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Mech builder program?


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#1 Flamekin

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Posted 09 July 2012 - 02:36 PM

I was wondering, with all the MMO's out there that have character builders out there. Is there some chance that there will be (or already is) a Mech building program that allows me to tinker with mechs offline? I would really love to start building mechs to see what I will be running.

Just wondering.

#2 SomaticMutilation

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Posted 09 July 2012 - 02:38 PM

cant wait

#3 Wolfclaw

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Posted 09 July 2012 - 02:39 PM

Mechwarrior 4 Mercenaries free download is your best bet when it comes to tinkering with weapon loadouts, although from the videos I've seen from the beta, it looks nothing like it. It's still better than nothing.

#4 trycksh0t

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Posted 09 July 2012 - 02:39 PM

Specifically for MWO there isn't one yet. However, if you don't mind making some assumptions about the hardpoint system, Solaris Skunk Werks is pretty solid.

#5 Solarisjock

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Posted 09 July 2012 - 02:45 PM

also never forget Heavy Metal Pro, that has been around quite a while and is pretty awesome. once again though, it does not have the Hard point system in place that MWO uses.

I would stay a decent distance from M$'s builder, they had there own heat scale that was wonky

#6 light487

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Posted 09 July 2012 - 02:53 PM

With EVE Online there are 2 main ones that people use.. there's EveFit and there's EveMon. EveMon is all about the skills and projecting, calculating and optomising the best way to get your skills to where you want them.. MWO will have some kind of pilot skills tree but not to same extent so we don't really need one of those for MWO but definitely one like EveFit. The difference of EveFit, the thing that makes it so useful, is that it takes into account not only what you can fit on your spaceship but also what skills your character has. With MWO, despite the skill system being a lot less complex, the skills and modules will have an effect on the various output data that is necessary in understanding how effective your mech is going to be.. and how to optomise your mech to be better than stock. I'd really love to see this kind of application developed for MWO.

You'd think that this kind of thing leads to "standard" loadouts but that is actually not the case. If you were to browse the various "fits" for different ships in Eve, there are certainly popular and common loadouts that people have developed but there are also a plethora of other variations and envelope-pushing designs.. some weird loadouts that don't make sense at first glance but with experience and understanding make more sense than the stock standard loadouts. That was the other good thing about EveFit, it was integrated with an online database of fittings where people could view them, vote on them and discuss them... it really made loadout design almost a game in itself.

#7 Derek Icelord

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Posted 09 July 2012 - 04:42 PM

I'd suggest Solaris Skunk Werks. It's free and Java based, so you can use it on just about anything you like. Just be sure to download the Master Unit List as well. Heavy Metal Pro is nice, but it's $20, requires an install (that also makes you reboot, which is a red flag for me). I also honestly don't like Heavy Metal Pro. I think the free program is better. Heavy Metal Pro's only real advantage (to me) is that Sunk Werks doesn't support anything beyond 'Mechs (yet).

#8 Damascas

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Posted 09 July 2012 - 04:46 PM

View PostWolfclaw, on 09 July 2012 - 02:39 PM, said:

Mechwarrior 4 Mercenaries free download is your best bet when it comes to tinkering with weapon loadouts, although from the videos I've seen from the beta, it looks nothing like it. It's still better than nothing.


MW4 is very different from dmg to heat and even speeds, I would not advise using it

View Posttrycksh0t, on 09 July 2012 - 02:39 PM, said:

Specifically for MWO there isn't one yet. However, if you don't mind making some assumptions about the hardpoint system, Solaris Skunk Werks is pretty solid.


Skunkworks is the best free one.

#9 Skadi

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Posted 09 July 2012 - 04:48 PM

unless PGI releases a mechlab program for us non betas to fidle with pre-game/pre-beta we cant have a truly acurate mechlab
(Oh please make this happen PGI :D )

#10 Vaktor

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Posted 09 July 2012 - 04:54 PM

I would be very happy to see that given the differences in the mech lab from previous MW games and the Table top game

#11 Tincan Nightmare

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Posted 09 July 2012 - 04:58 PM

I wish they would just release data sheets for each of the released mechs to be in the game so far, especially listing available hardpoints and hardpoint location. I can do the modification and mech building on pen and paper if I have the hardpoints.

#12 Congzilla

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Posted 09 July 2012 - 05:15 PM

Tech Manual.

View PostWolfclaw, on 09 July 2012 - 02:39 PM, said:

Mechwarrior 4 Mercenaries free download is your best bet when it comes to tinkering with weapon loadouts, although from the videos I've seen from the beta, it looks nothing like it. It's still better than nothing.


I really wish they had just used the Tech Manual rules for all of this and had the base variants as the Technical Readout versions.

View PostTincan Nightmare, on 09 July 2012 - 04:58 PM, said:

I wish they would just release data sheets for each of the released mechs to be in the game so far, especially listing available hardpoints and hardpoint location. I can do the modification and mech building on pen and paper if I have the hardpoints.

Edited by Congzilla, 09 July 2012 - 05:14 PM.


#13 Tincan Nightmare

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Posted 09 July 2012 - 05:23 PM

View PostCongzilla, on 09 July 2012 - 05:15 PM, said:

Tech Manual.



I really wish they had just used the Tech Manual rules for all of this and had the base variants as the Technical Readout versions.


Well except for the hardpoint system they pretty much have, which is why I wish we knew what the hardpoints are going to be for the different mechs to start making designs.

#14 Gorith

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Posted 09 July 2012 - 05:25 PM

Relax I would be surprised if there is not a person or group in beta already working on such a thing. We will likely see a program akin to EFT (Eve Fitting Tool) crop up not long after NDAs are removed

#15 Derek Icelord

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Posted 09 July 2012 - 07:16 PM

Once they release the hardpoint info for the 'Mechs, just write it down or make a spread sheet. Until then, here's what I posted on my gaming company's forums when I started tooling around with potential 'Mech builds:

Quote


On hardpoints, until we get some more concrete information, I'm going under a few assumptions:
  • Each weapon on the default loadout counts as 1 hardpoint of that type.
  • Each hardpoint allows you to mount 1 weapon of appropriate type, so long as that area has enough critical slots free.
  • Jump Jets are fixed to their location and cannot be added or moved, only removed.
  • The option for Lower Arm and Hand cannot be changed. No free critical slots for the munchkins
For example, the JR7-D Jenner has 2 Medium Lasers in each arm, thus each arm has 2 energy hardpoints. So I could strip them out and mount a Large Laser (provided I free up enough tonnage elsewhere), and have 1 energy hardpoint to spare. I could not, however, replace them with 3 Small Lasers.

If anyone has a better idea on how hardpoints might work, please chime in (without breaking the NDA if you're actually in the Beta).

Edited by Derek Icelord, 09 July 2012 - 07:17 PM.






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