Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[GlyphGryph]

Oddly enough, I don't think mechs have to be super-slow to be realistic. We get really heavy things moving really fast all the time.

And as far as agile, they may not be as agile as a human being, but I've seen mechs that move fairly lightly and still pull off at least /looking/ realistic doing it. It's not so much about how fast they move and turn but the /way/ they move and turn, sometimes... Take the Talon or Seeker, from Starsiege.



Mind you, they traveled light by sacrificing things like armor, or decent shields, or decent radar, or more than two weapons, or comms equipment... and those week joints basically pop if you hit them with a decent weapon, and then you get to see the joy of a fast moving mech doing cartwheels across the landscape before crashing into their teammate and turning them both into a scrap pile.

Ah, such joyful memories.

Edit: Sorry, I found a whole bunch of awesome pics, and now I just want to share. The game wasn't limited to mechs, and here was some of my other favorite vehicles.


I loved bypassing weapons completely to make room for rocket boosters and the best cloaking tools available. SURPRISE! Just like in the battlebots on tv ^_^

Edit
w.tarazedi.com has apparently removed the galleries. Fuuuuuuuck.

[Rez]

The thing is, with a tank or humvee or tractor-trailer, you have actual brakes and the whole mechanism of motion isn't subjected to massive spikes of force.  I don't think metal is quite as forgiving as bone and tendon when it comes to jarring movements like running.  Especially in the common top heavy designs we see in battletech/etc., the forces exerted on the legs of running mechs have to be absurd.

Edit: bleh mispellings

[GlyphGryph]

I don't know, I think it depends on the design. If the feet get off the ground at the same time like a human runner, yeah, impacts going to be a bitch, But if you get rolling steps, where the weight is held by the placed leg... well, you'd still be dealing with some immense forces, I suppose.

[Robsoie]

Windaom's (what you called bootfighters, heh, the title's actually a bit lengthier) pretty nice, actually, for that type of game. The ship attack mode is pleasing to my sensibilities.

Ok, i just gave a try to that game and wow, i'm really impressed by its quality.
That ship battle thing (blitz mode) is actually really fun to play (though some massive clusters of battle can be very heavy on the performance).
Very nice little gem.

[Seriyu]

Re: Real/Super discussion: at least in most places I've been the real/super are more specifically used to determine whether these robots are actually being built for some kind of military usage in the show or are some kind've superweapon that is generally only vulnerable if the plot says so (again, like mazinger), rather then litterally "would it work in real life". Because yeah, gundam totally wouldn't work in real life. Beam rifles/swords alone, on a human sized scale, would use far too much energy to be practical, at least as of now, much less on giant robot scale.

EDIT: Wait, were people confused about that? I dunno, it's too early for me.

[warhammer651]

Windaom's (what you called bootfighters, heh, the title's actually a bit lengthier) pretty nice, actually, for that type of game. The ship attack mode is pleasing to my sensibilities.

Ok, i just gave a try to that game and wow, i'm really impressed by its quality.
That ship battle thing (blitz mode) is actually really fun to play (though some massive clusters of battle can be very heavy on the performance).
Very nice little gem.

I cant figure out the damn controls.

[Robsoie]

Only keyboard controls from what i see (would have been much better if the mouse was actually used), so redefine those keys in the launcher to not be lost in them.

[ggamer]

how can this be a mech games list without the best mech game EVER?!

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

AMMMMEEEEERRRRIIIIICCCAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

[warhammer651]

how can this be a mech games list without the best mech game EVER?!

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

AMMMMEEEEERRRRIIIIICCCAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

Ironically: never released in America

[Sensei]

The Japanese on America.

Also, an example (proudly) of everything that makes no fucking sense, such as the mech having human hands and wielding a gargantuan wood-stocked rifle.

[sambojin]

On the real vs super, having legs doesn't really work on earth at that scale for many terrains. In urban environments, desert, any reasonably flat terrain, you're usually better off with tracks or wheels. If you are going to make something that damn big anyway, I sort of think that a massive bloody tank would go over or through most obstacles with ease. It would be slightly better at spreading its enormous weight as well, because roads (and the sewers under them) can only take so much force in a given area before they break. There's many reasons why trucks have so many wheels and that's one of them. With super lasers taking out skyscrapers on a regular basis, it probably wouldn't add too much to collateral damage if you were to just go through a lot of obstacles instead of around.

But it does make perfect sense in hilly, mountainous, dense jungle and extra-terrestial environments. No roads, steep terrain, differing gravity (preferably less, mechs probably could work quite well on mars and the moon) makes an adaptable form of propulsion great. I just assume that since they had super-mechs they probably also have super-metals and super-materials to make them out of. I guess the hands could be explained away as object movers in forests and mountains to push stuff out of the way or give you stability by holding on to things. Why not massive chainsaws, large hydraulic rams, claws or grappling hooks?

Because it looks better when you flip someone off with a giant robot hand

[kaenneth]

On the Mechwarrior/ Battletech thing - I was definitely not thinking Battletech here. Bluh, can't remember the name of what I'm getting it confused with. Something... fuck, it's gone. Had mechs that could turn into planes and back, mostly kicking the shit out of mechs that couldn't.

Macross.

Also Glyph (Noryasha!), I completely agree with you in regards to realistic mech designs. That's why I don't really like Gundams or any other Japanese humanoid style robots anymore. As a kid I collected their model kits but as an adult now they just feel unrealistic.

Battletech did have Aerotech mechs that could transform between walking and flying mode; which they blatantly ripped off from Robotech (along with many other designs) until they got sued/threatened by the NA licensors of Macross 'Robotech' (which they butchered horribly)

[GlyphGryph]

But it does make perfect sense in hilly, mountainous, dense jungle and extra-terrestial environments. No roads, steep terrain, differing gravity (preferably less, mechs probably could work quite well on mars and the moon) makes an adaptable form of propulsion great. I just assume that since they had super-mechs they probably also have super-metals and super-materials to make them out of. I guess the hands could be explained away as object movers in forests and mountains to push stuff out of the way or give you stability by holding on to things. Why not massive chainsaws, large hydraulic rams, claws or grappling hooks?

Most of the Starsiege Mechs, or at least the Rebellion mechs, are actually converted mining tools on mars. Almost all the early game weapons you get are glorified mining equipment for just that reason. I thought that was pretty cool.

[beorn080]

On the Mechwarrior/ Battletech thing - I was definitely not thinking Battletech here. Bluh, can't remember the name of what I'm getting it confused with. Something... fuck, it's gone. Had mechs that could turn into planes and back, mostly kicking the shit out of mechs that couldn't.

Macross.

Also Glyph (Noryasha!), I completely agree with you in regards to realistic mech designs. That's why I don't really like Gundams or any other Japanese humanoid style robots anymore. As a kid I collected their model kits but as an adult now they just feel unrealistic.

Battletech did have Aerotech mechs that could transform between walking and flying mode; which they blatantly ripped off from Robotech (along with many other designs) until they got sued/threatened by the NA licensors of Macross 'Robotech' (which they butchered horribly)

I could get into a long drawn out arguement about this, but simply put, the early history of Macross/Battletech is mired in extreme legal difficulty and confusion. Some sources say one artist sold designs to everyone, which is why there is such a crossover with the Macross designs and the Unseens/other battletech designs. It's fairly confusing to sort out. Suffice to say, it wasn't a "blatant rip off" of any sort.

[Flare]

Could never get into most of the new Gundam shows- Too many metal bits sticking out of nowhere with no discernible purpose, and dodging frickin laser beams and missiles from a dead stop without any sort of gravity manipulation tech.