Hostile Environment Harvesters for Hesperus and others

[AlphaMirage]

The thread on Hesperus II and heat got my mind thinking about the logistics of mining and exploiting mineral reserves on inhospitable planets. Thus I have three additions, the first is a large Harvester that is going to be doing the actual mining, followed by a robotic truck that will transport that mined material to a central hub for processing, and finally the transfer vehicle that will be operated when the Harvester needs to transfer its cargo to the transport.

Hesperus Surface Harvester Drone
Mass: 75 tons
Movement Type: Tracked
Power Plant: 150 Fission
Cruising Speed: 21.6 kph
Maximum Speed: 32.4 kph
Armor: Standard
Armament:
Manufacturer: Defiance Industries
     Primary Factory: Hesperus II
Cost: 3,395,000 C-bills

Background - Based on a heavy tank chassis the surface harvesting drone is sealed against hostile environments and powered by a small fission reactor. It utilizes the rock cutter, mining drill, and bulldozer to break apart ores and pile them up for the transfer unit to load into its internal cargo bay or any trailers it is carrying.

Code: [Select]

Type: Hesperus Surface Harvester
Technology Base: Inner Sphere (Standard)
Movement Type: Tracked
Tonnage: 75
Battle Value: 388

Equipment                                          Mass
Internal Structure                                  7.5
Engine                        150 Fission            15
Cruising MP: 2
Flank MP: 3
Heat Sinks:                   5                       0
Control Equipment:                                  4.0
Power Amplifier:                                    0.0
Turret:                                             1.0
Armor Factor                  104                   6.5

                          Internal   Armor   
                          Structure  Value   
     Front                   8         28   
     R/L Side               8/8      20/20   
     Rear                    8         16   
     Turret                  8         20   


Weapons
and Ammo                 Location    Tonnage   
Trailer Hitch              Rear        0.0     
Bulldozer                 Front        2.0     
Searchlight               Front        0.5     
Drone Operating System     Body        8.0     
Environmental Sealing       BD         7.5     
Rock Cutter               Turret       5.0     
Mining Drill              Turret       3.0     
Cargo                      Body        15.0   
Hesperus II Transfer Unit Drone
Mass: 30 tons
Movement Type: Tracked
Power Plant: 120 Fission
Cruising Speed: 43.2 kph
Maximum Speed: 64.8 kph
Armor: Standard
Armament:
Manufacturer: Defiance Industries
     Primary Factory: Hesperus II
Cost: 893,750 C-bills

Background - The HTU is another drone vehicle used for mineral exploitation, its backhoe gives it the ability to load loose ore into the 15 ton internal cargo bay of the HSH and remove the container so that it can be transloaded onto the robotic transporter then replace it. Typically this is done by the same operator of the HSH unit although with its slightly faster speed an HTU can service several HSH units and one is typically dedicated to loading the transport units.

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Type: Hesperus II Transfer Unit
Technology Base: Inner Sphere (Experimental)
Movement Type: Tracked
Tonnage: 30
Battle Value: 68

Equipment                                          Mass
Internal Structure                                    3
Engine                        120 Fission          10.5
Cruising MP: 4
Flank MP: 6
Heat Sinks:                   5                       0
Control Equipment:                                  1.5
Power Amplifier:                                    0.0
Armor Factor                  8                     0.5

                          Internal   Armor   
                          Structure  Value   
     Front                   3         3     
     R/L Side               3/3       2/2   
     Rear                    3         1     


Weapons
and Ammo                     Location    Tonnage   
Backhoe                        Rear        5.0     
Lift Hoist/Arresting Hoist    Front        3.0     
Drone Operating System         Body        3.5     
Environmental Sealing           BD         3.0     
Hesperus Robotic Surface Carrier
Mass: 45 tons
Movement Type: Tracked
Power Plant: 135 Fission
Cruising Speed: 32.4 kph
Maximum Speed: 54 kph
Armor: Standard
Armament:
Manufacturer: Defiance Industries
     Primary Factory: Hesperus II
Cost: 1,349,406 C-bills

Background - Hesperus Robotic Surface Carriers help alleviate the need for human drivers or drone consoles on the often long drives to remote bases or transport nodes. Since there is no need for speed or concern for fuel these robots typically haul a trailer with two more 15 ton bulk containers that halve its base speed when full.

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Type: Hesperus Surface Carrier
Technology Base: Inner Sphere (Advanced)
Movement Type: Tracked
Tonnage: 45
Battle Value: 227

Equipment                                          Mass
Internal Structure                                  4.5
Engine                        135 Fission            12
Cruising MP: 3
Flank MP: 5
Heat Sinks:                   5                       0
Control Equipment:                                  2.5
Power Amplifier:                                    0.0
Armor Factor                  56                    3.5

                          Internal   Armor   
                          Structure  Value   
     Front                   5         17   
     R/L Side               5/5      14/14   
     Rear                    5         11   


Weapons
and Ammo                       Location    Tonnage   
Trailer Hitch                    Rear        0.0     
Searchlight                     Front        0.5     
Environmental Sealing             BD         4.5     
Smart Robotic Control System     Body        2.5     
Cargo                            Body        15.0   

[idea weenie]

I'd wonder if you could make them all on the same chassis.  I.e. all of them at 75 tons, or even 60 tons (since the Surface Harvester has a 15-ton cargo bay).

The Surface Harvester doesn't have to be fast, just good at breaking up rocks.  Drop the Bulldozer feature, and let it focus on breaking stuff up with Mining Drill and Rock Cutter.  Add extra cargo tonnage and cost to reflect it having a structure that can have the Surface Carrier's top speed ability with an engine refit.  Since it isn't storing material internally, the cargo bay can be dropped.

The Transfer vehicle doesn't have to be fast, so it can be expanded to 60 tons and the same speed as the Surface Harvester.  Give it a Bulldozer attachment to organize material into piles while the Surface Carrier goes back and forth.  The Transfer Vehicle might have some cargo to support long-endurance mining operations, along with repair kits and spare parts for the Surface Harvester.

The Surface Carrier would either be a faster 60-ton chassis (4/6?), or be optimized for ton-kilometers per C-Bill (cargo * speed / cost).  You might have to make two designs so purchasers can decide which they want (the common 60-ton chassis, or the optimized cargo carrier).

Maybe add a trailer design so the Surface Carrier can bring along more cargo when it returns to the main processing location?

[ImperialistDog]

I'd look at how actual large mining companies handle this.  I believe you are leaning too hard into the game aspects for stats. 
The actual harvester should probably be the smallest of the units and should only need to go 1/2 or 2/3.  It only needs to break up the material and possibly push it closer to a material handler.  The material handler should be larger, potentially very large, designed to fill the transporter in at most 4 passes of its bucket or shovel.  The transporter is the important one, design it as the biggest size that will go 3/5.  Due to game mechanics it might end up more efficient to design it as a tractor that is mostly engine and a single trailer equal in weight to the tractor and totally devoted to cargo capacity.