The Fourth Calamity: Starting with Dungeon Slimes

Chapter 142 Planning for Future Mechs

Jiang Chen was quite satisfied with this mecha in all aspects.

It at least satisfied most of his needs.

"All in all, it's pretty good, and most importantly, it's very easy to maintain later on, as the magic circle itself has a built-in repair function."

"However, if there is significant damage, it will still need to be towed back to the factory for maintenance."

Jiang Chen felt that he could barely manage to self-repair.

Although it didn't achieve the kind of repair that Jiang Chen had hoped for, regardless of the severity of the injury, the current research on mechs is only in its early stages, so Jiang Chen naturally wouldn't have too high expectations.

"One defensive mech is enough for me, but considering the future wars, the number of defensive mechs needs to be increased, as does the number of combat mechs."

"Moreover, how should I put it, replicating the defensive mech we currently have is basically unrealistic, mainly due to the characteristics of this mech."

Thinking about this, Jiang Chen couldn't help but ponder.

"Other defensive mechs can't reach this level mainly because of core issues, so as long as we can solve that problem, then high-strength mechs should be able to do it."

"Compared to building those ordinary quality mechs, this high-quality mech is clearly more suitable for my current needs."

"but..."

Although Jiang Chen was satisfied with the mecha, its irreproducibility meant that such a unique item was not actually as significant as he had imagined.

After all, we are now pursuing an industrial route, and the prerequisite for this industrial route is the ability to replicate production on a large scale.

To achieve this, a large number of special cores are needed, and these cores are very difficult to obtain.

After all, you might not encounter that special monster that players fought before a second time.

If you don't use the core, using only these materials to build this defensive mech would be extremely inefficient.

Putting everything else aside, battery life alone is a major problem.

Thinking about this, Jiang Chen also began to ponder.

This type of mech can be classified as a strategic mech in the future.

With large investments and a large scale, the effects that can be achieved are naturally also very large.

Besides strategic mechs, other types of mechs are also needed.

"The technology isn't quite mature yet, but we could consider letting them give it a try."

The final outcome of this mech far exceeded Jiang Chen's initial expectations, clearly demonstrating technological advancements.

It was with this in mind that Jiang Chen began to consider the feasibility of other solutions.

This plan is the small mecha plan.

It doesn't need to be very big; a height of about 5 meters is enough.

The interior can only hold one Pata.

In this way, firstly, there's no need to worry about someone else picking up this thing and using it, because they can't get into the cockpit, and even if they did, they wouldn't know how to operate it.

Secondly, the cost of such a small mech would definitely be much lower, and in terms of functionality, it only needs to be strong enough.

However, this type of mech needs to meet two conditions: first, the player in the pilot's seat must be able to unleash skills.

The second condition is that the mech's defense and self-healing capabilities are much higher than Pata's own.

Of course, the biggest problem with this kind of mecha lies in its technology.

To put it bluntly, smaller mechs may have lower material costs, but they require higher strength and technical specifications.

The first issue is the integrated control chip, which is the biggest problem.

Jiang Chen had considered many solutions to this problem, but so far there hadn't been any suitable ones.

Ultimately, if we want to build this kind of small mech, we must take chip technology into account.

However, it is clear that creating chips in this world is virtually impossible.

However, if an integrated control chip cannot be created, then this mech cannot be made.

Players are now using various special magic circles to replace the functions of mechs and create similar chips.

However, the result is that the chip, which was originally the size of a thumb, now occupies a total area of ​​about 5 meters in length, width, and height inside this mecha.

Only such a huge space could accommodate a chip the size of a fingernail.

Even with all that compression, this area is already comparable to a small mech.

And that is the biggest challenge.

However, Jiang Chen felt that this was something the players should keep in mind. He decided to release the task first, and as for when it would be figured out, there was no rush.

And so, not long after...

Amateur welders, along with Sky Dome and all the members of their two factories, gathered together.

Good news, just as they expected, they received another big order after making a small profit.

"First, I have some good news to share: our mech project was a success. The mechs we built far exceeded the NPCs' expectations, so after paying us extra compensation, the NPCs gave us a new mech manufacturing mission."

Inside the conference hall, the amateur welder explained the current situation simply and clearly.

"It seems that the NPCs want to go down the mecha route. Indeed, in terms of race alone, we are much weaker than other powerful races. Without any external equipment, it will be very difficult to fight."

"While sacrificing lives to fill the gaps is indeed a useful tactic, our numbers are limited, and respawning back on the battlefield takes time. If the front lines can't hold, and we collapse, the enemy can directly push into our base. Therefore, when facing a large number of enemies, mechs can enhance individual combat capabilities and combat duration. Having a certain degree of battlefield control is the most crucial thing."

If the quantity is insufficient, then we can only rely on quality. If the quality itself is not good, then we can only improve the equipment attributes.

This is a very simple path. It's obvious that their current problem is that their equipment quality is somewhat inferior, so the only solution is to improve their equipment.

They had considered smaller mechs before, but no matter how small they made them, the height would still have to be at least 30 meters.

Otherwise, there simply wouldn't be enough room for all the equipment.

After all, this thing first needs to consider the installation and placement of various special equipment. In addition, another thing needs to be considered, which is the mech's own defense and combat capabilities. If both need to be taken into account, the space requirements are indeed very large.

"The forum's building module has attracted many experts, including our mech. We built it after consulting with many of them. We can ask them if they have any good ideas."

"What good solutions are there? It all boils down to a technological gap."

"Our biggest problem lies in this technology."

"If we could solve the technical problems, then everything would be fine. But the problem is that we simply don't have the ability to develop small integrated chips right now."

"As for the far-fetched idea of ​​manufacturing a lithography machine, we can put that aside for now. Our only feasible solution at present is to replace different functions with different magic arrays. Although the chips made in this way are large and have fewer functions, at least they are usable."

"If we want to use this kind of chip, then it's obvious that we won't be able to meet the requirements if we're manufacturing small mechs. Small mechs not only need these things, but also energy, defense, and various other factors. In short, the more integrated it is, the greater the difficulty."

"This type of general-purpose mech is clearly designed to be used by other players in battle, so we also need to consider the possibility of mass production."

After considering all the possibilities, they discovered something outrageous.

Meeting these conditions is virtually impossible.

For a moment, everyone was at a loss. Based on the size of this mecha, they estimated that they only had about one cubic meter of space on their side to accommodate various equipment.

This space is really, really too small.

However, just when everyone was having a headache about this, one player suddenly came up with a brilliant idea.

"Gentlemen, with our current technology, the only way to build this type of mech is to use the old method: we'll go straight for semi-automation."

"Our chip only needs to perform a few simple actions for the mecha, such as running, jumping, and walking. This means that the requirements for the chip are not high, and the mecha's central control does not require too much effort."

"It doesn't take up much space, but the other functions need to be controlled by yourself, which undoubtedly increases the difficulty of operation."

"However, this type of mech is relatively simple to manufacture, making it much easier for us to achieve mass production."

Upon hearing these suggestions, the amateur welder and Sky Dome couldn't help but consider their feasibility.

"It's somewhat similar to an exoskeleton."

"It's just that the degree of automation is quite high, so if you think about it carefully, this idea is also feasible."

As he spoke, the amateur welder began to make plans.

"If we use the best materials and build one according to this concept, approximately how much would it cost?"

Upon hearing this, everyone began to calculate in hushed tones.

"If the materials used are of high quality, the cost of raw materials alone would be at least around one thousand gold coins."

"Including other costs, a single mech would probably cost at least around 3000."

While the cost of 3000 gold coins is significantly lower than that of large mechs, which can easily cost tens of thousands of gold coins, amateur welders know very well that this cost is not affordable for every player.

"This is not a good thing. After taking down the costs, we still need to make a profit. You need to sell it for at least 4000."

"If you buy this mech for 4000 gold coins, and its combat power is far less than others expected, then it can only mean one thing: this mech is a rip-off."

"And that's the biggest problem. If things turn out like that, then our mission will have failed. So there are only two options right now. The first is to reduce costs as much as possible. That way, we can sell it cheaply. Even if we don't meet the highest requirements, as long as the performance isn't terrible, we can still make a living."

"The second option is to make the mecha's performance far exceed expectations, but the cost might not be covered beforehand."

Hearing what the amateur welder said, everyone naturally understood what the situation was.

Simply put, the current situation is a typical example of consumer mentality.

Once the price reaches a certain level, consumers' expectations for the product will be raised infinitely.

If you don't meet this requirement, then you'll basically be considered a scammer, and people won't continue to buy your products.

After listening to their discussion, Tianqiong thought for a moment.

"We can create two mechs for comparison. If we only create one type of mech without comparison, then there's no harm done. No matter how well we do it, it will definitely not meet other people's expectations. So my idea is that we can create several different types."

"I've thought about it for a bit, and I think two types are actually too few. We can produce three sets of general-purpose mechs."

"The first set uses the metal from the previous versions. This metal is very cheap. Along with the various materials and arrays inside, we just make sure it works. The strength it can unleash is only slightly stronger than the original body."

"The price can be set at 500 gold coins. We call this mech a tactical flexible mech. Its main function is to provide a layer of protection for the main body, along with higher mobility and better operating space."

"Under normal circumstances, as long as your skills aren't too bad, the effect you can achieve in battle by piloting this mech won't be too bad."

"It is mainly used for reconnaissance and small-scale combat conflicts."

"Next, we can set up a plus version, which can be priced at around 1500, and we can use the same metal as the previous generation."

"The strength of that generation of metal goes without saying. The mechs made from it, whether in terms of defense or other aspects, are naturally greatly improved. Furthermore, we can inscribe a few more magic circles to greatly enhance its defensive capabilities. Although it may not meet our requirements, it is a qualitative leap compared to the first generation, so that others will have a reference version."

"As for the last generation, it's the MAX version. There's not much to say about this version. It uses our latest generation of metal, which is also the most expensive generation. The design follows our previous ideas, striving to do the best in every aspect. This way, it can be significantly different from the PIus version."

"As for the pricing, we will price it at 4000 per unit, based on a profit margin."

"There are three different versions of the mech in total. Of course, when introducing each version of the mech, we must beautify the materials used, the magic circles depicted, and so on, before putting them on display. This way, many players will have a general idea of ​​the difference, and when they buy the actual product and operate it, they will be able to see the obvious differences."

"Then our problem is solved, isn't it?"

",