For Backers Only: Megabot Experiment

yes

I'm okay with or without super units, but since we're on the topic I think this one looks pretty cool, and the size is just about right, maybe a bit bigger like its been said, but its on the right track from my perspective.

First, I think the scale is very good, and I would be pleased with it there, but I think it can be pushed 15% larger in scale. I think it would be perfect with the arm gun is as large as the Commander, at a glance.

Second, what advantage does walking, and standing tall give this unit? Does it need to carefully fit between narrowly placed structures, while rapidly changing vector, and climb extremely broken terrain, while having a commanding view of the world? If you don't need any of that, go with a tank. A tank has superior structural bracing, natural stability, and better use of armor, because a tank's forward facing is smaller in area. Otherwise it's like standing a battleship on its tail, on land; it's going to sink into the earth. But, everyone digs giant robots, myself included, so let's make this work.

From the feet up, consider making the legs extremely nimble, allowing the robot to change velocity on a dime, without necessarily changing its facing. It should be able to do crazy stuff like hop sideways, and jump up and down cliffs, or wade through water while firing. It should climb with legs and arms if it has to. Naturally, it can jump onto enemy units, crushing them. The legs being close together is very good, just look at any animal which runs. Wide legs push unevenly against the center of gravity, making running harder.

While we're at it, make it so the whole body is flexible enough that the robot can bludgeon other units with its gun arms. Getting really extreme, make it so it will body slam the enemy and roll around. Being able to flip over wheeled and tracked units could be a great melee ability for walking units. But, that would have to be balanced with guns which kill before a unit can enter melee range, so maybe only this royal hugeness could flip units by robo-gun-hand.

The hip guns make no sense at all. They're braced worse than on the battleship, yet appear to be about the same size. They don't even have a way to load, and can't aim except where the torso leans. You would almost be better off making them nipple sponsons, which would look weird on this box tower. I suggest taking those under shoulder guns, and duplicating additional ones in the four corners under the torso, and taking four more and putting them on the top corners of the torso, as well as two more for the tops of the shoulders.

Lose the shoulder missile pods, instead, make it so the chest opens and exposes missile tubes. That's impractical, but awesome. And, in the very center can be another hatch which opens to expose the reactor, which turns into a giant one shot beam gun. The beam can drill through planets instantly to hit targets on the other side of worlds, and when fired causes the firing robot to explode like a nuke, while the target flies off into space, propelled by an explosion.

Instead of those inward bigger missiles, put vertically facing guns in the torso. The setup is simple, and the shells guide themselves to the targets when they reach the top of their flight. They're bad close in, but great for distant targets.

I see the backpack, but I can't figure what it is. Maybe shield generators, or giant grenades which are launched from one of the arms.

To best exploit its height, its main guns need to be the second highest portion of its body, after its head. That might require flipping the arms over, or creating a completely new arm setup, which is worthwhile so every robot doesn't have right angle arms. Considering the lateral setup, one gun across from the other, which is ideal for hitting multiple targets, each arm should be able to independently target units, and only concentrate both on a single target when that target is sufficiently resistant.

The head should be the absolute highest part of the body, in order to get the best view. It especially needs to be able to see over its own body. Since it's very cool, make it so it can shoot lasers from its eyes, good against air targets, and light ground targets.


If mechs don't need turrets to feed their weapons, why do tanks and battleships? It doesn't make sense to force the convention on one unit, and ignore it for another, especially when giving superior weapons to the units which get to ignore the limitation. It's not visually, or logically consistent.

Legs could let the robots get over taller obstacles, and meanuever faster, but tanks should have far better forward facing armor, and be able to move faster in a straight line. Tanks should also carry heavier weapons, since they can handle recoil far better than the more precarious standing robots. Doing that would better differentiate the drive trains, as long as the game has sufficiently rough terrain, and wide open space, where both types of unit can shine.

The mega-bot on the pictures appeared to big at the first glance, but on the second view it does seem to fit.

But after a minute i had the idea, that the size of a unit must not reflect its power! What if a sneaky small bot has some evil abilities?

Too humanoid/transformers like in my opinion. Needs both arms to be artillery cannons.
Would prefer another spider like mech like the Megalith of FA fame.

Scale is good though could be bigger.

I will voice my opinion a second time, i don't like this at all, i actually hate it.

Super units kill game play in favor of either "race to the big gun" or "turtle and don't engage at all until you have a stupidly large army and have one endgame battle."

Either that or the go entirely unused for being too expensive and useful for nothing but novelty.

I think 'super units' was a great challenge in the other games and the idea is awesome.

For those wondering why i have quoted the original post, because it appears this is getting little off track from the original post.

did not read all the 45 pages but am in favor of megabot - and a megabot gauntry.

Same, I think its cool as long they are not indestructable and can withstand wave after wave of T1 type of units.

So you want everything that's broken about mega bots?

Scale is ok but the only problem I foresee is pathing with such a large unit, there would only be so may places it could go because of choke points and what not. A direct fire unit isn't the most interesting thing that could be done, but then again its just a place holder.

Something that size in biped form looks like it should be powerful and strong, but very slow to turn and aim and fire. It needs to be vulnerable to the opposing army, and have other units in support to protect and make full use of it. I see it as something good at decimating defense structures and buildings, getting through all that like a battering ram before probably getting destroyed. The arms looks massively oversized, you'd think the size of the arm would be dictated by the size of the weapon it carries.

Going the other way (and thinking about why just two arms), another type of super unit could basically be a portable weapons platform. Dozens of small arms/turrets with peewee guns. Yes dozens of peewees would be orders of magnitude cheaper, more maneuverable etc, but the weapons platform could have so much hp that it can make 'safe zones', allowing other units to retreat from a battle without being pursued (but being so slow as to be useless at attacking or retreating itself).

In short I think a unit that size can work, but it can't just be a bigger robot. There has to be distinct advantages and disadvantages to make it interesting.

BTW commander powersuit sounds like a good idea, just no one think of power rangers...instant downer

Am I the only person who likes the idea of a mega tank more than the idea of a mega bot?

In any case I feel that mega units have their place, they just need to be vulnerable to being swarmed by lots of small fast units or to being disabled with some sort of EMP weaponry.

There's a really sweet mod for warhammer 40k that lets you build titans. You build them initially anywhere with a few units, having to protect them of course as they go up. Then once you build them you pay a resource cost to actually bring them online. I could see something like that for these if they were the crazy strong mega endgame expensive type units.

Fully agree...a four legged walker like the AT/AT (correct me if im wrong) big walkers from starwars, when the imperials attacked Hoth...or something along those lines...slow and powerful and indomitable looking but not invulnerable

Or a super tank, (see the Baneblade from Warhammer, mammoth from C&C, etc)

If the devs decide to put it in either way, whatever it is, I am sure it will be epic :shock:

I dont want this to take all game to build either. krogoths were a time consuming expense

Superunits dominate the battlefield better if they are tall. I'm not talking about actual domination but the impression of domination.

And if you build a krogoth that doesn't dominate, then part of your soul will die.

I would so love to see a krogoth in this game or something similar to it.

You could have Megabots because they just are awesome. I however find the game-play perspective important. Sometimes games can just drag on. To have a ending to a game and not a stale mate, a superweapon could blow a hole in the defences. Like a nuke or a Big Bertha or a Megabot.

Whether you want to have megabots as a viable, but risky strategy or just a game ender, that a design decision and ultimately a matter of taste.
I would imagine it that you make them after maybe two armies have met and there is a lot of metal on the field for you to reclaim. Or if you have a super economy and can afford them. So only in certain situations you make them.

I must say, I like slimmer experimentals with one or two super weapons much better than I like big n buff with a thousand gizmos on them.