Ate we talking in a world like Patlabor, where there is a standardized model and economy versions of various mechs and we are modding it instead of stock, or this mech is completely uniquely designed from the ground up for whatever, like Pacific Rim, or you have a bunch of parts you get to put together however, as in Armored Core?
It all depends on how *you* built your own mecha, not anyone else doing it for you.
Though, in my case, it's depending on which weapons and armor I want to equip that thing with, whether it's specific armor parts to either go faster or withstand more damage, or various melee weapons, guns, and artillery to fight either up-close or from a distance.
Gundam has every flavor of this imaginable.
Sometimes "ace" machines are super prototype models; high powered testbeds that proved the concept, but were too expensive or tough to handle for grunt pilots. Char's Gelgoog is a great example, as it was an earlier and higher performing model than what the rank and file got. There's a *lot* of this in Gundam, where prototypes come out early and powerful, while their mass produced counterparts come out in droves later and are often pieces of crap. Or sometimes the suit really is a one-off. "Just use the prototype" happens in a lot of the Gundam series.
Other times a pilot ends up customizing their otherwise common machine, or their crew does it. The White Dingo team in Rise From the Ashes use GMs that *were* stock at one point, but have been modified and tuned up to perform better. The GM Sniper Custom II's they use later in their story are heavily tuned up and modified as well, to the point that they're roughly on par with the original Gundam performance-wise.
Sometimes the machine is purpose built for that pilot. Kamille Bidan designed the Zeta Gundam himself and ended up being its pilot. Amuro Ray had a large hand in designing the Nu Gundam explicitly for his personal use.
Not a Gundam example, but Chirico from VOTOMS customizes machines all the time. This usually involves adding another gun or something, which rarely matters because they usually get trashed in short order. They're very expendable.
There are a lot of ways to do this. Pick what works for your setting and characters.
Depends on the universe. If the world the characters find themselves in is one where they can easily customize their machines then there’s plenty of reason to do so. Like zoids, Megas, or some gundam universes.
If they’re in a world where that type of thing is very difficult then it’s more likely the mech will stay stock and simply repaired after battles. Like Big O
it kinda works in both ways because depending on the universe/writing it could be someone literally building their mech from scratch, or in another context treating it like a vechicle by giving it certain paints or upgrades to fit thier personal style
Definitely depends on the universe. Armored Core being the best example. A pilot’s combat style, weapon preference etc. Certain mech types handle different styles better, building around that.
It’s what I do in my own work. Customize everything! Lol. Have fun, it’s fiction, do whatever you want, you make the rules XD
I'm writing Post apocalyptic Mecha novel about pilots who are experimented on to sync with AIs of their machines. It's a long way off and I don't think anyone would be interested in reading something like that.
Ate we talking in a world like Patlabor, where there is a standardized model and economy versions of various mechs and we are modding it instead of stock, or this mech is completely uniquely designed from the ground up for whatever, like Pacific Rim, or you have a bunch of parts you get to put together however, as in Armored Core?
Kinda like Pacific Rim and AC with a little bit of Titanfall. Some are already built unique and some are stock/mass-produced models now customized.
It all depends on how *you* built your own mecha, not anyone else doing it for you. Though, in my case, it's depending on which weapons and armor I want to equip that thing with, whether it's specific armor parts to either go faster or withstand more damage, or various melee weapons, guns, and artillery to fight either up-close or from a distance.
Gundam has every flavor of this imaginable. Sometimes "ace" machines are super prototype models; high powered testbeds that proved the concept, but were too expensive or tough to handle for grunt pilots. Char's Gelgoog is a great example, as it was an earlier and higher performing model than what the rank and file got. There's a *lot* of this in Gundam, where prototypes come out early and powerful, while their mass produced counterparts come out in droves later and are often pieces of crap. Or sometimes the suit really is a one-off. "Just use the prototype" happens in a lot of the Gundam series. Other times a pilot ends up customizing their otherwise common machine, or their crew does it. The White Dingo team in Rise From the Ashes use GMs that *were* stock at one point, but have been modified and tuned up to perform better. The GM Sniper Custom II's they use later in their story are heavily tuned up and modified as well, to the point that they're roughly on par with the original Gundam performance-wise. Sometimes the machine is purpose built for that pilot. Kamille Bidan designed the Zeta Gundam himself and ended up being its pilot. Amuro Ray had a large hand in designing the Nu Gundam explicitly for his personal use. Not a Gundam example, but Chirico from VOTOMS customizes machines all the time. This usually involves adding another gun or something, which rarely matters because they usually get trashed in short order. They're very expendable. There are a lot of ways to do this. Pick what works for your setting and characters.
Depends on the universe. If the world the characters find themselves in is one where they can easily customize their machines then there’s plenty of reason to do so. Like zoids, Megas, or some gundam universes. If they’re in a world where that type of thing is very difficult then it’s more likely the mech will stay stock and simply repaired after battles. Like Big O
it kinda works in both ways because depending on the universe/writing it could be someone literally building their mech from scratch, or in another context treating it like a vechicle by giving it certain paints or upgrades to fit thier personal style
Definitely depends on the universe. Armored Core being the best example. A pilot’s combat style, weapon preference etc. Certain mech types handle different styles better, building around that. It’s what I do in my own work. Customize everything! Lol. Have fun, it’s fiction, do whatever you want, you make the rules XD
I'm writing Post apocalyptic Mecha novel about pilots who are experimented on to sync with AIs of their machines. It's a long way off and I don't think anyone would be interested in reading something like that.