Future Tech Advice and Assistance Thread [O.O.C.]

[Tierra Prime]

What are the advantages and disadvantages of hover vehicles? I've been thinking about forming my rebel puppet nation's armour into "repulsorlift" divisions. I want it to be different from this nation, which mainly uses tracked armoured vehicles (Referred to as cuirassiers or armoured cavalry). The increased mobility hover vehicles have fits into my puppet's military strategy, which is primarily focused around hit and run attacks due to the numerical disadvantage it has against this nation.

Star Wars' repulsorlift doesn't work on some planets, due to magnetic field variation and similar anomalies. Hence why the Empire developed walkers and wheeled vehicles. Apparently repulsorlift craft also require fairly flat terrain. They don't like steep hills and don't work very well at all when it comes to mountains or canyons.

Yes, I remember those restrictions being in one of the Star Wars video games. I can't remember what it was called, but the Rebels used a lot of hover vehicles, so it pretty much ruined them on some maps. I'm not really into mechs and walkers myself, but I wouldn't mind using wheeled vehicles. If repulsorlift craft are out, I could base my puppet's military around wheeled tank destroyers and other types of light vehicles. It would certainly fit into the idea of my puppet preferring hit and run attacks.

It depends on what disadvantages you want to work into it I think personally. Hover vehicles can come in a large variety, do they use some sort of fancy fan to give them lift? If they do what would shrapnel and debris do to those fans? Does it use anti-gravity of some sort and if so what are the weight restrictions and what does that mean for a vehicle's firepower and armor? I its less to keep up your speed? What sort of training would be required in comparison to a tracker vehicle? Would it be extensive or negligible?

Just a few questions off the top of my head I'll try to think of more for you to consider.

I was considering using handwavium anti-gravity technology. Fans would also work, but I'd prefer to use anti-gravity instead. Debris and shrapnel wouldn't damage the anti-gravity emitters because they'd be armoured to some degree, but direct fire could knock them out, completely disabling the vehicle. This is the main reason why I haven't considered using hover vehicles until now. It would be much easier to replace a track than an anti-gravity unit after all. Weight would be kept down by the vehicles themselves being lightly armed, and armour wouldn't be particularly mind-blowing. The idea here is that they are light raiders, not heavily armoured tanks. They would probably be similar in cost to the heavy tanks I use with this nation.

[OMGeverynameistaken]

Powered armor is always a fun option. Go full Starship Troopers, where every soldier is basically a walking army equipped with nuclear weapons.

[Federal Republic of Free States]

Powered armor is always a fun option. Go full Starship Troopers, where every soldier is basically a walking army equipped with nuclear weapons.

Ah. The whole, I only need one man strategy. Very popular in today's FPS video games.

[Source Swarm]

If it helps, I was planning on not even having infantry, but just replacing them operationally with a host of different bodytypes, most of which would be some variation of small ucav. I'm still working on the concept - Infantry do a lot, and frankly, humanoid forms are rather suited to it.

[The Ben Boys]

Powered armor is always a fun option. Go full Starship Troopers, where every soldier is basically a walking army equipped with nuclear weapons.

Ah. The whole, I only need one man strategy. Very popular in today's FPS video games.

Do you even CoD bruh?

In all seriousness, walking talks are pretty fun to use, either as commandos or general infantry. Especially when they come falling down.

[Tierra Prime]

Powered armor is always a fun option. Go full Starship Troopers, where every soldier is basically a walking army equipped with nuclear weapons.

I do quite like powered armour and nuclear fusion grenades.

[Sunset]

Another useful answer is 'Recoil'. Tracked and wheeled vehicles absorb a lot of the recoil that makes adjusting to the next shot slower by transferring that recoil to the giant shock absorber that is the planet. Not all of it, but it really helps. With hover systems of all types you either have to use the same amount of energy you just put into the target to adjust your own course (Equal and Opposite Reaction) or use a weapon system that takes advantage of the 3rd Law in another manner (Missile Launchers). Modern FT navigation and guidance systems should be able to handle this with ease but it is still a consideration; If you want to have those light fliers be a true threat to those super-heavy gravtanks, you're going to need to devote even more of your already sparse weight limit to your reactor.

And that super-heavy gravtank is still going to obliterate your light fliers, presuming both are mounting directed energy weapons. Fast and nimble works well versus human (alien) gunners, but not so well versus AI-driven gunnery. Not to say they don't have their place but if a Typhoon super-heavy shows up, I'd skeedaddle. But a Typhoon also costs a few hundred times what those light fliers do too so it's all about fitness of purpose; A mix of both will give you the most flexibility at the cost of a larger logistics system. If you don't fight many wars but win those you do, you might not care. If you fight a lot of wars and routinely lose your logistics infrastructure you'd want one that you could rebuild very quickly so you might want to go with a smaller mix and thus a smaller logistics footprint.

Remember the old saw; An army marches on its stomach. A FT army marches on spare parts.

[The V O I D]

The average Union soldier is equipped with Mark L Titan-class Gregor Armor, and the standardized Eat This! Machine Gun. Of course, this is when I am Lol-FTing and/or trying to lolStomp. In other words; it's a joke.

[Source Swarm]

Pursuant to some thought I've been putting into my military, which is silly since I rarely use it, I've been playing around with some troop concepts for the infantry.

As seemed fitting for a race of body-hopping AIs, I decided to go with a drone/robotic Infantry concept. However, in the infantry, with most roles requiring some measure of independence to remain competitive with organic sentients, the infantry are limited to a single body at a time. These bodies, however, are variable in terms of form.

Where I'm getting stuck is how to do these variable forms uniformly, or even if I should. So far, I've fleshed out at least one frame concept - fan-lofted drones with varying equipment installed depending on role. I'm trying to avoid humanoid frames for the sake of efficiency. Can anyone find fault with either that plan or the fan-lofted disk-drone design?

[Neornith]

Pursuant to some thought I've been putting into my military, which is silly since I rarely use it, I've been playing around with some troop concepts for the infantry.

As seemed fitting for a race of body-hopping AIs, I decided to go with a drone/robotic Infantry concept. However, in the infantry, with most roles requiring some measure of independence to remain competitive with organic sentients, the infantry are limited to a single body at a time. These bodies, however, are variable in terms of form.

Where I'm getting stuck is how to do these variable forms uniformly, or even if I should. So far, I've fleshed out at least one frame concept - fan-lofted drones with varying equipment installed depending on role. I'm trying to avoid humanoid frames for the sake of efficiency. Can anyone find fault with either that plan or the fan-lofted disk-drone design?

The fan idea is good, you could also go with a modular quadruped design. Each quad would have the same basic frame with change outs in weapons and armor

[Federal Republic of Free States]

Pursuant to some thought I've been putting into my military, which is silly since I rarely use it, I've been playing around with some troop concepts for the infantry.

As seemed fitting for a race of body-hopping AIs, I decided to go with a drone/robotic Infantry concept. However, in the infantry, with most roles requiring some measure of independence to remain competitive with organic sentients, the infantry are limited to a single body at a time. These bodies, however, are variable in terms of form.

Where I'm getting stuck is how to do these variable forms uniformly, or even if I should. So far, I've fleshed out at least one frame concept - fan-lofted drones with varying equipment installed depending on role. I'm trying to avoid humanoid frames for the sake of efficiency. Can anyone find fault with either that plan or the fan-lofted disk-drone design?

I don't believe you would have to worry about uniformity as much. Any high advance AI race would most likely develop programs and sub routines that were highly specialized in their task. Therefore they would be highly unique from one another, and not uniform. They may have aesthetic similarities, however they wouldn't necessarily have to look like one another completely.

This would have drawbacks in that your enemy would be able to quickly differentiate between your forces and adjust their focus of fire accordingly.

[Neornith]

Pursuant to some thought I've been putting into my military, which is silly since I rarely use it, I've been playing around with some troop concepts for the infantry.

As seemed fitting for a race of body-hopping AIs, I decided to go with a drone/robotic Infantry concept. However, in the infantry, with most roles requiring some measure of independence to remain competitive with organic sentients, the infantry are limited to a single body at a time. These bodies, however, are variable in terms of form.

Where I'm getting stuck is how to do these variable forms uniformly, or even if I should. So far, I've fleshed out at least one frame concept - fan-lofted drones with varying equipment installed depending on role. I'm trying to avoid humanoid frames for the sake of efficiency. Can anyone find fault with either that plan or the fan-lofted disk-drone design?

I don't believe you would have to worry about uniformity as much. Any high advance AI race would most likely develop programs and sub routines that were highly specialized in their task. Therefore they would be highly unique from one another, and not uniform. They may have aesthetic similarities, however they wouldn't necessarily have to look like one another completely.

This would have drawbacks in that your enemy would be able to quickly differentiate between your forces and adjust their focus of fire accordingly.

I kinda disagree with this because my personal view is that an advanced AI would find going the route you've described as inefficient. Again this is just my opinion and it's up to the player what they would prefer in personal taste

[Source Swarm]

They'll be standardized frames. Veterans will probably run different upgrades and modifications as suit their taste, but overall form factor will be the same. Might be something to the idea of using entirely different forms for different roles though. Or different environments.

[OMGeverynameistaken]

You'd have to have variety. There are situations where a fan-powered flyer simply wouldn't function...like anywhere with high winds or heavy rain. Or on planets with thin (or not) atmosphere. Similarly, treads, wheels and legs all have advantages in different terrain. You'd probably want at least SOME legged models for work in mountains, underground, in urban areas and so forth. You might even want some humanoid models that could operate vehicles, computers and that sort of thing for recon and intelligence gathering purposes.

[Tierra Prime]

You'd have to have variety. There are situations where a fan-powered flyer simply wouldn't function...like anywhere with high winds or heavy rain. Or on planets with thin (or not) atmosphere. Similarly, treads, wheels and legs all have advantages in different terrain. You'd probably want at least SOME legged models for work in mountains, underground, in urban areas and so forth. You might even want some humanoid models that could operate vehicles, computers and that sort of thing for recon and intelligence gathering purposes.

I think I will I begin using mechs then, probably something similar to a Warhammer 40k dreadnought. This leads me to another question now, how many should I have per division? I was thinking 100 per infantry brigade for 400 per infantry division, and 25 per armoured brigade for 100 per armoured division (The reserve is true for tanks).

[Neornith]

You'd have to have variety. There are situations where a fan-powered flyer simply wouldn't function...like anywhere with high winds or heavy rain. Or on planets with thin (or not) atmosphere. Similarly, treads, wheels and legs all have advantages in different terrain. You'd probably want at least SOME legged models for work in mountains, underground, in urban areas and so forth. You might even want some humanoid models that could operate vehicles, computers and that sort of thing for recon and intelligence gathering purposes.

I think I will I begin using mechs then, probably something similar to a Warhammer 40k dreadnought. This leads me to another question now, how many should I have per division? I was thinking 100 per infantry brigade for 400 per infantry division, and 25 per armoured brigade for 100 per armoured division (The reserve is true for tanks).

That's kind of a tough question because there are several factors I think honestly. How would they be used in conjunction with infantry, how would they be used in conjunction with armored vehicles, how do they fit in with your military doctrine, are they a part of your shock force or are they going to be a support unit? If they're a support role for you infantry I think that sounds reasonable as long as the have the correct firepower same goes for being the spearhead for your infantry. As to an armored division my feeling is that it would actually be higher than your infantry unit's numbers, an armored division is used to smash your enemy it'll also have a higher attrition rate so taking that into consideration as well as more suits means more firepower for the unit I would myself would have more in an armored unit than I would an infantry unit

[Tierra Prime]

Another useful answer is 'Recoil'. Tracked and wheeled vehicles absorb a lot of the recoil that makes adjusting to the next shot slower by transferring that recoil to the giant shock absorber that is the planet. Not all of it, but it really helps. With hover systems of all types you either have to use the same amount of energy you just put into the target to adjust your own course (Equal and Opposite Reaction) or use a weapon system that takes advantage of the 3rd Law in another manner (Missile Launchers). Modern FT navigation and guidance systems should be able to handle this with ease but it is still a consideration; If you want to have those light fliers be a true threat to those super-heavy gravtanks, you're going to need to devote even more of your already sparse weight limit to your reactor.

And that super-heavy gravtank is still going to obliterate your light fliers, presuming both are mounting directed energy weapons. Fast and nimble works well versus human (alien) gunners, but not so well versus AI-driven gunnery. Not to say they don't have their place but if a Typhoon super-heavy shows up, I'd skeedaddle. But a Typhoon also costs a few hundred times what those light fliers do too so it's all about fitness of purpose; A mix of both will give you the most flexibility at the cost of a larger logistics system. If you don't fight many wars but win those you do, you might not care. If you fight a lot of wars and routinely lose your logistics infrastructure you'd want one that you could rebuild very quickly so you might want to go with a smaller mix and thus a smaller logistics footprint.

Remember the old saw; An army marches on its stomach. A FT army marches on spare parts.

I'll drop the hover vehicles then. Mechs may be a better choice instead.

[Tierra Prime]

I think I will I begin using mechs then, probably something similar to a Warhammer 40k dreadnought. This leads me to another question now, how many should I have per division? I was thinking 100 per infantry brigade for 400 per infantry division, and 25 per armoured brigade for 100 per armoured division (The reserve is true for tanks).

That's kind of a tough question because there are several factors I think honestly. How would they be used in conjunction with infantry, how would they be used in conjunction with armored vehicles, how do they fit in with your military doctrine, are they a part of your shock force or are they going to be a support unit? If they're a support role for you infantry I think that sounds reasonable as long as the have the correct firepower same goes for being the spearhead for your infantry. As to an armored division my feeling is that it would actually be higher than your infantry unit's numbers, an armored division is used to smash your enemy it'll also have a higher attrition rate so taking that into consideration as well as more suits means more firepower for the unit I would myself would have more in an armored unit than I would an infantry unit

I was thinking they'd be quite light, with a single pilot and maybe an auto-laser or a missile launcher (Or both). They would serve as infantry support and anti-personnel units, which actually brings to mind what you said about assigning significant numbers to armoured units, because they could actually escort tanks and other heavily armoured vehicles.

Something like this (Basically a super-heavy suit of powered armour), or maybe a drone similar to this.

[Neornith]

That's kind of a tough question because there are several factors I think honestly. How would they be used in conjunction with infantry, how would they be used in conjunction with armored vehicles, how do they fit in with your military doctrine, are they a part of your shock force or are they going to be a support unit? If they're a support role for you infantry I think that sounds reasonable as long as the have the correct firepower same goes for being the spearhead for your infantry. As to an armored division my feeling is that it would actually be higher than your infantry unit's numbers, an armored division is used to smash your enemy it'll also have a higher attrition rate so taking that into consideration as well as more suits means more firepower for the unit I would myself would have more in an armored unit than I would an infantry unit

I was thinking they'd be quite light, with a single pilot and maybe an auto-laser or a missile launcher (Or both). They would serve as infantry support and anti-personnel units, which actually brings to mind what you said about assigning significant numbers to armoured units, because they could actually escort tanks and other heavily armoured vehicles.

Something like this (Basically a super-heavy suit of powered armour), or maybe a drone similar to this.

I figured what you were talking about was a powered armor when you said WH40K dreadnought and not a mech ( others may disagree but I myself consider the two separate)
Depending on its configuration they work well for infantry support, something with a larger gun for suppression against enemy units while you infantry flanks works well iI think. As for being with armored units I think overall your armored divisions would move faster as well with an anti personnel unit that could keep up with your vehicles on foot without having to dismount from a vehicle and then engage

[Tierra Prime]

I was thinking they'd be quite light, with a single pilot and maybe an auto-laser or a missile launcher (Or both). They would serve as infantry support and anti-personnel units, which actually brings to mind what you said about assigning significant numbers to armoured units, because they could actually escort tanks and other heavily armoured vehicles.

Something like this (Basically a super-heavy suit of powered armour), or maybe a drone similar to this.

I figured what you were talking about was a powered armor when you said WH40K dreadnought and not a mech ( others may disagree but I myself consider the two separate)
Depending on its configuration they work well for infantry support, something with a larger gun for suppression against enemy units while you infantry flanks works well iI think. As for being with armored units I think overall your armored divisions would move faster as well with an anti personnel unit that could keep up with your vehicles on foot without having to dismount from a vehicle and then engage

The first picture is pretty close to what I was thinking. Essentially, a really powerful suit of powered armour with built-in weapons. Warhammer 40k dreadnoughts are what I first thought of, followed by terminator marine powered armour. The line between powered armour and mechs is pretty vague to be honest, you can consider both the same thing up to a certain point. Is there a limit as to how heavy these things can get? For example, if I wanted to us something similar to this, or even a Warhammer 40k titan, would they sink into the ground?

[OMGeverynameistaken]

I personally deploy the closest thing I have to dreadnoughts in squadrons of 12, at least. Preferably brigades. Nothing wrecks infantry morale like 500 50 ton armored cavalrymen advancing in line.

The old Rethast hated those guys.

[Neornith]

I figured what you were talking about was a powered armor when you said WH40K dreadnought and not a mech ( others may disagree but I myself consider the two separate)
Depending on its configuration they work well for infantry support, something with a larger gun for suppression against enemy units while you infantry flanks works well iI think. As for being with armored units I think overall your armored divisions would move faster as well with an anti personnel unit that could keep up with your vehicles on foot without having to dismount from a vehicle and then engage

The first picture is pretty close to what I was thinking. Essentially, a really powerful suit of powered armour with built-in weapons. Warhammer 40k dreadnoughts are what I first thought of, followed by terminator marine powered armour. The line between powered armour and mechs is pretty vague to be honest, you can consider both the same thing up to a certain point. Is there a limit as to how heavy these things can get? For example, if I wanted to us something similar to this, or even a Warhammer 40k titan, would they sink into the ground?

It would depend on the ground type I would think, ultimately though it would also depend on what weaknesses you the player and your RP partner would want to work into the story

[Tierra Prime]

The first picture is pretty close to what I was thinking. Essentially, a really powerful suit of powered armour with built-in weapons. Warhammer 40k dreadnoughts are what I first thought of, followed by terminator marine powered armour. The line between powered armour and mechs is pretty vague to be honest, you can consider both the same thing up to a certain point. Is there a limit as to how heavy these things can get? For example, if I wanted to us something similar to this, or even a Warhammer 40k titan, would they sink into the ground?

It would depend on the ground type I would think, ultimately though it would also depend on what weaknesses you the player and your RP partner would want to work into the story

The legs would be an obvious weakness, but I'm more concerned about whether or not it would sink into the ground as soon as it's deployed. That wouldn't make my military look very competent, but then that could be a good thing depending on the RP. I primarily do closed RPs, so anything like this would be worked out well in advance, I just want to make sure my weapons aren't too stupid to work.

I have a question for those of you who are scientifically inclined. Does a particle weapon produce recoil, and would the resulting bolt do any kinetic damage?

[Tierra Prime]

I personally deploy the closest thing I have to dreadnoughts in squadrons of 12, at least. Preferably brigades. Nothing wrecks infantry morale like 500 50 ton armored cavalrymen advancing in line.

The old Rethast hated those guys.

When you say "line", do you mean as in a single line, or a Napoleonic cavalry-style formation (Wedges and so on)?

[OMGeverynameistaken]

I personally deploy the closest thing I have to dreadnoughts in squadrons of 12, at least. Preferably brigades. Nothing wrecks infantry morale like 500 50 ton armored cavalrymen advancing in line.

The old Rethast hated those guys.

When you say "line", do you mean as in a single line, or a Napoleonic cavalry-style formation (Wedges and so on)?

Line as in Napoleonic style, yes.