Military sci-fi - what infantry design do you like best?

[NecroLord]

 

[The Brazilian Slaughter]

ngl I am a big sucker for the Big Bulky Full-Armor. Bonus points if the armor has creepy-looking eyes. My Right Wing Death Squads will look like a mix of this, Brazilian Imperial soldiers and Medieval Portuguese Soldiers. Gotta look like a walking tank, which is so cash.

I think the Golden Age of sci-fi retro-tights look is cool as hell, too - especially on women.

I always find it surreal when you have some advanced sci-fi setting, and apparently they can't even spare some kevlar. I mean, you're telling me that your civilization has interstellar space travel, but no powered armor?

SS's "Panzerklein" are a good analogy. They are an challenge for normal infantry, but not completely insurmountable. Size-wise they can operate inside buildings and move around roughly like normal infantry can. Carry heavier weapon systems, which opens up new opportunities. Heavily armored, but still vulnerable to "normal" weapon systems. Will struggle against APCs and tanks, can be taken down by anti-materiel weapons etc.

Realistic Mini-Mecha are so much better and cooler than those stupid-ass giant impractical bots.

I'm a big fan of the Ride Walkers from Megaman X, myself.

 

[PsihoKekec]

I am rather particular to the Helghasts

 

[Alienman]

Not sure how useful glowing eyes would be in a nighttime combat operation

 

[NecroLord]

Not sure how useful glowing eyes would be in a nighttime combat operation

Rule of Cool.

 

[mondblut]

Not sure how useful glowing eyes would be in a nighttime combat operation

"Never let the silly notions of practicality and common sense get in the way of awing smoothbrains with cool imagery" - games workshop

 

[deuxhero]

Sci-fi infantry should be robots or human(oid)s fighting robots.

 

[NaturallyCarnivorousSheep]

I like when they look like a rainbow unicorn

 

[Taka-Haradin puolipeikko]

There was this sci-fi book where decadent empire used human-animal hybrids as infantry; at the end pig-human hybrids took empire over and started to use human-ferret hybrids, which was somehow a bad thing (empire committed routinely atrocities before pigs took over).
Don't remember what book was called or who wrote it.

 

[Morgoth]

They should all be fighting naked again, like in the Bronze Age. Or modern-day Sweden.

 

[Taka-Haradin puolipeikko]

They should all be fighting naked again, like in the Bronze Age.

You do know that pictures drawn on pottery aren't photographs.

 

[Fargus]

I don't like retro futuristic armor it looks retarded and bulky sci fi spacer is just generic and overdone. So edgy sci fi "vietnam" all the way.

 

[Hace El Oso]

What I like best aesthetically and what rings truest to me is something like what Heinlein wrote into The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, crossed with '70s-2000s 'commando casual'. Small groups of professionals. The goon squad, toon patrol, etc. Plain clothes. Pistols, submachine guns, carbines and hand grenades.

Total recall did this look really well.

I like powered exoskeleton soldiers

Totally forgot about these. I remember they looked a bit awkward in that Tom Cruise movie, but it's a cool sci-fi concept.

The earliest example of this that I know of, and described in detail, is in the Starship Troopers novel. The 'cap troopers' (capsule troopers) use powered, armored suits probably most similar to a gorilla-like, heavier version of Fallout power armor complete with jump jets. Climbing inside individual capsules, they're dropped out of tubes on their troopships while in orbit, with their capsule bursting open in atmosphere and their fall being retarded by parachutes. They do their mission and rendezvous with a shuttle at a planned pickup location. Very realistic, conceptually. The best artistic depiction of it as described is probably this:

That's a rocket with a modest atomic warhead, of course, given the scale of distances and rather small number of troops involved in these operations.

Depends on setting, but for some reason I like Napoleonic or Renaissance in space.

Any examples?

The clothing and personal equipment of nobles in the first Dune book were like this. Essentially rapier and dagger fights with more lethality. 'He's been taking lessons with [Insert Fencing Master]?!?!" It's an interesting idea, it reminds me of Dumas' writing like Le Chevalier d'Harmental.

 

[The Decline]

I like powered exoskeleton soldiers

Totally forgot about these. I remember they looked a bit awkward in that Tom Cruise movie, but it's a cool sci-fi concept.

The earliest example of this that I know of, and described in detail, is in the Starship Troopers novel. The 'cap troopers' (capsule troopers) use powered, armored suits probably most similar to a gorilla-like, heavier version of Fallout power armor complete with jump jets. Climbing inside individual capsules, they're dropped out of tubes on their troopships while in orbit, with their capsule bursting open in atmosphere and their fall being retarded by parachutes. They do their mission and rendezvous with a shuttle at a planned pickup location. Very realistic, conceptually. The best artistic depiction of it as described is probably this:

That's a rocket with a modest atomic warhead, of course, given the scale of distances and rather small number of troops involved in these operations.

Eh, that looks quite a bit off from what I imagined, I prefer this version:

 

[Hace El Oso]

Eh, that looks quite a bit off from what I imagined, I prefer this version:

The problem with this one is that he specifically talks about the nukes being fired via shoulder-fired rocket launcher, with other various explosives and noisemakers held in the ‘hump’ able to be set to dispense in a user-set pattern while jump-jetting.

(Of course, you can imagine whatever you like.)

 

[NecroLord]

What I like best aesthetically and what rings truest to me is something like what Heinlein wrote into The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, crossed with '70s-2000s 'commando casual'. Small groups of professionals. The goon squad, toon patrol, etc. Plain clothes. Pistols, submachine guns, carbines and hand grenades.

Total recall did this look really well.

I like powered exoskeleton soldiers

Totally forgot about these. I remember they looked a bit awkward in that Tom Cruise movie, but it's a cool sci-fi concept.

The earliest example of this that I know of, and described in detail, is in the Starship Troopers novel. The 'cap troopers' (capsule troopers) use powered, armored suits probably most similar to a gorilla-like, heavier version of Fallout power armor complete with jump jets. Climbing inside individual capsules, they're dropped out of tubes on their troopships while in orbit, with their capsule bursting open in atmosphere and their fall being retarded by parachutes. They do their mission and rendezvous with a shuttle at a planned pickup location. Very realistic, conceptually. The best artistic depiction of it as described is probably this:

That's a rocket with a modest atomic warhead, of course, given the scale of distances and rather small number of troops involved in these operations.

Depends on setting, but for some reason I like Napoleonic or Renaissance in space.

Any examples?

The clothing and personal equipment of nobles in the first Dune book were like this. Essentially rapier and dagger fights with more lethality. 'He's been taking lessons with [Insert Fencing Master]?!?!" It's an interesting idea, it reminds me of Dumas' writing like Le Chevalier d'Harmental.

The A-Team.

 

[The Brazilian Slaughter]

This is what I want to wear, fuck society.

Not sure how useful glowing eyes would be in a nighttime combat operation

Intimidation.

 

[Hace El Oso]

Whoops, I left off the last part of my post.

If the setting really calls for pitched battles (especially somewhere like Titan or who knows where) and uniformed troops, then I do prefer, essentially, the ‘Boba Fett’ look. Flight suit, lighter armor and helmet that clearly serves as much for communication/targeting/breathing as for battle protection. It’s similar to Aliens without the obvious retrograde elements like the loose, open faced steel pot helmets but still with personal touches. I actually find it more believable. Light and practical, real prestige:

Though, there is no prosthetic for the killer personality.

 

[NecroLord]

This is what I want to wear, fuck society.

Not sure how useful glowing eyes would be in a nighttime combat operation

Intimidation.

I like the Advanced Power Armor more:

 

[Shadowfang]

Always liked the look of the soldiers on these sketches of Infantry Online. They also looked well in game but with no where near with this level of detail.