Zoids: Chaotic Age Zero |
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An indepedent Zoids RPG Website. |
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Name: Aerodynamic Advantage Description: Speed is always an issue. Though most normal civilians don't need more speed for getting to the supermarket quicker, the military and Zoid pilots -- be they soldiers or be they sanctioned Zoid Battlers -- would like the KPH dial to be just a little higher, would like the red line to be moved up just a little bit. Speed can let you cover terrain faster, hit a target and withdraw quicker, outrun an enemy more easily... it can give you the tactical advantage, force an opponent in a powerful melee Zoid to give up its strongest advantage, dance circles around a slow, heavily armed tank, or just let ram your enemy with that much more force. While it can be dangerous, everyone wants more speed. And whoever can provide it stands to become a very, very rich man (or woman -- the Extra Potential corporation is an equal opportunities employer.) Anyway, your shadowy corporate overlords at the EP corporation know that there's alot of moolah to made in the business for speed. That's why they started marking Assault Boosters. Though the boost was only modest at best, the price was so reasonable that many would-be speed demons gobbled them up. However, the boost just wasn't enough for many serious battlers to want them. In order to strike the real market, the Extra Potential corporation would need more speed. The question was, how to provide it? Bigger boosters would overdraw power from many Zoids and be implausible. Another approach then? Aircraft and aquatic Zoids are usually built to aerodynamic spec, to minimize the resistance they encounter in their respective environments. Grand Prix racers and such often have their vehicles built to spec to do the same. However, the average Zoid pilot does not. Perhaps the EP parts corporation could somehow enhance the aerodynamic performance of a standard terrestrial Zoid. Initial experiments with mutiliating the front parts and sides of Zoids to this end left the Zoid with better aerodynamic performance but left the Zoid either CSFed or ill tempered and unpilotable. While being chased around their labs by such Zoids, EP researchers determined that their hypothesis was correct: air resistance, instead of friction with the ground, was the limiting factor in speed for most Zoids -- that is: the treated Zoids were chasing the researchers considerably faster than their non-treated counterparts would normally be able to. So, after a little bit of exercise, the researchers looked for a way to re-create the effect without the anger on the Zoid's part. The breakthrough came when someone suggested that rather than cut up the front part of the Zoid, they could just use a shield to create a new, artificial front. Some time later, the Aerodynamic Advantage part was released. It consists of a modified shield matrix that is constantly active. Rather than simply block all incoming matter, this shield is specially modified to only deflect gas, meaning that it is useless against bullets. However, it does project a streamlined form in front of, to the sides of, and behind the Zoid in question. The consequence? The equipped Zoid has its base speed (excluding boosters, for those Zoids that have boosters) increased by a whopping 30%. Now, that appeals to a large crowd. Lightning Saix pilots drool when they realize that they can jack up their speed by practically 100 kph (roughly 425 kph overall), Mardas moving about the plains at a ludicrous 585 kph, and the noble Cannon Tortoise, at 130 kph, is now able to outpace the Mad Thunder. Some very few slow Zoids are theoretically better off with the Assault Booster, but most would far prefer the Aerodynamic Advantage. Also, the AA is passively activated, so no worrying about buttons to push. All you have to do is buy it, but remember, the EP corporation is out to make a profit. Still, if you're willing to fork over the 25 grand, your Zoid can be running around at a greatly enhanced speed. |
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