21 replies to this topic

[bobobobobiy]

Forgive me if this is an old question, but why do some 'mechs have fists? They don't see any use from them, and it would seem like it would just be added weight to the arms.

[AlexEss]

Well... IN the original miniaturer wargame they could very much punch stuff and carry weapons such a clubs and hatchets.

And fluff/lore wise they are used to carry stuff and help when moving through difficult terrain.. Also to move debris and stuff.


As for why they are in this game.. ity is simply a nod to the original designs.

[Ir0nPiston]

If you are serious, 'mechs have fists in Battletech (tabletop) because they actually do punch and grab objects such as another 'mech's severed arm and beat other 'mechs with it.

MWO does not have this enabled yet, but PGI states that physical attacks are in the works at some point down the road. I would expect collisions to be (re)enabled though first.

Also, this -



That's right Clanners. >

[Kilo 40]

Because of drugs in the 1980s.

[FupDup]

[Bartholomew bartholomew]

Melee combat and there are some scenarios in TT where you need mechs with hands in order to carry out raids. Since they used them to pick up and transport stuff. An atlas was known to be able to pick up a light like a jenner and smash it to the ground because it's hands where that capable. And a hunchbacks battle fists (hands) were able to do as much damage as the main gun.

Edited by Bartholomew bartholomew, 24 January 2015 - 06:55 PM.

[Koniving]

While never depicted in Mechwarrior games (short of Mechwarrior 2 Mercs in the beginning intro), Star League era Battlemechs often had hand-mounted weaponry. The Thunderbolt is well known for having 6 and 12 ton hand-held weaponry packs.
An example of one had twin LRM-5s (2 tons each) + 1 ton of ammo + half a ton of weapon structure and weapon armor (total 6 tons). The convenience of this is akin to Omni-Mechs, it is very easy to change out weapons that are held by the hands.

Issues, of course, tended to be that hand-mounted weapons were easily dropped, had accuracy calibration issues, were clunky, and ultimately dated.

The merits included but aren't limited to being able to drop and pick them back up.

Arbiter is a good visual representation.
So is the Wolverine and Battlemaster.
Or this Griffin.



A Wolverine.


This evolution of the Charger, called the Hatomoto Chi is a good example, too.

(That mech and the Enforcer are depicted in the introduction of this kinda bad MechCommander knockoff.

)




The Yen Lo Wang has two versions. One with a claw, the other with an Axe.



Axman with a gun.

/www.sarna.net/wiki/images/thumb/0/0d/Trebuchet_1.jpg
^That is an actual Trebuchet variant.

Beyond their use for weapons and melee, hands are used to make getting up easier.
If your hand is blown off or you don't have one, it is considered to be somewhat more difficult to stand up. The change in difficulty from a mech with two hands and a mech with one hand (or two hands but one blown off) is actually identical to the increase in difficulty to getting up when your foot has been torn in half and dangles from your leg. Getting back up on a mech with no hands is quite a feat that is prone to some failed attempts.

Hands are required to collect scrap at the end of a battle, which is a huge source of income. No hands, no scrap for you, no additional income.
Hands are required for climbing. Whether you're pulling a King Kong on the Empire State Building or trying to pull yourself free of the shrubs on Viridian Bog. You need hands.

Enjoy!

[Bishop Steiner]

Koniving, on 24 January 2015 - 07:21 PM, said:

While never depicted in Mechwarrior games (short of Mechwarrior 2 Mercs in the beginning intro), Star League era Battlemechs often had hand-mounted weaponry. The Thunderbolt is well known for having 6 and 12 ton hand-held weaponry packs.
An example of one had twin LRM-5s (2 tons each) + 1 ton of ammo + half a ton of weapon structure and weapon armor (total 6 tons). The convenience of this is akin to Omni-Mechs, it is very easy to change out weapons that are held by the hands.

Issues, of course, tended to be that hand-mounted weapons were easily dropped, had accuracy calibration issues, were clunky, and ultimately dated.

The merits included but aren't limited to being able to drop and pick them back up.

Arbiter is a good visual representation.
So is the Wolverine and Battlemaster.
Or this Griffin.



A Wolverine.


This evolution of the Charger, called the Hatomoto Chi is a good example, too.

(That mech and the Enforcer are depicted in the introduction of this kinda bad MechCommander knockoff.

)




The Yen Lo Wang has two versions. One with a claw, the other with an Axe.



Axman with a gun.

/www.sarna.net/wiki/images/thumb/0/0d/Trebuchet_1.jpg
^That is an actual Trebuchet variant.

Beyond their use for weapons and melee, hands are used to make getting up easier.
If your hand is blown off or you don't have one, it is considered to be somewhat more difficult to stand up. The change in difficulty from a mech with two hands and a mech with one hand (or two hands but one blown off) is actually identical to the increase in difficulty to getting up when your foot has been torn in half and dangles from your leg. Getting back up on a mech with no hands is quite a feat that is prone to some failed attempts.

Hands are required to collect scrap at the end of a battle, which is a huge source of income. No hands, no scrap for you, no additional income.
Hands are required for climbing. Whether you're pulling a King Kong on the Empire State Building or trying to pull yourself free of the shrubs on Viridian Bog. You need hands.

Enjoy!

sigh...I really hated it when they retconned "hand held weapon (besides melee) rules into the game.

[Brody319]

FupDup, on 24 January 2015 - 06:41 PM, said:

that is one disturbing comic.

[Keira RAVEN McKenna]

Hands are needed to backhand players, to flick away elementals should they ever appear and to high five each other on a good backhanding

[TheSilken]

Cuz choppa is just as good as dakka.

[Alistair Winter]

When they implement melee in this game, I imagine we'll be able to pick up giant crowbars, chains and baseball bats, like Streets of Rage.

[9erRed]

Greetings all,

Originally Mechs were designed for industrial/commercial use and as such required some method of manipulating equipment.
- The Pilot has a second set of controls (just in front of the normal ones) that allow for precise movement of the hands and arms.(The finger rests are sensitive and are used to help control the 'Mechs hands in physical modes. When in physical mode the joystick moves up and down as well as side to side.)

The Mechs with these additional features also have dedicated algorithms and programs designed specifically for the hands use, the Pilot only needs to direct them to an object or item and they are fully capable of completing the operation of grasping, holding, or gripping it.

- It was quite common to see 'Mechs assisting in constructing hasty defensive fortifications, or 'rearranging' the local terrain or Fauna for future or tactical purposes.
- Also, Lore or stories of 'Mechs assisting downed and injured Pilots by holding and carrying them to a safer location.
- One of the more common Mechs that relies on it's hands is the 'cargo/ammo' support Mech, seen in use at most ports or aerodromes, as well as forward supply depots. (may see something along these lines if we ever get to a 'rearm' event with-in the game.)

For this game, the use of hand actuators has not yet been defined or brought to any use, yet.
- As we move closer to the knockdown/stand-up feature we will probably see these elements or components find a use or purpose.
- As well as future map design that may 'require' a 'Mechs hands to operate or cause function in/on an object.
(or possibly the 'retrieval' of an object or sensor that was earlier placed. Sorry Raven, you may have been able to 'deploy' that sensor, but you can't pick it back up.)

Just some info,
Aim True and Run Cool,
9erRed

Edited by 9erRed, 25 January 2015 - 03:32 AM.

[cSand]

One reason and one reason only:

[xe N on]

Would be awesome to do this on a smaler scale e.g. with traffic lights or trees.

https://www.youtube....cl=84503534#t=7

By the way, titanfall has it:

Edited by xe N on, 24 January 2015 - 11:53 PM.

[Raggedyman]

A lot of the mecha from Macross (major influence on the TT game) had hands and so hands were included in the original Battlemech designs, they then just kind of stayed as part of the aesthetic and various reasons/in-game uses were added on. When The Clans were first introduced their lack of hands was used to distinguish them and give them a "Just Here For War!!" look.

Also, as shown in Pacific Rim: So you can hit someone in the face with a ship.

[LordKnightFandragon]

Ir0nPiston, on 24 January 2015 - 06:02 PM, said:

If you are serious, 'mechs have fists in Battletech (tabletop) because they actually do punch and grab objects such as another 'mech's severed arm and beat other 'mechs with it.

MWO does not have this enabled yet, but PGI states that physical attacks are in the works at some point down the road. I would expect collisions to be (re)enabled though first.

Also, this -



That's right Clanners. >

What happens when your mech is all out of weapons.

As much as I hate that Atlas falcon punching my favorite Clan mech, I love it cuz its just epic.

[Atlasian]

Hand actuators (and arm actuators) are use to occupy a slot in the arm. This is to restrict certain variants to mount big weapons on the arm. Otherwise you will see lots of Mechs with JagerMech's arms.

[Ratpoison]

Not really relevant to lore, but in MWO mechs with hand actuators have greater arm movement range than those without, you may notice.

[Axeface]

Mechs are used to move stuff too.