33 replies to this topic

[Nauht]

There's only so much you can do with a torso, arms and legs. Just like not much you can do with four doors and four wheels... you can probably make them bigger but in the end all cars in a specific class look the same.

Besides you can easily tell the difference between them. Some forum guy's got silhouettes of all mechs and compared side by side they're definitely different and have their own distinctivness.

I don't care so long as the detail is on the mechs - and they are.

[Steelgrave]

Sephlock, on 03 July 2013 - 02:59 PM, said:

EHL
OH
EHL

...

Also, the Jagermech definitely was more rounded than it is in MW:O.

Well yeah, it and the Urbanmech were essentially armed trashcans. Which, admittedly, is an amusing idea.

That said, I just can't fault Alex's work. He's been brilliant.

[SJ Osiris]

[Steelgrave]

SJ Osiris, on 03 July 2013 - 04:15 PM, said:

Go for it. It can only make things better.

[zraven7]

I don't think the new art is bad, by any stretch, and I'm a big fan of how the Jenner was done. It's just that the other two look like different versions of the Jenner now, instead of the unique robots they were.

[Demi-Precentor Konev]

I like a bit of redundancy in the visuals. What i think would be really cool is if each era of production had it's own visual motifs. Like 'Mechs made in the 3020/30s all had similar elements, while they would look different from stuff designed during the Star League. That way you could sorta tell a 'Mech's manufacture era just by looking at it.

Edited by LaHyenne, 03 July 2013 - 09:37 PM.

[zraven7]

LaHyenne, on 03 July 2013 - 09:37 PM, said:

I like a bit of redundancy in the visuals. What i think would be really cool is if each era of production had it's own visual motifs. Like 'Mechs made in the 3020/30s all had similar elements, while they would look different from stuff designed during the Star League. That way you could sorta tell a 'Mech's manufacture era just by looking at it.

This kinda thing I could seriously get behind, especially if they combined it with stylistic tendencies idiosyncratic to the different houses. Things like Kurita mechs having a bit of Oriental flair, Steiner mechs looking very function-over-form, etc, etc..

Edited by zraven7, 05 July 2013 - 04:08 AM.

[MoonUnitBeta]

I guess this is what happens when you get the same artist doing all the mechs.

Have you see the Victor and Cent? Or the highlander and quickdraw?
They're like big brother/little brother copies with very similar silhouettes.

Kinda thinking that's the way it's going to be until we get clan mechs.

Edited by MoonUnitBeta, 08 July 2013 - 09:32 AM.

[C E Dwyer]

zraven7, on 03 July 2013 - 07:35 AM, said:

I don't see it. I mean, they don't look bad, just samey. The Locust looks like the Jenner if it had toes, and the Flea looks like the Jenner without the Fax Machine/Air Conditioner butt.

Not seeing it with the three you chose, try Cent, Highlander, Victor, and I migth agree with you

[MoonUnitBeta]

Cathy, on 08 July 2013 - 11:13 AM, said:

Not seeing it with the three you chose, try Cent, Highlander, Victor, quickdraw and I migth agree with you

I added another one.
The locust is more a cross between a jeneer (head-ish) and cicada (shield arms)

Edited by MoonUnitBeta, 08 July 2013 - 01:20 PM.

[Sable Dove]

Scaling issues aside, the mech designs are one of the things PGI has done very well.

OP just points out how absolutely terrible many of the Battletech mechs look(ed).

[AntharPrime]

Sable Dove, on 08 July 2013 - 03:22 PM, said:

Scaling issues aside, the mech designs are one of the things PGI has done very well.

OP just points out how absolutely terrible many of the Battletech mechs look(ed).

I agree. Never have I seen Battletech mechs look so good, the next in line was (in my opinion) the mechs from MW3. The original art was very sub-par by today's standards. But that's how it was back in the day, have you see the original Dungeons and Dragons artwork compared to what they have now, It really is amazing to see the difference.

[aniviron]

I do tend to prefer the new art to the BT art by quite a bit, but I agree that things have been looking more same-y lately. A lot of the earlier mechs are very distinct- even ones that have quite a lot of similarity like the Catapult and Stalker have been handled very well, and have unique silhouettes that make them instantly identifiable from 2km out. Ever since the mandate for weapons to be modeled on the mech's exterior has been in place though, we've been seeing boxier designs; I often confuse Trebs, Highlanders, and Quickdraws when I only get a quick glance or am far away, or it's dark. If I had to guess, I'd say that having to make every weapon model fit on every hardpoint limits what you can do with the mech's frame; you have to have lots of flat surfaces that can fit anything from an ac20 to a machine gun, and as a result there tends to be a wide flat area left over.

[Reggimus]

so having greater limits on hard points could, if done correctly, not only aid the meta that is now PPC/GR/AC20, but also add for more artistic variance between mechs? hell yeah, bring it.