10 replies to this topic

[Valensoul]

Hey Guys
I know that mwo is doing variants with weapons hards points. I just googled something and it said that I think mw2 or mw3 allowed weapons loudouts just as long has you had the tonnage to add it? Can someone enlighten me on this and why it isnt in game

Valensoul

[Kyone Akashi]

Balance reasons, mostly.

In the Battletech tabletop game - upon which all the computer games are based - you can technically add anything you want as long as you have the crit space and the tonnage. In terms of the actual background of the setting, however, such customization would be extremely rare and dangerous, as the general decline in technological knowledge and the unavailability of proper tools, diagnostics equipment, and spare parts made "tinkering" with one's BattleMech a very pricey hobby with a huge failure rate.
This is why the customization rules are an optional addition to the core game, usually used to represent unique "heirloom" 'Mechs that have been in possession of some MechWarrior family for generations, or perhaps experimental variants built by some company.

There is also a specific type of BattleMech called OmniMech that comes with easily swappable weapons modules, though. One of the many advantages the Clans have showed up with during their attempted invasion of the Inner Sphere. Obviously, full customization being normal would render this advantage moot.

You might say MWO is going the "middle route", allowing some level of customization to pander to the fans (as tinkering with BattleMechs is great fun for a player) whilst at the same time preventing ludicrous (and unrealistic) killer builds such as a 'Mech with five Gauss Rifles or twenty Medium Lasers. I'm sure we can all agree that we'd rather not see something like that in the game?

Edited by Kyone Akashi, 23 May 2013 - 06:59 PM.

[Valensoul]

ty ok just checking

could it just be based on slot space instead I mean x weapons take this much slot space and and such and just tack it on lol

[Kyone Akashi]

You mean like the customization rules in the Battletech tabletop? Sure, it could be done, but rest assured that players here would then deploy some very "broken" variants on the field. If you dislike jump-jetting PPC-boats or Streak-Cats, those are a far cry from what would, in theory, be possible.

We already have more customization than we should have in terms of the setting, so what we have now is basically a compromise between both extremes - the "anything goes" full customization, and the canon "our techs don't dare swap that gun for fear of your 'Mech melting itself".

But, if you want to play around a little, here is a nifty builder tool that lets you tinker with BattleMechs as per the tabletop rules. Enjoy!

[Stormwolf]

Custom rides are a novelty in the setting, but it is possible to create your own for TT games.
However, you are strictly forbidden to bring a custom mech to a tournament unless it's a official design like the Widowmaker, Yen-Lo-Wang, etc.

Some homebrew games in my old group had you limited to one custom mech (usually for a commander or a ace pilot). I sometimes had a Timber Wolf with 2 ER PPC's, 2 LRM 15's and 1 flamer, though I would swap to a Timber Wolf A or D if we didn't allow customs.

[GumbyC2C]

Most of the time when my group played TT back in the day, we did not allow custom mechs. Your ride had to be something out of the record sheet books. When we played the Mechwarrior RPG, gamemasters would occasionally use the custom mech rules for something special on the story line stuff. Sometimes we would play all custom mech games, but those were rare. You can pretty easily break the game with full customization. For example, I once built a clan-tech mech around in-your-face fighting that featured a 100 tons of 4/6/4 movement with an ultra AC/20 in each side torso and since I kept the hand actuators, any nearby tree became my newest Louisville Slugger. It was just purely abusive and could take down pretty much anything you threw at it in one round. MWO is no different. If you allow people to customize anything, they will figure out how to break it. But customization is fun so you have to allow it in a limited form. People still break it, but not as bad as they might if there were no limits.

[Valensoul]

Well then if we cant have unlimited customizations then least can they let us move the hard point around on the mech some lol

[Stormwolf]

Valensoul, on 24 May 2013 - 01:23 PM, said:

Well then if we cant have unlimited customizations then least can they let us move the hard point around on the mech some lol

There are actual refit rules that allow for such a thing in the expanded rules for the TT.

Though a lot of times refits are limited by your facilities (we don't all own a factory). There are also rules for quality degradation of components for these matters.

[Kyone Akashi]

Yup. Apparently, the supplemental rulebook Strategic Operations (don't have it yet, but it sounds interesting) has extensive rules for this.

http://bg.battletech...p?topic=23494.0

^ also contains some details from the Line Developer regarding customizations and refit work on BattleMechs in the background

[Valensoul]

to bad it isnt in mwo yet was reading sarna pages on mechs just say armaments of weapons but no mention of where the weapons were lol

[Kyone Akashi]

Yeah, this information is included in the TROs (Technical Redouts) or other books, usually in the form of so-called record sheets, akin to the character sheets used in pen&paper RPGs.

The Battletech website has some previews available, in case you're interested: http://bg.battletech.com/?page_id=485