A2089 - new concept

Hi, Matthew!

A) First of all thank you for answering my curious questions....like Lone Stranger I`m very glad to hear something about the new product line.

B) I want to write some comments to the points 1/2/3/4/5 (see above)

ad 1.) I`m not a metal fan, because they are more expansive than plastic ones and second plastic gives you, as designer, more possibilities....

ad 2.) It`s okay - it won`t hurt me

ad 3.) That`s great - I`m curious to see especially the new warmeks. I hope your warmek designers will be very creative (Arachno-meks, meks with 3 or 4 arms, double seaters, giant armour plates / moon-mars-space warmeks etc.)

ad 4.) Great! Great! Great!

ad 5.) Great! Great! Great!

C) I`ve some additional questions :P - although this game is in an early stage - perhaps you can answer some of them!

*) How will you sell your miniatures - in randomly packed or single mek packages
**) Will there be expansion-packs, something like "A2092" or the "the conquest of Mars" or the "the Battle of London", with new, better meks?
***) Do you plan to introduce powered battle armours?

According to the number of visitors of this topic many people are interested in this new game,......so I hope this will be a success for you and your team.
 
Well, there are both pros and cons when it comes to the whole metal/plastic debate about figures. Though from what ittle I've been able to pick up as a member of the general public, the moulds for plastic figures tend to cost a lot more than the moulds for a metal figure would do. Which is why most small companies put out a lot of metal figures. If someone has more knowledge in this area, feel free to correct me.

Hopefully, with them being metal, they'll also be packaged in a way that lets you see what you're paying for. With regards to price, I can't really see you needing that many figures in order to play. This isn't something like Warhammer, where you need several units before you can even think about playing a game.
 
I`m also interested in this new game. Will there be some new factions, corporations,expansion packs, meks for extra-atmospheric use....
 
.......and very important........for limbed warmeks!!!!!!!! :D Why does nobody (Classic Battletech, Heavy Gear, Dark Age) adapt this mech class for a science fiction universe.
 
I think the reason people probably don't do that is because it winds up being a single human pilot (usually a single pilot) trying to control a big giant robot. Since people themselves don't have four arms the designers of the robots don't want to put more stress on the pilot than (s)he already has.

However with a multi-person crew multiple arms would be possible, you'd just need to make sure both people work together when controlling the arms.
 
Götterfunke said:
.......and very important........for limbed warmeks!!!!!!!! :D Why does nobody (Classic Battletech, Heavy Gear, Dark Age) adapt this mech class for a science fiction universe.

Actually, you do see something like this in Heavy Gear if you look at CEF Battle Frames with the addition of an Octopus pack. And while not four-armed, you have four-legged (or more) mecha with striders and some of the non-Terra Novan centauroid designs.
 
Well a mech of whatever type with multiple legs is far easier to work with than a mech with multiple arms. With multiple legs all you have to do is tell the machine to move and it moves all the legs in a way that they don't tangle themselves around each other. More than two arms can be a chore since you have to make sure the arms don't get in each other's way as well. In the case of the arms you usually have to control those individually, makes it more difficult.
 
Hi, LoneStranger
Hi, Morgan Keyes

I just want to add something to the posts above:

1.)Multiple arms meks:
I`m a strong supporter of 4 arms-meks, because fighting machines get the possibility to carry much more move-able weapons than usual ones. One of you wrote that multiple arms will create more stress (for the mek-warrior) than just two, but and that`s my opinion as a mechwarrior - computergame-player, a mek pilot needs to activate the right weapon system and ,with the help of a target system and tons of electronics, to search the enemy. It`s not his job to coordinate every simple movement of a mek`s arm (...so he aims at a target, chooses a weaponsystem and with the help of the boardcomputer will make the important movements with a joystick).
Besides the designer will find some ways that arms won`t disturb the movements of other arms (a big and a small one on each side)
What I want to add to this topic is the possibility of 3 arms-warmek....the third arm is something like a mechanical `trunk` with weapons on its end.

2.)Double seaters and multi person warmeks:
I think this is a great idea, not only double seaters....perhaps a second weapon officer to cover the back of the machine (otherwise a guerilla fighter could hit the and destroy a big and expensive warmek with a single shot in the back (see the Israeli problem with their Mercava tanks).

3.)Multiple legs warmek:
Thank you for the CEF battle frame hint - the 10-66 Assault frame is what I expect from mongoose - cool styling and realistic touch.....
 
1) Multiple arms - by the description in the book the pilot does directly control the arms. The Waldo control system translates his movements into commands for the arm actuators. The targeting systems may provide cross hairs representing the arms point of aim but he still directs the movement. If all the pilot did was move a joystick and let the onboard systems handle movement of limbs and balance then anybody could pilot a Warmek. The manual control system does rely on joysticks, levers and switches but at a penalty.

Because the motion of a Warmek is based on human physiology an extra pair of arms would complicate control a great deal. Imagine swinging an arm out to the side to shoot and it hits the extra being operated by computer or gunner. Balance would also become a problem as weight is shifted without pilot control.

2) Double Seaters - IMHO only useful in larger Meks. The major benefit of a gunner is to allow more targets per round.

3) Multiple Legs - Look at the MWP from Warmachines, you need a gunner because the pilot is too busy driving. Add more legs and the difficulty increases.

The impression I get from walking robot designs is that four leg designs are more maneuverable and six plus legs are both faster and easier to control. The extra speed comes from controlling the legs in sets however they suffer when each leg in a set has to react separately. OTOH four legs normally work individually so they handle rough terrain better.

In A:2089 this would translate into piloted vehicles being limited to four legs. UAVs would be more stable, and may have greater load capacity, with six plus legs.
 
Götterfunke said:
<SNIP!>

2.)Double seaters and multi person warmeks:
I think this is a great idea, not only double seaters....perhaps a second weapon officer to cover the back of the machine (otherwise a guerilla fighter could hit the and destroy a big and expensive warmek with a single shot in the back (see the Israeli problem with their Mercava tanks).

Well I had an additional gunner, certainly wouldn't restrict that individual to only rear weapons. Otherwise that body ends up twittling their thumbs most of the time until they end up with their rear exposed. Certainly back shots happen as we see today,...and throughout history. But putting a gunner in a Mek solely to cover it's tin butt is a waste of space as well as a waste of a troop.

If you can afford to place a third body in a WarMek, then that troop should have a regular job such as EW and/or control of things like drones and guided munitions, then as an addition give her/him (along with the other two) controls to handle any rear firing weapons in the event one gets a back shooter.

In agreement that you don't necessarily need to control each arm individually. Most of a Mek's control could very well be autonomous with the pilot just providing the direction and the computer handling the required motions to make it happen. This is pretty much how you see the control scheme work in Heavy Gear, with an option for active limb control via waldos when exact movements are required. Course each extra limb adds to the fire control problem that the computer must addess.
 
Back
Top