The Intergalactic Highway

So I've had the usual odd conversations lately, most notably about beast wars speed..

Much like Armor and firepower, we haven't really gotten around to figuring what the speed limit would be for a character. Specially in the three main theaters of locomotion.

Land Speed: Land speed is a fun thing.. in the tv show, Cheetor's top land speed was Mach 2, which doesn't sound too unlikely.. considering we currently have reached Mach 1 for land speed, but the closer you are to the ground the more air resistance..

Water speed: Water speed is likely the slowest, you can increase the speed by either traveling over the surface of the water (Like a raceboat) which generally get around 300 mph. Underwater, the fastest animal can do 70 mph, and through the latest technology such speeds or faster could be achieved through the use of a cavitation bubble system.. or some sort of system that adds bubbles to the water reducing the tension and resistance of the water..

Air speed: Clearly the fastest of the group, but just how fast could a Maximal achieve? One of the art books said Optimus Primal could reach Mach 8, which would explain how he goes around the world so quick in the show.. but at those speeds he'd been generating so much friction his body would start to overheat and melt.. Not to mention if flying right, he could of left the atmosphere under his own power..


Which of course would bring the question of Speed vs Acceleration. Easiest way to explain that is a Car has alot of speed, but off the line a motorcycle has more acceleration, it is faster for the first few seconds until the car builds up enough speed to go past it. The same could be said with a jet and a rocket. a Jet engine gives gradual increase of thrust, while a rocket gives a much faster burst of speed which usually runs out quicker.. So why bring this up? Characters that can accelerate quickly, are more suited for quick maneuvers and dodging. Which was brought up before, even though TM Orcariner is fast (speed 7 I believe), his robot mode doesn't have the acceleration/agility to dodge.

Hmm.. I guess my rambling just once again points out more holes in the stat system at the moment..

I definitely agree that in real life there is a disparity between acceleration and top speed (at least in regards to the different locomotion you've presented). Yet, in the show, flyers are able to zip from 0-60 in a fraction of a second. Then again, they're able to slow down pretty quickly after traveling at maximum velocity. I guess what I'm trying to say is that if we're going to accept the cartoon physics, we'll probably have to disregard the contradictions real life has taught us. If Megatron wants to use propellers to jettison himself away from the battlefield in mere seconds upon deployment, then by all means I'll let him do it without complaining.

On the other hand, I also agree that we should still talk about how our OCs are going to act in terms of speed vs acceleration. That's because it directly affects the combat system of the game which in turn affects other players' OCs. Whether it's winding propellers, warming up afterburners, or flapping wings, we all analyze our own characters and see if it's acceptable. Let me clarify that last part. I think the best person to figure out how an OC is going to perform is the creator of that OC. Other people can chip in an critique that performance, but ultimately it's up to the player to decide how things will play out. We've been doing that with character bios, buffing or nerfing entries, so the same concept can be done here. I'll go first.

How I Intend to Play Orcariner (Speed/Acceleration)

His speed [7] is meant to represent two factors: maximum flight velocity and lunging velocity.

Flight

Directly influenced by the now-defunct Skiorsky MH-53, it's safe to say that TM Orcariner will be able to reach roughly 196 mph (315 km/h). While he would still be one of the slowest flyers with only Aurora trailing him by one point, he'd still be faster than any of the land or marine-based characters who have equal or greater speeds. I've written that TM Orcariner's robot mode will be outfitted with more efficient boosters that will actually allow him to fly now. The boost technology is quite powerful since it's intended to push his weight out of the ocean while the propellers warm up. Therefore, his flight in robot mode as well as its acceleration to maximum speed (still at 196 mph) will be up to par with his speed [7].

Lunging

So I've already explained that the boosters (see schematics) are capable of quick linear acceleration. Orcariner's signature offensive attack will be a direct lunge with his sword assisted by these boosters. So, that strike will be equivalent to a speed [7]. The boosters would also allow him to push his body out of harms way (or towards it given his tank role) with such speed. However, I'm not going to have him be as mobile as Waspinator. Orcariner realistically weighs at least 16 tons. Sure, I can push him in one direction, but he's going to struggle doing to the stop-and-turn maneuvers you see a lot of agile folks pull off. If you check the stats of the NFL combine, a 300 lbs. lineman usually maintains the same acceleration as a 200. lbs wide receiver up to the 20 yard line. However, they immensely differ in side-step workouts or directional change routines. Orcariner can dodge a single projectile/strike with his boosts at speed [7], but any evade maneuver afterwards will be closer to speed [3] or less until he stops to a halt, regains composure, and focuses on a single direction again.

Other Speeds

I wrote that his aquatic velocity will peak at around 50 mph. I don't even know what speed to put on this, but let's say it's certainly above average for an Earth animal (land or sea) to maintain this. Unlike his terrain and aerial performances, Orcariner's beast mode is definitely the most agile of the three without the need to use his boosters (although he could). Expect his agility to be identical to his non-TM self. Land speed is also going to be pretty identical to his non-TM self. His agility on foot will probably slightly improved but not enough to break the speed of [3]. I'm not talking about foot movement because even heavy-weights can dance quick on their toes. I'm talking about moving the entire body around in order to evade an incoming projectile. Also keep in mind that although 3 is a low number on the current scale, Rhinox has that same stat and yet was able to move about unencumbered in the middle of the fray. With that being said, Rhinox is the canon character I will be referring to in terms of unassisted body movement speeds. How fast Orcariner can punch, kick, block, dive, etc. will be directly influenced from that character (even though he already is).


Well, that's all I have to write about Orcariner's speed/acceleration. Hope it helps other players figure out what they want to do with their characters. If anyone who's interested in trying to cement a particular ruling on character speed/acceleration and wants to critique Orcariner, by all means do it to it.

So..going based off that.. and going based off Cheetor's top speed of 10 being mach 2... 0_o Your speed stat might be too high or helicopter speed too slow. 0_o Well, I mean I understand being around those speeds for a helicopter.. since You don't want to do Mach anything in a helicopter..

hmm.. For Season 1 Glowstick (Speed 5), I estimated his top speed in robot mode was around 500 mph in the sky, I figured he couldn't go any faster then that since he used Duct fan technology.. so in essence, his robot mode at top speed could fly like a propeller aircraft. But that's in a straight line. While his dodge speed probably being higher then alot of the other fliers considering his flight system involves floating and then using his siphon to throw him in a direction.

His beast mode flight speed being more.. like 15 mph which is pretty good considering his beast mode land speed is whatever he can drag himself at..*L*

Robot land speed, ironicly I'd also say around 20 if he's really booking it, but lets face it, Glowstick hates walking. He'd rather float around like Jetstorm all day.

While his water speed being around 30 mph, which in the water is pretty fast. Fastest water animal is 70 mph after all..

Season 2 really doesn't change all that much, since his speed is 6, his beast mode will probably be faster then his robot mode being more stiffly constructed now, possibly breaking the sound barrier, while his top land speed being around 5 mph if he's using his legs. I guess in beast mode that means underwater, 40 mph if we're going by your stat.