Author Topic: I know it's ridiculous, quiet!  (Read 2421 times)

Liam's Ghost

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I know it's ridiculous, quiet!
« on: 22 May 2019, 19:48:59 »
There's an AU that's been rattling around in the back of my head (the point of divergence being somewhere around 1955), and, well... here's one of the vehicles from it.

It's the primary combat vehicle of one of the warring powers of Rigil Kentaurus/Alpha Centauri. Their ultimate, invincible weapon. And... well... it obviously has its limitations. But if you get enough of them together...


Liberty V Heavy Infantry Tank

Mass: 100 tons
Movement Type: Tracked
Power Plant: 200 ICE
Cruising Speed: 21.6 kph
Maximum Speed: 32.4 kph
Armor: Standard
Armament:
     4 Machine Gun
     2 Flamer (Vehicle)
     2 AC/10
Manufacturer: Unknown
     Primary Factory: Unknown
Communication System: Unknown
Targeting & Tracking System: Unknown
Introduction Year: 3025
Tech Rating/Availability: E/X-F-F-D
Cost: 2,427,667 C-bills

Type: Liberty V Heavy Infantry Tank
Technology Base: Inner Sphere (Experimental)
Movement Type: Tracked
Tonnage: 100
Battle Value: 1,324

Equipment                                          Mass
Internal Structure                                   10
Engine                        200 ICE                17
   Cruising MP: 2
   Flank MP: 3
Heat Sinks:                   0                       0
Control Equipment:                                  5.0
Power Amplifier:                                    0.0
Armor Factor                  390                  24.5

                          Internal   Armor   
                          Structure  Value   
     Front                   10       100   
     R/L Side              10/10    100/100 
     Rear                    10        90   


Weapons
and Ammo                      Location    Tonnage      
Trailer Hitch                   Rear        0.0     
Vehicular Sponson Turret        Left        3.0     
4 Machine Guns                Sponson       2.0     
2 AC/10s                      Sponson       24.0   
2 Flamer (Vehicle)s            Front        1.0     
Vehicular Sponson Turret       Right        3.0     
Half Machine Gun Ammo (100)     Body        0.5     
Vehicle Flamer Ammo (40)        Body        2.0     
AC/10 Ammo (40)                 Body        4.0     
Infantry                        Body        4.0     


The record sheet attached is a PNG file because that was the only way I could get it small enough to attach. As a bonus I also included a PDF record sheet of the infantry it normally carts around.
« Last Edit: 22 May 2019, 19:58:49 by Liam's Ghost »
Good news is the lab boys say the symptoms of asbestos poisoning show an immediate latency of 44.6 years. So if you're thirty or over you're laughing. Worst case scenario you miss out on a few rounds of canasta, plus you've forwarded the cause of science by three centuries. I punch those numbers into my calculator, it makes a happy face.

(indirect accessory to the) Slayer of Monitors!

truetanker

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Re: I know it's ridiculous, quiet!
« Reply #1 on: 22 May 2019, 21:43:10 »
Wait what?

Code: [Select]
AC/10s                      Sponson
What is this, a Mark WW I Male variant?

Interesting... I do like the Li BA tho...

TT
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Liam's Ghost

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Re: I know it's ridiculous, quiet!
« Reply #2 on: 23 May 2019, 01:48:35 »
What is this, a Mark WW I Male variant?

Kind of! The inspiration was more or less the old World War I style tanks, scaled up to (almost) its impractical extreme as a slow moving hulking landship.

There's an in universe reasoning behind the sponsons though. By dispensing with the traditional turret, it allows them to have thicker armor elsewhere. There are obvious disadvantages, though, and not just in the lack of a turret. And I think an argument can be made that the extra armor isn't necessarily doing it any good...
Good news is the lab boys say the symptoms of asbestos poisoning show an immediate latency of 44.6 years. So if you're thirty or over you're laughing. Worst case scenario you miss out on a few rounds of canasta, plus you've forwarded the cause of science by three centuries. I punch those numbers into my calculator, it makes a happy face.

(indirect accessory to the) Slayer of Monitors!

garhkal

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Re: I know it's ridiculous, quiet!
« Reply #3 on: 23 May 2019, 02:02:17 »
How did you get the sponsons??
It's not who you kill, but how they die!
You can't shoot what you can't see.
You can not dodge it if you don't know it's coming.

The_Caveman

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Re: I know it's ridiculous, quiet!
« Reply #4 on: 23 May 2019, 03:23:25 »
Not insane enough, make it a 200 tonner :P
Half the fun of BattleTech is the mental gymnastics required to scientifically rationalize design choices made decades ago entirely based on the Rule of Cool.

The other half is a first-turn AC/2 shot TAC to your gyro that causes your Atlas to fall and smash its own cockpit... wait, I said fun didn't I?

Liam's Ghost

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Re: I know it's ridiculous, quiet!
« Reply #5 on: 23 May 2019, 16:21:55 »
Not insane enough, make it a 200 tonner :P

It would actually have less space for weapons and armor. Over half its mass would just be the engine.  :))

It may actually be impossible to duplicate this set of capabilities (including the armor points per facing, you have to armor two more locations once you go superheavy) on a superheavy vehicle. The closest you can seem to get is at 150 tons.

Of course if you're fine with total armor mass being the same rather than armor coverage, you might be able to add a missile launcher or two to each sponson.

How did you get the sponsons??

In megameklab sponson turrets are added as equipment (make sure you're set to the right tech level). After you add the sponsons and the weapons you want to go into them into the proper location, you have to right click on the weapon and select add to turret.
Good news is the lab boys say the symptoms of asbestos poisoning show an immediate latency of 44.6 years. So if you're thirty or over you're laughing. Worst case scenario you miss out on a few rounds of canasta, plus you've forwarded the cause of science by three centuries. I punch those numbers into my calculator, it makes a happy face.

(indirect accessory to the) Slayer of Monitors!

The_Caveman

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Re: I know it's ridiculous, quiet!
« Reply #6 on: 23 May 2019, 16:26:17 »
Could always just make it 1/2 at 200 tons. That would be about the same speed as a WWI landship anyway.
Half the fun of BattleTech is the mental gymnastics required to scientifically rationalize design choices made decades ago entirely based on the Rule of Cool.

The other half is a first-turn AC/2 shot TAC to your gyro that causes your Atlas to fall and smash its own cockpit... wait, I said fun didn't I?

Liam's Ghost

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Re: I know it's ridiculous, quiet!
« Reply #7 on: 14 June 2019, 16:51:33 »
So I tinkered with this some more, swapped to large lasers to free up space for more (but still rather token) secondary weapons.

I also made a cruiser tank to go with it. I imagine this army operating in something like early world war II style, with the heavy tanks and infantry for the main force, and lighter, faster (but uncomfortably thin skinned) cruiser tanks being used as exploitation forces. Primitive battlemechs might operate alongside either group, depending on their mobility, but these are rare, harder to build (mostly purchased as surplus) and too prestigious to casually risk like you would a tank.

Their opponents would instead rely on a single tank hull (I'm seriously considering the scorpion, with a healthy number of variants) but have a larger force of primitive battlemechs to call upon, as they have better relations with the people who build battlemechs.


Liberty V Heavy Infantry Tank

Mass: 100 tons
Movement Type: Tracked
Power Plant: 200 ICE
Cruising Speed: 21.6 kph
Maximum Speed: 32.4 kph
Armor: Standard
Armament:
     4 Machine Gun
     2 SRM 2
     2 Flamer (Vehicle)
     2 Large Laser
Manufacturer: Unknown
     Primary Factory: Unknown
Communication System: Unknown
Targeting & Tracking System: Unknown
Introduction Year: 2750
Tech Rating/Availability: E/F-F-F-D
Cost: 2,207,667 C-bills

Type: Liberty V Heavy Infantry Tank
Technology Base: Inner Sphere (Experimental)
Movement Type: Tracked
Tonnage: 100
Battle Value: 1,315

Equipment                                          Mass
Internal Structure                                   10
Engine                        200 ICE                17
   Cruising MP: 2
   Flank MP: 3
Heat Sinks:                   16                     16
Control Equipment:                                  5.0
Power Amplifier:                                    1.0
Armor Factor                  390                  24.5

                          Internal   Armor   
                          Structure  Value   
     Front                   10       100   
     R/L Side              10/10    100/100 
     Rear                    10        90   


Weapons
and Ammo                      Location    Tonnage      
Trailer Hitch                   Rear        0.0     
Vehicular Sponson Turret        Left        1.5     
4 Machine Guns                Sponson       2.0     
2 SRM 2s                      Sponson       2.0     
2 Large Lasers                Sponson       10.0   
2 Flamer (Vehicle)s            Front        1.0     
Vehicular Sponson Turret       Right        1.5     
Half Machine Gun Ammo (100)     Body        0.5     
Vehicle Flamer Ammo (40)        Body        2.0     
SRM 2 Ammo (100)                Body        2.0     
Infantry                        Body        4.0     
   

Falcon Cruiser Tank

Mass: 45 tons
Movement Type: Tracked
Power Plant: 225 ICE
Cruising Speed: 54 kph
Maximum Speed: 86.4 kph
Armor: Standard
Armament:
     1 Large Laser
Manufacturer: Unknown
     Primary Factory: Unknown
Communication System: Unknown
Targeting & Tracking System: Unknown
Introduction Year: 2750
Tech Rating/Availability: E/C-D-C-C
Cost: 590,513 C-bills

Type: Falcon Cruiser Tank
Technology Base: Inner Sphere (Standard)
Movement Type: Tracked
Tonnage: 45
Battle Value: 430

Equipment                                          Mass
Internal Structure                                  4.5
Engine                        225 ICE                20
   Cruising MP: 5
   Flank MP: 8
Heat Sinks:                   8                       8
Control Equipment:                                  2.5
Power Amplifier:                                    0.5
Turret:                                             0.5
Armor Factor                  64                      4

                          Internal   Armor   
                          Structure  Value   
     Front                   5         16   
     R/L Side               5/5      12/12   
     Rear                    5         12   
     Turret                  5         12   


Weapons
and Ammo              Location    Tonnage      
Trailer Hitch           Rear        0.0     
Large Laser            Turret       5.0     
Good news is the lab boys say the symptoms of asbestos poisoning show an immediate latency of 44.6 years. So if you're thirty or over you're laughing. Worst case scenario you miss out on a few rounds of canasta, plus you've forwarded the cause of science by three centuries. I punch those numbers into my calculator, it makes a happy face.

(indirect accessory to the) Slayer of Monitors!

Liam's Ghost

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Re: I know it's ridiculous, quiet!
« Reply #8 on: 14 June 2019, 16:53:36 »
And the Falcon's record sheet.
Good news is the lab boys say the symptoms of asbestos poisoning show an immediate latency of 44.6 years. So if you're thirty or over you're laughing. Worst case scenario you miss out on a few rounds of canasta, plus you've forwarded the cause of science by three centuries. I punch those numbers into my calculator, it makes a happy face.

(indirect accessory to the) Slayer of Monitors!

Daryk

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Re: I know it's ridiculous, quiet!
« Reply #9 on: 14 June 2019, 16:54:51 »
The other side uses a single tank hull?  I recommend the Goblin... it has a number of very nice variants (LRM, SRM, and the MG one can carry over a platoon!).

Liam's Ghost

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Re: I know it's ridiculous, quiet!
« Reply #10 on: 14 June 2019, 19:29:57 »
The other side uses a single tank hull?  I recommend the Goblin... it has a number of very nice variants (LRM, SRM, and the MG one can carry over a platoon!).

Probably not initially. They have a much smaller industrial base and population, so they're more intensely budget oriented. I imagine the Goblin being on the drawing board as a more late war upgrade once they really grasp that you get what you pay for.
Good news is the lab boys say the symptoms of asbestos poisoning show an immediate latency of 44.6 years. So if you're thirty or over you're laughing. Worst case scenario you miss out on a few rounds of canasta, plus you've forwarded the cause of science by three centuries. I punch those numbers into my calculator, it makes a happy face.

(indirect accessory to the) Slayer of Monitors!

Daryk

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Re: I know it's ridiculous, quiet!
« Reply #11 on: 14 June 2019, 23:07:47 »
Makes sense... you can get a lot of mileage out of a Scorpion hull too...

 

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