Tentative armor (lifted from the Starsiege: Tribes 'verse):
Basic armor grants the wearer augmented strength, a protective shield aura, and enhanced mobility. The outer shell is quite resilient, and even without shields, an armor provides tremendous protection against physical attacks. The firepower of most modern weapons, however, means that unless a warrior wears a medium or higher armor, unshielded armor does not stand up to a well-armed foe. All armors receive a varnish that greatly enhances armor longevity by increasing resistance to environmental conditions, general wear and tear, dirt, dust, and the effects of heat and cold.
Gross maneuvering in armor-running, using weapons, lifting, throwing-is accomplished via normal movement. In these cases, the wearer moves body, arms, and legs normally, and the armor amplifies that movement, adding strength and speed as needed up to the limits of the armor's safe augmentation rating. A sophisticated neural link detects and implements the desired range of effect, in effect determining whether a warrior intends her grip to hold a teacup or crush steel and bone. The neural-interface biofeedback system also regulates auxiliary armor functions such as the command circuit, optiks, and the armor jets. The interface uses a mix of direct neural impulse (DNI), pre-configured macromaneuvers ("macros"), and other biofeedback from the user. For safety reasons, most armor functions require a dual-phase trigger to access a function.
Even light armor grants the wearer several times the effective strength of an unarmored human. Practically speaking, lifting strength of a light armor is approximately five times that of a man of average fitness in his prime. A medium is perhaps thirty percent more, and a heavy is easily twice the strength of a light. The microservo network enhances all tactically relevant muscle motion, including the hands, oblique abdominals, and rotator cuffs as well as the more obvious gross limb movements. Flexor expansion-contraction sequences are keyed to the armor's neural link such that augmentation activates in proportion to a warrior's perceived need. Thus, an armored warrior can crush a human skull as easily as she can pick up an egg. The design restricts an armor's servo output to levels the human body can tolerate, though some stories tell of warriors overriding their armors' limits to accomplish feats of speed and prowess considered quite improbable in real life armor use.
Shield generators apply non-Newtonian fluid field harmonics to create a protective barrier of phased electromagnetic energy capable of deflecting high-energy attacks. In this non-Newtonian model, the barrier's resistance increases with a magnitude inversely proportional to the amount of thermal, electromagnetic, or kinetic energy exerted at the point of impact. The practical threshold for triggering the shield's resistance is high enough that hand weapons and fists may pass unhindered through shields, but bullets or lasers will not. However, shields weaken quickly under sustained fire or a sufficiently powerful attack, since the actual resistance consumes enormous amounts of energy, often more than the power source can provide in a short amount of time. The shields are not one hundred percent efficient; some energy does bleed through to armor. Shields are more effective with kinetic energy than with thermal or electromagnetic attacks. Armor carries approximately a half-dozen shield nodes, usually one per limb and two to four on the torso and head, but configurations vary, depending on the designers' decisions regarding concentration of maximal shield strength. Approximately three centimeters in diameter apiece, the nodes create a force field aura around the wearer. Normally invisible, shields become visible when sufficient excess energy from an attack is reflected outward from the armor as light and low level gamma radiation.
Armors offer wearers the ability to function in otherwise inhospitable environments. Built-in heating and cooling units enable the wearer to operate in extremes of nearly -50C to over 45C. The armor's shielding units will also protect the wearer from excessive radioactivity that would otherwise be fatal, and environmental filters can screen out harmful toxins. The shield aura also provides protection against high pressure environments, but this capability is subject to shield degradation.
A microfusion energy cell powers all armors. It is located in the back section of the torso, and is quite a heavy component. The cell enables the armor's wearer to use the jets, keep shields online, and power energy-based weapons and packs. It has a limited maximum output per second, although for all practical purposes the energy it generates is unlimited. The need to manage available energy forms the primary foundation of tribal tactics and armor skill. The armor's heads-up display (HUD) monitors the level of energy reserves available. When energy reserves dip to a certain level, all nonessential functions of the armor automatically deactivate and the cell begins its brief recharge sequence. Essential functions-which include shields, life support, the command circuit, and strength augmentation-are always maintained, otherwise the armor's utility would drop dramatically. The first priority of the armor is to keep the wearer alive and unharmed.
Light armor types:
Scout - The bare minimum of armor. Very light, very mobile, and capable of the longest sustained flight.
Infiltrator - Very similar to Scout Armor, but given more reinforcement. It has been designed for enhanced optics and high energy use. Essentially, this is Sniper Armor.
Medium armor types:
Standard - Your typical armor. There's nothing particularly special about it, and it is a balance between strength, mobility, and protection.
Assault - Tough, limited mobility, and strong. This is the kind of armor you'd want to be wearing in heavy combat while still remaining maneuverable.
Engineer - A subset of Assault Armor that has been designed for high energy use, assembly, repairs, and the like. It can transmit energy and automatically comes with a "repair gun". While this gun can theoretically be modified to cause damage, it's a
very bad idea that may result in the user being reduced to a small pile of "grey goo."
Heavy armor types:
Dreadnaut - This is a form of Assault Armor that has been loaded down with double-reinforced armor, bigger strength augs, and the ability to start carrying the
big guns. This is the last armor that can achieve anything remotely resembling "flight".
Juggernaut - A specialized Heavy armor that has what is essentially a combination of a rocket launcher and shotgun, a quad RPG, quad autocannons, and lock-on missiles. It's slow, but carries the most firepower out of the armor types.
Ultraheavy armor types:
Titan - Less a "suit of armor" than a "massive tank." Slower than a snail in molasses, HEAVY!, hideously strong, armor comparable to the average space destroyer, and capable of carrying the heaviest of weapons. This is a walking WMD.
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Topic: Interest check / Development : You Are A Corporate Raider (Humans vs Kai!) (Read 1869 times)