Could be the truth. Though seems unlikely since O-12's already paid for all the R&D... The idea that O-12 has access to higher-tier gear than Neoterra or ALEPH is a sobering thought. Kind of begs the question of why they aren't a non-playable faction, though. I'd be interested in them being an antagonist faction, I think.
I think the inspiration is from Giannis Milogiannis Old City Blues. (Either that or Zeta Gundam) N2, pg20 has one line mentioning that they're the most modern and advanced TAG made by PanO, while the Maghariba Guard are the least advanced. Mentioned in passing that PanO makes them, but they're apparently way too expensive for PanO to field full units of them. Makes the impression of them like B2 Stealth Bombers, which cost as much as most warships. We're talking 10x or more the price of other TAGs for what is quite frankly not 10x better performance.
Since Infinity models such elite units, though, I feel like there's room to fit it in. Could make it Avatar-tier and basically be a Jotum with ODD.
That is about where I put it, mentally. At the very least, it should be Marut-class (I put the Marut below the Avatar). I think the difference was that O12 could afford to buy a couple hundred of the beasts, but couldn't afford the several tens of thousands like PanO has.
At this point I still wonder if it does mean anything as it seems it's PanO speciality to manufacture stuff for it's opponents and not use it itself....
Yeah, it's kinda ironic that the Nomads are basically totally equipped by PanOceania. And the PanOceania military just about outnumbers the entire population of the Nomads or Ariadna, but we don't see that on the table. This kind of background distinction is interesting, but if O-12 is mechanically "PanO without any of the restrictions" or "ALEPH but with better cheap support" then it's another kick for factions which already suffer for design reasons in ways most other factions and sectorials just don't.
Dollars-expensive, not points-expensive. Example: B2 versus B52. They're both big, subsonic bombers. The -52 actually has about 50% greater payload than the B2, broadly comparable range, but a B52 cost $100million to build in 2016 dollars when a B2 cost $1.13billion to build in 2016 dollars (and those are unit costs, not including development costs).
I think after all those years of reminding us that boarding shotguns, e/m weapons, mines, etc. are against the concilium convention, CB will have a hard time explaining how O-12 troopers use those weapons. And CB will have a hard time coming up with an army that does not use those weapons and is still effective.
Would it be conceivable to have O-12 occupy an NA-2 style 'Faction' space... something that doesn't have a vanilla force combining all units, but allows for sectorials under its umbrella? That way you can devise the 'pure-O-12' army, and also a few sectorials to represent multinational forces under O-12 direction, a few units from that core O-12 force plus combinations from other factions to provide unique synergies and weaknesses.
I think O-12 only has scope as a NA2 faction. Like the others, it could be a mix of units from different factions. If O-12 ever happens, it will be decades from now. CB has so much to do with all the other stuff like TAK, Varuna, Invincible Army, MRRF. it was interesting to learn that once there were plans to have an O-12 force, but I don't have hopes now.
I agree but not regarding the time frame. I think 2020 is the earliest we'll see them, but I can see there being room for an Uprising-style release where O-12 is the posterboy between this slew of main faction releases and the next batch of main faction releases. After all, we need something during late 2019 and 2020 to push Sakiel release back further. I seem to recall having heard that O-12 was in early stages of development through reassurances that they're confident that the sectorial can be built sufficiently conforming to Concillium Conventions for all troops where such conformity is obligated. (O-12 is unique in that it has units with expressed permission to carry otherwise illegal arms without the CA-induced exceptions)
Probably O-12 excludes itself from those rules. And then considers it a war crime if you fight back using that same equipment.
I don't really understand how O-12 can justify using weapons they have banned themselves. If you ban landmines and flamethrowers because you deem them inhumane, then how can you use them yourself?!? Btw. I don't quite get why the mines are banned, they seem to have perfectly working friend-and-foe systems. Unlike in our time, the Infinity mines do not get triggered by civilians.
Because you're "peacekeeping," they're committing "atrocities," it's a matter of you and your people being the elect who make acts moral by virtue of doing it, and the people who you're fighting being selfish and violent.
Like I've said before, it's not that the weapons are banned outright, it's that using them on humans is banned. You can use an EM grenade to clear Monowire (that was one of the best uses for any EM weapon back in N2, there were more monomines around). Flamethrowers are used to clear foliage. And enhanced lethality ammunition has long been banned for the military to use in warfare. However, it's perfectly legal for police (and civilians) to use as enhanced ammunition stops the threat faster. In organized warfare, you can use pretty much anything to poke a hole in someone, they lay down and call for their medic. But when you have some high-on-PCP criminal, they won't stop until they pass out from blood loss or massive damage. So you need the biggest, scariest ammo you can load for that. Probably partly from tradition and partly because IFF systems can break. Also, back in N2 civilians could set off a mine (more precisely, Civvies could be in the blast area of a mine). The one that confuses me is Shotguns. They aren't banned under the current Conventions, but they are uncommon to use due to lousy ammunition capacity. I was issued one as a guard in the Navy, and my buddy in the Army carried one as a breaching tool in addition to his basic rifle (his squad leaders carried one, as well). It's possible that the small explosive charge is what CB is cueing in on, as it used to be illegal for an explosive shell to be less than 400grams, way back in the St Petersburg Declaration. But that was only binding on the signatories, and the ban wasn't carried forward in the Geneva and Hague Conventions.
