Odanan, on 14 February 2014 - 07:16 AM, said:
Guys, I'm starting to realize the devs will continue to add IS mechs even with the Clans.
Think about it: the Clan Collection mechs will be done by June, so the art department must engage into something else. Why not release two mechs per month? (The Firestarter and the new Assault mech are here to tell us something)
So, we might get 10 more IS mechs in 2014 (!!). Jesus, I'm the only only excited with this?
Verily. So far the devs haven't said that they aren't releasing the Griffin and Wolverine. But that they've released the Firestarter and announced that a new Assault will be coming in March (Banshee, you all heard it here first!) So it's likely we'll get more IS mechs. As the Devs stated the Phoenix package gave them a buffer in releasing some mechs solo (Locust, Shadowhawk, Thunderbolt and Battlemaster). We know their Clan mechs are pretty much finished being modeled and animated (at least the initial 8) and we aren't sure yet how they are going to handle the C-bill versions of those mechs yet.
Here's my guesses based on what we have:
Current Lights (7): Locust,
Flea (June?), Commando, Spider, Raven, Jenner and Firestarter
Current Mediums (9): Cicada, Blackjack, Hunchback, Centurion, Trebuchet, Kintaro, Shadowhawk, Griffin and Wolverine
Current Heavies (7): Dragon, Quickdraw, Catapult, Jagermech, Thunderbolt, Cataphract and Orion
Current Assaults (6): Awesome, Victor, Stalker, Battlemaster, Highlander and Atlas
So we know the Flea isn't in game yet but the Devs have stated it's still going to be in the game. It's been delayed due to MASC but knowing the Clan lights use MASC they should have it set by June so we will see the Flea sometime this year.
If they want to even out the tonnage brackets then 7 Months of 2014 will be non-medium mechs. We know February and March are both going to be non mediums (Firestarter for Feb and unannounced Assault for March). So we've got 9 months left in the year and 5 more non mediums. So we could start seeing the return to the old (Light>Medium>Heavy>Assault) release rotation later this year.
Here's my take on what we'll see:
Lights: Javelin and
Mongoose to fill out the bracket. Then if there is 1 more light release this year I believe it will be the
Hermes.
Mediums: Vindicator if we only get 1 medium this year. If we do happen to get another then
Clint or
Sentinel.
Heavies: So like the lights we're looking at 2-3 heavies. My guesses are
Guillotine,
Lancelot and
Black Knight. Maybe die hard fans will get lucky and PGI will release a Marauder special (?).
Assaults: We know we're getting one in March and my take on that is the
Banshee. After that it looks like we'll get another 2-3. After the Banshee my guesses are
Zeus,
Cyclops and honestly the
King Crab. I think they may do something special with the King Crab and give it's arms Omnimech rules where the hand and arm actuators remove if you mount an AC20 in them. But who knows.
As for future IS Medium mechs I believe after the ones stated above they will eventually add the Hatchetman. It's the most intelligent choice between the 45 ton mechs and would be a better addition then the Wyvern. As for another 40 tons we may see the Whitworth, and possibly the Vulcan/Assassin.