intresting idea for the ASC battloids....

[glitterboy2098]

with all the struggles over the stats discrepancies between the RPG and the new HG canon, i had an idea.

the RPG portrays the ASC battloids as weak, low armor weapons, ect.
HG has decided on stats that make ore sense from a combat perspactive.

what if i told you there is a way to make both work, that allows the players to pick and choose which version they want?


i give you:

The Modular Battloid Project

i noticed nearly every ASC battloid appears to share a common chasis.

this got my brain a working. what if it really was a shared chasis, and the many different features were merely modular add-on's to customise the base unit to a specific role?

i have Precedents in the Omni-mechs of Classic Battletech (though they use internal weapon pods and the armor and systems don't change)

and the herc's from earthseige (a hard point system)

so you'd have a base chasis (probably = to the RPG's CDU light.)

light and heavy armor packs, space manuvering pack, jump jet pack, various head modules, forearm weapons/systems packs, and an internal modular bay for weapons/cargo pods.

[glitterboy2098]

it'll be a few weeks before i can do anything stats wise.(my SC book is in arizona right now.)


but here is the list i have so far:

Powerplant: (thanks to taffy.)
ICE Turbine, Capacitor Bank, Fusion reactor, Protoculture Enhanced Fusion.

ICE makes it slow but it's easy maintence, capacitor bank has varying performance levels based on desired lifespan, fusion is standard, protoculture adds extra attacks and bonuses.


Armor packs:
Light, medium, heavy

basic stuff. each adds armor, but reduces top speed. light gives little extra, but has minimal speed loss, heavy gives lots of extra armor but slows you to a crawl.


Manuvering packs:
Space manuvering system, Jump pack


torso modules:
Mini-missile launcher, SRM launcher, Cargo pod, Extra fuel tank (ICE and fusion), expanded Capacitor bank.

MISC:
Extended Sensor Suite






did i miss anything?

does anyone have suggestions for more?

[Colonel Wolfe]

According to Book1 Macross, all Fusion Engines are Protoculture powered.

it Lists Fuel Limit as a Protoculture source... but the Main engines are Fusion Plants, and none of the Mecha (beside the MAC2) have secondary Engines. Even the mac2's secondary engine is not Listed as a protoculture drive.

Protoculture seams to me to be as much a type of Technology as a Power Source. wasnt it called "Overtechnology" in Macross?

unless Robotech's earth had Developed Fusion Engines and Advanced to the ability to Make Cold-fusion Technology, the SDF-1 would have had to Bring that type of tech and humanity simply adpoted it.

[Rabid Southern Cross Fan]

i noticed nearly every ASC battloid appears to share a common chasis.

Yes and no. They probably share much of the same internal structure, but some have more armour plating than others. Some also have more internal weapons than others. They probably have about a 20-30% parts commonality (this is a guess).

this got my brain a working. what if it really was a shared chasis, and the many different features were merely modular add-on's to customise the base unit to a specific role?

Main problem is the fact that the legs on many are different plus some of the more specialized mecha have environmental requirements that would make a totally modular system suspect.

so you'd have a base chasis (probably = to the RPG's CDU light.)

Hmm....the Salamander is probably the most common of the Battloids anyway, followed by the Unicorn and Cyclops. The more specialized units like the Basilisk, Satyr and Dryad were procured in relatively limited quantities compared to the Salamander.

light and heavy armor packs

possibly....but the additional armour is going to decrease the mobility of the Battloid, its main battlefield advantage.

space manuvering pack

This is possible given what was done with the Spartas.

jump jet pack

Hmm....if Im not mistaken, all Battloids already have jump jets to one degree or another and their usefulness depends upon their mission profile. Their capability is also going to be dependent upon their armament outloads...more weapons...less jumps.

various head modules

They already have different heads to distinguish between the Enlisted, NCO and Officer's models for the Salamander and Cyclops.

forearm weapons/systems packs

This is a possibility truly only for the Salamander, Unicorn and Basilisk as it would benefit their mission profiles. Possibly the Dryad, but it would already have hardpoints on the forearms for chainsaws and such for Forestry work.

an internal dular bay for weapons/cargo pods.

Hmm...probably more of an attached 'backpack' would be a better choice. There isnt going to be much internal space to allow for a cargo bay.

[Colonel Wolfe]

According to Book 1, all mecha have fusion primary power, in their descriptions - it does NOT say the fusion plants are powered via protoculture (which is a redundancy and a bad fanfic idea). What we DO know is that the CONTROL systems appear to be protoculture powered, hence the enhanced piloting that comes from Protoculture use. Such a low-output power system would explain why RDF & ASC protoculture mecha can go 8-20 years without refueling, while purely protoculture-powered mecha from the REF need refueling in terms of months (or even less).

Are you looking at the Same Book I am, because is dosen't mention the Fuel goin to another system besides the Main engine. it Says Fuel Capacity under Sensors and Eqipment Standard for all Destroids, where it mentions Protoculture. then under each of the Mecha is Lists a Main Engine, that is some type of Fusion Reactor. the Test Describing Destroids Even points out: Protoculture-baed Engines, and only Lists a Main Engine on every Destroid excpet the MacII.The RPg says nothign about control systems using a seperat power source. Your making that up.

From the RPG:

The Veritech Fighters are hybrid machines which incorporates traditional technology and power systems with small protoculture-based engines salvaged from alien mecha discovered in the wreckage of the
SDF-1.

Under Fuel Capasity:

FUEL CAPACITY
The Veritech Fighters are extremely durable. The use of protoculture,
micronized reactors and the science of Robotechnology, gives the Veritech an average, useful life span of 12 years before needing a new energy system. With constant use, the life span is cut by half.

Main Engine: FF-2001 fusion turbine in each leg.

Excat quotes from the book.... noe of which mention a Secondary power system for the Flightcontrols. it All but Says the Fusion Reactors are Protoculture based.

[glitterboy2098]

it Lists Fuel Limit as a Protoculture source... but the Main engines are Fusion Plants, and none of the Mecha (beside the MAC2) have secondary Engines. Even the mac2's secondary engine is not Listed as a protoculture drive.

i left both in because: HG fans say pure protoculture, while alot of RPG fans run them as non-pc Fusion.

both are viable. fusion has less supply issues (you just need a source of hydrogen), while protoculture will give better handling at the expense of relying on a PC supply train every few months.

this way fans of both can decide what they wan't to use.

Yes and no. They probably share much of the same internal structure, but some have more armour plating than others.

different armor packs.

Some also have more internal weapons than others.

thus the internal modules.

possibly....but the additional armour is going to decrease the mobility of the Battloid, its main battlefield advantage.

of course. a base chasis runs at one speed, put a medium armor pack on and it runs at a slower speed. and you can mount jump or flight packs to increase mobility.

Hmm....if Im not mistaken, all Battloids already have jump jets to one degree or another and their usefulness depends upon their mission profile. Their capability is also going to be dependent upon their armament outloads...more weapons...less jumps.

or, more weapons/armor, shorter jumps.

if all battloids have jump, that means all have jump packs.

They already have different heads to distinguish between the Enlisted, NCO and Officer's models for the Salamander and Cyclops.

i'm thinking more along the lines of adding to the head, rather than swapping heads.

This is a possibility truly only for the Salamander, Unicorn and Basilisk as it would benefit their mission profiles. Possibly the Dryad, but it would already have hardpoints on the forearms for chainsaws and such for Forestry work.

or perhaps those config are the only ones to regually use forearm packs due to the specilized mission natures?

[Colonel Wolfe]

"All but says" is not the same as "Says".

okay, thats true.

The only thing we know Protoculture has a DIRECT effect on prior to the REF is the control systems.

Maybe i should Re-read my book for the 20th time... and try to find where it says this. I cant find it anywhere.

Besides, there's nothing to say that the "secondary" unit couldn't be a component within the "primary".

Nothing to say except it dosen't Say it. it says " incorporates traditional technology and power systems with small protoculture-based engines" Which sound more like the Control systems are Battery powered, While the Main Reactor is Protoculture based.

Say, incorporating an existing small protoculture unit into a fusion reactor design might be the only way to keep up a sustainable reaction, and you "turn off" the fusion reactor by simply shutting off the feed of P-power into the fusion system. Sort of an analogy to a "Pony engine" used to start a diesel or jet aircraft engine (or kept warm enough to not fail when you tried to start it) in very cold weather.

Interesting, but still never implied by the Text.

Contemporary attempts at a fusion reactor are big as a building - the "micronized fusion reactors" might be smaller than a 55-gallon drum/oil barrel, designed around a bucket-sized (my guess, based on the matrix from SC's end) protoculture unit, found in the SDF-1.

one place it says, "small protoculture-based engines" a section later in the Fuel section, it says "The use of protoculture, micronized reactors and the science of Robotechnology" and the units only have one Engine.... Still sounds Like Protoculture based Reactors.
the Matrix at the End of southren cross Clearly had Plants-like things inside it, not sure the Humans got the FOL-Protoculture conection until the Return of the REF post 2035.

The real issue I have with the post-rt.com interpretation of the way protoculture works is that rt.com tries to replace something handwaved (so high-tech it might as well be magic {Clarke's Law, anyone?} - a unit involving statis fields and other sci-fi chestnuts) with an idea that's just plain bad by real science (the catalyst theory of the RRG).

I'll re-read the Infopedia when i get home tonight, but I dont think rt.com says much about how protoculture works. both Tom and Tommy wont answer question about it in chat.

[Colonel Wolfe]

Wolfe:

Maybe i should Re-read my book for the 20th time... and try to find where it says this. I cant find it anywhere.

It's there - you've read it a lot more than 20 times, you're just failing to make the connection. We all see that Protoculture and Robotechnology are most often used as synonyms, right?

Book One, Page 44, Right hand column, Second Paragraph.

Traditional technology & power systems is, in Robotech, anything not directly Robotechnology or Protoculture-powered.

I was giving a Hypothesis, not trying to state as fact. And, the very line you quoted about my power concept _IS_ a Protoculture based reactor, and effectively one power unit - a hybrid one, not a pure unit, but meets the requirements just the same.

I think were lookin at the same coin, i'm seein heads, you see tails

Wehn i read Traditional Technolgy & Power systems, I dont think Micro-fusions systems. Unless The Pre-Crash Earth was home to Micro-Fusion technology (Which is even Sci-fi today). I figure they found the Fusion Technology onboard the A.S.S.-1. Just the System is based around the Use of Protoculture... how it works in the system isnt a Worrie to me, It just works.