What a cool stuff XD take some spider stuff if u wanna
SPIDERS
Living in a harsh mountain environment, where human feet can barely stand, machines had to be adjusted so that they could fulfill their tasks. When the first inventors gather thinking how should they approach creation of such versatile machine, there was really only one requirement: to be able to walk every terrain no matter how steep. Countless ideas were tested but in the end one approach win over the others. It turns out coping the behavior of spiders is most beneficial - sure six legs are enough to conquer every obstacle but the extra one pair ensure that u can keep walking even if u lose some legs (that is common in war after all). The first prototype was created and soon spider-machines were perfected to suit their niche.
The echos of prototypes can still be heard in
Weaver. They are good at their job - that is to repair/build on every mountain/hill - that is why they remain unchanged. However the main drawback of using 8 legs is also most visible - speed. With the weight of their construction mechanism, the legs needed to be strengthen - thus, with the need to be maneuverable, all speed was lost. That is not problematic at all in mountains but if ever used in flat terrain feel detrimental.
However different approach was taken with
Flea - this tiny machine is what glue every spider unit together. Sacrificing every aspect (tankines, damage, maneuverability) in exchange of speed. To ensure it survivability a camouflage was granted. The idea is simple - run fast so certain spot - hide - watch over enemy to provide information. Modern war is all about information in the first place. If we know where, and which enemy troops are located we can overrun them with theoretically weaker forces. Partisan war is more suited in mountain after all.
The
Tarantula job is very simple. Any form of air-machine is big thread, so naturally anti-air missiles are necessity. Two different approach were tested in the past: weak but light missile launcher that created fast spider-machines but harmful only if in big numbers or - big, heavy, homing missiles that forced spider-machine to be slow and deadly alone. Apparently second approach won. After all information is spider factory strong side - no need to be fast if u can predict incoming attack.
The
Recluse was designed for fights in gorge. Slow but maneuverable, hide at the top of steep rocky sides. Equipped with rocked volley it decimate enemy troops. However to prevent damage from counter-battery fire some adjust were made: missiles trajectory got curved to the maximum - enabling to hide in safest spot possible while still shooting - however some aim was lost (that is not detrimental at all in narrow gorge, the open space is different story tho).
Obviously small humanoid machines can climb mountains to some degree. The
Redback was designed to fight just them. Just look at its weapon: laser. Run as fast as u can, try to dodge as much as u like - u can't outrun light. Hiding patiently behind terrain redback strike at perfect time leaving nothing behind. It comes with obvious drawback: heavy laser weapon make spider-machine slow, so again preparation and anticipation is a key.
The
Venom was designed to fight in valley. Of all the spider-machines it is the fastest (excluding flea ofc) and that is for a reason. Using high ground and element of surprise it rushes at enemy. Looking at it design, interesting notes could be taken: In order to achieve high speed Venom weapon had to be light; But then how can it be deadly? Solution: electric base weapon. When in range Venoms don't obliterate enemy machines like previous spider-machines but slowly disable all enemy working parts making it useless pile of metal.
Some past genius came up with
Widow. As arms race in a world continues, some heavy machines were designed to run over mountains (literally). With new threads spider-machines could also match arms race and relentlessly loose, because there is a limit of how much weight robotic legs can support. Thus special unit was created and it is really brilliant. With small size and invisibility cloak, it sneaks past guards and approach problematic enemy machines. In mere seconds Widow release high voltage electric attack that disable enemy machine for a short time. That is a signal for all out attack.
While it is true partisan war is what spider factory is proud of (couple of tarantulas/recluses/redbacks/venoms/widows will decimate larger forces if in their natural habitat) having option to go "all in" would be also nice.
Hermit was designed for that purpose. Typical heavy machine with it typical drawbacks: Big cannon + above average armor make it extra slow. But when in big numbers they are unstoppable (kind of literally, since no terrain obstacles works). Some interesting hermit usage in the past wars was: by threatening all out engage, they split enemy forces into smaller groups and forced them into checkpoints (valleys, gorges). Rest is history - perfect victory.
Now behold spider-machines greatest creation:
Crab. I mentioned it earlier but there is a limit of how much weight can robotic legs support. What is at this limit? Crab! Super heavy cannon + extremely dense armor make crab moving slower then anything known. But crab is not meant to move. It is meant to sit at the top of mountain. Since attacking upwards is generally difficult - whoever control top of the mountain have advantage. That is why extra steps were taken when designing crab: It can use it legs to protect critical areas of its body - further increasing defensive aspects. Also: most advanced targeting systems with high caliber, make its cannon detrimental for all types of enemy. The only weakness of crab is that it is perfect - after all: if something is perfect it cannot be improved more; but war is won by those who adapt better.
That took a while
