At 06:22 PM 6/5/2007, Joseph Riggs wrote:
I wouldn't expect combat-worthy manipulators, though (and I don't
remember the Tachikomas showing much strength in their "hands",
though I might be forgetting something). What I'd be more likely to
expect is something along the lines of the relatively small (when
compared to the mecha) extendable manipulators that pop out of the
wrists of a VF-1 Valkyrie, and that can be used for fine control of
nearby objects. Since the Tachikomas are much smaller than a
Valkyrie, their hands are probably about the same size as what I'm
describing, and seem to fill a similar role.
The Tachs' "hands" are actually dual purpose, as I recall; they can
be used for high mobility (they have wheels), manipulation, and
versatile mobility (spider-like movement). That versatility is what I
would expect to be the norm.
It looks cool, but a big portion of whether or not I would want to
implement such a thing would depend on the cost versus the expected
amount of use it would probably see. If melee combat were popular
again, then by all means distribute them to the troops and
mecha. But if not, then save them for the combat
engineers. Infantry squads don't typically include a chainsaw on
the list of standard equipment, and your ground troops and mecha
probably aren't going to need a lightsaber either. Other
environments may be a different matter, though. The game Jovian
Chronicles features the Plasma Lance (a fusion blowtorch that,
despite the name, has a physical component about the same size as a
beam saber in Gundam), which is used by mecha in the setting to
"gut" enemy spaceships from stem to stern while the mecha executes a
high speed pass along the hull of the spaceship.
Yes, that's what I'd expect as well. In a spacefaring setting such
things might be the weapon of choice, as the risk of blowouts due to
stray shots is nullified (it might be nullified due to advances in
firearms as well, of course, but there's no getting around the fact
that anything designed *not* to penetrate a starship hull will have
trouble getting through high-grade body armor as well).
The overriding concern must always be cost versus effectiveness. If
one out of a thousand of your combat losses occurs because an item
isn't present, then the funds to fix that problem could probably be
better spent elsewhere.
Naturally. But at the same time, just because a situation isn't
common doesn't mean it won't be addressed. If a cheap remedy can turn
the tide in an unusual situation, expect money to be thrown at it
just to hedge bets (witness combat knives in the modern era).
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