9 replies to this topic

[CK16]

Is there any lore behind the invasion colors and pattern? Along with the invasion variants of the mechs? Or is it just something for the game sake and special something for players?

[9erRed]

Greetings,

Most if not all the Factions and units involved have specific id colours they field.
- Tied to there Factions normal colour selection, and each unit has numerous smaller changes they apply to distinguish themselves.
- Depending on the type of operation, (from Lore and books) Faction and Unit colours could be replaced with more terrain matching Camo styles. As well as who the Enemy or opposition was or expected to be.

Quite a bit of the Colours we see PGI fielding are or may not be Lore related. And with some 'Mech chassis only being fielded by specific Factions, (not seen in-game) Camo and colour matching is not followed.
- If the Player has selected one Faction to play, there should be a limit to what colours they can now 'place on there 'Mech'.
- But that is not a great method for PGI to 'make money' selling there newest and greatest colours, so were not seeing this feature.
- If the Pilot is an Independent Merc, the options should be open to paint 'whatever'. But except a contract to work for a Faction and you'll be reverted to that Factions colour schemes. But we are not at that point in the game yet where it makes much difference. (Currently, your basically installing an IFF chip in the 'Mech, and everybody now knows who you are or work for.)

For an idea of just how many colour schemes there are, by Factions and units, there's a good reference and painted mini's at this site: http://camospecs.com/Gallery.asp
(just select the faction and drill down to the unit for the colours used.)
~ here's an example for the Clan Hells Horses, Alpha Keshik. The Keshik uses a black paint scheme with red highlights, trimmed at the edges in gold.

Most of these listed colours can't be applied in the methods listed. It would require each element of the 'Mechs model to be 'paintable' independent of surrounding elements. Way too much work for the artists and designers to do. But, allocating 3 channels as we have now does work, to some extent, but can't match all the variations that are listed.

Just some info,
9erRed

Edited by 9erRed, 29 March 2015 - 05:50 PM.

[Bill Bullet]

If you're looking for lore sarna.net a pretty deep wiki for the BattleTech universe unit and planet histories, color schemes, Mech development histories, and of course the MASSIVE lore that is the history of the Inner Sphere

[ChapeL]

Crottykid16, on 29 March 2015 - 09:17 AM, said:

Is there any lore behind the invasion colors and pattern? Along with the invasion variants of the mechs? Or is it just something for the game sake and special something for players?

As far as I know there is no Lore precedent for the bright orange and lime stripes of the Invasion variant. There is lore for the Faction camos that started out with the wave II mechs.

[CK16]

Thanks for the responses! Wish they had unit symbols and camo that who auto config to the environment. So snow camo for arctic/snow maps, Desert for arid and desert themes, Woodland for heavy foliage you get the idea.

So probably Clan mechs were in appropriate camo for the terrain lol

Edited by Crottykid16, 31 March 2015 - 07:44 PM.

[Metus regem]

Crottykid16, on 31 March 2015 - 07:26 PM, said:

Thanks for the responses! Wish they had unit symbols and camo that who auto config to the environment. So snow camo for arctic/snow maps, Desert for arid and desert themes, Woodland for heavy foliage you get the idea.

So probably Clan mechs were in appropriate camo for the terrain lol

Sometimes... often they wore the camo of their galaxy, kind of like a pride thing for them. Also, camo doesn't really help against thermal, seismic or even magnetometers.... those are three other forms of detection that battlemechs in TT can mount, so Camo is more or less pointless.

[Alex Morgaine]

We need magnetometer mode. I see magnets boss :3

[Morang]

Bill Bullet, on 29 March 2015 - 09:32 PM, said:

If you're looking for lore sarna.net a pretty deep wiki for the BattleTech universe unit and planet histories, color schemes, Mech development histories, and of course the MASSIVE lore that is the history of the Inner Sphere

Also

http://camospecs.com/Gallery.asp

has photos of miniatures with paint schemes of most canon units, with written description, sorted by House/Clan.

[Michael Howell]

Have the developers ever talked about letting us apply faction patterns to the invasion variants?

[Morang]

BTW why doesn't FRR have teal/cyan color neither in first nor in second set of faction colors? It's their map color after all, and 3rd Hussars also wear it (Cicada concept art).