I'm sure I've already written stuff somewhere covering some parts of this, but I'm planning a few updates for this mod, (and hopefully we'll get an actual released version soon)
Along with this I'm intending to release a little mini mod which adds a Techpriest Dominus and some 'standard' Kastellans for people to use independently from this race,
The way the race plays has been altered a little, tier one now requires some additional "micro-management" due to the need for manual control over doctorina wafers for the robots, (this should make it a little more balanced hopefully)
So far Tier 2 will now include master units and programming,
Tier 3 will include access to maniples of larger, heavier Battle Automata;
To try and avoid needless redundancy of Automata types, I've decided to include certain robot classes at specific sizes, (a small portion of this mod is also going to revolve very slightly around the idea that certain Sects within the legio~Cybernetica successfully turned many of the Post-Heresy restrictions they'd suffered to their advantage, (e.g. adding doctrina receptacles to the cheap, mindless, expendable "slaved" automata formerly used for reducing loss risks in combat maniples, (with the new doctrina ports, not only was each maniple back to 3/4 capacity, but they no longer had to be commanded by a cortex robot acting as a Master unit, and so eliminated need of risking an expensive robot who's loss would formerly have deactivated the rest of the maniple, for simple, dangerous tasks, a doctrina controlled maniple is actually more economical)))
=== Size Chart
(approximately familiar scale) tiny
(approximately Infantry scale) small
(approximately old imperial robot scale) medium
(approximately adMech kastellan scale) large
(approximately armiger scale) huge
===
Current size list:
Crow : Tiny (airborne scout)
Servo automata : Tiny (autonmos maintainence unit, will pursue nearby friendly units and attempt to repair them)
Clone-skin [sharpshooter variant]: Small (deployed with inducted guardsmen)
Clone-skin [kamikaze variant] : small (deployed with inducted guardsmen)
Cataphract : Small
cKataphract: Small
Castellan : Medium (smaller and less well armoured than the cKastellan's it controls, but less unwieldly (first major cortex automata available (balance feature)))
cKastellan : large (aligned closer to Kastellan scale)
Crusader : Medium (maybe increases max maniple size by 2?)
cKrusader : Small (aligned slightly closer to Vorax scale (smaller and weaker than their master unit, paired with one of first major cortex automata available, (balance feature)))
Colossus : Large (melee and defence specialised siege unit, especially effective against structures)
cKolossus : Large (melee and defence specialised siege unit, especially effective against structures)
Conqueror : Large (long range and fast movement specialised siege unit, good anti infantry melee)
cKonqueror Large (long range and fast movement specialised siege unit, good anti infantry melee)
(Contemptor : Huge)(apparently Contemptor pattern Dreadnaughts were based on an old automata class)
(cKontemptor : Large)(much quicker to produce than it's master unit)
Castigator : Huge (the 'failed' automata class from second edition, mostly withdrawn from service to imperial forces outside of the mechanicum, also known for being the slowest and most heavily armoured Cybernetica robot class, however even when armed only with a single MAXIM Bolter, it's enemies survival chances were considered negligible)(This will serve as another example of careful subversion, the Castigator was supplied to the imperial guard and then withdrawn from military service for being slow, (cybernetica second edition rules mention the fact a Cybernetica robot's speed is also derived from the class of Power-Plant installed within it, not just it's weight (and who in the Imperium would worry if the legio~cybernetica wanted to horde those apparently "useless" automata afterwards)))
cKastigator : Huge (see above, but will deliberately explode their own reactors on death)
Calix : Medium (programmable bodyguard unit, (linked to another squad and given up to 4 tasks?))
(cKalix : Medium (independent trooper under control of bodyguard program requires presence of Calix ) ?)
Scalix : Small (self controlled bodyguard unit (something for later))
Some Information
A brief Update, mostly regarding minor "faction characteristic" changes in the mod and an adjusted sizing patterns for every Robot Class to give each Automata Maniple a more unique characteristic
Posted by Ezarik on
And I'm thinking of making it implicit that this new version of the mod's Paragon of Metal is in some way related to the Men Of Iron
Edit: (having recently looked at the new models for Comtemptor Dreadnoughts again I've realised with certain weapon load-outs they bear a fascinating resemblance to the man of Iron known as UR-025 , it looks like the Comtemptor pattern automata will be adapted to become this mod's Paragon of Metal (it also looks slightly closer to my recent man of iron design than I realised) :Edit
Super keen to see this mod.
Thanks (I hope I'll get it ready enough soon)
I love that the mechanicus mods we get for this are so creative. What kinds of defenses does the Legion have? Will they be able to put out large armies of cheaper/lower quality troops- like a clone-skin spam? I'm also super surprised that this roster had -zero- servoskulls! Is the Crow a builder?
Thanks :) , (sorry this reply turned out kind of long) (I wanted them to be a Cybernetica faction who still hold themselves as being separate from and above other members of the Mechanicus , hence none of the usual needlessly human bits inside any of their machines, etc.) In theory the Crow is a builder unit of sorts (or at least a repair and scouting unit)(it will probably be the builder in the first release) (I haven't totally finalised the idea, but I'm thinking if I can get the UI for the programming usable enough (and adjustable enough that it won't be too annoying to setup) I might try having conditional building production lists that the player can set a squad of builders to perform automatically, e.g. they'll be able to
follow a user programmed pattern of checking on structures and repairing or replacing them as needed
(there was also a "Consecrator class builder automata" I designed a while ago (slow heavily armoured construction unit) which might make an appearance again later (another alternative I'm toying with though was a flock of servo automata turning up to
automatically complete any construction which the user initiates kind of like a unit based auto build)
I was intending to have Cloneskins imbedded into the inducted guardsmen units (but I'm also thinking of having variations of them available on their own as cheap expendable assassin units (some with sniper weaponry, (and some infiltrated ones with proximity detonators)
(as for other defences: hopefully still mobile minefields (programmed like the robots (but somewhat simplified), (likely also the mobile turrets I was going to have in the past) (and in tier 3 possibly some large very expensive Maxim Bolter turrets to defend production buildings (if they turn out to be balanced at least))
(the main strengths of the race will likely be the variety and raw power of their troops and the ability to automate troop behaviour, etc. letting parts of your army fight for themselves while letting you focus your attention elsewhere,
the main weaknesses will likely be time, cost and precedence (the commanders are what increases the support cap for the robotic troops, Cortex units are needed to make many of the robots fully effective (and to give them the benefits of behaviour automation), etc.
(on a side note what I currently have planned for possible a Scalix later should be quite interesting, (unlike the Calix bodyguards that are programmed and protect a specific unit) I'm thinking of having these ones lurk around infiltrated and wander about on their own ambushing enemy troops and then moving on without any user input at all (at least in the vicinity of the structure, place or unit they're assigned to guard), (with the risk that they might briefly attack your own troops if they get in their way too often (unlike Legio Cybernetica automata, Scalix are known for the fact they're "prone to becoming dangerously self aware"))