Tau Ceti Foreign Legion - Refactoring ERT

[Guest Marlon Phoenix]

The Tau Ceti Foreign Legion is the proposed alternative to standard NanoTrasen emergency response teams, filling in the same role with a much different dynamic. These will mostly replace the former NT ERT, holding generally the same gear with vastly different statistics and roles in gameplay. Overall, one can consider them to be a direct downgrade, but many of the weapons available simply carry different, newer roles. As an example, instead of bullpup assault carbines as their primary ballistic rifle, they receive a newer "gauss thumper" which does higher brute damage at the detriment of not generating shrapnel upon impact. They are multi-purpose as well, holding both standard tungsten slugs and ion slugs - rather than giving them an ion rifle or EMP grenades outright.

They will not replace ERT entirely. ERT is going to have a lower or higher chance to spawn pending on the round type or other factors still being debated.

In gameplay, the Tau Ceti Foreign Legion can be expected to operate in a much more defensive and tactical stature than the previous NT ERT. Whereas previously, emergency response was instantaneous and rivaled combat stationbounds as the fastest moving force in the game once chemicals came into play (especially with no hardsuit slowdown,) the TCFL is contrarily much slower when fielding similarly resilient armor. This, coupled with several other gear tweaks will hopefully make ERT more of a supplement and external helping force for the crew rather than something to relentlessly chase and neutralize antagonists.

What exactly the TCFL can field is still being debated, but most gear, their descriptors and functionality can be found below. Feedback is welcome!

Spoiler

 

 

Kyres helped me write this post.

[Guest Marlon Phoenix]

Spoiler

 

 

 

Edited December 19, 2018 by Marlon Phoenix

[kyres1]

https://github.com/Aurorastation/Aurora.3/pull/5779

 

PR can be found here.

Edited December 19, 2018 by kyres1

[Flamingo]

I like the sound of this. Will any species be allowed to respond during a crisis? My thoughts mostly rest on dionaea, being slow and very resilient to damage. 

[Butterrobber202]

What’s their Lore background, if I want to RP them right I need to know what type of fighting force they are and how they are Organized.

if it’s on the wiki already the , link pls.

 

otherwise those icons look epic and I see the vaurca one

[ComradeCorbyn]

What are the general prerogatives and objectives of TCFL? Are they allowed to be a quasi-police force in ensuring Nanotrasen’s compliance with Biesel Law? If they don’t believe that Nanotrasen is during a round, what can they do to ensure compliance? 

 

Another question, are the sprite shown a purely hardsuits or armor? And will we be seeing a possible rename from Tau Ceti foreign legion to Biesel foreign legion? 

Thanks!

Edited December 19, 2018 by ComradeCorbyn

[StationCrab]

I love these sprites!

[Sytic]

Love it. In terms of character, reason, and equipment, as well as OOC reasons.

[Guest Marlon Phoenix]

Good questions so far.

There is a lot of debate about the technicalities of their operation. Namely their ranking and the like. It is important to me that they are as close to the ERT as possible while still retaining their own identity. If you have ERT down to muscle memory, I want you to be able to have a grasp of the Legion as fast as possible.

So for example their ranks are similar with a Cmdr, Tpr, etc, or other terms but with the same ranking definition.

Their lore goes back to the Frost Invasion. When that arc ended Dorn created the TCFL. It is the national guard of biesel; a militia force. But anyone from anywhere in the galaxy can join it and, if they pass basic, stay in it long enough to be given the option to become citizens.

[kyres1]

okay God doesn't want me to edit my previous post, so -

The gear is as follows, starting from hardsuits/armor, working into guns/ammo/melee weaponry, then vehicles, and stopping at the miscellaneous objects. Mapping is still in progress so specifics of how much there will be is being thrown around still.

Armor

Armor consists of two things - hardsuits and not-hardsuits. There is no voidsuit presently.

-Retrofitted Military Hardsuit - Relatively cheap offshoot of construction exoskeletons predating the second interstellar war. Mostly two hundred year old surplus with occasional new models and the Republic fabricating new variants for usage by the TCFL. Pretty sizeable slowdown.

Description - An incredibly heavy hardsuit with a striking blue color scheme. Seems to be an old repurposed construction exoskeleton redesigned for combat, sacrificing much of the original armor for the ability to stand up to modern RIGs. Its colors and insignias match those of the Tau Ceti Foreign Legion.

Stats -

(melee = 60, bullet = 50, laser = 30, energy = 15, bomb = 40, bio = 100, rad = 30)

slowdown = 2 (about half?)

It is equipped with...

Hardsuit leg actuators, Mounted drill, Net launcher, Mounted cooling unit (for IPCs)

-Bulletproof Suit Set - A set of bulletproof armor with leg guards, arm guards, helmets and vests. Operates like tactical armor in the sense that it’s all one piece and has a built-in holster. Really crappy resists but overall better than the hardsuits for the speed.

Description (armor) - A set of cheap composite armor with elbow guards, shoulder and knee pads.
Description (helmet) - A large helmet meant to fit some pretty big heads. It has a ballistic faceplate on the front of it.

Stats -

(melee = 50, bullet = 30, laser = 30, energy = 15, bomb = 40, bio = 0, rad = 0)

Ranged Weaponry Ranged weaponry consists of two types - energy blasters, and a single type of gauss rifle. - Bolt Slinger - Energy bolt blaster. Long, bulky scoped rifle that needs to be wielded to fire accurately. Has twenty shots. Equal if not slightly worse damage than a laser rifle.   Description - A long blaster rifle which seems to work by accelerating particles to an absurd speed and flinging them out in destructive bolts. It has a tiny scope with a laser sight attached. It’s covered in the colors of the Tau Ceti Foreign Legion.   Stats - 35 burn damage (5 more than your usual laser rifle), 20 shots, fires projectiles that do not go through windows. Scoped, needs to be wielded to fire.     - Blaster Carbine - Energy bolt blaster. A normal sized item, twelve shots, doesn’t fit in holsters.  Has a two-shot burst setting. Seems to miss a lot. Equal damage to an energy carbine with no stun setting.   Description - A short-barreled blaster carbine meant for easy handling and comfort when dispatching of problematic smugglers. It’s covered in the colors of the Tau Ceti Foreign Legion.   Stats - probably 20 burn damage, can't find the stats. 12 shots, fires energy projectiles that do not go through windows.     - Blaster Pistol - Energy bolt blaster. A normal sized item, six shots, fits in holsters. Has a two-shot-burst setting. Useful as a quick-firing expendable sidearm. Equal damage to an energy pistol with no stun setting.   Description -  A tiny energy pistol converted to fire off energy bolts rather than the low-powered lasers it probably would produce. Probably meant for self-defense. It’s covered in the colors of the Tau Ceti Foreign Legion.   Stats - 15 burn damage. 6 shots, fires energy projectiles that do not go through windows.     - Gauss Thumper - Bulky, ballistic, fires tungsten slugs. Useful for its cheap model, simple construction, absurd durability and capability to be operated in any condition possible, from vacuum to crushing pressure. Zero penetration but applies heavy brute upon connecting. No shell casings. Holds seven slugs. Description - An indescribably old gauss weapon which sees sparing use in modern times, usually found in the hands of undersea mercenaries or raiders. It’s covered in the colors of the Tau Ceti Foreign Legion. Stats - 30 brute damage. can be loaded with ion and tungsten slugs. one does minuscule brute, the other does the normal amount. does not leave shrapnel. 7 shots, semi-automatic entirely, magazine-fed. Ion slugs act like shotgun haywire. Ammunition Pretty simple, only ammunition is for the gauss thumper. - Tungsten Slug Box - A box of seven tungsten slugs.   -Tungsten Slug - A heavy tungsten gauss slug. Doesn’t match any modern gauge. -Ion Slug Box - A box of seven ion gauss slugs. -Ion Slug - A heavy ion gauss slug. Doesn’t match any modern gauge. Melee Weaponry Hopefully good enough to allow the TCFL to stand up in melee and help in fending off the terrible, terrible speed+melee plague. Energy Utility Knife- literally just a slightly better tactical knife Description - Some cheap energy blade, branded at the hilt with the logo of the Tau Ceti Foreign Legion. Energy Barrier - A large deployable energy shield meant to provide excellent protection against ranged attacks. Description - A collapsing energy barrier with a very heavy power source. It doesn’t seem like something you’d want to hold for a prolonged period. Vehicles Some transportation to get the TCFL where it needs to go, be it through a wall or across five kilometers of barren asteroid.   Combat APLU - A standard APLU refitted for prolonged combat and skirmishing. Equipped with a laser cannon, two passenger compartments and a drill. Probably equal or slightly better armor than a Gygax considering the speed. No EMP protection. Still being debated whether this is openly available or locked behind a heavy armory.   Description - A large APLU unit fitted with specialized composite armor and fancy, though old targeting systems. Odysseus - A medical response Odysseus fitted with three sleepers and a passenger compartment. Description - its an odysseus lmao Retrofitted Speeder - A speeder bike meant for usage in low-pressure environments and vacuum. It's just a reskinned spacebike. It'll hopefully make EVA a tad easier, being that the massive slowdown on the hard suits does not mean ERT gets lost in a corner of the map and stuck there for half an hour going in circles. Description - A short bike that seems to consist mostly of an engine, a hover repulser, vents and a steering shaft. Seems like it’d work best in low pressure, but can easily hover and navigate in normal atmosphere.

Miscellaneous

The first two of these are designations to differentiate who is who. There will be otherwise no distinguishing traits between the hardsuits/gear worn by specialist personnel, standard personnel and the team lead.

Seniority Ribbons - A chestpiece accessory for the hardsuits used by the TCFL. Handy for distinguishing who’s top dog.

Description - A long ribbon meant to attach to the chest and sling around the shoulder accompanied by two medallions, marking seniority in a Tau Ceti Foreign Legion fireteam. Usually seen on the suits of the guy in charge.Non-specialist troops will not hold these pins.

Specialist Medallion - A chestpiece accessory for the hardsuits used by the TCFL. Handy for distinguishing who actually matters.
Description - Two small medallions, one worn on the shoulder and the other worn on the chest. Meant to display elevated authority in a Tau Ceti Foreign Legion fireteam, usually in the case of specialist troops such as medical personnel or engineering dispatches. Non-specialist troops will not hold these pins.

More individual items are in progress and will be added to this as things progress. These however should be mostly everything, as simple gear such as flashbangs and zipties don't really need to be differentiated for the foreign legion.

 

The exact numbers for how many spawn are not set in stone and will be decided once the deployment zone is mapped.

 

 

 

[Itanimulli]

Yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes

Now I can have really janky tacticool confrontations that require teamwork.

Theoretically the number of slots opened by admins when they are called should be indirect relation to the threat at hand. So if it's a full on cultapalooza we get 8, but if it's jhonny mctraitorseed we get like 2-3. 

I'm extremely gosh darn excited for this. 

Thought: What if they spawn  on the upper left corner of the asteroid?

[Scheveningen]

Looks fantastic.

The mech shouldn't be locked behind an admin armory tbh. All it takes is 2-3 ion blasts and a mech's navigation is completely decimated for the entire round.

 

[Brutishcrab51]

Is this finally a reason to contact the Tau Ceti Government over fax?!!?!?!

[Doxxmedearly]

Well, I've been excited for this for a long time, and this only increases my desire to see it. The lore behind the gear is great (Old equipment? Gauss weapons? Modified Ripleys? YES).

From where I'm sitting, this can't come soon enough. Excellent spritework, as always. 

[Conspiir]

This looks really awesome.

 

How does membership work, and how long is membership typically? Is it a volunteer-for-it-and-you-get-paid deal? Is it full-time or part-time? How does NanoTrasen view them? I don't need the answers now if you don't have them, just things to think about!

[DronzTheWolf]

Just a quick question for @kyres1 but are the ballistic boots/gloves universal or are they like the ones in the armory where you have to snip the gloves and non-humans absolutely can't wear the boots?

[kyres1]

1 hour ago, DronzTheWolf said:

Just a quick question for @kyres1 but are the ballistic boots/gloves universal or are they like the ones in the armory where you have to snip the gloves and non-humans absolutely can't wear the boots?

they dont exist independent from the vest itself like the armory ones. picture tactical armor - it functions much the same way, and spreads the resists over all your limbs through attached leg/arm armor. these however do not stack as if someone was walking around with 80 resists on their arms/legs you'd start to wonder what you could possibly do to incapacitate them if they are in a group.

[kyres1]

5 hours ago, Brutishcrab51 said:

Is this finally a reason to contact the Tau Ceti Government over fax?!!?!?!

yes probably though if you consider this suggestion

there will be no need for faxing

[DaTimeSmog]

17 hours ago, kyres1 said:

Combat APLU - A standard APLU refitted for prolonged combat and skirmishing. Equipped with a laser cannon, two passenger compartments and a drill. Probably equal or slightly better armor than a Gygax considering the speed. No EMP protection. Still being debated whether this is openly available or locked behind a heavy armory.

The same APLU that has a meme Dark APLU variant which is more of a joke. Im not this would be suitable for a defensive army which uses more advanced tech, I would rather suggest using a modified Durand for this job, as it would be more fitting.

[kyres1]

8 minutes ago, DaTimeSmog said:

The same APLU that has a meme Dark APLU variant which is more of a joke. Im not this would be suitable for a defensive army which uses more advanced tech, I would rather suggest using a modified Durand for this job, as it would be more fitting.

they're meant to be heavily underequipped compared to other real military forces. they are equipped with outdated equipment across the board - a refitted ripley fits this aesthetic perfectly. also a durand is bonkers overpowered.

[DaTimeSmog]

7 hours ago, kyres1 said:

they're meant to be heavily underequipped compared to other real military forces. they are equipped with outdated equipment across the board - a refitted ripley fits this aesthetic perfectly. also a durand is bonkers overpowered.

Remove a majority of the armor, make it a tad slower and talk it off as an out of production line model which never took off due to its early design flaws. The problem about using refitted ripleys is that they seem more of a mercenary force due to that, who have to resort to using the worst exosuit there is due to their lack of equipment

[TheOrleans]

Good good, everything sounds good but, let's get to the IMPORTANT THING

 

WILL WE HAVE ERT VS LEGION? YES OR NO? YES OR FUCKING NO?

[Alberyk]

The PR is pretty much done now and waiting review. It also has some images of the Tau Ceti Foreign Legion base and the gear they have access to.

[PoZe]

PR was merged, moving to complete Projects