Spartan159
Banded Mongoose
How do I figure how much they can carry? Working with Civilian vehicles 1e. I could try to design a "robot" cargo lifter but then I need to figure out how much it could carry and so back to square one for me.
Cargo Lifter aka Exoskeleton
- Thread starter Spartan159
- Start date
Spartan159 said:
You don't. Supplement 5 (and 6) doesn't even give the option for arms. There is no way to calculate how much it can carry. The combined Supplement 5-6 at least gives the option for arms and a Strength score. Even then, you don't have an Endurance score to calculate carrying capacity (which is also a problem for robots). So the standard method for determining carrying capacity doesn't work, and there is no alternate way for vehicles/robots.
Mongoose Traveller 1e is really bad when it comes to vehicles and robots. Maybe 2e will be better. The only option you have with 1e materials is to just pick a number yourself.
The Encumberance rules in general are also bad. Battledress (+4 Strength) only adds 4kg to your unencumbered carrying capacity. That is roughly 8.8 pounds. For powered armor.
Spartan159
Banded Mongoose
Figures. Went looking around, found an aliens reference that said the one in the movie was supposed to be able to lift 4000kg for what it's worth.
Reynard said:
Which was pulled out of thin air. The design sequences don't have anything to determine carrying capacity of armed vehicles/robots.
With the normal Encumberance rules, if you assume that 4000kg is the absolute maximum (heavy encumberance), you need a combined Str+End of 1334 to lift 4000kg. (Str+End is base encumberance, x3 for heavy encumberance; 4000/3 = 1334). So that cargowalker would need Str 667 and End 667, or a Str of 1334 since vehicles and robots don't have Endurance scores, to lift 4000kg by the rules.
Which goes back to my original statement.
The MgT encumberance system does not work with anything above roughly average human strength. It can't even handle the upper end of real-world human ability, let alone the capabilities of mechanical things like cargo loaders or robots.
Reynard
Emperor Mongoose
Or use what is presented in the official material and assume it's correct until or unless something better comes along. It lifts and maneuvers 4 tons but it's clumsy and bulky though it can go where regular vehicles normally can't. It's a walking forklift and not a tank. Think what a forklift is and give it legs.
I'd try to use some common sense, too. Think of the center of gravity of a walker. Is there a counter-weight, or maybe an anti-grav device that provides you a counter balance to picking up a massive load?
And you have to look at the size of the exoskeleton. Is it man-sized? Is it say similar to the one that Ripley uses in Aliens 2?
I'd say a man-sized cargo lifter would be limited to 1-2 tons mass (say no more than a 1 Dton cube, maybe 2 at max. Course that depends on if you are able to get under your cargo, with say skids of some sort, which helps with weight distribution. Larger sized ones would obviously scale up.
Is there something specific you are trying to re-create, or you are just trying to fill a gap?
And you have to look at the size of the exoskeleton. Is it man-sized? Is it say similar to the one that Ripley uses in Aliens 2?
I'd say a man-sized cargo lifter would be limited to 1-2 tons mass (say no more than a 1 Dton cube, maybe 2 at max. Course that depends on if you are able to get under your cargo, with say skids of some sort, which helps with weight distribution. Larger sized ones would obviously scale up.
Is there something specific you are trying to re-create, or you are just trying to fill a gap?
Spartan159
Banded Mongoose
A little of a, a little of b. What I want to create is a high-tech version of a cargo walker. I suppose I could make it a dual walker/grav drive where the grav is set to counter 4000kg. I dunno, was just something small that got out of hand the more I looked at it.
In general It probably won't be able to lift more than it weighs. Now install grav Lifters and then your max lift will be the max the Grav drive can lift.
Lift Trucks usually mass more than their maximum lift capability.
I assumed a max Endurance score for robot encumbrances...
Lift Trucks usually mass more than their maximum lift capability.
I assumed a max Endurance score for robot encumbrances...
Spartan159
Banded Mongoose
Hmm. regarding endurance as it relates to carrying capacity, I think it's more "How long can you hold it" than anything else. What if we assume that for a mechanical that endurance is effectively unlimited as long as it has power, and that it has a carrying capacity of some multiplier of strength, such as x2 or x3? Actually, the multiplier could be a function of tech level as stronger materials and servo-mechanisms are developed.
Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
You need some form of stabilization.
The base widens, or since this is scifi, there are reverse gravitic modules in the legs that anchor you to the floor, or at least induce a counterweight to balance the load.
The base widens, or since this is scifi, there are reverse gravitic modules in the legs that anchor you to the floor, or at least induce a counterweight to balance the load.
Spartan159
Banded Mongoose
Condottiere said:
I agree. Rather than a shifting mechanical counterweight, I could easily see a gravitic counterweight.
Reynard
Emperor Mongoose
It could be the unit has balance sensosr for feedback to the operator so they can lift turn and walk the way you normally would with weights scaled to the walker. To a trained operator it would be easy to balance heavy objects but you won't be lifting and maneuvering over sized and out of balanced objects any better than an unenhanced person with a normal 50kilo long box carried by one edge.
