New tech base idea concept

[Izzy193]

This is something that came to me just now as of this post, A tech base that instead of being uber like the clans. Specializes into Weight and crit reduction for their weapons and equipment in general. They may not damage or shoot as far as the clan weapons, but they are significantly lighter and less bulky than their clan or inner sphere counterparts. Let's Take this tech bases Medium Laser as an example.

In comparison to the IS medium laser, this tech base's medium laser weighs 0.5 tons and takes up only one crit but the other statistics and characteristics are the same as their IS counterpart. Similarly is the case for their ER Medium Laser(0.5 tons and 1 crit). Making them desirable from at least a tonnage and bulkiness front. the main drawback would be cost(as the tech needed to make them is classes as E-F rated) and heat generated is 25% higher than normal. Meaning this tech bases ER medium laser generates 7 points of heat vs 5 points for clan and IS counterparts and likewise 5 for the standard version.

Overall I am still working out the main drawbacks and advantages of this tech base. But their Endo-Steel and Ferro-Fibros armour takes up 4 crits vs 7 or 14. Similarly their XL Fusion engines only take up one slot per a side torso vs two or three per a side torso(but generates double heat for movement 4 vs 2 for movement).

[AlphaMirage]

The improved early clan/post SL weapons kind of hit all those points already. You kind of need some tradeoff and I definitely think a new tech base would have to be based on different design concepts or strange environments.

[idea weenie]

They'll be using a lot of larger weapons, as those weapons have the mass and crits to lose.

Unless it is like a percentage of the mass that is being lost.  I.e. a 0.5 ton medium Laser requires the same advances as a 2.5 ton Large Laser

[Izzy193]

I went with weight and crit reduction because I thought it would make this tech base kind of unique since making a 3 ton large laser or 5 ton large pulse laser would be harder without advances in knowledge. Seems like most of my ideas might be made redundant by existing IS and Clan developments.

[AlphaMirage]

Those improved weapon types are pretty deep lore since they only exist in Golden Century and Interstellar Ops: Alternate Eras. They have a lot of unexplored possibilities.

[Izzy193]

Those improved weapon types are pretty deep lore since they only exist in Golden Century and Interstellar Ops: Alternate Eras. They have a lot of unexplored possibilities.

so for this tech base I should look into the early clan stuff as a basis?

[AlphaMirage]

It would be the easiest adaption. They make missiles (and thus vehicles) very good while providing marginal improvements for ballistics and larger energy weapons. Smaller energy weapons are mostly unchanged as they are pretty good as is.

I have been using them extensively in my own AU which only has SHS (and the Radical Heat Sink System) thus the hotter, more advanced Level 2 tech is less viable than it would be in canon.

[Col Toda]

The reality is as 6th and 7th generation fightercraft is coming online the tech base capability seems to become identical.  I figure by the ilkhan era the realty of hybrid single tech base would happen.

[AlphaMirage]

The reality is as 6th and 7th generation fightercraft is coming online the tech base capability seems to become identical.  I figure by the ilkhan era the realty of hybrid single tech base would happen.

Definitely you can even see it happening post-Jihad/Reaving. If it wasn't for Stone's peace and the Republic it likely would have happened already.

Speaking of the Republic though Izzy, there are some interesting and odd-ball things in the RISC and Centurion tech that could be incorporated more thoroughly.