139 replies to this topic

[Tterrag]

Ok so yeah they are big bad intimidating and technologically advanced but would a giant bipedal walking target really be practical on the battlefield? I mean don't get me wrong if I had a choice of going into a fight in a tank our in an atlas I'm going atlas but in the end wouldn't a battle armor be more perusal in most situations. You knew I unless you find yourself in some huge open space that can accommodate huge towering fortresses of destruction. Any thoughts?

[Horizon]

METAL GEAR!


So yeah, large mechs seem about impractical as is, so far the technology is still limited to doing much for these warbeast.

Also, we're still really dependant on missiles and junk.

Why I said metal gear, it's because it is a bipedal tank and it's designed to shoot nukes from a railgun.

Edited by Horizon, 14 June 2012 - 03:56 PM.

[Mechxican JAKE]

Construction and demolition companies would find some uses for them, haha

[Okami Ryu]

dunno about combat but i could easily see mechs being used in construction

edit:so close to making an original point

Edited by Okami Ryu, 14 June 2012 - 03:53 PM.

[Frostiken]

Personally I think any form of mech would cap out at around chassis in the 30T range, and be fairly limited in use, and mostly only exist as an urban assault / control unit. Vehicles tend to lose too much maneuverability in close quarters, and a mech would work a bit better as it'd be able to take corners and bound over obstacles much easier.

[Torcip]

Not anywhere in the near future, if somehow the human race were to have an empire of thousands of planets then maybe. But when a tank that's a quarter of the price and requires a fifth of the materials and can take out a battlemech because it has weapons sufficient enough then no one is going to want to field a mech.

[Tterrag]

I definitely feel that they would have a fast more practical use in construction. I'm pretty sure that unless we used said construction mechs to move all our buildings underground that they won't be practical for actual combat.

[MITHRIL]

Outside of construction, No! The reason why, 2 words: Air Support! A good air force would just shread a battlemech to bits. Also, in the real world, we measure weapon ranges in miles. So even with today's weapons armies are shooting each other before they even see each other. A giant battlemech on the open battlefield, where it would be supposedly at it's most advantageous is practically a sitting duck for today's weapons. It would destroyed by waves of smart bombs, 120mm shells, 12in rockets and anti-tank missiles before it even got into range to return fire. In an urban setting mechs would be at even more of an disadvantage with infantry climbing up it's legs and down it's back planting c-4 plastic explosives not to mention all the hits it would be taking from shoulder fired anti-tank weapons.

Edited by MITHRIL, 14 June 2012 - 04:06 PM.

[Wolf22]

The biggest advantage mechs have over other gun platforms like tanks is that they are much more maneuverable. Tanks can't go cruising through great piles of rubble or heavy woods like mechs. They certainly can’t go driving underwater as a mech can.

[Bandaids]

Light class mechs would have alot of practicality Because they are small and in an urban setting smaller is better. Look How bullpup rifles started to take off Recently due to urban combat. Their barrels extend back into the butt of the gun enabling the manufacture to not need to have a long front end

[Munro]

I actually had put some thought into mechs on the modern day battlefield. Practically speaking if you could work out the gyros and stabilizers (for balance) inside of say a Madcat/Timberwolf there's no reason why you couldn't equip two shorted modified tank barrels (arms), 2-4 .50 cal weapons (torso), a flamer thrower (more of a psychological deterrent), pack in as much LRMs or modern day equivalent missiles into the "ears" and make it work to scale. Just one mech of any size, class or armament would turn the tide in today's battles. No more lives lost just one mech pilot supported by aircraft taking out Taliban/insurgent strong holds. I doubt it will take hundreds of years to develop a "mechworks" of sorts but I don't see it happening in the next decade or two. Modern day portable (keyword "portable") weaponized lasers don't exist (like a phaser) but that doesn't mean you couldn't do without or replace them altogether will ammo based weapons.

Edited by Munro, 14 June 2012 - 04:06 PM.

[EyeOne]

Whether or not the are the most practical military option is irrelevant to a point. I think we've invented the idea of "giant walking death machines" and so someone at some point will build one. There is a reason science fiction becomes science fact and it's not because people image the best way to do something. It's because people imagine *a* way to do something and we decide to make it happen.

[Torcip]

Wolf22, on 14 June 2012 - 04:02 PM, said:

The biggest advantage mechs have over other gun platforms like tanks is that they are much more maneuverable. Tanks can't go cruising through great piles of rubble or heavy woods like mechs. They certainly can’t go driving underwater as a mech can.

Submarines man, a mech will not outmaneuver a submarine. And I think you would be surprised what a tank can drive through.

[Dirk Le Daring]

Ever since MW2 I have envisioned the Mad Dog (Vulture) as a mech that could be refitted to be of great use in fighting bushfires/forest fires.

[Xantars]

Power armor would be of better use then giant batle mechs - possibly smaller recon mechs built for fast strikes then yes. Right now big mechs would only be pratical against smaller countrys that dont have all the fancy high tech weapons

[Tterrag]

I had never really thought about it or heard anything about it why exactly dont you just get a high altitude bomber to drop a smart bomb on the cockpit your enemies mechs seems kinda simple now that I think about it. I course that LFMs would be able to shoot some down but then you get a destroyer of the coast to stick a shell or two into it and game over. In the end the size is. the problem

[Bandaids]

The reason mechs have no practicality really is because you can break them by shooting at the joints and the cost of maintaining one would be insane.

[Torcip]

Dirk Le Daring, on 14 June 2012 - 04:08 PM, said:

Ever since MW2 I have envisioned the Mad Dog (Vulture) as a mech that could be refitted to be of great use in fighting bushfires/forest fires.

Things like that are the most likely application; construction and hazardous environment work.

Also, there's a reason why tanks are built short and wide and not tall and skinny. If it can be knocked over with a big enough push, it is not going to be helpful in a fight.

Edited by Torcip, 14 June 2012 - 04:12 PM.

[Luke Garrad]

Hear me out here guys. Why not a mech that can turn into a apache helicopter, think I have solved it. And maybe they could make a good classic tv show but make sure its not ruined in future

[Tterrag]

Wait so how fast exactly are the Nightshade supposed to be in game and why use mech when you get three myrmadon with the big bad ppc to blast out the center torso of most mech in a couple shots ...wait I got off track but yeah maybe an owens or a raven could do some serious fear mongering or the almighty puma