16 replies to this topic

[Lt muffins]

The CGR-1A1 Charger is considered by many to be an utter failure of a mech, the main reason is that it is an assault that has the role of a scout. The Charger's primary weapons is 5 small lasers which by any standards is laughable especially for an 80 ton mech. Looking over its stats in TRO: 3039 I found its major shortcoming, the charger's engine is a standard 400 rated engine which weighs in at a whopping 52.5 tons. Now if the engine was changed to a lighter XL engine (yes I know it is very expensive) the Charger would have 26 tons (XL-400 is 26.5 tons) freed for additional weapons and heat-sinks, though it would not be a cure all fix it would address the problem of its weak offensive ability (maybe change it to a PPC and 4 medium lasers and add the rest to armor and heat-sinks).

I included the readout from the TRO: 3039 (the engine mass is underlined)

Type: Charger
Technology Base: Inner Sphere
Tonnage: 80
Battle Value: 981
Equipment Mass
Internal Structure: 8
Engine: 400 52.5

Walking MP: 5
Running MP: 8
Jumping MP: 0

Heat Sinks: 10 0
Gyro: 4
Cockpit: 3
Armor Factor: 160 10

Internal Armor
Structure Value
Head 3 9
Center Torso 25 25
Center Torso (rear) 6
R/L Torso 17 20
R/L Torso (rear) 5
R/L Arm 13 15
R/L Leg 17 20

Weapon
and Ammo Location Critical Tonnage
Small Laser H 1 | .5
Small Laser RT 1 | .5
Small Laser RA 1 | .5
Small Laser LT 1 | .5
Small Laser LA 1 | .5

Edited by Lt muffins, 01 July 2012 - 10:11 AM.

[Gorith]

I can haz?

[Troa]

Uh....Okay? This has what to do with anything?

[Reyge]

You're using the 3025 variant? Look up the 3050 variant... it's a little more powerful, AND can really haul @ss!!! It may not be the fastest or the most powerful mech out there, but it is a good mix of those roles.

[Lt muffins]

Troa, on 01 July 2012 - 10:02 AM, said:

Uh....Okay? This has what to do with anything?

was thinking about a little discussion on how to fix what is a relatively useless design

TripleHex, on 01 July 2012 - 10:03 AM, said:

You're using the 3025 variant? Look up the 3050 variant... it's a little more powerful, AND can really haul @ss!!! It may not be the fastest or the most powerful mech out there, but it is a good mix of those roles.

I am using the TRO: 3039, but I will see if i can find my TRO:3050 (even though it has been missing for years).

Edited by Lt muffins, 01 July 2012 - 10:06 AM.

[Victor Morson]

Look up the Charger on Sarna. It's overloaded with amazing variants; even the "failure" starter one isn't awful for the BV. It's great for, well, charging and kicking.

[Stone Profit]

Sarna is your friend check it out, it has all the info.

http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Charger

Enjoy!

[Lightdragon]

uh... they did fix the chargers armnaments later on in 3039 see kurita variants of the charger

[Victor Morson]

Stone Profit, on 01 July 2012 - 10:11 AM, said:

Sarna is your friend check it out, it has all the info.

http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Charger

Enjoy!

Just pointing out this is one of the best T1 assaults in all of BattleTech:

CGR-SB - Called Challenger by its designers, the SB variant of the Charger was devised in 3025 by Stuart Bell, chief Tech of the mercenary unit Hat-in-the-Ring Battalion. The radical alteration looks to turn the Charger into a traditional assault 'Mech. This is accomplished by reducing the 'Mechs speed to 54 km/h, which allows the use of a smaller engine (incidentally, the commonplace Pitban 240 reactor). The 'Mech is armored with fifteen and a half tons of armor and is armed with four Large Lasers and a Medium Laser. The Challenger also has twenty-eight heat sinks to help handle the massive amounts of heat from its heavy energy weapon arsenal. The SB modification concept is remarkable because it is not particularly difficult to apply, using a common and well-known reactor type in the refit and essentially only upgrading the existing weapons so that the targeting system needs not be tampered with. BV (1.0) = 1,330, BV (2.0) = 1,604

[Lt muffins]

Lightdragon, on 01 July 2012 - 10:12 AM, said:

uh... they did fix the chargers armnaments later on in 3039 see kurita variants of the charger

Checked Sarna ..... and I see many of the variants (need to remember to check sarna before I post). But usually the fan modified variants tend to be different from the Cannon variants and the fan variant also tend to be more optimized for the role the player wants to use them for.

Edited by Lt muffins, 01 July 2012 - 10:22 AM.

[Squigles]

Actually, I'm a big fan of the original charger, most people see 5 small lasers and start howling about garbage. What it is, is an extremely low BV kicking machine. It has no ammo to explode, and the standard engine means it only dies from CT coring. Generally speaking, it will kick the legs off of anything near it's BV before being taken down itself, unless the target is a fast mover. Put a pair of base chargers up against an AS7-K, and I'll put my money on the chargers every time...and you'll even have a bit of BV to spare on the chargers team.

Edit: And god forbid one charges into your rear arc at full tilt, not a lot out there that can eat the equal of 10 or 11 ML's to the rear torso without hurting.

Edited by Squigles, 01 July 2012 - 10:34 AM.

[Temu]

Kurita variant= Hatamoto

[Kobold]

Temu, on 01 July 2012 - 10:50 AM, said:

Kurita variant= Hatamoto

While they use the same base skeleton, I've always seen the Hatamotos are Thug rip offs.

[PANZERBUNNY]

Lt muffins, on 01 July 2012 - 10:00 AM, said:

The CGR-1A1 Charger is considered by many to be an utter failure of a mech, the main reason is that it is an assault that has the role of a scout. The Charger's primary weapons is 5 small lasers which by any standards is laughable especially for an 80 ton mech. Looking over its stats in TRO: 3039 I found its major shortcoming, the charger's engine is a standard 400 rated engine which weighs in at a whopping 52.5 tons. Now if the engine was changed to a lighter XL engine (yes I know it is very expensive) the Charger would have 26 tons (XL-400 is 26.5 tons) freed for additional weapons and heat-sinks, though it would not be a cure all fix it would address the problem of its weak offensive ability (maybe change it to a PPC and 4 medium lasers and add the rest to armor and heat-sinks).

I included the readout from the TRO: 3039 (the engine mass is underlined)

Type: Charger
Technology Base: Inner Sphere
Tonnage: 80
Battle Value: 981
Equipment Mass
Internal Structure: 8
Engine: 400 52.5

Walking MP: 5
Running MP: 8
Jumping MP: 0

Heat Sinks: 10 0
Gyro: 4
Cockpit: 3
Armor Factor: 160 10

Internal Armor
Structure Value
Head 3 9
Center Torso 25 25
Center Torso (rear) 6
R/L Torso 17 20
R/L Torso (rear) 5
R/L Arm 13 15
R/L Leg 17 20

Weapon
and Ammo Location Critical Tonnage
Small Laser H 1 | .5
Small Laser RT 1 | .5
Small Laser RA 1 | .5
Small Laser LT 1 | .5
Small Laser LA 1 | .5

The 3025 version is. There are some good refits out there. DCMS has a decent one.

[Kenyon Burguess]

i would pilot the 3K

CGR-3K - House Kurita's 3K is an upgrade of the 1A9 that uses an XL engine to maintain the Charger's speed of 86.4 km/h. The 'Mech is armed with four Medium Pulse Lasers and an LRM-20 launcher with an Artemis IV fire control system. The Mech also has a jumping distance of up to one hundred and fifty meters.

Edited by Geist Null, 01 July 2012 - 11:21 AM.

[Temu]

Kobold, on 01 July 2012 - 11:02 AM, said:

While they use the same base skeleton, I've always seen the Hatamotos are Thug rip offs.

Thug was built in 2572 and was long gone design at the time (though it seems they might have changed that in a revised 3050 i own the original)... and Hatamoto was a major upgrade of the CGR-1A1. I'll agree the Hatamoto-chi is VERY similar but better looking , but there is also the Hatamoto-Hi, Hatamoto-Kaze, Hatamoto-Ku, and Hatamoto-Mizu changing out the SRM 6's with other weapon systems. Thugs fit their name, Hatamoto's are for when you really want style

Thug does have the IMPORTANT advantage of DHS as standard though.

[Bearcut]

There are other variants of the charger that have better weaponry:

The Charger is not a useless mech on TT. Its a low BV Assault with high speed that can do massive damage on a charge. Thus the name "Charger." Also having an 80 ton mech kick you in the face is pretty hardcore.

In the lore its described as useless. But a good TT player can use it effectively.

However, in a SIM without Melee- the only way in this game I can see it being useful is if that "Charge" ability on the skill tree is weight dependent.

Edited by Bearcut, 01 July 2012 - 12:14 PM.