20517 replies to this topic

[Daneiel]

I will be realy hapy with Annihilator , King Crab or Highlander . I will be fine with Cyclops or Zeus , but probably nighter of them will be .

[Navek]

Odanan, on 18 July 2012 - 04:37 PM, said:

Well... I don't know... Spider was really a surprise. It's a crappy mech, with several variants but almost no variation. I'm really confused.

Anyway, they didn't break the method of pick non-star league (so no Highlander), non-unseen, non-Wolf Dragoons (no Imp, no Annihilator) mechs. So, the assault will be:

Cyclops, or
Banshee, or
Victor, or
Charger, or
Zeus.

Against Banshee and Charger are their awful primary variants.
Against Victor and Zeus, the lack of variation (but it looks like this is not a big problem). Victor might still be the chosen because of the jump.
Cyclops is the most likely - but after the Spider (I was expecting the Firestarter), I can't say for sure...

So Cyclops is your pick? Even with the surprise, you shouldn't make major changes in your reasons for picking the next mech, you were pretty accurate so far. I'll be interested to see what happens in two weeks.

[Odanan]

One explanation about the Spider is: the devs think that if you are a lightly armored mech, you should be fast - or you don't have a chance. So, no Panther, no Vindicator, no UrbanMech.

I think they are pretty right about that premise. If a hitting AC/20 means instant death, you need not to get shot.

If you look at the Firestarter, you can see marginal but important difference from the Spider. Both can jump (Spider can jump much farer away), both are fast (Spider is considerably faster), both are lightly armed (Firestarter has more weapons) and both are lightly armored (Firestarter has the double of armor).

Spider can't fight it's own battles - it's a pure scout. The strategy is run, jump, take a look and get out.
Firestarter is more like a Jenner: try to get behind the enemy, shoot all guns and run away.

[Belorion]

Another wrinkle is that they may be trying to balance where mechs are common. Spider is a Marik mech? By the end I think we will have all of the Mechs that make sense. I still think they may bring in at least some of the unseen, or they will bring in some of the "uncommon" mechs, because they are running out of options.

My best guess for the next mech is the Mauler... but it could honestly be any of (Charger, Hatamoto-Chi, Victor, Zues, Katana, Shogun, Cyclops, Mauler, or Banshee)...

I think the next wave of mechs will be the ones that include the Highland, Thug, King Crab, etc... Which will be around the time the clan comes in, so will be followed up my those mechs.

[Sackdaddy]

I think that the next heavy should either be the Grasshopper or a Caesar(introduced 3049). Not many variants for the Caesar but would be a great fit and have a gauss rifle as primary. Grasshopper for another heavy jumper but one that's an infighter.

Highlander was to uncommon to be brought in. Mauler more likely for assaults. Variants don't always matter for what they should put in.

[fett]

Lets just look at the spread of weights. So far:
25
30
2X 35
40
3x 50
60
2X 65
70 (though it is some abomination, not a real mech)
80
85
100

Thats 4 lights, 4 mediums, 4 heavies, 3 assaults. Some might say that the obvious next mech is an assault. I suppose I'd agree if they want to spread it evenly but lets remember than in the battletech universe, Assaults are the most expensive and rare of mechs- so maybe that pattern wont continue.

That being said, I'm expecting a Zues. My second bets would be Victor and Vindicator though only the Vindicator really fills a weight gap. We wont see a 55 tonner because only a Dervish is not an unseen, and it is not well known in my opinion. It would be nice to see a real 70 ton mech, but Grasshopper is the only likely one in my opinion since the rest are unseen.

[Red squirrel]

I agree in general that there will be / should be more medium sized mechs than assault mechs (Also fits to what Russ said in the medium mech hands on. something like "The most common mechs you will see on the battle field will be medium mechs")

But I think that there needs to be something inbetween 85 and 100 tons. It's just too big a gap. Also so far there seems to be no assault mech (I do not know all the variants though) that goes faster than 54km/h or can jump.

So Charger and Victor are two candidates.
But my tip really is the Cyclops. It's 90t, goes 64km/h and would be a nice mech for the command role.
Besides this I don't like the fetish about the Atlas. Therefore the King crab would be great as an alternative (does it exist in 3049?).

Edited by Red squirrel, 21 July 2012 - 06:08 AM.

[Odanan]

The King Crab is unlikely, because it's a Star League design and kind of restricted to the Comstar these days.

[Butane9000]

I was surprised about the Spider as well. But if you think about it it's not that hard to come out for it's reasoning. My first thought branches out to it's movement in both speed and jump jets as a key point. Specifically while yes, a custom Jenner could do the same it reduces the need to change battle roles if you have a stock variant of a mech capable of doing what your custom would be able too.

As for the incredibly light armament one could say the same of the Cicada when compared to the other medium chassis's. Overall it is an interesting choice, considering just how light on the armament it is combined with how light it gets with the variants. But pro's to the concept artists freaking amazing rendition of what was one ugly mech.

[Xathanael]

Dude I'm so down for a Hatamoto-Chi

[Sebastian Thrawn]

Noooo

In the Name of our Master Chick Katrina Steiner, we get our Zeus !

[Odanan]

If they merged the design of the Charger with the Hatamoto (after all, Hatamoto is only an upgraded Charger), I think the Charger would be a very viable addition.

Zeus? Well, give Steiner what is Steiner's.

[PhTx3]

As the variants do not seem to be the deciding factor my bet is indeed on Zeus. Hatamoto-Chi would be the close second.

I'd like to see much more mediums though. Maybe two more heavies. I think 2:4:3:2 would be a nice proportion.

Edited by PhTx3, 20 July 2012 - 05:46 AM.

[Silver Wind Jones]

I hope either the Cyclops, Highlander, or Zeus!!!! Fafnir would be sweet, but i dont know when it is manufactured

[shadowhawk102]

Dark Sapphire, on 20 July 2012 - 06:30 AM, said:

I hope either the Cyclops, Highlander, or Zeus!!!! Fafnir would be sweet, but i dont know when it is manufactured

3063 for the fafnir, so a while before we see it.

Zeus or mauler would be nice

Edited by shadowhawk102, 20 July 2012 - 06:52 AM.

[Red squirrel]

Victor

[Jacob Davion]

It's obviously going to be either the Cyclops, Highlander, Mauler, Victor, Charger, Zeus, Devastator, Annihilator, King Crab, or (preferably) the Banshee.

[Baron Kreight]

What other mechs can make it into the release? Is there a list? Like this one - http://www.sarna.net...750_BattleMechs

[Odanan]

Baron Kreight, on 20 July 2012 - 11:04 PM, said:

What other mechs can make it into the release? Is there a list? Like this one - http://www.sarna.net...750_BattleMechs

See list in the ending of the first post.

[Odanan]

Many new variants confirmed in the Caustic Valley video. Nice!