User blog:SilencedSkies/Body Armor: A Comparison.

Having been a science fiction fan since birth, i find myself doing my utmost to learn about the armor systems of the various games i play. Because there are so many different games that involve unique body armor of some sort or another, i shall condense this to a more managable list of 5 different suits: The N7 armor of Mass Effect, Mjolnir of Halo, Aquila of Warhammer 40,000, Nanosuit of Crysis and the T-51b of Fallout. The first observation i will make is that these suits are either fully powered armor, as in the armor supports in own weight, or semi powered, in that it augments the wearer's strength and assists in the heavy lifting. The comparisons shall be protectiveness, hazmat protection, and practicality.

Protectiveness:

The N7 suit of Mass Effect is fairly protective, covering the major organs and arteries with hardened plates and kinetic padding. However, it leaves major joints to be protected by the kinetic barriers. Of the various armors i'm comparing, i felt that the N7 armor is the most modular, accepting aftermarket parts and upgrades. 8 of 10 armor plates.

Mjolnir MK VI of Halo is also fairly protective, heavy armored plates protecting major arteries and organs. This suit also has smaller plates protecting the inside of the thighs. However, it costs several million credits per suit, enough to build a battle group of ships according to several books. 8.5 of 10 armor plates.

The Aquila MK VII power armor worn by the Ultramarines is actually very protective and fully powered, letting the operator focus on handling weapons and equipment. very heavy armor plates protect the user's entire body. However, the armor requires a nuclear battery to function properly and this can be detonated to very messy effect. 8 of 10 armor plates.

The Nanosuit is reverse engineered Ceph tech made by Jack Hargreave during the 19th century. The Nanosuit is composed a titanium "skeleton" around a proprietary nano muscular suit. the Nanosuit is very lightweight and designed specifically for hit and runs attacks. The suit's outer surface can change composition to become an incredibly hard, near unbreakable surface, dubbed armor mode. Armor mode consumes energy, however and the suit has a limited amount of energy avaliable at any given time. 8.5 of 10 armor plates.

The T-51b armor of Fallout was designed by the US Government to counter the Red Chinese threat in the Fallout canon. The T-51b is similar in shape to the Aquila power armor of Warhammer 40,000; with prominent shoulder plates and chestpiece. The T-51b is fully powered and augments the user's weight. However, there are areas of the armor that don't protect soft areas, like the stomach. 6.75 of 10 armor plates.

Hazmat Protection:

The N7 suit is vacuum rated, meaning that it uses an isolated air supply, meaning that it can be used in poisonous or toxic environments. However, i have no data on whether or not it can be used in radiation. 8 of 10 gas masks.

Mjolnir MK VI is vacuum rated for 90 minutes of hard vacuum and can be used in toxic or poisonous environments. From various canon sources, the Mjolnir armor can resist radiation, a fact 343 Guilty Spark attests to when he claims that S-117's armor is an "environment skin" 10 of 10 gas masks.

The Aquila MK VII power armor is compatible with a disproportionately small helmet that can be used in vacuum, meaning that it can be at least used for hazardous environments. I'm not sure about radiation, but the sheer thickness of the armor plating means that it at least inhibits radiation. 8 of 10 gas masks.

The Nanosuit has a sealed air supply, meaning that it can be used underwater and in hazardous environments, such as areas with poison gas or airborne contaminants. The armor mode of the Nanosuit or reported to be at least resistant to radiation. 8.25 of 10 gas masks.

the T-51b armor is likely to be airtight, but no source i have seen gives a definitive yea or nay. judging from the pipes running all over the helmet, i would assume that it is airtight. In game sources tell me that the T-51b is at least resistant to radiation, meaning that it can be used for a certain amount of time in radioactive areas. 7.75 of 10 gas masks.

Practicality

The N7 suit is somewhat impractical. Putting on and taking off the suit seems time consuming and various bits would get in the way of each other. 5 of 10 zippers.

The Mjolnir MK VI is rather impractical, requiring a mechanized gantry to remove or apply the suit and requiring specialized tools in the event of manual removal. 3 of 10 zippers.

The Aquila MK VII is very impractical. The shoulder plates are far too large to comfortably wield a two handed weapon and the armor itself seems very difficult to put on or take off in the event of manual removal due to its weight. 2 of 10 zippers.

The Nanosuit is less impractical then the other armors in this list because the interface allows the user to remove the suit piece by piece. But, in the event of forced removal due to death of the operator, the retieval unit must use a surgical device to forcibly "rip" the suit from the operator. 6 of 10 zippers.

T-51b suits are almost as impractical as the Aquila, due to the mechanized gantry that must transport the unused armor and the team of mechanics needed to calibrate the armor. The shoulder plates also restrict movement, preventing the operator from using significantly longer weapons then most small arms. for instance, using a long barreled sniper rifle would be difficult because the large shoulder plates would prevent the sniper from holding his rifle properly. 3 of 10 zippers.

Final scores

I will now average each suit's scores into their overall score and whichever has the highest is superior.

N7 suit: 5+8+8=21. 21/3=7. 7 is the final score.

Mjolnir Mk VI: 3+10+8.5=21.5 rounded up to 22. 22/3= 7.3. 7.3 is the final score.

Aquila MK VII: 2+8+8=18. 18/3+6. 6 is the final score.

Nanosuit: 6+8.25+8.5=23.75 rounded up to 24. 24/3=8. 8 is the final score.

T-51b: 3+7.75+6.75= 17.5 rounded up to 18. 18/3=6. 6 is the final score.