[Grey Wolf]

Spider tanks could be interesting.

[NGTM-1R]

Originally posted by aldo_14
You're not thinking of the right tanks, then.

That's because they don't exist.

[Fineus]

Heh... I'll see your spider tank and raise you:

[Grey Wolf]

Bah. Everyone knows the spider tanks from GITS are cooler than anything from Evangelion due to Shinji being a whiny emo kid.

[Fineus]

Oh this is a whole new threads worth of debate right here

[kode]

Originally posted by Kalfireth
Oh this is a whole new threads worth of debate right here

actually, there's not much more to be said about the shinji-tard. he's so much of a whiner that kasperl pales in comparison. nor is there much to be said about the over-ratedness of NGE, FLCL and GAINAX.

[Grey Wolf]

I enjoyed FLCL, but I agree it is overhyped.  Also, Shinji makes T1g4h look well adjusted

[Fineus]

Oh I'm not argueing about Shinji, he's a waste of space. But to ignore Evangelion in its entirety (including the EVAs) based simply on him would be idiocy. That said, the design of the GITS tank is also pretty damn appealing so I couldn't say exactly.

kode, what's your gripe with FLCL? Everyone has different tastes of course - but just because you don't like it doesn't mean it's overrated

[kode]

join me next week when I say the same about kubrick.

[Fineus]

I've a better idea. I'll ignore your opinion untill you justify it properly

[kode]

Originally posted by Kalfireth
kode, what's your gripe with FLCL? Everyone has different tastes of course - but just because you don't like it doesn't mean it's overrated

of course it doesn't. I guess it didn't appeal to me that much. but with everyone saying "omg, it's ze bestest!" is to have that opinion just because it's the "right" opinion. like saying clockwork orange pwns. I guess it was mostly the humour thing about it. which is kinda odd, since excel saga is pretty similar there, and I found ES to be simply hilarious. I guess I share the hate gainax thing that shi also has, as well. that said, I did enjoy mahoromatic, so they have some bright spots.

[Fineus]

Fair enough then I have to say I didn't enjoy Excel Saga at all. It just didn't do anything for me. But evidently people like it so it must be doing something right somewhere.

[kode]

well, I guess it's a lot to do with poor poor Pedro. and how they tried to kill off the mangaka in the first ep.

[NGTM-1R]

Shinji actually serves a purpose...although I grant it's one only fulfilable by the fans. Namely having him go psycho. He doesn't even have to do that, technically, just suddenly lose it and slap somebody a good one, once. Makes a nice change.

[Jetmech Jr.]

Ah, the Psycho Factor (TM). Guaranteed to give a character purpose, however twisted.

[Nuke]

the only mechs that seem remotely realistic, are the ones from the mechwarrior games (is that the same as battletech?). it would take a fusion reactor and a hundred tonne chassis to get a useable weapon system out of a walker. the neuro-interface and myomer actuators would probibly make mechs possible, however another element of the game that makes the tech seem possible, it takes place a thousand years from now. however my eexperience with the game is that small and manuverable is the way to go, and in most cases a tank does that job just fine.

[Getter Robo G]

Sorry Thunder,

  But if you want a real spider tank the Appleseed Gun Platforms blow the GITS Tackihomas(SP?) totally away...

  My God, they need an army of Hecatoms (mech frames) to take down one of them! and only 12 exist to defend the city!!!

They are covered with guns that are sure powerful enough and you never get to see them fire their main cannons.  They may be a bit slow but if you want a TANK you want oen of them!

BTW if you want a good robot get a Super Robot  (like me!) Any robot from the 70's will run rings around the voltrons and megazords...

[NGTM-1R]

Originally posted by Nuke
the only mechs that seem remotely realistic, are the ones from the mechwarrior games (is that the same as battletech?).

Yes. Mostly.

[Flaser]

Originally posted by Nuke
the only mechs that seem remotely realistic, are the ones from the mechwarrior games (is that the same as battletech?). it would take a fusion reactor and a hundred tonne chassis to get a useable weapon system out of a walker. the neuro-interface and myomer actuators would probibly make mechs possible, however another element of the game that makes the tech seem possible, it takes place a thousand years from now. however my eexperience with the game is that small and manuverable is the way to go, and in most cases a tank does that job just fine.

Don't get me started on battletech.

Though first things first: I like Battletech. It has well defined 3dimensional characters, a compelling storyline and intricate drama. (Kerensky's Blood trilogy will forever be among my classics.)

However:
They stole most of their prominent designs from Macross!
(When Harmony Gold bought it, the show was reedited and fused with two other Super Dimensional shows: Orguss and Southern Cross.
Don't know what I'm talking about? - It's ROBOTECH)
Technically the MECHS don't make any more sense than MOBILE SUITS
No, they don't waltz around with hand held weaponry, all of their weapons are integrated. However beside a wide range of chicken walkers their design isn't any more sensible than Tomino's Suits. (Their armor distribution is non-sense. Remember - it's actually Macross designs reimagined) They are way too tall, and way too humanoid to be sensible warmachines.
Granted, the fiction itself is high on unobtainum, however just like Gundam's Minovsky particles there are enough handwavium elements to make any hard sci-fi (or engineering) fan scream in terror.:
-They are powered by a fusion reactor, however it's never adressed what happens to the nuclear radiation. (Yes, fusion is not as bad as fission but thanks to the reaction itself, there will be neutrons and loose protons all around the place). *GUNDAM on the other hand uses a theoretically truely 'clean' reation.
-Pilots are hot and sweaty inside the cockpit since the waste heat build up. - That's plot device, pure and simple. If a nuclear device started pumping out a reasonable percentage of waste heat where it shouldn't you'd cook before you realised it.
-Mechs have heat sinks and lots of them - however they're all covered up! That's nonsense - no heat sink could operate like that.

As for the whole a thousand years ahead:
-They have worse tech than we do! They don't have cruise missiles for example!

Battletech and Mechwarriror are games with game mechanics.
Just like Freespace it's not the 'real' stuff.
Gundam, Escaflowne, Macross is entertainment and for all their realistic aspects they're the 'real' stuff either.

The most likely and oddly accurate explanation though is the Burnside zeroeth law of space combat:
SF fans don't want to read about the life and times of a nuclear missile, therefore space fighters will exist.

I believe a similar phenomenon exists with mechs too.
Yes, there are niches where they could be usefull - however the all too popular, and unfounded conception that they would be a 'superior' force is laughably out of picture.

[Nuke]

i watched bits and pieces of the gundam series. their implementation seems to be slightly less realistic (macross too). giant robots in space seems all wrong, all you need in space is a good engine and of rcs thrusters. putting a mech in space seems a putting a fish out of water. in battletech you seem to have a civilized warfare aspect that keeps people from nuking the crap out of eachother. none the less it seems unlikely that with any modern or forseeable technologies any military would choose mechs over more conventional weapons systems.