Anyway I currently write a sci-fi novel and kinda lacking solid backstory, so basically in future humanity has explore almost 200 solar system while they not in war a conflicting still appear everywhere and with new material human has improved way to kill each other. For defense most using a power armor that category as light, heavy and hybrid. For light it's already self explained, powerful motor allow more faster movement and thruster allow mid movement change but they armor is very thin it's can deflect 10-40 round small weapons until structure failure while medium one can Pierce armor with right angle and heavy one can blow user to pieces. basically they mostly using agility to not get hit and most tiring armor to use. Heavy armor uses lots overlapping armor and energy shiled while using thruster for straight rush, and if they are bigger than 5 meter it's enter category Mecha. Scratch paint with small arm, medium weapon can do some light damage on thins parts of it, while heavy can moderately damage it but need 6 to 9 shot for destroy it. Hybrid is hybrid, thin metal plate just for protection critical parts of weapon while it's main defense is fast charge shiled. It's allow user to move faster while it's shiled can tank 1 heavy until recharged or dozen medium shot depend on type while small arms can't even hold up with it's recharged rate but this armor is very rare and only special unit on military have it or the one that salvaged from derelict. For weapon its kinda complicated but can separate as 4 category Kinetic weapon, new resource do some improvement on this weapon, while most used are harder bullet with powerful propellant, second is using heavy material as bullet but small caliber for compensate it's speed. They mostly available as medium weapon but on heavy they too troublesome because ammo sometime too big until one person can only Cary 3 or 5 shot, as for small they pack of Puch for non armored target, they also most reliable weapon with minimal care. Energy weapon, plasma most favorite of everyone, sure who don't want personal sun thrower on they hand. Followed by mercury laser, ion and Sonic gun. While they light, fast, accurate and can shoot more than 30 shot in single cartridge, they quite sensitive, a small obstruction on barrel can cause weapon explode in hand. Overheating is issue of extended fight, lots people lost hand because forget do maintenance.there is Lots small energy weapon because they compact and powerful while medium version is tend overheating very fast and lots heavy one is only singe use. EM or electromagnetic accelerate projectiles, hand held siege weapon that shoot 6 kilo projectiles at hyper Sonic speed, Why not? Just wear powerful enough ear muffer, nobody likes hearing damage. This weapon use 2 cartridge one is power pack whole other is ammo, while this weapon powerful they have recommended 600m as minimum range and definitely not for spaceship corridor fight, they more available as heavy weapon because it need loong enough barrel to deliver desired damage while it's coolants system and targeter also need some space, in medium and small size this weapon only used as launcher. Others or misc, plasma baton, stun gun, crossbow, acid gun, dll. Most of this used by small amount of people that choose exotic weapon that can deal lots of damage but try not very practical What I was asking is kind damaged look on flesh if they hit at armorless state and armored one, also energy shiled is generate special particle that orbiting around shiled belt. This particle slow moving one and at one wearer move faster than 135km/h shiled start losing it's charge, that mean this shiled can block fast moving projectiles but not slow one, also it's main component only energy cell, generators, controller and emmiter. So Which one that will popular on lawless people, civilian, and military?
Lawless people are definitely more on exotic weapons and maybe small and medium kinetic weapons. Just look at the RL mafia and you will know. Civillian is more on stun batons and small firearms. Will be hilarious if they have access to anti material rifle (medium kinetic weapon). Military should have all but exotic weapons. Cept for some stun batons and kinetic rounds or actual lightning hand gun that fires lightning ball to stun (for capture.) Sonic weapons are a nice touch to have.
Current problem with railguns and gauss guns (yes these are the name of these types of weapon and yes they are diferent) while the projectile is being accelerated the magnetic fields of the bullet( railgun creates the magnetic field on the bullet by passing high current through it while gauss gun bullets must be a permanent magnet) will cause damage of the barrel, so use somekind of memory metal to repair and apply a cooldown that if violated permanently damage the weapon, and increase the range to at least 2 km to serve the function of a sniper rifle
There is lot manufacturer that can ranged with cheap but low quality or high quality but expensive, even there is mid one... For availability kinetic weapon is more on market because they more easy to manufactur and they use standard ammo. Energy weapon somewhat mixed in some areas they flooded market but in some places uncommon, they use common energy pack as ammo. Exotic weapon is rare, because it need special ammo or difficult to manufactur.. and most on market is stolen one or DIY Misc, some are common but some are not, metal sword is easy to mass product but plasma sword need costume power pack that mean they are need ordered to manufactur
You should also think about what the goal and/or purpose of the diffrent groups are. What conections they have, are they millitairy? Private contractor? Weapon industry insider? Are there any hostile groups? Do they know about them? If yes, what do they know about them? Could this have any influense in what the group will try to get hold of or do they already have it? What their history is, how they will move forward as a group, how will diffrent teams in the group work. Everything above (probably also somethings i can't think of right now) will influence what weapons the group/person will have and will try to get hold of. Just remember militairy grade weapons tend to stay in the militairy, some big and/or well founded lawless/mercanary groups also have acsess to those. Sorry did not read about the armour types and weapon types, so i can't say so much more about it. But i belive those are things you should think about when asigning weapons. I think you should think about the politikal and economical aspects of the group and/or person before deciding on weapons.
600m is minimum range, that mean manufacturer recommend you for shooting at Target more than 600m away and definitely its like siege gun or anti-mecha, soft Target and small heavy armor will not have change at one bullet fly at it
I like the concept, but what about bombs? Electric mines, Flash Bang Grenades, etc. If you're going with lots of open combat and conflict in your story, are you going to look at information warfare? Hacking? Cybernetics is also something that can be explored. Perhaps a civilian/military mandatory implants/enhancements to automatically send a SOS signal if the user is near death and/or trigger Adrenaline states in times of high stress. For your power suits, are they like Mecha?
You only talk about weapon. But what about another aspect of the technology? Communication network, transportation, entertainment? Wars are not only fought with weapons but also information and logistics. How does the surveillance system works? How does people transport something from point A to point B? And about the weapons, how easily can someone get access to weapons? Is there a strict requirements to obtain one? This will heavily affect the civillian and mobster's arsenal.
The best weapon would be cheap and easily accessible hentai. Its far more effective in that it target the most fundamental aspect of human needs, which is the desire to be loved or procreate. Its also a lot easier to spread considering the high tech civilization.Then just add a few sublimely messages and propaganda to mind control the enemy group so they make less and less babies over the years. Then BOOM, their population decline to the point that they cannot sustain the population, thus making the invasion far easier.As a power hungry war lord conqueror this would be far easier and cheaper to use rather than conventional weapon with less stigma.
The problem with directed energy weapons is that they all suck in atmosphere. Stick to projectile weapons, they’re not affected by fog, rain, smoke or anti laser aerosol grenades. David Weber has the best projectile weapons...pulsars, which throw darts via focused gravity field. Light, recoil less and you can make them explode.
That was good idea, a laser mine and laser grenade. Yesss... Good idea about cybernetic one, also the Mecha is definition for more than 5m tall heavy but stil have arm, but it's form not restricted to humanoid, spider lower body or full feral. As long it's still use single pilots then it's Mecha
Err...I don't think those laser grenade & mine are great idea: both mines & grenades are disposable weapons & omni-directional damage, so I don't think those lasers ones are. It's more probable & better if it's plasma, nuke (calling on Fallout series reference) and/or EMP. But I think you could still them as a directional traps like claymores Mecha w/ spider lower body & feral, sounds like reference to Front Mission 3 & ZOIDS
If I were to guess Light armor would be more popular for civilian. Sure it's the most tiring for using but lighter armor means cheaper components and less fuel consumption. Em weapons because they sound like the more abundant ones For lawless people definitely hybrid armor. They are probably under too much danger on day to day life to use light armor, but resources are also probably not that abundant so heavy armor is simply too expensive for them. Em and energy weapons should be the preference here, Em for accessibility and energy weapons cause they pack the highest punch. Military would definitely go for heavy armors, since they would be much more effective while in a tight formation where evasion isn't easy. And they also probably doesn't need to worry too much about costs on maintenance and fuel. Energy weapons and Kinect weapons should be the main thingy, energy weapons cause if you have the big armors you want the big guns, and by your description Kinect are a relatively new thing? If it is they are probably the source so it makes sense for them to work with it. Misc weapons are probably too specific to main weapons for anyone besides some rly different troop righter from military or band of lawless ppl.
For the armor/mech civilians should have the non militarized mid strength strong but slow armors for “construction purposes” lol which are then re-appropriated by the outlaws and modified for err more lawless activity with lots of heavy plate armor. The usual trope I know but it’s still fun. Law enforcement should have the light and military should have the heavy duty ones. Of course each category should have their own elite armor like souped up light mechs as Assasin type for the outlaws or something. This leaves us with the mcs mech now usually they would have like a light armor with a next gen energy defense from some mad scientist that would fail at critical moments or a heavy duty armor with agility at the level of light but maybe go with something else
Depending on lawlessness personality. If i was a bad guy making a point, i would want something that hurt a lot and make a scene.
Well technological aspect I got it covered from my older novel, tachyon beacon for communication and transport, most civilian space ship can jump 2light year until drive need recharge and most of it do system to system jump because it's more easy to Lost in deep space, while it on future the law in lack on outer ring basically just like wild west. Because expansion rate, government lacking man power to secure everything causing some openings of lawless individual. There is lots dangerous creature out there, some planet have gigantic creature or dangerous predator even pirates, basically unarmed is strange on outer ring also civilian weapon more weaker than military version but easy to get, even so corruption is rampant sometimes cargo ship gone missing out there