Are humongous mechs practical?
- Thread starter mrhappyface
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Well it'd be interesting to see these walk about:
Though with today's technology we're no where near close to having the technology to produce an immense amount of power to power something like this or anything else large...
Except for a giant Bugs-Bunny Float.
Though with today's technology we're no where near close to having the technology to produce an immense amount of power to power something like this or anything else large...
Except for a giant Bugs-Bunny Float.
If we can ever figure out how to generate an AT-Field they'll become practical. Anything build using modern technology would be easy to destroy or incapacitate using artillery or anti-tank weapons.
There might be some advantages if you perfect the legs, but otherwise they have a high center of gravity, are easy to take down (i.e Empire Strikes Back), and would just be expensive to produce. Smaller Code Geass-style mechs might be somewhat practical, though.
Of course, they're awesome, and in the end, isn't that all that really matters?
Of course, they're awesome, and in the end, isn't that all that really matters?
Or, you know, the tanks with computerised targetters track and accurately put a large armour piercing round straight through the chest...mrhappyface said:
Mainly cause mechs are, really, GIANT TARGETS.
Even in Battlefield 2142, the mechs where easy to destroy over any real distance by tanks - and in the real world, building present good opportunities to drop explosives onto things, so the in game notion they are useful in urban-close range warfare seems alittle impractical too.
Over all I'd have to say no.
Pros:
> Morale - imagine fighting along side one
> Enemy morale - imagine fighting against one, it would be the tank during WW1 all over again!
> Potential fire-power, If they're big, they can have big guns
> Potential speed, given they're size and appearances in animé they could be fast and strike from space, tactical advantage.
> Troop transport, they are rather large, I imagine a squad of men could hitch along for the ride.
Cons:
> Cost - you wouldn't be able to build to many, or replace them if the go down
> Defense - until "force-field" like technology comes along, they're pretty big easy targets. Metals have very well known quantities, mostly melting points, nuclear reactions in bombs tend to go above the required threshold.
> Morale - If your armies Mech goes down, you're going to wonder what weapons they have.
> Enemy morale - You take one down, your army is going to have a massive confidence boost.
> Probable fire-power - early generations will be rather weak, this leads to them being "un-invest-able" by most armies.
> Probable speed - these are big machines, they are bound to be slow, however the joint work
> Power - they would be a ***** to power!
Feel free to add your own pros and cons!
I make it Pros 5, Cons 7 so far.
Pros:
> Morale - imagine fighting along side one
> Enemy morale - imagine fighting against one, it would be the tank during WW1 all over again!
> Potential fire-power, If they're big, they can have big guns
> Potential speed, given they're size and appearances in animé they could be fast and strike from space, tactical advantage.
> Troop transport, they are rather large, I imagine a squad of men could hitch along for the ride.
Cons:
> Cost - you wouldn't be able to build to many, or replace them if the go down
> Defense - until "force-field" like technology comes along, they're pretty big easy targets. Metals have very well known quantities, mostly melting points, nuclear reactions in bombs tend to go above the required threshold.
> Morale - If your armies Mech goes down, you're going to wonder what weapons they have.
> Enemy morale - You take one down, your army is going to have a massive confidence boost.
> Probable fire-power - early generations will be rather weak, this leads to them being "un-invest-able" by most armies.
> Probable speed - these are big machines, they are bound to be slow, however the joint work
> Power - they would be a ***** to power!
Feel free to add your own pros and cons!
I make it Pros 5, Cons 7 so far.
Even if mechs ever became practical battlefield weapons, we always have harpoons and tow cables. They're like mech kryptonite.
http://www.popsci.com.au/scitech/article/2009-05/man-machinePxDn Ninja said:
This guy built pretty much built a working mech sans armour and weapons for only 25k, How much does a MBT cost? About 4 million? I figure you could probably make a badass battle mech for that price.
Of course it's not as effective as a tank, but could be good in crowd control, perhaps mountainous and uneven terrain. Maybe even urban combat if you can find pilots insane enough.
How do any of you actually know if they are practical of not? Have any of you seen one in action? No? Really now, to claim you know how one would work in real life is a joke unless you are serious mechanical designer. So I suggest all of you arm chair "designers" just get stuffed. Until the military makes a Mech none us actually know jack and shit.
I Say that they should've packed mechs into the bays of the ICBMs, not nukes.dmase said:
It'd be like war of the worlds, but with less ugly machines.
EDIT:
Actually, I think they should make 10-15ft tall mechs to go alongside infantry as a more mobile package of firepower.
Say, a short-range missile launcher on the left arm and a minigun or autocannon on the right. Keep it able to be controlled DIRECTLY, not by means of pedals and joysticks, as to allow for more natural movement.
Wow. That... That's epic.BrynThomas said:
He's right about them not being useful for military uses just yet...
But, like you said, crowd control would definitely be an option. About that size seems right for use, too, because (as like people have said) the "giant mechs" are just too big a target, with too many downsides.
But for infantry on infantry combat (so to speak, and in the future
), having a couple of these on your side would be very useful indeed.... Once he adds a few more armour plates.
OT: "Humongous mechs"? They're pretty epic, sure, but (again, like many have already said) they have too many weak points that could be easily taken advantage of...
Also of note, what kind of "mechs" are we talking about here? A slow ass moving BattleTech Mech? Or a super fast Veritech fighter Robotech? How about the fast mechs from Gundam? Those things haul ass in general. How good is the armor? How good are the weapon systems? Too many questions and variables to actually make any real sort of determination of how viable they would be a weapon of war.