GiovanniBlasini
01/12/18 10:15 PM
172.58.21.33
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By the early 32nd century, the CP-10 series Cyclops had been supplanted by newer BattleMechs both in terms of battlefield role as an assault BattleMech, and in its command role, including by newer Cyclops variants. While some Cyclops were upgraded to newer standards, the lower-intensity "brushfire" warfare of the Republic era resulted in some CP-10 series Cyclops repurposed to a less militant standard to support exploration, survey and colonization efforts.
During the height of the Star League era, it was not uncommon for BattleMEchs to be refit for these roles, and the refit of the Cyclops to the CP-10-CE "standard" followed these guidelines. The Hermes 360 engine, while valued for its ability to allow the 90-ton Cyclops to attain a high land speed for a 'Mech of its size of 64 kph, this came at the price of taking more than a third of the 'Mech's mass, and poorer parts availability than some more common engines. Taking a page from the CP-11-B, the CP-10-CE replaced the Hermes powerplant with the more common GM 270 fusion plant commonly available and used in BattleMechs like the Highlander and PHX-1 series Phoenix Hawk. With the reduction in powerplant and gyro size, this freed up 18 tons of mass for payload in the CP-10-CE. To offset this loss of speed, three jump jets were added to the CP-10-CE to assist it in crossing otherwise impassible terrain.
To support its new role, a collapsible command module similar to that of the CP-10-HQ was retained, mounted on the back of the BattleMech. Rather than using military-grade communications and sensor packages, this HQ module uses civilian-grade equipment, acting as a central communications and coordination hub for exploration and colonization efforts on exoplanets. Paired with this are an additional seven tons of communications gear, also civilian grade, mounted on the Cyclops itself, operated by a second crewmember seated in the supplemental command console added to the BattleMech's cockpit.
Also mounted on the CP-10-CE is a 10-ton standardized cargo module, mounted on the 'Mech's back, to provide additional supplies and equipment to teams operating with the BattleMech. A single torso-mounted lift hoist provides the Cyclops additional cargo-handling capabilities, and simplifies handling of both the cargo container and collapsible command module. A light bridge layer assists light vehicles with crossing otherwise impassible terrain.
This added utility for its new mission role came at a significant cost to combat capability, however. Of the original weaponry of the Cyclops, only the arm-mounted medium lasers are retained. Supplementing these are a small x-pulse laser and flamer, both useful for engaging large numbers of potentially hostile fauna. While less useful against megafauna, these do still have a deterrent value, as do the original medium lasers, and the CP-10-CE is still a 90-ton BattleMech, capable of engaging up to Megasaur-level xenofauna if necessary.
Due to its high degree of specialization, the CP-10-CE Cyclops is not a common refit of the venerable command BattleMech, and is most frequently found in groups working with Interstellar Expeditions or the handful of colonization and recolonization efforts found in the Periphery.
Code:
Cyclops CP-10-CE
IS experimental
90 tons
BV: 1,042
Cost: 9,036,210 C-bills
Movement: 3/5/3
Engine: 270
Heat Sinks: 10
Cockpit: Command Console
Gyro: Standard Gyro
Internal: 138
Armor: 160/279
Internal Armor
--------------------------------------
Head 3 9
Center Torso 29 30
Center Torso (rear) 11
Right Torso 19 20
Right Torso (rear) 8
Left Torso 19 20
Left Torso (rear) 8
Right Arm 15 10
Left Arm 15 10
Right Leg 19 17
Left Leg 19 17
Weapon Loc Heat
----------------------------------------
Medium Laser LA 3
Medium Laser RA 3
Small X-Pulse Laser RA 3
Flamer LA 3
Equipment Loc
----------------------------------
Standard None
Standard None
Collapsible Command Module LT
Cargo Container (10 tons) CT
Communications Equipment (7 ton) RT
Paramedic Equipment LL
Paramedic Equipment RL
Lift Hoist RT
Light Bridge Layer RT
Member of the Pundit Caste
"Which side are we on? We're on the side of the demons, Chief. We're evil men in the gardens of paradise, sent by the forces of death to spread devastation and destruction wherever we go. I'm surprised you didn't know that." -- Col. Saul Tigh, BSG2003
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ghostrider
01/13/18 02:55 AM
66.74.61.223
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I will assume it kept the hand acutators, as removing those would be wasteful for a construction assistant.
Curious about the jets. They are one in each leg and one in the ct? All in the torsos? Not that is really matters, but I do like to know where the crits go.
I do like the concept of it.
Been a while, so when you say light vehicles for the bridge, what tonnage is max for vehicles?
And is the paramedic equipment just miscellanious items, or like something a mash unit would have?
Probably getting picky with the questions. This might be usable in one of the scenarios one of the old game masters was thinking up. He wanted to do the find a planet and start colonizing it with some of the players. Set up a long campaign of building, defending, and punishing any that would attack. None of this aborting a guard duty mission because it meant losing mechs.
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GiovanniBlasini
01/13/18 03:22 PM
75.80.180.163
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Quote:
I will assume it kept the hand acutators, as removing those would be wasteful for a construction assistant.
Yep. Chassis and armor are unchanged from standard CP-10 series.
Quote:
Curious about the jets. They are one in each leg and one in the ct? All in the torsos? Not that is really matters, but I do like to know where the crits go.
One per leg, one CT. The torsos are completely crit packed, between the comm gear, the massive command module, the lift hoist and the bridge layer.
Unfortunately, MegaMekLab is terrible at showing critical locations, but it was all my work laptop happens to have on it. Mech Factory on my phone, sadly, doesn't have all the equipment I needed.
Quote:
I do like the concept of it.
Been a while, so when you say light vehicles for the bridge, what tonnage is max for vehicles?
From here:
http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Light_Bridgelayer
It's a one-hex bridge that supports 8 tons as a standard load or 16 tons max load.
Quote:
And is the paramedic equipment just miscellanious items, or like something a mash unit would have?
Ambulance-level stuff. MASH units have them too, but more for setting up triage before people go into their surgical units. My adding them was a nod to the Chaffee IndustrialMech from the revised Tech Readout Vehicle Annex.
Quote:
Probably getting picky with the questions. This might be usable in one of the scenarios one of the old game masters was thinking up. He wanted to do the find a planet and start colonizing it with some of the players. Set up a long campaign of building, defending, and punishing any that would attack. None of this aborting a guard duty mission because it meant losing mechs.
Happy to help.  Nice thing is it can be made pretty era independent by swapping the small x-pulse for another flamer or medium laser.
Member of the Pundit Caste
"Which side are we on? We're on the side of the demons, Chief. We're evil men in the gardens of paradise, sent by the forces of death to spread devastation and destruction wherever we go. I'm surprised you didn't know that." -- Col. Saul Tigh, BSG2003
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Cray
01/14/18 02:35 PM
50.88.162.46
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Interesting. I like it. It's something for the rest of the BattleTech universe besides the seconds of combat on a mapboard.
Mike Miller, Materials Engineer
Disclaimer: Anything stated in this post is unofficial and non-canon unless directly quoted from a published book. Random internet musings of a BattleTech writer are not canon.
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ghostrider
01/15/18 10:24 PM
66.74.61.223
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Hate to say it, but a discussion about the mech came up with a possible problem with the cargo container unit. The critical spaces it uses is the key.
In the wiki, is states mechs use one crit per ton of cargo space.
As the unit sounds more like a back pack or something similar to a cargo net set up, is there some where that would avoid the argument with this issue?
If this is purely externally mounted, then you may have 10 tons to play with.
This came up as someone suggested a ton of ammo uses one space per ton, though this would allow 10 tons without using 10 crits.
And yes, we do realize it is not usable, as no ammo feeds. But the one person who wants to distort everything they can, has suggest that even using one crit and ton to make an ammo feed for the rest of the nine tons of ammo needs to be shut down.
To let you know why, he wants to use multiple set ups like this to carry around usable ammo.
Though this could also make the mech an ammo hauler. Good for convoys, that it could help guard as well. More thoughts to go over.
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GiovanniBlasini
01/22/18 12:20 AM
75.80.180.163
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Quote:
Hate to say it, but a discussion about the mech came up with a possible problem with the cargo container unit. The critical spaces it uses is the key.
In the wiki, is states mechs use one crit per ton of cargo space.
Yup.
Quote:
As the unit sounds more like a back pack or something similar to a cargo net set up, is there some where that would avoid the argument with this issue?
If this is purely externally mounted, then you may have 10 tons to play with.
It's basically a shipping container that can hold 10 tons, so, yep.
Quote:
This came up as someone suggested a ton of ammo uses one space per ton, though this would allow 10 tons without using 10 crits.
You could carry 10 tons of ammo in a cargo container. You couldn't use any of it, since it's in a storage container rather than an ammo bin, and I imagine having 10 tons of ammunition go off when a single critical gets critted would kind of suck.
Quote:
And yes, we do realize it is not usable, as no ammo feeds. But the one person who wants to distort everything they can, has suggest that even using one crit and ton to make an ammo feed for the rest of the nine tons of ammo needs to be shut down.
It's an external box full of cargo. If he continues to argue the point, I'd tell him he has to roll for a critical hit against the ammo in the cargo container every time his torso gets hit. I haven't dug far into it, but it wouldn't surprise me if it's basically treated as external cargo for damage, anyway.
Quote:
To let you know why, he wants to use multiple set ups like this to carry around usable ammo.
Then tell him, "No," since it's clearly against the construction rules.
Member of the Pundit Caste
"Which side are we on? We're on the side of the demons, Chief. We're evil men in the gardens of paradise, sent by the forces of death to spread devastation and destruction wherever we go. I'm surprised you didn't know that." -- Col. Saul Tigh, BSG2003
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AmaroqStarwind
04/07/18 01:17 PM
99.203.27.127
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Munchkins, man... They ruin everything.
- - - - -
Because this is an exploration mech, why not give it some design quirks that suit its role?
+ Improved Life Support
+ Improved Communications
+ Improved Sensors
+ Rugged (2 Iterations)
+ Easy to Pilot
+ Easy to Maintain
+ Stable
+ Searchlight
+ Accurate Weapon: Small X-Pulse Laser
+ Hyper-extending Actuators
+ Extended Torso Twist
– Poor Targeting (All Ranges)
– Poor Performance: Needs to walk for a full turn before it can run.
– Weak Head Armor
– Difficult Ejection
– Cramped Cockpit
– Exposed Actuators
– Inaccurate Weapon x3: Medium Lasers, Flamer
– Poor Cooling Jacket x2: Small X-Pulse Laser, Flamer, each producing 1 more heat point than normal.
I would also probably give it Commercial Armor, since that would make sense for a non-combat unit (much cheaper, 50% higher PPT, but completely useless against anti-mech weapons as it only has a BAR of 5)... But it is explicitly not available for BattleMechs.
Primitive Armor (aka Industrial Armor) would probably make more sense, since despite having a lower protection per ton, it is still far cheaper than military-grade armor, can still be put on BattleMechs (if you're using Mixed Tech), and can even be easily fabricated by repair stations.
I would also probably give it a Composite Internal Structure to save weight (since combat isn't really an issue and the reduced durability isn't a problem), but that would potentially be an expensive modification to make for what is supposed to merely be a retrofit.
Using a Vehicular Flamer is another change I would suggest making, as it can be used for more applications than merely setting things on fire (such as spraying water, acid, coolant, flame-retardant foam, etc). However, this isn't necessary since you already have a Fusion Engine, and you would need an Ammo Bay for it anyway.
Medium Chemical Lasers are another way one could reduce costs in the short term, but they also require ammunition, and the Cyclops already has Medium Lasers installed.
Discord: Amaroq the Kitsune#1092
Telegram: @Lycanphoenix
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