The P-WAULS 1 Piloted Battle Harness

[Shoogie_Binx]

Knock Knock!

The P-WAULS 1 Piloted Battle Harness

Powered Weapons, Armor, Utility, and Logistics System Mark-1

(Also called “Wallies”, or “Rigs”.)

(And pejoratively named “Buckets”, by the CLF - seen above.)

Known as Future Ford for his innovations, Runnin’ Rob-Tom by his old platoon, and Doctor Rob-Tom Ford professionally, the P-WAULS 1 was created by said Walter Robert-Thomas Ford, a former United States Colonial Marine and tested super-genius turned cushy UA weapons engineer - after being honorably discharged for injuries that left him maimed from the waist down; his injuries courtesy of the long since past “hostilities” with the UPP back in 2165 - a battle that earned him his disfigurement, his nickname, the hollow notion of glory, and the death of over half his entire platoon. They say Runnin’ Rob-Tom ran and ran and ran, carrying his brothers out of the nuclear fires burning across the hellscape they made of that planet - and Runnin’ Rob-Tom ran 'til he couldn’t no more…

17 years since that bitter war. It’s been 17 years since he set foot on that accursed world of Canton. It’s been 17 years since he’s set foot on anything at all. That battle, it took many things from him. It charred his legs down to their ends, along with his soul - but that went in time, after the war.

Though in those long years, too, with the finalization of his greatest work yet, he had at last taken something back from it. Mobility. Strength. Power. Fortitude. All supplied with American steel. American engineering… Mostly.

“This 6 foot, 8 inch tall, 2 and a half ton goliath is the more budget friendly, mobile, adaptable, quicker and easier to manufacture and distribute alternative to fielding tanks or even armored personnel carriers down on every area of conflict in the UA’s controlled or contested sectors; a marvel of metal, munitions, and computation enough to turn a single man into a versatile war-machine that can perform the duties of a peacekeeper, a soldier, a bodyguard, a specialist, a technician, a paramedic, and more - all through modular addons, upgrades, and sidegrades.”

THE POWER ARMOR OPERATOR

“I’d be doing colonial HVAC if they didn’t promise I’d be bulletproof, trust me.”

Unable to wearing anything but a harness-specialized, flame resistant bodysuit and belt, protective gloves, and a padded coif for comfort - the pilot of a P-WAULS is all but useless outside of their armor.

Beyond being physically vulnerable, they are totally lacking in the combat skills, endurance, and medical knowledge to keep themselves alive or put up any fight; they possess just enough engineering know-how to keep their armor going - and the operators, or “pilots”, who live the longest also know the only thing keeping them that way is them keeping their suit in working order.

The Power Armor Operator's Equipment Vendor List

The Power Armor Operators are given 45 points as is standard, and their very own vendor to gather around and personalize their suit load to their needs.

POWER ARMOR OPERATOR ESSENTIALS:

• A WL-6 Universal Fuel Cell
• A high-capacity battery
• An MRE
• A wrench
• A screwdriver
• A crowbar
• A welder
• A pair of welding goggles

EQUIPMENT:

• Power Armor Operator’s Bodysuit
  • This fire-retardant suit renders no actual protection against the damaging heat of flames, but will keep you from being set on fire when worn. Must be worn to operate a P-WAULS.
• Power Armor Operator’s Padded Coif
  • Provides no protection. Must be worn to operate a P-WAULS.
• Power Armor Operator’s Padded Gloves
  • Provides no protection. Must be worn to operate a P-WAULS.

You may have noticed something amiss, and said to yourself - “Um, hello, where are my shoes?” This is an unfortunate side effect of the design. You can’t wear shoes to pilot the armor - just like you can’t wear any armor, a backpack, or haul a weapon - and will thus suffer the consequent shoeless slowdown permanently when geared to operate a P-WAULS. The little pajama feeties merely for comfort are the USCM’s way of saying, “thanks for hangin’ in there, rockstar.”

BELT:

• Power Armor Operator’s Belt
  • Holds all your essentials.

CLOTHING ITEMS:

• Large General Pouch - 8 Points
  • For WL-6 Universal fuel cells, or other miscellaneous needs.
• Electronics Pouch - 6 Points
  • For carrying additional batteries; or spare components for repairs.
• Fuel Tank Strap Pouch - 4 Points
  • For carrying additional fuel for the M240-Super 30, just under a quarter of a refill - good for emergencies.
• Construction Pouch - 4 Points
  • For carrying metal, plasteel, and reinforced glass for field repairs.
• First-Aid Pouch - 2 Points
  • For minor injuries on the field.

P-WAULS SUPPLIES:

• 7.62x51mm Box, 1000 count - 8 Points
  • A special 1000ct ammo box designed to instantly feed into the P-WAULS. This ammo cannot be removed or used otherwise.
• 10x24mm Box, 500 count - 6 Points
  • A special 500ct ammo box designed to instantly feed into the P-WAULS. This ammo cannot be removed or used otherwise.
• 10x20mm Box, 500 count - 4 Points
  • A special 500ct ammo box designed to instantly feed into the P-WAULS. This ammo cannot be removed or used otherwise.
• 9mm Box, 250 count - 2 Points
  • A special 250ct ammo box designed to instantly feed into the P-WAULS. This ammo cannot be removed or used otherwise.
• Incinerator Tank, 60 units - 2 Points
  • You’ll need 9 of these in total to fully top off the M240-Super 30, with 40 units of napthal left over in the last tank.
• M40 HEDP Grenade x3 - 10 Points
• M40 HIDP Grenade x3 - 10 Points
• M40 HPDP Grenade x3 - 8 Points
• M74 AGM-F 40mm Grenade x3 - 6 Points
• M74 AGM-I 40mm Grenade x3 - 6 Points
• M74 AGM-S Starshell Grenade x3 - 4 Points
• Metal Sheets, 10 count - 10 Points
• Plasteel Sheets, 10 count - 15 Points
• Reinforced Glass, 10 count - 8 Points
• WL-6 Universal Fuel Cell - 4 Points
• A high-capacity battery - 4 Points
• “Eternal Glory” Autoinjector - 2 Points
  • A single-use autoinjector that fits behind the ear. Delivers an insanely lethal, 60u dose of Oxycodone - used by pilots who have been caught out in the field with a dead suit and no way to defend themselves from capture, torture, and interrogation. Patriotically drift off to your final rest without revealing highly classified P-WAULS operational intelligence!

  • Will send a large, red-text warning in chat that you are being injected with a lethal dosage. Has a built in 4 second delay before injection as you work up the nerve to use it, regardless of medical skills.

The Power Armor Operator’s Utility Belt allows the storage of a single high-capacity battery, universal fuel cell, and MRE, for the refueling of the suit and pilot; and a welder, wrench, crowbar, and screwdriver, for field repairs.

THE STRUCTURES

The Power Armor Access Terminal

A master-access terminal for all your needs analytical, tactical, and more: view the techweb for additional design unlocks made by Command, or watch the helmet feed of other suits; you hook a suit into the Power Armor bay and examine its health, or power, fuel, and ammo totals - or give it a new spray job with the Auto-Painter System.

The Power Armor Bay

This massive load-bearing arch will allow you to quickly build your suit, add modules, refill and restock supplies, repair severe damage, and keep your spine in good health with handy, mechanized winches - all within arm’s reach of its corresponding P-WAULS All-in-One Lathe.

The P-WAULS All-in-One Lathe

This pre-loaded All-in-One Lathe comes with all the USCM approved armor piece, module, and weapon designs you’ll need to suit up, improve your harness, and make replacements for any damage you take along the way. It can be fed the steel, plasteel, and plastic it’ll need for printing through an easy feed-port directed on the front.

(WARNING: remember to lift P-WAULS 1 armor pieces with your legs from a squatting position when working in field conditions. The USCM highly recommends the use of a P5000 Powered Work Loader when moving armor pieces, if available, for health and safety purposes.)

VEHICLE BAY ADDITION

(“…No no no - see, you put the helmet on too soon. Now how are you supposed to get the cuirass on?..”)

(“…Ruh roh…”)

“Pick me out some freaky looking paint after you get unhooked.”

“Gotcha, big dog. Cook me up my parts until the MT comes back?”

With just a few small adjustments to a ship’s vehicle bay, the necessary structural equipment for your very own P-WAULS heavy-armor units can be fit in a corner with as little as three clear arm-spans of space!

THE POWER ARMOR

“–SYSTEMS, ON. – POWER, MAX. – FUEL, MAX. – WEAPONS, OPERATIONAL. GOD – BLESS – THE- U-S-A…!–”

“Now in five USCM standards! Enjoy a weather and battle resistant coating of camouflage paint in shades for Jungle, Snow, Desert, Space, and Urban centered zones of conflict!”

Strengths

What makes the P-WAULS a contender?

• PASSIVE - Metal Man

  • You can grab, aggressively grab, then throw Xenomorphs up to Tier 1 or less. The Xenomorph has a 33% chance to wriggle free on each resist attempt it makes.
  • Tier 2 Xenomorphs or less cannot push past you while you are on Harm Intent.
  • As long as your suit is working fine, nothing short of the Queen, a direct Orbital Bombardment, or a direct Mortar Strike is going to knock you down.
  • Injure anything you walk over, including friendlies, by inflicting 25 Brute damage randomly to the body.
  • Inflict a whopping 45 Brute damage per punch, at a rate of 20 punches per minute, or a punch every 3 seconds.
  • 500% Health.
  • As long as your suit is working fine, you are fireproof, but still take Burn damage to the suit.
  • Not affected by Neurotoxic Gas or any other man-made gas and inhalants or chemical attacks.

• Not affected by shrapnel or bleed effects, only the base damage from the source of the effect.

• Does not heal Xenomorphs that use life-steal abilities or attacks on the suit, still takes normal damage.

• PASSIVE - Directional Armor

• The P-WAULS has very strong armor in the front, strong armor on the sides, and is more vulnerable, but still protected on the back.

• Cannot direction lock.

• BASE ACTIVE ABILITY - Push

  • Toggle, then on use.
  • You can push Tier 1 Xenomorphs 3 tiles away.
  • You can push Tier 2 Xenomorphs 2 tiles away.
  • You can push Tier 3 Xenomorphs 1 tile away.
  • You cannot push Tier 4 Xenomorphs.
  • You cannot push a Defender using Fortify.
  • You cannot push mobs into pits or off ledges.
  • Will always knock a human over.
  • This ability does no damage.

• BASE ACTIVE ABILITY - Double Time

  • Toggle.
  • Move at a quicker pace: 2 tiles slower than a marine in Heavy Armor - only roughly 25% slower.
  • Base Power Loader/P-WAULS speed is roughly 60% slower than that of a marine in Heavy Armor, and thus moves at a rate roughly 4 tiles slower.
  • Increases the rate you draw from the loaded WL-6 Universal Fuel Cell.
  • Base fuel draw speed is 1 fuel cell per 60 minutes, idle or moving, when booted up; Double Time increases the rate to 300% fuel draw, meaning you will expend your fuel cell** in 20 minutes instead - assuming a WL-6 Fuel Cell has 60 units.

• High Carry Capacity

• High Versatility

• Simple to Perform Low-Level Maintenance

• Good Damage

• Variety of Burst and Sustained Damage

Weaknesses

What are the P-WAULS vulnerabilities?

• ARMOR PIERCING ROUNDS

  • Simply put, Armor-Piercing ammunition against a suit with high armor and low maneuverability makes for an easy, almost pathetic kill. Like hunting a sick cow. Make sure that sick cow doesn’t turn around and unload 6 rounds a second into your face, though.

• LOW SPEED

  • The P-WAULS moves at the same rate as the Power Loader, making it the slowest ground operating unit out there - next to a starving Marine in Heavy Armor, with his primary wielded while sporting a few fractures.

• TURN-DELAY

  • The P-WAULS, due to its bulk and sheer weight, turns twice as slow as a stock standard Power Loader, and again, can’t direction lock.

• WEAK PILOTS

  • Unable to wear armor, shoes, backpacks, back slotted weapons, or any other belts, gloves, or hats than their own, the Power Armor Operator is an extremely weak, and severely unskilled human element with only the basic Engineering knowledge necessary to make repairs - though is an element that the suit itself is equally useless without. They are a soft jelly precariously sat inside of a steel egg.

• CUMBERSOME

  • If knocked over, the P-WAULS requires a painstaking 2.5 minute auto-righting windup. Having multiple friendlies all shake you - as they band together to try to haul you on your feet - at most lowers the time to 30 seconds.
  • The P-WAULS will deal 25 Brute damage randomly to the body of any friendly you walk over - avoid treading over Marines at all costs.
  • Though you cannot be dragged away by Humans, Synths, or Predators primarily to safety - larger enemies like Tier 3 Xenomorphs and the Queen can drag you. Other P-WAULS suits can drag you, but at a 50% speed penalty.

• LOGISTICS

  • Requires large amounts of ammo, napthal fuel, or grenades, depending on the weapon type and module(s) chosen.
  • Needs to be refueled at least every 60 minutes, and given a new high-capacity battery at least every 45 minutes.
  • Requires metal, plasteel, power control modules, and reinforced glass for advanced repairs.
  • Requires metal, plasteel, and plastic for printing new armor parts and modules.

• MISCELLANEOUS

  • Certain modules make the suit more vulnerable, effectively removing its primary strengths.
  • Without power, the pilot will begin to suffocate and take steadily increasing Oxygen damage.
  • The boot up period for the P-WAULS is 30 seconds, enough time to begin gasping. Be wary of entering the suit if you’re already a victim of Oxygen damage. You may pass out standing up inside the suit and be unable to defend yourself.
  • It takes a 10 second fitting period windup to enter the P-WAULS, leaving the pilot extremely vulnerable, more so than they already are.
  • EXPLOSIVE HAZARD - Certain modules, and taking fire damage at a certain damage threshold on the Cuirass will cause a fatal, un-revivable explosion for the pilot that will additionally inflict grievous harm on nearby friendlies.
  • FIRE HAZARD - Certain modules, and various thresholds of damage across the P-WAULS can cause random, fiery leaks. It is as well possible to become flammable at the second highest damage threshold of the Cuirass.

• XENOMORPHS

  • Can only be knocked over by the Queen while she is on Harm Intent. Cannot push the Queen. The Screech will stun the pilot, and thus the suit, the same as anyone.
  • Can be stunned, rooted, and pushed back by several castes.
  • All castes can open the armor up and pull out the pilot at the end of a 3 second windup while on Help Intent and interacting with the suit from behind. Turning or moving from either the suit or the Xenomorph will cancel the windup.
  • The Ravager can peel armor away by targeting a part and interacting with it on Grab Intent. This will do no damage to the pilot, but happens in 2 seconds and the P-WAULS must actively move away to avoid it. Peeled armor parts and their attached modules are destroyed.
  • The Crusher can bash armor away by targeting a part and interacting with it on Grab Intent. This will do 40 Brute damage, along with removing and destroying the part and module in the same, interruptible 2 windup as the Ravager.
  • Can be blinded up to 4 tiles of total obscurementby consecutive, successful hits from the Sentinel’s Slowing Spit. Must enter a 3 second Diagnostic State to clear the spit, or let it sluice off itself after 12 seconds. The Sentinel’s Crippling Strike will slow the suit down 50% for 2 seconds, then stun it afterwards for 1 second.
  • Acid Spray from the Spitter and Praetorian, both leave a similar acid effect on the P-WAULS as they do to barricades - inflicting rapid Burn damage until a 3 second self-extinguishing cycle is ran.
  • The P-WAULS cannot push a Defender using Fortify.
  • Facehuggers can melt through the Helmet after 3 attempts, leaping from directly behind the suit, or 2 attempts from anywhere adjacent with the suit knocked down.
  • The Visor is a particularly weak, particularly easy to tail-stab vital point, both for the P-WAULS and obviously the pilot.

Personal Thoughts: The Why, and The Fun for Everyone

Nestled here, I just want to try and as straightforward as possible explain my personal reasonings behind this massive post and all the “wasted” effort for what’s essentially, at best, proof of concept and some fanfiction.

Am I asking anybody to code this, demanding this be put in the game, asserting this as a necessary addition? Am I even outright suggesting it should be added? NOT AT ALL. That simple. I’m just having fun. What compelled me to go THIS FAR, I honestly can’t say. Why NOT go all out? I’m 100% all in every time, baby. Alright? Nobody gains anything either, even if nothing EVER comes of this - from me posting 1 paragraph, with half of that paragraph being how badly I want it for my own personal enjoyment, and a draft of ugly looking, half complete armor that I’m displaying in the form of an uncropped screencap from Krita while it’s pulled up.

Do I think it’d be super cool and improve the game? Yes. Do I think people would enjoy it, on both sides? Yes. Do I think, beyond being a fun addition in itself, and improving the game in itself, it could have indirect improvements to other areas regarding the balance and flow of the game? Yes.

Okay. WHY?

1. It will SLOW THINGS DOWN.

Details

I am of the belief that the game, as in its individual rounds and the inherent stages those rounds always tend to play out through, moves too fast - it’s too “meta,” which is partially accounted for by that high speed. The Tank is, for some reason, comedically fast; the APC/ARC, more understandably so, but still too fast to follow along with. Having an actual, SLOW MOVING, heavy-armor unit for the marines to have to deliberately keep pace with will cause things to naturally ease off the gas pedal. This is a LIVING, WALKING, TALKING tank with all the personality of a player. Hell, maybe the WALK function can finally get some use - allowing marines to comfortably, securely walk in blocks with the P-WAULS as its central pillar. Then - if and when things get hot? You switch back to your normal run mode, and break away. And though it would slow things down in GAME PACE, for the people who already enjoy that as is, it may yet make things FEEL FASTER for them in immediate gameplay - as there is now that stark contrast between “marching” and “warring.” A WHOLE NEW LAYER to the game, meta-mechanically speaking.

2. It will GET MARINES LISTENING.

Details

I am also of the belief that the marine quality has DECLINED sharply. The main cause/symptom loop? THEY DON’T LISTEN! They don’t follow orders from up top, commands on the ground - even suggestions, ones as simple and straightforward as “hey, don’t go that way, you’ll DIE.” So then - why is THAT? Why don’t they listen? In my opinion, it’s as simple as looking at the Leader. WHERE IS HE? EXACTLY. He’s just some DUDE with a little “L” next to his name. He not only can get murked just as easily as you can, but he may not even be any GOOD. Why follow the orders of a guy who gets a suit of armor designed to outrun you if his hare-brained plan goes wrong? Get what I’m saying? Hold on, hold on - what I’m NOT saying is that the P-WAULS pilots should be leaders, though. The leader would still head the pack, they’d still make the decisions - but NOW they’d have the P-WAULS following THEM. And don’t you think people then would naturally gravitate toward the huge, loud, mean looking machine-man with a big gun? Just like they do their SADAR’s, Pyro’s, SG’s. I mean, you COULD make a pilot a leader if you’re out of options, I guess, you could have them be the foundation to Echo, or have them take over as a critically depleted squad’s aSL. But, they’re much more oriented for support, and they lack the mobility needed to make for a highly effective leader.

3. It will MAKE FIRETEAMS POSSIBLE.

Details

We’ve all seen it, right? That poor Leader or FTL trying to wrangle a few half-broken marines, bored of sitting in the backlines trying to shoulder their way into the fight, into going on some suicidal “flank”? The attempts to “push” or “pin down” the Xenomorphs with like, 5 dudes, no Specialists, no SGs? Even having an SG, a Specialist - what happens then? Uh - the Tier 3’s and the Tier 2’s and the nastier, hungrier Tier 1’s just rotate and completely envelop them. Or they send JUST enough reinforcements to counter-flank, or meet them head on, and send them packing. Or, it ends up creating two, smaller, weaker fronts the marines have to fight on. And guess which side is fundamentally designed to win small engagements, and in general, any engagement over time? Sending anything less than 8 marines on a Fireteam is like giving the Xenomorphs a free team auto-balance, and burning a Specialist or SG to go along with them is just that much of a weaker front. NOW, with one, two, up to three P-WAULS stomping around, you can send something to go with your Fireteams that will actually make them a TEAM. Something that can TANK DAMAGE, GENERATE THREAT, SPARE THE LOSS OF AN SG/SPEC, and can - with caution and skill - help that team not get totally swallowed up. What small-unit tactics game, which is what you play as a member of a Fireteam, DOESN’T have some sort of tank role you need filled to protect your little guys? Your DPS guys? Your healer and utility guys? I think this is the answer here.

What about the Xenomorphs, you ask?

1. They’ll finally have a MINI-BOSS type enemy of their own.

Details

Which doesn’t have the frantic pace of the Tank/APC - that they can work together and strategize on how to defeat… something I think they LACK. A real opponent they can face head on in a stand up fight, or whittle down slowly as they slip in and out of the shadows - in a cat and mouse game where the mouse can bite back something nasty. An opponent that, too, may not necessarily possess what some might consider the “gimmicky” nature of ultra-high burst damage from (generally) unavoidable rockets, invisibility, getting pinged by anti-mat rounds 4 screens away, intervals of fire invulnerability, etc; but rather, they could fight and survive and overcome an enemy that doesn’t play by the usual rules, in a FAIR WAY, an enemy that can continually march forward, fearlessly turn corners - get up in their face - and slowly, but surely, clear a way for the marines behind them… Unless, they are halted - through brute force, or through guile; doing it together - or as always - with cleverness, skill, good matchups, a bad pilot, or luck, doing it alone.

2. They’ll only face as much trouble as the marines can already provide.

Details

The P-WAULS is a force MULTIPLIER. It isn’t fast enough to chase and secure its kills even if its a slow caste off weeds, it isn’t tanky enough to stand up to a whole mob or even one particularly determined Tier 3, and both of those limitations combined with its other inherent weaknesses means it will NEVER be able to hack it out there alone. It is an anti-solo, anti-antisocial role, that can only improve upon the output the marines already have - the fight they can put up. If the marines are getting stomped that round, the P-WAULS aren’t going to be much more help than any other marine. If the marines are stomp*-ing*? Well, then the P-WAULS is just one more thing to watch out for. Even match? Even odds. Skill, of course, is the status quo. Teamwork, of course, is the status quo. Game sense, of course, is the status quo. The P-WAULS isn’t getting any special privileges over you as a Xenomorph - if anything, it has MORE weaknesses and logistical needs than your average marine. It’s just that the weaknesses and strengths it does have are mostly novel to the marines, and provide a new way for you to play AGAINST them as they will find new ways to play AGAINST you, using the P-WAULS.

3. They’ll have help from some new friends. Another unhealthily long, in depth, complicated Ideaguys thread coming soon.

Imagine with me, being there, peak pop on a Saturday. There’s fire and blood on the battlefield in that old dusty town of LV-624. Medics are healing, men are screaming and holding their guts in; Engies are building, ratcheting, welding - cades are going down, sentries are steaming from all the rounds; shotguns and M39’s and M41A’s and everything in between is all popping off, shots going everywhere. Explosions - acid globs - Ravagers sending limbs flying, Crushers charging to and fro. It is WAR.

And imagine then you hear the stomping. The whirring. The hollow, vo-coded warcries. The chunky, gear-clicking, metallic drumming of their wrist-mounted weapons unstow. You SEE them rock up.

IMAGINE them bashing foreheads with Crushers like two beasts in a fighting cage. IMAGINE them tossing around Drones and Sentinels. IMAGINE them spray bullets, fire, grenades, and MORE down range - tearing up resin, tearing up walls, blowing out windows. IMAGINE them busting through doors - BUSTING through CLF heads.

Now - imagine running a pincer strike on it. Imagine nailing it with the perfect glob, and listening to the metal warp and screech and bubble from molecular breakdown, as they sit there, trapped, disabled, inside of the acid cloud. Imagine tail-stabbing RIGHT THROUGH the already destroyed visor, and braining the already injured pilot, killing them, and leaving the suit their as a haunting, man shaped, upright coffin.

IMAGINE gaming it so hard after it over-extends alone that you manage to surround it entirely with resin walls and doors. IMAGINE chasing in just paces behind in the dark, toying with it, slashing away at it as it hopelessly tries to slowly amble off - DOOMED to inevitably reach a critical shutdown.

Imagine finally peeling away the suit after you’ve carefully, categorically disabled its most vital parts - imagine watching the miserable little pilot underneath starting to show through, screaming bloody murder.

Or, imagine catching the pilot OUTSIDE of their suit, and watching them frantically scrambling around trying to avoid you. ALL that metal, ALL that firepower, ALL that training and that money - WASTED so they could eat lunch mid-battle, so they could do some minor repairs, so they could pick their nose and catch some fresh air. IMAGINE tackle-dragging them away, not devouring them, so they could watch their precious, perfectly functional suit (now useless metal and spare parts without them too) shrink into but a hopeless speck, way off in the gloom. DELICIOUSLY EVIL.

THAT - is why I wanted to do all this. At least just to throw the hypothetical out there; at least so that you can, I hope, have your own fun skimming through this, letting your imagination go, as I have done while working it up.

POWER

Fueled by simple WL-6 Universal Fuel Cells, and powered by simple, high capacity batteries, the P-WAULS is a low-maintenance war machine that can run its onboard systems, operations, and life support for 45 minutes on a single battery, and its mechanized limbs, locomotion, and gyroscopic stabilizers for 60 minutes on a single fuel cell.

(ADVISORY: efficiency tests performed on a base model, with control groups for idle time and marching paces that both produce similar results.)

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"Personalized visor colors! Light up the battlefield in style!"

WEAPONS

Because what would a walking weapons platform be without some big, mean mothers to tote around?

VULCAN-SUPER 10

“8-barreled, rail-propulsed, telescopically stowed - a wrist-mounted rotary cannon based on the old Vulcan M61 design, with everything and then some.”

This state of the art minigun’s magnetic firing platform supports the use of several calibers, including 9mm, 10x20mm, 10x24mm, and 7.62x51mm - so you can keep the heat up even when the highly desired supplies are low.

A Closer Look: The Vulcan-Super 10

• QUASI-IFF - Will not fire when the onboard targeting system detects an IFF tagged friendly in the way of the direct firing path. Can still cause indirect harm through crossfire and stray rounds.
• Held in one hand, and can be fired at a much lower accuracy from the hip.
• Use it in active hand to “ready” the weapon and raise your arm, increasing accuracy to functional levels for a small movement speed penalty.
• Special action to choose ammo type.
• Capable of 360 RPM in automatic fire, regardless of ammo type.
• Cannot use special variants of available ammo types.
• Feeds directly from the onboard ammo reservoir without any need to reload.
• The reservoir can hold 1000 rounds of 7.62x51mm, 500 rounds of 10x24mm and 10x20mm, and 250 rounds of 9mm - all with independent storages.
• These calibers, due to the nature of the rail-propulsion, possess different values than from their firing usual platforms, as when fired from the Vulcan-Super 10. Primarily, you’ll note the REVERSE FALL OFF - meaning the Vulcan is, for most ammo types, much better when against targets at a distant range, and before, or after that range, is much weaker.

Weapon Stats

• Recoil Wielded: .1
• Recoil Unwielded: .1
• Scatter Wielded: 2
• Scatter Unwielded: 2
• Burst Scatter Multiplier: N/A
• Burst Amount: N/A
• Effective Range: 4-11 tile range
• Firerate: 360 RPM
• Automatic Firerate: 360
• Accuracy Wielded: 16.8
• Accuracy Unwielded: 6

7.62x51mm:

GSh-7.62 Rotary Machine Gun/Ol' Painless

• Capacity: 1000
• Damage: 25
• Max Range: 4-15
• Fall off: 5
• Penetration: 25
• Punch: .5

10x24mm:

M41A Pulse Rifle MK2 /M4RA Battle Rifle

• Capacity: 500
• Damage: 40
• Max Range: 4-11
• Fall off: 8
• Penetration: 10
• Punch: .5

10x20mm:

M39 Submachine Gun

• Capacity: 500
• Damage: 30
• Max Range: 2-6
• Fall off: 5
• Penetration: 10
• Punch: .5

9mm:

M4A3 Service Pistol/VP-78 Pistol

• Capacity: 250
• Damage: 40
• Max Range: 1-3
• Fall off: 10
• Penetration: 20
• Punch: .5

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M240-SUPER 30

“I got five tubes on this sucker; extra-spicy napthal juiced up straight to my rig. It’s called a ‘star-thrower’ - keep hidin’ round that corner - I’ll show you why!”

This wrist-mounted redesign of the original M240A1 utilizes the P-WAULS onboard synthesizer to create a proprietary munitions load from ultra-thickened napthal fuel in order to launch incendiary flak: grenade-like bolts that bounce along the walls for a time, catching anyone they hit along the way on fire, until bursting non-percussively into a short-lasting radius of flames.

A Closer Look: The M240-Super 30

• NON-IFF
• Held in one hand.
• Must be “readied” to fire, which is done by using it in your active hand.
• Change fire modes to change the flame delivery type.
• FLAMER: Uses half the napthal levels for the same damage and distance as a normal M240A1.
  • STANDARD: A normal, 1 tile wide, X tile long spray.
  • SPECIAL: A spray similar to B-Variant (Green) Flame’s spread, though with standard napthal.
• FIREBALL: Uses half the napthal levels for the same damage and distance as a normal M240A1, XM-VESG-1 flamer nozzle.
  • STANDARD: A single, normal fireball.
  • SPECIAL: A single, synthesized fireball that will burst into a non-damaging, 3x3 radius of fire upon landing or making contact with a target.
• INCENDIARY FLAK: Uses a similar napthal level as a standard, M240A1 based fireball, with an additional 50 damage on direct hits, and 30 damage for those in range of the fire burst - as well as being caught on fire. The flak has a range of 7, but could potentially bounce further. Will bounce off targets until 3 seconds have passed since firing, and will then burst.
  • STANDARD: A single, synthesized flak load.
  • SPECIAL: A triplicate, synthesized flak load. Fires out at 70, 90, and 110 degrees from the direction you are facing.
• Special action to change between standard and special firing mode.
• Feeds directly from the onboard napthal reservoir, which can hold 500 units of standard napthal in total - with no need to reload.

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ADDITIONAL WEAPON TIP:

As afforded by its sheer size and strength, the P-WAULS is able to mount an operational heavy machinegun such as the M56D or the M2C and use it as a carriable weapon, moving and shooting in tandem - though, its cumbersome nature will slow you down some, in movement and turning; it must constantly use both hands to provide a secure firing platform for the gun; and you cannot actually load or unload the gun at all - due to the lack of fine motor control. Dropping it will also leave it as an unsecured gun on the ground, something else you can’t do due to fine motor control, being resecure it, either.

(WARNING: The P-WAULS is unable to operate all other standard military personnel firearms due to finger size, grip strength, and lack of certain fine motor control. Misuse of P-WAULS 1 Piloted Harnesses that result in grievous bodily harm or injury to self or others do not accommodate injury claims, veteran disability benefits, or legal protection.)

Weapons Catalog: Download a Design Today!

M79-SUPER 16

Give them the old one-two!

• A highly advanced, experimental redesign of the M79 40mm grenade launcher. This double-barreled explosive launching platform’s use of the P-WAULS onboard ammo reservoir allows it to fire from 3 separate selections of loaded grenades or flares, with the option to fire twice in rapid succession before a short, automatic reload period. Most of all, it utilizes total IFF firing capabilities thanks to its connection to the P-WAULS onboard targeting system - though, of course, once the IFF-micro-tagged grenade lands, live, it’s a problem for anybody standing too close.

  • Passive IFF.

  • Held and fired with functional accuracy in one hand.

  • Use in active hand to raise the launcher, granting the passive ability to fire over non-IFF obstacles.

  • Special action to change grenade type. Changing grenade type will fire whatever two grenades are in the active tube in order of first-to-last. You may fire, change tubes, then fire a second grenade rapidly, before the reload sequence.

WR-TF Electro-Pneumatic Force Exponentiator

Find out what teeth sound like skipping across the ground!

• Created by the same inventor of the P-WAULS, the USCM’s own weapons engineer Walter Robert-Thomas Ford came up with the design by pure accident - after nearly blowing his own head off testing the extension power of an early design for the mechanized locomotion of the P-WAULS. In standard marine fashion, Walter duplicated that effect through several iterative designs; and more pneumatics, ballistic plating, and the addition of barely guided electricity led to the creation of a powerful tool for removing barricades, breaking through doors and modestly fortified structures - and for use as a very, very nasty close-quarters weapon.

  • Passive, significant increase to melee damage.

  • Passively knocks humans and Xenomorphs up to T2 back one tile on hit, applying both Burn and Brute damage.

  • Active Ability - Engage Exponentiator: A toggle that on the next successful hit will apply increased damage, a micro-stun, 2 seconds of slowness, and a 3 tile knock-back, up to Tier 3’s. 15 second cooldown.

  • Active Ability - Overcharge: A toggle that on the next successful hit will apply a napthal-grade burning effect, and a cooldown-reset on all abilities of the target, up to Tier 3. 30 second cooldown, and sets all other abilities on a 5 second cooldown, or adds 5 seconds onto their current cooldown time.

  • Active Ability - Dump Volts: An on-use that will lightly damage, and stun anything within your immediate 1 tile perimeter for 3 seconds, up to Tier 2, and Tier 3’s for 1 second, with a following 2 second slow. A human, including friendlies, struck by this will experience the same stun and corresponding Burn damage as if trying to open an electrified door. 20 second cooldown.

  • Actively draws battery on successful hits and ability use.

KAVOR Hyper-Compaction Flak Launcher

One man's trash is the USCM's treasure!

• Nobody knows WHAT the original design of this monstrosity was intended to accomplish - it came in half made of spare, jerry-rigged parts. Whatever KAVOR (the now defunct company behind at LEAST the cool logo on it with the skull instead of an “O”) planned on doing with this thing, it can’t be better than what the weapons division has done to it now. Heavy modifications and connection to the P-WAULS onboard synthesizers allow this three-quarter ton trash-blaster to consume metal right off the ground, in exchange for a munitions delivery platform akin to the mother of all shotguns. As is fitting for the immense size of the launcher, its medley of terrifying steel shot ranges in size from “grape” at its absolute smallest to “actual cannonball” - a reimagining of the past made a real force of reckoning - which is capable of punching through… pretty much everything. And yes, the brass figures you would want to try plasteel. And no. You can’t, they molecularly locked it from grinding that.

  • NON-IFF.

  • Held in one hand, extremely inaccurate beyond 2 tiles.

  • Use in active hand to wield - granting a functional accuracy at the cost of halved movement speed.

  • Special action to switch between vacuum/launch mode.

  • Change fire mode to change flak type.

  • Larger ammo types have an inherently greater accuracy and flight speed, but a longer cooldown period, and a greater expenditure of metal.

  • GRAPESHOT: Nearly double the damage of buckshot and almost no chance to miss point-blank, this flak type expends a sheet of metal per 5 shots, and has a built in firing period cooldown of 3 seconds.

  • BASEBALL: Nearly double the damage and a similar slowing and micro-stunning effect of slugs, this flak type expends a sheet of metal per 3 shots, and has a built in firing period cooldown of 5 seconds.

  • CANNONBALL: Essentially a kinetic rocket - a single piece of brutal, long range, fast moving flak with all the destructive force and damage of a tile-shared HEDP grenade - with half the secondary blast of one when it lands, including a 2 second stun that works on all tiers for direct hits. This flak type expends a sheet of metal per shot, and has a built in firing period cooldown of 10 seconds.

  • The onboard matter-compressor can hold up to 25 sheets of metal at a time.

  • Draws battery on firing, with increased drain scaling to larger ammo type.

P-WAULS RAID Hammer

Let that sweet sweet Democracy in!

• A barricade destroying, obstacle removing tool designed specifically for the P-WAULS massive size and strength - this joint-locking, war hammer looking, cyclopean weapon (RAID of course short for Rescue, Aid, Intervention, and Defense) can turn a wall into a door, a door into a bigger door, and a man into a greasy, chunky paste on the ground and walls.

  • High melee damage, slow attack speed.

  • Held in one hand. Wield in both hands to use.

  • Active Ability - Knock Knock: An on-click that will destroy any breakable walls in front of you in a 3x1 tile wide hammer path. 8 second cooldown. MOBS: Take massive Brute damage to the torso and arms, and are knocked back up to Tier 2 by 4 tiles, and Tier 3 by 2 tiles.

  • Active Ability - Make Room: A toggle that will destroy any breakable walls in front of you in a 1x3 long hammer stroke on the next hit, sending shrapnel out from the end of any destroyed walls. 12 second cooldown. MOBS: Take massive Brute damage to the legs and groin, are knocked back a tile, and are stunned for 3 seconds, up to Tier 2. Tier 3’s are micro-stunned, then slowed for 2 seconds.

  • Active Ability - Squash: An on-click, mob use only, that will do extreme Brute damage to the head and chest - or halve the armor of all Xenomorphs for 4 seconds, and stun up to Tier 3’s for 2 seconds. Anyone human or Xenomorph, up to Tier 3 , that is within 2 tiles of the struck target is then slowed for 2 seconds. Using this on a human is guaranteed to instantly kill them and also destroys any headwear they had on. 16 second cooldown.

  • Draws fuel on ability use.

EXAR-1303 Thermonuclear Casting-Purveyance Rifle

Several 'No returns or liability' clauses!

• This absolute heavenly, constantly-burning-hot-to-the-touch, long barreled super rifle is the antithesis to the words “manageable”, “lightweight”, or “safe” - looking like someone ripped the artillery off the side of a war vessel. A project contracted out to a secretive military-grade weapons manufacturer by some absurdly wealthy, and very much corrupt USCMC high-ranking official; it took over a thousand iterations, 12 dead renowned weapons engineers, a nuclear physicist now more synth-skin and intravenous radiation treatments than man, and one quarter of a small planetoid (where a crater that used to be the lab, constructed solely to build the rifle, now lies)… but… here it is. WOW. The UA doesn’t want anything to do with this nightmare - they’re only letting you have it because, frankly, the P-WAULS are the only things that can even pick them up without melting, and they’re hoping you manage to deplete the core on some far off dump away from everyone else - all while fighting for the greater good of America’s interests! Firing it makes your teeth itch, but that’s what the potassium iodide pills, bottle of Prussian blue, and chelating body oil that come with the manual are for. The manual itself in summary is this: to eject the self-detonating, nano-nuclear pulses of incandescently, unfathomably hot carbide-alloy castings at what or whoever you want obliterated - aim scary glowing end their way, pull trigger.

  • NON-IFF.

  • Held in one hand, wield in both hands to fire.

  • Very low RPM of 20: a shot every 3 seconds, at best.

  • No reload or ammo necessary.

  • High damage - 120 - with 30 base armor-piercing to boot. Deals half of its damage as a Burn. Travel time is slightly faster than the speed of a fireball. Applies a bright, magenta flame on hit with the brightness and damage of B-Variant (Green) Flame, though with only 3 seconds of Burn-time.

  • On successful sprite-clicks, will instantly deal its damage, allow for IFF pass-through of friendlies, and have an increased burn time of 5 seconds. It will additionally knockback Tier 1’s 3 tiles, Tier 2’s 2 tiles, and Tier 3’s 1 tile.

  • Inflicts 5 burn damage to the pilot across random body parts every 150 ticks, or 5 minutes, when carried. Inflicts 5 burn damage across random armor pieces on the suit per shot.

ARMOR

They say the best defense is a good offense - but “they” probably don’t concern themselves daily with kilojoule gradients and bullet caliber ratings on the metal between their brain, guts, and certain death.

A Closer Look: P-WAULS Armor Spec Sheet

With the USCM’s standard design premise of “never retreat, never surrender” - the P-WAULS is built specifically so that the bulk of its armor plating and geometry deflects and absorbs damage best from the front.

While its sides are still very well armored, it is less so thick in the plating that is aface to these directions, and also begins to reveal the tubing that protects the P-WAULS vital fuel and wire lines.

The P-WAULS is at its weakest and most vulnerable when attacked from the back, as it’s here the pilot is able to exit and enter the suit, and where much of the storage, onboard systems, and vital computational and mechanical components lie.

TOTAL BASE HEALTH: 500%

From the FRONT, armor ratings of:

Details

Melee = 60
Bullet = 60
Bomb = 60
Internal = 50
Bio = 40

From the SIDES, armor ratings of:

Details

Melee = 50
Bullet = 50
Bomb = 50
Internal = 40
Bio = 30

From the BACK, armor ratings of:

Details

Melee = 35
Bullet = 40
Bomb = 30
Internal = 25
Bio = 20

HEALTH BREAKDOWN:

Each piece of armor has different thresholds for being disabled, shattered (fractured), or completely destroyed and knocked off.

• A piece or module being “disabled” requires, usually, quick repairs.
• A piece or module “shattered” requires repairs of several steps, and replacement components or materials.
• A piece or module being, “destroyed”, in the case of modules, and “knocked off”, in the case of armor pieces, requires the printing of a whole new module or armor piece. You can break down totally destroyed armor pieces into a paltry amount of raw materials. Destroyed modules are useless, in some cases possibly dangerous, junk.

NOTE:

• Any steps involving a Wrench or Crowbar can be done instantly with a Power Loader’s Power Loader Claw should you have one available in the field, or are able to work aboard the ship in a safer, slower-paced environment where several Power Loaders can usually be found.

VISOR: (Aiming for the Eyes)

Details

• DISABLED AT: 50 Brute / 45 Burn
  • Effect: Drops vision by 2 tiles.
  • Repair Brute: Carefully reshape surface scratches with a Welder.
  • Repair Burn: Scrape char away with a Screwdriver.
• SHATTERED AT: 75 Brute / 60 Burn
  • Effect: Drops vision by 3 tiles. Pilot’s eyes, mouth, and head take 25% of all visor damage, rounding down.
  • Repair Steps: Unseat the outer guard with a Screwdriver, remove the broken shards with a Crowbar, add 2 Reinforced Glass, then Weld together the new pieces and Wrench the repaired visor into place.
• DESTROYED AT: 100 Brute / 75 Burn
  • Effect: Restores vision. Pilot’s eyes, mouth, and head take 100% of all visor damage.

HELMET: (Aiming for the Head or Mouth)

Details

• DISABLED AT: 125 Brute / 75 Burn
  • Effect: The pilot will begin to slowly suffocate, with oxygen damage increasing by 1 every minute (30 ticks).
  • Repair Brute: Repair dents, holes, and cuts with a Welder.
  • Repair Burn: Bend warped plates back into place with a Wrench.
• SHATTERED AT: 150 Brute / 100 Burn
  • Effect: The pilot’s suffocation will worsen, with oxygen damage increasing by 5 every minute. Drops vision by 1 tile. Increases turn-delay by 50%. Randomly set 2 tiles within a 3 tile radius on fire every 2 minutes from fuel leakage - additionally increasing fuel draw rate by 25%.
  • Repair Steps: Unseat the bolts with a Wrench, then remove the ruined plates with a Crowbar and replace them with 5 Metal, and afterward, fasten them with the Screwdriver, use a Welder to shape and seal them, and a Wrench a final time to secure the bolts.
• DESTROYED AT: 200 Brute / 150 Burn
  • Effect: The pilot’s suffocation ends. Pilot’s eyes, mouth, and head take 100% of all helmet damage. Increases turn delay by 50%. Wield and unstow (equip) delay doubled. Can no longer use any abilities, as all interface systems are inaccessible without the computational “brains” of the suit.

CUIRASS: (Aiming for the Chest)

Details

• DISABLED AT: 150 Brute / 100 Burn
  • Effect: Lowers total armor values by 5. Increases turn-delay by 25%.
  • Repair Brute: Pop those scuffs out with a Crowbar.
  • Repair Burn: Knock that soot off with a Wrench.
• SHATTERED AT: 250 Brute / 200 Burn
  • Effect: Lowers total armor values by 10. Increases turn-delay by 50%. Ceases the use of all abilities. Randomly set 2 tiles within a 3 tile radius on fire every 2 minutes from fuel leakage - additionally increasing fuel draw rate by 25%. The suit becomes flammable due to minor fuel seepage, and will require the use of the self-extinguisher upon contact with fire.
  • Repair Steps: Unseat the bolts with a Wrench and then dismount the interior plates’ seating with a Screwdriver, then add 6 Metal and 6 Plasteel to replace the mangled reinforcements, then use a Crowbar to affix the replacements, a Welder to shape and seal them, and the Screwdriver and Wrench again to lock it all back into place.
• DESTROYED AT: 350 Brute / 300 Burn
  • Effect: Lowers total armor values by half. Doubles turn delay. Lowers movement speed by 25%. Pilot’s chest takes 75% of all cuirass damage. Entering this damage state from being doused in fire, walking through flames, or being hit with incendiary rounds will cause the suit to experience a critical, internal fuel leakage-reaction cascade, and lead to an explosion the size of double an HEDP grenade. As it is an implosive detonation first, blowing its way out, the pilot will essentially be liquified - and as a result be gibbed.

PAULDRONS: (Aiming for the Arms)

Details

• DISABLED AT: 75 Brute / 60 Burn (Per Arm)
  • Effect: Lowers accuracy by 10%. Increases wield-delay 10%.
  • Repair Brute: Refasten the plates with a Wrench.
  • Repair Burn: Reshape warps with a Welder.
• SHATTERED AT: 125 Brute / 80 Burn (Per Arm)
  • Effect: Can no longer use Push, even if the other arm is perfectly functional. Lowers accuracy by 25%. Increases wield-delay by 50%. Randomly set 2 tiles within a 3 tile radius on fire every 2 minutes from fuel leakage - additionally increasing fuel draw rate by 25%.
  • Repair Steps: Unsecure the bolts with a Wrench and then the mounting with a Screwdriver, then cut the battered sections away with a Welder and add 4 Metal as new reinforcements, and shape and seal them with the Welder.
• DESTROYED AT: 200 Brute / 120 Burn (Per Arm)
  • Effect: Can no longer wield any 2-hand required weapons, and can no longer deploy P-WAULS wrist weaponry from that arm. Lowers accuracy by 25% on the other arm due to counter-balancing issues. Pilot’s corresponding arm takes 100% of all pauldron damage.

GAUNTLETS: (Aiming for the Hands)

Details

• DISABLED AT: 60 Brute / 60 Burn (Per Hand)
  • Effect: Cannot open doors or pick up objects. Grabbing friendlies will minorly injure the targeted part by 10 Brute and release the grab, as your grip begins to experience dampening failures.
  • Repair Brute: Resecure the finer bolts and with a Screwdriver.
  • Repair Burn: Clamp back down softened connections with a Wrench.
• SHATTERED AT: 100 Brute / 80 Burn (Per Hand)
  • Effect: Can no longer use Push, even if the other hand is perfectly functional. Cannot open doors, barricades, or pick up objects. Attempting to pick up objects has a 25% chance to destroy them, and grabbing friendlies will seriously injure them by 30 Brute and knock them down, as your grip experiences total malfunction.
  • Repair Steps: Unsecure the articulations with a Screwdriver then work away the digital plates with a Wrench, and then the over-plates with a Crowbar, reinforce the damage with 2 Metal, and set it all back into place with a Welder.
• DESTROYED AT: 150 Brute / 100 Burn (Per Hand)
  • Effect: Cannot use the hand entirely. Can no longer wield any 2-hand required weapons. Can no longer use Push, even if the other hand is perfectly functional. Pilot’s corresponding hand will take 100% of all gauntlet damage.

WAIST-PLATE: (Aiming for the Groin)

Details

• DISABLED AT: 125 Brute / 125 Burn
  • Effect: Lowers movement speed by 25%. Increases turn-delay by 50%.
  • Repair Brute: Work the dents back into shape with a Crowbar.
  • Repair Burn: Reshape soft spots with a Welder.
• SHATTERED AT: 250 Brute / 175 Burn
  • Effect: Lowers movement speed by half. Doubles turn-delay. Can no longer use Double Time. Lowers accuracy by 75%, due to the unstable firing platform. Can now be knocked over like a normal marine.
  • Repair Steps: Cut away warped sections with a Welder, then force them off with a Crowbar, to then renew the battered piece with 4 Plasteel and 10 Metal, and secure it with a Wrench, Crowbar, and finally a Welder to shape and seal it, with one more turn of the bolts, using a Wrench for good measure.
• DESTROYED AT: 325 Brute / 250 Burn
  • Effect: Can no longer use Double Time or Push as you completely lack your base of leverage and stability. Lowers movement speed by 75% and triples turn-delay, bring you almost to a standstill. Cannot unstow or wield weapons as you lack the balance. Pilot’s groin will take 50% of all waist-plate damage. Can now be knocked over like a normal marine. Cannot stand up without help.

GREAVES: (Aiming for the Legs)

Details

• DISABLED AT: 100 Brute / 75 Burn (Per Leg)
  • Effect: Can no longer use Double Time, even if the other leg is perfectly functional. Lowers movement speed by 10%.
  • Repair Brute: Force the plating back into shape with a Crowbar.
  • Repair Burn: Scrape away char with a Screwdriver.
• SHATTERED AT: 175 Brute / 125 Burn (Per Leg)
  • Effect: Can no longer use Double Time, even if the other leg is perfectly functional. Lowers movement speed by 25%. Randomly set 2 tiles within a 3 tile radius on fire every 2 minutes from fuel leakage - additionally increasing fuel draw rate by 25%.
  • Repair Steps: Force destroyed plates away with a Crowbar, then unsecure the battered mounts with a Wrench and Crowbar again, affix new plates with 5 Metal, secure them with a Wrench, then fit them with a Welder.
• DESTROYED AT: 225 Brute / 175 Burn (Per Leg)
  • Effect: Can no longer use Double Time, even if the other leg is perfectly functional. Lowers movement speed by 50%. Pilot’s corresponding leg takes 100% of all greave damage. Can now be knocked over like a normal marine. Cannot stand up without help.

BOOTS: (Aiming for the Feet)

Details

• DISABLED AT: 100 Brute / 100 Burn (Per Foot)
  • Effect: Lowers movement speed by 25%. Can no longer use Double Time, even if the other foot is perfectly functional. Lowers accuracy by 25%, due to the unstable firing platform.
  • Repair Brute: Carefully reorient the opposable plating with a Wrench.
  • Repair Burn: Secure warped bolts with a Screwdriver.
• SHATTERED AT: 175 Brute / 175 Burn (Per Foot)
  • Effect: Lowers movement speed by 50%. Can no longer use Double Time, even if the other foot is perfectly functional. Lowers accuracy by 33%, due to the unstable firing platform.
  • Repair Steps: Unsecure the primary bolts with a Wrench and then the secondary bolts with a Screwdriver, then toss out nearly the whole thing for 2 Plasteel and 5 Metal, and refit it all with a Welder.
• DESTROYED AT: 200 Brute / 200 Burn (Per Foot)
  • Effect: Lowers movement speed by 50%. Can no longer use Double Time, even if the other foot is perfectly functional. Lowers accuracy by 50%, due to the unstable firing platform. Pilot’s corresponding foot will take 50% of all boot damage. Can now be knocked over like a normal marine. Cannot stand up without help.

• A module that takes up that body part will require an additional step of adding a Power Control Module after the corresponding “Materials” stage of the repair operation.

The Heavy-Combat Kit Armor Module Line:

P-WAULS 1 HCK-Bastion

Stand unshaking!

As since histories upon histories past, one of the best solutions to avoiding death in battle is also one of the simplest: wear more hard things than the other guy. And as since histories upon histories past, one of the greatest conundrums to this solution also is thus: really hard things are heavy. Though, with what this literal ton and a half of plate reinforcements is meant to fit on - it’s safe to say the great nation of America has finally put that age old problem to rest. The “HCK-Bastion Post-Armor Suite” - reminiscent of a gladiator’s helmet, or perhaps a giant, angry trashcan - along with a massive amount of full-body physical reinforcement under the proverbial hood, connects directly to the hydraulic system, and comes with logic and interface system additions that allow the suit to take over; gyroscopic righting, kinetic-predictive algorithms, and snap reaction ten times greater than a human for a brief, but unstoppable moment before the UA’s demanded pilot re-control program takes back over. Can’t have those machines learning TOO much…

• Passive flat armor bonus that nearly equalizes all sides.
• Passively lowers movement speed by 25%.
• Passively doubles turn-delay.
• Passively lowers vision by 1 tile.
• Gains the ability to use Push on up to Tier 4 Xenomorphs, at 1 tile.
• Increases total helmet health by 50%.
• Increases total cuirass health by 25%.
• Increases total pauldron health by 25%.

• Active Ability - Brace: Grants invulnerability to gunfire, reduces acid and fire damage by half, allows body-blocking of the Queen without knockdown, and will stun charging Crushers for 2 seconds. 25 second cooldown.

• Actively draws high battery power and large amounts of fuel when Brace is used.
• Higher than average fuel draw rate.

P-WAULS 1 HCK-Interdictor

Go with the wind!

Several prior dicey engagements in theatres of battle that consisted of vast, flat tracts of open land left a very sore spot on the USCM’s track record for use with the P-WAULS, as its slower speed became a crippling weakness out in the open that made it a target of concentrated long-range fire, artillery, and other heavy explosive ordinance - in some instances the enemy would just DRIVE OR MARCH AROUND, outside of its effective range, and avoid it completely. Aeronautics, robotics, mechanical engineering, and several other divisions were quickly entasked to spitball a design that could hopefully get around this, and what was born out of the mix came to be known as the “HCK-Interdictor Engagement Suite”. Jet afterburners, hydro-pneumatic enhanced locomotion, auto-stabilizing micro-thruster systems, and aero-dynamic armor fixtures - at the cost of some of the normal, much thicker stuff. She can’t fly - but in short distances, she’ll rip - and overall it’s the fastest design variant to date.

• Passively increases movement speed by 33%.
• Passively vaults ledges instantly.
• Lowers total armor values by 50%.

• Active Ability - Jet: A toggle that will allow a screen-wide dash on click. 15 second cooldown.

• Active Ability - Takeoff: Increases movement speed by 100% instantly, and can scale to 300% without turning, stopping, or running into an obstacle - in up to 10 seconds. Crashing into a wall, or other obstacle, will stun and damage the suit, and incur a longer stun and greater damage to the suit based on speed. 30 second base cooldown, with up to 90 from reaching 300%, to allow the jets to vent.

  • Marines and Tier 1 Xenomorphs will be knocked down and stunned for 1 second, unless running into a Defender using Fortify.

  • Tier 2 Xenomorphs will be pushed aside, unless grabbed by a Warrior.

  • Tier 3 Xenomorphs and beyond will stop the suit in its tracks.

• Active Ability - Afterburners: Replaces Double Time as a new speed boost toggle that instead increases movement speed to the point of being faster than a healthy, fed marine in heavy armor.

• Passively draws battery power and fuel, and actively draws fuel when using Jet and Takeoff, and has the highest single active fuel draw rate, using Afterburners, at 600% percent, allowing only 10 minutes a fuel cell.
• Higher than average fuel draw rate.

P-WAULS 1 HCK-Sonar

Hear in surround color!

With attempts at amphibious application, the UA has gone through several blueprints for a light-weight, water safe, durable module that would grant additional sensory abilities to aid with the frankly mid-to-poor field of view from within the suit - which is unfortunately a necessary tradeoff to avoid the obvious, “glowing weak-point” issue the weapons division discovered in their initial field testing. This “HCK-Sonar Base Detector Suite” is a combination of several forms of high-tech, reconnaissance and military grade spyware fixtures all working in tandem to produce unbelievable amounts of unseen target information at range - feeding directly to onboard targeting and interface systems, and as well as periodically broadcasting tactical information to nearby marines. Watch the antennae, pal!

• Passively increases accuracy by 25%.
• Lowers total helmet health by 25%.
• Passive long range motion detection with twice the refresh rate.
• Reveals the target to the pilot if obscured, with each ping.
• Grants standard, long range motion detection capabilities to IFF-tagged friendlies that are WEARING A HELMET and within 3 tiles.
• Passively draws a higher than average amount of battery power, and actively draws a small amount of battery power for each marine within the 3 tile radius that is being provided motion detection.

P-WAULS 1 HCK-Pathfinder

Reveal all illusion!

The guerilla tactics of the UA’s opposition inevitably leads to new responses in a never-ending game of cat and mouse - but this heavy-duty design that fields absurdly over-tuned, 360-degree, auto-acquiring, motion, heat, and electro-magnetic spectrum discernment software might just be the game ender. Just looking at this thing from the outside with all the lights and blinkers gives you a headache; you can’t imagine how much pain medicine the operators of this thing put down a week - but they probably aren’t hurting as bad as the hostiles they light up several hundred yards away in pitch-black darkness. The “HCK-Pathfinder Surveyance Suite” can see in total darkness, possesses a superior field of view, can focus magnification by several orders for reconnaissance, provides standard motion detection capability, and can utilize its built in laser target-highlighter to point out obscured hostiles to otherwise totally unaware marines. The sheer amount of optics and computing put into this thing, for all their attempts to reinforce it, have made it incredibly fragile, relative to its platform.

• Passively grants full night vision.
• Passively increases accuracy 50%.
• Passive motion detection at 1x screen distance.
• Lowers total helmet health by 50%.
• Lowers total armor values by 10%.

• Active Ability - Engage Optics: A toggle that grants constant, 2x magnified vision.

• Active Ability - Magnify: A toggle that grants 4x magnification in one direction, similar to binoculars. Cannot move while active.

• Active Ability - Laser Target-Highlighter: An on-click that will reveal a single target for as long as they are within sightlines of the suit - placing a tracking reticle over them that glows in the dark and increases damage taken by 25%. Only works within a 2x screen range. 10 second cooldown.

• Active Ability - Engage Floodbeams: A toggle that produces a strong, 6 tile light radius, emanating from the suit. 3 second lumen building windup.

• Passively draws battery power, this module has the highest battery draw rate.
• Actively draws battery power when using Engage Floodbeams, Magnify, or Laser Target-Highlighter.

P-WAULS 1 HCK-Outlander

Dare them to talk trash!

A simple addition of radio-operation equipment, some reinforced receiver/transmitter combinations, and an actual metric ton of metaphorical junk in the literal trunk provides access to the vital communications array needed by every USCM detachment, in every operation, in any kind of theatre of war. It’s not always perfect, and getting rattled will scramble things even worse than it already comes and goes, but beggars can’t be choosers when it comes to worldwide, ground-to-space, instant communication.

• Passively retains communication with all USCM channels regardless of T-COMM status, and has access to all USCM channels.
• Lowers total helmet health by 25%.
• Lowers total cuirass health by 25%.
• Lowers total armor values by 10%.

• Active Ability - Communication Link: Grants operational T-COMM status to all IFF-tagged friendlies within screen distance. 5 second connection link windup.

• Active Ability - Spool/Unspool Line: Drops a phone on the ground that can be used to make calls to other phones and radio-telephone backpacks - or pulls in and stores the phone. Will automatically respool if pulled or left farther than 5 tiles away.

• Passively draws battery power when without T-COMMS, and actively draws power when a call is being made.

(WARNING: Do not use Armor Modules unapproved by the USCM. With the advent of the P-WAULS, a troubling group has formed composed of military engineers, mechanics, technicians, and even some pilots - who have banded together and chose to quietly circumvent what they consider to be trivial matters like “Marine Law” or “Standard Operating Procedure” or “Pilot-Operator Safety Recommendations.” These logic/interface system hacks, custom software modules, and bolt-on harness upgrades are NOT tolerated among the USCM.)

(–?W@RN1NG? Y3t 1t 1mpr3sses the BR4SS enough to n0t warrant 1mm3d14te action, th0ugh!)

+/-=~*ERROR~*=+/-

“- - AY0O0O!”
"- - Y0u want that HEAT? You w#nt that H0T-H0T? Y0u w@nt some REAL GEAR to G3T THE JOB DONE?
“- - $ee, all y0u g0tta d0 is a little sn1p sn1p here, a little cl1p cl1p there on your l@the. N0w? It’ll l3t y0u cr#nk out OUR d3s1gns t00.”
– THIS HAS BEEN A PAO BOYS GANG (PBG) MESSAGE

PBG Aftermarket Hacks:

PBG “Iron Bull”

'MMRRROOOOOO!'

One and a half tons of solid steel warped into a boorish, kinetic-dispersing, dual-horn contraption designed to lock into the harness’s central structural supports, with, of course, some additional pruning of onboard safety regulations to the gyroscopic and hydraulic inhibitors as the cherry on top - all in the effort of running a suit dead on into something, as hard as possible. Keep in mind - it wasn’t drafted and built and scrapped until perfection for months by an R&D team, but was slapped together by some sticky fingered, half-drunk mil-tech in a garage. It’s hard to see out of, it’s not exactly well balanced, and the entire “concept” behind its “intended function” is childish at best, and totally deranged at worst. It even makes an angry, cow braying noise when it boots up. Sick freaks.

• Increases total helmet health by 25%.
• Reduces all damage from the front an additional 10%.
• Lowers vision by 2 tiles.
• Lowers movement speed by 10%.

• Active Ability - Bullrush: A toggle that when clicked instantly breaks the suit into a charge, rushing forward in a straight, unchanging line at 200% speed for 10 tiles until the target is struck, a new obstacle - friendly or not - gets in the way, or the FULL 10 tile distance has been reached with nothing struck. Cannot use Bullrush orthogonally. 60 second cooldown.

  • Does MASSIVE (100) Brute damage, stuns for 2 seconds, and slows for 4 seconds - works on all Xenomorphs but the Queen, who is only damaged, and slowed for 2 seconds.

  • Stuns the suit for 2 seconds, no matter what is hit, and does MODERATE (25) Brute to the HELMET, CUIRASS, and PAULDRONS, in that weighted, random order.

  • This ability will, guaranteed, blast through 2 walls of any, BREAKABLE kind before stopping.

• Active Ability - The Horns: A toggle that will knock any Xenomorph under Tier 3 back 3 tiles, doing MODERATE (40) Brute damage as well. Tier 3 Xenomorphs and above take the same damage, but are instead knocked back only 1 tile, and slowed for 2 seconds. 15 second cooldown.

• Actively draws fuel on use of Bullrush and The Horns.

PBG “Warlord”

'BOW TO MEEE!'

A very disturbing combination of medical science, weapons design, mechanical engineering, and electro-magnetic wave frequencies have resulted in this menacing head ornament - which aside from looking scary and keeping some of the stray bullets from scuffing your helmet’s paint, also acts as the housing compartment for several systems that work in oh so vile synchronicity to alter the minds of IFF-tagged friendlies for the better and the minds of non-IFF hostiles for the worse - mostly; see, problem is, an experimental exocrinologist barred from practicing medicine, a viral defense researcher, a black-site military interrogator, and a couple wacked out mechanics in a lab aren’t the set up to a joke - they’re the components of a haphazardly constructed bio-mechanical crowd control device.

• Passively increases the health of all IFF-tagged friendlies within 4 tiles by 50%.
• Passively slows any Xenomorph within 3 tiles by 25%, and lowers their total damage by 25%.
• Passively prevents hive-mind communication, screen wide, regardless of sight lines.
• Passively inflicts a constant, LEVEL 3 PAIN effect, 1 level above the pain-killing properties of Paracetamol, to all IFF-tagged friendlies within 3 tiles.
• Passively inflicts 1 Brute, 1 Burn, and 1 Toxin damage to all IFF-tagged friendlies within 3 tiles every 60 seconds (30 ticks).

• Active Ability - Enter the Warlord: Cycles the Warlord module’s passive abilities on and off. 3 second exocrinological activation windup, with a screen wide warning in chat to all factions about its indiscriminate effects.

• Active Ability - Woe: Emit a screen wide, all-faction debuff. 60 second cooldown.

  • XENOMORPH: Slowed by 25%, and ability locked for 4 seconds. Works on Tier 3 and below.

  • NON-IFF HUMAN: Stunned for 4 seconds.

  • IFF: A 2 second screen-shake similar to the Queen, followed by a 2 second root.

  • Emits a hollow, metallic, death-metal like, “WOOOOEEEE!” scream.

• Active Ability - Punish: Debuff a target, and affect those around the target. 30 second cooldown.

  • XENOMORPH: Marks for death, lowering armor by 25% for 8 seconds, slowing by 25% for 5 seconds, and rooting for 2 seconds. Any other Xenomorphs within a 3x3 tile radius of the Xenomorph that is marked for death at the time will suffer a movement speed penalty of 50% for 2 seconds.

  • NON-IFF HUMAN: Stuns for 5 seconds, and stuns any other hostiles within a 3x3 tile radius of the hostile that is stunned at the time for 2 seconds.

  • IFF: Inflicts LEVEL 8 PAIN, which can only be managed by Oxycodone’s same leveled pain-killing properties, for 8 seconds. All other friendlies screen wide of the punished friendly are frightened into action, gaining 50% movement speed for 5 seconds, and a pain-threshold increase to LEVEL 5 PAIN for 5 seconds, which is the pain-killing property of Tramadol specifically - BUT - all friendlies screen wide of the suit also suffer a bloody-toned “Broken VR goggles” effect for the full 5 seconds, too.

  • Emits a hollow, metallic, death-metal like, “YOOOOUUUU!”

• Passively draws battery power when on.
• Actively uses power when using Enter the Warlord, Woe, and Punish.
• Emits a threatening, Darth Vader like breathing sound effect when on.

PBG “Dragon King”

'HAHAHA! SEE THAT THING BURN?!'

After going AWOL on claims of “all these lies messin’ wit’ my head” in regards to the flammability of USCM dorm interiors and the dangers of open flame in oxygen rich, enclosed environments in the void of space, a custom incineration rig of surprisingly masterful craftsmanship was left behind in the pyromaniacal engineer’s fiery escape. This artful, sophisticated piece of war-machinery draws from the P-WAULS onboard napthal reservoir and synthesizer without regard for flow coefficiencies or exhaust rate. It even runs additional fuel lines through the fins of the massive over-helm; clearly meant in look and name to evoke the image of a furious, mythological - and most importantly, fire breathing, reptile. You’re pretty sure this thing can blow everyone near it to pieces if it gets too damaged - it’s not a question of IF it can, it’s a question of WHEN. Even the psychos that tinker with these unauthorized P-WAULS modules wouldn’t touch this one until they installed at least one extinguisher system on it.

• Doubles all fire damage taken.
• Upon breaking, this module will explode in a fiery burst of a 4 tile radius emanating from the suit.
• Passively gives off a very strong, 6 tile light radius.
• NON-IFF.

• Active Ability - Breathe Flame: A toggle that is used on click, and similar to the M74 AGM-I save for the increased distance and overall spread, this allows you to blow a fanning, 5 tile range cone of napthal out. 20 second cooldown.

• Active Ability - Fire Spit: A toggle that is used on click, and similar to the XM-VESG-1, this allows you to semi-automatically blow up to 6 fireballs at once before the system runs too hot to function. 15 second cooldown.

• Active Ability - Hyper-Thermal Beam Generator: How that crackpot with a penchant for lighters cooked this up - you have no idea. 60 cooldown on successful hit. 90 second cooldown on a miss.

  • Will only successfully fire on a sprite-click, and afterward will windup for 3 seconds, before projecting a screen wide hyper-thermal beam.

  • This beam can damage through any number of walls, but does significantly less damage if obstructed, no matter the number of obstructions present.

  • Unavoidable, and knocks even Tier 3’s back 2 tiles. The only escape is to go further than the suits screen range.

  • Will inflict MASSIVE (125) Burn damage, but only MODERATE (50) Burn damage through walls and immovable obstacles.

  • Struck target will be set on fire, set any mobs they bump into on fire, and will leave a burning trail for 3 seconds.

  • Missing with this ability will stun the suit for 5 seconds, and cause burning napthal to spray from the mouth, randomly scattering fire in a 5x5 tile radius around the suit.

  • Sprite-click or miss, using Hyper-Thermal Beam Generator will CUT A FIERY SWATHE THROUGH YOUR MARINES. Avoid using it at all costs in crowded areas or on fast targets.

• Active Ability - Aftermarket Extinguisher: Clearly an afterthought in the design, this onboard synthesizer based extinguisher doesn’t need to be refilled, but can only fire a single, sorry squirt of live-saving, inferno-dousing water - and in far too distant a frequency. This is a standard, 60 degree cone, like from a normal extinguisher. 60 second cooldown.

• Passively draws battery power and fuel.
• Actively draws battery power and higher than average amounts of fuel when using Breathe Flame, Fire Spit, or Hyper-Thermal Beam Generator.

"Be ready for any environment with USCM approved alternate camouflage schemes! Dress to impress and make war with the best in extravagant swatches such as Saba, Amazon, and Whiteout!

Alternate Camouflage Scheme Sneak Peek!

• Jungle
  • Ghillie - “This would make you pretty hard to see in dense vegetation, impossible, even. If it weren’t for the giant, glowing visor.”
• Snow
  • Permafrost - “You’d be almost wraith-like in this, if each step you took didn’t threaten an avalanche.”
• Desert
  • Copperhead - “Acrid yellow-browns are surprisingly effective in the right environment, and maybe on something that isn’t seven feet tall.”

• Space
  • Intrepid
  • Retro
• Urban
  • Lockdown
  • Riot

Custom Auto-Painter Schemes!

Display your purpose loudly and proudly with utilitarian decals!

Have some fun!

Represent!

Or get a little fancy with it!

Auto-Painter Spray Job Sneak Peak!

• Miami - Highlights of neon orange, down through creamy orange, gold, with a suddenly bright iridescent mid-tone of pink, into a deep drop of purple, and finally into midnight blue-black.
• Ronin - Deep purple with gold highlights, mid-blue shadows, and an additional decor of sweeping pink cherry blossoms.
• Samurai - Rich, bright red, leading down into almost holographic mauve-red mid-tones and wine red shadows.
• Tartan - A Tartan pattern over off-white, comes in red, blue, and green swatches.
• Hazard - Simple yellow and black hazard stripes.
• Clockwork - A steampunk medley of brasses, golds, and dark wrought iron shades.
• Aeon - Platinum white with high-tones of very faint blue, gives it a nice, clean look.
• Tiger - The quintessential tiger stripes.
• Asclepius - White with a contrasting red cross.
• Lagoon - A complex spray job meant to mimic a menacing fishman.
• Exowalk - A black theme with a spacey medley of faint colors in the highlights and shadows, almost like a dark opal.
• Awareness - Breast cancer awareness pink. Girl power!
• Shiny - Pure chrome, no paint. WITNESS!
• Landsknecht - Garish, bold patterns and colors over an off-white base.
• Patriot - The esteemed, eternal colors.
• Engineer - Construction yellow, because everyone should know when you’ve arrived before you’ve even gotten there.
• Contaminant - The bright, “hazard orange” often found on AI Core bound Working Joes.
• Overgrowth - Vibrant, green vines entangling everything and sprouting from every crevice.
• Vapor - A pink and blue complementary mix in the style of the vaporwave aesthetic - a 2000’s callback to the 80’s itself.
• Avarice - Pure gold, no paint of any kind (save for the LikeGold™ sprayed on). WE’RE RICH!
• Bullseye - A sloppily painted on target to the head. Whoever did this - didn’t even use the right kind of paint. It’s already coming off.
• Autumn - Deep, rich, autumnal colors - with a flourish of bright red, yellow, and orange falling leaves.
• Cruelty - A sickening pink base beneath red plates, with a helmet accent of green.
• Flayer - A spray job meant to evoke a set of skinned, bloody muscles - yuck!
• Infinite - Eggshell white, with abstract, pale flecks of primary, secondary, and tertiary colors, all originating from a starburst effect on the chest and helmet.
• Refresh - A beachy blue base with a warbling, streaking pattern of color. Reminiscent of a very retro Taco Bell.
• Triton - Murky seafoam to rich, deep blue, with highlights of gold, teal, and pearl-white.
• Holograph - Trippy pastel colors, with highlight mid-tones.
• Pearl - A dainty, extravagant pearlescence.
• Executive - Stark black and white with gold accents, for a distinguished, sleek, warmonger’s experience.

UTILITY & LOGISTICS

The USCM has plenty of big guns, big ships, big boys and big girls with big attitudes. In order to really stand out, new toys can’t just make bigger booms these days - they need fancier booms. More useful booms. Maybe even… being able to accomplish things that don’t make booms at all… Sickening, but necessary, in these days of advanced warfare and interplanetary politics.

DEFENSES:

BAO-YANG R4 MAGNETO-RHEOLOGIC SHIELD

“There’s only ONE way to survive the blast… get behind me, and hold on.”

Two former UPP collegiates turned UA paid, brain-drain picks for the weapons division have gone all out to secure their new positions. This tower-shield like bulwark is a triple-layered plasteel concerto of several, mind-numbingly advanced, highly niche in application, prohibitively expensive fields of science. A blend of orthosilicates, electrically reactive nanoparticles, and other classified materials of unique molecular quality - mixed, suspended in 6 feet of sheer metal, and hooked into the P-WAULS logic and interface system - form what the brass calls, “un-freakin’-breakable.” Careful though… looks like they cut corners on the grips. Nothing is going through you, but something big enough could certainly rip it right out of your hands, given the opportunity.

• This module grants the suit a telescopically stowed shield that can render the suit immune to ALL damage from the FRONT, in exchange for being brought almost to a standstill.
• Held in one hand, use in active hand to raise the shield and gain frontal invulnerability.
• Lowers accuracy by 50%, lowers movement speed by 90%, and increases turn-delay by 200%, when engaged.
• Passively lowers all damage from the front by 25%, passively lowers movement speed by 25%, passively lowers accuracy by 25%, and passively increases turn-delay by 50% when held, but not engaged.
• Cannot be dropped - nor “dropped” to allow it to stow faster.
• Tier 3 Xenomorphs and higher can enter Grab Intent when directly in front of the shield to rip it out of the suit’s hands. This will restow the shield, force a 5 second cooldown on Unstow Shield, and stun you for 3 seconds.

• Active Ability - Unstow Shield: Releases the shield from its magnetically locked position on the suit and places it in your hand.2 second magnetic unlock windup.

• Active Ability - Stow Shield: Sets the shield back into its locked position. 2 second magnetic lock windup.

UA 512-SUPER MINI

“Be still, my dog of war. We do it my way!”

The standard, UA 512-M Mini-Sentry, redesigned to be mounted onto the shoulder of the P-WAULS harness - and improved then some; now able to lay flank-protecting barrages of 10x28 caseless rounds over 270 degrees around the suit’s immediate proximity, and sport an impressive 1000 count onboard-fed reservoir. You may be wondering, why the 90 degree blind spot from the entire north-west to the south-west of wherever you’re facing? Why it isn’t omnidirectional? According to the greatest minds in the USCM’s weapons division, that little design flaw is caused by a problem likely to remain unsolved: you’ll shoot yourself in the braincase, genius!

• This module grants the suit increased protection, or offensive power, through the addition of a near-360 degree turret.
• Wherever you face, relative to the side you installed the module on, will have a 90 degree, orthogonally shifted blind spot opposite to the turret. This means that, out of a full circle around the suit, with the 90 degree mark, North, being their faced direction: the Super Mini will not be able to acquire targets and fire from the 135 to 225 degree range.
• Passive IFF.
• Has a 3 tile range.
• Though based on the Mini-Sentry’s design for functionality and size, certain tradeoffs had to be made for the size, ammo capacity, and multi-directionality - namely, the RPM. A standard 571-C Sentry fires at 150 RPM, the 512-M Mini-Sentry, 400 RPM. It sits at a happy medium of 275 RPM.
• Without a longer barrel to avoid obstruction of the pilot’s view, or snagging, the sentry also has a lowered base accuracy, from 27, to 20.

• Active Ability - Cycle Super Mini: Powers the 512-Super Mini on and off.3 second boot cycle windup.

• Active Ability - Target Acquisition: Cycles through three prioritization modes for the sentry, which will encourage it to choose targets based on size rather than distance, when applicable.

  • Small: Non-IFF humans and Tier 1’s or less.

  • Medium: Non-IFF P-WAULS and Tier 2’s.

  • Large: Non-IFF vehicles and Tier 3’s.

• Passively draws battery power when on, and actively draws battery power when firing.

Defense Module Catalog: Download a Design Today!

XLAR-37 Biohazard Conflagratory Disperser

87.1% safe a whopping 67.3% of the time!

A prototype dug up from some old rejects crate in the bioweapons department, originally designed to neutralize toxic or viral agents released in the air with an instant flash-wave… Unfortunately, all it ended up managing to do was flash-FRY anybody crazy enough to knowingly test it. But with a little tinkering for war, its dispersion lattice and naturally heat-resistant design enable it to throw flames omnidirectionally in complex, IFF guided launch patterns.

• This module will set alight all visible hostiles within screen range with a non-damaging flash, that then applies the standard napthal Burn effect, and leaves the tile they stood in as the flash occurred up in flames. Triggers only on a 2 tile proximity radius.
• The P-WAULS onboard reservoir can carry 200 units of napthal for flash waves, providing roughly 40 bursts.
• Each burst, and the first Xenomorph that triggered it, together cost 5 units of napthal. Each ADDITIONAL Xenomorph or non-IFF human on screen will cost an ADDITIONAL 5 units.

• Active Ability - Cycle Disperser: Powers the XLAR-37 Conflagratory Disperser on and off. 3 second boot cycle windup.

• Active Ability - Fill Disperser: A toggle that will drain napthal and reload the disperser on click.

• Passively draws battery power when on, and actively draws battery power when used.

UA-WY Experimental Wave Disruptor

Snitches get stitches!

You aren’t allowed to talk about the Experimental Wave Disruptor. You aren’t allowed to write about the Experimental Wave Disruptor. You aren’t allowed to say the real name of the Experimental Wave Disruptor. Better yet - don’t even THINK about the Experimental Wave Disruptor. All you need to know is that it can disorient non-IFF-tagged targets using some strange form of directed electro-magnetic resonance - so wear your ID around this thing unless you want it to cook your brain. “WEYLAND-YUTANI IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY INJURIES THAT MAY OCCUR” is plasma-etched on every last surface of this thing, inside and out.

• This module weakens any active Xenomorph pheromone within a 3 tile radius of the suit to “WEAK” at maximum - and inflicts a constant, LEVEL 4 PAIN effect to any non-IFF humans within the same radius, which only Tramadol and Oxycodone have the pain-killing properties to manage.

• Active Ability - Cycle Disruptor: Powers the Disruptor on and off. 3 second boot cycle windup.

• Active Ability - Wave Pulse: A 3 tile wave-pulse that will knock down Tier 1’s, slow Tier 2’s, and ability-lock Tier 3’s, all for 2 seconds - will also stun non-IFF humans 3 seconds. 30 second medically advised cooldown.

• Passively draws battery power when on, and actively draws battery power when Wave Pulse is used.

USCMC Ceremonial Rig

Look at those babies catch the air!

Whether in the midst of battle, at a parade, or standing a few feet behind the President of The Free World(s), this glorious, telescopically deployed set of flags grants the courage, strength, and valor to all those who see it - enough to turn even the most cowardly into lions. This rotating design is built to be fit directly onto the back of a P-WAULS harness for hands-free, mobile deployment.

• This module can grant a single, constant 5 tile radius buff of the HOLD, MOVE, or FOCUS orders at a time, at the Trained (1) Level of Leadership, the same as a Squad Leader.

• Active Ability - Deploy/Stow Flag: Raises the flag and grants the corresponding buff, or lowers it from the raised position and removes the buff. 1 second deployment windup.

• Active Ability - Rotate Flag: Switches to the next flag and buff. .5 second redeployment windup.

• Actively draws a small amount of battery power when Deploy/Stow Flag or Rotate Flag are used.

SUPPORT MODULES:

SZ ALSAERS LIFE-RIG

Hippocratic action!

“I’m comin’ - I’m comin’, hang in there!”

The ALSAERS, or Auto-Lay Surgery and Aid Emergency Rescue System, from the Saint Zachariah Medical Technological Institute - an organization that looks to be on its way to a W-Y buyout - has recently bug-fixed enough of the deadly “kinks” in this otherwise admittedly innovative, emergency-rescue module for the P-WAULS, enough to go ahead with contracted distribution to the USCM, at least.

“STAND CLEAR! WEB, WEB, WEB!”

This combined, rescue/aid and automatic “lay-surgery” machine over-harness allows the pilot to launch the ALSAERS RescueWeb from a distance and pull downed victims, safely, back to the suit.

“It’ll be okay, I’ve got you.”

If the patient only needs basic first aid, once reeled in and stored within the RescueWeb, it can then analyze their health and automatically administer a suite of medicine.

“He’s not doing so hot, boys.”

In more grievous cases of injury and/or death, the victim can be released from the RescueWeb, and stored instead within the RescuePod on the back.

“We need to cash out of this dump. NOW.”

The RescuePod is capable of automatically reviving, stripping, medicating, bone-mending, organ-mending, and redressing victims after a total 5 minute operational period. The proprietary, neurogenic liquid inside the RescuePod will protect deceased patients inside from total brain death during the healing process. It’s quite the addition - extremely handy - but unwieldy, fragile, slow… and, it’s not ENTIRELY bug free.

• This module can store one patient within a “RescueWeb” on the chest that protects them from harm, provides an anesthetic and stasis bag effect, and passively administers 2u of Bicaridine, Kelotane, and Tricordrazine if none is detected until health reaches 75% - consequently avoiding overdose limits. Reaching 75% health will emit a sound effect to inform the pilot, and a “RescueWeb Analysis” will automatically appear, giving the pilot a final look at their health before allowing them to continue on, enter the RescuePod, or seek higher treatment.

• This module can store one patient, consecutively, or in tandem with the RescueWeb, inside a “RescuePod” on the back that protects them from harm, resuscitates them automatically upon death, and within an iterative healing process over a mandatory 5 minute period will heal all superficial wounds, repair organ damage, and mend bones - but will NOT repair internal bleeding, will NOT remove parasitic bodies, and CANNOT heal the bones OR organs of the head, as the auto-surgical device within the LifePod is a “auto-lay surgeon” and is not large enough nor complex enough to work on the brain and cranium.

• Passively increases turn-delay by 50%.

• Passively lowers movement speed by 10%, with an additional 10% movement penalty for each patient on board.

• Passive armor reduction of 50% to the back and 25% to the front.

• Passively grants basic MedHUD vision.

• WARNING: every 1 minute in the 5 minutes of an operation, there is a 10% chance for the auto-lay surgeon to experience a mechanical glitch, and accidentally inflict IB somewhere in the body. The patient will not suffer from this until they are released.

• Active Ability - RescueWeb Launcher: A toggle that will, similarly to the Abductor Praetorian, quickly project a path, and then fire an obstacle-interrupted, but cross-ledge functional hook. This extends up to 7 tiles and will only work on REVIVABLE, DEAD marines, or CRITICAL marines. 20 second cooldown on a successful Rescueweb. 30 second cooldown on a miss. 60 second cooldown for a blocked launch or interrupted pull.

  • This will essentially place the patient instantly from the pull into a “devoured” state - healing them over time, protecting them from outside harm and further injury from organ damage or fractures, and slowing larval infection by 50% of the rate of a Stasis Bag; but keeping them trapped, asleep, in a slow moving vehicle.

• Active Ability - Release Patient: Will release the patient from the RescueWeb and automatically bring up a basic health analysis, and will automatically attempt to awaken the patient once, if they are able to do so. Forces a 10 second cooldown on RescueWeb Launcher.

• Active Ability - Load RescuePod: A toggle that will store patients with detected fractures, organ damage, or dead patients into the RescuePod on click. *5 minute mandatory active period. When released, another automatic, basic health analysis of the patient will be updated or brought up for the pilot. 30 second interim cooldown.

“Get AWAY from me, you bastards!”

• Active Ability - Ward and Charge: A toggle that, when active, will force all damage done to the CUIRASS (chest) to be done to the PAULDRONS (arms), HELMET (head), and GAUNTLETS (hands) at random instead, “protecting the patients” as you hunch forward and envelop them in your arms, thereby protecting the site of the module.

• Actively draws battery power per patient. Actively draws a small amount of fuel and battery power when RescueWeb Launcher is used.

UA OWT-MOUNT RIG

Aw, does baby want uppies?

“FORWARD, MY METAL STEED, FORWAAARD!”

“Dude… SHUT UP.”

With the advantages of height, nearly perfect auto-stabilization, and the sheer mass and strength enough to support such a design, the weapons division have outdone themselves with this one, simple, mechanical trick to the formulation of strategy and counter-strategy on the field: the higher above the warzone you put your man with the binoculars, the easier it is for him to see the bad guys. Even with the “railing” that pops up it’s still a major fall-risk though - you’re looking at over 7 feet of air time on the way down. In between petrified thoughts of “I hope these mechanized folding joints don’t break and snap me like a rat trap,” and “please don’t let me fall,” you also begin to realize at the top just how juicy of a target you are for even the most amateur sniper.

• This module, when deployed, allows a marine to click-drag themselves atop the P-WAULS and onto the Overwatch Tower platform, increasing their base vision by 2x, and allowing them to see past obstacles that do not have a cave ceiling. This effect works while using all forms of magnification.
• Cannot see INSIDE buildings or structures with ceilings, only past them.
• Applies a light-blue filter and a 33% opacity reduction to the marine aboard for the sake of visibility behind the tile they obscure.
• CANNOT be deployed under any ceiling, will automatically stow itself under ceilings - and will inflict MASSIVE (50) Brute damage across the body evenly to anyone atop the mount as it snaps shut on them, on top of the base damage from falling.
• Passively grants IFF to the marine aboard, excluding flamethrower attacks, as they are at an advantageous angle.
• Passively reduces movement speed by 10%, 25% when deployed, and 50% when deployed with a marine aboard.
• If the P-WAULS is knocked over, or knocked back, it will additionally knock anyone aboard off, causing severe (30) Brute damage evenly across the body, and being stunned for 3 seconds from falling, unless shaken.
• Passively makes anyone aboard almost impossible to hit INDIRECTLY, but as they are vulnerable in such an exposed position, they will take an increased 25% ranged damage, and an increased 25% melee damage to the legs.

• Active Ability - Deploy/Stow Tower: Deploys or stows the Overwatch Tower platform after a 3 second windup.

• Actively draws a small amount of battery power when Deploy/Stow Tower is used.

(ADVISORY: P-WAULS units are designed with their base model in mind. Though meant to be adaptable, the use of support models can drastically change combat effectiveness and cause performance to suffer. These modules can, in the pursuit of new goals, create new weaknesses in the design, or highlight pre-existing ones - either by slowing the suit further, reducing its overall armor, increase battery and fuel inefficiency, and/or may completely preclude certain strategies.
Each P-WAULS model possesses the computational power for four modules, being any combination of a weapon, and an armor, defense, or support module - as long as they do not occupy the same space on the suit.)

Support Modules Catalog: Download a Design Today!

UA Mule-15 Auto-Dispenser

The next model will have hot towels!

• It was obvious that there would be - in a design that looks like the strange lovechild of a Power Loader, a tank, and a space suit - further designs in the Power Loader direction. This massive over-harness for the back makes use of the P-WAULS motorized joint locking, gyroscopic stabilization, and the immense total capacity of the suit itself to support a surprisingly complex, self-organizing machine that can act as the storage device for a whole range of battlefield supplies, from ammo and medicine, to building materials, spare weapons, and food - all instantly and easily accessible. Saves your Requisitions Officer a whole heap of effort, but man, is it cumbersome - and who wants to be the team’s donkey all day?
  • This module allows you to carry massive amounts of resources at the cost of your speed in an additive, percentage malus for each full storage cache.
  • Passive 10% base movement speed penalty, with up to a 50% penalty, 10% per full cache.
  • The 10% speed penalty per cache is applied whether the cache is entirely full or almost completely empty.
• Cache 1 - “Supplies”: 20 MREs, 10 gauze stacks, 10 ointment stacks, 10 pill packets.
• Cache 2 - “Medicine”: 10 splint stacks, 5 autoinjectors, 5 pill bottles, 5 liquid bottles, 1 reagent canister.
• Cache 3 - “Ammunition”: 5 boxes of any kind of ammunition - magazines, loose, shotgun shells, etc.
• Cache 4 - “Engineering”: 1 full stack of metal OR plasteel, 1 WL-6 Universal Fuel Cell, 2 high-capacity batteries.

• Active Ability - Collect Load: A toggle that will feed, store, and organize all applicable items on a tile when clicked.

• Active Ability - Storage Menu: Opens a menu to view total storage, the “kilo malus meter”, and to eject desired items BEHIND the suit.

• Passively draws fuel and battery power. This module has the highest passive fuel draw rate of any at 3x, cutting down the life of a single WL-6 Cell to 20 minutes.

UA-Steiner 60 Generated Barricade Deployer

Spare the Engie, Save the Private!

• Several failed attempts by the UA’s military engineering divisions to design a module capable of deploying pre-built barricades that could fit onto the P-WAULS led to the contracting of an outside expert who gave them one simple solution: why build the barricades before the operation and try to make the suit haul them around, when it could just have a more specialized, mini-autolathe? Issues with compartment size, generation, and weight led to another dozen rounds of drafts and failures - but at last - it was now possible to use the P-WAULS to fortify even the most dangerous of positions.
  • This module allows the suit to build pre-wired barricades, with no cooldown, at the same speed as an Engineer building a normal barricade.
  • As the module sits on the back, the suit must face the OPPOSITE direction that it wishes to build the barricade in.
  • Passive movement speed penalty of 10%.
  • Can hold 100 metal, making 20 barricades.
  • Cannot hold plasteel.

  • Active Ability - Collect Metal: A toggle that will feed and store metal by total stack when clicked.

  • Active Ability - Eject Metal: Will eject metal on the tile behind the suit in stacks of 10.

  • Active Ability - Generate Barricade: Will build a pre-wired, secured barricade behind the suit at a construction speed of Specially Trained (2/3).

  • Actively draws fuel and battery power on Generate Barricade use.

UA-WR-TF Medi-Cannon

Eases your coughs and sneezes!

• Ridiculous - but ridiculously real. Ridiculously… fragrant? Another of Walter Robert-Thomas Ford’s designs, with co-writing from several, high-ranking USCM medical officers; this total arm-conversion mount utilizes the P-WAULS onboard synthesizers in combination with supplemental chemical refills to generate huge, “mass-restorative” clouds of medicinal vapor for entire platoons’ worth of the (superficially) injured at once. It can hold up to three different kinds of liquid medicine at one time - but it seems to spit out anything it doesn’t recognize as medicine… and can’t change the payload’s cloud size either… or the unit delivery… What model was this, again?
  • This module allows the suit to launch projectiles up to screen distance that will burst into a 4x4 tile radius smoke cloud upon contact with an obstacle or landing on the desired tile. The Medi-Cannon’s programmed dispersal will consistently produce a cloud of any allowed medicine that, if stood in for its entirety of 5 seconds, will eventually dose up to 5u - at 1u a second.
  • Passively reduces accuracy by 10% and increases turn-delay by 25% due to counter-balancing.
  • Will only accept full, liquid bottles of Bicaridine, Kelotane, Tricordrazine, and Oxycodone. Meralyne, Dermaline, and Paracetamol can also be used.
  • Passively grants basic MedHUD vision.
  • Uses 5u of the selected medicine per shot.

  • Active Ability - Collect Medicine: A toggle that will feed and automatically load allowed bottles of liquid, medicinal reagents into the cannon when clicked.

  • Active Ability - Change Load: Will change the selected medicine type.

  • Active Ability - Medi-Smoke: A toggle that will launch the cannon’s medicinal projectile on click. 5 second cooldown.

  • Actively draws battery power on Medi-Smoke use.

“…And more to come!”

I hope you enjoyed. I close this up with a final shoutout to Suspicious_Cthulu_Soup for helping run some Power Loader vs marine speed tests!

OH YEAH BABY! CHOO CHOOOO! THANKS FOR READING!

[Loleo14]

Soul… This should be coded and merged immediately.

[Sunken_Grove]

My goddess yes. Something like this would be amazing!

[tmccoy]

love the passion man, great post and super cool idea

[renmagnum]

This is literally a Space Marine armor and I’m all up for it. Someone should code this

[Shoogie_Binx]

I HAVE TO MAKE THE ORIGINAL START OF THE POST A WHOLE NEW SECOND POST BECAUSE I HIT THE CHARACTER LIMIT…

WAITED AN HOUR TO SIT THERE TOO AND POST IT TOO…

TH-THANKS…

Optional Reading for the Meticulous, the Bored, or Deep Diving Lurkers

Foreword

When looking at your pieces on the field as a marine, you have a generally, linearly increasing order of strength.

Riflemen/Corpsmen/Engineer

• Red-blooded, belly chockful of reheated chicken tenders and packaged brownies, boots on feet, gun in hand. AMERICAN. The meat and potatoes of your fighting force. If there aren’t a few dozen of these guys around, you’ve either lost, badly, or the party hasn’t started yet.
  • Though they can vary wildly in skill, they’re on average not a big threat, one-on-one, to many castes - maybe most. To some castes, alone, they’re little more than punching bags that scream.

Smartgunners

• Automatic, IFF blaster toting lynchpins in the squad that can lay down constant suppressing fire, see in the dark, detect motion, and switch to armor-piercing rounds for the hard targets. Like Specialists, there’s four at most - unlike Specialists, they severely lack real burst damage and killing power.
  • Constricted to a loadout that precludes even a backpack or real secondary weapon, they’re heavily reliant on their attachment to a solid team - and go further as a mid-lining boost in firepower, and a watchful eye over the medics, wounded, engineers at work, and those busy using their eyes to find coordinates.

Specialists

• Highly trained killers with expensive toys they’re itching to use. These guys are rare, and their combined strengths are almost necessary to win.
  • While individually threatening, this bunch is much more dependent on Specialist sub-role as well as player skill level and team support to maximize effectiveness and secure kills. Many castes, even the Queen, mostly tend to avoid repeated and sustained interaction with certain kinds of them - but being focused down is still a quick and painful death for all of them.

But then what?

The APC/ARC? The Tank? That’s a massive step up. In order to go from grunt, to specially trained soldier, to the next logical level of firepower, expense, and threat generation - we now have to go to these vehicles.

And some vehicles they are. Maybe the APC was once a punchy little ride with some utility, some durability, some heat, some speed. Once, it was a threat - not enough to stem the entire wave - but it could certainly hold its own. What now? It’s all but useless. Nerfed into a sad little APC shaped pet grave.

And the Tank? Oh BROTHER. Awkwardly shuffling its way through the tight corridors of pretty much EVERY map, I seethe as it chugs by, honking and rolling over every marine it sees. The Tank is not a Tank. It is a tank shaped scaredy cat that has to either sit waaay back behind a CADELINE and “shoot” (See: FF) or dart up and down or side to side, KITING, in a TANK. Because otherwise it’ll fall apart. It is a several tile wide and long body-blocking, friendly-firing machine. A useless, budget eating burden that to boot has the insidiously concocted effect of flattening and trapping friendlies under it, while only just barging Xenomorphs out of the way. One of everything off the marine menu in the form of a Foxtrot Squad + Foxtrox Specialist combo is pretty much better in every conceivable way, and that shows, considering our so called “Armored Support” - not far ahead of the APC in the race to one day enter total, event-only oblivion - is a last/non-pick pretty much every single round.

Finally, to the periphery of all this, you have JTAC. Mortars, CAS runs, and the almighty OB - the most powerful and oppressive projection of the USCM’s forces. I include these three as well because, in a way people almost anthropomorphize the individual elements JTAC. The coordinate-caller, the coordinate-dialer, and the platform used to deliver on those coordinates all form together to become a singular sort of entity in the abstract that people then admonish, or praise for its actions - competency, failure, results. They have a presence on the field, they can be more or less active and more or less effective, just like individual marines.

But at the end of the day, these aren’t active on the field, not in the direct, in-your-face kind of way a guy with a rocket launcher evokes as he screams his lungs out and blows the top half off a Ravager off - or when someone throws a grenade and it bounces back off a wall, JUST long enough for everyone nearby to go “uh oh” before it all goes dark and dead silent.

And on a personal note regarding aesthetics, I think more importantly, JTAC doesn’t even really lend much to the setting, or the gameplay philosophy (which is also in direct relation to the aesthetics, but I won’t get into it now). Where’s the “cassettepunk” in launching mortars? How high-tech really is an airstrike that never ends up doing much, anyway? How do you honestly make explosions appearing “from the air” in a 2D game (after a series of occasionally finnicky noises and chat warnings) truly fun or fair?

This isn’t to neg on the current JTAC system mechanically or anything, just pointing out a fundamental, unfixable flaw inherent to the design of the game itself.

And but, to make the point that all of this said, even in a perfect world: where the gunship casts a massive, increasingly darkening shadow as it approaches the target zone; and Tanks and APCs roam and frolic freely through more spacious maps, with the boredom-staving luxury to at least see all around the tank at 50% visibility without looking out a window, and automatic avoidance for marines that are on the edge-tiles and would realistically have the opportunity to move; and even in this perfect world where everything is perfectly useful while also being fun, and balanced for both sides - there would still be a glaring hole in the middle of the game’s escalation of war. That hole, that missing middle step between man and vehicle, may just be… POWER. ARMOR.

Note to Coders, Anyone Who Has a Clue How the Engine Works, Etc

“Do you realize how much code would be involved behind THIS and THAT? THAT and THIS?”

• Heehee… no…

No, but seriously, I don’t even know what coding language the game is written in. I don’t have a CLUE how to code. But I have tried to seriously consider all abilities, mechanics, stats, values, and so on in my hypotheticals and not just flippantly conjure up hare-brained ideas.

You’ll find the real girth of what I imagined it would entail to pull this off in the “Principles of Balance and the Pursuit of Roleplay and Gameplay” section, under “POSSIBILITY”, where I try to go into detail on the fundamental mechanics.

I’ve tried as well to keep what could be possible regarding all the weapons and capabilities of the P-WAULS, as is outlined within, not just inside the realm of possibility in SS13 itself - that has a whole host of crazy things it can pull off - but more specifically what is possible and USUAL for CM13; what could be possible, when considering those extant abilities and mechanics and weapons, and the atmosphere and aesthetics, and then from there what is cogent, what is balanced, what is fun.

If you enjoy(ed) reading through this monster of a post and you have any coding acumen or have contributed to the CM codebase successfully whether it be straight code, sprites, total additions, or in some other way, please let me know what you think. I’m interested to know about anything that’s just straight up impossible and why, especially; along with your thoughts on balance, looks, other design principles, etc.

This is all obviously a WIP and entirely conceptual, and it’s probably the fattest WYCI the Ideaguys board has ever seen, but hopefully it depicts the scope and the gist of things well enough. Also - in some instances I use shorthand or informal rhetoric over hard and fast numbers, even if I’ve described those numbers elsewhere, and that’s just a matter of ease of reading pretty much. If the two are somehow described in wildly different terms of time, effect, or other stats, please assume the more reasonable one is the correct one. If the numbers are just wack in general… well, it’s all in the concept stage anyway. I now have well near 200 unique, PNG and sized up duplicate, alternate, and directional still images and several gifs, and three documents for all this madness - which I’m partially copy and pasting and then cleaning up huge blocks of text from as well. It’s very likely I cooked up random “seems alright” numbers or loose measures in word-form as a placeholder, and then later wrote down the improved, balanced figures more exactly once I looked into equipment with similar stats and uses.

Of course, for anybody with any authority regarding the development path of the game, I’d love to know for the sake of humoring the effort at least (and possibly the impetus of me learning to code, should pursuing the idea bear fruit for CM13) what the actual viability of putting something like this in would be - even regardless of the form it may have to take for the sake of functional, clean, non-buggy code or balance or something else.

Principles of Balance and the Pursuit of Roleplay and Gameplay

So, if you’re the scrutinous type like me and you’ve started with this cut and dry, theory-crafting section first, I’ll give you a quick rundown of what’s going on and then we can get into it.

This is a massive, hybrid-powered suit of smart-armor - that in order to be formed would require you to go through a visceral, highly customizable process of quite literally building it up piece by piece within a maintenance bay - before finally climbing in, booting the whole thing up, and piloting the war-machinery off into the field of battle.

Now, I think it’s fair to say that sounds pretty cool right off the bat. But…

Aesthetics Digression

Digress with me if you’d like for a moment: on aesthetics, preferences, and a meta-analytical look at them in the scope of CM13.

I would wager four major groups make up most of CM13’s player population, let’s look at three and their relation to aesthetics.

Dress'em'ups

A lot of people like armor, helmets, cool masks and outfits - that’s in one hand. This may be more particularly, medieval kinds of armors, helmets, masks, and outfits - but it could be specifically the modern/sci-fi flavors of these things, or maybe they simply like both. These people are your most aesthetic marines, usually. They are just… epicurean, particular, with their tastes. They deliberate and won’t settle for defaults. They have a wide range of hates, dislikes, neutrals, likes, and loves - when it comes to looks, colors, color schemes, and general aesthetics. They may switch things up often.

Shoot'em'ups

A lot of other people - who may not always necessarily overlap with the first crowd - like the grindy, military-industrial looks of the bandanas, the boonie hats, the gasmasks, the shades of “tacticool” in certain gear or weapons or attachments like the silencer, the grim or the stoic or the wisecracking killers - that’s all in another hand. These people are not the same as the “literally just wants to play SS13 but with more shooting” crowd, which is outside of this current topic, but they are in some ways adjacent to them. While they may not have a particular care for the aesthetic side of the game, they do have preferences that fall in line with the shoot-'em-up crowd aesthetically. And furthermore, regarding not the aesthetics of characters, items, and the environment - but the aesthetic of the GAMEPLAY: how it FEELS and how it looks as THEY INTERACT with the world and the OTHER PLAYERS - THAT is what they really care about. If they aren’t getting that immersion, that heat of the fire and that shake of the explosion, burning gun smoke, they aren’t going to enjoy their time.

Beam'em'ups

A lot of people in the third and final hand of this weird mutant three-armed baby - your third crowd, who again, may not have any overlap with the first two - likes the general sci-fi elements, and possibly in more specific ways, the Alien IP’s and consequently CM13’s brand of sci-fi, its residual 80’s shades and “chunkiness” and analog, geometric, retro feel and look. There’s Star Trek medicine, Star Wars cryo-cells complete with a little floating man inside, various other bits and bobs and easter eggs - conglomerated from the Alien IP, niche fiction, and SS13 itself, which has a treasure trove of history and lore.

What is the point of categorizing or… mentioning these things? Well, people want to look at something they enjoy. They want to play something they enjoy. People want to be happy; and when they play a game, they consider that game a good game if it combines gameplay, looks, and sounds along with more subtle but equally fundamental elements between these primary things, like the UI, balance, and progression - all into a pleasing product… FOR THEM. Graphics may not be so critically important, but the look, the aesthetic - the concept, as it continues off the screen and fills the unique spaces of each player’s imagination - is all a combined pillar to enjoyment.

And what is a visually customizable suit of power armor if not a really heavy, really mean, grindy and military-industrial, planetary and space-faring, set of futuristic knight armor?

So while it’s safe to say that for all three depicted “crowds” I believe make up the majority demographics in CM13, the concept of power armor alone overlaps with them all, and I think the effort I made in its design is solidly - at least as a first run - pleasant to the aesthetic sensibility of your average player among the demographics… there are considerations to be made.

…Like any role, caste, strain, weapon, or secondary equipment, inevitable considerations must be made in regards to certain key elements:

• Is it BALANCED?
• Is it BLOAT?
• Does it FIT and BENEFIT the GAME and GAMEPLAY?
• Does it FIT and BENEFIT the SERVER LORE and ROLEPLAY?
• Is it even POSSIBLE?

BALANCE

Regarding the most primary aspect of adding new content to a player vs player team-based game, balance, I think the best way to start is a straight forward list.

We’ll be assuming it is our “base model” power armor set; and they’re using what is pretty much the “quintessential” gun among some of the few weapons unique to the power armor, the Vulcan-Super 10.

Let’s set the tone for this entire balance schema - and the role in gameplay the P-WAULS is actually meant to take - with the meta-preface of a total look at its matchups versus all castes, one-on-one.

TIER 1

Drone vs P-WAULS

What does the P-WAULS facing the iconic Drone look like? Simply put: don’t get caught by the scary “turtletall”, but with smart plays and a spot of good luck it’s anyone’s game.

• When it comes to a regular, lone marine, it’s a very high risk, but high reward matchup for the Drone: if they can get close enough before being noticed, or totally shot down, if they can get their tackles off, they can win, be it a cap or a kill. But if the marine has just those few tiles of reaction distance to start actually unloading - it is over for the Drone if they don’t retreat; and its health, damage, armor, and speed on/off weeds is nowhere near allowing them to stand and bang with a fully alert marine, let alone several. This goes doubly, triply, quadruply so with the P-WAULS. No weeds, 2-4 tile range, dead on shot, no cover, not watching your health? You will get smoked and they won’t even break a sweat to do so.

• There is something to be said though on the tactic of running circles around it - not actually attacking it head on, but avoiding it, weeding around it, and slowly walling it in by abusing its low base mobility. A good Drone could pull this off, shorten the distance it has to react, and then continuously wear it down. If they REALLY managed to trap it and disable it, then they’d have the opportunity all Tiers have: to go into help intent behind the suit and metaphorically “peel the can open” after several seconds. Healer and Gardener Drones lose all of these advantages in building though, and are thus easy targets.

Runner vs P-WAULS

This matchup is actually one of the more dangerous ones for a lone P-WAULS. The slow mover and slow turner fears the Runner.

• The P-WAULS is meant to be a strong player on the field, essentially near the threat and the killing power of a living, thinking mortar; an M56D or an M2C, a sentry with a load of health on legs - the step above Specialist in some ways - but they are in absolutely no way meant to be alone. Like a mortar, without not only the person USING it, but the people GIVING THE PERSON USING IT COORDINATES, it is a useless, expensive piece of steel decor. The operator needs SUPPORT or their suit’s inherent weaknesses will become critical points of exposure that the Xenomorphs, who counter-operate in nearly the diametric opposite, will use to very quickly bring them down.

• The P-WAULS needs to be supported then, exactly because of castes like the Runner. A half decent Runner will be able to continuously hit-and-run a lone P-WAULS again and again and again until its disabled. Simple as that. It’ll TAKE A WHILE… but it’ll happen if they don’t head out. Unless the pilot runs their back up against a wall in a room with only one entrance, it simply cannot turn fast enough to catch a Runner that knows to alternate its direction of attack.

• Acid Runners are going to have about the same go of things, with the added benefit of being able to leave the standard acid DoT as a parting gift between their slashes. The P-WAULS “roll” is a self-extinguishing system that forces them to cease all action for a time, same as a marine, so no worries of unstoppable, acid-proof enemies there.

Sentinel vs P-WAULS

The Sentinel is almost worse in some ways than a Lesser in this matchup.

• I think this is less a statement of the P-WAULS being overpowered and more to say Sentinels are just weak - and we all know it, they need a buff.

• That’s why I’m saying now that Sentinel’s Slowing Spit, uniquely, can block the visor and either blur the screen or outright lower the tile visibility range - until maybe the pilot uses some sort of “windshield wiper” ability linked to the “roll” self-extinguish that takes a couple seconds, or SOMETHING.

• They can’t build, and thus surround and cut off the P-WAULS; they aren’t particularly fast, nor can they pounce or burrow or go invisible or even speed up like their direct evolution can; their spit doesn’t even do damage. So, either aiming at the eyes and sprite-clicking your Slowing Spit obscures the pilot’s view, or hitting them with Crippling Strike “knicks a coolant line” and forces them to run a “diagnostic reboot” (see: the power armor equivalent of trembling and then falling over paralyzed for a few seconds) - or, the Sentinel loses every time. Sorry. Sentinel sucks and isn’t strong enough. Same goes for it fighting pretty much every Specialist, the APC, the Tank, and any decent marine that’s ready for it.

Defender vs P-WAULS

This matchup is almost evenly set, but tenacity and skill in greater measure from either side can easily turn things in one’s favor.

• The actual point where you start seeing the strengths of the P-WAULS, and get to enjoy imagining the stand up fight between these two. Unable to be knocked over by the base Defender’s Tail Sweep or the Steel Crest’s Headbutt, the pilot can get right up in the Defender’s face without fear - but that’s also exactly what the Defender is going to want. With the Vulcan-Super 10’s reverse falloff, keeping hostiles at about mid-to-max screen length is where most of their DPS comes from, with the various ammo types it can use changing that effective firing distance too. A base ability for the P-WAULS is even a short cooldown, no-damage “push” that works on up to Tier 3’s, to facilitate keeping Xenomorphs from coming right up into melee distance and halving the damage they’re taking.

• A good Defender could spar with the P-WAULS, taking some manageable damage as they close in and then, with footwork, put some damage of their own on the suit, and try to encircle the suit to avoid further damage - and using their abilities will of course still cause harm to various pieces and components.

• This is all nothing to say of the Defender having the sense to just attack orthogonally or at the flank, which like for any HvX matchup greatly improves their position and their odds of surviving, or actually winning the fight. The Defender lowering its crest is going to also have a similar effect with the P-WAULS as it does with other marines: the pilot uselessly wasting ammo on it as it takes no damage and “/me stares”. With their crest lowered, pushing them DOES NOT move them, nor force them to raise their crest - melee, fire, or simply ignoring a guarded Defender is plenty enough for the sake of balance.

TIER 2

Carrier vs P-WAULS

A matchup simply bound to be in the P-WAULS favor.

• This one is pretty obvious, it’s a huge suit of armor with high-tech systems and assisted locomotion meant to be used in hazardous environments and theatres of war - the most skittish, least aggressive, least physically threatening caste out of all of them is going to lose a stand-up fight 9 out of 10 times. 9 out of 10 because, of course, there’s always those “absurdly bald SADAR/demo/scout/etc getting the work from a half health carrier or 1-health-from-crit runner” cases or something along those lines.

• Hugging it won’t work. Hugger traps and huggers are trampled and squashed instantly under its feet. The Carrier itself is much too slow, even attacking directly from behind, to then escape the P-WAULS turning around and blowing away the low armor, low health caste.

• I do think though, that after 2-3 direct lunges from a player-controlled hugger, from BEHIND, the hugger would be able to “crawl on top” of the suit and melt its way through the helmet and visor - something huggers are shown to be able to do from time to time in Alien related media. I just imagine the necessity of multiple attempts is first, a requirement for balance, and two, a representation of the fact that an alert pilot would very quickly try to swat this thing off their helmet, and would likely succeed the first few times before the particularly tenacious hugger managed to wriggle past their defenses.

Burrower vs P-WAULS

Like the Runner, this matchup would be an EXTREMELY annoying and inevitably losing one for the P-WAULS.

• Even against several marines actively searching for it, a decent Burrower can be an absolutely piss-boiling thorn in the marines’ side for an entire round - with multiple instances throughout the span of the battle where they’ll use just a smattering of indestructible walls, a small room, even a particularly circuitous section of cades - in order to burrow back and forth and back and forth, knocking marines down and getting slashes and tailstabs in a piece. Sometimes they’ll even manage to CAPTURE someone doing this. If they can do this to marines in armors light to heavy, they can absolutely do it to a P-WAULS.

• It stands to reason then that the Burrower is just going to be able to play the world’s worst game of Whack-A-Mole with the P-WAULS, popping up, damaging it, going back down, popping up again somewhere else and damaging it, burrowing to escape and heal for a moment if need be, until the suit is disabled and the pilot is screaming bloody murder as he gets cracked open and scooped out of their like a yummy Vienna sausage.

• Burrowing up directly on top of the P-WAULS - a rarely pulled off tactic on usual marines due to their speed and unpredictable movements, but slightly more doable against the suit. I would supposed there could be a brief stun as the suit auto-stabilizes and tries to keep itself from falling over in the shifting earth, but it should definitely also SLOW if not MICRO-STUN the Burrower, considering they’re having nearly three tons of metal drop onto them.

Hivelord vs P-WAULS

A Drone, but better. This matchup is still fairly even, but the Hivelord can have a much easier time than its inferior evolution.

• There isn’t too much to say here - a Hivelord has the specific advantages a Drone does against the P-WAULS, plus the added benefit of stronger resin constructions.

• A Hivelord with good sense will quickly realize that frenzy pheromones + resin walker active + weeds and that combined, massive speed boost makes them akin to a Runner that can also box the P-WAULS in. Very nasty.

• Resin Whisperer, the ranged-building Hivelord strain, would be even more of a nightmare for the lone P-WAULS than it already is for a cadeline of marines. Ever play one of those “Trap the Sheep” puzzle games where you take a turn laying a wall down, and then the sheep takes a turn moving a tile - and you try to trap it before it can escape off the board? This is that game for the Resin Whisperer Hivelord. On Easy mode.

Lurker vs P-WAULS

Strong against lone marines, middling-to-poor against the P-WAULS, this matchup is a risky waste of a Lurker’s time.

• As the Lurker can go invisible, they’ll have an easier time of getting closer to the P-WAULS unseen and doing some damage, but they’re not particularly high damage, high speed, or high health enough to continuously attack this thing - likely getting the tail-end of some heat from the Vulcan every few forays.

• Their version of Crippling Strike, tuned as Lurkers already are, should not do anything, just as it doesn’t to a standing marine. Maybe a Crippling Strike from the back forces a diagnostic reboot?

• Vampire Lurkers are also at a disadvantage here because they, being reliant on gaining health back through their damage, aren’t actually hurting something flesh and blood, and thus don’t gain health from harming the suit. They still do damage obviously, and their Headbite should be constantly available from the front, WITH at least a somewhat longer windup time than usual - the first one breaking the visor and the second busting their braincase open.

Warrior vs P-WAULS

Possibly the truest matchup; this is where you see it, live, in action, Mano a Xano: knock-down, drag-out, slobber knocker fights.

• The Warrior’s quintessential Lunge does not knock the P-WAULS over, but does cause them to enter a “grapple” that unequips and stows their weapon - or in the case of some hand-carried weapons, dropping them - forcing them to have to resist or use their push to break free.

• Both the Warrior AND the P-WAULS can drag each other around after a Lunge until the other one actively resists, and if they’re both pulling in opposite directions… then they’ll both just be standing there… hugging each other, pretty much.

• Aside from that, the Punch slows and damages as usual, but does not knock back. Their Fling is another new risk, as though it WILL push the pilot back 1 tile, and stun them briefly, it will also SLOW the Warrior for a short period - an implication of it recovering from the sheer exertion required to shove the suit off balance.

Spitter vs P-WAULS

This matchup is strongly in the Spitter’s favor, thanks to its combination of short-to-mid ranged and melee attacks, as well as its speed bursts.

• Speed, damaging ranged attacks - and strong ones at that - with a Tier 2’s worth of solid armor and health. The Spitter is absolutely a threat to the lone pilot; it can run circles around the suit, damage it, and disable systems at range possibly all from the cover of darkness, and the P-WAULS is of course much less maneuverable against Acid Spit attacks than any other marine.

• Worse yet, the Spitter’s Spray Acid ability, primarily best used on cades as it can apply multiple acid melting effects - is not only just about completely unavoidable for the suit, but Spray Acid applies the same cade-acid effect to the suit, requiring a self-extinguishing period. This is partially a move of logic - the suit is a big, metallic surface, getting splashed with acid is going to catch a lot of it like the cades; balance-wise though, this allows the Spitter to use Spray Acid and apply the effect, while maintaining their Charged Spit for the speed boost, whether that be used offensively or saved for an escape is up to them at that point.

TIER 3

Boiler vs P-WAULS

An awkward matchup that puts neither in any real position of advantage or disadvantage - best to stay away from one another.

• While slow, the P-WAULS aren’t THAT SLOW, they would be sitting ducks to every cloud of acid. And just as well, Neurotoxic Gas does nothing to the suit or the pilot.

• A Boiler, like with any other marine, is generally going to want to stay away and use their sight-range advantage, cover, and darkness to continuously try to lead their shots and catch the suit in a bad position - same old same.

• Trapper Boiler’s toolbelt changes things up by a fairly large amount though - along with the possible chances of success. With the P-WAULS slow speed, even though Deploy Traps only slows the P-WAULS and does not root it, in repetition with Acid Mine uses and maybe even a cheeky Acid Shotgun here or there, the Trapper Boiler would very likely come out on top more times than not in this 1v1. They’re certainly fast enough to tail the P-WAULS and continuously pepper it over and over with Acid Mine.

Praetorian vs P-WAULS

With some of the most diversity in strains, the Praetorian matchup can vary wildly - but in general favors the Praetorian greatly.

• Base Praetorians are, essentially, even nastier Spitters - and will wreck the suit sooner or later with repeated, accurate Acid Spit, Acid Ball, and Spray Acid ability uses at range; the P-WAULS also has no way to DUCK so it simply will never be able to avoid the grenade-like Acid Ball projectiles unless it’s lucky enough to be close to cover to step behind, or it uses a marine as a body shield, which of course, isn’t possible in a 1v1.

• Vanguard Praetorians cannot fling the suit, but can push it back 2 tiles, slow it, and micro-stun it without a retaliatory self-slow incurred; the alternate root ability also works as standard. Between a Vanguard Praetorian’s Warleader shield and good footwork this is probably a solid 65/35; as though while lacking in a full array of high damage abilities, or ranged attacks, it’s still a Tier 3, and its movement capabilities will help close the distance.

• Dancer Praetorians very likely going to be doling out a brutal, frantic death for the lone pilot every time, a good Dancer Praetorian is simply way too fast, does way too much damage, and has enough health and armor to withstand whatever desperate fight the P-WAULS may be able to put up as it tries to even turn about. Tail Trip instead stuns the suit for a commensurate time equal to the total daze + trip/daze + knock down, instead of tripping/knocking it down.

• Oppressor Praetorians are another instance of the implied weight of the P-WAULS giving it the advantage: neither the Tail Seize nor the Abduct ability will move the suit from its place, and the P-WAULS acts as an obstacle for OTHER marines being grabbed as well, though Tail Lash will stun it briefly, and Dislocate has a 20% chance of “shattering” whatever piece of the suit it hits, causing massive damage to the piece of armor, and guaranteeing the disabling of any corresponding modules - as it will cause critical damage, up to total destruction, of a fair portion of modules.

• Bulwark Praetorians… Meh, not much to say. Maybe 50/50, 60/40, in the P-WAULS favor in a fight head on - the Bulwark Praetorian just doesn’t have enough in the way of direct combat abilities. Though, with enough uses of Xeno Spit, patience, darkness and positioning, and possibly the skill and the guts to finally get in there and take some heat as they finish the suit off when it tries to flee, it can be done.

Ravager vs P-WAULS

Among all castes, the Ravager will brutally punish this matchup the fastest. Even supported, and decently positioned, the P-WAULS is at a massive disadvantage; alone, the Ravager could not lose.

• There are SOME caveats though. Particularly, the Hedgehog Ravager’s shrapnel-based attacks and reflections are obviously useless against the suit. Though once again, an all-call sort of “diagnostic reboot” cycle the pilot has to initiate could be opted in for balance. The Berserker Ravager’s innate healing from its attacks, like the Vampire Lurker, do not work against the P-WAULS.

• The P-WAULS is tanky, has a lot of firepower, and is made to go toe-to-toe with the big dogs, but the Ravager is the caste that can and will make short order of the suit and soon after the soft, squishy pilot inside.

• Already possessing the “Cutting Claws” passive that does double damage to vehicles, which applies to the P-WAULS, the Ravager too can enter Grab intent, and with about the time it takes to open a bolted airlock, peel individually targeted pieces of the armor off.

Ravager vs P-WAULS Digressions

• I would like though, for the sake of balance and partially for aesthetics, to necessitate that the Ravager only be able to peel off certain pieces based on the current layer.

  • Starting with the boots or groin (waist-plate) which gives access to the legs (greaves); or starting with the arms (pauldrons), which gives access to the hands (gauntlets); however, the chest (cuirass) - requires both the waist-plate AND the pauldrons be removed - which then, when the cuirass itself is finally removed, gives access to the head (helmet). Would a Ravager or its usual swarm following it bother spending 30-40 seconds peeling EVERY, LAST single bit of armor off? Would it even get the chance before the pilot got hugged or slashed to death through the exposed spots? Maybe not, but the times it would inevitably happen where the pilot is just stuck there screaming for dear life over the radio, and Overwatch sees the whole thing go down on the camera until the helmet finally comes off and the feed dies sounds HILARIOUSLY brutal and perfectly fitting.

  • What else is there to say? The Ravager has high damage, high health - a surprisingly high speed. The P-WAULS is meant to be surrounded by marines, taking heat, generating threat, laying down heavy fire - but all solely in the advancement of their FIRE-SUPPORT, the team of marines that are just as much COVERING IT as they are being passed up for the larger, scarier target - or maybe they are actually literally hiding behind it at times. It needs back-up, like any kind of heavy-armor unit; it can’t independently tank all the damage, and neither can it produce ALL the DPS necessary to take down a Ravager alone. It can’t even run away and do the whole “kite it with AP” method. Even with a team of marines, the P-WAULS is more there to eat the guaranteed damage instead of somebody who can more easily get split open. They might as well, at least - trying to run away in the suit is only going to award them a more cowardly death - and maybe if they ALL turn and burn, the Ravager will get scared off.

    • Because it’s such a brutal matchup, I really need to further expound on the Tier 3 vs the P-WAULS + fire-support weakness, since we’re talking about the big daddy of all Tier 3’s: so - the Ravager attacks the pilot, the pilot has to face forward in order to shoot, push, and defend against the Ravager with the suit’s directional armor; that armor being weakest in the back. All the pilot’s fellow marines are likely behind it or flanking it to the sides, meaning when the Ravager comes knocking on that big bucket, they’re either going to have to step right into the cross-fire, Ravager-ability-distance, possible module/suit explosion hell zone… And uhhh… they’re not going to do that. They’re likely going to panic, start blasting, and unload on the weakest part of the P-WAULS, which is… admittedly by design. It’s partially why the bullet rating is its highest stat, but the sheer amount of times this kind of thing will happen will still result in plenty of balance-necessary, entropic disasters and friendly-fire blunders worthy of the Hall of Fame.

Crusher vs P-WAULS

While the Crusher is a serious threat, with the far greater advantage in the matchup - there is underdog potential for the P-WAULS yet.

• Strong, absurdly durable, and set with brutal movement abilities, the Crusher is to the steroidal, peak fighting bull as the suit is to the dairy cow - they’re both big, heavy, and when one knocks the other about, neither hurt much… but it’s pretty obvious which one can easily turn the other into paste, too. Like the Ravager, the Crusher possesses the ability to enter Grab Intent and break pieces off the suit after a small windup - though, uniquely to the Crusher, doing this will incur serious brute damage to the corresponding body part of the pilot as well.

• Base Crusher’s quintessential, windup Charge ability will, upon hitting the suit, push it two tiles out of the way, and root it for some time after, but will not knock it over. Doing this will also slow the Crusher for a short period. A Stomp in range will briefly stun the P-WAULS, as it is forced to perform gyroscopic righting maneuvers.

• Charger Crusher will also find its ability sandbagged by the P-WAULS, as their momentum during the toggled Charge will be halved, and their Tumble can also be prematurely halted should they run into or side-step into the suit. These both will however stun the P-WAULS for some time, variably, based on momentum when struck, for both abilities.

• Charger Crusher’s own Stomp will instead slow the suit instead of stunning it. Ram will push the suit back 1 tile and then stun it for a brief period.

THE QUEEN

The Queen is of course, the Queen.

• Though these suits have heavy combat capabilities, they’re not meant to be overpowered, and they’re certainly not meant to be thunder stealing, all-in-one war machines that can ruin the game of one of the most hectic roles there is. In my eyes, the only person who has and will ever have the luxury and the honor of physically going hands on with a Queen (and at least winning) is the one and only Ellen Ripley. There will be no Combat Power Loader moment for YOU. There will be no secret insta-Queen death easter egg with a 1% chance on melee hit.

• Seriously though: uniquely, being heavy and large enough, the P-WAULS actually CAN bodyblock the Queen… until she goes into Harm Intent - shirking her poise and mystique to unleash several tons of body mass and hostile alien rage. Bodyblocking the Queen on every Intent but the one where she can start making new holes to pour you out of your suit from - that’s literally the only advantage it has to the marine next to it, power-armorless, pissing himself in terror. Enjoy the view inside your Xenomorph wet food tin as the Queen breaches from around a dark corner, stuns you with a screech (because the suit can do just about everything but make you braver), and sets her horde on everyone. YOU’LL be good though, right? You’re in big boy armor. You’ve got the big boy gun. Uh oh, is that the Queen stomping your way?

• The P-WAULS 1, crown jewel of close-quarters combat; a street-sweeping nightmare of all guerillas and terrorists who may roam wherever this urban, rural, exurban, amphibious, and space-capable war machine in the order of several million dollars stands watch; a UA funded work of nearly 20 years - still CAN BARELY GET UP ON ITS OWN! And guess what one of the only two things in the game that can knock you down are? It’s not Freddie Mercury and his boys. And it’s not a direct HE/Cluster OB strike or HE mortar - which are the only 2 other things.

• All above would apply to the King - only, the King’s additional EMP like suit-light disabler would TURN OFF the entire suit.

• Overall, I’d say the almost guaranteed to be fatal knockdown is fair for the Queen/King. The two biggest, meanest, most authoritative, 1-of-a-kind Xenomorphs on the field need special privileges afforded to their Tier for one, and two: if the Queen or King is knocking you over, either you 1. massively overextended and deserve the consequences of a terrible play, 2. cornered the Queen/King and victory is imminent, or 3. got knocked down as the Queen made her way to go turn the DS into her new foster home and everything is FUBAR anyways. The best mercy you could hope for is a quiet, peaceful, slow death as the Xenomorphs forget to pop you open like a fresh jar of strawberry jelly and you slowly suffocate inside the suit planet-side as the power runs out and the oxygen filtration system turns off.

BLOAT

This section boils down to a few simple arguments, some conditional, some fundamental to the design. No need for musing layers upon layers of topics and sub-topics.

What is bloat? It’s 40gb uncompressed sound files in a contemporary video game. It’s 95% of all U.S. legislation. It’s your weather app and fart noise soundboard app needing access to your phone’s contacts and photo album. In SS13, it’s mostly referred to in terms of JOB BLOAT.

Job bloat, if you’re picking up on these metaphors, may sound like this:

“Do we reaaally need Nurses if we have Doctors that can actually perform surgery?”
“Do we reaaally need multiple Corporate Liaisons if one barely gets to do anything already?”
Or…
“If marines could be Mini-Medics, there’d be too many overdoses, too many people applying medicine!”
“Chef is useless, they serve no real purpose when there’s MREs and FoodVendors everywhere!”

I’m not particularly taking a stand on those opinions, or even saying they’re all necessarily real. I’m actually, as I think of it, pretty hard pressed to come up with a job that feels like actual bloat, other than maybe the Nurse and MP role - the former being a quasi-doctor with no useful surgical skill and an RP standards license to sit about doing absolutely nothing, and the latter being pretty useless when 95% of the things you do that would get you in trouble by the accordance of Marine Law will quicker net you in actual trouble with the admins, while the other 5% is just nit-picky, nonsensical, frankly tyrannical, and mostly irrational impressment of the niche rules of law by an MP with either a bone to pick with you or just pure boredom to fight off with you as the punching bag. But you get the idea.

So.

1. Is the P-WAULS and the appropriate operator role BLOAT?
2. Does it encroach upon another role?
3. Does it affect the role of a position ship-side with any kind of total progression, or round-consistent prep they perform, in a negative way?
4. Does it have too much overlap with the equipping and/or logistical needs that will cause the pilot players and players of other roles to butt heads
5. Does it affect the position and gameplay of a role planet-side negatively? I’ll argue these very simply in the same order I’ve provided them.

Answers

1. Is the P-WAULS bloat?

• Well, in a literal sense to start, and to put it short, no. This would be a direct replacement for a tank crew of 3. Otherwise, starting at 100 pop, I’d imagine you’d get ONE pilot. 150 sees 2, and 200 sees 3 - this could be subject to change. One Tank, 3 power armor suits, one Tank, 3 power armor suits, hmmm… Decisions decisions. Hell, make it so you can actually only have one or the other. I think it would be a pretty top pick. Is it bloat if could be BETTER? I don’t think it would be.

2. Does it encroach upon another role?

• Depending on how you want things to go, it could, yes. Force the decision between Tank or Power Armor, “Armored Support” or “Armored Pilot Team.” Is that a good thing, to offer a choice that precludes another? Kind of the entire design around the whole game, isn’t it? Pick the wrong thing in your locker? Suck one. Want a shotgun, M41A, AND a pistol? Enjoy having a solid 2 magazines/full cycles of ammo for each of them, no utilities, and no first-aid for self-rescue. It COULD literally encroach upon another role, by superseding its position in the value:effectiveness ratio (not hard when compared to the Tank or APC) - but in any way being close enough to sitting inside the Tank and performing any of those roles, acting like a Specialist, being better at someone else’s role than they are - that is not happening here and hopefully will not happen.

3. Does it affect the role of a position ship-side with any kind of total progression, or round-consistent prep they perform, in a negative way?

• Unless they’re rampaging in their suit and need to catch a job-ban or a 3-hour, no, most everything they could possibly NEED will come from their own devices.

4. Does it have too much overlap with the equipping and/or logistical needs that will cause the pilot players and players of other roles to butt heads?

• High-Capacity batteries may have rounds where they’re scarce, but Universal Fuel cells are just about coming out of the walls in the Almayer’s Engineering section, and most planets have Universal Fuel cells in similar areas as well. Those are the only two absolute NEEDS of the P-WAULS, regarding ammo, incinerator fuel, building materials, meds, tools, and so on - what they need there is far more commonly found than they’d likely need to worry about. But, because of some caveats and accounting for basic entropy, I would say maybe, but leaning toward no.

6. Does it affect the position and gameplay of a role planet-side negatively?

• It’s really the exact opposite, so no. As the name implies, this suit can act in several different capacities, it’s not just all combat. Lots of solid Riflemen - I.E. too many cooks in the kitchen to fight well - and plenty of Corpsmen, but no Engineers? Load up some engineering relating modules. You’ll never be as wholly effective as an Engineer, just like you won’t a Corpsmen with medical modules - or as dangerous as an instantly burst damaging, stun applying, SADAR with good aim and a nasty rocket. But you can get CLOSE. You can fill in the GAPS. You can COMBINE certain modules, weapons, and defenses to form your OWN BUILDS and hybridize abilities - using the full acronym of Weapons, Armor, Utility, and Logistics to provide a well rounded, enduring, mid-to-mid/high DPS support member with certain, semi-unique downsides among the marine line up that would lead naturally to a totally different playstyle to use it effectively - for the pilot AND the fire-supporting team with the pilot.

We’re talking POWER ARMOR here. Retro sci-fi, military-grade POWER. ARMOR. It would by design fill a totally unprecedented, currently non-existent role for the marines: an actually slow moving, actually tanky, man-to-vehicle stepping stone that can FIT ON ALL THE MAPS, and provide the pressure needed to break hellchokes; with added modular utilities that - aside from being ALL visually recognizable for aesthetics and balance’s sake - allow it to take up a very wide variety of tasks as decided by the player; and furthermore, maybe informed too by the request and advisement of CIC and what the ground is saying the situation is like - should it be a mid-game purchase and a late wakeup for the pilots.

Bloat? I do not think so.

THE GAME AND GAMEPLAY

This particular section in a hundred small ways is discussed throughout this entire document, but I want to reorganize the GAMEPLAY PHILOSOPHY surrounding the P-WAULS for an easier to read, hopefully, easier to understand summation of it all.

What is this section really about? What do I mean by “gameplay philosophy”?

Explaining Gameplay Philosophy

In the shortest possible explanation… “gameplay philosophy” regards a SPECIFIC GAME’S boundaries - what can the player do, what can’t the player do, what is expected of the player; and thus, what allows the player to “win” and what causes the player to “lose” - and further then, what does “winning” and “losing” actually mean in the context of the game. Consequently too - what feelings that created gameplay evokes in the player.

Wanting to ramble further on the topic, if you will…

A fundamental tenet in the game design of most games is that you are not invulnerable. You do not have every ability, at least all at once. You can attain a FAIL STATE, a game over, a death cutscene, what have you, by not OVERCOMING THE OBSTACLES that by design, every single game has. Because what would be a game without obstacles? A story without antagonism? Nature and life itself without any form of inherent competition?

But with the endless variety of games - beyond these most elemental requirements, of which some still are not always necessary - we enter a massively complex third-position regarding the quality and state of a game.

The first position is the game PLAYER. For our case this is our marine, and our Xenomorph. The second position is the game MAKER; again, our developers, coders, maintainers. But that THIRD position is the game DESIGNER. It’s also a position that those often already in the second position regularly elevate up to, between returns to the second.

What’s the difference in the second and third, exactly?

The third operates in theory, and big pictures, and road maps, and must consider all aspects possible and non-possible.

The second is much more literal in that they are focused on what is REAL, what is POSSIBLE, and often acts based on what has been outlined from the third position; they are the filter of “that can’t be done in this engine” or “that’s too buggy” or “this will cause compatibility issues with that” to the more raw, more experimental initial concepts put forward from the third position.

In other words: the player, the first position, plays and reacts either positively or negatively to the game that is created by the developers, the second position; the second position, in order to build and maintain the game in a successful, efficient way, relies on the third position - designers or authoritative figures in the coding team - maintaining a roadmap and a general sphere of possible and/or actually planned gameplay mechanics within the reasonable boundaries of what they can expect; and the third position itself relies on understanding what will either please or aggravate the first, and generally what is possible for the second, and what is reasonable in terms of work load and timeframe, and what is consistent to the experience of the game as is.

Let’s look at a few other games for an example.

Gameplay Philosophies as Seen in Other Games

• Sid Meier’s Civilization, the Total War series, the Age of Empire series - are all RTS/Grand Strategy genre games that follow a pattern certain pattern of rules and expectations: the player leads a people with a distinct culture, and thus playstyle, to “victory” by “painting the map”, or, successfully interacting through means of warfare, diplomacy, subterfuge, or other means to conquer or win over opposing nations. There are economic elements to consider, allies and enemies with varying strength levels and differentiating methods of warfare to consider; there is usually an equal, linearly increasing ratio of complexity to their nation that grows with the strength and size - increasing corruption, disloyalty, slowing of cultural assimilation, or just plain old logistical issues with distance and scale, which all have to be dealt with or they’ll cripple and ultimately defeat the player.

  • They take the ROLE of a LEADER. They are forced to make hard decisions. They are forced to take certain losses in order to make certain gains. They are punished for failure with the loss of power, or wealth.

• Call of Duty, Counter-Strike, Battlefield - are all among the highest echelons of the gaming world… at least in popularity. They are simple, fast paced, thrilling, monkey-brain-pleasing First Person Shooters; but the player must think fast, know their environment, and understand the strengths and weaknesses of their weapons - or be fragged by a much more involved, and consequently more skilled player. They are expected to gain game sense over time, being given certain weapon unlocks with level ups over repeated rounds - where they then will be tested through the efficacy of their builds; there’s also encouragement here for individuality in the variety of customization that can be done to weapons, player models, gamer tags, and so on. However, though they are individuals, they become part of a whole, as a team, in team-based modes, and also become brutally honest when someone can’t hold up their slack.

  • They take the ROLE of a SOLDIER. They are forced to subconsciously recognize the distinct shape enemies can take standing, crouching, or prone. They are forced to play in the manner indicated by their style of weapon, their “perks”, and the state of their team’s chances of success, the current map they fight in, and the skill level of their opponents. They are punished for their failure with, usually, a short wait to respawn - and possibly verbal or textual beratement from another human being.

• Amnesia, Days Gone, Five Nights at Freddy’s - are all Horror games. Survival Horror, Open-World Horror, Action Horror, Psychological Horror, “Haunted House Ride” Horror - there’s all kinds of horror games, but all with the operative word being of course, horror. The player must face their fears to proceed, and keep their wits about them too - looking the terrible creatures and monstrous sights right in the face in order to make it through. In this genre, the player is a victim, a survivor, often partaking in “flight” over “fight” when the time comes; and whether the “opponent” in question can be fought or killed or not, the player tends to have few means to do so, and limited opportunities at that.

  • They take the ROLE of PREY. They are forced to run, forced to hide, forced to look through the slits of their fingers when they aren’t shambling inch by inch through the darkness. They are punished for their failure with terror, and a game over state - but a chance to try again, a little less scared, and a little more knowledgeable.

All games. All possessing of similar fundamental qualities: learn, grow, overcome to win - fail, and lose. But they are wildly different in how they play, how they are won and lost, and what type of person likes to play them - and what they want to see and what they don’t want to see in them as development progresses. The Call of Duty player will fail, rushing headlong toward the unkillable monsters in the horror game; the Amnesia player will fail, trying to make allies with or ignore and avoid an aggressive, warmongering faction in the grand strategy game; and the Total War player will fail, trying to take things methodically and slow right there in the heat of a fast-paced gun battle, or not realize that barking orders to his team only falls on deaf ears without the credibility of a scoreboard topping K:D, even if they’re good calls.

So, what does the general gameplay philosophy of CM13 entail?

Well, it’s actually kind of a mix of all three of the examples. In my personal opinion, CM13 is a VERY complex game - or at least it has the INHERENT DEPTH to become very complex over the course of a round. It’s a truly profound multiplayer experience, maybe one of the greatest of all time: hundreds of people all fighting over the same colony, the same world; dozens of support staff, dozens of Xenomorph antagonists that vary wildly in their strengths and weaknesses and tactics, dozens of marines that vary wildly in their purposes in supporting the greater whole, all moving and working their way across massive maps with certain points of control that need to be defended, or attacked.

You pull a magazine out of an ammo box on the ground? You snag an MRE from a crate? You take some gauze out of a dropped backpack labeled “MEDS”? SOMEBODY HAD TO GATHER THOSE RESOURCES, ORGANIZE THEM INTO AN APPROPRIATE CONTAINER, AND SUCCESSFULLY DELIVER THEM. It is NUTS. It is actually NUTS when you think about all the moving parts in each round. In higher pops, rounds see more combined Requisition, Command, Medical, Military Police, Engineering, and Flight Crew staff than some COLLEGE CAMPUSES have faculty; or enough fighting men to make up several REAL LIFE PLATOONS; and every, single, last round has more invigorating Survivor vs Xenomorph action than the last three Alien IP movies to come out - and the Almayer’s crew NEVER EVEN SEE IT! There is an ENTIRE STORY happening on the planet while you’re still eating your breakfast! Then you add in ERTS, predators, zombies, Research’s homegrown Xenomorphs, the WEALTH OF EVENTS the admins host. I mean, SERIOUSLY, this game runs 24/7, and never drops below 60-70 player count. CM13 is LAS VEGAS. CM13 is ROME. CM13, for better or worse, I would bet legitimate money on being the LAST SERVER REMAINING if and when that hopefully distant day of reckoning is for SS13 - as death comes for all things.

CM13 is COMPLEX. CM13 is HARDCORE. CM13 will PUNISH ALL MISTAKES. CM13 is a MASSIVE-MULTIPLAYER environment with elements of SHOOTER, HORROR, and STRATEGY games.

Can you shoot your enemies? Can you win by fighting? Can you put yourself in advantageous or disadvantageous positions based on your build, your build matched off against your enemy, literal physical positioning, and other kinds of game sense? YES.

Can you coordinate military units? Can you win by having better short-term tactics and long-term strategies? Can you lose indirect resources like men, domains of control, and literal necessary resources without directly dying yourself - but all take you closer to a total defeat? YES.

Can you be frightened? Can you overcome fear to win? Can your fear of certain gameplay elements keep you alive? Are certain obstacles unable to be overcome through facing it head on? Is it dangerous alone, and in the dark? Are you vulnerable? YES.

But - CM13 also subverts all three of these. Yes, it’s a Shooter: but it’s asymmetric, your enemies are melee-oriented while you are ranged, and they don’t just fall over dead after your first few shots. Yes, it’s a Strategy: but the “military units” you’re “coordinating” can run off at any time and ignore your orders, and every last single “unit” is an individual with individual skills and fighting styles. Yes, it’s a Horror: but in certain instances, it’s a total reverse of who’s doing the running and who’s the bloodthirsty maniac, in certain instances, it’s a comedy - you aren’t being hunted mindlessly by a rudimentary game AI with the model of a Chuck E. Cheese animatronic either, you are fighting thinking human beings that don’t want to die and lose either.

Now: how does the P-WAULS fit into the silhouette of the gameplay philosophy this beast of an MRP-TDM possesses here?

It’s your slow, but strong trebuchet in Medieval 2: Total War. It’s your valuable, but precariously placed city in Civilization.

It’s your blimp in Battlefield. It’s your guy with the big gun and the riot shield in Call of Duty.

It’s your power-limited, but protective doors in Five Nights at Freddy’s. It’s your “hindrance at times, vitally important at others” light source in Amnesia.

A powerful, threatening, mid-level skill ceiling role that still possesses logistical needs, still brutally punishes failures, still requires game sense and player skill, and still needs support from the team - all while diversifying the marine roster, creating new possible strategies and tactics for Command, and giving Xenomorphs a new target to deliciously torture and terrify. Hopefully, enough said there.

THE LORE AND ROLEPLAY

This is where things get a little loose. I’ve done some brushing up, but the wiki is old - possibly outdated regarding some things in the server lore, just as some things are regarding gameplay mechanics - and I’m still not 100%. And, of all the subjective statements made here, statements on specific qualities of roleplay, and statements on lore that I have only given a cursory reading to and have personally written none of - are the most subjective at all. So I won’t bore you endlessly about it all. But some of these things are worth mentioning, in my attempt to try and cover every possible head and tail of the whole idea.

Touching on Lore

Generally:

Do I believe this is too “high-tech” for CM13 and the Alien IP? No. Not even close. Synths, lathes, casual space-to-ground flight and back, matter compression and elemental generation, I could go on.

Do I believe the concept of “power armor” is too out there for the USCMC? The answer is the real question, and the real question is, WHY DON’T THEY HAVE IT ALREADY? Technically of course, they do, in several comics, the AVP: Extinction video game, etc. In said video game, the Exosuit, essentially a combat-P5000, is described as a “‘micro-scale’ heavy armor solution” - and, well, the P-WAULS would be like the “nano-scale” heavy armor solution.

Do I believe power armor or “mechs” mechanically fit into how the Falling Falcons operate as is explicitly or implicitly stated regarding their budget, strength in numbers in firepower, and “situation” lore-wise that leads to our roundly distress signal business? OKAY, you KINDA got me here. MAYBE the P-WAULS would be too expensive or too fancy a machine for such a dogged crew to have, but… we can afford useless tanks and APCs, can’t we? Surely, the world’s most expensive fighter jet doesn’t come close to the price tag on the world’s cheapest nuke - which is something they somehow manage to often purchase. OB’s probably aren’t cheap either. Neither is having TWO dropships. Neither is having a two-deck battleship. But I’m nitpicking here - as are you - if you seriously think a space-faring military hosted by the American military-industrial complex couldn’t spare a single printable, modular design of cheaply fueled heavy battle armor, that ALSO can function in several other non-militarial ways, to even its worst battleships… WHICH THE FALLING FALCONS AREN’T, BY THE WAY. I know people like to press the joke (mainly informed by LRP) that the Almayer is some sort of garbage can with nothing but felonious half-wits on it, but in the LORE, we are more like a ragtag group of hitters that have been taking blow after blow in a losing sector. Yes, the Almayer has some penal conscripts. Yes, the Almayer is a little torn up. Yes, not always having a full or totally competent set of staff members is somewhat predicated by the lore.

But no, overall. I don’t see any problem with the P-WAULS concept. It exists already in other forms - it exists already now in unborn spirit, every time some bald MT tries to hop into a Power Loader and duke it out come hijack. It is reasonable within the universe, both of the server uniquely and the universe the server is then based on. It is reasonable within the specific lore regarding our player characters and their situation - and if that isn’t actually the case, then… force the pilots to start with pretty much nothing but the armor on their back and a singular weapon, then. Give them no free modules, make everything expensive, make everything hard to procure. Hell - edit all the maps a little bit and leave certain resources hidden about that they have to survive finding in order to bring back and make upgrades - make it a total, laborious, progressive pain for them to become even half as scary as a SADAR - all in the name of staying true to the notion that the Almayer is absurdly understaffed, underpowered, underbudgeted, and on the ropes.

Touching on Roleplay

Discussing roleplay will be short and sweet.

Can/will it bring players together? Yes, during prep, when MTs/Engies and the pilots work together to build the suits. When Command sends someone down to talk to the pilots about their builds and decisions to figure out where they stand on the roster. When marines gather to the P-WAULS as use it as a focal point to defend, attack, or just hang out with and make a conversation piece.

The preparation period is something especially to be expounded upon: no competition for ammo and attachments, no need to run straight off to the Requisition line - no squabbling and no metagaming or min/maxing. The pilots will have plenty of time to get all their work done, chat, possibly meet new players through asking Engies, MTs, or other PL trained staff for help, and just hang out. Without any real pre-drop duties other than getting their suit ready, they have the luxury of a shipside role to take some time to TALK, to ACT, to REACT - without the BLOAT of remaining on the ship post-drop, sitting in a corner and watching Youtube in another window while they wait for stuff to do.

FOB Doc? Why not now, in addition, a FOB TECH? A necessary “doctor” of sorts for the P-WAULS, keeping on hand a Power Loader, some spare fuel, batteries, and parts, all the tools needed for repair, so on. Maybe they can even build the necessary Bay down there somehow? That’s one less MT roaming, bored, on the ship - likely to create gnome-like mischief as they tend to do - and now working in the FOB, roleplaying in the FOB. Having a legitimate PURPOSE, and new avenue to express their character’s quirks and personality and behavior.

There’s also of course, a proposed max of 3 pilots; 3 randoms all rolling Power Armor Operator together, building their suits together, comparing builds and customizations together, sparing their batteries and fuel cells with each other on the field, commiserating with each other over the weaknesses of their suits - celebrating their strengths and victories - and mourning the loss of a brother, as they find a bloodied, knocked over, empty suit in the dark, half the pieces torn off. It’s a guaranteed friend-maker, memory-maker.

As a final aside in this very brief section, I’d like to quickly bring up IMMERSION.

In the act of roleplaying - immersion is inherent; playing a role, roleplaying, it’s in the name. You immerse yourself into a character, a world, a situation, and then you act and react as that character would. What helps with immersion? What helps with roleplaying? Interactivity, choices and freedom, reactions from the world, an enjoyable goal with a real sense of progression. The P-WAULS has got it all: the building process, the repairing process, the upgrades, the custom spray jobs and different weapons and consequent playstyles.

POSSIBILITY

Like I said in the “For Coders” section, if you ACTUALLY made it from there to here in its entirety, I don’t know the first thing about coding and more especially, I don’t know anything about the code for SS13 or CM13. I don’t EXACTLY know what is or isn’t possible, but I have played an unhealthy amount of this game, and I’ve seen every single weapon, ability, and piece of unique equipment there is - all the stuff that is used on a regular basis anyway - and with all that prior game knowledge, I have tried to cook up a very rough basis of how this could work, that I will now outline.

First, briefly, I have to say - I never played much in the way of REGULAR SS13, not enough to get into mechs. Apparently the Power Loaders are pretty much SS13 mechs, codewise, but in this particular instance with the P-WAULS, I don’t know if the Power Loader and the general mecha code could or would work in the way I had imagined this to work. Maybe it does, and this entire following list of steps and rationalizations is useless and made redundant by something far easier - but if I couldn’t come up with SOME possible way to do it other than just saying “use mechs lol” then I wouldn’t have even bothered with all of this to begin with.

This is how I imagine it fundamentally:

The Power Armor Operator wakes up.

• This could be from the Tank Operator’s little boarding south of the Tank Bay, or the Auxiliary Cryo-Storage…

  • Or who knows, maybe they can even arrive on a ship, along with some sort of “handler” character that is kind of like this sniveling, hands-on customer support military-rep - a power armor jockey, who follows them around with very paltry armor, or better yet, no armor at all, fixing their boo-boo’s and juicing them back up. NOT a combat role, more so a minor support role with roleplay elements - one of those primarily being that they are obvious red shirts and are doomed to die the second the fighting starts. Admittedly this is a spur of the moment thought, and pretty bloat-y. The pilots, nearby engineers, and deployed or shipside CE/MTs are meant to be the ones, in that order, dealing with their “injuries” and logistical needs.

The pilot or pilots make their way to the Tank Bay.

• Printing the pieces, building the suit, and procuring the necessary power and fuel refills won’t take long, and there’s plenty to go around - pilots will have all the time they need to chat with others, discuss strategy with the other pilots and Command, or do whatever else they like.

They find…

The Power Armor Access Terminal

• For viewing suit stats, damage, installed modules/weapons/defenses, customizing the suit, and viewing the cameras of other active suits.

The Power Armor Bay

• For building and maintaining the suit.

The Power Armor All-In-One Lathe

• For printing the armor pieces, modules, weapons, and anything else you’d need P-WAULS related. This can be fed necessary materials.
  • An MT can hack this similarly to the ASRS terminal to allow access to disallowed, high-risk high-reward(?) PBG module and weapon designs.

The pilot will begin building the suit, needing help to make use of the power loader, and will require some construction and higher engineering skills.

• The pilots can of course build the suit themselves, but as you’ll understand in a moment the help of someone with Power Loader training or just an extra set of hands if not is very helpful.

And this is where it may get weird, and impossible.

• Printed from the lathe is the Body Rig.
• This Body Rig, armor overlay deal is like a controllable mob, a man-vehicle.
• You click-drag yourself into it to wear it, to “climb inside” of it. You are essentially a giant cortical borer in a semi-transparent wireframe man-vehicle.
• You then walk into while wearing it, or drag the Body Rig near to, the Power Armor Bay. You click-drag yourself wearing it, or the Body Rig itself, into the bay - to “buckle” it in, simple enough so far, right?
• Each armor piece, I IMAGINE, would then be added on similarly to a SURGICAL OPERATION.
  • The BAY is your required OPERATING TABLE.
  • Your surgical tools are a POWER LOADER CLAW, a CROWBAR, a WELDER, and in some cases a SCREWDRIVER and a WRENCH - with the wrench and crowbar being your alternative to the Power Loader’s claw, a slower one at that. The pilots are not trained to use Power Loaders, ironically enough.

I mean, you can amputate limbs, and fix up stumps with prosthetics, right? So…

The Body Rig is a mob, a vehicle, for your own player mob to sit in, with abilities that are added on an as per basis with the corresponding upgrades and parts - like Xenomorph strains or Specialist/Smartgunner gear, but instead you climb in to it.
You perform industrial grade “surgical operations” - mechanical operations - on the Body Rig, just like it’s shown on the health dummy/targeter:
You add individual BOOTS to the left and right foot, individual GREAVES to the left and right legs, a WAIST-PLATE to the groin, a CUIRASS to the chest, individual PAULDRONS to the left and right arm, individual GAUNTLETS to the left and right hand, a HELM to the head, and a VISOR to the eyes. Essentially full-body, systemic prosthetics on an unliving mob that never had them in the first place - or at least, only had invisible placeholders.

And no, it’s not like some CRYSIS thing where the raw Body Rig can be worn and just allow some PAO PFC+++ run around in superhero mode. It’s a nearly useless piece of eye candy without the full harness, that provides almost zero protection and slows you down immensely, that is also - one, really for visual reference so you know it’s even sitting there; and two, was an obsessive must I had to include in this idea.

I feel like it’s critically important to have it all work this way, or at least somehow maintain the smallest ILLUSION of this progression from Body Rig, steadily into a full suit of armor, and ending a winning game as a decked out, upgraded war machine. If it didn’t, then it just wouldn’t have the depth mechanically, roleplay-wise, or aesthetically - neither to the look nor the tone of the Colonial Marines, cassette-punk, military-industrial thing going on.

And, with this proposed method, you can still use an “inventory” to create hard limits for modules, forcing them to take up certain slots of the body, allowing you to view them or interact with them in some way - it allows specific pieces to be targeted for attacking or repairing, it allows modules to maybe somehow work like organs and be damaged/destroyed should the corresponding body part on the armor take too much damage, etc.

Its “head”, the helmet, holds a lot of important, expensive computational components - its “body”, the cuirass, with the same kind of internal-process-maintaining computers, and the placement of storage of all the fuel and battery power - these are both just as important to the suits “life” as it is to a living marines. If adding pieces of armor with corresponding increments of armor-value stats are to in this add limbs to a living body, then to damage it enough would then “kill” it, turn it off, disable it.

What happens if your rig is “killed” then? Like a Synth, there’d be some way to “revive” it, through mechanical means though. Likely just repairing broken parts, like fractures; though you may have to totally replace shattered or completely burnt out parts, like brute and maybe uniquely here burn (fire/acid) equivalents of having to get a prosthetic for an arm or leg. A broken module would be like adding a broken organ step to surgery - to use the living being metaphor and maybe literal code as a reference again - where you’d have to expend maybe a new power control module, computer module, or maybe both, to fix it. Maybe in worst case scenarios you just have to print a new one entirely, but wouldn’t know unless you hooked it into the terminal to see the exact damage, or cracked it open to eyeball it with varying descriptions of damage based on skill level while out in the field?

To get the “dead” rig going again, you’d finally use some boot sequence ability to “defibrillate” it while inside, and that could be any amount of time really, 20-30 seconds seems fair.

Directional Armor, Armor Values, and Total/Additive Health

This is obviously something I’m also not too sure about. The Crusher has directional armor, it loses the ability to directionally lock - can it then be done with a mob with actual limbs, health values, etc? Not too sure as a layman.

But the idea generally would be that, since each individual piece is added on or removed/ripped off, and since they’re essentially prosthetics with prosthetic “organs” as modules or total replacement “limbs” perhaps as modules - and those clearly have individual values on marines - then each could also have unique, individual health and armor. Then… some sort of coding magic applies damage reductions or increases based on the cardinal/orthogonal side the part was hit on? Or maybe the part has some kind of actual set of 4 states that proc based on direction? Again, I don’t know. I just know it exists in other ways already, and would hope it’s possible here.

If each individual LIMB or PIECE of the armor couldn’t have its own health with included armor values, then something akin to a total health/armor value with directionality, essentially a Xenomorph, could work too. JUST as long as adding the pieces individually in the visual sense could somehow still be done. But I’m pretty confident in what I have surmised about the engine as a whole that it is possible. What’s the difference, right? The arms and legs especially. I know the head = helmet, chest = cuirass, groin = waist-plate, eyes = visor thing could somehow be trickier but the legs, arms, feet and hands are literally just beefier prosthetics.

Can non-simple mobs and their limbs have inherent armor values? Could their organs? If yes, then we’re in the green.

If no, then maybe some half-way point? The limbs THEMSELVES don’t matter, but their addition or subtraction to the whole of the Body Rig additively raises its health and armor? Maybe an easier alternative?

AND THAT’S IT!

If you’ve actually read all of this creative venting, the almost insane ramblings they are, that I’ve aimed at CM, and are meeting me here at the bottom - thank you. I hope it’s been an enjoyable foray into several topics of thought beyond just the one immediately at hand. And I hope you enjoy the following, tighter, flashier presentation as well.

And so now at last, I present in concept for your consideration, ideas, and idle viewing pleasure:

[Spagetlord]

oh dam nice lore & details, makes me think of John Marine being Frank Horrigan’s Uscm equivalent with some clan drip mixed into it, shame about 70% of the operators haven run into the pred mafia though I’m designing a nonbit artwork of a commech for one of the staff and your auto-painter sprays make me jealous of how well the color schemes fit together on the armor, keep up the good work shoogie!

[JuliusAugustus]

I absolutely love the whole concept and idea, especially the black market-esque “illegal” modules like Warlord. Super-charging marines with buffs while debuffing xenos moderately, or give xenos stronger debuff but only moderate buffs to marines by fiddling with the modules, all while wielding a shotgun or a machinegun and looking like a total badass.
Besides clearly my favorite combination in this concept there’s everything anyone could realistically wish for, all kind of builds are possible. All this while having some strong debuffs and being especially vulnerable in marine routs, unless you are a coward who took the speed helmet module o’course.
Someone needs to code this, now! This also looks more like an actual guide to something that exists rather than an ideaguys post, lol. I hope this goes somewhere, instead of being shut down due to “too goofy\doesnt fit the universe”.

[Pablo_Excavator]

This sounds good, but the sprites for the power armour are questionable.

[ValiantEar]

I love it. I love it so much.

[gamekatuy]

I love this idea please make it to real game

[Flatulent]

@Shoogie_Binx

They’ll have help from some new friends. Another unhealthily long, in depth, complicated Ideaguys thread coming soon.

as with all xeno “buffs” watch this either not get merged or just straight up not finished while marines get a new toy to frag xenos with

[Cabal]

We can’t get slightly resprited combat loaders with M56D for one of it’s arms for years (lore friendly in the same game CM is supposedly most based on, which is AvP:Extintion) and anyone is naive enough to think we will ever get a fricking power armor?

[Willzadl]

xenos but for marines

[Ranger6012]

Sound dope but the sprite reminds me a lot of master chief

[Flatulent]

@Cabal

think we will ever get a fricking power armor

and we will but only if this is locked behind a whitelist

[kooarbiter]

who gave the power armor a dumpy???

also this isn’t tgmc my guy, go propose the power armor shit there

[Oh_God_Help_Me]

I don’t see why it would be. The only reason we have the current whitelisted roles is because they are all expected to be HRP at most times, so we need the WL to prove that players are ready for the high roleplay expectations. But a mech suit? No real expectation of high roleplay there, so a WL would be unnecessary. No different from the Vehicle Crewman, really.

[Willzadl]

exactly my thoughts, this matches TGMC far better

[birb]

Enjoyable read! I salute the effort put into this thread, as I know just how long it takes to write long forum posts too.

I do like the idea of the power armor’s balance implications. Stun resistance in general is very powerful, even without armor. But to have an armor suit where you just walk at xenos and it pushes a front (against stun-castes mainly), is very interesting, and a niche not filled by any weapon currently.

but heres the key - make it responsive to fight.

(heres a good vid on it https://youtu.be/MGpFEv1-mAo?si=nU3xbXqDQyDmNK1A )

An example would be like, it spurts out oil when damaged. Maybe the oil is heated, and burns people around it. Or that the oil stains the environment, and tools become less effective over time and have to be replaced.

Perhaps it needs refuelling every 5 minutes or so - portable fuel tanks would then be needed on the frontline.

Perhaps the suit gains fractures, just like marines do. And thus, it is enjoyable to fight and beat.

I think thats the core problem with current vehicles in CM - and it’d be ideal if focus was put on avoiding it when designing future vehicles.

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I think the idea does fit CM, but that sprites should probably look taller, like the size of a powerloader maybe. In CM, tanky things are big and bulky, so it’s reasonable to do this.

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As a mechanized suit of armor, it’d allow for easier group vs group fighting, as marines would have something to centralize around on a push, and xenos would have a difficult time disabling the suit (with stuns) and thus ensuring its destruction.

Dmg-reduction wise, it does not have to be insanely good at tanking dmg. At most, like 20% physical resistance is enough if it prevents stuns. Ideally, the suit would be used as a “core” of a marine push. Imo, should take at most like, 10 slashes (to kill) with a frac at 8 slashes. when attacking the suit. Thats slightly more then to kill a marine normally, at around 7 slashes (to kill) with a frac at 5 slashes on normal marines, usually.

The thing that kills marines most is stuns, so that is more then enough protection. The suit should not need to be dogpiled to be killed, just caught out of position, like every other marine. Skill expression comes in the form of utilizing its advantages (the biggest one being stun resistance) while avoiding its disadvantages (slow movement and responsiveness to attacks would be big here. It can’t chase to kill either, so that’s also big here).

Xeno abilities should be useable to fight it - as said earlier, responsiveness is important. It shouldn’t feel like a giant barricade, even if it effectively is. Although it does make sense, for stun abilities to do nothing to it.

I think DMG should not be too high either, unless it has to stay still for a bit to “deploy” heavy weaponry, like a m2c or m56d. DMG is incredibly effective as a form of defense and pressure even if it’s slightly more then a mk2, especially without stuns - so leaving that job up to teamwork will allow for more interconnection of marine assets.

At most, 1.3* the dmg of a mk2 i’d think (230 dps or so) accounting for the fact it cannot shoot an enemy 100% of the time once they close the distance or run away. At minimum, like the dmg of a smartgun. And if IFF is utilized to any degree, dmg should be lowered significantly.

It could have explosives too, such as HEDP with 5 second timer. This way it is able to somewhat control areas to protect itself, and opens up more skill expression.

---

This way it is a unique “specialist” with unique gameplay, but not an intentionally overpowered one. It’d have to work with marines to protect them, and marines would have to work with it to protect it.

It really does fit the idea of the colonial marines too. These suits are more portable, and thus easier to carry around on ships for marines to utilize. And easier to take into caves, spaceships, or other tighter structures then traditional mechanized armament.