Print

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

[GreatWyrmGold]

(removed)

[Unholy_Pariah]

(removed)

[GreatWyrmGold]

He's informing Tavik Toth of what he believes the constraints on such suits are, not holding the suit hostage until he meets his demands like you believe. And when has piecewise said that Tavik Toth could make a suit as cheap as he wants, as large as he wants, and as fast and agile as he wants?

And where has Pyro given you that impression? Quote it.

EDIT: I've been told not to continue this argument, so I won't.

[Corsair]

Hey would it be possible to create a toned down version of the Doc's baseball-bat of wind-shear with 5 token or would it be ineffective?

[Sean Mirrsen]

The Doktor's Mace of Windu works by using lots of kinetic amps.

Kinetic amps are three token apiece.

:\

[Kriellya]

Bulk discount plus scrap metal?

We can dream

[Doomblade187]

I have an electrified baseball bat if that satisifies your hankering for bats. It'll cost you, though.

[Sean Mirrsen]

I've suddenly come up with a wonderful new idea for the MCS. It's actually been hovering around my head for months, and it's been the original source of the MCS design to begin with, but I just now realized that we can use the principle much more directly, even bypassing the mission fund.

The new name of the project is MACS, Mission-Adaptable Combat Suit, and I can't believe I didn't think of it as soon as mission funds were mentioned. Scratch that, as soon as the actual worth of tokens was established. I've thought about the MCS concept at length, and it really didn't add up to much. The suit won't be too attractive to most people because no one person is going to want to own all the different equipment packs, and the cost of any given module is going to be hard to justify. Plus with the different equipment setups, the expenses just aren't making this good. The mission funds help with it - you could purchase just what you need for the mission at hand, and return it later, but all in all that still had the problem of leaving it as equipment you had to functionally own. But then I kinda remembered the original idea, and looked back at my slightly communist roots.

See, the tokens aren't so much currency as they're effectively government brownie points. They're a way to prevent inexperienced and untrusted personnel from getting their hands of toys that are too powerful. So when you really think of it this way, the idea is blithely obvious.

The MACS itself is a two-component system - it consists of a suit, and a license. The basic suit is a fancy Mk3 without rockets, as described earlier, and may as well cost less than it - around 10 or 9 token. The license is to use the MACS equipment stand, and it makes up the rest of the cost, totaling around 15 token. When it really comes down to it, all the interchangeable modules give the user the same degree of "power" - be it straight-up firepower or mobility or other functions. So with the purchase of the license, the user gains access to ALL of the MACS equipment, free to select any loadout at any time they can access the equipment stand. This bypasses the matter of having to own any specific part, and saves on the hassle of figuring out individual costs - the license acts as a personal mission fund.

So... yeah. Hopefully I can make this work without it becoming as silly as some of the original designs.

Spoiler: Segway Mk2? (click to show/hide)

Power Extreme!

[Radio Controlled]

@ Tavik: if I were you, I'd ask PW how small the suit could be made without losing functionality and for the same price. After that, check how much the price would increase if you made it smaller than that but retaining all it's functionality (due to needing higher grade components). Then you have a good basis to either remove equipment and downsize it, but keeping cost the same, or let it be big but with the same equipment and cost, or small with all functionality but increased cost. Basically, it'll give you a better chance to find that sweet spot where you can fill a niche without being redundant.

Hey would it be possible to create a toned down version of the Doc's baseball-bat of wind-shear with 5 token or would it be ineffective?

Miya could always build you a decent bat (as in, with good weight distribution and such). Kinetic amps you'll have to buy yourself though.

Maybe ask the Doc if you could loan his bat?

@Sean: interesting idea, but maybe a bit hard to implement in terms of mechanics. for example, if you take license X, but break the equipment, what then?

[Sean Mirrsen]

@Sean: interesting idea, but maybe a bit hard to implement in terms of mechanics. for example, if you take license X, but break the equipment, what then?

The suit is repaired as per normal arrangements. If you somehow lose the equipment but not the suit, you might need to reinstate your license (it'd be up to Steve to revoke it depending on circumstances). Generally, this setup means that you don't purchase the equipment so much as the right to use the equipment, and since you can only use one set of equipment with every one suit, it doesn't strictly speaking matter which set of equipment you use so long as you make it back intact-ish. There are a number of good mobility options to facilitate the "returning" bit for mission packs that don't provide flight. ^_^

[Radio Controlled]

@Sean: interesting idea, but maybe a bit hard to implement in terms of mechanics. for example, if you take license X, but break the equipment, what then?

The suit is repaired as per normal arrangements. If you somehow lose the equipment but not the suit, you might need to reinstate your license (it'd be up to Steve to revoke it depending on circumstances). Generally, this setup means that you don't purchase the equipment so much as the right to use the equipment, and since you can only use one set of equipment with every one suit, it doesn't strictly speaking matter which set of equipment you use so long as you make it back intact-ish. There are a number of good mobility options to facilitate the "returning" bit for mission packs that don't provide flight. ^_^

It could work, but you'll need Steve's (read: PW's) help with setting that up. And it'll mean another thing to keep track of (though, if you make 'MACS equipment license' a buyable item, and it's completely apart from the base suit itself, it could work).

You might have trouble 'balancing' the various packs though, since they'll need to be worth about as much, and they might be limited to whatever price you set the license (I somehow doubt PW will let you use 10 tokens worth of equipment for a 5 token license, for example.)

[Sean Mirrsen]

@Sean: interesting idea, but maybe a bit hard to implement in terms of mechanics. for example, if you take license X, but break the equipment, what then?

The suit is repaired as per normal arrangements. If you somehow lose the equipment but not the suit, you might need to reinstate your license (it'd be up to Steve to revoke it depending on circumstances). Generally, this setup means that you don't purchase the equipment so much as the right to use the equipment, and since you can only use one set of equipment with every one suit, it doesn't strictly speaking matter which set of equipment you use so long as you make it back intact-ish. There are a number of good mobility options to facilitate the "returning" bit for mission packs that don't provide flight. ^_^

It could work, but you'll need Steve's (read: PW's) help with setting that up. And it'll mean another thing to keep track of (though, if you make 'MACS equipment license' a buyable item, and it's completely apart from the base suit itself, it could work).

You might have trouble 'balancing' the various packs though, since they'll need to be worth about as much, and they might be limited to whatever price you set the license (I somehow doubt PW will let you use 10 tokens worth of equipment for a 5 token license, for example.)

Yeah, that's pretty much the plan. The base suit is, like I said, some 9 or 10 token (it's a souped-up Mk2 with exoskeleton), and with the license purchased the total cost is around 15. The power of the suit is judged by the sum total of its cost, not the cost of the license - i.e. the Mk3 at 13 token is less powerful than the fully equipped MACS at 15. The "power" is different for every loadout, and customizable.

The two flight packs - rocket and atmosphere - are the "default" - they combine the normal benefits of MACS with the flight of the Mk3, so you end up having the "same but better" thing according to cost. The non-flight packs have rather less agility, but add on more specialized functions, effectively compensating for the loss of flight with extra power. Melee makes you punch like a Battlesuit, Heavy Weapons allows you to shoot like one, while Ranged and Support packs offer more elaborate benefits, with various add-on packs supplementing them. The sum total of your firepower+defense+mobility never exceeds that of a Battlesuit, never even really approaches it, but the MACS allows you to match or exceed it in some shape or form, depending on what you need on a given mission.

And of course you are still able to fit into most corridors.

[Tavik Toth]

@ Tavik: if I were you, I'd ask PW how small the suit could be made without losing functionality and for the same price. After that, check how much the price would increase if you made it smaller than that but retaining all it's functionality (due to needing higher grade components). Then you have a good basis to either remove equipment and downsize it, but keeping cost the same, or let it be big but with the same equipment and cost, or small with all functionality but increased cost. Basically, it'll give you a better chance to find that sweet spot where you can fill a niche without being redundant.

Hey would it be possible to create a toned down version of the Doc's baseball-bat of wind-shear with 5 token or would it be ineffective?

Miya could always build you a decent bat (as in, with good weight distribution and such). Kinetic amps you'll have to buy yourself though.

Maybe ask the Doc if you could loan his bat?

@Sean: interesting idea, but maybe a bit hard to implement in terms of mechanics. for example, if you take license X, but break the equipment, what then?

Would you think that somewhere in the middle of a battlesuit and avatars size be good?

[Toaster]

The Doktor's Mace of Windu works by using lots of kinetic amps.

But is it purple?

I see what you did there

[Toady One]

(wiped out three report-magnet posts in which the posters failed to be respectful)