Jump to content
XCOMUFO & Xenocide

HWP-Mecha


Cpl. Facehugger

Recommended Posts

Once again, another good idea warhamster.

I would really like to see mecha hwps. I mean, those damn etherials get sectopods, so why cant xcom get the Warhamster class assault robot, so named because of its creator?

It could be explained by researching the chryssalid's structure gave pencilnecks inspiration in creating a mechanized hwp.

I imagine (and hope) that it looks like something from battletech.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 116
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Hmmm, an interesting possibility, but I dont know if its a good idea. Id feel we would be starting to lose the whole humans vs. aliens thing. They would just be sitting back in the base safe and sound using huge battle mechs to do the fighting.

If they were added, you would have to think carefully about that and make sure they were balanced.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

No, I meant the 'mech hwps to be well, hwps, not the next generation of giant powered armor.

It would essientially be a better armored, but obviously less manuverable hovertank. Minus the hover and adding some cool looks.
That's why I said it should be a robot. Same size and effectiveness of your standard plasma hovertank, but packaged differently.
And, I think that we should avoid using anime like designs. Fasa studios got sued by the creators of robotech for using mechs that were very similar to their designs.
And besides, those mobile suits look too much like giant men in suits of armor. Imo they should look more like machines. More similar to what some people envisage for combat robots.

I'll do a very basic sketch to show what I mean later.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Once again, the proverbial opener of the can of worms (bow). Hehe.

I would defend my idea by saying it only gives HWP's more variety. Maybe we should make it bipedal, but still the size of regular HWP's rather than single unit sized. Their advantage, well, they might have more TU's and tougher than hoover tanks. Disadvantage, subject to terrain penalties. Just a thought. Let's marinate and cook later.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='warhamster' date='Aug 14 2003, 05:15 PM']I would defend my idea by saying it only gives HWP's more variety. Maybe we should make it bipedal, but still the size of regular HWP's rather than single unit sized. Their advantage, well, they might have more TU's and tougher than hoover tanks. Disadvantage, subject to terrain penalties. Just a thought. Let's marinate and cook later.[/quote]
Thats what I was thinking, Warhamster. It should be 4 squares, just like a normal hovertank, but not hover, but more armored to make up for it.
Anyway, heres that very crappy sketch I promised...
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Very nice...

I think your Game & Watch needs a new video card... hehe.

Yeah that's a great idea. Same TU's as hoover tank, but better armor. It's just to give ourselves a variable chassis for our tanks.

Hmmm... this makes an interesting idea. Customizable HWP's. Just a thought.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, My graphics card has a huge amount of memory!! 1kb!
Anyway, what does everyone think of the concept? Not the art but the basic idea?
Personally I think that it is a good idea, as I would like to have some sort of sectopod-like robot.

Edit: customizable hwps have been discussed in the elerium and base defense threads. Edited by Cpl. Facehugger
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sorry to have to disagree, but I think the more robotic aids we add the more we lose from the game. Maybe its just me but I felt that the HWPs just took away from the whole humans vs. aliens feel. Granted, in some cases they were necessary but the thing i really liked about them was that near the end of the game the humans became better than the HWPs. They were just useful tools at the beginning (and for scouting later). If we start to add late game HWPs that are new tech, then I feel we would start to lose some of that aspect.

EDIT: Hmmm. I think that may have been a 'brain fart' that I see mentioned so much. :huh: Edited by miceless
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Its okay to disagree, conflict of opinion makes this project strong. :beer:

I'm not trying to add a super,uber hwp that will own soldiers no matter what, I'm just saying that I want to add a mechanized hwp that has virtually the same stats as hovertanks (specifically plasma) but has greater armor protection instead of the ability to hover. It would essientially be just a plasma hovertank that is packaged differently. ^_^
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Don't be so sure about those potatoes. I mean, since xcom is assumed to get all of its food from McDonalds, and Mickey D's gets its food from alien corpses... then well, those potatoes might be pretty valueable to your men. And Ufos intercepting your craft has been discussed. Check some other threads.

Anyway, what is your opinion on adding battle robots to the hwp lineup?
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hold on, the soldiers would be praising the day they got [i]real[/i] potatos for dinner. I mean, all that reconstituted alien meat really does get boring.

Aliens attacking skyrangers has indeed been discussed. I forget where, but Ill do a quick check and see if I can find it. IIRC it was only mentioned in a topic, rather than there being a topic dedicated to it.

As for the mechs, Facehugger, what benefit do you see from adding them if they are only repackaged versions of hover tanks? I still believe they would be more trouble than they are worth. In my head, the concept of mechs sounds cool, but soon as I put them in an xcom setting it ruins the picture.

Maybe an alternative would be to have a third (or should it be second) type of HWP that is based on alien alloys and has more armor (would work even better if the component style HWP idea is used). I like that idea more than the idea of mechs.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Maby youre right miceless. I just really love mechs. But, I suppose it doesn't fit in with in xcom. Of course that doesn't mean It cant be modded in later. And then I can just edit the sectopod model a little... voila! new mech.

And actually, upgrading standard tanks with alien alloys has been discussed. Or do you mean something different? Edited by Cpl. Facehugger
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I see no reason why a 'replace the HWPs with mechs' mod could not be created later, or even just add mechs like you wanted them.

As for the alien alloy tanks, thats pretty much what I meant. Didnt know it had been suggested already. It was just a quick idea i had while writing.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Maybe a heavily armored HWP is more limited in the weapon it can carry...too much armor intereferes with heat dissapation (or something) with the alien tech. So you have choice between plasma cannon w/ standard armor (2-3 hits can take it out if you're unlucky) to a laser cannon w/ heavy armor (immune to plasma, maybe).

-The Captain
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...
These walking hwps could perhaps be smaller that the tank types (2 wide, 1 deep rather than 2x2), but very expensive as the legs are tricky to make. They might also have terrain limits and perhaps be vulnerable to leg hits.

The increased cost would allow them be non-uber in the same way that same way that tanks are limited by their cost at the start.

They might be made able to step sideways to go through single doors, so you could put them in the small fighter/transporter but only be able to fire forwards (so they are not super UFO clearers), and as they would not be able to use 1x1 lifts.

As a general thing it might be handy if all units, except tracked tanks, had a step in a direction without changing facing ability, perhaps if shift is held down while moving. This would be useful for stepping from behind a tree while keeping the heavier front armour towards the enemy you are about to fire on. It should probably cost 50% more TUs to avoid it being cheaper than step then turn.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='Thurstan' date='Sep 1 2003, 12:31 PM']These walking hwps could perhaps be smaller that the tank types (2 wide, 1 deep rather than 2x2), but very expensive as the legs are tricky to make.  They might also have terrain limits and perhaps be vulnerable to leg hits.

The increased cost would allow them be non-uber in the same way that same way that tanks are limited by their cost at the start.

They might be made able to step sideways to go through single doors, so you could put them in the small fighter/transporter but only be able to fire forwards (so they are not super UFO clearers), and as they would not be able to use 1x1 lifts.

As a general thing it might be handy if all units, except tracked tanks, had a step in a direction without changing facing ability, perhaps if shift is held down while moving.  This would be useful for stepping from behind a tree while keeping the heavier front armour towards the enemy you are about to fire on.  It should probably cost 50% more TUs to avoid it being cheaper than step then turn.[/quote]
that seams like something i won't use if i had the choice. If it is so bad, and is so costym and takes so many TUs, then i'd just take another soldier.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Id make it, because I love cool looking mechs. I figure they would have more armor than tanks, and almost the tus of hover tanks. Their downside is their cost, and lack of hovering abilities. A human equivelent to the sectopod would rock!
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Unless they are using alien alloys I think they should have less armour than a tank. They would have more moving parts and would be heavier and much less stable... and they would present a much larger target sillouette.

And on the topic of mobile suits, they have them already. They were called powered armour. I don't see any reason why you couldn't take the technology developed in making the powered armour into a piloted, walking tank. I think they would have more minuses than pluses once you have the powered armour, though. They would be large, easy to hit, expensive and if one was destroyed you've lost an XCom agent AND a HWP. It would not be able to fit indoors, not fly (if there was any sense in the world), but maybe leap or repell using a grapple line.

On the plus side I see no tiring, and being able to use HW w/o a movement penalty and some durability.

Check out an episode of Gasaraki. The series is terrible but it has a lot of xcom esque politics and psychic stuff and some neat walking tank ideas. The ones the good guys have look very much like a military machine rather than a stylized, bird walking suit of armour. Maybe you can find a website... Edited by fux0r666
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree that advanced mech robot=power armor. Having a side step that costs 50% more TUs=>if moving forward costs about 4 TUs, and a 90 degree turn costs 1, then a turn-walk-turn would cost 6 TUs, or 50% more than a regular walk. So the side step might be handy for peking around corners, but not necessary. Besides, with the freeform movement you can turn in increments smaller than 90.

I'm thinking the various posts about random events has developed past an effect for Chryssallid research, perhaps this should be split out into its own topic?
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, you are quite right bruenor.

I was thinking more of robotic hwps, like human sectopods. They would have heavy armor (alien alloys) and a plasma gun. They could be more expensive than normal tanks, but have the same tus of hover tanks. Also they obviously can't float.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think that, properly limited through whatever method, the use of unmanned vehicles (and robots) would add variety in tactical choices. I agree it is important to not let this overpower the "aliens vs humans". I'd much rather see the "squad advancing behind a tank" then "attack of the armored calvary", but having watched Stargate (a show based on a squad of humans as part of a special command go out and fight aliens), I enjoy the use of the MLFs and UAVs as suppliments to the human squad.

Hrm... unarmed, unmanned, relatively inexpesive UAVs with high TUs sound great for early to mid game. They get shot-down a bunch, and take up space you could use fo more weapons (soldiers), but in return give you important data regarding alien locations at a time when your soldiers cannot fly.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm in vote of a new sectopodal type of HWP. More agile than the standard tread type HWP and with just more armor. Not as fast as the hover types though, but a little tougher. To me the whole thing just gives us a little more choice with regards to HWP's.

Who knows, since there is an idea with regards to underwater combat, maybe these HWP's prove to be effective uderwater.

Uhm... let's not be to judgemental on the stability of pedal machines. We do have Asimo now. So in a few years, with faster computers and better engineering, i'm sure humanity will produce something that's stable on its legs.

I agree with Facehugger. I'd like to see cool mechs.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree with making it piloted by a soldier. Rather than a HWP upgrade, it's more of a power armor upgrade IMO. Some previous posts about making it as fast as a hover but with better armor sounds iffy, the hover tank should be the fastest by a significant amount. If you give it better armor or more of it, the extra weight would slow it down. If you say it uses better armor like alien alloys, then I'd vote for the modular HWP system. As it's been brought up elsewhere, you'd have a chassis chunk, drivetrain chunk, and turret chunk. You could build better armor, engines, and weapons as upgrades, respectively. That would keep the HWP viable throughout the game. You already get the turret upgrades as you can build the laser and plasma versions, but there should also be better armor as you build it from alien alloys, and better engines if you make a version that runs on elerium. At the end of the game, the HWP would need to be pretty beffy to justify replacing 4 soldiers with plasma weapons and power armor IMO.

The piloted mecha battlesuit would also be nice, you could make it take 4 squares like a tank, give it better movement (due to the pilot reacting faster than the remote user of the tank), but the weapons would be lighter and it would have less armor. It's armor would still be better than the flight suit however. By comparison then, the upgraded HWP's armor would be really tough, if it's the best you can have. I'm thinking it would survive a blaster bomb hit for example. The mecha guy would have a decent chance to survive, but not 100%. Maybe twice as high as the power suit guys.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Does that mean you would have to sacrifice 5 slots for guys, or is it assumed that the guy travels inside his battlearmor? I really like the idea of modular hwps, as they would be cool and add life to hwps.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

That depends on how you look at it. Since the machine occupies 4 slots, there is not room for another person... so if you have a surplus of soldiers, you aren't losing the extra soldier slot... you're just risking an extra casualty. Edited by fux0r666
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think you could fairly say the pilot of the suit doesn't take another spot on the transport. Drewid's design for the base transport has seating along the sides in addition to the 2x7m area where everybody starts off in the battlescape.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='Breunor' date='Sep 11 2003, 02:17 AM']I think you could fairly say the pilot of the suit doesn't take another spot on the transport. Drewid's design for the base transport has seating along the sides in addition to the 2x7m area where everybody starts off in the battlescape.[/quote]
You would have to nominate that soldier b4 you go into battle IMO, like u drag the soldier into the armour b4 u leave the screen.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Or you could just assign a soldier to that armour like you would any other armour, but the program would have to keep track of the amount of room it requires, as you can only take one with the mecharmour versus 2 with power armour.

But in order for this new armour to occupy a niche between power armour and hwp, those two should be far apart, either by making the power armour weaker or the hwp stronger, and the latter one is dangerous as we don't want the HWP to become too strong.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree with j'ordos, you'd assign the armor ahead of time like the regular armor, and some type of variable is set so that the soldier accounts for 2 spaces on the transport. You'd have to assign it while the soldier is not assigned to the plane, to make sure there's room. If the guy was the last soldier of 14 and you assigned the armor, he would pop out due to lack of space. It would be fun to see an Avenger show up full of these guys and fully upgraded HWPs. :D
Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='j'ordos' date='Sep 11 2003, 11:12 AM']Or you could just assign a soldier to that armour like you would any other armour, but the program would have to keep track of the amount of room it requires, as you can only take one with the mecharmour versus 2 with power armour.

But in order for this new armour to occupy a niche between power armour and hwp, those two should be far apart, either by making the power armour weaker or the hwp stronger, and the latter one is dangerous as we don't want the HWP to become too strong.[/quote]
Completely forgot about that :hammer:

It could be OK as long as there is some disadvantage to having it instead of a HWP as it is all advantages so far.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Since the player can beat the aliens without the use of these advances, I figured mecha would be more for multiplayer combat, where arms escalation is always fun! If you make the armor hideously expensive and time consuming to make, it would be useful for keeping your high ranking officer alive if you couldn't afford for everyone to have it. Of course, that points out your commander then.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't figure that it should be too much more expensive, I feel that it couldn't be anymore expensive than, say, a fusion hovertank. It could have the same tus as a normal tank, but the most armor of any human device in the game! I like that :D

Anyway, For inspiration in the design part, we should look at other games and movies that had mechs, like battletech, command and conquer tiberian sun, etc. Notice how I didn't say Gundam or the like, those japanese mechs look like men in plate mail or something similar. They just don't look too much like machines to me. :(
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I already said you should take a look at the machines in Gasaraki. They are very good looking machines. If I wasn't working, going to school and working on 4 designs already I would draw you guys something right now. Heh.

I think that you should have to have many technological advances in order to control the mech... Like:

A sectopod autopsy
Alien Alloys
UFO Navigation
Elerium 115
UFO Powersource

as well as maybe some extra human research in the fields of

Alpha Wave Control (meditative techniques) and/or
PsyController Assisted Meditative Techniques
Gyroscopic Balance
Advanced Robotics
Advanced Monomer Actuator Control

blah blah blah etc etc
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think having a Sectopod autopsy and Power Armour research would be adaquate in that field as that has the prequestites that have been listed there and would ensure that it doesn't come into the game too early. Some of the additional research could work as well IMO, I always have been for a more advanced tech tree but thats a matter for a different discussion :)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

We don't want to make it unavailable until you get to cydonia do we? I agree with jim, sectopod and powerarmor research should be enough, I mean, if we can make powered armor, and this mech will essientially be power armor mark III, then we wouldn't need all this extra crap right?
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not if the limbs of the man do not fit into the limbs of the mech. I was kind of liking the whole gel cockpit idea for the mech. He could be unconcious, floating in a foetal position and controlling the mech with his mind... I'm just firing out ideas here.

Edit: You need most/at least some of the stuff above to make flight armour anyways (exluding, of course, the stuff I made up). Edited by fux0r666
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was thinking it would be like an battlesuit in c&c Tib sun (specifically the wolverine), it had a single soldier controling it while standing up. He had arm rests with controls on it, and I believe that is how he controled the unit.

A gel cockpit might be intresting too though, but what happens if the cockpit is breached?

Edit: I've got to :zzzzz: now, good night all. :D Edited by Cpl. Facehugger
Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='Cpl. Facehugger' date='Sep 12 2003, 02:54 AM']I was thinking it would be like an battlesuit in c&c Tib sun (specifically the wolverine), it had a single soldier controling it while standing up. He had arm rests with controls on it, and I believe that is how he controled the unit.

A gel cockpit might be intresting too though, but what happens if the cockpit is breached?

Edit: I've got to  :zzzzz:  now, good night all. :D[/quote]
Think of the Dragoon in starcraft. If it breaches then goo flows everywhere, and the soldier dies because of the shock if using the same stuff as navigation.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...
Reviving this old topic...

I was wondering if we could make HWP's snap and assembled.

We get a chasis, and so far in the threads, we have 3 types...

[u]Standard HWP[/u]
-light armor
-med HP
-low mobility

[u]Floating Disc[/u]
-med armor
-high HP
-high mobility

[u]Bipedal Mecha[/u]
-heavy armor
-high HP
-med mobility

Then we have weapons (which are generally HWP versions of the standard hand held weapons.

[u]Cannon[/u]
-23 shots
-can use armor piercing, high explosive, and incendiary ammo

[u]Rocket Launcher[/u]
-8 shots
-can use high explosive and incendiary ammo

[u]Gatling Cannon[/u]*
-99 shots
-can use armor piercing, high explosive, and incendiary ammo
-has auto-shot option

[u]Laser Cannon[/u]
-endless ammo

[u]Plasma Cannon[/u]
-99 shots

[u]Remote Control Missile[/u]
-8 shots
-9 way points

*I think this should have been included a long time ago.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

How about

Gattling Laser* ?

Ok, I like your idea of customizable hwps. I really like it infact. Especially the mechs. :)

I like the ideas, but I can hear the xcom purists at my door right now: "Don't add anything that wasn't in the original!" "Feature X takes away from the feel of the game!" "Hey I forgot my Mind Probe!" and other such crap.
Personally, I want new ideas to add to xcom. Others do not. :(
Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's the beauty of the lab Cpl, these things can be explored after v1 is out. Once you have multiplayer ability, an arms race would be fun. ^_^
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think the whole gel capsule mind control thingie is probably going a bit too far. Although, everyone agreed about the separated cockpit for the interceptor. I think it would be a good idea to go for the exo-suit idea. Kinda like an addition to the power armor. It would have to be small enough for it to fit inside of the Skyranger, so something similar to a mech from Battletech would be unfeasable. You'd need a separate transport for it! But a smaller suit, like an exosuit, would be much more feasable. Think Aliens, or Exo-Squad. :stupid: Besides, it'd be fun to have gattling gun strapped to your arm! Just reach out and touch somene... again, and again, and again.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now

×
×
  • Create New...