Mechs and Walkers: The future of warfair or a lame duck?

Arrow · Post by **Arrow** » 2003-01-22 06:28pm

Do you see mechs and walkers (Btech, Star Wars, Robotech, whatever) as being useful war machines or just a lame duck idea? If you say lame duck, what do you think the future holds?

As for me, I'm on the fence at the moment.

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2003-01-22 06:38pm

Lame duck. Far too much mechanical complexity and needless bulk. They would become nothing but big, overpriced targets.

Majin Gojira · Post by **Majin Gojira** » 2003-01-22 06:41pm

And thus, another Tanks vs. Mechs debate begins...

VF5SS · Post by **VF5SS** » 2003-01-22 06:47pm

Lame duck, but they make the coolest super heroes.

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2003-01-22 06:48pm

Duck. KISS means everything in the battlefield. Try changing a track on a tank, now try changing a leg on a mech.

Howedar · Post by **Howedar** » 2003-01-22 07:09pm

QUACKQUACKQUACKQUACKQUACK!

Post by **Ghost Rider** » 2003-01-22 07:12pm

Duck...they're great for animes and stories of ilk.

But for any real purpose...no. I mean the target profile is bad enough, let alone the amount of maintence needed for those things would be outlandish.

Balrog · Post by **Balrog** » 2003-01-22 07:26pm

They could have some use in a gladiatoral-style match (i.e. all those crazy Anime mechs that jump around like mexican jumping beans on crack) but for anything else, they're just big expensive targets.

Andrew J. · Post by **Andrew J.** » 2003-01-22 07:49pm

The only thing mechs are good for is intimidation factor, and the other advantages of tanks far outweigh that.

Darth Garden Gnome · Post by **Darth Garden Gnome** » 2003-01-22 07:57pm

Andrew J. wrote:The only thing mechs are good for is intimidation factor, and the other advantages of tanks far outweigh that.

I'm sure it would be real intimidating until it got a TOW missle shoved up its ass.

Stormbringer · Post by **Stormbringer** » 2003-01-22 07:58pm

Andrew J. wrote:The only thing mechs are good for is intimidation factor, and the other advantages of tanks far outweigh that.

I don't think a shitty ass mech would scare me much. Especially not if I have some real armor on my side.

Morat · Post by **Morat** » 2003-01-22 08:10pm

The only thing mechs are good for is intimidation factor, and the other advantages of tanks far outweigh that.

I see two problems with the intimidation theory:

1. Trained military personel would know all about the weaknesses of mechs, and about the inherent superiority of other military equipment. Thus, tanks (or helicopters, or whatever) would be better for intimidating enemy military. Mechs would only be especially effective at intimidating civilians.

2. Said civilians will quickly get a huge boost to morale when they start hearing reports of those big, intimidating mechs getting owned by allied tanks (et al).

SylasGaunt · Post by **SylasGaunt** » 2003-01-22 08:10pm

A tank will always be superior to a mecha built with the same technology level.

jaeger115 · Post by **jaeger115** » 2003-01-22 08:23pm

*sees first post in thread and unzips pants for the wankfest to come*

RedImperator · Post by **RedImperator** » 2003-01-22 08:25pm

The only thing a mecha might be useful for is riot control in urban areas, where it's not likely to encounter heavy weapons, its height will let it see over buildings and into blind alleys before someone can sneak up on it with a Molotiv coctail, being able to walk would let it step over people lying down in its path or otherwise blocking the road, and the intimidation factor would actually mean something.

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2003-01-22 08:39pm

RedImperator wrote:The only thing a mecha might be useful for is riot control in urban areas, where it's not likely to encounter heavy weapons, its height will let it see over buildings and into blind alleys before someone can sneak up on it with a Molotiv coctail, being able to walk would let it step over people lying down in its path or otherwise blocking the road, and the intimidation factor would actually mean something.

Actually, someone would probably nail it with an anti-tank gun from one of the building windows, and the intimidation factor would work in reverse as people are energized by seeing one of their own take down this giant hulking mech.

Seggybop · Post by **Seggybop** » 2003-01-22 08:41pm

Wouldn't there be some use for it as something that the soldier could control very easily as if it were their own body except far stronger?

SWPIGWANG · Post by **SWPIGWANG** » 2003-01-22 08:49pm

When rioters have AT-Guns, your are screwed millions of ways already.

That is like saying riot shields are useless because they can't stop HMG bullets.

Exonerate · Post by **Exonerate** » 2003-01-22 08:49pm

Duck. Will never become practical...

SWPIGWANG · Post by **SWPIGWANG** » 2003-01-22 08:50pm

They are more than pratical for fanboy drooling

*waits for battlebots: clash of titans*

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2003-01-22 08:51pm

SWPIGWANG wrote:When rioters have AT-Guns, your are screwed millions of ways already.

That is like saying riot shields are useless because they can't stop HMG bullets.

Don't be ridiculous; nobody uses a 200 million dollar super-tech armoured vehicle to shut down a typical riot.

jaeger115 · Post by **jaeger115** » 2003-01-22 08:55pm

Mechs would be useless even with the huge load of weapons that can theortically be loaded on them. A 120mm smoothbore cannon would knock the mech off balance if mounted on it and fired. Missile launchers and lasers would be all right, if not for the huge maintenance problems and moronic complexity inherent to mechas.

Pablo Sanchez · Post by **Pablo Sanchez** » 2003-01-22 08:59pm

Seggybop wrote:Wouldn't there be some use for it as something that the soldier could control very easily as if it were their own body except far stronger?

Only if it is just marginally larger than the soldier himself. Power armor is practical and an excellent idea, but any mecha purporting to replace a tank is a liar.

Howedar · Post by **Howedar** » 2003-01-22 08:59pm

Seggybop wrote:Wouldn't there be some use for it as something that the soldier could control very easily as if it were their own body except far stronger?

No, not really. You can't control a mech like it is a human, because its just too damn big. Even if you could, its not as if a Mech is going to hide by laying down or something.

Post by **weemadando** » 2003-01-22 09:04pm

Run for the hills men! Before this flames erupt forth and burn all us sinners!