Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-25356210-20161227000312/@comment-26084195-20161227091107

Well, see, I consider mechs to be walkers and mechsuits to be more like half armour suit half vehicle. I'll do a bit of a comparison here based off of what I know.

A Terran Alliance tank is really quite fast. However, it can encounter certain terrain problems, and it cannot make very sharp turns.

A Terran Alliance tank is really very stable, with a low profile and plenty of armour.

An Alliance tank generally has a very good attack angle, with a 360 degree turret.

An Alliance tank's weight support capabilities would, generally, be quite impressive.

Do note the required crew complement of at least two, one to pilot and one to act as gunner.

Then, there are Terran mechs.

Their speed is quite fast, generally equal to a Terran tank. However, they have a significant advantage in that they can traverse difficult terrain better than a tank is capable of, and may be equipped with special systems, such as jump jets, to further this advantage.

Generally speaking, the Terran tank outclasses the Terran mech when it comes to stability, due to being lower to the ground. However, they are both quite sturdy. It would ultimately go to the tank here.

Attack angle is where the mech starts to really shine. It is higher off the ground, and so can fire at targets that may be obscured to the tank, it can see over wreckage better, and in general has a more commanding view of the battlefield. Terran mechs are also capable of rotating their torsos a full 360 degrees, allowing them the same arc of fire as a tank.

Due to the nature of legs as opposed to treads, Terran tanks slightly outclass mechs here. But only slightly.

Kindly note that while all Terran tanks (except light tanks) require at least two crew members, more for the larger ones, a mech only ever needs a single crew member, the mechwarrior.

Now, let's take a look at Razorbird walkers. For ground support, the Razorbirds mostly use fighters, but they also make use of four legged walkers. These legs are spread out nice and wide, and there is even a cockpit head, and overall they have an elegant yet primal design.

With four legs which are capable of gripping onto surfaces+ they not only possess a speed somewhat superior to Terran vehicles, but also are capable of traversing almost any terrain, even scaling vertical surfaces.

What with four legs, they are very stable, about equal to a Terran tank.

Their attack angle is very good, but not quite as good as a Terran mech.

Due to the design of the leg, they don't have a very high weight support capability. Which is fine for the Razorbirds because their stuff is very light.

Now, if the Terran Alliance had designed a four legged walker, it would likely be even more stable and have a higher weight support capability, but it would be considerably slower.