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[Keeshu]

I know there's some mechs that break all norms, but is there some sort of generalized set of rules that mechs go by when Battletech added new mech chassis?
I'd like to make some completely made up new mechs (at least one), but I'd like to stick as close to Battletech designs + loadout rules as possible.

Since I'm making entirely new mechs, I'm curious about the Design Quirk system. Whether Pros/Cons would help make interesting designs. I also find some mechs only have negative design quirks, and it makes me wonder if it's part of balancing it somehow.
However, I may just skip over the design quirk system if it seems too much like they just added to to mechs just because they felt like it (or just to make the Stock variant less desirable).

I'm expecting mostly answers to loadout stuff, as there doesn't seem to be much of a limit to when it comes to what a mech looks like when it comes to it's design.

I plan to design mechs based around the weapons they use, but also try to make it so weapons can be changed out and still look fine in case I ever decide to do some video game related things for fun. Though I won't do that if it makes the design worse.












Unimportant stuff bellow about why I made the thread and why I'm interested in designing mechs.... I got bored.

In case anyone was curious about why I made this topic:Since I've had a bunch of time able to have access to a computer, but not being able to play MWO for whatever reason, I've gone through all the mechs on Sarna to see what designs I liked the most.
Originally I just wanted to find a mech that's the closest to what I want in a mech for the loadout. Basicly Mad Dog Prime's loadout, but replace Large Pulses with Clan ER PPCs (same weight), and Med Pulses with jumpjets. There were a few mechs that got close to that but not quite there, but looking at them all made me re-look at all weapons once again and enjoy all weapons even more. It also made me look at all the different designs and made me want to create one for fun.
Here's the closest ones to what I want:
Patriot is a bit slow, no JJs, 1 arrow, 1 er PPC. No-dachi Sword, ER PPC, 2 MRM 20, a couple srms, and medium lasers, 86km but lacks JJs.
Mortis 1 Heavy PPC, 1 MML 5, 1 RL 10, 1 hatchet, lacks Jumpjets.
Gauntlet's Alt Config. A - 2 MML7, 2 Light PPCs (aka 1 of each for both arms). Lacks Jumpjetss on that particular variant though. Config.B has JJs and ECM though.
Centurion's (Omnimech version) Alt Config. B - 1 Heavy PPC, 1 MML7 (and ECM)..
Blood Reaper - 2 ER PPCs, 2 Heavy Medium Lasers, 2 ATM 6. Lacks speed and Jumpjets.
Battleaxe - 2 PPCs, 2 LRM 5, 1 SRM 6, and Jumpjets but it is a tad slow.
I was surprised how rare the PPC + LRM combo was around the speed I wanted. PPC + LRM combo also seemed to be rare on anything but Assaults as well.




As for my favorite Mech Design in battletech, it took a very long time to go through all of them and narrow them down. Overall I'm more fond of Clan designs.
I'll start with games I've played a lot of (Mechwarrior 2, Mechwarrior 4, Mechwarrior Online)
Mad Dog - I've been saying this is my favorite Mech for a very long time. Mechwarrior 4's Vulture is so rediculously different that I view it as a different mech, it's an alright design, but it doesn't make me go "MUST HAVE!" as much as Mad Dog. Would have used it more often in MW2, only problem is it doesn't have the challenge of Fire Moth, fast jumpjet play (while being a little challenging) of Jenner, or severe firepower of Dire Wolf, and in older Mechwarrior games armor makes a huge difference. Though now I've been going on a retro kick I'm using the Mad Dog more in MW4 (and I'll have to see about getting MW2 working).
Shadow Cat - I've been saying it's my second favorite for a long time as well.
Catapult - My absolute favorite mech in Mechwarrior Online right now. It looks awesome and it's the best version of the catapult imo. Stalker gets a mention here cause I tend to like to think of Catapult as a giant laser based Catapult, and it's my 2nd favorite design in the game so far (haven't tried it out yet though). MWO's redesign worked wonders for the Stalker.
Cougar - It just looks really solid....... Call me silly, but I like the version with partial wings too....
Uziel - Somehow ugly and beuatiful at the same time, I don't know why I like it's design so much.
Raven - Funnily enough, this is the only mech on here that I don't like the gameplay of (at least in MW4, havent tried it in MWO). Also, it's one of the extreme few mechs in MWO i don't like the redesign of. Turning a mech that has nice smooth curves, into something really blocky does that. It still looks good, but not great like the original. I'm not even saying the MWO one should change cause it fits MWO.
Jenner/Jenner IIC - Not sure why I love it so much, maybe it's gameplay bias from when I played Mechwarrior 2 as it was my 2nd most played (I only played Firemoth more for the challenge when I was a kid).
Dragon - That massive Center Torso, I dunno why but I love it.I just wish the arms+legs were more interesting.


Now for some Battletech mechs I've never played with in a game before that I really think have awesome designs. This may seem like a lot, but I've made these mechs go through elimination rounds with each other many times and I have a hard time narrowing it down from here. There's hundreds of Battletech mechs on Sarna.
Osprey - It just combines soo many awesome things into one package. Too bad I can't say the same for it's loadout (too slow for a medium)
Wulfen
Sling
Hector
Hellstar
Tenshi
Night Wolf
Juliano
Marauder IIC - Specificly Marauder IIC 2. This image http://www.sarna.net...auder_iic_2.jpg I like some other version of the Marauder more than the original? What is this madness?
Tomahawk
Blood Reaper
Anzu
Blade
Hollander - Particularly the Hollander III http://www.sarna.net...llander_III.jpg
Shen Yi
Targe
Deimos
Mercury II
Coyotl
Nyx
Bruin
Scarecrow
Eyrie
Cephalus
Raptor II
Prey Seeker
Gunsmith
Beowulf IIC
Arbalest
Vulpes

5 Quad mechs made it into my favs as well. Sadly the only quad I've used is the Tarantula in MW2, and after reading stuff on Sarna, Quads are supposed to do some things bipeds can't like sidestepping (you can't sidestep with tarantula in MW2, it pilots like a normal mech).
Antlion - Simple yet nice to look at.
Balius - Front part of the neck needs some adjustments to look extremely awesome, for now it's just cool.
Jaguar - So much awesome I just can't handle it.
Thunder Fox - MWO Catapult that runs on all 4s, are you surprised it's one of my favs?
Tarantula - Perhaps nostalgia for defending this thing kicked in. It just looks cool. Even if it was waaaay oversized for a light, and had pitiful weapons when it came to gameplay in Mechwarrior 2.

On a side Note:
MWO's Centurion looks more like a Kheper than the original Centurion. I'm not complaining though, it looks waaaaay better.
MWO's Victor looks more like Lu Wei Bing than the original Victor. But that's okay though, they were similar (enough to be put in the description for Lu Wei Bing) and it looks better.
MWO's Locust looks more like Gun than the original Locust. Personally I prefer the Koto, same general idea but has more curves.

Anzu is Summoner's design done right imo (Summoner, I don't want to hold your "good hand")

[IraqiWalker]

The quirks mechanism allows mechs to have distinct characteristics. For example, lack of a fist in the design means this mech can't really melee other mechs that well. Lacking a forearm means that it doesn't have an elbow joint, and so it wouldn't have full mobility on that arm. Because of how or where it was built, maybe the filters for that mech aren't that good, which means that in climates it was not intended for it would have problems. Such as heavy sand or snow getting into the joints and parts and clogging some of the fluid systems.

Don't think of them as minus and plus points for a mech. Think of them as a better way of conveying how the mech moves and pilots. If I designed a mech to work for my climate (Wisconsin in this case), it would have heavy insulation, and will probably lack jumpjets, but on the other hand the feet will have improved joints to handle stress, and MASC. The feet will also be designed in a way that would allow them to dig into the ground for a firmer grip.

The mech will, due to these quirks be very capable of mounting UMGs, and working underwater, even if it wasn't designed for it. On the other hand, it will have heat management issues, if it was operating in the middle east.