278 replies to this topic

[Chef Kooker]

How can you not love taking the (mad cat) for a ride. This mech can take almost anny role and the variation of wepon makes it highly adaptable for almost anny given combat, the high speed makes it easyier to flank mechs of same or higher class, even some medium mechs:D

[Giblets Giblets]

Honestly, I think it's mostly the marketing around previous Mech Warrior games that granted most of the Mad Cat's popularity. However, being an amazing mech doesn't hurt either; it is the quintessential chicken walker. I agree a bit with what others have said, some of the unseen designs (especially the Warhammer) I find even more iconic, but probably because I was introduced to the Battletech Universe via the TT game first.

[DireWolf307]

I love the Timber Wolf, because it is a (mid generation) Iconic.

(By mid generation, it is most popular with fans from the MW2-MW3 era, whereas mechs like the Uziel are most popular with "crap generation" fans and unseens like the Warhammer and Marauder are most popular with "early generation" fans).

But my favorite in MW2 was always the Hellbringer. Dang versatile for the size. I had a setup that could make mincemeat of anyone at any distance in the Solaris ring on Netmech... Wish I could find the details for it somewhere.

Edited by DireWolf307, 20 June 2012 - 12:12 AM.

[Ettibber]

NightlyReaper, on 19 June 2012 - 09:28 PM, said:

Per Sarna.net:
Vaguely resembling a cross-over between the MAD (Marauder) and CAT (Catapult) series, the Timber Wolf was tagged with the Inner Sphere reporting name Mad Cat on first contact. (The targeting computer on Phelan Kell's Wolfhound switched between MAD and CAT when trying to identify it); Martial Anastasius Focht later officially designated it "Mad Cat".

Now that's just a cool piece of trivia that I didn't know until recently.

Also, although it was totally not canon, in Mechwarrior2 a player could load up a Timber Wolf with nothing but machine guns and jump jets and then just jet up into your opponents' faces and unleash 10 machine guns. MG's were super short on range and not that great on damage, but in MW2 (and some others MW games in the series) they generated NO HEAT. So you could just hold the trigger down and watch arms fly off. As I said....absolutely not canon....but I miss it.

NightlyReaper, Out.

supposedly had phelan had a mech somewhat close to the mad cat in terms of ability he never would have been captured(and per the blood name contest it seems so).

[Hikaru]

Yep. Warhammer and Marauder FTW. Now that Robotech is pretty much done and over, mebbe PG will bring out the first gen mechs. I'd pay grip to be able to buy those. =/

[Shakow]

As xti said on the first page, all that history coming back with Mech 2.
Never not be loved

[Karl Streiger]

The first time i saw a Timber Wolf was on the cover of the book Falcon Guard - and within the book as Mech of Aidan Pryde. I really liked the Mech at this time. I even liked it in MW 2 and really loved to pilot it in MW 3 in the Alpha Configuration, and i feared it in MechCommander.

But actual it is the Mech i hate most - what happened? First i turned from a player of JadeFalcon towards inner sphere - next the Timber Wolf has hardly any drawback and the most important reason - anybody i crying when will i get my Mad Cat, is the Mad Cat part of the Founder program, when willl Clans arrive want to play my MadCat.................................................and this goes on and on and on

[NuKulaR]

Less than 100 tons... not interesting ... giev atlas xD

[The Sliencer]

Fortune, on 19 June 2012 - 09:43 PM, said:

Because of the intro of MechCommander. Also because of tried to reload over a hundred times to get the cat on the 4th mission of MC1(no equipments lost at all) has something to do with it.

Exactly. When Mechwarrior2 came out, sundenly a bazzilion people who had never heard of BatteTech sudenly became interested. That game somewhat glorified the MadCat/TimberWolf platform, and MechCommandered turned it into something of a holy grail by making it something you couldnt buy and had to capture if you wanted one.

Yea, its an esthetically pleasing form, and in the tt game it has its virtues, but the MW2/MC influence cannot be discounted.

[Niberung]

First of all: symmetry. What I especially love about clan 'mechs is that clans often go for symmetry. This is why my second favorite 'mech, even though it's an IS design, is Marauder.
Second, it's a pretty strong 'mech. It has most impressive loadout for its class, having a great RDD-potential (2x LRM-20 and 2x ER PPCs is not something you can just mess with) as well as a nubmer of close-range and even anti-infantary weapons (such as machine guns and small or medium lasers under the cockpit).
Finally, the speed. At the start of the invasion no IS heavy 'mech could match both speed and firepower of the Mad Cat. Due to its unique features Mad Cat offers a lance\star commander unparallel control of the battlefield.

So yeah, it's pretty. It's beautiful. But it's not the regular beauty. It's the beauty of efficiency, the beauty of an instrument capable of doing what is's supposed to do and doing it better than anything else.

Edited by Niberung, 20 June 2012 - 03:32 AM.

[Elsior]

I don't find its design attractive to be honest... It's just getting a lot of exposure, making it synonymous with MechWarriors brand.

[Rejarial Galatan]

You cannot argue with the raw power of a mech that is only a heavy class mech, that has that kind of versatile nature, AND that makes Assault pilots take pause before engaging it. The thing is just pure wicked. Timber Wolf Forever!

[cinco]

it's the epitome of the mech aesthetics. no gundam/humanoid bs. pure functionality.

[LordDeathStrike]

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...

i love how easy it will be to head shot it with its "face" dead center of its mass forward profile. honestly its all windows and if you blow them open the pilot dies. kill the meat salvage the metal.

[Prophet of Entropy]

timber wolf < Warhawk
http://www.sarna.net...0U_Masakari.jpg

[Obadiah333]

I really like the Thanatos better. Of course, I did like the uziel and also the Chimera, for some weird reason. Also, the Argus was ok, even though it didn't have that great of armor. Reminds me of a Dragon, actually.

[Rejarial Galatan]

Warhawk while a great mech, I personally love it as my lighter assault clan mech, it still is not as potent imho as a Timber Wolf. Yea that cockpits a bit of a weakness, it still is way potent, way fast, and iconic XD

[Lumpi]

i like it because it is a mix of two/three of my favorite chassis, the marauder and the stalker/catapult, and if I had to choose one clan mech, it would be this. Maybe if I can get my hands on one I will even pilot one here...

[Project_Mercy]

• It was one of the first Clan omni mechs.
  
• It is astoundingly powerful and versatile.
  
• It basically took the looks of 3 of the most iconic and loved mechs (Catapult, Warhammer, Marauder) and combined them into one.
  
• It's used in a lot of fluff stories where someone kicks someone else's tail.
  
• It was the poster boy for a very long time and plastered all over everything.

[Zervziel]

The Timber Wolf/Mad Cat is one of those mechs that are deadly from the get go. Technically all mechs are to a degree, but the Mad Cat needs little to no tweakage to get it to a hard hitting load out in the MW games. TT wise every sing;e varient is geared towards bringing the pain hard and fast.

As for it being iconic, it filled up the void left by the Unseen and was practically the first clan mech ever seen. That on top of just being a nasty piece of work cemented it in place as the premiere mech for Clan Invasion era.