278 replies to this topic

[Risky]

Necro?

[Barrin]

My 2 (insert copper coin of low value) about this.

It's the mech I think of for Mechwarrior and Battletech. It was the Mech on the box and when you got to use it it was fantastic to use. The Blood of Kerensky trilogy has as the mech that Vlad was using when he caught Phelan.

As a result of the books & game I have a great preference for Clan Wolf and this mech.

[Lord Ikka]

It's a very impressive-looking mech, and backs the looks up by being a beast on the field.

[Donovan Jenks]

They are the Soviet T-34 of Clan heavies.

They have 5/8/5 movement

great mixed of weapons, low, no ammo variants. good armor

Plus, alot of people think of "Mad Cat" mech as the Clan "Marauder" which for folks that have played the game since there were only about 50 mechs, that holds a special place in their heart.

[vettie]

xti, on 19 June 2012 - 08:46 PM, said:

another reason may be:



timberwolf was on the cover and in the jawdropping intro of mw2.

When MW came to the masses in video form (yes I know there were earlier versions, MW1, Crescent Hawks and others), THIS (see box pic above) is what they saw 1st.

When you say the word (or words) MechWarrior - 1st thing that comes to mind? Timberwolf (or Mad Cat) or possibly Atlas. Its that simple.

[InADaze]

xti, on 19 June 2012 - 08:46 PM, said:

another reason may be:



timberwolf was on the cover and in the jawdropping intro of mw2.

Yeah... Watching that video was probably one of the best points of my childhood. It blew my mind.

[Mechwarrior5138008]

This was the first Clan mech to appear in a novel (Vlad's) and it wasnt just scary, it was TERRIFYING.

This mech combined the direct firepower of a Marauder (scary mech) and a Catapult (scary mech) with almost as much armor as both of these mechs combined (holy $hiat), AND 86kph top speed...all in an appealing original design that looked nothing like anything else in the BT universe at the time.

For years, the A and/or D variant of this mech were favorites at CBT gaming conventions where actual Blood names were being handed out to players like you and me. Outside of a Warhawk Prime or Charlie, this mech was either the scurge of the game, or the go-to mech when you absolutely had to win.

No other mech combines the firepower of an assault with the agility of a medium better than the Timber Wolf.

If it was my a$$ on the line, and I had to take a mech into battle, this mech would be in the top 2 or 3 for sure, under almost any conditions.

And I'm no clanner...

[Z0MBIE Y0SHI]

It has always been one of my favorite long range heavies. ERPPC's + LRMS to the power of bad *** looking = win.

[Thunder Prime]

its mad-cat bc not many other mechs can stand up to it and its like a cat. Same as how mayweather got mad and retired for years bc he was undefeated in 30+ boxing matches, jk but a fun thought.

[xxx WreckinBallRaj xxx]

Suman, on 19 June 2012 - 08:29 PM, said:

So, the Timberwolf is an iconic mech, and the clans are sweet and all, but I just don't get why its so darn popular.

I've never been a big fan of it, especially when there are other clan heavies, like the Loki, Cauldron-born, and Grizzly, that have a much more special place in my heart. I like the Mad Dog more than the Timberwolf too. The inner sphere heavies have their own charm, and i love the dragon, the catapult, and I really love the Argus.

So tell me, what is it about the 'Mad Cat' (still hate that name), that makes so many people go nuts for it? Or what heavy do you like better and why?

Please discuss...

Well it became an iconic Mech for MechWarrior due to MechWarrior 2 featuring the Timber Wolf as a prime Mech in 2 of its titles. It was also featured in the intros for several games.(Including MechCommander 1) Naturally it became very popular as a result. Due to all the game attention it and the Mad Dog got, they both naturally became popular to fans. Go play MW2 or Ghost Bears Legacy and count how many you see everywhere in the game. Speaking of counting, while you're at it, try to count how many game boxes or books have the Timber Wolf or Mad Dog on the front of them.

Combat wise it is very flexible and can carry pretty much any set of weapons you would want. You could turn it into a Catapult with missiles or just leave the racks empty and load up its chest/arms with other weapons. It and the Mad Dog can carry pretty much anything, making them among the most flexible Mechs ever. They're also fast moving Heavy Mechs. I'm not too fond of the Timber Wolf but I always liked the sleek angled design of the Mad Dog.(Later called a Vulture)

[Aidan1004]

Its also famous because it was the first clanmech seen in the inner sphere, when the clan invasion started. The other thing is, that the Mad Cat perfectly represants the Clans, relating to mobility and flexability.

[WidowMaker91]

dont forget that the madcat was blown away by a summoner ( thor ) in that awesome mw2 intro.

and dont use dosbox, use MECHvm, which used dosbox but auto configures it, makes playing any version of mw2 work great. i play it on win7 64 bit

[WidowMaker91]

Khanahar, on 06 July 2012 - 08:48 AM, said:

And only 2 (or was it 3?) to capture in the whole damn' game. Never mind the game design made it comically overpowered (no hardpoint restrictions + jump jet capability + tonnage as primary restriction + ungodly OP c/ER-PPCs on the arms). And that classic 3rd mission.

But for me, the Mad Cat will always be that badass from the MC1 trailer who took on a well-organized lance of IS 'mechs and nearly won.

was like 4 or 5 and if u did the madcat starter patch u could roll with like 6 i think i did at one point

MC2 u could buy them which made the game insanely easy

[Windigo117]

Most balanced mech out the and it is so nice of a ride, how can you not like it.

xti, on 19 June 2012 - 08:46 PM, said:

another reason may be:



timberwolf was on the cover and in the jawdropping intro of mw2.

also on mechwarrior 3 cover

[a rabid chihuahua]

gregsolidus, on 19 June 2012 - 08:33 PM, said:

Its a well balanced killing machine that is not only a representation of the ferocity and superiority of the Clans but also managed to look good when mechs like this http://falconhussars...rab_KGC-000.gif were getting churned out on a regular basis.

I think the biggest thing was that with all the weird designs Battletech was releasing ,the Clan mechs had a nice sleek "hot rod of death" look to em when they came out .The mad cat was the 1st picture you saw when the TRO 3050 was released and it looked badass, Yeah the mech is good for what it does ,I have never been a super fan of it myself (Warhawk for me) ,but it does still scream "look at me ".so I understand the whole love of it. You know its a design that looks good in all it's makings even the Mk II,Mk III, IIC..all the models.

Edited by Blane, 16 September 2012 - 10:32 PM.

[yarddog]

The history of how it got its Inner Sphere the designation is pretty cool, kind of a play on words. When Anastasius Focht first saw the battle roms he coined the name Mad Cat. Not only was it like a mad (crazy) Catapult, but the I.S. 3 letter designation for the Marauder is MAD, as in MAD-1R, MAD-3D, etc. In Phelan's first battle with Vlad, his computer kept changing it's identification between a Marauder, due to the ppc pods at the end of its arms, and a Catapult because of the boxy missile racks.

[Xelrah]

Mrllamaface, on 28 June 2012 - 05:35 PM, said:

I see alot of comments on because it was on the cover of MW2/3. I first saw it on the cover of 3050, and thought it was sexy then. Although the much hated Assassin is still my fave.

Also:

I know it is practically same as MW2 cover, but it is from different game ^^

Edited by Xelrah, 16 September 2012 - 11:02 PM.

[Deiphobus]

"So, the Timberwolf is an iconic mech, and the clans are sweet and all, but I just don't get why its so darn popular."

Simple reasons, firstly they are symmetrical, people tend to favour symmetry over asymmetry. Secondly will be the fact that theTimberwolf has been marketed in many videos and including mechwarrior 2 it was in on the over and intro same goes for mechwarrior 3

These created a certain admiration for the timberwolf like u I also favour the Vulture.

[Shadou]

xti, on 19 June 2012 - 08:46 PM, said:

another reason may be:



timberwolf was on the cover and in the jawdropping intro of mw2.

I would chalk it up from the now legendary game that is Mechwarrior 2.

(it can also be contributed to the popularity of Clan Wolf.)

[Xelrah]

Shadou, on 16 September 2012 - 11:07 PM, said:

(it can also be contributed to the popularity of Clan Wolf.)

I would rather contribute it to fact that they wanted to actually save IS, rather than conquer it and even plotted against other clans to do so.
The only clan that hardcore ISers can possibly like/tolerate due to that fact tbh.