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20 Ton Mech Balancing (Locust, Mercury, Flea, Stinger, Wasp, Thorn)


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Poll: which of the following mechs would you support by buying ? (78 member(s) have cast votes)

which of the following mechs would you support by buying ?

  1. Flea (41 votes [18.39%] - View)

    Percentage of vote: 18.39%

  2. Mercury (30 votes [13.45%] - View)

    Percentage of vote: 13.45%

  3. Thorn (26 votes [11.66%] - View)

    Percentage of vote: 11.66%

  4. Stinger (41 votes [18.39%] - View)

    Percentage of vote: 18.39%

  5. Wasp (48 votes [21.52%] - View)

    Percentage of vote: 21.52%

  6. Valkyrie (37 votes [16.59%] - View)

    Percentage of vote: 16.59%

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#21 Mister Bob Dobalina

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Posted 30 November 2015 - 04:16 AM

I have observed that many light Mech's are very much involved in direct combat situation way more than their often proclaimed "scout role" might implicate. Since damaging and killing seems to be much more rewarding than scouting, spotting, tagging and marking etc. within the game, it is only a logical developement. And since the Maps are rather confined spaces to battle (way more tactical than strategical) a scout mech can't really go into that role completely.

#22 Mister Bob Dobalina

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Posted 30 November 2015 - 04:21 AM

On a second note: The Stinger/Wasp/Valkyre Mechs are very similar in their original canon design and clearly taken from the Robotech Universe. Although the designers at PGI do a great job at reinventing classical designs into recognizable, yet fresh looking Mechs this might add up to a problem. Perhaps it is time to have the Valkyre hhassis as the prime variant with Wasp/Stinger configs and all in one Urbie-style package? Just thinking .....

#23 TheSilken

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Posted 30 November 2015 - 04:44 AM

PGI didn't reinvent sh*t with the unseens. Catalyst Game Labs redid the unseens here very recently and PGI simply made minor changes to the new redesigns. Just like they didn't write the fluff articles for the hero unseen variants, Catalyst Game Labs did.

#24 GI Journalist

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Posted 30 November 2015 - 06:31 PM

Most Inner Sphere 3050 LightMechs were rendered obsolete by the arrival of the Clans. Try to escape from an Artic Cheetah in a Locust, for example. Some newer designs such as the Dart or Fireball, added extreme speed in order to compete. Fielding the older designs, just to request modifications and higher speed caps, might not be the way to go.

#25 Lolo van Trollinger

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Posted 15 January 2016 - 06:02 AM

the problem is not exactly new. try to escape a hermes, hermes II, locust, mercury, assassin, spectre, wraith or something else faster in them. nothing new. same old problem even the direwhale faces when trying to escape a locust.

#26 Johann Jungblut

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Posted 25 February 2016 - 06:28 AM

As long as the current game offers only CW and Quickplay where you can drop in any Mech config you like 20ton Mechs will have a hard time. In case that PGI implements some kind of campaign mode where you have limited tech-level and tonnage lighter mechs become very usefull. Until today many of the unseen mechs have been redesigned (Griffin, Wolverin, Battlemaster, Rifleman, Archer ... ) and i can´t see any reason, why the Warp and Stinger should not be implemented. We already have the Urban-Mech, i bet we will see the Wasp soon. It is the most iconic Battlemech right after the Mad-Cat and the Marauder.

#27 Dee Eight

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Posted 25 February 2016 - 08:29 AM

I voted mercury but only if they use it as the lore suggested, that it was the precursor to Clan Omnimechs, with swappable weapon hardpoints.

#28 Strum Wealh

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Posted 07 March 2016 - 10:38 AM

View PostDee Eight, on 25 February 2016 - 08:29 AM, said:

I voted mercury but only if they use it as the lore suggested, that it was the precursor to Clan Omnimechs, with swappable weapon hardpoints.

In point of fact, the Mercury was made with a quick-swap repair capability that served to inspire the development of the OmniMechs, but the Mercury itself did not have OmniMech capabilities.

"Using the most innovative technology at the time, the Mercury seemed poised to revolutionize BattleMechs using its pioneering 'plug and fight' technology, which streamlined repair and slashed many man-hours from repair and modification work. Workers only needed to take off a few bolts and pull a few wiring connectors to remove damaged equipment, and reverse the process to put in new gear. This cut down bay time to a fraction of what most other designs required." - TRO 3050U, pg. 184

What the Mercury has is, essentially, the "Easy to Repair" and "Modular Weapons" Design Quirks described in Strategic Operations (on pages 193 and 195, respectively).
  • "Some units, such as the Thorn, are easier to maintain and repair. All repair or replacement rolls made for a unit with this quirk receive a –1 target number modifier."
  • "Though lacking the flexibility of an OmniMech, a unit with modular weapons like the O-Bakemono can be repaired or customized more easily. A weapon can be replaced in half the normal time (though repairs in-place take the usual amount of time). When using the Customization Rules, half the time is required."
So, no, the Mercury wouldn't have swappable hardpoints like the OmniMechs, and its ease-of-repair advantages are effectively nullified by the absence of R&R costs and the current implementation of the MechLab.

#29 Syn Pryde

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Posted 09 March 2016 - 08:44 AM

i want a firemoth. i want a wasp and a stinger. i want maps where light mechs matter.
the abominable cheetah and spider and firestarter builds only work because no map favours a mist lynx`s tactical useability.
there are no "raid" maps. no "Scout" maps. no advantages in playing one hit and run (on a target, not a mech) or scouting style.
conquest comes close but is a pain in the behind for assaults. leave them in the assault and skirmish maps. thanks.
i want a fastpaced all guns furball at 120 kph minimum speed.

#30 Karl Streiger

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Posted 09 March 2016 - 09:24 AM

None - i never can thrust a guy that is mistaken a warmachine for a racing car

#31 IraqiWalker

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Posted 09 March 2016 - 09:26 AM

View PostSyn Pryde, on 09 March 2016 - 08:44 AM, said:

i want a firemoth. i want a wasp and a stinger. i want maps where light mechs matter.
the abominable cheetah and spider and firestarter builds only work because no map favours a mist lynx`s tactical useability.
there are no "raid" maps. no "Scout" maps. no advantages in playing one hit and run (on a target, not a mech) or scouting style.
conquest comes close but is a pain in the behind for assaults. leave them in the assault and skirmish maps. thanks.
i want a fastpaced all guns furball at 120 kph minimum speed.

To be honest. No map could ever make the Mist Lynx better than an Arctic Cheetah.

The lynx is objectively an inferior mech. Clan Ice Hellion in fact developed the cheetah to replace the Mist Lynx, and overcome its problems.

Only time you'd pick an MLX over a cheetah would be when tonnage is involved. That's the MLX's only real advantage. This means that outside of tonnage restrictions, you'd need buffs, and some mechanical changes to the sensor suite on the MLX, in order to help it improve. At the end of the day, it's a 25 ton light mech, so it will always suffer, because 35 tonners are always better.

EDIT: For the record, I hate every word I typed in this post, but that doesn't make them incorrect.

Edited by IraqiWalker, 09 March 2016 - 09:27 AM.


#32 April Showers

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Posted 01 May 2016 - 06:15 AM

might be, but then that arctic has less AMS and should have fewer module slots for e.g. radar dep, in my opinion.

#33 Masochistic Trashcan Virtuoso

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Posted 11 May 2016 - 12:15 PM

I think the discussion is moot.
The Trashcan is neither fast, nor overbuffed.
Still it will get its kills if piloted well.
People e.g. rarely equip a active probe, so dont see you when hiding in shutdown.

So who cares the hell about differences between an arctic cheater and a mist lynx.
Yeah, some mechs are better then others in the hands of someone. I dont give a damn.
These lights all look like soft pop-targets to an AC20. And I look like a sitting duck to all of them.
And some people just crave the helluva challenge of an inferior mech design.

#34 Intenebrus

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Posted 11 May 2016 - 07:52 PM

As someone who adores running light mechs I feel 20 ton mechs are useful and strong, and have an awesome high skill cap. I've seen people take more hits than any atlas could with their tiny 20 ton locusts and the quirks for some of the variants are truly absurd. Seeing that sort of thing added to a mech like the wasp (I would immediately upgrade that speed...) or Flea would just be incredible.

#35 Kishida Sato

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Posted 13 May 2016 - 08:03 AM

Panzer-Urbies for the win !

#36 Masochistic Trashcan Virtuoso

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Posted 19 June 2016 - 01:03 PM

*BUMP*

#37 IraqiWalker

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Posted 20 June 2016 - 04:16 AM

View PostMasochistic Trashcan Virtuoso, on 11 May 2016 - 12:15 PM, said:

I think the discussion is moot.
The Trashcan is neither fast, nor overbuffed.
Still it will get its kills if piloted well.
People e.g. rarely equip a active probe, so dont see you when hiding in shutdown.

So who cares the hell about differences between an arctic cheater and a mist lynx.
Yeah, some mechs are better then others in the hands of someone. I dont give a damn.
These lights all look like soft pop-targets to an AC20. And I look like a sitting duck to all of them.
And some people just crave the helluva challenge of an inferior mech design.

As someone who was running Locusts back when literally 99% of the playerbase viewed them as a liability, and some people went as far as reporting you for bringing "such a $#!t mech to our team", I understand that.

That's not what this thread is about. It's not about whether or not the MLX can be fun to pilot. It's about making it a viable choice, where when you are presented with an MLX, and an ACH, you actually view the MLX as a worthy choice, and something viable.

We're not talking about if you're crazy enough you can make it work. We're talking about making the mech actually a viable choice.

#38 April Showers

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Posted 09 August 2016 - 03:44 PM

i tried getting into the ACH - i have all the clan lights. I really get along well with kitfox and MLX only. that ACH doesnt seem a choice to me. and yes, its the meta one, but it pilots like a drunk cow on a soaped up hill.

#39 Kyle Kowalski

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Posted 04 October 2016 - 12:18 PM

OK, here is your viable choice. Mist Lynx costs less money and I still get to drop with it and kill people. It still is a lot more expensive then a lolcust or a can.

and Karl: If your Warmachine aint fast enough and lacks range, i can still poke you to pieces in a light at 800+ meters with ER large lasers. think about that. I dont like to play sitting duck. my choice. if you want to think "Steiner Scout Lance" all the way, thats where you put the money. I put it with the racing squad, as long as I get to have a ER Large Laser. Each has its points. There is no use in running with your back to the enemy, if he is faster :P

#40 Nergal Pryde

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Posted 01 January 2017 - 03:09 PM

i ended up running MLX with ECM and AC2 for fun. ok, my damage caps out at 250. but the annoyance when i am in their back and the amount of troops i can bind in FW really makes it worth it.





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