Red squirrel, on 11 May 2013 - 10:55 AM, said:
Me want my Mauler
Summary of the following material:
Due to several concrete factors, the
Mauler would actually be a poor candidate for MWO unless and until the in-game timeline advances significantly (to at least 3060, though 3062 would be better still for it).
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The
MAL-1R, the primary variant, "just came out" in 3049.
The
MAL-C doesn't exist until next year (3051), and only differs from the MAL-1R by dropping one ton of AC ammo for a C3 Slave Unit (which does not yet exist in-game, even as a dummy/filler item).
The
MAL-2R doesn't exist until 3060, and requires IS versions of the UAC/2 and ER Medium Laser.
The
MAL-3R doesn't exist until 3062 (though, it at least differs from all of its relatives with arm-mounted ballistics (one LB 10-X in each arm) and a head-mounted energy weapon (Small Laser)).
The
MAL-1K doesn't exist until 3069, and requires Light AC/5s and Snub-Nose PPCs.
The MAL-1PT5 isn't a canon variant (but neither are a number of the Hero 'Mechs
).
However, it is identical to the (also non-canon)
Linesman - the same hardpoint layout as all of the other
Maulers (minus the -3R) with x2 MLas, x4 AC/2, and x2 LRM-10.
The
Daboku is considered a separate 'Mech with only a single variant (which was considered an abject failure, on top of that), and the weapons load and layout are effectively identical to the
Mauler (with the latter merely exchanging the Large Lasers for ER variations).
Even the technically non-canon
Linesman (a Capellan-built predecessor to the
Daboku, and also considered an abject failure) carries a similar weapon layout (albeit mounting Medium Lasers in place of the
Daboku's Large Lasers).
Moreover, the MAL-C variant of the
Mauler merely exchanges one ton of AC ammo for a C3 Slave unit; again, the minimum hardpoint layout is identical to that of the basic MAL-1R (such that either could very be easily created from the other).
Even if the
Linesman and
Daboku were reconsidered to be merely other
Mauler variants (for the purposes of getting around MWO's three variant requirement), everything that would be available in the timeline's near term (
Linesman,
Daboku, MAL-1R
Mauler, and MAL-C
Mauler) require the same set of minimum hardpoints in the same locations; there exists very little overall variation among them, and even adding extra hardpoints would accomplish little more than making one vastly preferred to the others (potentially to the same degree as, say, allowing only one of them to have access to ECM).
Additionally, at 90 tons, the
Mauler/
Daboku/
Linesman would be competing (insomuch as it can) with the equally-fast, jump-capable, ostensibly more-popular
Highlander.
Even the lighter (80-ton)
Victor might be a better candidate for an assault-class ballistics boat - the VTR-9A1 variant would have three distinct sets of ballistic hardpoints (the AC in the arm, and MGs that would likely be moved from the left- and right-legs to the respective side-torsos),
and is jump-capable,
and is generally faster (default speed of 64.8 kph, with a 320 engine).
In summary: the
Mauler doesn't have the available variants for the game's XP system, and there is effectively zero diversity between variants (as every variant (except the -3R) can be
exactly reproduced on every other variant (except the -3R), and the eight (8) minimum required hardpoints don't leave much room for expansion), and this is why the
Mauler is a relatively poor choice relative to other 'Mechs (like the
Banshee,
Zeus, and/or
Cyclops).
The only thing the
Mauler has over the
Stone Rhino is that the
Mauler is not Unseen.
0
. Also, I want the mauler!
