I believe it was said that they were sufficiently unpopular when they were bad Mobile Brigada who could dodge well.
Meant B5 MultiHMG. Need to stop posting when I've been awake for 24+ hours straight... That was talking about FA2.
But... It's still not B2, I think. Don't mind me, I'm just being an asshole. Don't forget to get some rest though :)
From what i understood, the topic was that FA1 would allow B2 exp shot in active turn (and exp is antimaterial), which would turn the TAG into a powerful weapon in scenarios with destroyable equipment. FA2 does not give B2 in reactive, but it gives -3 to the F2F when shooting in ARO.
I really like this assessment. I agree with most of it. On the other hand, I would like to see the MBTs changed around if only to make the models more common, as more often than not I see people compain about those bare bones TAGs in specific. Here's what I think would be cool: Raicho: Either give it Dual Autocannons OR Berzerk with a DA or EXP CCW. Both options would change the TAG considerably, but would also make it a huge threat for other high end models while probably not changing its cost so much that we don't want to use the overly expensive bot in the game. Maghariba: don't change it. If you change everyone else, the mags gets to be the simple, effective and cheap one. I think it works well because it's already the most different one in terms of how it looks. Perhaps give it a missile launcher instead of a flamer so that tail gun looks more appropriate. Guija: I would say lower the SWC cost of the lieutenant option and/or give it a command skill. Make it a 'mobile command TAG' or something like that. I think the concept is really cool, and giving it something like Advanced Command or (maybe) Inspiring presence would make it really badass and unique. Lizard: Either give it superjump or climbing plus. I like the idea of bakunin units being the 'freaky' ones, so a highly mobile TAG would be pretty cool on its own, and it's something that I think would just open up some new ways to use the huge robot. Besides, it feets with the name too. these are suggestions I really doubt CB would ever take, but it's one of the only ways I see TAGs being changed reasonably. I don't want full auto on a tag, mostly because I feel it would make it a white elephant.
Yes, the canisters are chaff launchers etc. The Heavy Flamethrower/Heavy Pistols are represented on the forearms.
The idea that viral weapons are as fast-acting as shown is pretty laughable, though. And the idea that they would have any effect on a mechanical unit leaves me scratching my head.
Actually, I'm kinda hoping for the YJ Blue Wolf TAG to have either Superjump or Climbing Plus and Holo2. But be a S6 manned TAG with Spitfire and Feuerbach, relatively heavily optimized as a TAG Destroyer to go murder Jotums. The Raicho has a chunk of fluff where half the thing's weight is ammo, and are notorious for their pilots randomly spraying fire everywhere. (I think that's half the reason for the name Raicho name, since Rai means lightning in Japanese) Did you read the article on Bloomberg (commented on Derek Lowe's Pipeline blog) about the global supply of Botox? How a quantity of botulinum toxin the size of a baby aspirin provides the entire annual supply of the stuff for the entire planet? And how it would kill most of London or NYC virtually instantly if it was aerosolized over the city? There are some unholy biotoxins out there. Botox is actually 5 orders of magnitude more lethal per kg than freaking Sarin nerve gas! (Botox will kill 50% of all humans exposed to 10nanograms/kg of body mass by inhalation, 2 nanograms/kg if injected. Nanograms. Billionths of a gram! My fat ass would be dead from 1 microgram, 1/1000 milligram, of botox that I inhaled!) As far as "viral" ammo goes, I suspect that it has some nanotech components to it to cause the damage to things with Structure Points.
I mean, if you say it's just straight up poison it's one thing, but it's described as being "viral." That's just pretending it's something it's not. I imagine even the CA would be sweating if the humans decided to start tossing HF bombs everywhere.
I highly doubt it'll get ODD unless it's Made in Japan. Somehow I don't think Super-Jump is part of Yu Jing shortlist, either, but it would set it apart from Su-Jian properly in vanilla - which is something a potential Blue Wolf would have to consider (so no Spitfire and probably no flamethrower). Feuerbach is a German (PanO) so if CB are sticklers for fluff that's also a no-go. Infiltration or Mech Dep would be... horrifyingly sweet. Regardless of which, hoping for a proper ambushy feeling. Viral doesn't necessarily mean quasi-biological parasites that reproduce by highjacking living cells - it could also describe the more info-tech spread of malicious code or in this case more likely describe the specific propagating properties of nano-tech or biotech weaponry. In short: nanites. It makes the TAG breathe through its skin (and TAGs should really not breathe so that's bad)
But is even planned to make a 3rd tag for Yu Jing? I think more viable some little buff on guijia ( via cost or making leutinent option more funny).
No, the Blue Wolf is wishlisting, there's been CB hints that Blue Wolf squadron are Guijia. I do think/guess the Guijia LT option will be SWC 2 in IA, though. Having the Guijia LT be Inspiring Leadership would cause a very, very, big upset in Vanilla meta. I said it, but it's about as likely as Bolts getting Smoke Light Grenade Launchers at 0 SWC cost.