(10-16-2013, 09:24 PM)kandrathe Wrote: I'd add that for me, I'd say that for the amount of resources devoted into each Jaeger, I'd expect them to be a bit more durable in battle. If all my eggs are in a single Jaeger basket, I'd have made them more A10 warthog durable (redundant systems).
The Jaeger builders were still limited by the resources, and time. The Jaegers were built as a response to the Kaijus. The Kaiju incursion beasts had more than 65 million years to be developed. That's a tough hurdle to climb in a short amount of years. The Russian Mark-1 Jaeger was very durable - at least until the final Category-4 Kaiju attack. It had no business even lasting beyond Category-2 attacks. The young Aussie pilot had it right when he said that Jaegers were only as good as their pilots.
As for redundant systems like an A10 Wartog - the Gipsy Danger survived having half of its piloting system torn off, its left arm torn off, and a deep fissure in the vicinity of its power system. It survived long enough to kill the Category-3 Kaiju and get to shore. I think that a lot of redundant systems were in place and worked perfectly.
edit: there is one glaring plothole I want to see discussed. I want to see if someone else will bring it up before I mention it.