coming in the afternoon, when I'll iron down the last bits of the mech and hopefully get other things settled as well. Life is after me this week >.>

[Cultural Titan]

@ArenaSnow

I didn't say there were no AI previously, but I was not intending for no true artificial intelligences to be a thing yet. That said they can have made one provided it was more or less a recent thing that hasn't gone to market.

[GreenGoat]

24 hours and no one jumped at the chance to show off? Well I'll get a post up tomorrow after I sleep.

[Cultural Titan]

@GreenGoat

I know right. You're all too humble.

[ArenaSnow]

@ArenaSnow

I didn't say there were no AI previously, but I was not intending for no true artificial intelligences to be a thing yet. That said they can have made one provided it was more or less a recent thing that hasn't gone to market.

@Cultural Titan

I hadn't intended to make the AI the primary focus, more of an auxiliary to the system as specialized by the company.

[Cultural Titan]

@ArenaSnow

So making an intelligent and thinking program was just a side project to them?

[ArenaSnow]

@ArenaSnow

So making an intelligent and thinking program was just a side project to them?

@Cultural Titan

Shrike's primary goal with AI is creating an assistant to go with well-coded and secure hardware, not an independent worker, so even an independent AI isn't something they're that far into.

[Cultural Titan]

@ArenaSnow

So they aren't at Hal 9000 level then? If so then I guess I am out of complaints for now.

[ArenaSnow]

The most high tech they run on average is "Missile incoming, scanning weapon type... weapon identified... moving TEBM..." and replicating across otherwise unused data cores to keep things stable. It's no more productive a conversation partner than an old version of Siri :p

[Cultural Titan]

@ArenaSnow

Alrighty. You may be able to push the power level of the mech a bit then since its only big thing it has is protecting itself from larger projectiles. Not sure if everyone would agree with me, but I say that mostly to cover myself in the case that someone does actually disagree with me here.

[GreenGoat]

Well, that black out just ate my post. Ill redo it and post in a jiffy

[Cultural Titan]

@GreenGoat

Its funny you say it should have trouble hitting things above it, because- well... You'll see.

[Cultural Titan]

@GreenGoat

ALSO I REALIZED I AM AN IDIOT! Four story tall towers are basically nothing to these mechs. I apologize, but I am going to have to retcon their size to something larger. Eight stories ought to do it. Sorry for the inconvenience.

[ArenaSnow]

Who says we can't just walk out and eat the city?

[Cultural Titan]

@ArenaSnow

I suppose I have been lax to describe the security and perhaps when I find another spot to put it I will describe it in the IC, but for now assume that there are a bunch of security personnel and a small armies worth of mechs in case things get rowdy. You may also notice that I have neglected to think of a way for the crowd to be protected from all this and you'd be right i hadn't thought of that at all. Oops. I should fix that sooner than later.