19 replies to this topic

[MetalBacon]

Left handle on the throttle, right hand on the joystick; pitch, yaw, torso twist etc. How do they twist the lower torso? Are there pedals for that? Right foot twists right and left twists left? On that note, why the hell do mechs have hands? O.o

Edited by MetalBacon, 21 January 2014 - 07:19 AM.

[Pyrrho]

Rudder pedals. Also, to pick things up and punch stuff. That's a canonical thing.

[Escef]

Pyrrho, on 21 January 2014 - 07:20 AM, said:

Rudder pedals. Also, to pick things up and punch stuff. That's a canonical thing.

Mechs have a toggle of some sort for "Punching Mode", and there are special gloves that can be used to sync with the system to replicate your hand/arm movements. Canonically, most warriors don't use the glove system in battle.

[MetalBacon]

So you're telling me that an Atlas, if need be and if the situation allows, can grab a spider and rip its arms/legs off?

[Pyrrho]

MetalBacon, on 21 January 2014 - 07:41 AM, said:

So you're telling me that an Atlas, if need be and if the situation allows, can grab a spider and rip its arms/legs off?

Ripping the extremities off may be a bit difficult. However, grabbing a spider and--oh I don't know--slamming it into a building is pretty straight-forward. And speaking of straight-forward...PUNCHING a spider in the cockpit has got to feel good.

[Escef]

MetalBacon, on 21 January 2014 - 07:41 AM, said:

So you're telling me that an Atlas, if need be and if the situation allows, can grab a spider and rip its arms/legs off?

Canonically, after you remove someone's arm or leg, you can pick it up and beat them to death with it.

[Kubernetes]

Better yet, pick up the Spider and use it like a mace to beat other mechs. I imagine a Raven would be good for that because it's got a pointy end.

[lsp]

Escef, on 21 January 2014 - 07:37 AM, said:

Mechs have a toggle of some sort for "Punching Mode", and there are special gloves that can be used to sync with the system to replicate your hand/arm movements. Canonically, most warriors don't use the glove system in battle.

Soooo... robot jox.

Edited by lsp, 21 January 2014 - 01:32 PM.

[Escef]

lsp, on 21 January 2014 - 01:32 PM, said:

Soooo... robot jox.

Pre-dates it by a few years.

[FupDup]

Quote

How is a mech steered?

Like this:

Edited by FupDup, 21 January 2014 - 03:19 PM.

[DarkDevilDancer]

In alot of the art work mechs have two joysticks one for each limb, foot pedals did speed, stamping down on the peddles activated jj and the feet could be independently be controlled when on difficult terrain though this is described as being taxing.

We only have one joystick in mwo because the arms are linked.

[Rehl]

How do you steer a mech? Well, some common ways are to use a band, use a burdizzo, or some use the cutting method. You can look them up for full explanations of each.

[Levi Porphyrogenitus]

The typical novel-based setup would be like so:

Two joysticks, one for the left hand and one for the right. A throttle slider might be on one of the joysticks. Each stick controls one reticule, linked to the weapons on that arm/side. The neurohelmet and nervous-system interface patches track torso movements and map them to the mech's torso (heads can turn in this same fashion, too). The feet control foot pedals that steer the legs, and pushing both simultaneously triggers jump jets. With more advanced neurohelmets the pilot interfaces more directly with the mech's myomers, actuators, and gyro, and can perform more advanced maneuvers just by thinking about it (to the point of limited acrobatics). For using hands, the pilot physically places his own hand into a glove-like device that lets him perform fine manipulations.

Alternatively one hand controls a throttle and the other a joystick. A hat-switch on the joystick can be used to control camera views (especially handy for using rear-firing weapons).

I'm sure there are other cockpit arrangements mentioned in the novels, but the above are what I remember.

[Durant Carlyle]

Remember that MechWarriors don't have direct control of their limbs and stuff in normal combat situations. There is a targeting system in between the MechWarrior and the weapons. The MechWarrior designates targets, and the targeting system decides where to aim.

The left hand is on a throttle. The right hand is on a joystick. The joystick controls what targets are designated as well as torso movement. Rudder pedals control steering and jump jets. Most 'Mechs can have at least one primary and one secondary target locked at the same time. Firing at two targets simultaneously is as simple as putting the crosshairs on one target, pressing the designator button, then putting the crosshairs on another target and pressing the designator button again. To fire, you press the buttons mapped to the relevant weapons. The targeting system then tracks the targets, moves the arms and torso as necessary, and fires the weapons, all within one second.

Mounted below the armrests of the command chair on the sides are the controls for punching and kicking, as well as the gloves for fine hand manipulation if applicable. Using any of those controls means taking your hands off of the normal controls, which is why such attacks are used as a last resort.

[627]

[KalebFenoir]

In TT:

There's nothing more pleasing than to have a Light try to run by your Assault mech, and you punch it as you go by, close-lining the little jerk and possibly turning his torsoes inside out at the same time. There's a pic out on the net somewhere of an Atlas punching a Vulture in the torso while mangling its right arm with a crushing grip. I think that pretty much sums it up.

In MWO:

Way back when they had that old collision module activated (way WAY back in Beta), I got a kick out of running up a particular hill and having my foot connect with the head of a Commando that was climbing up the far side. My Cent tripped on him, but he took a full on kick to the face.

I always figure that if they introduce physical combat in MWO, it's going to be a 'swing your torsoes left and right' kinda thing, rather than a button-press. Really get the player into it. How rewarding would it be to get in close to an Atlas with a Hatchetman or Axman, and swing your torso left or right, bringing that ax down on some piece of him? Punching would probably work the same way for arm-capable mechs.

[AlmightyAeng]

THIS one.

[Bagheera]

Rehl, on 21 January 2014 - 09:15 PM, said:

How do you steer a mech? Well, some common ways are to use a band, use a burdizzo, or some use the cutting method. You can look them up for full explanations of each.

And today's award for "Most Disturbing Use of A Noun As A Verb" goes to ...

[FupDup]

627, on 22 January 2014 - 12:45 AM, said:

Ah, a new variation of the steering wheel underhive.

[627]

took me 10 minutes to honor that first pic And now with enhanced glass lol

but that dude is awesome

Edited by 627, 22 January 2014 - 11:18 AM.