351 replies to this topic

[SethAbercromby]

Spokes, on 24 February 2014 - 07:32 PM, said:

Conventional aircraft can certainly be dangerous, especially in numbers. They can carry the same bombs aerofighters can, which makes them a threat to ground targets. But in air-to-air combat, conventional fighters and aerospace fighters are not really playing in the same league.

Actually, to quote Sarna here:

Quote

Conventional fighters also have the slight advantage, due to their more specialized design, of being able to turn tighter and fly longer in an atmosphere compared to ASF designs.

So basically, as long as combat is restricted to in-atmosphere, you should expect them to be at least as dangerous as you are with your ASF. Of course, a specialized bomber won't do much in Air to Air combat, but that's a given.

Edited by SethAbercromby, 25 February 2014 - 01:04 AM.

[Sparks Murphey]

Blarg blarg post blarg. Still more I want to write, but that at least lets Seth get on with stuff without having to wait for me.

Also, I improvised the grid coordinates. CMOPatrick mentioned firing on grid C7, so I figure that's "in front" of us. I've then placed us in C6 facing east, so B6 is to our left (where Sara ordered us scouts to flank through), D6 is to our right, C5 is behind us. In my mind, I'm also imagining the 7 column at the start of the buildings outside the field, while the 5 column is woods that brush into the 6 column with us.

[Red Duck]

Hey guys, thought I'd pop by and see how everyone was doing.
Just up to date on the story so far since the reboot now; excellent stuff guys, from the lot of you!
Really looking forward to seeing how this plays out.

[SethAbercromby]

Thanks Sparks, I've updated the coordinates in my post for consitency. I'll be adding another post in a few hours.

[dal10]

got a post up. not my best work, but better than nothing.

[The Shepherd]

Waiting for more of the ambushers to rear their heads and/or directions from the good Captain Shadow.
If anyone cant dispense of their foes by the end of their post, Momma'll lend a mailed fist.

[SethAbercromby]

Remember when i said I would write anouther post soon? Well, things happened and at some point I went through the post so often in my head that at some point I was sure I had already written it.

Anyhow, I will try to get a new one up today(-ish).

Btw, I'm not sure about the environment but where did those fighters return to? Is there another major airstrip close by? It's quite a feat for an area with a supposedly low military presence to be able to keep this many fighters fuled up and armed at the same time. We did take the airfield though, so that will leave quite a few without a proper landing area. I'm very interested to see where this will be going.

[Spokes]

The two F-90 Stingrays mentioned in the last post are friendly. They're the Isabella Rae'sfighter group.

We haven't seen any hostile fighters in the area of our airfield, but that doesn't mean there aren't any. If I remember right, there are some conventional fighters with VTOL capability that could be hiding out in the wilderness.

[Thom Frankfurt]

Enemy fighters are currently refueling and rearming. But they are based out of the planetary capitol. And I gotta apologize to you fellas, when I started writing the other day, I ran out of gas. I forget what happened, I think someone/something annoyed me and I lost my mojo. Super-Sorry.

Edited by Thom Frankfurt, 19 March 2014 - 05:14 PM.

[cmopatrick]

Fyi: tried to edit an error in my post and managed to royally (rhymes with "rue") up the whole post. I've deleted it and will correct and readd it when I get home from work. Once again, my "smart" phone has successfully defeated my attempts to do what should have been simple. (sigh)

[SethAbercromby]

Karma's not very pleasant a nemesis when it decides to strike you down, eh? The past week has been a joy-ride of technical difficulties, internet breakdowns and a surprise visit by the common cold somewhere in between. Well, it's what I get for not writing my posts immediately when I had the chance to. Forcing myself to write the damn thing while the universe still plays in my favor (or at least not against it).

EDIT: I've been wondering for a while now but how capable is a 'Mechs HUD? I know the cockpit a a main screen and the Neurohelmet is equipped with a secondary HUD but what are the actual limits of the technology?

EDIT 2: Yeah, I kind of want to flesh out my cockpit a little but I don't want to pull any stuff that is simply not doable. It can also influence how combat might play out, which is why it also interest me. I've got a petty solid base written up, the rest will be added then.

Edited by SethAbercromby, 27 March 2014 - 06:57 PM.

[Spokes]

SethAbercromby, on 27 March 2014 - 04:51 PM, said:

EDIT: I've been wondering for a while now but how capable is a 'Mechs HUD? I know the cockpit a a main screen and the Neurohelmet is equipped with a secondary HUD but what are the actual limits of the technology?

EDIT 2: Yeah, I kind of want to flesh out my cockpit a little but I don't want to pull any stuff that is simply not doable. It can also influence how combat might play out, which is why it also interest me. I've got a petty solid base written up, the rest will be added then.

Everything I've seen suggests BattleMechs vary wildly in terms of their cockpits and control layouts, especially the older designs. And the Griffin is a very old design. Your 'Mech may or may not have its original controls-- even the entire cockpit might have been replaced over the centuries. Line up ten Griffins side-by-side and they might very well all have completely different control layouts.

When you say, "stuff that is simply not doable", what specific things are you worried about?

[Sparks Murphey]

The big "no" is that true AIs don't exist. Bitchin' Betty might sound human, but she's not sentient, and has no emotions or personal motivations. The battle computer on board your 'Mech is capable of some rapid processing, though, and can be programmed to sound and act like a character, getting grumpy and insulting you if you miss your target too often, or freaking out about the cost of the repairs when you get damage. These are things that you have to actively program into the computer, though, and not a result of an innate personality. Of course, most BattleMechs are much older than their owners, so there's no telling what it's previous owner programmed in.

[SethAbercromby]

In terms of HUD, I was wondering about screen layout and the likes. For example, can the rear view be displayed simultaneously with the from view? Are there additional perspectives available to help with navigation? What I'm wondering about is mostly about how much spacial awareness a 'Mech pilot can have. Best case, I was thinking about a multi-screen layout with different view directions.

[Sparks Murphey]

Historically speaking, you'd have a panoramic display that showed a full 360 degrees around your 'Mech, usually mounted above your main view. That has fallen by the wayside a little with the games, and modern fiction often overlooks it, but that was a key feature of cockpits in the '80s fluff for BattleTech. You probably also have access to a 3D battlemap of the area, though it's reliability is likely to vary, since it will be constructed from a composite of purchased (and likely dated) maps of the area plus seismic/radar/magnetic anomaly data your BattleMech picks up on the fly.

[Spokes]

SethAbercromby, on 28 March 2014 - 06:29 PM, said:

In terms of HUD, I was wondering about screen layout and the likes. For example, can the rear view be displayed simultaneously with the from view? Are there additional perspectives available to help with navigation? What I'm wondering about is mostly about how much spacial awareness a 'Mech pilot can have.

Yes on both counts. If anything, the major problem is that there is often too much information available to a pilot.

SethAbercromby, on 28 March 2014 - 06:29 PM, said:

Best case, I was thinking about a multi-screen layout with different view directions.

That's basically the same layout I'm using in the "Vega's Havoks" thread-- one primary display and a number of smaller screens that can display feeds from external cameras. I say go for it.

[SethAbercromby]

Sparks Murphey, on 28 March 2014 - 06:58 PM, said:

Historically speaking, you'd have a panoramic display that showed a full 360 degrees around your 'Mech, usually mounted above your main view. That has fallen by the wayside a little with the games, and modern fiction often overlooks it, but that was a key feature of cockpits in the '80s fluff for BattleTech.

I feel such a view might cause some motion sickness regardless of how you do it...

Spokes, on 28 March 2014 - 07:52 PM, said:

That's basically the same layout I'm using in the "Vega's Havoks" thread-- one primary display and a number of smaller screens that can display feeds from external cameras. I say go for it.

Sounds good. Looks like in terms of cockpit there is not really a right or wrong way to do it, as long as one at least tries to keep it in line with the technical fluffs.

[GLIZZY GULPER]

I live!

What did I miss?

[SethAbercromby]

Depends how long you've been missing. We've hit on Midale, the Black Joke has been shot down and we are currently securing the airfield. We're currently only confronted with outdated tanks but the fact we lost a dropship suggests the presence of some decent military hardware.

[Thom Frankfurt]

Well in the defender's defense, the Black Joke was old, outdated, and long overdue to be either overhauled or parted out... Same thing with the King. Col. Black got both of them out of a bargain bin. The Isabella Rae is in good condition, but it's at the moment half cargo freighter half military...