143 replies to this topic

[Capnflintlock]

Hey guys, I've been having a really tough time deciding between the Commando and the other light mechs. I have a dear place in my heart for the commando because it was the first mech I ever piloted in mechwarrior, (MW2: Mercenaries). However, even though I like the commando, it has its shortcomings compared to other light mechs, such as not having ECM's, jumpjets(yes I'm aware some variants have jumpjets, talking about base variant however), or significant armor.

So what do you vets out there think? How can the commando possibly redeem itself when their are so many other more viable choices to choose from in the light mech category?

Commando:
+Cheap
+Decent Firepower for light mech
+Sleek front and side design, making it difficult to hit in general
-Paper-thin armor, even when compared to other lightmechs
-No ECM equipment, making it a detectable scout
-2 ammunition based weapons with little armor makes it a ticking time bomb.
-no standard variant jumpjets

Edited by Capnflintlock, 27 June 2012 - 05:35 PM.

[Belorion]

Actually I pick Panther...

[PewPew]

Well, it looks like a fairy when it runs and will likely cause whoever's targeting you to poop themselves laughing. That effectively reduces their accuracy by about 50% when you're on their screen running.

[Akula]

I myself chose the Raven as not only do I think it is the coolest looking Light Mech but with all those electronics its packing, it is going to be the king of the info war.

Plus if they have the RVN-2X variant where it drops the Narc and Tag for a LL then it should be a damned good combat scout too. Not forgetting the armour is upped to 6.5 tons.

Edited by Skringly, 27 June 2012 - 05:44 PM.

[Hikaru]

The other variants make it a possible sniper/fire support 'mech like the prime Panther, especially if you can drop the SRM's and squeeze in a PPC. (Panther isn't viable because there are no real variants they can sell.)

The Raven is nice, but I already own a Jenner, and the Raven is going to get head shot/cored all day long with that profile.

Edited by Hikaru, 27 June 2012 - 05:43 PM.

[Flinch]

Raven for the nostalgia. I loved blowing up that mech in GBL. Now I want to pilot one...

[xxx WreckinBallRaj xxx]

The problem is that the default prime variant Jenner has jumpjets, and this is the one on Founder's were talking about... so what benefit do I get for rolling a Commando? If I get a Raven, at least I might get more electronics for doing so. You sacrifice jets for electronics. But what do I get for rolling a Commando? Where is the trade here? More electronics? Nope. More armor? Nope. More weapons? Nope. More Speed? Well ya but a Jenner and Raven are already firmly in the triple digits, so what's a tiny bit more going to matter? There's no incentive here and I think this Mech will be thrown to the trash come release unless they put jets on the prime variant. It will be a Mech that is needlessly fast in exchange for being needlessly weak and with almost no weapons. In addition to losing my Jenner's money boost and every other advantage the Jenner or Raven has, I'd gain nothing in return. Commando is probably the most worthless Mech in MWO right now. A Mech this Light(25 tons) should seriously have jumpjets on every variant. Why else would someone be interested in a Mech this small?

Unless you just WANT the absolute fastest speed in the game, you will probably pass this Mech up.

[rustbucket]

Like what I see with the raven

[Munro]

In my opinion, I would say the Raven is the classic "scouting" mech (I know there are a bunch more) being very fast and very stealthy with all of the on-board electronic gear. I don't plan on choosing the "scouting" role when the game is released, but if I had to pick I'd stick with the raven (even without any jump jets). For someone on the fence or new to the franchise I'd wait and see how each scouting mech compares in the mechlab.

Edited by Munro, 27 June 2012 - 06:05 PM.

[Bearcut]

Commando-1X variant trades the SRM's for a Large Laser and is an awesome mech. Just not sure if thats a Canon variant or not... we used to have it in MekWars.

[Kanatta Jing]

Apparently having missles on the arms in a big deal...

With that advice you can up the SRM4 to an SRM6 to get as much as you can out of your missle based brawling and switch the SRM6 in the torso for a LRM 5 for some bombardment when your to banged up to throw your self into the fray.

[Ranek Blackstone]

Way I see it from looking at sarna for info on the mechs.

Commando is the prime scout. Fast, nimble, and a very small target making it easy to pop into and out of cover. Even with out JJs its small profile and high speed let it blitz from cover to cover.

Jenner is the harraser. 4 MLass and the SRM rack make it quick, durable, and able to lay down some serious hurt.

Raven is the Ecm ride, jamming target locks, and may be the prefered commander ride, depending on how role warfare is implemented.

[Jason1138]

well i'll be starting with a jenner because of the founder's pack but the commando looked pretty quick in that leaked footage so i wouldn't mind to try it too

[Derek Icelord]

I voted Jenner. I don't plan on being a light 'Mech pilot (heavy indirect fire support is my calling), so I probably won't spend my C-Bills on light chassis or upgrades for them.

However, I think the Commando will be far from a passed-by 'Mech. While it lacks the jump jets of the Jenner, I think people are underestimating the value of having more missile hardpoints. Bear in mind that while previous MechWarrior titles have made SRMs worthless BBs compared to LRMs, on the tabletop they do twice the damage of an LRM per missile and excel at wreaking havoc on a 'Mech's internals once the armor has been stripped away.

Another thing to consider are module slots. We don't know how many each 'Mech will have (it may not be finalized yet). If a Commando has more space for modules than then Jenner, I can see it becoming a superb commander's 'Mech allowing them to quickly zip around and position themselves as a relay of sorts between units that would otherwise be out of info sharing range.

Baring that, I don't see why you couldn't add some of the sweet electronic packages the Raven has. If the NARC requires a missile hardpoint, you've got at least two (depending on how they implement them), leaving you room to pack an SRM-6 as well.

[Jason1138]

Bluten, on 27 June 2012 - 05:54 PM, said:

The problem is that the default prime variant Jenner has jumpjets, and this is the one on Founder's were talking about... so what benefit do I get for rolling a Commando? If I get a Raven, at least I might get more electronics for doing so. You sacrifice jets for electronics. But what do I get for rolling a Commando? Where is the trade here? More electronics? Nope. More armor? Nope. More weapons? Nope. More Speed? Well ya but a Jenner and Raven are already firmly in the triple digits, so what's a tiny bit more going to matter? There's no incentive here and I think this Mech will be thrown to the trash come release unless they put jets on the prime variant. It will be a Mech that is needlessly fast in exchange for being needlessly weak and with almost no weapons. In addition to losing my Jenner's money boost and every other advantage the Jenner or Raven has, I'd gain nothing in return. Commando is probably the most worthless Mech in MWO right now. A Mech this Light(25 tons) should seriously have jumpjets on every variant. Why else would someone be interested in a Mech this small?

Unless you just WANT the absolute fastest speed in the game, you will probably pass this Mech up.

keep in mind that the devs have said that many of the maps will be 6x (or so) as big as the maps we've been shown so far so for those bigger maps a faster scout could be a big deal

obviously just speculation but just something to think about

[Xandre Blackheart]

I understand that you are trying to decide on one, but really you're setting up a false dichotomy here. The problem is that there isn't just one scouting role. There are multiple scouting roles, as other people have mentioned.

Scouting is primarily about detecting the enemy and providing intel, but that is not all they do. Ambush falls within the role of scouts, as well as flanking, harassing and feinting tactics. Feinting is every Cav Scouts favorite role. It is also known as: bait. (no I'm kidding they hate it). Also, don't forget one of the specialized roles of recon is to secure an objective ahead of the advance of the main forces, enabling the main force to approach against weakened defenses as the enemy must suddenly switch from a static defense to an active defense.

You are correct, the commando is probably going to be inferior (at least in the stock configuration) in the intel gathering department. Where it will shine is in the other roles. Flanking, harassment and most especially bait. It has the ability being small to vanish out of the kill zone rapidly increasing it's chance for survival. It has the ability to appear gaining surprise for static ambush as well as making it an excellent flanker and harasser.

As for sneaking in and securing an objective ahead of the main force... well just go look up the origins of the name Commando.

So I wouldn't write it off until you figure out exactly what kind of scouting role you want to excel in.

[Capnflintlock]

Xandre Blackheart, on 27 June 2012 - 06:40 PM, said:

I understand that you are trying to decide on one, but really you're setting up a false dichotomy here. The problem is that there isn't just one scouting role. There are multiple scouting roles, as other people have mentioned.

Scouting is primarily about detecting the enemy and providing intel, but that is not all they do. Ambush falls within the role of scouts, as well as flanking, harassing and feinting tactics. Feinting is every Cav Scouts favorite role. It is also known as: bait. (no I'm kidding they hate it). Also, don't forget one of the specialized roles of recon is to secure an objective ahead of the advance of the main forces, enabling the main force to approach against weakened defenses as the enemy must suddenly switch from a static defense to an active defense.

You are correct, the commando is probably going to be inferior (at least in the stock configuration) in the intel gathering department. Where it will shine is in the other roles. Flanking, harassment and most especially bait. It has the ability being small to vanish out of the kill zone rapidly increasing it's chance for survival. It has the ability to appear gaining surprise for static ambush as well as making it an excellent flanker and harasser.

As for sneaking in and securing an objective ahead of the main force... well just go look up the origins of the name Commando.

So I wouldn't write it off until you figure out exactly what kind of scouting role you want to excel in.

I shall paint my commando blue, Equip a large pulse laser, and call it megaman!

I'm aware there's multiple roles to be placed in, but I was trying to put myself into 1 mech, so I could grind its levels up. Also on a side note, If the SRMs rock enemies in MWO, then I could see barraging enemies a viable tactic for the commando. It could get in close and really give its enemies a bad day. Not to mention SRM's can really flake off rear armor. 10 SRMs is 20 points worth of damage. Combine that with low recycle and heat generation, and you got yourself a hoser.

Edited by Capnflintlock, 27 June 2012 - 06:58 PM.

[Xandre Blackheart]

Capnflintlock, on 27 June 2012 - 06:47 PM, said:

I shall paint my commando blue, Equip a large pulse laser, and call it megaman!

I'm aware there's multiple roles to be placed in, but I was trying to put myself into 1 mech, so I could grind its levels up. Also on a side note, If the SRMs rock enemies in MWO, then I could see barraging enemies a viable tactic.

Yes I understand, the question then becomes which role do you want to grind up levels in? Intel gathering or "recon"? That's not to say there aren't other mechs that can't do recon as well or even better than the commando, but you still have to figure out which role or combination of the two you prefer.

[Tadakuma]

Capnflintlock, on 27 June 2012 - 05:33 PM, said:

Commando:
+Cheap
+Decent Firepower for light mech
+Sleek front and side design, making it difficult to hit in general
-Paper-thin armor, even when compared to other lightmechs
-No ECM equipment, making it a detectable scout
-2 ammunition based weapons with little armor makes it a ticking time bomb.
-no standard variant jumpjets

Actually with the exception of the Jenner Jenner-7F variant and the Raven 2X variant the all the mechs have 64 pts of armour so there isn't an issue with the Commando has average armour for the game. With it's firepower it is a match for any of the stock light mechs in the game
however I suspect that the Commando will be a favoured mech for back stabbing. I.E. getting behind a heavier design and firing into rear armour.

It also looks like the Commando might have the smallest profile in the game making it a harder target.

I do intend to pilot one and I wouldn't worry about it, if they're using a C-Bill payment system it's cheap enough that it would probably be worth experimenting.

[cinco]

sleek doesn't mean thin