101 replies to this topic

[MauttyKoray]

Disclaimer: Since people are taking this way too seriously, yes I would like the Flea in, call me a masochist if you want. However this topic is more meant as a joke...sorta, go ahead and unrustle your jimmies.

Just look at how beautiful it is, and its even next to the hunchie. (ignore the scale)


Credit: Paper Mechs by Hitman85

Edited by MauttyKoray, 24 January 2016 - 04:46 PM.

[RestosIII]

The Flea would be worthless everywhere but Polar Highlands. I still want it.

[FupDup]

It's still just a laser Locust with a somewhat lower engine cap and worthless MASC Mk. I.

[martian]

MauttyKoray, on 24 January 2016 - 11:15 AM, said:

Just look at how beautiful it is, and its even next to the hunchie.

Well, maybe it's beautiful, but other than that? Yes, I know that one model comes with MASC.

I mean, there is the Locust already in MWO ...

[MauttyKoray]

martian, on 24 January 2016 - 11:23 AM, said:

Well, maybe it's beautiful, but other than that? Yes, I know that one model comes with MASC.

I mean, there is the Locust already in MWO ...

That doesn't stop people from wanting it, I mean, the Urban Mech is in MWO.

[FupDup]

MauttyKoray, on 24 January 2016 - 12:10 PM, said:

That doesn't stop people from wanting it, I mean, the Urban Mech is in MWO.

It's almost as if the Urbanmech is a lot more iconic/famous and unique than the Flea...

[Y E O N N E]

FupDup, on 24 January 2016 - 12:11 PM, said:

It's almost as if the Urbanmech is a lot more iconic/famous and unique than the Flea...

If PGI wants my money, they have only a few 'Mechs they can release right now under their own restrictions to get it. Although I don't often bring it up, the Flea is one of them.

[Cranial Enigma]

I would rather have the firemoth so we would have a 20 tonner for clans, but that is my opinion. We need more 20 tonners anyways.

[Lugh]

RestosIII, on 24 January 2016 - 11:18 AM, said:

The Flea would be worthless everywhere but Polar Highlands. I still want it.

The spider needs to look down on something...

[Monkey Lover]

i just want JJ on my locust.

[martian]

MauttyKoray, on 24 January 2016 - 12:10 PM, said:

That doesn't stop people from wanting it, I mean, the Urban Mech is in MWO.

1) The UrbanMech is more popular than the Flea. I guess we can agree on that.
2) The UrbanMech was unique - the Flea not so much. The Locust offers almost everything what the Flea could offer.

[Variant1]

the flea is nothing like the locust it seems more std engine friendly and has masc. it is a unique and awsome mech! I WANT IT NAOOOOO.

[Coolant]

Just looks like another light mech to me.

[Tarogato]

Max engine for the Flea is supposed to be 170. Which means that the top speed is 148.0 kph. Only one variant (FLE-17) has MASC, and that tops out at 162.8 kph. If the engine cap for the Flea was raised to 180, the top speed would be 156.7 kph and the variant with MASC would top out at 172.4 kph. Alternatively, if engine rating was locked in at 170, then MASC Mk.1 could be buffed from 10% to 17% and the Flea would still only go 173 kph (barely any faster than the our old Commando)

So yay, ever since the Speed Tweak Nerf, the MASC variant of the Flea is well within the constraints of the netcode. Let's get some Fleas!

The good thing about the Fleas is that they have LOTS of hardpoints. Well... they *should* have lots of hardpoints. They have more hardpoints than stock Locusts, so it makes sense to me that with hardpoint inflation each of the Flea's would have 5-8 hardpoints... which is a lot. And there is the possibility for a Hero variant with six MGs.



Here's my old post with theorycraft, but some of the info is outdated (skill tree nerfs) and I think Imgur is broken right now so images aren't showing up:

Tarogato, on 05 September 2015 - 02:01 AM, said:

Flea (20 tons, Inner Sphere battlemech)

(MWO concept art repaint above by Blackfang) (MWO-style 3D model by confracto) (MW4-style 3D model above from MC:Omnitech mod)

- Sarna article here


So, the Flea. Contrary to common belief, it does not go faster than MWO can handle. With maximum engine (170 rating) it travels 148.0 kph with 7.5% Speed Tweak (updated from 10%) and MASC brings it up to 162.8 kph in bursts. Yup, not even as fast as the Spider. MASC could be buffed to 14% and the Flea would still be fine. (currently, the Inner Sphere MASC MK.I boosts speed by a mere 10%). So, it's a 20-ton mech that runs slower than the Locust. And as far as I can tell, only one of the variants can actually equip MASC at all. So does it at least have good hardpoints?

Well, yes, actually. Maybe. Let's consider the following variants according to their stock/tabletop/lore loadouts. There are only three standard variants in timeline, and the Fire Ant is a 3058 variant that could easily be used in MWO as a Hero mech since it doesn't use any advanced tech.

FLE-17 --- has 5 energy and MASC
FLE-4 ----- has 4 energy
FLE-15 --- has 5 energy and 2 ballistic
Fire Ant -- has 3 energy and 6 ballistic

Here's the approach I'm taking to the Flea:

- Only the FLE-17 can equip MASC
- All variants should have the same number of hardpoints
- MASC counts as a hardpoint
- two ballistics are worth one hardpoint
- larger stock weapons translate to more MWO hardpoints (hardpoint inflation)

That said, here are the hardpoints I would expect (hope!) the variants to have in MWO

Here's the hardpoints, fingers crossed:

FLE-17 (TRO details) (produced 2475)
<LA> 2 energy
<LT> 1 energy
<CT> 1 energy, MASC
<RT> 1 energy
<RA> 2 energy

FLE-4 (TRO details) (produced 2475)
<LA> 2 energy
<LT>
<CT> 2 energy
<RT>
<RA> 4 energy

FLE-15 (produced 2519)
<LA> 3 energy
<LT> 1 ballistic
<CT> 1 energy
<RT> 1 ballistic
<RA> 3 energy

Fire Ant (produced 3058)
<LA> 3 ballistic
<LT> 2 energy
<CT> 1 energy
<RT> 2 energy
<RA> 3 ballistic

All variants above have 8 hardpoints (with each pair of ballistics counting as one and each MASC counting as one). With this sort of armament, I would expect the Flea to fill a niche that the Locust doesn't - excessive boating of small weapons. With max engine, we have 7 tons to work with. We can easily get 7.5 by stripping an arm, and manage 8 tons by stripping both arms and the head.

Here's the builds:

FLE-17
- 7x SPL
- 6x SPL or ML + MASC
- 7x SL + 3x DHS + MASC

FLE-4
- 8x SL + 3x DHS
- 6x SPL + 2x SL

FLE-15
- 6x ML + 1x DHS
- 5x ML + 2x MG (1 ton ammo)
- 7x SL + 2x MG (1.5 tons ammo) + 1x DHS

Fire Ant
- 5x SL + 6x MG (1.5 tons ammo)
- 4x ML or SPL + 4x MG (1 ton ammo)
- 5x ML + 3x DHS
- 3x MPL + 2x DHS










I think without the hardpoint inflation I prescribed above, the Flea won't be a worthwhile mech. It needs the following positive characteristics to be viable:

- firepower (hardpoints) to make up for the lack of sheer speed
- tiny size (perhaps a smaller profile than the Locust)
- extraordinary maneuverability OR strong structure quirks (because fleas are impossible to squish IRL, right? )

<soapbox> I'm not a fan Alex's concept of the Flea for MWO. In my opinion, it doesn't look anything like any of the previous incarnations of the Flea in the BattleTech/MW IP and it shares too much in common with the Locust (in fact, I would go as far as to say that Alex/PGI simply decided to recycle the Flea art to produce the concept art for the Locust). I personally wish the Flea to be a more boxy mech, something that you could tell is derived from the original TRO art that resembles an AT-ST, kinda like how the Urbie is likened to a trashcan. Alex is very good at this sort of thing and I would be delighted to see what else he could come up with without making it too much resemble the Locust. It needs to be its own thing. </soapbox>

[TheCharlatan]

I'd buy the flea.
Especially if there was a 6+ MG variant.
Please PGI, i need a light mech with lots of quirked MGs. I don't care if it's useless. I just want it.

[Sigmar Sich]

I want Flea in the game. There are ways to make it different to Locust (lower engine cap, or MASC will kill hitreg, agility quirks), and small side torsos. More differences than some other chassis have.

Quote

[Red Shrike]

GIB FLEA! FLEA WHEN?!

I've been waiting for the Flea ever since they showed the concept art. I haven't stopped waiting since.

[Bishop Steiner]

MauttyKoray, on 24 January 2016 - 11:15 AM, said:

Just look at how beautiful it is, and its even next to the hunchie. (ignore the scale)


Credit: Paper Mechs by Hitman85

we don't,. but I am not against it.

It would be essentially worthless, but I am not one to let that bar a mech from existing.. a lot of my favorite mechs, actualyl are kinda bad (as uber perfect meta mechs are boring, even in TT)

I'm a pretty big proponent of wabi-sabi though. I find the teutonic drive for "perfection" sterile and boring, outside of the obvious mandatory applications, like oh...rocket science, lol.

Red Shrike, on 24 January 2016 - 02:24 PM, said:

GIB FLEA! FLEA WHEN?!

I've been waiting for the Flea ever since they showed the concept art. I haven't stopped waiting since.

that flea model is cool as heck

[Lupis Volk]

MauttyKoray, on 24 January 2016 - 11:15 AM, said:

Just look at how beautiful it is, and its even next to the hunchie. (ignore the scale)


Credit: Paper Mechs by Hitman85

Gimme, gimme, gimme NAO!

RestosIII, on 24 January 2016 - 11:18 AM, said:

The Flea would be worthless everywhere but Polar Highlands. I still want it.

Oddly i enjoy mechs that are kicked to the curb by the "meta" or the community.

[JP Josh]

the thing i see the flee being better is harder to spot than the locust and giving a heads up to team/ marking for lrm boats and if it has a flamer it can stop lazer vomits from cooling down to a point.... but other than that its goin be dead weight.