Comment on DHM-18 Mastiff by RyujinDX
8mm? ooops. A small mistake by the power of 10. 
9cm with a 25mm automatic gun? Imagine such gun emplacements (anti Mobilesuit).
So the M1A2 only has about 10 tons of armor? That's quite surprising. What the heck is it that weighs soo much? When thinking about that, it's hard to imagine something large and walking being any lighter, or of it is, would be fragile as heck. Hmm. Tricky business.. What of the tanks of that era then? They would be seen as specialized vehicles and being as rock solid and capable to carry large loads, they would have incredibly powerful main weapons, and a super fast targetting system to match, wouldn't they? And be far, far cheaper than the mechs, and not having to fear that much from them either at longer ranges (then again, there's those bastard anti tank missiles..)..
9cm with a 25mm automatic gun? Imagine such gun emplacements (anti Mobilesuit).
So the M1A2 only has about 10 tons of armor? That's quite surprising. What the heck is it that weighs soo much? When thinking about that, it's hard to imagine something large and walking being any lighter, or of it is, would be fragile as heck. Hmm. Tricky business.. What of the tanks of that era then? They would be seen as specialized vehicles and being as rock solid and capable to carry large loads, they would have incredibly powerful main weapons, and a super fast targetting system to match, wouldn't they? And be far, far cheaper than the mechs, and not having to fear that much from them either at longer ranges (then again, there's those bastard anti tank missiles..)..
Of course, that's 90mm against standard test RHA, and the actual penetrator's only 96 grams, which won't do much after it's penetrated. The composite armours used on the mantlets of the latest tanks can reach the equivalent of 800mm against KE and 1600mm against HEAT.
With today's tanks, all the equipment simply adds up, especially with tanks using 120mm cannon. The weapon dictates the turret size, and the turret size determines hull size, and the increased size requires more armour to maintain a certain level of armour protection, so on and so forth in a domino effect.
AA 'Flowtanks' have coilguns that are roughly equivalent in power to that of a typical medium MS. This is mainly due to the limits to their total weight, imposed by the type of propulsion used. Flowtanks are basically lifting bodies which operate as either ground-effect or wing-in-ground effect machines, which also puts limits on armour thickness. Their main weaponry is housed in a modular turret which puts limits on recoil distance, unlike MS with the greater recoil distance afforded by arm-wielded weapons. Since the turret usually has to bear secondary weapons in addition to the main gun, its traverse & elevation rates aren't superior to that of a mobile suit. The mobile suit can match this because it can traverse at more than one point simultaneously. The tank also has to expose its turret to fire from concealment, while a mobile suit doesn't have to expose anything more than its arm, a smaller target, to fire a hand-held weapon.
With the jamming & countermeasures available, the only really reliable targeting system is still visual acquisition, thus there is a great emphasis on optronics. This, and the widespread use of exotic armour types and active defense systems also limit the effectiveness of ATGM's. Targeting is as much a matter of a steady hand and sharp eyes as it is anything else.
Flowtanks were designed as cheap, fast vehicles which do not warrant the power and expense of MIUC fusion reactors and Trinary Drives. Since the absence of MIUC reactors precludes the use of beam weapons and I-field barriers, flowtanks, despite heavy armour, are vulnerable to the M-P beam weaponry present even in light MS. In fact, infantry with plasma tubes pose a significant threat all by themselves. When the appropriate terrain and transport space are available, a number of armed forces use flowtanks in the role of light cavalry or as flanking forces for their MS spearheads. Properly sited, they are also useful in the defense because of their low silhouette. Flowtanks are quite common in frontier systems, where their lower tech base, low costs and the lack of MS opposition make them quite popular, even though they usually require two crewmembers.
With today's tanks, all the equipment simply adds up, especially with tanks using 120mm cannon. The weapon dictates the turret size, and the turret size determines hull size, and the increased size requires more armour to maintain a certain level of armour protection, so on and so forth in a domino effect.
AA 'Flowtanks' have coilguns that are roughly equivalent in power to that of a typical medium MS. This is mainly due to the limits to their total weight, imposed by the type of propulsion used. Flowtanks are basically lifting bodies which operate as either ground-effect or wing-in-ground effect machines, which also puts limits on armour thickness. Their main weaponry is housed in a modular turret which puts limits on recoil distance, unlike MS with the greater recoil distance afforded by arm-wielded weapons. Since the turret usually has to bear secondary weapons in addition to the main gun, its traverse & elevation rates aren't superior to that of a mobile suit. The mobile suit can match this because it can traverse at more than one point simultaneously. The tank also has to expose its turret to fire from concealment, while a mobile suit doesn't have to expose anything more than its arm, a smaller target, to fire a hand-held weapon.
With the jamming & countermeasures available, the only really reliable targeting system is still visual acquisition, thus there is a great emphasis on optronics. This, and the widespread use of exotic armour types and active defense systems also limit the effectiveness of ATGM's. Targeting is as much a matter of a steady hand and sharp eyes as it is anything else.
Flowtanks were designed as cheap, fast vehicles which do not warrant the power and expense of MIUC fusion reactors and Trinary Drives. Since the absence of MIUC reactors precludes the use of beam weapons and I-field barriers, flowtanks, despite heavy armour, are vulnerable to the M-P beam weaponry present even in light MS. In fact, infantry with plasma tubes pose a significant threat all by themselves. When the appropriate terrain and transport space are available, a number of armed forces use flowtanks in the role of light cavalry or as flanking forces for their MS spearheads. Properly sited, they are also useful in the defense because of their low silhouette. Flowtanks are quite common in frontier systems, where their lower tech base, low costs and the lack of MS opposition make them quite popular, even though they usually require two crewmembers.
I've been meaning to reply to this huge message but I realize you just have the upper edge in the knowledge. I'll just thank you for the insights and storytelling about the flowtanks and such 
Very interesting ideas you cooked up.
but I realize you just have the upper edge in the knowledge. I'll just thank you for the insights and storytelling about the flowtanks and such Very interesting ideas you cooked up.In this case, the whole setting is tailor-made to make mobile suits the pre-eminent weapons of war, and a lot of the background material isn't in the gallery, so I'm glad to have an opportunity to blab about it. Actually, since my mobile suits also use modular construction techniques, it's possible to put the torso on a flowcraft chassis (shades of Armored Core!). Also, there's a loophole in the previous reply--it's perfectly possible to put a MIUC reactor from a light MS in a flowtank, giving it greater mobility and defensive capabilities. No one has simply felt that the added effectiveness outweighs the cost.