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Bryan Ekman
David Bradley
Anyone else is free to comment as well.
Prelude:
I suggest choices in Mech components. Not from launch, but perhaps after you achieve Elite II rank, or maybe pay a small fee to unlock "Component Specialization", the ability and library of parts to fine-tune your mech on a component level. You would have limited low quality or zero-benefit components upon first unlock, and would earn, discover or scavenge them somehow from the global game environment.
Reasoning:
In todays economy on Terra.. only major military equipment manufacturers make the hardware, and in most cases very few if any third party companies make alternate equipment for the Stock versions of those hardware platforms. But there is a reasonable example of this possibility in the smaller scale of personnel armor and weaponry. A soldier has options in clothing, protective gear, electronics, weapon upgrades, hardpoints, flashlights, lasers, knives and a great many other accessories produced by third parties, which are made to be absolutely compatible with the hardware produced by a major manufacturer. By this example, and in the BT universe, regardless of the great technological depression the Inner Sphere is climbing out of, with inter-planetary and inter-empire economies, there will realistically be a few third party high-end equipment manufacturers. Im sure the systems in a 'Mech are secured by the manufacturer as far as plug-n-play hardware... but lets say that those other companies purchase rights to utilize their API key,
or something similar.
I propose that options for minor yet critical components be made available to provide increased bonuses that align with certain skill trees, or would perhaps allow someone dedicated to one tree, to gain some small benefits from another through the use of alternate or advanced components. In the same way that the Technician or team of techs assigned to a Mechwarrior will keep his 'Mech in prime combat readiness and even provide silly reqeusts like special paint jobs, hula girl on the dash, etc... there should be a means for fine-tuning your war mahcine of choice for maximum combat capability. As a side note, you might also have a Technician companion that might also have their own skill tree for providing bonuses to your 'Mech prior to each phase of combat. That just came to me so I really don't have any examples of how that would play out. Perhaps in another thread after I give it more thought.
A cash generation opportunity might be provided by a RL manufacturer purchasing advertising space to have their logo or corporate colors on these smaller components. Players would be able to recognize or be introduced to name-brands that are used in every day life.
Components List - Head to toe: Include some or all. Add any that I might be missing, but only if they would add some type of bonus. I am not going into types of bonuses for each component category, but lets say a component may have a single small bonus to something that the game mechanics use in rolling damage, etc.. Starting items available might just be for show and have no bonuses at all. Later on better items may have bonuses and advanced or rare items may have more than one bonus. As you read the components, try to envision what kind of point or percentage benefit they might provide.
Cockpit: The couch. The neurohelmet / neurosuit. Neuro connection sub-system for main computer. Coolant vest / suit. Ventilation system. Targeting sub-system. Sisterboards that provide bonuses for components like the BAP, ECM, ECCM, C3, communications suite, Etc. Different main computers may have more slots for sisterboards (call them whatever) or other components. Maybe a certain grade main computer cannot accept a higher grade targeting computer upgrade, etc..
Torso / Legs: Armor brand/series/tier. Internal ventilation system. Heat sinks. Heat sink glow colors. Coolant pump system (for flow). Cooland flushing system (?). Myomer cables. Gyro pack. Joint servos. Torso turret motor and gear pack system. Reactor. Reactor armor. Power distribution system. Batteries. Capacitor system. Weapon bay mods such as localized CPU modules for weapon hardpoints that speed up firing and/or target acquisition time. Ammunition re-loading system. Heat exchange units. Different tread-pattern packs for the feet. Reinforced toe if kicking is ever included. Jump Jet packs: Internal / external. Plasma diversion system for jump jets. Tank size (measured in seconds of maximum burn?) and maybe reaction-mass type for jump jets. (regular for normal jumps, higher grade for higher jumps which = more heat generated). Mine detectors for feet. Mine detonators built in feet (say.. an antipersonnel gauss turret?)
I will not speak about weapons.
The following suggestion, and request is for Alex Iglesias.
From an engineering standpoint, I agree with the refacing. Alex, I salute you. I love internals, I love engineering. I humbly request that you might work on a version of perhaps your Atlas, that is a detailed cross section much like the older internal view of the Vulture. Many of us would love to see (and purchase...) anything with a beautifully rendered industrial view of all the components within a 'Mech. I suppose the Atlas provides some meaty room to place those components within. Icing on the cake would be smaller views of a technician accessing areas like the legs, weapon internals, replacing heat sinks, etc... We love our 'Mechs but I feel that many of us would draw closer to them if we could marvel at the insides and understand that it's not all magic and fictional hardware inside.
Thank you all for reading my latest.. uh, novella.
Edited by TimberJon, 25 February 2012 - 04:24 PM.
