[gurps] [Vehicle] Tachikoma, rough draft
Clinton N. Fell
FELL_CLINTON_N at cat.com
Wed Aug 22 09:23:02 CDT 2007
Hey.
This looks like a pretty good write up of the Tachikomas. However I would
be *very* tempted to call them TL9 rather than TL8. They are
exceptionally advanced technology for a near future setting - possibly
advanced enough to call the beginnings of the next TL. This may improve
your endurance with higher TL batteries. Other things I see include the
chameleon ability. In the series these would sneak along side their
"human" counterparts down crowded streets without alerting anyone of there
presence. -5 to spot simply doesn't seem like enough to model this. And
I have a feeling that 20DR is simply too low. A TL8 assault rifle
intended to gun down cybernetic soldiers is going to do at least 9d damage
- averaging 31 points of damage. That would typically leave at least 11
points of blowthrough against the types of weapons it is most likely to
encounter. I would up the armor to 35pt +/- 5 or so. I'm betting going
to TL9 would help out on all these nitpicks.
Clint
DataPacRat <datapacrat at gmail.com>
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08/22/2007 01:03 AM
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[gurps] [Vehicle] Tachikoma, rough draft
Caterpillar: Confidential Green Retain Until: 09/21/2007 Retention
Category: G90 - General Matters/Administration
In a PBeM I play, I've managed to have a Tachikoma (
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tachikoma ) introduced as a player-run
NPC... and started wondering how much such a thing would weigh, how
far it could jump, and so on. As it just so happens that I happen to
have a building system designed to come up with such details, I tried
building one in GVB.
I'm sure there are a number of tweaks and refinements that would make
for a better version, so I'm posting my first draft here, and
requesting comments and criticism.
Notes: One ability of theirs that isn't included in GVB, but is in
GURPS:Robots, is the 'sticky feet' that can adhere to any given
surface. The odd number of kJ in the batteries is to give a round
number for weight; and given the operating endurance, I'm still
debating whether to throw in superscience power cells. Armor DR is
still wide open. GVB lacked a cable jack, so I used a 'misc equipment'
add-on to fudge one in.
-----8<-----
TL8 Tachikoma
Crew: 1 total. 1 crew station covering vehicle maneuvering system, 2
communicators, 2 navigation aids, targeting system, countermeasure.
Subassemblies: Vehicle +2, Thorax +2, Abdomen [Thorax] +1, Left Arm
[Thorax] -2, Right Arm [Thorax] -1, Central Arm-Mount [Thorax] -1,
4xLegs +0, Wheels [4xLegs] -1.
P&P: two 181,818-kJ advanced batteries [Thorax], 5-kW legged
drivetrain (no access space) [4xLegs], 10-kW blueprinted wheeled
drivetrain (+10% blueprinting, all wheel drive; no access space)
[4xLegs].
Fuel:
Occ: cramped crew station (crashweb, g-seat) [Abdomen], 0.25 man-day
limited life support system [Abdomen] Cargo:
Armor F RL B T U
Thorax 4/20 4/20 4/20 4/20 4/20
Abdomen 4/20 4/20 4/20 4/20 4/20
Left Arm 4/20 4/20 4/20 4/20 4/20
Right Arm 4/20 4/20 4/20 4/20 4/20
Central Arm-Mount 4/20 4/20 4/20 4/20 4/20
Legs 4/20 4/20 4/20 4/20 4/20
Wheels 4/20 4/20 4/20 4/20 4/20
Weaponry Malf Type Damage SS Acc 1/2D yds Max yds RoF TL
claw - Imp. 3d 0 0 0 0 - 8
12.7mm API ammo - Cr 13d(2) - 14 1,100 5,100 - 8
7.62mm API ammo - Cr 7d(2) - 13 780 4,100 - 8
7.62mm machinegun Crit. Cr. 7d 17 13 780 4,100 20 8
12.7mm heavy machine gun Crit. Cr. 13d 20 14 1,100 5,100 10 8
Equipment
All: basic chameleon (-3 spotting modifier); modest emission cloaking
(-2 spotting modifier); modest stealth (-2 spotting modifier); modest
sound baffling (-2 hearing modifier); sealed; 147 sf electrified
surface. Thorax: emergency lights/sirens; high security burglar alarm
(Skill-20); gyrobalance; two medium range radio communicators
(100-mile range; scrambler); auditory sensor (acute hearing +5,
parabolic hearing +5, infrasonic, ultrasonic); olfactory sensor (acute
smell +5, discriminatory smell, discriminatory taste); four visual
sensors (ind. focusable, night vision, 360-degree vision); inertial
compass; military GPS; radar/laser detector; standard robot brain
(complexity 4, +3 DX; compact, genius, very high capacity, neural
net); 1-cf anti-blast magazine; 500 rounds 12.7mm API ammo; 500 rounds
7.62mm API ammo; two winches (ST:60). Abdomen: spall liner; HUDWAC
(pupil scanner, near miss indicator); computer terminal. Left Arm:
arm motor (ST:30, extendable, rocket arm); sharp claw (retractable);
misc equipment-cable jack. Right Arm: arm motor (ST:30, extendable,
rocket arm); sharp claw (retractable); 7.62mm machinegun (concealed).
Central Arm-Mount: 12.7mm heavy machine gun.
Statistics
Size: [LxWxH] 4'x4'x5' Payload: 383 lbs. Lwt.:
3,400 lbs.
Volume: 82.2 cf Maint.: 9.76 hours (9.83 mh/day) Price:
$4,195,320
HT: 12 HP: 356 [Thorax], 292 [Abdomen], 56 [Left Arm], 80 [Right
Arm],
92 [Central Arm-Mount], 120 each [4xLegs], 24 each [4xWheels].
Robot Attributes: ST 264, DX 13, IQ 8, HT 12, / 356.
Legged Ground Performance: Speed Factor 13, Top Speed 20 mph, gAccel 7
mph/s, gDecel 20 mph/s, gMR 1.5, gSR 4, Ground Pressure 531 lbs./sf,
Off Road Speed 20 mph.
Wheeled Ground Performance: Speed Factor 18, Top Speed 90 mph, gAccel
4 mph/s, gDecel 15 mph/s, gMR 0.5, gSR 4, Ground Pressure 2,124
lbs./sf, Off Road Speed 30 mph.
Design Notes:
TL8 robotic extra heavy frame advanced materials (Using greater of
volume or surface area) [Vehicle].
TL8 DR 20 advanced composite [Vehicle].
Operating Duration: 2 H 10 M 34 S.
Payload Cost: $540
Vehicle Features: computerized controls, no streamlining.
Legs: improved suspension.
Wheels: quantity 4, retract into body, all wheel drive, improved
suspension, improved brakes, all wheel steering, smart, puncture
resistant.
Abdomen: total compartmentalization.
Volume: 31.3 cf [Thorax], 23.3 cf [Abdomen], 0.68 cf [Left Arm], 1.16
cf [Right Arm], 1.46 cf [Central Arm-Mount], 6.09 cf [4xLegs], 1.56 cf
[Wheels].
Area: 59.6 sf [Thorax], 48.9 sf [Abdomen], 4.64 sf [Left Arm], 6.62 sf
[Right Arm], 7.72 sf [Central Arm-Mount], 20 sf [4xLegs], 8.08 sf
[Wheels].
Empty Space: 21.3 cf [Thorax], 2.13 cf [4xLegs].
Robot Attributes: DX +3, neural net;
Legged Ground Performance:;
Wheeled Ground Performance:;
>From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tachikoma:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/2e/Tatikoma_B2.jpg
A spider-type multi-leg combat walker/roller tankette, equipped with
artificial intelligence.
Tachikoma are as large as an average sedan, are painted blue and have
four "eyes" fitted on the surface of their bodies. Three are on the
"head" and one is beneath the abdomen. Each eye has three pinholes,
possibly for triangulation. Tachikoma are controlled by individual
AIs, are capable of speech and generally exhibit a childish, curious,
joyful and active personality, although they are consummate
professionals in the field. They normally operate as independent units
and receive orders from human agents, but they can also be directly
piloted from a cockpit in their abdomen.
Tachikoma have four legs and two arms. They can move by walking, or
they can drive at high speed by using the wheeled footpads on each of
their four legs. They are apparently street legal (presuming no legal
exemption for Section 9). Each wheel appears to be angled and
omnidirectional, allowing the Tachikomas to move in any direction with
their holonomic drive system. Other abilities of the Tachikoma include
jumping great distances, sticking to vertical or inverted surfaces,
engaging an thermoptic camouflage mechanism, and grappling/rappelling
using their adhesive string launchers. Tachikoma maintain control of
their legs while using wheels to drive down a road, and shift their
weight around turns. They can also roll briefly on to two legs while
driving to avoid an obstacle or pass through a narrow space. To make
balance easier, they can move their heavy abdomens with a ball joint.
Their movements when walking and jumping were modelled on a jumping
spider. Almost all of the Tachikomas' physical abilities are showcased
in Episode II of Stand Alone Complex: Proof of Recklessness;
Testation.
Standard Tachikoma equipment includes a 7.62x51mm light machine gun
mounted in the right arm, a secondary weapon hardpoint in the "snout"
(usually a 50mm grenade launcher, capable of launching both explosive
and gas grenades, but which can be replaced by a six-barrelled
12.7x99mm Gatling gun), a universal cybernetic connector on an
extensible, prehensile cable in the left arm, and a built-in
thermoptic camouflage system.
----->8-----
Thank you for your time,
--
DataPacRat VA3BOS
"You shall not accept any information, unless you verify it for
yourself. I have given you the hearing, the eyesight, and the brain,
and you are responsible for using them." -- Qur'an 17:36, Khalifa
translation.
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