MS-18E Kämpfer

[Kagimizu]

MS-18E Kämpfer
Tier: 6 (Rare)
Armor Class: Light
Weight Capacity: 20 (+20 for ranged weapons only)
Terrain: Ground/Hover/Space
Price:

Aim: +1
Mobility: +1
Speed: +2
Evasion Rating: 14

Melee Bonus: 50
Range Bonus: 80

Durability (1200 total)

Special Features

• "E" for "Einhauen": +2 Speed, +10 ranged damage bonus. Reduces default reload capacity from 2 to 0. Cannot be equipped with "Ammo Storage" enhancement.
• Weapon Racks (Kämpfer): +20 bonus weight capacity for ranged handheld weapons only. Once a handheld artillery weapon reaches zero ammo, it cannot be stored and must be disposed of. Mounted, installed, and integrated weapons do not benefit from this feature and must fit within its normal weight capacity.

Equipment Space

• Melee x2
• Guns: x2
• Artillery: x5

Weapons

• 
  

[Ransac]

MS-18E Kämpfer

The Kampfer has never demonstrated flight capability under gravity. Flight indicates it can move freely in the air. The Kampfer's "flight" is a actually a glorified hover achieved by sheer forward thrust. It barely lifts it above the ground. And this has only been seen inside of a colony, where gravity has consistently demonstrated less influence over mobile suits across Universal Century material. This is consistent in what has been visually demonstrated and represented in other media such as G Generation, where it shares the same stats for Space and Ground, but has no stat in Air.

Furthermore, the numerous high output thrusters means the mobile suit burns fuel at a incredible pace, which gives the Kampfer a very limited fuel supply. This makes it nearly impossible to sustain actual flight for any extended duration.

"It was equipped with numerous thrusters and verniers to achieve high maneuverability. Conversely, the large number of thrusters resulted in higher fuel consumption rate, limiting its operational time."

Bandai can say anything in a video, they're not required to actually research it. But if it contradicts what other official Gundam media has demonstrated, then it cannot be considered a valid source. If you want to implement a serious change to a mobile suit over a single contradictory source, with no additional research to confirm that source's accuracy and without approaching others for input to evaluate and discuss it, then do not make that change for it is not your decision to make. It is the same thing you have accused me of.

Reference Images:

SPOILER: Click to show

[Wingstrike]

Colony gravity is a bit of a mess because it's using centripetal force: the closer you get to the centre of the ring/cylinder, the less of an affect you have. This is how the Kyshatrya and ReZELs can seemingly dogfight "under gravity". However, it does not mean that gravity on the inner surface will magically fluctuate, and should by all reasons normally be 1G. (visual graphic)

As for the Kämpfer "flying", I suspect that might be a mistranslation, especially as the translation of "hover" is Japanisized version of the same word, whereas "fly" actually is a proper word so I wonder if they're more likely to use "fly" regardless. (If you really want to split hairs, hovering is a form of flight anyway)

[Ransac]

I would advise the following changes to the Kampfer to more accurately reflect its proper capabilities:

Terrain: Ground/Space (Standard in UC and reflects its intended colony usage. It has no hover-based equipment to justify Hover as a default terrain)

Melee Bonus: 60 (By enforcing such a massive divide between the bonuses, you are forcing anyone using the Kampfer to basically ignore melee in favor of range)
Range Bonus: 60 (70) (Any higher and upgrades push it to obscene)

Special Ability: Booster Burst/Thruster Turbo (Alliteration is fun)
Effect: For 2-3 turns, the Kampfer maxes out its thrusters, gaining +2 Speed and the Hover terrain for the duration.

Restriction: This ability can only be used once per battle or until refueled. (Reflecting the massive fuel consumption)

Side note: mounting extra fuel tanks would benefit this ability. Just burn up the fuel in the tank and dispose of the dead weight once the ability is done.

Weapons: 60mm Vulcan Gun (Just so it's listed, one of the few Zeon suits to have vulcans)

"E" for "Einhauen": Remove the +10 Range bonus. The Kampfer focuses on disposable weapons, but it has never been explicitly stated to be a pure ranged combatant. Combined with everything else this suit has going for it, the bonus to ranged damage is unnecessary and restrictive to its potential for high versatility.

Exploit Warning:

SPOILER: Click to show

If combined with the Ranged Enhancement upgrade, this gives it an obscene 90 range bonus under your current version.

However, if you absolutely insist on keeping the range bonus, then use the suggested modification to the Melee/Range bonus detailed above.

[Kagimizu]

The hover is because it showed itself to have at least limited flight capabilities. You can't say "it can't fly" using it hovering several meters off the ground, then say "it can't hover". Besides, during the fight with 'Alex' it was explicitly shown evading Vulcan fire without moving its legs. That can only mean that yes, the Kampfer has innate hover capability even without going almost flat on the ground. It did the same when it drew its beam saber and moved to rush the Alex.

And that, meanwhile, brings us to the Ranged/Melee divide. The Kampfer is a super specialized design by canon; unlike units like the GM Sniper which have specialties but can function outside them, the Kampfer is not designed to perform outside its intended role by any margin. It is focused on one thing and one kind of tactic: infiltrate, raise hell, then get out before anything can so much as sneeze on it. And as such to cause maximum damage it's loaded with a huge arsenal of ranged weapons to blow up and shred its targets as quickly as possible. The Kampfer only broke out its beam sabers when it had literally nothing else except those and its vulcans. And what happened the moment it tried for close combat head-to-head? It got absolutely shredded. To say that this assault-type mech isn't a primarily ranged combatant is to say similar of Virtue or Throne Eins. It's not a "pure" ranged combatant, but it clearly has its specialties.

It has the features and the stats it does for that very reason; to reflect its hyper-specialized design. You can modify or upgrade it to perform outside that role and do so effectively, but the base unit should reflect its base design and performance.

As for not having the vulcans (yet), that's entirely because I can't figure out the metric on which to base their damage and ammo.

[Ransac]

• 60mm Vulcan Gun
  Tier: 6
  Location: Head
  Handling: Integrated
  Quantity: Singular
  Weight: 0
  Weapon Type: Gun (Vulcan)
  Damage Type: Physical
  Damage per Hit: 40
  Rate of Fire: 3
  Bonus Damage: N/A
  Accuracy:
  • Close Range: +1
  • Mid Range: 0
  • Long Range: -1
  Total Ammo: 18
  Rounds before Reload: 6/6

[Ransac]

Considering your current version of the Kampfer has left a later Zeon MS designed for colony use without the Space terrain and given it hover as a permanent feature, implying it can always hover in gravity (That belongs to the Dom, which has and required specialized thrusters for that), I strongly advise you change the Kampfer to Ground/Space and give my suggested ability for this machine a proper consideration.

I have provided an example of the modifications/format I have suggested below.

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MS-18E Kämpfer (MS-18E Kämpfer)
Tier: 6 (Special)
Armor Class: Light
Weight Capacity: 20 (40 if only ranged physical weapons)
Terrain: Ground/Hover/Space
Price: 7,000 Credits

Aim: +1
Mobility: +1
Speed: +1 (+2)
Evasion Rating: 12 (14)

Melee Bonus: 50
Range Bonus: 70 (80)

Durability (1,200 total)

• Mobile Suit: 1,200/1,200

Special Features

• "E" for "Einhauen": +1 Speed, +10 ranged damage bonus. Reduces default reload capacity from 2 to 0. Cannot be equipped with "Ammo Storage" enhancement. Speed bonus is negated if ranged beam weapons are equipped.
• Weapon Racks (Kämpfer): +20 bonus weight capacity for ranged handheld weapons only. Once a handheld weapon reaches zero ammo, it cannot be stored and must be disposed of. Mounted, installed, and integrated weapons do not benefit from this feature and must fit within its normal weight capacity.

Equipment Space

• Melee x2
• Guns: x2
• Artillery: x5

Weapons

• 60mm Vulcan Gun
  Tier: 6
  Location: Head
  Handling: Integrated
  Quantity: Singular
  Weight: 0
  Weapon Type: Gun (Vulcan)
  Damage Type: Physical
  Damage per Hit: 40
  Rate of Fire: 3
  Bonus Damage: N/A
  Accuracy:
  • Close Range: +1
  • Mid Range: 0
  • Long Range: -1
  Total Ammo: 18
  Rounds before Reload: 6/6

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ZUX-197 Jagdgewehr 192mm Shotgun
Specifically designed for assault-type MS, this weapon is of the same type as the one used by the MS-08TX Efreet. It can be loaded via pump-action, or automatically by an electric mechanism.

Tier: 5
Weight: 5
Durability: 250
Weapon Type: Shotgun
Damage Type: Physical/Piercing
Damage: 110
Critical Damage: +22 (132)
Hits per Attack: 1
Accuracy Modifiers:

• Close Range: +1
• Mid Range: +1
• Long Range: -2

Critical Chance: 20
Uses: 9
Price: 1,100 Credits

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T6 Weapon Upgrades based off Kampfer:

• Luna Titanium Ammo: Weapon does critical damage by default, but suffers a -1 penalty to accuracy.
  Restrictions: Physical weapons only
  Price: 175 x tier
• Birdshot: +2 accuracy vs Flying, but deal - (tier x 2) damage.
  Restriction: Physical weapons only
  Price: 150 x tier