Dracol, on 16 June 2013 - 08:57 AM, said:
For balance purposes:
IS mechs continue with the current customization options
Clan mechs would be limited to the variants available in the tech readouts
By doing this, a clanner has /needs no access to the mechbay, because those exact same variants are almost guaranteed to be the basis for the 3 variants needed to master a chassis.... Meaning clanners must use completely stock configurations with no real possibility for any sort of customization, forcing them to purchase numerous nearly identical mechs and carry weapons they don`t necessarily want, while the IS pilots can continue to min-max to their heart`s content and only need to buy one variant of most chassis (siince they can take whatever weapons fit the hardpoints, regardless of whether a gauss rifle is bigger than an MG or not)? 0.o
Quote
Flavor/Lore connection:
IS mechs (for mercs at least) are their personal ride and open to customization. Any and all builds would be viable since they own it themselves and command would want them in rides they feel they were effective in. (and I know, this doesn't really cover the 6 MG jagers and such...)
Clan mechs and their rigid society have developed configurations of each mech for specific scenarios. When they are prepared for drop, the tech class receives orders from the commander on which variant to out fit each mech.
This is incorrect. Clan PILOTS had infinitely more control over their weapons loadouts than IS pilots had. Otherwise configurations such as `Tashas Widowmaker and Phelan`s Lone Wolf (Dire Wolves), Aidan`s Pryde (Timber Wolf), or Aletha`s Fire Moth would not exist. Considering that Kell used his Lone Wolf alongside the Widowmaker in a TRIAL OF POSITION, that says that they were allowed to customize their personal loadouts even before attaining Mechwarrior status.
Clanners could not alter the internals and hardwired weapons of their mechs, or reconfigure armor and engine size. But the podspace is a free for all.
On the other hand completely rebuilding an IS mech with Lostech and and entirely different weapons loadout took MONTHS, niot minutes.
It`s probably inadvertent, but you are essentially suggesting that actual lore be reversed 100%, where clanners with quickly and individually customizable builds went up against stock IS mechs for the most part are now the ones chained to bone-stock configurations, while the IS polits can all configure their mechs as if they were practically a limited form of super Omnimech with only weapon hardpoint type specified and everything else customizable to whatever degree desired..
I don´t know if it`s apparent, but I am highly opposed to this, from a lore perspective and from a gameplay perspective. Not allowing clanners to do the one thing their mechs were purpose designed to do, customize their loadouts, is a guaranteed way to drive anybody who is a clanner out of conviction (as opposed to "I wanna be OP") away from MWO permanently.
Edited by Zerberus, 17 June 2013 - 09:56 AM.