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richort12 In reply to Meet-The-Real-Me [2019-06-01 06:54:25 +0000 UTC]

it's actually based off of the Pan-O squalos ^^

Okay, so an MTA has two steering components. The pilot, who is seated in the reinforced chest (the 'head' module moves back to allow access.) The pilot is neurally linked to the unit allowing it to control the unit's motoric functions and the like, much like how an attack-helicopter gunner does with that fancy helmet of theirs' but with a much greater degree of fluidity and options. 

Then there is the supplementary brain, the 'bioprocessor'. An organic brain made from vat-grown, cloned flesh. These have a variety of different 'intellect' levels, ranging from something as low as a dog's to even a controversial choice that is outlawed in the Empire of using a human brain. It is practically impossible to use a cloned human brain for this critical component, as any newly created brain implanted has caused the organic components to commit suicide upon realizing it's new state and the futility of living in such a metal husk. On hypercapitalist worlds such as Metrus, prisoners or people who pissed off the wrong megacorporation are often used in these experiments due to them being cheap and already having a fully grown brain. Though it should be noted only a handful of these cases actually succeeded and most of these 'undesirables' are proven to be too violent or psychotic to be housed in a 10-metre tall warmarchine. 

The supplementary brain can pilot the mech if it's pilot is for any reason at all incapacitated or has dismounted, though it is remarkably less effective this way. Over time, a pilot forms a symbiotic relationship with it's MTA, with the MTA developing quirks and personality dependent on it's intellect level. You can't just pilot someone else's MTA even if you are a veteran pilot yourself. But the pay-off for having a fully-trained, equipped MTA with some veterancy in it's bioprocessor and pilot is definitely there, as no unmanned combat robot or armoured vehicle can match the steady mix of speed, firepower, tactical flexibility and armour they bring to the table.

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Meet-The-Real-Me In reply to richort12 [2019-06-01 15:35:13 +0000 UTC]

Thank you for the detailed explanation!
Though I hope the mecha brains are "plug-and-play" interchangeable?

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richort12 In reply to Meet-The-Real-Me [2019-06-01 17:43:20 +0000 UTC]

yup! though less plug and play and more "changing 5 engine-blocks with surgical precision" 

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Meet-The-Real-Me In reply to richort12 [2019-06-01 17:47:17 +0000 UTC]

Well, that's kinda bad, but better than nothing.  
Are those supposed to be mass-produced grunts, or rare ace units, only given out to elite pilots, then?

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richort12 In reply to Meet-The-Real-Me [2019-06-02 07:34:35 +0000 UTC]

Well otherwise it'd be too easy to deus-ex-machina a new machine with the same personality whenever an MTA gets lost. A lot of pilots who have used a specific MTA a lot will enter a post-mortem depression. And I like to keep that effect there for story-purposes so that the loss of a machine given personality hits their partner hard.

They are supposed to be rare ace-units. Since a lot of the modules have to he custom-built. Mass-produced "grunts" typically take the form of 'unmanned units' such as the Terra-Cotta here Terra-Cotta Unmanned Unit  or the Stinger light walker  These are very common in smaller governments due to their cheap production, having quickly become the "AK of robotic warfare". Rebels, authorities, corporate private-armies have all been using them since the designs became available to the military market. 

Earth maintains a maximum of one MTA-squadron (5 to 7 MTA's) per country. With Imperial and UN oversight ensuring that no country attempts to use them for purposes deemed "a hazard to international and interstellar peace." 

Just to clarify what is typically the equivalent of a veteran MTA-pilot duo in direct combat.

1 MTA equals- 15 Paragon battle-tanks
1 MTA equals- 9 Terra Cotta UUs
1 MTA equals- 10 10-man Hoplite-infantry squads equipped with a specialist AT-weapon per squad.
1 MTA equals- 5 Espa-class Atmospheric strike-fighters
1 MTA equals- 1 Corona-class Support Gunboat (a small mini-corvette used to provide cover for planetary invasion ships and orbital transports)

Granted MTA's are typically deployed as the "special forces" in armoured warfare. Conventional armoured and infantry forces perform the bulk of the fighting whereas MTA's use a low-altitude approach and flanking to destroy enemy concentrations of resistance such as fortresses, take out planetary defence-batteries or AA-clusters, engage enemy MTA's in combat and taking up vantage-positions (in the case of the Artillery-class or Juggernaut-class) to bring their own overwhelming firepower to bear. 

Speaking of classes, for that information I'd redirect you to an earlier lineup of three example-type MTA's I made. Which detail the 6 or so chassis-classes an MTA can be assigned to. From the flexible and hardened "tactical" to the nimble and full-flight capable "Interceptor" 

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Meet-The-Real-Me In reply to richort12 [2019-06-02 09:55:16 +0000 UTC]

That's great and all... But I sure hope 1 MTA costs (in machine production and deployment + pilot training) less than those 15 Paragons (or 5 Espas, or 1 Corona. etc.)...  

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richort12 In reply to Meet-The-Real-Me [2019-06-02 10:23:33 +0000 UTC]

XD oh don't worry, it does. This isn't star-wars, we don't need any illogical overly economically straining warmachines that outweigh the purpose. We have plenty of impractical bullshit but not for the sake of destroying a damn planet or being a massive grey slice of pizza. *cheap shot at Star Wars is cheap*

Maintenance can be expensive however, as one needs specialist-engineers for both the biological components and the mech's own sophisticated systems.

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Meet-The-Real-Me In reply to richort12 [2019-06-05 17:42:23 +0000 UTC]

If they're elite units deployed in such small numbers, then I guess that could be justified.

And hey, my Star Wars campaign had a super-weapon that could "mangle" time-space itself,
to destroy entire galactic sectors at once.    

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richort12 In reply to Chief-the-Demon [2019-05-01 21:37:56 +0000 UTC]

Sorry, I don't give out my exports ^^ especially him

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Chief-the-Demon In reply to richort12 [2019-05-01 21:39:34 +0000 UTC]

Dang it. how did u make this anyways

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richort12 In reply to Chief-the-Demon [2019-05-02 10:10:17 +0000 UTC]

Codebreaking mostly. The model is only so small because i altered his height to give perspective to the MTA. 

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Chief-the-Demon In reply to richort12 [2019-05-02 11:04:08 +0000 UTC]

oh

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