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Location and Briefing information posted. As opposed to running the test series with every single loadout, I've opted for a far more efficient running applicable/unique loadouts for each scenario. (For example the basic obstacle course, since most designs did not put in any enhancements to the engine such as a supercharger or additional fuel, there's no need to run every single model through it).
Update #2, basic fluff edition! (Build rules updated with the nuances discovered while building all the already proposed models for testing.)
Somewhere between 2700 and 2800, a number of college students at an unspecified Elusian city university on the planet Nirasaki and brief employees of Blue Heron Collective's local computer branch together with a pair of engineers got together with the help of a local automative industry leader to try and get into the then booming battlemech business by competing in the least opposed element of the field there was, the Ultralight. This new Battlemech was set to be called the "Asuka", which could be interpreted to mean "the scent of tomorrow" or "to fly like as a bird." The second is perhaps better considered as a metaphor representing symbolism for "freedom." However, it would fail at being either of these things.
(Note: It is a temporary name but despite its obvious source, it fits incredibly well).
Ultimately numerous issues stalled their 15 ton 'could be' Battlemech as something of a laughing stock due to a number of premises that were as yet still several centuries ahead of their time and the overall lack of funds meant that the project was going nowhere beyond the pair of prototypes...in the military industry. At the defense expo the Asuka's greatest two flaws were revealed despite near perfect execution of the planned display. Poor armor especially on the arms and its reliance on archaic and abandoned Terran Hegemony weapons. Both of these could easily be fixed if the company only had the investment of some interested parties. But in the end their display was the polar opposite of the Mackie's debut, a single modern tank utterly humiliated and disgraced them without firing a single shot.
However despite a flop that nearly brought them to preparations to file for bankruptcy, the phone rang with a small order..then a few more, each requesting limited numbers. Baffled, they began small production runs on the Asuka exactly as it was.
As it turned out one of the two transport trucks carrying the pair of Asuka prototypes had made a series of an unauthorized side trips. It began with a bathroom break. This was followed by a series of other small stops which amounted to it being over two hours late. The series of small seemingly inconsequential events had actually led to the Asuka performing a small number of feats that apparently put it into the local news. From there it jumped into national news to planetary and on the Lone Star Province's interplanetary news as a small scrolling marque headline.
At the time in terms of the area of law enforcement, the overall leading contender was the Coventry Peacekeeper Series Copper SecurityMech with the most common being the CPK 19. For fire rescue, no genuine competitors seemed to stand out. As such, the at-the-time unarmed Asuka doing humanitarian acts -- such as assisting a cat out of a tree by means of directly handling the cat without any harm done to it and moving the wreckage of a recent crash in order to clear the way for traffic (and subsequently its transport truck) without causing additional damage -- was amazing news. The industry leading competitor already had some qualms such as being "overarmed" even when using rubber bullets and tear gas, accidental death, excessive use of force, and property damage with its 40+ mph running speed.
However, despite these and several more small orders, the Asuka would fall on hard times as the company's plans to improve the design never happened between the Amaris Civil War and media attention on the latest securitymechs such as Guard in 2914.
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Appearance: The Asuka's roughly average to small in height for a 15 ton mech, though 3044's General Motors-built GM-3A Pompier Firemech is almost twice its height. Its designers were inspired to make the Asuka become the "opposite of the Trooper" (later known as the Flea) and its 13+ iterations of many flaws before finding mild success. Instead of relying on obscene speeds believed to cause physical harm to pilots being jostled around as if riding a Terran Bull, it relied on concepts such as ambushes and versatility to be rapidly reequipped for the situation as needed.
As such it has large feat providing a higher than standard degree of stability. Its disproportionately long arms possess an astonishing range of motion at the time rivaled only by the Quickdraw. Between this and its broad shoulders and bulged chest area, some at the military expo referred to it as the "Monkey mech," the "Orangutan", and the it was once called "Whiny Gorilla" due to the shrieks and pleading cries of Prototype #2's pilot during the humiliating display at the Expo.
The pilot is seated in an open air cockpit, with a knight's helmet-like visor that can be lowered to offer protection or kept up to offer maximum situational awareness. This was never intended to be the final design and the pilot is required to wear hearing and eye protection. The Neural-helm, though extremely basic, could have been considered revolutionary if anyone from the Star League actually got their hands on it. However when seen at the expo, potential investors believed it to be fake. By comparison was little more than a basic motorcycle helmet, rather than the large, clunky neural helm commonly seen in Battlemechs where a condensed 130 degree FOV screen and HUD to make up for in ability to move the neck. The disorientation often felt by first time mech pilots would be nowhere to be found for first time Asuka pilots. The caveat, however, was that its functionality was also largely stripped. No HUD, no real sensor suite, no fire control system. Just set of three small flat monitors that provided very basic functionality during an age where holographic displays were more common.
Support:
For what it lacks in sensors and advanced equipment, it is partnered at the bare minimum with a command car that provides an external set of eyes and ears as well as carries the equipment the Asuka itself lacks. For long distance transportation, the Asuka has a transport truck which takes up two standard lanes, and can be airlifted by a special low-cost VTOL craft as well. Asukas typically operate in pairs and their loadouts sometimes reflect this.
Equipment is usually seen mounted in the form of backpacks, attachments between the shoulder-and-head, and in hand-held weapons. This equipment was originally discontinued and kept in various surplus storage areas for one or more centuries, many from before the age of the Battlemech and simply refurbished as cheap placeholder weapons as a proof of concept. Some minor improvements and small third party tweaks have created some newer designs, but none of these would ever be considered good enough to raise any eyebrows that mattered.
Design quirks:
Postivie:
Hyper-Extending Actuators (to reflect the range of motion)
(Stable is implied, but also negated by the dumbed down neural helm).
Modular weapons
(Conditional)
Jettison-Capable Weapons (Arm weapons only; weapons in each arm are treated as one weapon, with weapon+ammo massing 3 tons or higher counting a weapon in both hands.)
(Place any "disposable" one use weapons in the torso.)
Neutral:
Fine actuators. (Similar to Vestigial Hands, has only a role playing/objective/fluff-based value.)
Negative:
Non-standard parts (easy explanation of how they haven't been completely dismantled to use in other mechs).
Exposed Actuators (also added to reflect how the range of motion is possible. If using on real tabletop, this refers to lower leg actuators and lower arm actuators, aka knees and elbows. No such distinction can be made in Megamek at this time.)
Poor Life Support (It is an open air cockpit and lacks air conditioning and only offers the basic cooling vest...and nothing else. Not a problem during normal police duties, but really bad during combat.)
Poor targeting (Long) (In addition to lacking a fire control system, the weapons uses the iron sight approach with a camera placed on top, displayed on either the left or right monitor. This sight has no range adjustment indicators.)
Bad Reputation (military markets and mercenaries, and virtually anywhere outside of the Lone Star province, and within the Lone Star Province after 30k.)
Conditional:
Exposed Ammo Feed (applies to any 'central ammunition' stored in the torso that supplies weapons in both hands). (For some reason it isn't listed on Sarna.net, despite being directly referrenced under Static Ammo Feed)
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Speed: 2/3. (The same speed as the Urbanmech) Can push 4 with sprinting for very short periods. (Can hit 5 if given a supercharger).
Fuel Cell engine.
Heatsinks: 1 (note: sprinting generates 3 heat, going flanking speed generates 2).
Fuel economy base: Not yet determined, possibly in update 3?
Machine has 1 ton of commercial-grade armor as a base, with the weakest points being the arms themselves and the head and the strongest point being the front center torso.
If you would like to participate in creating variant loadouts, please adhere to the following basic rules.
Rules:
*IS tech only.
*The mech is 15 tons, keep this in mind when considering equipment where the mech weight factors into the item's final weight, and note that BT always rounds up when rounding.
*Do not design a completely new mech (change leg count, weight limit, engine, etc).
*A supercharger is permitted, it is half a ton but desperately needs the inclusion of a second heatsink or even third heatsink.
*An incremental increase of armor is permitted. The specifics are not necessary, but be aware that it carries commercial grade armor (high points per ton, virtually any vehicular/mech weapon can get a through armor critical.).
*Increases in armor is treated as a temporary loadout change.
*Any equipment and weapons should be reasonably able to be found within the Terran Hegemony/lower end Star League tech to 3050 and is encouraged to include items no longer actively use by the military such as one shot (OS) missile launchers, Rifles, Mortars, shields (despite the year introduced issue) and melee weapons, as well as one-shot variants of missile launchers. It can use any available ammunition, such as smoke and tear gas SRMs, as well as the Vehicular Grenade Launcher.
*Timeline exceptions are made for basic concepts that make basic sense, i.e. "a sword."
*Creative interpretation of game and equipment rules is encouraged, such as using a retractable blade being used as a placeholder for a "baton" that can be put away and pulled out.
*Disposable weapons are permitted. For example an "OS" SRM-2 carried as a disposable "LAW"
*Any energy weapons require the cost of (UPDATED) 10% of the overal energy weapon's bulk per weapon, rounded up to the nearest half ton.
*The use of energy-powered weapons will greatly reduce the machine's fuel economy.
*It is highly recommended any energy focused builds factor in a second or third heatsink, as 5 heat above the given number of sinks will have a chance of melting it.
*Any equipment and weaponry is encouraged make sense in a given role of either guard duty or enforcement against civilian hostilities or potential terrorism, though many civilian industrial mechs are both heavier and stronger than it.
*Equipment loadouts are also encouraged to explore non-police concepts such as fire rescue and disaster relief. Also welcome are "retired" loadout concepts such as other civilian industrial applications.
*Equipment or weapons placed in the torso will be semi-modular but cannot be changed quickly, limiting the machine's flexibility in missions. Please give care to consider what you supply it with.
*Weapons placed in arms will be modular/jettison capable. This means they will be able to be swapped out very quickly, can be put down and picked back up or even thrown as needed.
*For any weapons placed in the arms, the weapon will be handheld. Handheld weapons are modular/Jettison-capable (can be swapped out quickly or dropped whenever needed) and should have the ammunition in the same side..
*Weapons combined together in one arm, including ammo if supplied and in total weighing less than 3 tons it will be in the form of a single-handed weapon with multiple barrels. (Think Phoenix Hawk)
*If the weapon(s) placed in a single arm has a combined weight of 3 tons including ammunition, it must be held in 2 hands, with the weapon slots placed on one arm and the ammo slots in the other.
*If a single source of ammunition supplies weapons on both sides it must be placed in the CT, where it will be worn like a backpack. Ammo not self contained with the handheld weapon will have an exposed ammo feed. Think the APU in Matrix 2 and 3.
*No environmental sealing, the cockpit has open air.
*No ejection system unless the design is for a "retired" Asuka "job".
*Additional protection in the form of equipment is permitted, such as armored cowls, shields, or any other external protection you can find within Battletech's expansive equipment.
*No tracks or wheels. While such navies are cool it goes against this specific design's established fluff.
*There is no longer any searchlight or locked cargo space. You are welcomed to add these things.
You have 5.5 tons. How would you equip it?
Edited by Koniving, 03 March 2019 - 12:54 AM.
