180 replies to this topic

[Kristov Kerensky]

WM Quicksilver, on 02 July 2015 - 01:54 PM, said:

Just because a tech base is not autowin does not mean it can't be better, efficiency isn't binary.....

As for parity, no, it is pretty bad even with quirks, and once the Arctic Cheater drops, things might get worse. If taken as a whole, the Clans have significant advantage. Outside light mechs, clans mechs tend to be much more effiicient than most IS mechs in their weight class and it is worst in the Heavy class where only a couple Thuds really pose threats.

So when you are in an IS Heavy and you see a Timby, you just shutdown because it's so much better and you know you've already lost? I don't, don't recall seeing ANYONE do that actually, so I'll stick with my claim that balance is at parity right now.

Yes, some outliers on each side, but they are the exception, not the rule. Taking down Clans in CW it becomes obvious pretty quickly that Clan Mechs are NOT OP compared to IS Mechs, matter of fact, some of the more highly quirked IS Mechs are actually the OP ones.

Why do people, usually IS but some Clan faction, keep saying Clan toys are so OP when they so obviously aren't?

Rhetorical question btw, we all know the answer.

[Quicksilver Aberration]

Kristov Kerensky, on 03 July 2015 - 10:42 AM, said:

So when you are in an IS Heavy and you see a Timby, you just shutdown because it's so much better and you know you've already lost?

Hyperbolic statement to prove your point, really?

No I don't just shutdown, but it means my I have to be smarter when dealing a decently built TBR. Not all TBR's are equal but when they are built right they are still one of the best mechs in the game which means I'm fighting an uphill battle unless I'm in a 5SS and it's within 330m. The HBR is even worse when it comes to overcoming at the range game.

Kristov Kerensky, on 03 July 2015 - 10:42 AM, said:

CW...CW...CW...CW...CW

Can people stop bringing up CW like it is some prove of parity when the game mode itself is bad and represents a small portion of the MWO population (except during events maybe?).

Kristov Kerensky, on 03 July 2015 - 10:42 AM, said:

Why do people, usually IS but some Clan faction, keep saying Clan toys are so OP when they so obviously aren't?

Why do people who don't know what they are talking about keep claiming that there is some semblance of parity when that tiny bit of parity hinges on massive and perfect quirks like the 5SS got?

Edited by WM Quicksilver, 03 July 2015 - 10:53 AM.

[Kristov Kerensky]

WM Quicksilver, on 03 July 2015 - 10:52 AM, said:

Hyperbolic statement to prove your point, really?

No I don't just shutdown, but it means my I have to be smarter when dealing a decently built TBR. Not all TBR's are equal but when they are built right they are still one of the best mechs in the game which means I'm fighting an uphill battle unless I'm in a 5SS and it's within 330m. The HBR is even worse when it comes to overcoming at the range game.


Can people stop bringing up CW like it is some prove of parity when the game mode itself is bad and represents a small portion of the MWO population (except during events maybe?).


Why do people who don't know what they are talking about keep claiming that there is some semblance of parity when that tiny bit of parity hinges on massive and perfect quirks like the 5SS got?

No hyperbole used, you claim that Clan Heavys are OP, but when facing one you don't just assume that the Timby has automatically won. And using metabuilds only? That's part of your problem right there, that's NOT the only way to play the game you know, try thinking instead of just following what someone else has told you is the best way to play, you might be surprised at what you find out about the parity in this game.

Just because the Timby is a Tier One, and probably the best Mech in the game in it's weight class, that doesn't mean the Clans are OP, it just means that 1 of their Mechs is slightly OP compared to some IS Mechs. Personally, I'm more afraid of that Thud than that Timby, it's quirks are still too damn much.

I use CW because it's the ONLY place we can actually see IS vs Clan Tech, and it's pretty clear that parity has been achieved. You can't use the non-CW ques as proof of disparity or parity when it comes to Clans and IS, only CW allows a clear cut contest between the two Techs, so that's the mode you use to see how parity stands, and right now, it's pretty damn even, like I said, outliers on both sides, but they are the exceptions, not the rules.

Actually, I say there is parity DESPITE the bs quirks the IS Mechs have, and the bs negative quirks that didn't do jack that the SCrow and Timby got. I SEE what the Clans and the IS are actually capable of in a straight up contest in CW, the only way to judge whether or not parity has been reached.

[Quicksilver Aberration]

Kristov Kerensky, on 03 July 2015 - 11:12 AM, said:

No hyperbole used, you claim that Clan Heavys are OP, but when facing one you don't just assume that the Timby has automatically won.

It means I have to be a better pilot than he/she is to win, because it is a better mech and imba. All pilots make mistakes, but when you are facing against a better build/mech you have to ensure you make a lot less mistakes than he/she did to win.

Kristov Kerensky, on 03 July 2015 - 11:12 AM, said:

Just because the Timby is a Tier One, and probably the best Mech in the game in it's weight class, that doesn't mean the Clans are OP

The Timby isn't the only high end Clan mech though, the worst Clan heavy is the Mad Dog, and it is still better than probably half of the IS heavies. The EBJ, TBR, and HBR are all top tier mechs. You know how many IS heavies give any of them a real run for their money, one, the TDR-5SS and it is a one trick pony unlike the other Clan heavies. Honorable mentions do go out to the QKD-5K and TDR-9SE.
Assaults, outside of certain maps, the Dire Whale IS the only assault mech worth running. The massive firepower in a team environment pretty much outweighs anything else, except on maps where high mounts are essential and then it is the Stalker that is the assault mech. Most maps however favor the Whale and its brutal firepower.
The lighter mechs favor the IS a little bit though, the FS9-S and RVNs have no Clan equal....for now. The Mediums also are a little more competitive with the Clans because of the WVR-6K and its poking ability. Not sure whether the SCat will compete better with it considering 2 LPL is equivalent to 3 I-LLs, but I doubt it. More top teams tend to run the WVR-6K (SJR, 228) over the Nova/SCrow but EmP clings to the Clan tech for whatever reason.

Kristov Kerensky, on 03 July 2015 - 11:12 AM, said:

I use CW because it's the ONLY place we can actually see IS vs Clan Tech

The problem with that being, CW is a terrible game mode to base any balance judgement off of. Not only it is a wave based game mode but also because it is static and asymmetric. There is also no MM which means the skill differential in any match can be large enough that any perception of balance you try to make is heavily skewed.

Edited by WM Quicksilver, 03 July 2015 - 11:31 AM.

[Deathlike]

WM Quicksilver, on 03 July 2015 - 11:30 AM, said:

The problem with that being, CW is a terrible game mode to base any balance judgement off of. Not only it is a wave based game mode but also because it is static and asymmetric. There is also no MM which means the skill differential in any match can be large enough that any perception of balance you try to make is heavily skewed.

CW contextually is good enough to run "Tier 2" mechs like a Dakka Dragon and get away with it, but when you get to serious play (SJR/EmP), you'll can't even complain when you get side cored or have that arm surgically removed.

People who complain about the Dakka Dragon don't always understand that something that is CW viable isn't actually comp viable and given the distribution of play (aka rainbow PUGs), that even one could make LRMs seem so OP when it really isn't. (If you're losing to the dakka dragon regularly, well, that's on you).

If you want to say "CW dropdeck/usable", that's fine. Don't mistake that for "meta viable" as they are not one and the same (the latter option is better than the former when all is said and done).

Edited by Deathlike, 03 July 2015 - 11:40 AM.

[Kristov Kerensky]

Quicksilver, you do realize that when you point out top comp teams using IS Mechs over Clan because they are better, and then actually dismiss the top comp team that uses Clan because the IS is better, you really aren't supporting your own 'Clans are OP' point, right?

Simple bit of video game reality for you...

Until we see 8 Clan Mechs per side in every non-CW drop, Clans are not actually OP no matter how much some people claim they are. Video gamers do NOT use the lesser toys when OP toys are there for the taking. The top tier Wave I and II Mechs have been cbill for a bit now, we have not seen the solo/group ques suddenly turn into Strana Mechty, so I'm sorry but the 'Clan is OP' argument is just wrong.

They were OP when Wave I first hit, that's a fact, and that was addressed, and they just aren't the OP monsters they were originally. Continuing to scream about the falling sky is getting old, ya know?

Keep in mind, I'm an IS player, I use IS Mechs the vast majority of the time, only driving my Clan Mechs when they are first released and then usually parking them, stripped and empty and leaving them alone. SRM only works for the IS Houses, we won't work for the Clans, now or ever, so I literally have no vested interest in making sure the Clans aren't nerfed to hell and back. I just want a fun game, and this constant screaming to nerf the Clans when it's not required doesn't make for a fun game, it makes for a broken game.

[Quicksilver Aberration]

Kristov Kerensky, on 03 July 2015 - 11:59 AM, said:

Quicksilver, you do realize that when you point out top comp teams using IS Mechs over Clan because they are better, and then actually dismiss the top comp team that uses Clan because the IS is better, you really aren't supporting your own 'Clans are OP' point, right?

I do realize that, though both top tier IS mechs are possibly losing that spot because of new mechs so we will see how that holds out, but there are more mechs than that just those at the top tier. It is something I failed to point out outside of the Clan heavies (which is where the worst parity exists).

The worst Clan medium is the Ferret, but it is still better than the worst IS variants like the Vindicators, select Cicadas and Blackjacks. Clan Assaults have some serious advantages as well, with the best 80 tonner currently being the Gargoyle which means that the Gargoyle is at least 3 mechs removed from being the worst Assault. Even with the lights, several of the IS lights are worse than Clan lights, like the LCT-1M or Commandos (which are about on par with the **** Lynxes).

The problem with the parity is that Clan mechs on the whole fair better than IS mechs. Essentially if tiered together, you would see Clan mechs placed high with even the bad chassis being sparsely placed in the lower end of the spectrum, the IS however would be the inverse with a select few able to compete at the higher end but many that place far below the average mech.

Kristov Kerensky, on 03 July 2015 - 11:59 AM, said:

Until we see 8 Clan Mechs per side in every non-CW drop, Clans are not actually OP no matter how much some people claim they are. Video gamers do NOT use the lesser toys when OP toys are there for the taking.

You obviously havn't met me and Johan. Not everyone takes all-meta all the time, and there are many players who cling to pet builds (Johan's honeybadger IIC), don't know any better (a majority are these), or refuse to bend to the meta (like Jman) and play things perceived as bad.

Kristov Kerensky, on 03 July 2015 - 11:59 AM, said:

I just want a fun game, and this constant screaming to nerf the Clans when it's not required doesn't make for a fun game, it makes for a broken game.

I play both, and I find good IS mechs to be more fun because of customization allowing you to do more things with a chassis. That said, I find Clan mechs to be more effective and more fun than many of the terrible IS mechs like the DGN-5N for example (I wish I had mastered that thing way back when).

Edited by WM Quicksilver, 03 July 2015 - 12:15 PM.

[Kristov Kerensky]

Since the Clans have less Mechs than the IS by a seriously big number, I'd be surprised if the IS didn't have more Mechs in lesser tiers than the Clans, that is to be expected, it's not a sign of the Clans being OP, there's just a lot less of them.

New Mechs, we can't say anything concrete about any of the new Mechs until we have them. Exec was DoA remember? Turns out it's not DoA, it's fun, it's a good Mech, Tier 2 I'd say, but that's really mainly due only to the MASC, that agility it gives really offsets many of it's negatives. EBJ is fun, it's got a nasty payload it can carry, but it's weaknesses do tend to offset that, I'd put it at Tier 2 as well, bottom of that really, and I love the Mech, have great results with it, but that's me, not the Mech.

I don't do meta, I do builds I enjoy and that I'm capable with. My dropdeck for CW is a King Crab, Enforcer 4R, Raven 3L and a Wolverine 6R, not exactly metas, and I do well with them, I enjoy them and it shows in my performance with them. Outside of CW, well, I use whatever tickles my fancy really, Panther with ERPPC and 2 SRM2s is fun for recon/sniper, Raven 3L is a recon/sniper setup, my Battlemaster has LRMs and lasers for backup, my Atlas is a brawler, and so on, got a lot of Mechs, and actually don't own any of the metaMech variants in any of the classes. I use what I have fun with, some of the TT Mechs I loved and some Mechs that I've learned to love in MWO, like the Raven.

Like you, I've Mastered just about everything that isn't an MC only Mech, I play mainly to have fun, but I'm a competitive gamer at heart, always have been, did it for money no less. MWO, I'm trying to just have fun and keep that monster gamer inside me locked down, there's nothing worth letting it out for in MWO so far, so I'm just as often driving a build that's suboptimal for shits and giggles as opposed to a decent build that's actually useful. CW is the only place I don't drive suboptimals, but that's because it's CW and it's not fair to muck about there, ya know?

[Quicksilver Aberration]

Kristov Kerensky, on 03 July 2015 - 12:28 PM, said:

Since the Clans have less Mechs than the IS by a seriously big number, I'd be surprised if the IS didn't have more Mechs in lesser tiers than the Clans, that is to be expected, it's not a sign of the Clans being OP, there's just a lot less of them.

I kept that in mind when I made that statement, and still stand by the fact that parity is bad especially when you factor in quirks.

Edited by WM Quicksilver, 03 July 2015 - 01:05 PM.

[Lightfoot]

Gas Guzzler, on 02 July 2015 - 12:52 PM, said:

So, IS mechs that can run Gauss in their XL STs a LITTLE more safely (but not NEARLY as safely as Clan mechs with XL engines) hurts you how?

You're Mad Cat also runs 90 kphs, you can't ignore that tid bit and act like a big engine is all negative.

Trust me, it is all bad to be saddled with a 375 XL. Your load-outs all suck because of it, there is just not quite enough payload to build the normal Mad Cat builds. Like normally, my Thor would carry 2x LB-20X and 3x ERML and go 75 kph, now it goes 93kph but can only carry 2x UAC5's and 2xERML's. Just so you understand how horribly nerfed the Clan mech load-outs are in MWO, mostly by the Engine size.

[Quicksilver Aberration]

Lightfoot, on 03 July 2015 - 01:16 PM, said:

Trust me, it is all bad to be saddled with a 375 XL. Your load-outs all suck because of it, there is just not quite enough payload to build the normal Mad Cat builds. Like normally, my Thor would carry 2x LB-20X and 3x ERML and go 75 kph, now it goes 93kph but can only carry 2x UAC5's and 2xERML's. Just so you understand how horribly nerfed the Clan mech load-outs are in MWO, mostly by the Engine size.

Are you comparing MW4 loadouts with MWO loadouts or something? There is no way a Summoner could go 75kph, deal with FF and 5 JJs and still pull off 2 LBX20s with enough ammo on top of 3 ERMLs.

If you are, you are doing it wrong, MW4 was not strict about BT weights at all, it gave all mechs more free tonnage than they would have if they were following BT construction rules as strictly as MWO does. If you need proof, all you need to know is in MW4 the LBX40 Adder was a thing, which is impossible within BT construction rules.

Edited by WM Quicksilver, 03 July 2015 - 01:22 PM.

[Gas Guzzler]

Lightfoot, on 03 July 2015 - 01:16 PM, said:

Trust me, it is all bad to be saddled with a 375 XL. Your load-outs all suck because of it, there is just not quite enough payload to build the normal Mad Cat builds. Like normally, my Thor would carry 2x LB-20X and 3x ERML and go 75 kph, now it goes 93kph but can only carry 2x UAC5's and 2xERML's. Just so you understand how horribly nerfed the Clan mech load-outs are in MWO, mostly by the Engine size.

Before the nerf, the Timber was bar none the best mech in the game overall, and it had a XL 375. So... obviously its not that terrible

[Mcgral18]

Gas Guzzler, on 03 July 2015 - 01:21 PM, said:

Before the nerf, the Timber was bar none the best mech in the game overall, and it had a XL 375. So... obviously its not that terrible

Good for lazors (due to heatsink slots) but bad for Dakka.


Cue Night Gyr, with dual Gauss to Quad Dakka, at the same tonnage, next engine down (though inbetween would be best).

Mr Gargles is a poster child here; lose 25 engine ratings, gain 7.5 tons. Lose heatsinks, and become a 80 Kph Dual Gauss robot, with backup 6 ton Energy slot in the CT.
That's with 70 rounds (or 60+TC1), Endo+Ferro, XL375 which means ~83.5 Kph. If he was a Battlemech, he wouldn't be so sad.


As it stands, where he is robbed of 50% (nearly double, with heatsinks removed) of his current pod space, he can boat small lasers like a Nova.


Not nearly as bad as the Timberwolf, but it's still something to note. He still has plenty of other options, with missiles, lazors and single Dakka mounts. Unlike Mr Gargles...poor Mr Gargles.

[Lightfoot]

WM Quicksilver, on 03 July 2015 - 01:19 PM, said:

Are you comparing MW4 loadouts with MWO loadouts or something? There is no way a Summoner could go 75kph, deal with FF and 5 JJs and still pull off 2 LBX20s with enough ammo on top of 3 ERMLs.

That's what the Thor should be able to do, change engine size, but not type, change internals, jump jets. I can almost build the Thor with a UAC20 and a LB20X and 3xER Smalls right now, but it has little armor and ammo, just the fixed Engine size prevents that build. And Engine size is not fixed in TT, only the type.

But I don't care really, MWO's charge-up Gauss is junk from Quake styled shooters. Has nothing to do with Battle Tech or MechWarrior. Really disappointed that MWO players allowed this to be shoveled on to them. But there seem to be very few Battle Tech purists in MWO. The response from most players is that the charge-up keeps the Gauss from being OP which is nonsense. Grow some and man-up is my answer to that whine..

Edited by Lightfoot, 03 July 2015 - 01:40 PM.

[Gas Guzzler]

Mcgral18, on 03 July 2015 - 01:27 PM, said:

Good for lazors (due to heatsink slots) but bad for Dakka.


Cue Night Gyr, with dual Gauss to Quad Dakka, at the same tonnage, next engine down (though inbetween would be best).

Mr Gargles is a poster child here; lose 25 engine ratings, gain 7.5 tons. Lose heatsinks, and become a 80 Kph Dual Gauss robot, with backup 6 ton Energy slot in the CT.
That's with 70 rounds (or 60+TC1), Endo+Ferro, XL375 which means ~83.5 Kph. If he was a Battlemech, he wouldn't be so sad.


As it stands, where he is robbed of 50% (nearly double, with heatsinks removed) of his current pod space, he can boat small lasers like a Nova.


Not nearly as bad as the Timberwolf, but it's still something to note. He still has plenty of other options, with missiles, lazors and single Dakka mounts. Unlike Mr Gargles...poor Mr Gargles.

Well... the meta is clan laser vomit so that works out, and the agility sure is nice.

[Kristov Kerensky]

Lightfoot, on 03 July 2015 - 01:38 PM, said:

That's what the Thor should be able to do, change engine size, but not type, change internals, jump jets. I can almost build the Thor with a UAC20 and a LB20X and 3xER Smalls right now, but it has little armor and ammo, just the fixed Engine size prevents that build. And Engine size is not fixed in TT, only the type.

But I don't care really, MWO's charge-up Gauss is junk from Quake styled shooters. Has nothing to do with Battle Tech or MechWarrior. Really disappointed that MWO players allowed this to be shoveled on to them. But there seem to be very few Battle Tech purists in MWO. The response from most players is that the charge-up keeps the Gauss from being OP which is nonsense. Grow some and man-up.

Wrong, engine size IS Locked on OmniMechs in TT, that's why it's locked in MWO, along with the other hardlocked equipment on OmniMechs, that's straight from TT. If it doesn't have Endo, you can't change that, it doesn't have Endo, same with FF. Again, straight from TT for OmniMechs.

And those MW4 builds, really, are you kidding? Free no tonnage/space ammo, among other things, yeah, I'm REAL surprised you can't replicate your MW4 builds in MWO, any more than you could replicate them in TT.

[Quicksilver Aberration]

Lightfoot, on 03 July 2015 - 01:38 PM, said:

That's what the Thor should be able to do, change engine size, but not type, change internals, jump jets. I can almost build the Thor with a UAC20 and a LB20X and 3xER Smalls right now, but it has little armor and ammo, just the fixed Engine size prevents that build. And Engine size is not fixed in TT, only the type.

While for balance sake I do agree that everything on Omnimechs should be unlocked because Clan battlemechs (with Clan tech actually getting balanced being essential) have now become a thing. That has nothing to do with "what a mech should" do be able to do because as Kristov noted above, Omnimechs can't change engine size, hardwired equipment (like JJs in this case), internals, armor type, cockpits, heat sink type, gyros, or myomer in TT.

As for being able to mount it all, you wouldn't have to drop engine size at all if you could change internals and drop locked equipment. Just saying...

Edited by WM Quicksilver, 03 July 2015 - 01:51 PM.

[Gyrok]

Gas Guzzler, on 01 July 2015 - 01:26 PM, said:

WHAT??? Firestarters can run dual gauss? If you are putting that there you better add Nova and Summoner to the clan list.

I'm 100% confident a dual Gauss timby can out Gauss the K2 and both CTFs no problem. The only reason that doesn't happen is because you can use a better build on the Timber Wolf so most people don't bother.

Mauler isn't out yet, but if you want to include announced mechs, you can add Orion IIC and Hunchback IIC to the Clan list

Also don't split up Cataphract variants to skew your argument, if you want to play that game you get 4 mechs for EBJ, 5 for Dire, and 4 for Warhawk so don't go down that road.

Are we talking effective or competitive, because if you want to talk competitive, its really on EBJ, Dire, and JM6 (questionably!) Based on "effective" you can dual gauss effectively in a Timber or an Executioner or a Hellbringer, there is nothing stopping you, you just have certain non-vital components gimped a little bit.

Can't wait to read your response to this!

Honestly, I counted the 3D separately specifically because it was the most common version you saw with Dual Gauss, however, I omitted the CTF-IM which has essentially the same config as the 4X, and hence, aside from engine caps, is functionally the "same" CTF.

Also, I am entirely confident that an IS mech would mutilate a TW with DG. Why?

K2 has greater range of motion for the gauss as pitch and yaw are greater versus the TW, and the convergence is off the charts.

JM6 has high mounts, does not have the offset elevation hardpoints, and has greater range of motion where gauss can be used.

Additionally, if you run the DG TW build, if you lose the easily focused ST holding Gauss on that RT side, you just lost everything...you might have like...an ERSL backup weapon or something...but that is the best you will get.

TW is a terrible sniper unless you are using mechanically advantageous terrain with Gauss/PPC, and even then, there are much better options.

As for effectively...let us put some requirements forth:

The mech must be able to run a minimum of 5 tons of ammo for 2 gauss rifles while meeting the following rules:

1.) The mech must maintain 90+% of the maximum armor allowed

2.) The mech must be able to mount backup weapons in addition to meeting the ammo and armor requirements

[Lightfoot]

Kristov Kerensky, on 03 July 2015 - 01:41 PM, said:

Wrong, engine size IS Locked on OmniMechs in TT, that's why it's locked in MWO, along with the other hardlocked equipment on OmniMechs, that's straight from TT. If it doesn't have Endo, you can't change that, it doesn't have Endo, same with FF. Again, straight from TT for OmniMechs.

And those MW4 builds, really, are you kidding? Free no tonnage/space ammo, among other things, yeah, I'm REAL surprised you can't replicate your MW4 builds in MWO, any more than you could replicate them in TT.

Engine type is locked in TT, but it can be changed in MWO, among other TT violations. You can only change the engine rating in TT. Basically anything goes for standard mechs in MWO, but Clan omnimechs are locked out.

So on the one hand MWO ignores TT for IS mechs in Mechlab and enforces it on Clan mechs. But that's why they can't balance the Clan mechs as a group. Some are good like the Mad Cat and others are not very competitive like the Thor. I won't say the Thor is useless, but it takes the slot of a 70 ton mech with the abilities of a 50 ton mech whereas the Mad cat is a pure 75 ton heavy mech.

The Orion could be as good as the Mad Cat if MWO hadn't resorted to laser-vomit for balancing. My stats on my Orion are actually much much better than my stats on the Mad Cat, but I haven't played my Orions since the secret LRM nerf and PPC slow-mo nerf.

[Kristov Kerensky]

Lightfoot, on 03 July 2015 - 02:29 PM, said:

Engine type is locked in TT, but it can be changed in MWO, among other TT violations. You can only change the engine rating in TT. Basically anything goes for standard mechs in MWO, but Clan omnimechs are locked out.

So on the one hand MWO ignores TT for IS mechs in Mechlab and enforces it on Clan mechs. But that's why they can't balance the Clan mechs as a group. Some are good like the Mad Cat and others are not very competitive like the Thor. I won't say the Thor is useless, but it takes the slot of a 70 ton mech with the abilities of a 50 ton mech whereas the Mad cat is a pure 75 ton heavy mech.

The Orion could be as good as the Mad Cat if MWO hadn't resorted to laser-vomit for balancing. My stats on my Orion are actually much much better than my stats on the Mad Cat, but I haven't played my Orions since the secret LRM nerf and PPC slow-mo nerf.

Engine RATING is the size of the engine, eg 200, 250, 300, and it is locked in TT for all OmniMechs, Clan OR Inner Sphere. BattleMechs can change their engines ratings, which means you swap out the current engine for either a larger or smaller engine, eg going from a 200 to a 300 or a 150.

Engine TYPE refers to Standard or Light, and that is locked in OmniMechs as well but can be changed in BattleMechs.

Changing an engine in TT is a long and expensive process, but it can be done for any BattleMech, Clan or Inner Sphere.