24 replies to this topic

[Hit the Deck]

Wave III is arguably more interesting than Resistance 2 because it introduced MASC and the 'Mechs bring something new to the Clan's limited stable with EBJ as a strong alternative to HBR in CW. Moreover, they will be getting IIC 'Mechs around the end of the year if PGI sticks to their words. These IIC 'Mechs are important because they are something new to the game and they function as stepping stones for the future IIC and maybe IS Omnimechs (and balancing headache, source of endless whine, etc.).

Speaking about numbers, Clanners will only have 19 'Mechs compared to IS' 40 (with Resistance 2) with the release of IIC 'Mechs. So, maybe they do deserve getting more releases to balance the amount of 'Mechs available. But after the IIC pack, I feel I want to see more interesting IS 'Mechs in the future. Maybe in 2016 we can move the timeline forward and PGI will introduce new weapons along with new and interesting IS 'Mechs. What do you think? Or, they can just release the remaining weapons (e.g. artillery) and the corresponding IS 'Mechs which can use them.

[Bishop Steiner]

Sounds about right. At this point in time, Clans technically have access to more diverse gear.

It's still several years before the IS starts making viable alternate tech. But I would hope that the next Pack, and maybe even some heroes in between might bring MASC to the IS.

I do know that I am excited, having seen MASC in action on Executioners (man I want one) to see how my Shadowcat, as a much faster mech to begin with, reacts with it. Might finally have a Clan Medium I love to drive (since the warts on my poor Nova are just too large to ignore)

I'm not too worried about pushing up timelines. Heck, I'd like to see PGI actually get the tech we DO have balanced finally, before adding more, lol.

Edited by Bishop Steiner, 26 June 2015 - 03:54 AM.

[LordBraxton]

Im a diehard Lyran but I don't see myself dropping my EXE(I) for any IS mechs for a while... In fact probably until IS MASC comes out. Resistance was boring, only the Zeus was good and it just felt like a solid IS heavy, in a way that Orions wish they were. Resistance 2... I already own... but it looks kinda meh as well.

Edited by LordBraxton, 26 June 2015 - 03:56 AM.

[SgtMagor]

I've been mostly an IS junky, but I like Wave1 and 2 mech packs much better than both Resistance packs. Executioner is one sweet ride, now Im just waiting for the only medium Clan mech I ever used since playing MechWarrior the Shadow Cat, nuff said!

[Alek Ituin]

Hit the Deck, on 26 June 2015 - 03:48 AM, said:

Or, they can just release the remaining weapons (e.g. artillery) and the corresponding IS 'Mechs which can use them.

YES.

PLEASE.

OH MY GOD PGI PLS.


I would sell my kidney for an IS "Fire Support" pack, containing nothing but Artillery Mechs.

[Revis Volek]

Arrow IV anyone~!

[1453 R]

A lot of the 'interesting' Inner Sphere 'Mechs were already released before this latest round of packs, or before the Clans dropped for that matter. Now, I'm in total agreement that the rustbucket spaceplebes should have a M.A.S.C. platform or two to enjoy (lova ya, freebirth scum ), same as the Clans do, but as I recall Russ mentioned that now that they've got M.A.S.C. in, working, and delighting the playerbase, they'll be looking at releasing M.A.S.C. variants of existing IS 'Mechs to help close the gap. So there's that.

Beyond that...well, the heavy 'Mech category is finally looking fairly even between the Clans and the Inner Sphere. We have five options, three of which are excellent and also nicely distinct from each other, and two of which are generally not horrible though not necessarily fantasmagorious. Frankly that looks to be just about even with the Spheroid side, if one ignores the TBR's issues for a moment. On the assault front, the Clans also have enough diversity in our four existing chassis to hit most of the required itches, even if the selection can get a bit thin at times. We've got the Whale for just overwhelming pwnoobleration firepower, and various flavors of faster-but-less-armed that seem to hit most of the good spots. And also the Gargles.

Medium and light? The Clans need a lot of help. Our existing light 'Mech selection is entirely inadequate, as the near-religious fervor the Arctic Cheetah is evoking clearly demonstrates, and as much as I love my Stormcrows - and I do love my Stormcrows - it'd be nice to have something else in the medium bracket to run once in a while. I've gotten so desperate at times I'm working with NOVAS, for crimmeny's sake.

I'd argue that the Clans are getting more interesting equipment of late because Wave II chewed through a lot of our uninteresting junkers, and because the Clans have a much smaller number of interesting 'Mechs. Yes yes, I know, Unholy Trinity and all that jazz. Heh...way I see it, you guys will stop caring about Dire Whales, and most of the rest of the Clan 'Trinity' just exactly as soon as the Pillager hits. 100-ton jumper w/2B, 5E stock? Here: have your own dual Goosebeams megassault, except yours can run a 350 engine and shovel internals around wherever you want them Clearly timeline-wise variants are a loose restriction now with the number of 'P' 'Mechs out there, and as far as I'm concerned that's a good thing. Let's see what Piranha can do to get some of these variant-starved chassis in the game.

M.A.S.C. Pillager, anyone? Then you could guarantee nobody ever cared about any Clan assault ever again.

Edited by 1453 R, 26 June 2015 - 09:21 AM.

[Hit the Deck]

Grisbane, on 26 June 2015 - 09:08 AM, said:

...but since we are talking about the IIc's.. i want a clan non-IIc.. the Atlas-II..... (it was actually an IS mech to start with but Kerensky took all of them with him)

Hmm... its hardpoints are still pretty similar to the original but the ballistic is on the RA, which means it can't take AC/20. The other two variants listed on sarna use mixed tech

[Lugin]

DarthRevis, on 26 June 2015 - 09:16 AM, said:

Arrow IV anyone~!

We'd need splittable weapons first, and seeing how they sidestepped that with the King Crab, I don't see it happening soon.

Edited by Lugin, 26 June 2015 - 09:30 AM.

[Gamuray]

DarthRevis, on 26 June 2015 - 09:16 AM, said:

Arrow IV anyone~!

Three words...


Medium Ranged Missiles


plz, the damages, they are real with the mrm's.

[FupDup]

Yeah, the Clans are a lot more interesting methinks, and not just because of my forum portrait.

For IS packs, there seems to be more redundancy, overlapping, and planned obsolescence than the Clan side. We also don't see people asking if Arctic Cheetahs or Shadow Cats will be viable without quirkening, but we do see that for nearly every IS mech. The IS is just filled with so many hordes of sadmechs while the Clans have a fair number of versatile "perfect storm" mechs out there.

[Johnny Z]

Everything in the podcast was really great but the mention of IIc varients of Inner Sphere mechs for the Clans was like a kick in the nuts.

[Kristov Kerensky]

Hit the Deck, on 26 June 2015 - 09:21 AM, said:

Hmm... its hardpoints are still pretty similar to the original but the ballistic is on the RA, which means it can't take AC/20. The other two variants listed on sarna use mixed tech

The original Atlas II as shown on Sarna is all IS Tech, the other 3 shown, including the Devlin and Kerensky variants, are special one off's, there are no other variants of the Atlas II because they were all taken from the IS by the SLDF when they left and didn't reappear until after the Clan's showed back up, and they don't reappear until the Jihad years, when someone decided to once again do the reuse old assets for cash grab thing, as I said, PGI is an amateur at that still compared to FASA and the others who've controlled the TT assets

Edited by Kristov Kerensky, 26 June 2015 - 10:16 AM.

[Richard Hazen]

I hope we get Masc in the form of the Flea. The only mech I'm interested in from the next IS wave is the Mauler.

[Kristov Kerensky]

According to Russ - 'the Flea is dead to me', so I wouldn't hold out much hope on that.

[Richard Hazen]

Oh well, such a shame three out of the four mechs from the next wave are energy boats, would be cool to get the axeman or something.

[Revis Volek]

Hit the Deck, on 26 June 2015 - 03:48 AM, said:

Wave III is arguably more interesting than Resistance 2 because it introduced MASC and the 'Mechs bring something new to the Clan's limited stable with EBJ as a strong alternative to HBR in CW. Moreover, they will be getting IIC 'Mechs around the end of the year if PGI sticks to their words. These IIC 'Mechs are important because they are something new to the game and they function as stepping stones for the future IIC and maybe IS Omnimechs (and balancing headache, source of endless whine, etc.).

Speaking about numbers, Clanners will only have 19 'Mechs compared to IS' 40 (with Resistance 2) with the release of IIC 'Mechs. So, maybe they do deserve getting more releases to balance the amount of 'Mechs available. But after the IIC pack, I feel I want to see more interesting IS 'Mechs in the future. Maybe in 2016 we can move the timeline forward and PGI will introduce new weapons along with new and interesting IS 'Mechs. What do you think? Or, they can just release the remaining weapons (e.g. artillery) and the corresponding IS 'Mechs which can use them.

Helllo? Urban Mech?

[Juodas Varnas]

Deimos Alpha, on 26 June 2015 - 11:49 AM, said:

Oh well, such a shame three out of the four mechs from the next wave are energy boats, would be cool to get the axeman or something.

Or just Melee for IS mechs, in general.

Just IS mechs. (Because as far as i recall, Clanners find melee combat "dishonorable" or something)

[Pariah Devalis]

Honestly, and I know this is probably a very fringe viewpoint, but as someone who got all three packs (and regretted the gargoyle level pack the moment I paid for it XD ), aside from the Jenner IIC I am not terribly interested in any of the IIC mechs in the pack. Oh, sure, the HBK-IIC will be amusing, and a nifty twin gauss platform so long as the side torsos don't erupt like the fourth of july, and the Highlander IIC can bring a stupid amount of pod space in theory, they just do not grab me, ya know? I am more interested in the possibility of Clan battlemechs in general. Platforms like the Vapor Eagle or Supernova, Kodiak or Grizzly would be interesting.

That said, the uniqueness of the Clan packs is as much a function of necessity as it is of novelty. When one side has so many mechs they homogenize, any new mech practically melts into the rest. The Clans have so few picks, there is still a lot of room for functional variety - made all the more variable due to Omni locked engines and internals necessitating specific roles. Incidentally, if IS mechs had much more restrictive customization, I suspect there would be a lot more variation in roles for the various IS mechs, as opposed to gunbag A vs gunbag B with slightly higher mounted guns.

MASC is an interesting feature, however, that I would like to see in the IS hands as well. Why not? Cool tech, fun to play with, and they do have a couple MASC mechs in timeline. Could even make a Mech Pack designed around releasing MASC mechs. FLE series, CTF-3L, WVR-7D.... You all have some interesting mechs to sift through yet! Would like to see them in game.

Edited by Pariah Devalis, 26 June 2015 - 12:16 PM.

[Richard Hazen]

If they moved the timeline on 2 more years IS could get the Grand Titan which I think looks cool.

Edited by Deimos Alpha, 26 June 2015 - 01:02 PM.