(1) Vehicles have an advantage here - while they both have the same maximum crits, the starting vehicle crits the same as those with a BattleMech with removed Lower Arm/Hand Actuators. (27/78)
(2) Additional sensors in the Center reflects the additional situational awareness the vehicle commander needs to take control of the vehicle. Rear Sensor represents cameras/rearview mirrors/what have you the Driver uses to keep track of where they've been and where they are going.
(3) Alternatively, one may use a "Combined" Crew Compartment, which essentially added the driver to the same compartment as the Commander and Gunner. Basically like the armored capsule the
T-14 uses.
Moving the compartment and associated systems (Combined Crew Compartment [3 Crit] and Life Support) to the Front adds an additional sensor crit to the Center Section. Conversely moving to the center adds an additional sensor crit to the Front.
The main benefit is allowing the combined crew to either be in the front or the center of the vehicle. While moving it to the center allows for all the crew to be better protected by thicker armor, moving it to the front allows for the vehicle to deal with heat better (see elsewhere in this post.) It also saves 1 critical space by cutting out separate life support.
Downsides are that size all the crew members are in the same space, destroying it (or landing a crit) will kill all the crew members inside. In addition, whereas a normal combat vehicle has separate driver/crew life support systems, making the crew overall more resilient to life support crits, this variant shares a single life support system. This also influences the ability of the crew to handle heat.
(4) Not sure about adding heat management mechanics to combat vehicles.
On one hand, it adds a fundamental part of the game back into the unit type. Heat management forces the player to make decisions in combat, and a counter-balance against just firing all the weapons you have in every turn. In addition, it also helps to standardize heat damage mechanics (which I am always a fan of standardizing mechanics.)
However, it also removes some of the simplicity of combat vehicles. And since I'm doing that already, the question then becomes "Why don't I just apply the BattleMech heat system?" I don't know how I feel about that.
(5) Based on the earlier compromise, with the realization that tracking heat means that a combat vehicle can track heat damage.
