Sci-Fi Tech Combat Armor Aesthetics and Utility In Fallout and Science Fiction

[Agent23]

I always like the power armor from LOTGH although them engaging in melee combat is pretty stupid.

Not necessarily given they are fighting on a spaceship.


Ranged energy weapons that can penetrate power armor can probably puncture the ship's hull, and if you want prisoners or a prize that is not a good idea.

 

[Carrot of Truth]

Not necessarily given they are fighting on a spaceship.


Ranged energy weapons that can penetrate power armor can probably puncture the ship's hull, and if you want prisoners or a prize that is not a good idea.

I've always thought melee in settings where guns exist is retarded. Melee combat is cool and all but some idiot with a sword is going to die against the guy with a gun 999/1000 of the time.

 

[Agent23]

I've always thought melee in settings where guns exist is retarded. Melee combat is cool and all but some idiot with a sword is going to die against the guy with a gun 999/1000 of the time.

And someone with a plasma rifle or a gauss machine gun will puncture the hull.

Also, I am pretty sure that at least 2 settings had that as a retionlizatin as to why stuff like meelee were a thing.
One being IIRC Mission Earth by LRH aka the scientology guy.

But there is a logic to it, since powered aemor should be at least as tough as a battleship's hull. Maybe even tougher.

Most bulkheads and all the sensitive electronics, power conduits and various tubes feeding everything from coolant to fuel probably won't be as resilient, either.

So, yeah, spraying energy or huge ass hypersound slugs of depleted uranium in a ship's bowels doesn't sound like the smartest thing to do, IMHO.

 

[Spartan303]

My all time favorite, The Nanosuit.

 

[Jormungandr]

My all time favorite, The Nanosuit.

I like the design behind that -- it literally looks like a skinned bodybuilder or Arnold Schwarzenegger in his prime.

 

[ThatZenoGuy]

My all time favorite, The Nanosuit.

God damn it annoys me that Crysis as a franchise turned out as it did. Probably the only FPS I am aware of that makes you genuinely feel like a high-tech superhuman monstrosity capable of tanking rockets to the face and meleeing alien squids to pulp.
Damned suit has advanced AI, heals your wounds (may or may not absorb your organs to do so, oops), is practically invulnerable outside of heavy ordinance/alien guns, lets you turn invisible, punt cars across a street, or jump tens of feet into the air. Everything you need.

 

[Agent23]

My all time favorite, The Nanosuit.

Sorry, but that thing never did it for me, yeah, I know, synthetic fiber muscles or something...

For me it was butt ugly, though.

Well, since we are on the subject of old games, though:

This game I got a while back, but the controls are a fucking bitch.

Now, Section 8:

 

[Agent23]

Next up, a rather niche pen and paper RPG:

 

[Zachowon]

Armor from platinum games Vanquish series

 

[Aaron Fox]

I've always thought melee in settings where guns exist is retarded. Melee combat is cool and all but some idiot with a sword is going to die against the guy with a gun 999/1000 of the time.

In the case of LotGH, a specific particle goes BOOM when in-setting guns are fired within the volume it occupies.

Basically, the melee is there because someone from the opposing team could throw a grenade and turn a gunfight into a suicidal affair. It saves the bacon of various characters from time to time.

Also, thread Tax:

Spoiler: Warning, stupid big images, 6Commando

To give you an idea, basic infantry is considered worthless in the setting because frontline units are filled to the gills with this sort of equipment (oh, and the small arms required to penetrate the armor are sending projectiles at 10k fps or ~3.03km/s using BilPro and 'gauss boosting'). Given that the same armor that these guys are fitted with when laid on thick on a super tank can tank two tactical nukes (both of which are literally on top of said tank, Mike 1 Echo just literally rolled out of the crater the tac-nuke with some damage) before becoming completely inoperative.

 

[Carrot of Truth]

In the case of LotGH, a specific particle goes BOOM when in-setting guns are fired within the volume it occupies.

Basically, the melee is there because someone from the opposing team could throw a grenade and turn a gunfight into a suicidal affair. It saves the bacon of various characters from time to time.

Also, thread Tax:

Spoiler: Warning, stupid big images, 6Commando

To give you an idea, basic infantry is considered worthless in the setting because frontline units are filled to the gills with this sort of equipment (oh, and the small arms required to penetrate the armor are sending projectiles at 10k fps or ~3.03km/s using BilPro and 'gauss boosting'). Given that the same armor that these guys are fitted with when laid on thick on a super tank can tank two tactical nukes (both of which are literally on top of said tank, Mike 1 Echo just literally rolled out of the crater the tac-nuke with some damage) before becoming completely inoperative.

The new version annoyingly changed the power armor to mechs. I don't know why they did that but whatever.

 

[Agent23]

Also, thread Tax:

Spoiler: Warning, stupid big images, 6Commando

Thanks for making the Schlock armor I posted an image of look good by comparison.



Humor aside, those things look like invertes eggs with feet.

Anyways, before FO:NV we had Killzone for cool armor:

 

[ThatZenoGuy]

The KillZone Space-NotNazis are truly awesome in design.

 

[Jormungandr]

I kinda like the Nod combat armour designs from Tiberian Sun/Firestorm.

Combat armor

During the Second Tiberium War, the Brotherhood equipped its soldiers with advanced body armor, superior to the one used by the Global Defense Initiative. The armor consisted of a pressurized body suit, a polymer vest, advanced helmet and arm/leg pads. The full helmet had a full faceplate with...

cnc.fandom.com

Though, modified variants had more heavier protection (seen with the Black Hand's Elite Cadre).

https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/cnc_gamepedia_en/images/e/e1/Nod_M16_Mk2.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20180801164558

Militants under LEGION's command in Kane's Wrath had modified/improved old armour (but that's because EA realized that "hoodies with guns" was fucking stupid even for their retarded design direction).
Militant

It's a shame they all began to look shitty from Tiberium Wars onwards (except for the Black Hand's armour, minus the dumbass helmet).

https://images4.alphacoders.com/544/54494.jpg

Strangely enough, there was a new iteration seen decades after -- it was more metallic/used hard armour than kevlar/fabric weave.

Christian Pierce

Christian Pierce is the protagonist of the Tiberian Twilight motion comic. Originally a farmer from Kentucky, Christian Pierce came to Chicago in Blue Zone 11 in 2066 after Tiberium contamination has reached critical levels, threatening his family. He promised his wife, Jessica Pierce, that he'd...

cnc.fandom.com

Not sure how to feel about the last version.

 

[LordDemiurge]

For me it was butt ugly, though.

Agreed.

I'm normally a fan of designs that marry the mechanical with organic, but the armor looks really incomplete.

If your armor relies on those synthetic muscles, then the designers should also include some kind of carapace to keep those muscles safe.

edit: Question, how do I insert images that show?

 

[ThatZenoGuy]

Agreed.

I'm normally a fan of designs that marry the mechanical with organic, but the armor looks really incomplete.

If your armor relies on those synthetic muscles, then the designers should also include some kind of carapace to keep those muscles safe.

edit: Question, how do I insert images that show?

The thing is, those muscles ARE the armor. Its a two-in-one scenario.
Same way a tank's armor doubles as it's structure.
The artificial muscles look kinda weak but they're tougher than anything else anybody is wearing.

 

[Husky_Khan]

Yeah I wasn't a big fan of the synthetic muscle look either aesthetically speaking. I prefer the more conventional hardplate or soft body armor looks.

Going back to Fallout, I am a fan of Reillys Rangers Battle Armor from Fallout 3 and not just because Reilly is a cool NPC character and one of the better quests in the game where you rescue that team of mercenaries from the Supermutant filled buildings.

It has a real lived in look and more traditional green based coloration... which might not be very useful in the urban wasteland, but aesthetically is still pretty pleasing to me over the more standard black armor look that is commonplace like with Rivet City Security or the Talon Company.

Ranger battle armor

The Ranger battle armor and matching Ranger battle helmet are pieces of armor worn by members of the mercenary group Reilly's Rangers. Combat armor was designed to provide balanced protection without limiting user mobility. It is a diverse family of personal body armor with varying degrees of...

fallout.fandom.com

 

[ThatZenoGuy]

FO3/NV Combat armor in general is just pretty neato and similar to the OG combat armor.
...Now that I think about it, FO3/NV armor in general holds up very well, the leather armor looks perfect.

 

[Husky_Khan]

FO3/NV Combat armor in general is just pretty neato and similar to the OG combat armor.
...Now that I think about it, FO3/NV armor in general holds up very well, the leather armor looks perfect.

Yeah just not a fan of that one sleeve thing the leather armor has going on. Aesthetically I like the design of the leather armor in FO1/2 as well. It's like a leather hard plate armor which just sounds neat and kinda retro futuristic while still being post-apocalyptic.

Leather armor Mk II (Fallout 2)

Leather armor Mk II is a piece of armor in Fallout 2. Leather armor Mk II is a superior version of the basic leather armor combat-wise, although it gives up Radiation Resistance in order to achieve this. Happy Harry sells it at Happy Harry's in the Vault City courtyard. Randal sells it at the...

fallout.fandom.com

 

[ThatZenoGuy]

Yeah just not a fan of that one sleeve thing the leather armor has going on. Aesthetically I like the design of the leather armor in FO1/2 as well. It's like a leather hard plate armor which just sounds neat and kinda retro futuristic while still being post-apocalyptic.

Leather armor Mk II (Fallout 2)

Leather armor Mk II is a piece of armor in Fallout 2. Leather armor Mk II is a superior version of the basic leather armor combat-wise, although it gives up Radiation Resistance in order to achieve this. Happy Harry sells it at Happy Harry's in the Vault City courtyard. Randal sells it at the...

fallout.fandom.com

It is of course, a reference to Mad Max 2, FO1 had the same suit with 'leather jacket'.

Leather jacket (Fallout)

The leather jacket is a piece of armor in Fallout and Fallout 2. The leather jacket is pre-War attire, but it is possible that craftsmen of the post-War world are making it to this day. It is constructed of tanned brahmin hide, much like leather armor. While it lacks in terms of protection...

fallout.fandom.com

I like the Leather Armor in FO1-2 as well, good choice! ;D
I always liked how it has higher AC than metal armor, to signify it's lesser weight making you easier to dodge.