There is a some homoginization for sure, as all the basic concepts are being done by one person, so they all have a bit of a FlyingDebris feel to them. But honestly, I that's actually a good thing, as it makes them feel like more like they're all being built with similar design philosophies, which makes sense. Look at actual tanks - there are many cases where two tanks made by the same group look completely different, but just as many situations where two tanks made by completely different groups look quite similar. So, you have mechs like the Locust and Flea that are quite alike, then the Jenner that's just a bit farther apart, then on the other end of the spectrum you have the Atlas and Victor. It's just a more gradual scale.
The other thing that might make the mechs all feel more similar is the level of detail - previously, mechs tended to be very simple looking, and their differences were apparent through the use of large, over-emphasized elements and proportions. It made the mechs look very unique, but also (in a lot of cases) quite overdone and... well, silly. Trying to make them look more believable by bringing the designs more in line with each other and adding detail ends up making them more similar both due to them no longer have quite such over-blown elements, as well as the individual details making the overall shape of the design become fuzzier and harder to make out (definitely not a bad thing, but it does result in the mechs appearing similar in a lot of places they previously didn't).
Just look at the Flea and Locust concepts - they have fairly similar basic shapes. Or at least, at first glance they do... The cockpits are similar, yet located in different positions. They both have arm weapons, but completely different ones that look nothing alike. They are chicken walkers, but with different leg and feet shapes. They are different lengths, have different antenna arrays... Looking closer at the details of the designs, they don't actually look that much alike - but similarity in overall shape helps make them feel like they both come from the same place with the same basic design principles, the Inner Sphere.
That actually brings me to the last thing I would like to point out, which is that the Clans will be coming soon. Now, we haven't seen anything from the Clans yet, but I would not be surprised if Alex will try and differentiate the basic design principles for Clan mechs from those of IS mechs. These are factions that have been separated for hundreds of years; it makes sense that the designs of one group would go one direction, while the designs of the other group went a completely different way. Making the IS feel slightly more homoginized could well do wonders for making the Clans feel unique and different from the IS, as opposed to just more of the same.
Edited by Tvae, 03 July 2013 - 08:00 AM.