In order to maximize the cost-effectiveness of his mechs against the sandman threat, Ves had to make some hard choices.
Concerning the performance of his upcoming spaceborn rifleman mech, he decided to prioritize both offense and mobility over defense.
"In other words, a glass cannon with very powerful wings!"
Defense was by far the biggest resource hog of a mech. Ves decisively gave up on expensive and hard-to-work-with compressed armor systems in order to save a lot of costs.
To resist the sandmen, a mech force had to take it out from a distance. By the time they got close enough to engulf a mech, all the armor slowing it down only delayed the inevitable by a few more seconds.
"Instead, it's much better if my mech can accelerate quickly! The faster it moves, the longer it can take potshots at the approaching sandman vessels!"
