Battle Armor of the Week - Sloth

[jymset]

Twin King Davids, nice, but why the Mechanical Jump Booster? A quad doesn't one to move four, in fact the Sloth could get 4 ground MP and almost another 3 points of armor for the same weight as a Mechanical Jump Booster

Because the MJB is a piece of equipment. The Huntsman uses the identical ground motive system to the normal Sloths, so no difficult change there, and retains the identical armour quantity (if at markedly improved quality).

[Wrangler]

Well, I've visually liked the Sloth.  I'm glad its still around, after all.  You need the near perfect ones out there, bad /but functional ones out there and odd ones.  Two out three isn't soo bad now?  8)

I think, sillybrit, reason why the Sloth is still among us in the Dark Age is actually easy to answer.  The Sloth was among the battle armor used during WizKid's run of the Darkage clinky game.

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

Was there a change to the King David's damage value at some point?

[Arkansas Warrior]

It was errataed somewhere (along with the bearhunter, IIRC) to do extra damage vs BA.  So yes, as long as you're facing other BA.

[sillybrit]

TacOps errata. The Plasma Rifle is another that got extra damage vs battle armor.

[SCC]

You know what the Huntsmen reminds me of now that I think about it? An XTRO entry, it looks like it a prototype for an upgraded, improved Sloth II, from what jymset is saying it's a field refit and if it does well enough a full production run of a better designed version may be authorized, note too that it's new movement rate is the same as the Fenrir, allowing it to keep up with assault 'Mechs

[UnLimiTeD]

it looks like it a prototype for an upgraded, improved Sloth II,

This looks like you really wanna rub sillybrit the wrong way.  :D
Count me in.  ^-^

[mbear]

Actually the Sloth might be a good base for a support unit. Indirect fire weapons are just as useful for battle armor, after all. Granted you won't carry a lot of them, but so what? Something's better than nothing.

Battle Armor tube artillery, for the fun.

Edit: Support Sloth

Edit: Real Support Sloth with stats

[SCC]

     jymset: The performance discrepancy of these two oldies is illustrated by a review in context of the current construction rules. As was established last week,  these rules were clearly created with the Elemental representing a standard. The Sloth on the other hand did not. In fact, the Sloth - unchanged as it is in regards to updated game rules - is the single least efficient existing suit in regards to updated construction rules. It is actually 270 kgs underweight. All other design choices aside, this very fact hobbles the Sloth more than any other battle armor featured in 3058U (the pre-construction rules batch) and beyond.

Instead of looking for ways to improve the baseline suit, the empty weight allows for an interesting meta-view: with prototype armour, the Sloth would come in at almost exactly the weight maximum for its heavy class. When the design was applied to the construction rules - or vice versa - this was definitely known. As such, the simple fact that it does not carry this obsolete armour is highly suggestive in terms of the Sloth reaching production acceptance (which indeed it did in the Lyran half of the defunct Federated Commonwealth during the years leading up to the Civil War). Unfortunately, this acceptance reflected a temporary lack of alternatives rather than any satisfactory performance…

I have to wonder if this means we have stats for Sloth's refitted with upgraded armor after standard armor was developed, the original production used prototype armor and was standard was developed they switched to that instead but never bothered to increase the amount of armor.

I also have to wonder if there are upgraded version of the Sloth that we've never heard about

[glitterboy2098]

how much armor could it carry if it used it's full mass, but left everything else alone?

[SCC]

They could carry another 5 points of standard armor, bring it up to 10 points, you switch over to the advanced stuff and you could bump that up to 13

[mutantsix]

Does the mechanical jump booster (jump mp1) on the huntsman mean that it can be deployed from a hovering VTOL?

[Hellraiser]

how much armor could it carry if it used it's full mass, but left everything else alone? 

Exactly double.   (5 to 10)

Prototype Armor weighs twice as much as Standard Armor.

I'm with the above in thinking it was designed originally using Prototype weights which would then not be an underweight design.

At some point the RS however got Standard Armor so now its very underweight.

[Jellico]

Does the mechanical jump booster (jump mp1) on the huntsman mean that it can be deployed from a hovering VTOL?

The mechanical jump boosters are basically a pogo stick. Probably not great as a pseudo parachute.

[Sabelkatten]

IIRC it has been asked and answered that MJBs allows a BA to drop from level 1 (i.e. as high as they can jump).

[Wrangler]

The mechanical jump boosters are basically a pogo stick. Probably not great as a pseudo parachute.

IIRC it has been asked and answered that MJBs allows a BA to drop from level 1 (i.e. as high as they can jump).

Now i have the Inspector Gadget theme playing in my head...Go Go Sloth Legs! (pONg!)

The Huntsman variant is amusing.  ;D All silliness aside, i think the Sloth should at least get BA style LRM launcher or something to help it truck on. It has too much character to be put away.  Quad Turret or something. 

[Sabelkatten]

Strip the original weapons and fill it with MRMs. MMM for the win (or the lulz, at least)! :D

[Hellraiser]

I had a custom model that swapped the twin SLs & mine dispenser with twin Magshots & SRM-3?  I think.
It seemed like it would make for a solid platform with 3 guns reaching range 9,  good for urban areas.

[BATTLEMASTER]

Just reinforcing that the interdictor variant with its ECM can provide ghost targets cover for friendly units in its hex.  This was brought up in the BAotW article for the Nighthawk too.

[glitterboy2098]

I had a custom model that swapped the twin SLs & mine dispenser with twin Magshots & SRM-3?  I think.
It seemed like it would make for a solid platform with 3 guns reaching range 9,  good for urban areas.

The other day I was playing around and determined you could fit a small laser and and LRM5 with 4 shots, and still have enough mass to increase the armor by a couple points. Which would turn the sloth squad into basically a mobile LRM20. Though the missiles would have to be non-turreted. (Using a turret either cuts into your ammo or forces you to drop the SL to find the space, though that would allow for even more armor)

Ultimately I think the sloth's problem stems from the fact it keeps being designed as an up close attack unit the way that IS standards and elementals were, when it's size and slow speed really should have pushed it into a ranged support role. Of course part of that was the fact that BA at the time were much more narrowly conceived as just alternate infantry, which was also almost entirely short ranged and direct combat.

[Weirdo]

Just reinforcing that the interdictor variant with its ECM can provide ghost targets cover for friendly units in its hex.  This was brought up in the BAotW article for the Nighthawk too.

Suits with ground movement like the Sloth might actually have a marginal advantage over jumping ones like the Nighthawk. In the situation discussed in that thread, I actually ran into the issue where if the mech being protected tried to close with targets at a full sprint the suits feel behind, but if it moved at its normal combat speed or stood still for better shooting, the Nighthawks could not jump their full distance and still end in the same hex, and the resulting drop in TMM made them vulnerable. Because suits do not pay for turns, a Sloth squad can move in a curve or even move in one direction and then right back, to maintain its max TMM.

[Hellraiser]

Because suits do not pay for turns, a Sloth squad can move in a curve or even move in one direction and then right back, to maintain its max TMM.

Oh sir, I like where your head is at.
Might not work in a wooded hex but still, a nice "triangle" move of 3 hexes out & back if the mech is parked behind a L1 hill is a solid option.

[glitterboy2098]

created a workshop thread for the ideas about how to improve the Sloth..
https://bg.battletech.com/forums/battle-armor/making-lemonade-out-of-lemons-the-sloth-baotw-workshop-thread/

started with my LRM support version.

[SCC]

Suits with ground movement like the Sloth might actually have a marginal advantage over jumping ones like the Nighthawk. In the situation discussed in that thread, I actually ran into the issue where if the mech being protected tried to close with targets at a full sprint the suits feel behind, but if it moved at its normal combat speed or stood still for better shooting, the Nighthawks could not jump their full distance and still end in the same hex, and the resulting drop in TMM made them vulnerable. Because suits do not pay for turns, a Sloth squad can move in a curve or even move in one direction and then right back, to maintain its max TMM.

Actually you can get a Sloth to move up to 5 hexes, you've just got to use a couple of special rules. Fast Movement from TacOps and Foot Cavalry from A Time Of War Companion both boost a squads ground MP by 1

[BATTLEMASTER]

I favor parking an ECM Sloth in woods or partial cover with a sniper or LRM battlemech in the same hex with ghost targets in effect.  Could be brutal with a Longbow or Thunderhawk >:D