20517 replies to this topic

[Norris J Packard]

Adridos, on 17 January 2013 - 08:06 AM, said:

What would FD be doing all this time? And as was proved by the Awesome adn Highlander release, they indeed have the art and just don't show it.

I asked FD in a PM a few days ago exactly how much he has done, and he told me flat out that he's typically 3-4 Mechs ahead unless he's busy with other stuff.

[Adridos]

Norris J Packard, on 17 January 2013 - 08:15 AM, said:

I asked FD in a PM a few days ago exactly how much he has done, and he told me flat out that he's typically 3-4 Mechs ahead unless he's busy with other stuff.

Am I the only one jealous of Hayden? He got to see those designs long ago...

[Odanan]

I still think after the 20th mech (next assault), there will be the 16 omni clan mechs.

For next IS mechs, I would suggest:

Light: Firestarter (another 35 tonner, but with a lot of variants)
Medium: Clint
Heavy: Guillotine
Assault: Zeus/Banshee

[Butane9000]

Just wanted to throw something out there about the new Hero Mech.

So far we have 4 hero mechs. 1 medium and 3 heavies. The next one is going to be a light, specifically a Commando. It's a chassis people don't play as much, even with the bonus of a ECM variant. This thread has discussed what we might see next from a hero mech and I still put my vote towards an Awesome. Now I feel it's more likely due to them giving the Commando a hero mech. It was hands down the worst light before the Spider. And one can argue it still is.

Hero Mechs:

#1 - Yen Lo Wang - Centurion 50T

#2 - Ilya Muromets - Cataphract 70T

#3 - Flame - Dragon 60T

#3 - Fang - Dragon 60T

Now besides the Cataphract both the Centurion and Dragon were both considered the weakest of their weight classes currently in game at the time. The Cataphract is the odd one out nobody expected, at least I didn't. But what about what's coming next?

#4 - Death's Knell - Commando 25T

#5 - ?

My vote for #5 is an Awesome. But how do you make it different? That's the question that I always immediately think of. Here's my take on what the hard points would be to make a hero Awesome different.

Head - 1 Missile
Right Torso - 1 or 2 Missile, AMS
Center Torso - 1 Energy
Left Torso - 1 or 2 Missile
Right Arm - 1 Energy
Left Arm - 1 Energy
Right Leg - None
Left Leg - none

It could even be made to look different by having circular missile pods on the torso slots and it's claw arm removed and replaced with a barrel arm. I imagine it's stock armament would be 3 Large Lasers (arms and CT), 2 SRM6's (torsos) and 1 LRM5 (head).

If you factor in Founder mechs it means we won't be seeing a Jenner, Hunchback, Catapult and Atlas any time soon. That leaves us with the Raven, Spider, Cicada and Stalker. However if we don't factor them in considering they are limit to the player base, non-acquirable and a copy of an existing version it's likely we will see one of those as well as the others.

Honeslty I place my bets on the 6th hero mech being a Cicada.

Also, I really want that Awesome I described.

[Odanan]

I agree the Awesome needs a hero mech. To make it different from the other variants, I think it hould have at least 1 ballistic hardpoint (why not?).

And the Cicada hero could have jump jets.

[themoob]

I'd buy an Awesome with ballistics in a second, and I don't even like Assaults.

[Strum Wealh]

Thontor, on 17 January 2013 - 06:14 PM, said:

Ballistic hardpoint in the head!

Hmmm...

• x2 ballistic (x1 RA, x1 HD)
  
• x4 energy (x2 RT, x2 LT)
  
• x2 missile (both in CT)

Overpowered? Underpowered? Just right?

(Assuming they're not going to hold off on a Hero Awesome until later this year, and then introduce Adam Steiner's AWS-9Ma (which was the custom variant he used during the period covered by the BattleTech cartoon) as the second canon Hero 'Mech...?)

[Norris J Packard]

Wasn't that in 3051?

[Adridos]

Thontor, on 17 January 2013 - 06:14 PM, said:

Ballistic hardpoint in the head!

Vindicator has one too. And we all know it's going to be the next medium in the game.

[Lagfest]

...
If you wanted to think a little differently,

The hero Awesome could have the following lay out:

HD - AMS
RA / LA - 1 E each
RT / LT - 2 B each + 1 M each

Give it a little additional armor and a lower speed cap
What do ya have? A Mauler in all but name

DO IT NAOW!

[Strum Wealh]

Norris J Packard, on 17 January 2013 - 08:28 PM, said:

Wasn't that in 3051?

The cartoon itself (which, IIRC, is not considered part of BT canon) indicates that it covers March 02, 3050 (the date given for the CJF invasion of Somerset, from the beginning of the first episode; the same episode indicates that Steiner learned of the invasion while at the Nagelring on March 05) to September of the same year (Steiner arrives at Somerset in Ep. 12, stating "After six months, we're finally coming home." just before the intro theme starts).

Even more specifically, the AWS-9Ma (along with a pre-production prototype of the Bushwacker) shows up in Ep. 07 (which doesn't seem to give a date or indication of time elapsed).
However, it would still be within that period (which, IIRC, BT canon gives as March through November, rather than March through September), so it's possible that the -9Ma could make an appearance later this year if "canonical Hero 'Mech" is what the Devs decide to go for...

(Also, I'm still interested in feedback regarding my proposed, hypothetical hardpoint layout... )

[Odanan]

Strum Wealh, on 17 January 2013 - 08:27 PM, said:

Hmmm...

• x2 ballistic (x1 RA, x1 HD)
  
• x4 energy (x2 RT, x2 LT)
  
• x2 missile (both in CT)

Overpowered? Underpowered? Just right?

(Assuming they're not going to hold off on a Hero Awesome until later this year, and then introduce Adam Steiner's AWS-9Ma (which was the custom variant he used during the period covered by the BattleTech cartoon) as the second canon Hero 'Mech...?)

Hmm... dual Gauss assault? I can hear some ranting from the anti-P2W crowd already.

I see a tendency in the hero mechs: they usually have less hardpoints than the standard variants.

But I agree the hero Awesome needs at least 1 ballistic hardpoint to make it different from the others. The same for the hero Stalker. Just swapping hardpoint locations it's getting boring...

Ah, and if I would make a hero Cicada, I would make it with 6x ballistics (machinegun madness) + jump jets. Named Froghopper or Spittlebug.

EDIT: oh, it's "x1 RA, x1 HD", not "x1 RA, x1 LA". No dual Gauss possibility. Sorry, misread your post.

Edited by Odanan, 18 January 2013 - 04:54 AM.

[sarkun]

I think the Awesome could use a hero mech, and the Steiner's ride would fit the bill nicely... have less hardpoints than the standard 9M but have access to ECM - making it the first hero mech to be able to equip it.

[Adridos]

Odanan, on 18 January 2013 - 04:45 AM, said:

But I agree the hero Awesome needs at least 1 ballistic hardpoint to make it different from the others.

With ballistic weapons, it just isn't Awesome anymore. Leave those for Devastator, or Annihilator.

[Penance]

I almost started to cry when I saw the list of clan mechs, especially the heavies.

[Odanan]

Adridos, on 18 January 2013 - 06:03 AM, said:

With ballistic weapons, it just isn't Awesome anymore. Leave those for Devastator, or Annihilator.

Well, without ballistics, it will be exactly like another Awesome, but with swapped hardpoints. Forgive me it I want a little variety.

PS: if you are going to make a hero mech, do it properly. Not another Death's Knell.

[Odanan]

Penance, on 18 January 2013 - 07:30 AM, said:

I almost started to cry when I saw the list of clan mechs, especially the heavies.

Yes, they are coming. Vulture, Loki, Thor and Mad Cat will make a lot of people happy in the community.

[Adridos]

Odanan, on 18 January 2013 - 07:49 AM, said:

PS: if you are going to make a hero mech, do it properly. Not another Death's Knell.

Hero mechs are simple variants. The more they differ from the normal mech's capabilities, the closer they are to the P2W point, which noone wants to get.

[Lightfoot]

If they include a fix for the Awesome, yes I would buy a Hero mech Awesome. Right now both the Stalker and Atlas take double the amount of damage to bring down. Maybe it's hitbox size, but the MWO Awesome has to be Assault Class toughness or you hurt your team alot by bringing one into a match.

Right now the Awesome is like the mech that was sucked up by a Kansas tornado and dropped into MWO, except it didn't get no Ruby Slippers! It just doesn't match the other 'mechs in it's class for Assault mech toughness and it's loadouts are similar to what Medium mechs carry.

Also, it's Zeus.

If they add the Hatamoto Chi MWO will lose all sense of scale. You would have to agree that seeing a Samurai Warrior attacking you instead of a mech would make the buildings seem minature and the other mechs human sized. More than they do now.

[Odanan]

Adridos, on 18 January 2013 - 08:42 AM, said:

Hero mechs are simple variants. The more they differ from the normal mech's capabilities, the closer they are to the P2W point, which noone wants to get.

So, you do consider the Ilya Muromets P2W, right?

If the combat system and weapons/equipment are proper balanced, there is no way of having OP mechs or variants.** Therefor, you could make any hero variant and the game wouldn't be P2W.

** That's kind of the objective of Battletech when it gave us rules to build our own mechs (unfortunately, they never balanced the weapons well, being the Autocannons weak and the Medium Lasers OP, for instance).

PS: Of course, that exclude the clan weapons and equipment, which will always be better than the IS ones (don't try to balance them like MW4 did!).

And, for God's sake, how adding one ballistic hardpoint to the Awesome (at the expenses of, lets say, 2 energy ones) would be P2W?