[1-200] THE MECH TOUCH

Chapter 31: Drake

Ves started selecting his parts, all the while keeping his intentions honed to a specific image. He wanted to build a versatile workhorse, a mech that doesn't have flashy features but is able to use the tools it has to their fullest effect.

Building a mech started with the internal frame. As the basic skeleton of the mech, it determined the mech's shape, height, and weight capacity. A sturdy mech not only demanded strong armor, but also a robust internal frame that could hold up its weight under pressure.

There were many frames to choose from. Most adopted a standard humanoid shape of two arms, two legs and and upright posture. Some looked like cats, others like birds and reptiles. Each form had its advantages and disadvantages, but generally the humanoid mechs offered great balance as long as its two legs remained intact.

As Ves wanted to design a mech with flight capabilities, he chose to pick a medium frame that was on the lighter side. The frame's construction featured a clever arrangement of gaps, hollows and grooves. It saved a lot of weight while keeping its structural integrity intact as much as possible, though not always succeeding. Nevertheless, the frame held up to stresses as long as it wasn't used to heavily for years.

Fortunately, the contest also automatically supplied the compatible artificial musculature. Though for the best original designs, it was best to form it from scratch, the amount of time it took was immense compared to borrowing an existing design scheme.

Next up Ves considered the contour of the mech and the configuration of the limbs. Humanoid mechs differed widely in size, bulk, thickness and so on. While some designers preferred to complete the internals first before considering the exterior, Ves wanted to do the opposite in order to set his limits beforehand. He already had a purpose in mind for his mech, so it was important he get the outer appearance of the mech done first in order to make it easier for him to visualize his intentions.

"First up, the legs."

As the mech's base, the legs determined the machine's speed, weight limit and stability. Humanoid mechs boasted a wide variety of legs, from ones that specialized in long-distance efficiency to those that came built-in with boosters to facilitate powerful jumps. Ves envisioned a mobile medium mech, so he kept his selection limited to the lighter armored legs. He patiently dug through the pile of junk for a suitable pair of leg design schemes.

"God, these legs are shit." Ves muttered as he dropped the next pair of legs in disgust. Most legs he encountered were either light but frail, or sturdy but too heavy for his tastes. It was as if the organizers didn't want contestants to settle for boring, mediocre legs with the most optimal compromise between armor and speed.

"It's impossible for me to pick a heavy pair of legs if I want my mech to be capable of at least a modicum of flight. I would either have to pick a pair of skinny legs, or..."

As Ves looked at the pile of animal-shaped legs, his newly upgraded jury rigging sub-skill tingled in excitement. Mech components and parts had always been designed to accommodate a certain level of modular compatibility, but Ves had seldom heard of cases where a designer attached animal legs to a humanoid upper body. Such things were possible, but it brought a lot of problems concerning reworking the musculature and making sure the mech's walking and running posture remained balanced.

"These raptor legs look ideal."

He approached the pile and highlighted a pair of fairly robust raptor legs. Raptor shaped mechs usually featured powerful running gaits that provided fairly good speed at a good amount of endurance. However, they were designed in a way that attached them to the sides of the waist instead of the bottom. Trying to mate the legs to the torso of his mech would take a lot of thinking.