In the present day, global superpowers with (probably) early quantum computing and the ability to break any encryption are routinely pwned by third-world hackers using shelf hardware and crappy botnets to steal secrets, sabotage elections, win propaganda fights, and set the stage for massive infrastructure attacks whenever we start actually chucking missiles at each other. It’s not about having the tech edge or even the production/materiel advantage, it’s how it is employed. Agreed with you though about YJ’s HI advantage probably being in production and distribution scale, as well as a few cutting edge designs/troop doctrines that integrate their tight command structure well.
Only Aleph has really gotten their mitts on voodoo tech to the point of reverse-engineering it so far, haven’t they? Haven’t seen mention of Pan O using it yet, outside the new Dire Foes mission (where Konstantinos and Agatha are fighting over sepsitor tech data that Robin Hook has gotten hold of). 6th Sense and Total Reaction don’t seem very troll-like to me, but having them on an HI would be really interesting. Seems like an O-12 thing as well maybe though?
Is supposedly the tags but for some reason that doesn't translate down to HI? Now that the guija super jumps with a chasis heavier than the seraphim and melees better i think its just the servos but I really don't understand as its all so inconsistent. Theres a couple HI with dodge +3 that are smaller than the boyg. The kriza has +1 burst for ages. The gamma is 6-2 as a S5 HI. I just don't think it come across as to what they think the tech actually is thats supposed to be showcased.
The Boyg is explicitly making use of voodoo tech to interface with the cube allowing for fast as thought reaction. Or at least thats whats advertised on the tin. It also is supposed to utilize some Yu Jing HI hardware to enable the movement.
It was a rhetorical question, but if what you say applies to Infinity then there isn't a single most technologically advanced faction and all of them, with the exception of Ariadna, are more or less evenly matched because they regularly steal tech form each other. If this is the case, why keep saying that Pano is the most technologically advanced faction if it won't translate directly to the game? It's as equally misleading as it is saying that Pano is the best shooting faction in the game. Maybe the only statement that we can say for sure about Pano is that they're the wealthiest faction in the game (DISCLAIMER: being the wealthiest faction is only a detail in the fluff that has no impact on gameplay). To be honest I'm getting a bit tired of buts (with one T). Pano is the best shooting faction in the game but... Pano is the most technologically advanced faction in the game but... Maybe I need to start painting my HB minis and start playing with them until CB figures out what the hell Pano actually is.
Yes, it's also telling that they purposefully gimp PanO's electronic warfare when that's a hallmark of technologically advanced militaries IRL. PanO is just meant to be stupid so that Nomads can style on them, apparently.
Could say the same for any good hacking faction. Don't make this just about Nomads. CA are just as bad or worse.
If we're arguing about the Boyg Soldiers, IMO a big part of their problem is that their weapon options are... not ideal, IMO. If they had an HMG (regular or AP, if we need to stick to some asinine fluff restriction of being worse than YJ HI and the TacAware embargo isn't enough for that), or a spitfire, or (viral, because war crimes are like pringles) Red Fury, or a Marksman Rifle (+1 B), then it would be Burst 5 on it's own or Burst 6 in a link. As it stands, the fact that the best Burst value it can get is a base of 3 means that it doesn't really have any gunfighting mods; +1 B on a Mk12 puts it back at par with any idiot holding a Spitfire or HMG. The missile launcher suffers from being a missile launcher, and thus inherently niche. I don't think it's explicitly VoodooTech, but it is implied by the location where it was developed.
Yep, low burst natural weapon with a bonus burst is not a winning combo. You are correct. I checked a quick article and it's speculated to incorporate voodoo tech, not explicit.
Boyg Soldiers? Well let's look at their fluff. Spoiler: Boyg FLuff There is no better feeling than the one that overwhelms you when everything fits together, when suddenly everything makes sense and you feel that you have accomplished your purpose; a moment of clarity in which you realize that all the months of hard work and dedication have been worthwhile. For Boyg Soldiers, that moment comes when their nervous system finally synchronizes with the receptors in their armor, and their reflexes and their ability to execute ballistic movements are enhanced to levels well above the human standard. That's the precise moment when they actually become real Boy Soldiers, and they're able to move in their colossal armor with the sinuosity and reptilian speed that give them their name. Although according to many people, what really connects them with this creature of Scandinavian folklore is their monstrous quality, because none of them could be considered a normal human. After the NeoColonial Wars, the PanOceanian Military Complex High Command commissioned the Military Development Office (MDO) to launch a program to upgrade their servo-powered armor in an attempt to undermine Yujingyu industry's primacy in this field. However the MDO encountered numerous obstacles that they tried to overcome through reverse engineering. Nonetheless, due to the secret nature of the StateArmy's developments, the MDO engineers had a whole series of knowledge gaps that prevented them from making progress. For this reason, after an unofficial request to the Hexahedron, an Indigo named Quinn exfiltrated Dr. Xiang Hua, a Yujingyu scientist who was an expert in the field. The doctor was taken to Ulves|or Station, a high-tech research center in a secret location in Svalarheima where, among other subjects, VoodooTech was studied. However, despite the significant PanOceanian breakthroughs in haptic technology, their engineers were unable to replicate the finesse of Yujingyu systems, so they began to think outside the box. Instead of building a network of body sensors in the inner layer of the armor, they opted to tap into their candidates' Cubes, connecting them to the haptic system of the armored suit, thus improving response times. There has been significant improvement in their ability to evade imminent threats (Dodge? Worse than a bog standard Magister who doesn't need Vodoo Tech for that, no Sixth Sense to compete with anything properly linkable either), as well as in the control and correction of automatic fire (Without MODs or FT bonuses and hamstrung to suboptimal primary weapons.... in PanO of all things). To this end, candidates in excellent physical condition are sought and submitted to a classified Cube-modification program- which is probably also illegal with regard to international regulations on scientific research so no studies have been made public on the existence or non-existence of potential long-term side effects. There is some speculation about the marginal use of VoodooTech (If not fluff rumor, which part of the Boyg yells Vodoo Tech? Where's that exotic Equipment, Skill or Statline?), an unsubstantiated claim, since PanOceania favors secrecy and would rather consolidate its leading position in cutting-edge technologies (Where's that cutting-edge technology represented in the Boyg?). However, PanOceanian engineers failed to reduce the overall size of the armor, as they were unable to replicate the compact Yujingyu systems, mainly due to the recoil compensators and the imminent-danger warning systems (Of all places where we only see regular HMGs or Spitfires, the Boyg was the one that couldn't get one?), as well as the environmental-adaptation module. The Boyg armor is a colossus that, despite its size, seems to defy nature with the speed of its reflexes (complete with 4-4 to really sell the speedy feeling), as unnatural as the modified troopers wearing it, who are always resolute, disciplined, and dangerous. But on a planet riddled with dangerous creatures and deadly enemies, which is worse: those monsters or the monster that frightens the other monsters? Because that's exactly what Boyg Soldiers are.[1] I've never seen as many failures to make a troop distinct as Infinity manages to do in PanO. With ample opportunity to do literally anything about it. Not to forget the stuff that's just featureless grey gruel in a world of colour and manages to get a pass by simply lacking anything other than the barebone statline and compete with a lack of alternatives. The amount of excuses made for this is astonishing. Ever since the start of N3, with one step ahead and two steps back, while the game as a whole progresses in a steady pace or has been in a good place since the beginning. PanO is not entirely alone in this, YJ and O-12 suffer a similar lack of support. Stuff like the basically abandoned Tohaa have always been in a better position and got a significant amount of attention going into N4. At the same time there's still nothing the Black Friar MSR is useful for, same as when it was introduced half a decade ago.
Would you think that if making the Boyg have Sixth Sense it would fit the 'evade enemy threats' and the 'imminent-danger warning systems' part of the fluff enough better? And finally, to round it up it all of his fluff package that is absolutely centered around his extremely uncannely speed of reflexes, having Dodge (-3) like Pandora has?. This way you would make the Boyg unique without stepping out of the original intention: A dodgy HI. A S5 HI that dodges always on 16 thanks to his bonuses and sixth sense while at the same time impossing a -3 (-6 if in cover) to the opponent when the odds of shooting back are not in the favour of the Boyg.
This is mostly about the "fluff" argument being a strawman, because the Boyg fails a quick fact check on all points.
I think the whole idea of it being dodgy HI is a bit flawed, but if they're going to go down that route, they need to really push it. The compromises built into it are just bleh.
The Boyg is a mistake. But I like him and try to use him. Last time in a haris, were he is at least scary for the opponent. Pan O is capable to put high tech in S2: Aquila, Swiss and do not realy need clumpsy S5. The KotHS has a holoprojetor (that fits in a S2) and huge AP HMG (from the look a TAG weapon) so, it need to be big, because it has high ARM (which Nomads managed to put in S2) and a big gun - okay. The Boyg has also a big gun, but its not looked like a TAG weapon so his ML needs at least Dam +1. That would make him a bit more scary. His dodge is good, but if he has Dodge +3/-3 it would be at least a hint of the voodoo tech, together with 6th sense it could make up a package, but I think than it would be too expensive. So the Boyg would stay a mistery.
I come from Starmada and we had for long time a trooper who looked Rad as hell but nobody used: The Bronze. The solution from CB was to give him one more point of CC (from 19 to 20) to better fit his lore of being a Peacemaker Corps ready to take care of Riots with his Para CC Weapon -6 (coupled with Martial arts), a 2 point discount in all the models, making his innate link a haris instead of a duo, adding a new trooper who could link with him (sekudroid) who was extremely cheap, and finally giving him an HMG when the best thing he had before was a +1DMG Red Fury. All these changes made the Bronze suddenly spike in popularity, specially the HMG addition. I am now kitbashing one of my spare Bronzes into an HMG wielding one in fact. So what about the Boyg? He doesn't need a link adjustment, as he is already in a quite flexible Haris. His points are kind of right, although of course a discount would be always welcomed. His lore is about improved ballistic movements, uncanny speed and unnatural reflexes for the such a bulky armor and enhanced reactions and inminent warning systems. That's why I suggest the addition of sixth sense together with the dodge (-3) to his current kit. Not only it would fit his lore, but would put him in a niche role of a sturdy Haris wielding ARO piece that can not be taken by surprise attacks or Smoke + MSV tricks... with the option of declaring dodge when the odds are not in his favour.
Au Contraire, he always knows when someone is trying to sneak across his bridge This is kind of a bugbear on the guy for me - having only a Mk12 as an active-turn gun means his BS Attack (+1 B) skill, which should be quite impactful, ends up just making him equal to an HMG or Spitfire trooper. Just giving him a Breaker HMG or Breaker Spitfire instantly accomplishes several things - it's a weird spooky BTS save gun, so it fits fluff, it gives you an option for a BTS Save gun to help deal with Dogs and Bears, which is sort of a tricky thing for PanO at the moment, and it gives him enough burst to function as a solo attacker, especially if it were combined with some or all of At this point, you have a model which is clearly designed as a solo operator (you could even limit the linking to an FTO profile on the missile? IDK on that) with a robust ARO presence, and the ability to pick reactive fights carefully by dodging away with +3/-3. I don't really know what that would cost, though, and everything I've outlined might be too good. But if you didn't give him a B4 base gun, then I think there's a lot of room to push him unconventionally, because he's still a 50-odd point attack piece with no MODs . I suspect this is intended to be referring to TacAware HI.
Even more funny is that O-12 has all the stuff Pano is lacking and its certainly not considered overpowered. So balance issues arent why Pano are so limited design wise. Pano's design seems to be being as inflexible a force as possible.
There is one momnet I hate most of all... Remotes are more clever (wip 13) than people who care about them (wip 12). I've just checked them in builder and mentioned that again... Better not to touch it T_T
