61 replies to this topic

[Mjolnir]

Personally, I want to be able to put decals on our mechs...

[Joseph Mallan]

Just sayin'

[Budor]

S3dition, on 23 March 2013 - 04:32 AM, said:

You should see what your pilot actually looks like... 40 and balding. no joke. That aside, I'd rather have a complete revision of the way pilots look. This is no longer cool:

I want him as my pilot picture. Hero haircut.

[Moromillas]

I think it might be a way to create single unisex pilot. Perhaps they can add more configurable options later, that would be nice.

[Spadio]

Spinal Tap is forever and Adam Steiner was a great man.

[ZnSeventeen]

Gharland The Red, on 22 March 2013 - 01:27 PM, said:

On the note of fluff flavor, I'm kind of missing the feeling of two very very angry mechpilots screaming at the top of their lungs in fury as they stare at each other from powere down mechs. Ahh, those sweet, forced moments of patient glory that I miss from TT/MW.

And if you're going to add in the half naked things, well, remembering some of the old official art, them womens was anything but sexy. xD

The Mechcommander Centurion intro girl was okay if I remember properly. Course I was a teen back then so who knows.

[Strum Wealh]

For the record, not all MechWarriors run around in their skivvies :

"Keeping the ‘Mech pilot cool enough is the basic function of the MechWarrior’s uniform. In a constant search to help its warriors be more comfortable in the hell of a ‘Mech in combat, the AFFS introduced the Cooling Undershirt about ten years ago. Developed by the scientists of Team Banzai and the NAIS, this shortsleeved red undershirt is basically a miniature version of the MechWarrior’s cooling vest. Each strand of the undershirt is actually an extremely small but tough tube that carries water or similar fluid around the wearer’s torso. Though it cannot cool as much as a regular cooling vest, the cumulative effect of the shirt and the vest allows the ‘Mech pilot to withstand even the hottest cockpit in relative comfort.

Spurs, on the other hand, are more a symbol of the pride MechWarriors take in their profession than a utilitarian item of clothing.

Because the bulky cooling vest covers the shoulders, the epaulettes denoting the wearer’s rank are worn over the upper arm instead."
(from the old House Davion soourcebook, which covers up to 3025)

The standard AFFS MechWarrior attire, circa 3025:


AFFS MechWarrior (right) and DCMS MechWarrior (left), circa 3039 or 3048-3049 (cover of Starterbook: Sword and Dragon):


House Davion MechWarrior (front and center), post-3067 (cover of A Time of War):


Combining wicking fabrics (such as those used in modern fencing uniforms; see here and here) with the NAIS-developed Cooling Undershirt technology (described above) could render the flight suits that the in-game MechWarrior avatars are wearing far more practical (and believable) than short-shorts and halter-tops.

[Krievian]

The obvious practical reason for the coolant suit is to create a gender and race ambiguous avatar. Circa 3050 the vast majority of mechwarriors in the Inner Sphere simply used coolant vests and standard neurohelmets, tried and true 500 year old technology that was readily available. The justification behind this pulpy practice was the Battle of Britain mentality where the actual men and women where less valuable then the machines they where piloting. There where exceptions, Draconis Combine Kurita house units used coolant suites and the Eridani Light Horse, a Mercenary unit that descended from a SLDF unit, used light weight combat neurohelmets, because the mentality was to equip those warriors to succeed.

Front line Clan units used coolant suits and ultralight neurohelmets because they had the improve it or lose it mind set that demanded no compromises in equipping warriors.

[Signal27]

Mjolnir, on 23 March 2013 - 04:52 AM, said:

Was that ever cool?

Nope! But we thought it might have been, back then, because most of us were teenaged nerds. Same goes for half the Battletech art. If any of us had known any better, we wouldn't have carried the "nerd" label.

[Hawks]

Strum Wealh, on 23 March 2013 - 05:34 AM, said:

AFFS MechWarrior (right) and DCMS MechWarrior (left), circa 3039 or 3048-3049 (cover of Starterbook: Sword and Dragon):

I love the idea that - in the grim dark world of the 31st century with laser weaponry, faster than light travel and so on - it still all boils down to two blokes twatting each other with spanners

[S3dition]

And the world will never know what that dragon is shooting at...

[Kinilan]

The whole cooling vest and no pants thing never made sense to me. The first time I read about the vest and no pants situation I thought "If it's so damn hot why just a vest? Run some damn tubes through a jumpsuit, way better cooling, problem freaking solved" and then in Main Event along comes Jeremiah Rose and his super special awesome lostech ....jumpsuit with hoses. That's not lostech that is just common sense.

[Signal27]

Kinilan, on 23 March 2013 - 10:22 AM, said:

The whole cooling vest and no pants thing never made sense to me. The first time I read about the vest and no pants situation I thought "If it's so damn hot why just a vest? Run some damn tubes through a jumpsuit, way better cooling, problem freaking solved" and then in Main Event along comes Jeremiah Rose and his super special awesome lostech ....jumpsuit with hoses. That's not lostech that is just common sense.

Remember, Battletech was created in the 80's by people who grew up on 70's science fiction, who for some reason thought stuff like this was cool:

Not even Sean Connery can make an outfit like that something you'd actually want to wear.

Edited by Signal27, 23 March 2013 - 10:44 AM.

[Chemistry Warden]

Guys, Fire retardant flight suits, like what nascar drivers and people who work in refineries wear.

[Karyudo ds]

Kinilan, on 23 March 2013 - 10:22 AM, said:

That's not lostech that is just common sense.

That's one reason I really got a laugh out of the "Lostech" concept. Simple things simply don't exist anymore and because of war no one knows how to make high tech toys either even though in real war we put far more effort in development then outside of it.

Battletech is fun in its own way but realistic is something it never really seemed geared for.

[Commander Kobold]

S3dition, on 23 March 2013 - 10:06 AM, said:

And the world will never know what that dragon is shooting at...

he's head shotting a JJing spider obviously

[jakucha]

S3dition, on 23 March 2013 - 04:32 AM, said:

You should see what your pilot actually looks like... 40 and balding. no joke. That aside, I'd rather have a complete revision of the way pilots look. This is no longer cool:

Oh my God are you kidding? I'd buy that as my pilot if I could.

[stjobe]

S3dition, on 23 March 2013 - 04:32 AM, said:

You should see what your pilot actually looks like... 40 and balding. no joke. That aside, I'd rather have a complete revision of the way pilots look. This is no longer cool:

J. Lewis, Mechwarrior; piloting a pink Rifleman, with facial tribal tattoos, a mullet, and a very shady moustache. How is this not cool?

[Mjolnir]

stjobe, on 23 March 2013 - 11:06 AM, said:

J. Lewis, Mechwarrior; piloting a pink Rifleman, with facial tribal tattoos, a mullet, and a very shady moustache. How is this not cool?

He looks like a ******* son of Jay Leno.

Edit: Really? "Illegitimate son" is censored?

Edited by Mjolnir, 23 March 2013 - 09:10 PM.

[Bogus]

Karyudo ds, on 23 March 2013 - 10:48 AM, said:

That's one reason I really got a laugh out of the "Lostech" concept. Simple things simply don't exist anymore and because of war no one knows how to make high tech toys either even though in real war we put far more effort in development then outside of it.

Battletech is fun in its own way but realistic is something it never really seemed geared for.

In BT's defense Lostech isn't that unrealistic. When Rome fell about 500 years of science and technology got mothballed because those in power basically said "**** it, this is my little dominion and I don't need no steeenking science for my glorious warriors shall carry the day on strength of arms" and many of them ultimately got rolled by Moors and Turks who actually did care about that stuff. For all the crap that the medieval Catholic church has taken over the years, its monasteries were the only institutions in Europe that even bothered with the concept of knowledge.

But the whole 31st century mullet and cutoffs thing is definitely a product of the 80s.