From: clarka@netcom.com (Andrew Clark)
Subject: Re: Who needs light mecha?
Followup-To: rec.games.mecha 
Organization: not much 
Distribution: world 
Date: Tue, 26 Jan 1993 07:10:14 GMT

p652@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Gil W. Lau) writes:
>
>What would be the advantages of a light mech (say, a Locust for you
>Battletech types) over something cheaper to build, say a grav
>tank or something?  Not only are you missing 3-D movement, but
>any walking mech will have trouble compromising soft ground
>(woe to the mech pilot suddenly caught in a flash flood!) and
>other terrain.  Being small, they can't carry a whole lot of
>firepower.

>Coming to think about it, why a walking chasis?  Who needs mech
>at all?  Why not build Ogres instead?  I mean anything walking
>is inherently instable anyways, and has a gigantic profile.
>I know, I know...mechs look much cooler!  But besides that.

You want realism?  Go play Nuclear War.  

You're right.  Mecha are a waste of resources compared to grav
tanks, fightercraft, warships, nuclear weapons, etc . . .

I like the answer given in the Mekton Techbook:

"It is said that these metal giants were shaped like men, so the
alien servants of evil would know it was Man who defeated them."

Personally, I believe that warfare is a state of mind.  Whether
you're playing with stocks, tanks, or nukes -- everything between
your mind and the mind of your opponent is just noise.

There are a few advantages to mecha: everyone knows how to walk, so
setting up a biofeedback system to control a mecha means very
little pilot training (you walk, the mecha walks, etc . . .)  You can
train pilots in basic training without mecha, then put them in
mecha and they've already learned all the things they need to know.

Hmm . . . maybe this would be a good story idea . . .

Another advantage of mecha is that they make great engineering and
construction units.  A tank can't build buildings, but an 
anthropomorphic (sp?) mecha can.   

One final advantage: mecha can be "dropped" from orbit and soft-land.
Tanks and infantry have to be carried down -- it can be done, but
the units can't fight while in their containers / transports.

I think that personal battle armor has much more of a future than
Locust-type mecha.  Humans have to live in structures, so something
more powerful than a human that can go in and dig other humans out
of buildings is quite useful.  City fighting is difficult as it is.

One potential modern use for battle armor would be as artillery spotters.
Imagine a trained spotter in a suit immune to MG fire, shrapnel, and even 
near misses from enemy artillery.  The suit provides full NBC protection
and makes it easy to lug around communications and spotting equipment.
The suit operator can hide from enemy tanks / aircraft / helicopters
and eliminate any infantry unit sent after him/her.  

But large mecha don't have much of a future, except maybe in space where
shape doesn't matter much.  No atmosphere . . . watch Gundam to get
an idea of how mecha could be used in space.  Other shapes might be
more efficient, but mecha just look cool.  
-- 
clarka@netcom.com      Andrew Clark     My ignorance is my own fault.  :} 
"YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!"  |  poli sci undergrad at UC San Diego, USA 
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Congratulations, Bill Clinton!    Get out of bed, the honeymoon is OVER!
Newsgroups: rec.games.mecha