capabilities

Back when I was in Kindergarden the Mecha started to take over my world. Robotech killed most of my MotU-frenzy and I set out to gather as much information and, more importantly, model kits, wich were kinda hard to come by. Fortunately, By the time I was in highshool a company called FASA took some of the designs from Robotech, Sun Fang Dougram an Orguss (wich were all in Revell´s Robotech-line) and made a tabletop strategy game called "Battletech". Since then mecha were more or less a common subject of my fascination.

Robotech and other Mecha

Battletech

Robotech and other Mecha

an old 1/72 Battloid from
the Macross series

Why I mention it ? It shaped me. From the earliest days, when everybody went "Masters of the Universe" and stuff. Back then I´d seen that crappy comic-book standing right next to MickeyMouse. I still have it today. Then, of course my modelling days were enriched when Revell chose for one year to offer some repackaged japanese model kits as "Robotech Defenders". And that´s about it. The feasability of the designs, the character developments, later the novels, it all really stood out from the rest. Okay, it´s hard for your average western sci-fi-series like "Star Trek" or "Star Wars" to stand besides a series where giant robots realistically piloted by humans battle aliens that frequently incinerate good old earth. But Lucas got it in time and had mecha in "empire strikes back".

1/72 Soltic H8 from the
Dougram series

Information on the Robotech-Series is abundant on the web. I personally like the novels by Jack McKinney most, as they offer superior continuity. But the series is okay in its own rights, only hampered by continuity-flubs that were supposed to tie the three different series together...

The mechanical designs are various and great, so I modeled them. Hey, every third 3D artist of my generation has probably built a "Warhammer" mecha in the beginning of his career. After all, for many guys my age "Battletech" was one of the first sophisticated tabletop games, and many those designs were copied from "Robotech", as well as "Sun Fang Dougram" and "Orguss". I reconmend dougram.battletechnology.org for any info on mecha-design and some series, www.hlj.com for model kits, www.robotech.com for info on the series and merchandise itself.

my first ´96 Electric Image job,
the Tomahawk/Warhammer

Modern anime series often use the mecha as a kind of ambivalent extension or accentuation of the pilot. In Gundam Wing we see the Mecha on the transition to the ornate knights armor, witl lots of close combat weaponry. In Neon Genesis Evangelion the Mecha is a a psychotic monster, controlled by innocent minds; the genetic duplicate of an angel with the soul of the pilot´s mother (spoiler, I know), and as such has a mind of it´s own, bursting to ultimate violence as the huge organisms splatter themselves across the countryside. But then, NGE is far more than a mecha series.

So, the perfect Mecha is a statement, an icon for man´s relationship to technology. Through technology, the pilot is physically transcending to an ultimate power, while being isolated from his surroundings, dealing with themselves in sophisticated coffins of steel. And they look cool, whether it´s the sleek Veritech Battloid, the trooper-type Soltic H8 Roundfacer, a non-humanoid spy-eye like the Orguss, guns incarnate like the Destroid Tomahawk/Warhammer, the ornate, noble Gundams, the lumbering AT-ATs from Star Wars or the restrained beast in NGE.

My Robotech Game

Yes, here it is. A whole section devoted to my discontinued Robotech sidescrolling shooter. You could download the unit-viewer-component here for Mac or Windows, but now I just listed the stuff below. The game itself was, as I said, discontinued. I made two attempts, one with all the Robotech mecha with the "old" Sprite Engine of Realbasic 2.x and the other with more animations, just a single BattlePod-opponent and Realbasic 3.x. The first was okay but limited and didn´t work on Windows too well, the other was slow to begin with and had a serious bug with the missile-collision I couldn´t track down. And I´m truly sorry the Windows-compiles don´t work.

RT-shooter_v1.sit (Mac) This one had all enemys, but a not-so-arcade movement style.

RT-shooter_v2.sit (Mac) Hundreds of frames of animations and transformations, but no go

Here´s an overview of the units I had modeled, animated and rendered in ElectricImage for the sprites. To those who know the pen&paper RPG, yes I derived most of the stats from those great source-books. The original setting for the game was that you´re training for the mission to Tirol (Sentinels), thus all villains and VFs show up.

VF-1A Veritech Fighter 250 hit points Mankinds first mass produced transformeable combat mecha has undergone several improvements since it´s introduction in 2002, like better armor,payload and maneuverability. The different modes offer various means of agility and attack. The main weapon is the GU-11, a triple barreled 55mm gunpod, wich is mounted on the underside in fighter-mode, and hand held in the others. Short range missiles can be fired from the wing-racks. Even though it´s an aging design, it´ll be the primary combat unit aboard the SDF-3 on it´s mission to Tirol.
Armored Veritech 400 hit points The first and most common addon to the VF-Veritech is this break-away Armor with integrated heavy missile launchers (payload is about 30 missiles), that can only be worn in Battloid mode, but is jettisoneable (just change modes). It adds 16 tons of armor, but the weight is only partly compensated for by the supplemental boosters in the back. Thus it´s mainly used for perimeter defense or close support for our Destroid squads.
Super Veritech 300 hit points Additional armor, booster pack and missile launchers, housing a total of 40 medium range missiles. 8 can be fired at a time. The Veritech is still transformeable with this addon, boosting performeance in all modes. The launchers can be reloaded by the standard missile reloads
Strike Veritech 300 hit points The rarest of the addons is this Strike-pack, similar to the Super-pack, wich replaces one of the medium missile launchers with a powerful particle beam cannon. The second booster keeps the missile launcher, but payload is only 20 missiles, with volleys of 4. As always, addons are exclusive, but may be reloaded. The PBCs are moveable about 90 degrees in battloid mode, covering the upper front sector.
Alpha Veritech 300 hit points The newest Veritech model is this Alpha Fighter, a smaller, more agile mecha still in it´s prototype-stage. The Alpha is blistering with 60 short range missiles against Invid swarms and the Bioroids. It is equipped with the improved GU-XX that uses more powerful ammunition. Anti-Missile lasers are planned, but unlikely to see service for the next decade.
Zentreadi Battle Pod 50 hit points The standard tactical support and main battle mecha of the Zentreadi forces, and one is issued to EVERY single soldier. Though only lightly armored, it is armed with particle beams, autocannons and lasers, and are perfectly suited for fire support. The single Pod is weak, but large numbers of these well balanced assault systems pose a serious threat. You can download a Quickdraw 3D-3DMF-file here
Zentreadi Recon Pod 50 hit points A BattlePod with all it´s weapons replaced with sensory equipment, to relay data to the rest of the fleet. Slow, but vital. This enemy releases some high-tech-upgrades when destroyed.
Zentreadi Light Artillery Pod 50 hit points A modification of the standard Pod, this one mounts a total of 24 short range missiles in place of the top lasers, trading maneuverability for destructive capabilities. Volleys of 6 missiles are usually launched. Though not too powerful itself, evasive action may lead you into massive crossfire, so watch out.
Zentreadi Heavy Artillery Pod 50 hit points This modification replaces the top lasers with four heavy missiles, increasing the firepower greatly, but slowing it down a bit.
Zentreadi Nousjadeul-Ger 100 hit points The Power Armor was not specifially designed for combat, but it can mount a number of weapons and utilize hand held weaponry. On the ground it is more than equal to any RDF Destroid.
Zentreadi Queadlunn-Rau 150 hit points The Queadlunn-Rau-Battlesuit was designed for the elite female officers, and is the most dangerous Zentreadi mecha of them all. Superb maneuverability, lasers and a total of 126 short range missiles...
Zentreadi Fighter Pod 80 hit points This unit superbs at aerial combat: It´s tougher and much faster than the BattlePods, mounts a heavy particle beam in the nose and 16 medium range missiles behind the cockpit.
Masters Bioroid Hovercraft 90 hit points This is a hover-platform with exceptional maneuverability, and armed with heavy ion cannons in the front. The Bioroid pilot can either use these or hand-held weaponry. For the second version I plannet to allow the platforms to be shot down separately, setting the Bioroid riders adrift.
Masters Blue Bioroid 100 hit points The Master´s standard Combat Bioroid. It´s the least dangerous and piloted by very limited 1st stage clones, but it is relatively tough and incredibly agile. Though it lacks propulsion, it can ride a hoversled.
Masters Green Bioroid 150 hit points An improvement on the standard Bioroid. Tougher and piloted by 2nd or 3rd stage clones, this mecha is quite a threat in battle, espacially if riding a hoversled with it´s heavy ion cannons.
Masters Red Bioroid Leader 200 hit points The red leader Bioroid is the most dangerous of them all. Incredibly hard to take out, it is mounting superior firepower and in command of the surrounding Bioroids.
Invid Scout 40 hit points Very small, very fast and very numerous. The Invid worker bee. Fortunately it has no ranged weapons and has to rely on its claws in hand-to-hand combat
Invid Armed Scout 50 hit points A little tougher than it´s unarmed relative, but as fast, the Armored Scout has light plasma cannons mounted on it´s upper hull. These do only light damage, but make up for this with a high rate of fire.
Invid Trooper 80 hit points The Invid grunt, doubling as worker and soldier. This brute can tear any mecha to shreds in no time, but it is slower than the Scouts. Attacks with its claws.
Invid Shocktrooper 80 hit points Essentially a Trooper mounting a pair of powerful plasma cannons.It´s tough, adequately fast and able to pour out a great volume of fire. It can also attack with it´s claws.
Invid Pincer Command Unit 150 hit points The Captains of the Invid army. Big, ugly, well armored and equipped with heavy heat cannons. I never implemented those right, so there is only a big exhaust-flare flying at you.

Okay. Some people probalby laugh at the images. But hey, it´s been my hobby and I liked it. Besides, there are far worse 3D renderings of Robotech mecha out on the web. And mine were only meant as 64x64 sprites.

Also, if the animations don´t look like animation should (they are just blunt linear), bear in mind that in the actual game the sprite drawn was derived from the unit´s acceleration, so the VF would slowly accelerate when banking down. Also some units like the Bioroids where just too fast to judge the animation quality: All you needed to know was that something fast and red just swooped past you with it´s blaster shooting streams of bullets at you.

Battletech

The game itself was pretty successful and spawned many miniatures, addons, computer games, a VR-game, books and finally a toy line for a rumored TV-series. But the game itself is pretty much finished nowadays, I think. But some succesor-line of "trading kits" was developed, with great models in it´s own right, but a streamlined game-system, perhaps to stand up against Pokemon and alikes.

Battletech was played with lead or plastic miniatures on hex-bases on a hex-tiled map. Most of the game mechanics encouraged forcing the odds into one direction or the other. Life was difficult back then. Shooting was resolved with 2D6, the average to-hit roll required was from 8 to 10. Each model was independent, no units or lances here, and had numerous stats in pen&paper, with a diagram on hit-locations, armor points remaining at each location, ammunition and heat levels (wich made it all the more interesting).

The game was pretty well balanced, but within due time it became apparent, that armor was always worn down. There was no chance armor could deflect a shot and preserve it´s integrity. All you could do to prevent being hit was to move as far as possible into terrain as dense as possible as far away from the enemy as possible. If the enemy´s to-hit roll was beyond 12 you were safe, but probably could not fire either.

As nimbelness was never planned for, an equal tonnage meant by no means equality: Five 20-ton Wasps could never ever stand up to an 100-ton Atlas mech unless they buzzed around all the time. But then they had the chance to push the Atlas down a hill or into a river, and the level-difference meant the´d have a 1/6 chance to hit the head in the next turn...if they weren´t blown up by a single shot.

Battletech has of course spawned numerous computer games, wich made the "armor-abuse" issue all the more evident. In the latest games, if you played a one on one duel with equal tonnage you always blew each other apart in alternating order, depending on who shot first.

Information should be pretty abumdant on the web. One of the best sites I´ve seen is www.SARNA.net (SARNA being, if I recall it correctly, the name of a Liao planet conquered by Davion in the Battletech universe).

Now, Battletech was a pretty sound game, just the armor issue was less attractive.

Armor is damaged depending on it´s thickness. Sound silly and means: Mechs have 1 to 42 armor points per location. substract armor/10 (rounding up) from each attack that hit´s the location, with a minimum damage of 1 scored. A PPC hitting an Atlas dead center would do 6 damage, hitting a Locust it´d score 8 damage, a Wasp would still be trashed with 9 damage. Of course, that lessens the weaker weapons. Medium Lasers would have to cut into an Atlas pretty often to do more than 1 damage, a Shadow Hawk would suffer 2 damage, a Wasp 4.

Missiles, Autocannons and Machine Guns should add +2 to the roll when looking how many criticals are scored.

LRM Clusters or SRMs hitting armor should ignore armor to some extend, each location protects from damage at -2. A location with 40 pts of armor would only substract 2 from missile damage, still deflecting SRMs to 1 damage.

I also suggest a size- or agility-modifier to the to-hit roll: +1 for light mecha, +0 for mediums, -1 for heavies, -2 for assault mecha.