16 replies to this topic

[DI3T3R]

What would an Urbanmech be like? Consider an AC/20-Raven as an example:
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...d01207297765dc0

The only viable tactic would be to hang out with physically bigger team-mates, so the enemy ignores you while you bring the punch. But the Urbanmech is too slow to keep up with the team.

* He doesn't have the armour to defend a position.
* He has no ECM to hide.
* He is too slow to move along with the team.
* He is too slow to go capping while the rest of the team fights.

Can you imagine the Urbanmech running in Alpine Peaks? Or Terra Therma? Or Crimson Strait? Or HPG-Manifold?
Can you imagine the Urbanmech sprinting from cover to cover in Forest Colony? Or Tourmaline? Or Caustic Valley? Or Frozen City?
Can you imagine the Urbanmech in a close-quarters-fight in River City? Or Canyon Network?

It's a pure fun-mech and actually steering one almost guarantees a defeat for your team. The only upside to the Urbanmech is its low BV, but that is irrelevant in MWO. If you dare to bring an Urbanmech into battle, people will hate you.

"Hey everybody! I'm so special! I brought a joke-Mech that will be drag on the entire team! I'm so humorous and relevant! Make comments in the chat how special and funny my Mech is!"




(Disclaimer: If he becomes available for CB, I will buy him, just to try him out, but I won't use him in a match where I care about the outcome.)

[Ovion]

People still bring locusts and do alright.
And people play silly builds all the time.

Plus, who's going to hate you when almost everyone wants one?

[Kenyon Burguess]

I don't want an urbanmech, and I would prefer that the urbanmech holocost be saved until after private matches are available so people can use them there.

[DI3T3R]

Ovion, on 06 April 2014 - 11:44 AM, said:

People still bring locusts and do alright.
And people play silly builds all the time.

Plus, who's going to hate you when almost everyone wants one?

Let's put it this way: Mechs do already exist nowadays.
They weigh about 0.5 tons, are about 8 feet tall, are about 5kph fast, are armed with nerf-guns and carry no armour. (EDIT: And they can only walk on perfectly flat ground.)

Do you want one?

Would you use it to go about your everyday-business?

Edited by DI3T3R, 07 April 2014 - 02:25 AM.

[General Taskeen]

To the OP,

Would I drive an UrbanMech in a public match, perhaps for lulz and satisfaction of getting a kill? Probably.

Would I drive an UrbanMech in a stock match? Yes, definitely.

For the second part here is why the Urban is built with a specific role, as are other Stock Mechs:

Examples:

UrbanMech has hard hitting fire power vs. other stock Lights in its tonnage range (AC/10, pin point damage, and a small laser for backup) and thus would be good for defending a position from other scouting, lightly armed/armored Lights.

UrbanMech Variants:

• UrbanMech UM-R60 - 96% Armor Coverage for 30 tons (MWO Armor 192)
  
• UrbanMech UM-R60L - 64% Armor Coverage for 30 tons (MWO Armor 128) (Heavier Hitting power, for reduced armor relative to other Light Mechs)

Other Common Mech/Variants in 3025 setup:

• Locust LCT-1V and 1E - 98% Coverage for 20 Tons (MWO Armor 128) (however, a couple well placed AC/10 or AC/20 hits and this thing is toast)
  
• Commando COM-2D - 72% Coverage for 25 tons (MWO Armor 128)
  
• Jenner JR7-D - 54% Coverage for 35 Tons (MWO Armor 128)

And all of these Mechs carry weapons with similar range, but the prime Urban has the advantage with an AC/10 with 450m. The other Mechs mentioned have ranges from 90 to 270m and are obviously faster, but are lightly armored at 128.



The Urban is quite effective in a stock setup and urban maps, but obviously a lot less effective in non-stock style (like the MWO 'public' matching full customization). So in setting up a Stock match or if MWO would add a stock or historic stock mode, then an Urban would be a good option to select for a crack shot pilot in a heavily armed/armored Light Mech.

Edited by General Taskeen, 07 April 2014 - 08:43 AM.

[Bobzilla]

General Taskeen, on 07 April 2014 - 08:38 AM, said:

To the OP,

Would I drive an UrbanMech in a public match, perhaps for lulz and satisfaction of getting a kill? Probably.

Would I drive an UrbanMech in a stock match? Yes, definitely.

For the second part here is why the Urban is built with a specific role, as are other Stock Mechs:

Examples:

UrbanMech has hard hitting fire power vs. other stock Lights in its tonnage range (AC/10, pin point damage, and a small laser for backup) and thus would be good for defending a position from other scouting, lightly armed/armored Lights.

UrbanMech Variants:

• UrbanMech UM-R60 - 96% Armor Coverage for 30 tons (MWO Armor 192)
  
• UrbanMech UM-R60L - 64% Armor Coverage for 30 tons (MWO Armor 128) (Heavier Hitting power, for reduced armor relative to other Light Mechs)

Other Common Mech/Variants in 3025 setup:

• Locust LCT-1V and 1E - 98% Coverage for 20 Tons (MWO Armor 128) (however, a couple well placed AC/10 or AC/20 hits and this thing is toast)
  
• Commando COM-2D - 72% Coverage for 25 tons (MWO Armor 128)
  
• Jenner JR7-D - 54% Coverage for 35 Tons (MWO Armor 128)

And all of these Mechs carry weapons with similar range, but the prime Urban has the advantage with an AC/10 with 450m. The other Mechs mentioned have ranges from 90 to 270m and are obviously faster, but are lightly armored at 128.




The Urban is quite effective in a stock setup and urban maps, but obviously a lot less effective in non-stock style (like the MWO 'public' matching full customization). So in setting up a Stock match or if MWO would add a stock or historic stock mode, then an Urban would be a good option to select for a crack shot pilot in a heavily armed/armored Light Mech.

Run around in any light on any map, but never go over 32 kph, and tell me how you make out. Even take an ECM light.

[Dark Jackal]

DI3T3R, on 06 April 2014 - 11:37 AM, said:

It's a pure fun-mech and actually steering one almost guarantees a defeat for your team. The only upside to the Urbanmech is its low BV, but that is irrelevant in MWO. If you dare to bring an Urbanmech into battle, people will hate you.

https://twitter.com/...472767283724288
"all games are pointless. If you need arbitrary goals to figure out how to have fun then you may have a problem"
-Totalbiscuit

I don't know why there is such an uproar with the 'Mech when obviouslly there is a demand out there for the 'Mech.
Isn't this the end result of games, being fun to play if it can be provided? I'd sure buy one and take it out for a spin, it's an Urbie.

[Bobzilla]

Dark Jackal, on 07 April 2014 - 10:29 AM, said:

https://twitter.com/...472767283724288
"all games are pointless. If you need arbitrary goals to figure out how to have fun then you may have a problem"
-Totalbiscuit

I don't know why there is such an uproar with the 'Mech when obviouslly there is a demand out there for the 'Mech.
Isn't this the end result of games, being fun to play if it can be provided? I'd sure buy one and take it out for a spin, it's an Urbie.

I'd agree it may be fun for the person using it, but your team would suffer. It would be like saying a 'god' code would be fun for some, but would ruin the enjoyment of others.

[Dark Jackal]

Bobzilla, on 07 April 2014 - 10:35 AM, said:

I'd agree it may be fun for the person using it, but your team would suffer. It would be like saying a 'god' code would be fun for some, but would ruin the enjoyment of others.

How so? You have a 30ton 'Mech that's going to have the potential to be upgraded like every other 'Mech in the game. Sure, if you focus on stock only you won't see beyond what it's capable of with XL engine, Endo, FF, etc. You could make it into a potential 30t Urbanmech version of the Uller ... just saying it's possible and requires thinking outside the box.

[Bhael Fire]

Nobody would use the stock speed.

So, realistically, it would go about 60-65 kph.

With ultra fast 360-degree torso twist, small stature, and an extremely small CT hit box, this mech could be just as viable if not more so than the Locust. It just could not be played like a typical light.

[Bobzilla]

Dark Jackal, on 07 April 2014 - 11:25 AM, said:

How so? You have a 30ton 'Mech that's going to have the potential to be upgraded like every other 'Mech in the game. Sure, if you focus on stock only you won't see beyond what it's capable of with XL engine, Endo, FF, etc. You could make it into a potential 30t Urbanmech version of the Uller ... just saying it's possible and requires thinking outside the box.

It takes no thinking to say striping it down and putting in a larger engine and different weapons could make it viable. So if you do all that whats the big deal? And a light that doesn't push close to 100 kph has close to no chance.

[Malcolm Vordermark]

I would drive one for a laugh, but nobody could really expect good results from it. It would have all the durability of a legged jenner with no jump jets.

Edited by Rouken, 07 April 2014 - 11:53 AM.

[CygnusX7]

I'd really like an Urbanmech if they setup matches where one type of mech or class can be designated.

All Urbanmech skirmishes would be a blast.

[Xeno Phalcon]

Cause the only thing more humiliating than being killed by a locust is being killed by a turret, and the only thing more humiliating than being killed by a turret, will be being killed by a urbie

Also all atlas should have their very own pet urbie.

[General Taskeen]

Bobzilla, on 07 April 2014 - 10:22 AM, said:

Run around in any light on any map, but never go over 32 kph, and tell me how you make out. Even take an ECM light.

Why would I test out going at 32 km/h in a public match where every Mech has a similar loadout and is super fast?

What I meant was if running a 12v12 Stock sync drop OR a stock mode (queue), then I would have no problem picking an UrbanMech and going 32 km/h. Why? Because I would form a lance with a group probably as 2-3 UrbanMechs, and a faster Light or Medium for backup/support. Plus Stock Mechs are built to be relatively different from one another, which is why I like them. Like the difference between using a Tiger Tank or a Sherman, or piloting a Bf-109F over a Bf-109K that differ between types and variants.

A pure 3025 stock selection also has Mechs with no BAP. Meaning an Urban lance can easily power down, hide, and ambush at a control point or on the "most traveled" areas, provided enough cover is available. That was a popular tactic in Mech Warrior 4, the game where people forget the UrbanMech was useable and was most definitely slow.

Again telling me "how I make out" running around in a public server queue where every Mech has slammed in the biggest engine possible just confuses me, because as I said also in my original post, using an Urban in a full-customization mode would be to me, for pure slapstick fun/humor. I have no reason to gimp myself by joining a public match where full-customization is allowed.

Edited by General Taskeen, 07 April 2014 - 12:18 PM.

[Dark Jackal]

Bobzilla, on 07 April 2014 - 11:47 AM, said:

It takes no thinking to say striping it down and putting in a larger engine and different weapons could make it viable. So if you do all that whats the big deal? And a light that doesn't push close to 100 kph has close to no chance.

Saying the 'Mech isn't viable because of the stock config actually does no thinking which is where you were going when I replied to it. This isn't stock warrior and everyone is going to maximize the potential of whatever 'Mech they field by changing the load out. If it sounded like stating the obvious, then I had to state it because the fear is that no one thinks they could make the Urbanmech beyond the stock config of 32.kph.

After all, if anyone spent time listening to the devs when they said how they want 'Mechs of various weight classes to feel, that Urbie isn't going to move like an Assault 'Mech contrary to popular disagreement crowd that cannot see how it could be implemented. Assalt 'Mechs per their design should be slow and lumbering, not nimble. It's what Paul was going to do to tweak the Victor with.

That being said, assuming the Urban mech is a 30 ton assault light is going a bit too far to suggest the sole reason for the 'Mech being "unviable". It's still a light 'Mech folks, it ain't going to be mini-me Atlas with slow movement and terrible piloting stats JUST BECAUSE it's stock speed is 2/3 on the TT, or 32kph. It's just a 30 ton 'Mech with a 60 rated engine (2 movement x base ton = 60). If you want it to move 97kph (6/9 on TT) then you can easily fit a 180 rated engine into it.

[Dawnstealer]

DI3T3R, on 06 April 2014 - 11:37 AM, said:

The only viable tactic would be to hang out with physically bigger team-mates, so the enemy ignores you while you bring the punch. But the Urbanmech is too slow to keep up with the team.

That's exactly it. Imagine something the size of a Commando with jump jets that regularly hung out in the middle of Assault packs. Yes, it'll be an easy kill, if you can hit it, but chances are anyone shooting at it would be focusing on other big guys rather than the small, hard-to-hit target.

Add to this the hardpoints would likely be pretty high on the mech, so not only would it be small, but it could hill-hump with the best of them. Slap a Gauss or AC20 in there and call it a day.

Yes: I'd totally pilot one of these in a game.