43 replies to this topic

[Conure]

Hey all,

Why is the Mad Cat considered such an iconic and important mech? Is it highly featured in the lore or just because it looks good?

[4braxas]

I'm interested in that as well.

[Kaemon]

why is the sky blue?

Because it's not...and it is.

[Telecleez]

this is probably why its so associated with Battletech and mechwarrior

[Alexander Sakamoto]

Well, mostly because it was one of the first Mech seen in the Battletech universe outside of the table top or books. Many started their lore of Battletech/Mechwarrior with Mechwarrior 2 and it was the Mech shown on the retail box/disc.It became very popular from there because when Battletech started in 1984 (Battledroidz) there was no "Madcat", as it was a Clan Mech and the invasion wasn't even started. It was the succession wars in the Inner Sphere. Overall it's a very good Omni-mech and it's my fav mech for many personnal reasons.(design, usage, known Mechwarrior who piloted it, etc.) IMO

[Thoryn]

The Timber Wolf (Mad Cat) is possible the best mix of speed, weapons are armor ever concieved, and it looks good.

Also the mech that captured Phelan Kell and changed the history of Clan Wolf.

[Deathsiege]

...and, its badazz!

[Outdatedkero]

But if you blast its arms off your left with a round raven...

[Cattra Kell]

I think, if you read the books, it is the first clan mech to show up in the innersphere, or at least ID'd by the targeting computer of P. Kell. You then have to remember that there are quite a number of people who love the clans, as such the first mech that is thought of would be the MadCat due to it being the first one in the inner sphere. This is just my take on it though.

[Holem]

What everyone said above and the fact that it just looks more aggressive perching anywhere compared to the Catapult. The madcat's design really brings your attention to the weapon systems. The nice pult's design is more of an incorporated looked.

Another mech you'll often hear is the 100t Dire Wolf (aka Dashi) and the Timber Wolf (Vulture).

[Satsuki Kiryuin]

Since the MW2 box art was featured, might as well:



Also, anyone who watched the Battletech cartoon would recall that the 3 main adversaries piloted a Summoner, Mad Dog and Timber Wolf. So becasue of the TV show, MW2 and MW3, these 3 mechs to me are very iconic and symbolic of the clans in the BT universe.



Since I mentioned the TV show, on the IS side, that's maybe why I personally love seeing the Awesome, Mauler and Bushwacker.

[RobarGK]

Holem, on 20 September 2012 - 12:33 PM, said:

What everyone said above and the fact that it just looks more aggressive perching anywhere compared to the Catapult. The madcat's design really brings your attention to the weapon systems. The nice pult's design is more of an incorporated looked.

Another mech you'll often hear is the 100t Dire Wolf (aka Dashi) and the Timber Wolf (Vulture).

The Timber Wolf and Mad Cat are the same mech. The Mad Dog and the Vulture are the same mech.

[Grml Z]

The Madcat also was featured a lot in Mechwarrior and Mechcommander intro videos.
Mechcommander was the first battletech game i played and i still consider the intro vid to be one of the best in computergame history.

[Stormwolf]

If you really like to know about the "Mad Cat"

The Mad Cat is called the Timber Wolf among the the Clans, it was designed by Clan Wolf to replace the aging Woodsman.

It first shows up in the first novel of the Blood of Kerensky Trilogy, here's a snippet of text:

Quote

Over across the valley, Phelan saw a small, birdlike Locust ducking and dodging between reddish mounds of rock. The awkwardness of its gait was accentuated by the large hops the asteroid's lighter gravity allowed it. Missiles arced up and over the hills behind it, peppering the whole area around the fleeing 'Mech with explosions. Staggered barrages herded the Locust diagonally across the hillside, then another 'Mech appeared in a narrow pass between two bluffs.

Phelan frowned heavily as the computer sharpened and tried to label the image of the new 'Mech. Confused, the computer identified the 'Mech first as a Catapult, then almost immediately reclassified it as a Marauder. It's got that hunched-over torso with the bird legs common to both designs, all right. And it's got the Catapult's wing-mounted LRM launchers, but it also has the Marauder's weapon pods. And I've never seen that flat gray color scheme before, either. Who and what the hell is it?

The unidentified 'Mech jabbed both blocky pods at the Locust, sending out twin ruby lasers to skewer the Locust's right flank. The first beam melted the armor from the Locust's torso, making it drip steaming to the asteroid's surface while exposing the 'Mech's skeleton and internal structures.

The second beam stabbed through the hole the first had made. Its fiery touch ignited the machine gun ammo stored in the 'Mech's chest, then destroyed the Locust's gyrostabilizers. As the light 'Mech's right side sagged in on itself, the 'Mech stumbled and rolled down the hillside. Its headlong spill ended with a jarring collision against a huge iron boulder the color of dried blood.

Three more of Ryan's bandit 'Mechs broke from cover and tried to rush across the valley toward Phelan's hidden watch position. Two of them, the humanoid Griffin he'd seen earlier and another humanoid 'Mech, a Panther, darted from cover to cover. Both pilots used their 'Mechs' jump jets to quickly cross areas strewn with rocks too small for cover, but large enough to slow their sprint speed. Bringing up the rear came another humanoid 'Mech. Instead of arms, it sprouted twin-barrelled weapon pods. Larger than either the Griffin or Panther, and without jump jets, it moved more slowly than either of its compatriots. Phelan sensed the pilot's panic as he guided the Rifleman down the hillside and discovered he'd boxed himself in.

"Hound Leader, continue your present heading to make the plain. We've got help trapping the rats."
Confusion rang through Jack's voice. "Who ... what?"

Phelan shrugged and moved from cover. "I can't identify our help, but they're on the ridge a kilometer off, driving Ryan toward us."

Tang laughed lightly. "Enemy of my enemy is my friend?"

[Bishop Steiner]

Yeah, the iconic look (at least when well rendered, which is not nearly often enough) is a huge part. It defines all the best aesthetic design ideas that SHOULD be the Battletech look, lean, mean, and nasty, but with a very military/industrial spartan feel to it, no room or need for chrome hubcaps, as it were.

It's place as the first Omni-Mech the Inner Sphere saw, makes it highly relevant to the canon lore of the game.

But mostly?

It's essentially the perfect frontline combat mech.

At 75 tons it is heavy enough to stand up against anything, and has heavy armor. Yet it is able to move faster than many Inner Sphere medium mechs. It has the firepower of an Inner Sphere assault mech. The arm and torso design allow it maximum flexibility, which lets it bring it's fearsome arsenal to bear almost instantly. And it's weapons loadouts are diverse enough to meet any situation, in addition to the Omni modular capability.

All it needs to be the "complete" package would be Jump Jets.

probably my 2 favorite images of it
http://www.tomeoftre...hcompendium.jpg
http://timdp.members...dCatColor72.jpg

Edited by Bishop Steiner, 20 September 2012 - 01:45 PM.

[iRustik]

Why this mech names 'Mad Cat'? 'Mad Chicken' sounds better, I think ))) Because it looks more like a chicken, not a cat!!!

[RobarGK]

iRustik, on 20 September 2012 - 01:43 PM, said:

Why this mech names 'Mad Cat'? 'Mad Chicken' sounds better, I think ))) Because it looks more like a chicken, not a cat!!!

Because when people in the inner sphere first saw it the thought it looked like a blend of a Marauder and a Catapult, which have name designations of MAD and CAT, respectively.

[Anea Firsch]

Grml Z, on 20 September 2012 - 01:12 PM, said:

The Madcat also was featured a lot in Mechwarrior and Mechcommander intro videos.
Mechcommander was the first battletech game i played and i still consider the intro vid to be one of the best in computergame history.

This video was totally awesome. The actor playing Panther did a bang up job looking "concerned" about facing that Mad Cat alone... Totally awesome!!!

RobarGK, on 20 September 2012 - 01:48 PM, said:

Because when people in the inner sphere first saw it the thought it looked like a blend of a Marauder and a Catapult, which have name designations of MAD and CAT, respectively.

*facepalms* All those years of playing Battletech and such, I never even thought about that. Wow!! LOL One learns something everyday...

[Buckminster]

Funny thing about the Mad Cat, is for me it is the iconic point at which Battletech started to go cheesy. I started with the 3025 book - the Rifleman, the Marauder, the Warhammer, the Archer - and all of their inherent weaknesses. Then in comes "clan" technology, which takes everything and makes it lighter, longer range, less heat and more damage; all but eliminating the problems that were inherent in the original mechs. Clan technology just about ruined it for me.

[Stormwolf]

Buckminster, on 20 September 2012 - 01:53 PM, said:

Funny thing about the Mad Cat, is for me it is the iconic point at which Battletech started to go cheesy. I started with the 3025 book - the Rifleman, the Marauder, the Warhammer, the Archer - and all of their inherent weaknesses. Then in comes "clan" technology, which takes everything and makes it lighter, longer range, less heat and more damage; all but eliminating the problems that were inherent in the original mechs. Clan technology just about ruined it for me.

I started in the 3058 era, I was drawn in by the Refusal War. I always prefered Clan vs Clan battles for this reason.

But I've gotten something of a soft spot for the 4th Succession War and the War of 3039 over the years.