[gurps] [Vehicle] TL8 "Proxy-soldier"

[DataPacRat]

On 13/09/2007, Pauli Hakala <Pauli.Hakala at mail.suomi.net> wrote:
> DataPacRat wrote:

> > Any comments, criticism, suggestions, questions, flamage?
>
> Ok, I'll bite.

Thankee. :)


> > small robot brain (complexity 2, +0 DX; hardened).
>
> How about a +1 to +3 DX reflex booster for the computer - This
> would give the robot better physical skills when not
> controlled by a human. Battlefield conditions do not always allow
> for high-bandwidth communications.

Hm... I agree in that I see the robot brain mainly as a fallback
failsafe for when communications become degraded, to keep the robot
moving at least roughly in the general manner that the
remote-controller has been moving it in rather than freezing up or
stuttering. I'm not sure if adding to the DX would be that useful.

Let's see... at present, we have.
Robot Attributes: ST 171, DX 9, IQ 5, HT 10, / 17.

We can up the DX to 10, 11, or 12 for an extra $2500, $5k, or $10k...
I think I'll peg a baseline Proxy at DX 10, so that it's at least as
good as the "average" human.


> Also a good idea might be to give the computer the 'Neural Net'
> option, so that it can learn from it's human operator, meaning
> that not only does the operator gain combat experience, but the
> robot also.. This might even result in a small 'teamplay' bonus
> for operator/robot pair with lots of field experience together
> as a team..

An interesting idea, I think I'll save it for the Mark 2. :)

Hm... that's odd; I think I've found a bug in GVB. I have myself my
robot brain, +1 DX, hardened, costing $7500. I toggle on the neural
net option, the cost listed for the brain goes up to $15k, good... but
when I look at the vehicle's total cost, that hasn't gone up at all.
Oh, wait, I see - I've put all the subassemblies as being under the
root item in the tree, as opposed to being under the Body. Fixing that
has affected some stats calculations - the listed price is now $185k.


> > Right Arm: arm motor (ST:50); long talon
> > (retractable).  Left Arm: arm motor (ST:50); long talon (retractable).

> > Design Notes:
> > TL8 robotic medium frame expensive materials (Using greater of volume
> > or surface area) [Vehicle].
>
> Frame seems to be too light for the arm motors, and for the robots
> weight as well.. Safe Arm ST is equal to Arm HP x4, according to
> GURPS Mecha at least. ST 50 arms should therefore have 13 hitpoints,
> which would require heavy or x-heavy frame.

Now there's a rule I'd completely forgotten about. Thanks for the reminder.

Hm, would I rather knock the Arm ST down to a safe 24, and save about
$20k, or leave the Arm ST high enough to be used unsafely? Decisions,
decisions. :)


> > TL8 DR 10 advanced laminate [Vehicle].
>
> Given that the vehicle has the electrified surface option, I'd
> recommend giving it a sandwiched armor construction also including
> a layer of non-rigid armor material (insulates well from electricity).

Given G:Vehicles' level of detail, I simply assumed that the price and
weight for an electrified surface included whatever was necessary to
take care of such insulation. 'Laminate' armor is, after all already
made up of a number of layers.

> Besides, non-rigid armor is lighter per point of DR than laminate..
> If you replaced 5 points of laminate with nonrigid, you'd get a total
> DR of 18. Add some bodyarmor over that, and you would have got
> a quite tough teletrooper..

Or, if I gave a laminate DR of 18, that's just another $4k and 30ish
pounds, and has all the benefits of laminate over nonrigid. And it can
still wear bodyarmor. :)

I just picked a DR of 10 because it was better than 5, really.


> > Price: $88,868

> Also, the design seems to lack Surface Sensors (sense of touch),
> which can be found in GURPS Robots. Tactile feedback can be quite
> important in many situations.

The first time I left out Surface Sensors was because GVB didn't
include them. The second time I left them out was because when I
priced them manually, they added $30k to a $90k design, which seemed a
bit expensive for the benefit offered.


> From GURPS Robots; Mannequin Biomorphics or Sculpted option
> should also be considered, if these robots are to use human armor/clothing.

I'm not sure that follows; for an example from another setting, I
don't think skinless Terminators are Sculpted, but they can still wear
vests or pants.


> > P&P: 381,818-kWs advanced battery, 8,727-kWs advanced battery [Head],
> > 2.5-kW legged drivetrain (no access space) [2xLegs].

> > Lwt.: 750 lbs.

> > Operating Duration:  1 D 8 H 5 S.

> > Volume: 0.2 cf [Right Arm], 0.2 cf [Left Arm], 2.5 cf [Body], 0.4 cf
> > [Head], 1.5 cf [2xLegs].

> If you'd like to reduce the designs high density caused by the
> advanced batteries, you might want to consider using
> a quiet but effective TL8 Hydrocarbon Fuel Cell (with
> Ethanol/Methanol fuel) as a main power source, with smaller
> battery for backup power. (Hydrocarbon fuels have a higher
> inherent energy density than TL8 batteries.) Self-regenerating
> cryogenic hydrogen fuel cells might not be practical at this
> small size, but the same problems would not concern hydrocarbs,
> which can be easily stored at room temperatures..

I looked into that, but to make the Proxy light enough to float with
its (revised) volume, I'd need to get it down to 418 lbs. In addition,
as best as I can tell, with any of the engines I can find in GVB, the
batteries provide a greater operating endurance for the weight than
any of the fuels, so it would make more sense simply to use a smaller
battery.


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.