17 replies to this topic

[Striker1980]

I've been looking at the videos and shots of the 'mechs in the recent promotional information.

They look really great, however, it occurred to me watching the Atlas get scorched by laser fire that the 'mechs have colour schemes and a matt finish, which is what you want when you are dealing with a walking tank don't get me wrong.

However, should reflective armour be reflective? should colour schemes even really be possible with it?

I'm thinking that realistically (yes I know that's a relative term in Mechwarrior) if you were wanting to reflect a full spectrum of energy weapons surely you'd be looking at a classic 'mirror' effect. which could look pretty effing cool on the battlefield, you could even glare your opponent on a sunny day!

It'd also be pretty sweet to see lasers reflect into the air from the armour plate they hit.

That also opens up the question should reactive armour obviously explode?

Just some random musings.

-Striker

[Cake Bandit]

Maybe reflective armor should be polished up like a hot rod. That way you could write it off and still have kickin' paint jobs.

[Omigir]

well, sens there is no reflective or reactive armor during this time period, does it really matter?

[simon1812]

http://www.sarna.net...eflective_Armor

http://www.sarna.net.../Reactive_Armor

[FinnMcKool]

I was thinking of using that shiny metal duck tape ?

[Blackfire1]

I think special cosmetic armor pieces should be sold in the Cash Shop. That way they are controlled. People will still tell what kind of mech it is your piloting and you still look cool.

[EDMW CSN]

Reflective and Reactive armor won't appear till a good number of years later.
Don't worry !

[Name140704]

I wouldn't count on it. Visual changes (color, texture), but physical no.

[Striker1980]

[EDMW]CSN, on 13 March 2012 - 07:20 PM, said:

Reflective and Reactive armor won't appear till a good number of years later.
Don't worry !

Worry? whos worrying?

Arrgh that mech's matt! LOL

(Only kidding) nah it was just something that occurred to me in the wee small hours.

-Striker

[Oppi]

Striker1980, on 13 March 2012 - 05:06 PM, said:

However, should reflective armour be reflective? should colour schemes even really be possible with it?

Lasers deal damage by causing heat. Reflective armor wouldn't have to work like a mirror, it just would have to reflect the heat somehow. Unless there is some canon text saying it truly reflects light like a mirror which I don't know. Wouldn't make much sense to me, because as soon as the mech got dirty the armor would lose it's function if it worked that way.

[LordDeathStrike]

Striker1980, on 13 March 2012 - 05:06 PM, said:

I've been looking at the videos and shots of the 'mechs in the recent promotional information.

They look really great, however, it occurred to me watching the Atlas get scorched by laser fire that the 'mechs have colour schemes and a matt finish, which is what you want when you are dealing with a walking tank don't get me wrong.

However, should reflective armour be reflective? should colour schemes even really be possible with it?

I'm thinking that realistically (yes I know that's a relative term in Mechwarrior) if you were wanting to reflect a full spectrum of energy weapons surely you'd be looking at a classic 'mirror' effect. which could look pretty effing cool on the battlefield, you could even glare your opponent on a sunny day!

It'd also be pretty sweet to see lasers reflect into the air from the armour plate they hit.

That also opens up the question should reactive armour obviously explode?

Just some random musings.

-Striker

heres the thing with reflective and reactive armors, theyre basically useless. you only get 2/3rds the protection of ferro fiber and traditional heavy armoring, and if someone uses missiles or guns on your reflective, its useless, same as when lasers burn up your reactive armor.

in theory reactive with ams is > missile boaters and reflective > laser boaters. but boating is a non issue when weapon setups are true to 3049 IS variants non omni mechs with enforced balanced load outs (you cant just put lasers where you took out missiles, you can only change stuff like lrms to srms, or med lasers to large once you free up enough tonnage and space).

in the end its best to have the most heavy armor you can carry if you are going to get shot at all, since the enemy will be hitting you with all 3 damage types and not boating like in mech 3 and 4 custom online games.

[Striker1980]

Oppi, on 14 March 2012 - 03:43 AM, said:

Lasers deal damage by causing heat. Reflective armor wouldn't have to work like a mirror, it just would have to reflect the heat somehow. Unless there is some canon text saying it truly reflects light like a mirror which I don't know. Wouldn't make much sense to me, because as soon as the mech got dirty the armor would lose it's function if it worked that way.

I guess that would make sense. less reflective possibly more insulation/ heat resistant armour instead interestingly I read the Sarna article, (missed the dates though). One thing I noted was that it was invented accidentally while making ferro fibrous armour, it being heat resistant is a possibility in this case ( say a contaminant in the mix that made the armour brittle but super heat resistant). though in the same article it does refer to it as Glazed and Reflec which would of course make this seem untrue.

But you are right Lorddeathstrike as I never actually used it as the benefits of it were always cancelled out by the drawbacks against a balanced opponent.

-Striker

Edited by Striker1980, 14 March 2012 - 05:33 AM.

[Seabear]

The only "shiny" armor I can recall in the BT universe was the finish on the Star League Exterminator's Chameleon camoflage system and only then because it was necessary for the advanced system to work. As pointed out earlier, reflective armor is a function, not a look. If you want shiny, I guess you could get chrome plating on your mech, but i don't know how that would work in the field. Might make you an inviting target and definitely out of place if you are a scout. Don't see much place for shiny on an IS mech in the field. Might fit in well when the clans show up with their honor duels like the knights/samuri of old. For me (and I hope for those in my unit) I'd rather be "unseen". Attention has a most unfortunate by-product of drawing fire.

[CeeKay Boques]

If i had specialty armor that was part of my strategy, and you knowing I had that armor was a detriment to my strategy, I would paint and construct that armor so that they type of armor I had was concealed to you.

Y'know, if it was real.

[Mindlink]

"Reflective" is a misnomer. Reflective armor would have to be some kind of ceramic composite that would insulate the mech from the intense heat of energy weapons. Ceramic is a great insulator, but it's also brittle, leaving you more open to ballistic and missile weapons. (Ceramic can also be painted like convential materials.) Mirror coats couldn't delfect anywhere near enough energy to make a difference on a mech or even in our universe.

The point is moot, though. We won't have reflective/reactive armor for a while.

[Fachxphyre]

It would be reasonable to assume that Ferro-fibrous armor would have a different, somewhat bulkier appearance than standard armor, and that technology IS available during the time period in question if memory serves.

[Oppi]

In what way would a different material change the outline of a Mech ? Ferro-fibre is just a better armor material than the standard stuff. Why shouldn't it be pressed into the same form as conventional armor thus looking exactly the same when painted ?

[HighlandWolf]

Yeah not a concern at this point in the timeline, also..youre looking at it with a mindset of todays technology..we can barely get some robot legs moving on their own let alone worry about reflective/reactive armour