Sable Dove, on 05 December 2013 - 07:30 PM, said:
As much as I like the art of the Crab, and the claws as bay doors, a chassis were every variant is pure energy? It would be dead on arrival. For one thing, PGI loves (heavy) ballistics. A 50-ton chassis with no ballistics or missiles is going to fail if the game doesn't change.
For another, because there aren't hardpoint size restrictions, the variants would all end up pretty much the same.
CRB-27: 4 unrestricted, 3 small; or 4 unrestricted, 1 medium, 1 small.
CRB-27b: 4 unrestricted, 3 small; or 4 unrestricted, 1 medium, 1 small, with a bigger engine.
CRB-27sl: 4 unrestricted, 1 medium, 1 small, with jumpjets.
CRB-30: 4 unrestricted, 1 medium, 1 small, with ECM.
It's likely that every build will be 2 LL+4/5 ML, or LL+ 5/6 ML.
Maybe a pair of PPCs and a bunch of small lasers.
Basically just about every build will involve 1-2 LL/PPCs, then fill out the rest with MLs.
Problem is that all of the variants can do this. Having ECM, CRB-30 is pretty clearly the best, and since it has the same loadout options as all of the other variants, it is the only relevant one, although a dual-PPC poptart could set the 27sl apart.
Basically, if it's going to be viable, and not just the same mech three times, it's going to have to use missiles or ballistics to some degree. No chassis is all one weapon type, because the variants would all run together.
Taking the CRB-27 as the basis, here are a couple of made up variants for variety:
Remove both CT and head hardpoints, add 1B in each arm. Decrease range of movement of arms and torso. (2B, 4E)
Replace 1E from each arm with a missile in each side torso. Increased engine cap. (2M, 5E)
I know it goes against the energy-boat canon, but an all-energy-boat chassis is very impractical without hardpoint size restrictions. I mean, it wouldn't be a bad Chassis. Just a chassis where you'd probably have the same loadout on each, except one has a slightly larger engine, one had jumpjets, and one has ECM. Which means that the ECM is going to be the best variant 90% of the time, and the jumpjet variant the other 10%.
Maybe if we got some new energy weapons, or pulse lasers got updated, or flamers became useful, but otherwise, it doesn't have much going for it that I can't do better with a Jenner or Cicada.
Not to mention the Crab would probably end up the same size of the Stalker.
The Crab is a known energy mech, no denying that. No known variant has ballistics nor missiles.
CRB-27: 3 LA, 3 RA, 1 CT, 1 HD. Basic, no jump, no ECM. (8 energy)
CRB-27b: Unneeded. (was just upgraded from FF to normal armor, with more stock armor. LL to ERLL isn't much.))
CRB-27sl: 2 LA, 2 RA, 1 CT, 1 HD, Jump. (6 energy) (Maybe larger engine size?) (EDIT: Can't count.)
CRB-30: 1 LA, 1 RA, 2 CT, 1 HD, ECM. (5 energy)
I can see these possible configuration options:
CRB-27: With 8 energy,
- Loading this up with 8 med lasers becomes an option, being a match for the swayback. With the 6 lasers in the arms, this would give it a lot of fire power to quickly move onto target, side to side or up and down.
- Placing two PPCs in the arms for long range encounters, with 6 med lasers for close combat. Should help keep it running cool.
- Possibly squeezing 4 large lasers, 2 in each arm.
- I would probably be tempted to do 1 large laser in the CT, with 6 med lasers in the arms.
CRB-27sl: with 6 energy,
- A pairing of PPCs with 4 med lasers become an option, with jump. It's short stature will hinder with sniping, as well as will need more jump to get up to shooting height, if it's done as I think it would be. PPCs could be ER version, if one wished to run hot.
- 6 med lasers become an option, with maybe a larger engine for max speed. Jump increases it's movement profile, making it faster at turning.
- Several options from above also is possible, with reduced heat or weapons for the JJs.
CRB-30: with 5 energy:
- PPCs with 3 med lasers. Less protection up close, but ECM helps guard from LRMs.
- 5 med lasers become an option, but seen as it probably wont be able to have the largest engine compared to other Crabs, it will probably be slower. ECM protects it from some range.
- A set of Large Lasers, maybe with a set of med lasers as well and a TAG. Useful for support while being covered by ECM. While tagging, can use LLs to effect.
There is plenty one can do to distinguish the Crab variants from one another with just simple hard point numbers being limited, engine size adjustments, some twist/arm reflex changes, etc. I would see the ECM version having the fewest hard points, making it "the worst" in that category, but would be more than compensated for by the ECM abilities making it a different flavor. Then. the basic ground version could really do some good damage with 8 energy slots. Jump could be a fast skirmisher if it had a larger engine cap with the JJs, making it fill in a med scout possibly, or as most people would, a jump sniper. The two more energy should help the ground version be able to achieve more damage faster than it's other counterparts.
Yes, I will agree that many of the same customs could be loaded onto all the crabs, but look at the Quickdraws, the Catapults, Stalkers... many mechs typically have different variants that can do the same things. My Dragon, as I level it up, all held the same exact configuration. A mech doesn't need to have drastically different hard points to be "different" from each other.
EDIT: No hard point size restrictions are required. I hated MW3/4 for the size restrictions, though I still loved the games.
Edited by Tesunie, 06 December 2013 - 09:43 AM.
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