Post by Alain Vircyn on Aug 9, 2007 18:37:17 GMT -5
Terran Armor comes in three types, as described here. Each type has vastly varying models within it, and many soldiers customize their own armor as to their preferences as well.
Alpha class Battlesuits[/b]
The first class of armor to see widespread use, Alpha class suits range from three to five meters in height, and generally weigh at least ten tons. Used as the standard combat unit for the Army, these are extremely heavily armed and armored, though they lack the mobility of the other two types to some extent. Typical armaments include hypervelocity cannon, focused beam weaponry, plasma cannon, and light IP weaponry in some cases, as well as rapid fire smaller weapons for close in battles. Alpha class suits are designed to either hold a fixed location or advance slowly as ranged support, as such their movement speed is little more than an unarmored human's, and they have very limited jump capacity, though they do have descent thrusters for aerial drops - the preferred method of insertion.
The suits are manipulated by complex internal control mechanisms, which limits their reaction time, but they are supplemented with powerful AI units that can operate nearly independently, leaving the pilots main duty to designate targets and determine actions, while the AI handles actual maneuvers. There are several safety interlocks to prevent an AI going berserk, for instance no deadly action can be taken without direct approval, and AI can be shut down instantly by the pilot or a superior if necessary. Alpha armor suits have limited shield capacity, which is activated automatically in time of extreme need, and a slow charging, but very deep inertial sump mechanism, which can absorb much damage, but must take longer to recover afterwards. They are powered by a standard Triumvirate of power cells.
Beta class - Titan Heavy Combat Armor[/b]
The second class of armor to be produced, Beta - or Titan is it is more often called - armor ranges from ten to fifteen meters high, and the heaviest units can reach 200 tons. Titan units are generally human shaped, and carry modular weapons much like a human might carry a rifle, though these tap directly into the Titan's power core for energy. They are the proverbial big stick of the Terran military, used by both the Army and the Marines to combat the larger of the enemy units and to lay waste to huge numbers at once.
Titans rely heavily on nanotechnology, which allows them to make self repairs to many of their systems, and a much greater adaptability of functions in nearly all areas than the more traditional Alpha suits. Piloting of a Titan is done almost entirely mentally - pilots are suspended in an LCL liquid to protect from g-forces, and are neurally linked directly to a surrogate nervous system in the Titan. Each Titan armor has a low class sentient AI that the pilot's consciousness merges with to control the vast array of systems in the colossal mecha, and for targeting verification. Unlike with the Alpha units, Titan AI can undertake no action at all without a pilot, and the pilot of a Titan is in full control of all systems, with the AI serving only as a facilitator between the biological mind of the pilot and the binary world of the machine systems.
Weaponry usually seen on Titans include gravity pulse cannons, positron rifles, large-bore beam weaponry, and a huge array of missiles and small bore rapid fire weapons for point defense. They also carry Class 5 shield systems, and have a massive inertial sump with a cycling charge system capable of devouring huge amounts of damage, and doing so often. Also powered by the Triumvirate system.
Note: The AI of a Titan, once integrated with a human mind, often takes on characteristics of the human pilot's personality, and because the activation of all systems is dependent upon the AI, often refuses to activate the unit for anyone other than the original pilot.
Delta class Exoskeleton[/b]
Exclusively the domain of the Terran Marine Corps, the Delta armor, while being the newest of the types, is also the smallest - adding only about six inches to the height of the wearer. Worn over a skintight jumpsuit (known as a skinsuit to the Marines) which galvanizes and transmits nerve impulses to the suit and back to the wearer, Delta armor literally becomes a part of the person wearing it, with full sensory feedback in touch, smell (though many Marines turn this off in a battlefield), sight, and hearing, all of which are amplified by the billions of nanotech sensors built into the suit. Delta armor comes with full-spectrum EM sensor equipment just like the other two types, as well as motion detectors.
The suits greatly increase the strength of the wearer, and the nanolinks between the human and suit greatly enhance reaction time and even agility in many cases. The most unusual aspect of Delta armor is the Psionic Amplification System, commonly referred to as the psi-amp. Sometimes also called the Black Box of the armor, the psi-amp is capable of taking powerful mental images and translating them into kinetic force - essentially, artificial telekinesis. Usually limited to blasts of force, however. True telekinetics have far more control over the system, though, and high level ones are capable of incredible levels of destructive energy, enough to give even a Titan pause in some cases.
Delta suits have no integrated weapons systems, the soldiers wearing them carry weapons into battle the same as an unarmored human would. As a rule, Marines use particle and beam weaponry, since solid ammunition would be depleted too fast in the amounts they could carry for the massive scale of the battles they face. While, again, the armor has no internal weapons, it does have charging slots for condensers, allowing the soldiers to recharge ammunition clips over time, giving them a nearly limitless supply of ammunition - as long as they have time to recharge, that is.
Delta suits are powered by a solitary power cell, utilizing a new system that simulates the Triumvirate structure, while being far smaller than any other power plant of its rated output. Also, because of the even higher degree to which a Delta suit's AI integrates with the user, once activated, only the Marine to which a suit is issued can activate it. A Marine's armor is therefore considered his or hers for all time after that, and many are buried with their armor, or have it decomissioned and keep the AI core when they leave the Corps.
Alpha class Battlesuits[/b]
The first class of armor to see widespread use, Alpha class suits range from three to five meters in height, and generally weigh at least ten tons. Used as the standard combat unit for the Army, these are extremely heavily armed and armored, though they lack the mobility of the other two types to some extent. Typical armaments include hypervelocity cannon, focused beam weaponry, plasma cannon, and light IP weaponry in some cases, as well as rapid fire smaller weapons for close in battles. Alpha class suits are designed to either hold a fixed location or advance slowly as ranged support, as such their movement speed is little more than an unarmored human's, and they have very limited jump capacity, though they do have descent thrusters for aerial drops - the preferred method of insertion.
The suits are manipulated by complex internal control mechanisms, which limits their reaction time, but they are supplemented with powerful AI units that can operate nearly independently, leaving the pilots main duty to designate targets and determine actions, while the AI handles actual maneuvers. There are several safety interlocks to prevent an AI going berserk, for instance no deadly action can be taken without direct approval, and AI can be shut down instantly by the pilot or a superior if necessary. Alpha armor suits have limited shield capacity, which is activated automatically in time of extreme need, and a slow charging, but very deep inertial sump mechanism, which can absorb much damage, but must take longer to recover afterwards. They are powered by a standard Triumvirate of power cells.
Beta class - Titan Heavy Combat Armor[/b]
The second class of armor to be produced, Beta - or Titan is it is more often called - armor ranges from ten to fifteen meters high, and the heaviest units can reach 200 tons. Titan units are generally human shaped, and carry modular weapons much like a human might carry a rifle, though these tap directly into the Titan's power core for energy. They are the proverbial big stick of the Terran military, used by both the Army and the Marines to combat the larger of the enemy units and to lay waste to huge numbers at once.
Titans rely heavily on nanotechnology, which allows them to make self repairs to many of their systems, and a much greater adaptability of functions in nearly all areas than the more traditional Alpha suits. Piloting of a Titan is done almost entirely mentally - pilots are suspended in an LCL liquid to protect from g-forces, and are neurally linked directly to a surrogate nervous system in the Titan. Each Titan armor has a low class sentient AI that the pilot's consciousness merges with to control the vast array of systems in the colossal mecha, and for targeting verification. Unlike with the Alpha units, Titan AI can undertake no action at all without a pilot, and the pilot of a Titan is in full control of all systems, with the AI serving only as a facilitator between the biological mind of the pilot and the binary world of the machine systems.
Weaponry usually seen on Titans include gravity pulse cannons, positron rifles, large-bore beam weaponry, and a huge array of missiles and small bore rapid fire weapons for point defense. They also carry Class 5 shield systems, and have a massive inertial sump with a cycling charge system capable of devouring huge amounts of damage, and doing so often. Also powered by the Triumvirate system.
Note: The AI of a Titan, once integrated with a human mind, often takes on characteristics of the human pilot's personality, and because the activation of all systems is dependent upon the AI, often refuses to activate the unit for anyone other than the original pilot.
Delta class Exoskeleton[/b]
Exclusively the domain of the Terran Marine Corps, the Delta armor, while being the newest of the types, is also the smallest - adding only about six inches to the height of the wearer. Worn over a skintight jumpsuit (known as a skinsuit to the Marines) which galvanizes and transmits nerve impulses to the suit and back to the wearer, Delta armor literally becomes a part of the person wearing it, with full sensory feedback in touch, smell (though many Marines turn this off in a battlefield), sight, and hearing, all of which are amplified by the billions of nanotech sensors built into the suit. Delta armor comes with full-spectrum EM sensor equipment just like the other two types, as well as motion detectors.
The suits greatly increase the strength of the wearer, and the nanolinks between the human and suit greatly enhance reaction time and even agility in many cases. The most unusual aspect of Delta armor is the Psionic Amplification System, commonly referred to as the psi-amp. Sometimes also called the Black Box of the armor, the psi-amp is capable of taking powerful mental images and translating them into kinetic force - essentially, artificial telekinesis. Usually limited to blasts of force, however. True telekinetics have far more control over the system, though, and high level ones are capable of incredible levels of destructive energy, enough to give even a Titan pause in some cases.
Delta suits have no integrated weapons systems, the soldiers wearing them carry weapons into battle the same as an unarmored human would. As a rule, Marines use particle and beam weaponry, since solid ammunition would be depleted too fast in the amounts they could carry for the massive scale of the battles they face. While, again, the armor has no internal weapons, it does have charging slots for condensers, allowing the soldiers to recharge ammunition clips over time, giving them a nearly limitless supply of ammunition - as long as they have time to recharge, that is.
Delta suits are powered by a solitary power cell, utilizing a new system that simulates the Triumvirate structure, while being far smaller than any other power plant of its rated output. Also, because of the even higher degree to which a Delta suit's AI integrates with the user, once activated, only the Marine to which a suit is issued can activate it. A Marine's armor is therefore considered his or hers for all time after that, and many are buried with their armor, or have it decomissioned and keep the AI core when they leave the Corps.
