ScarecrowES, on 17 April 2016 - 02:18 PM, said:
Well, you'd be misusing the word "objective" then. Subjectively, you could say that, in your opinion, the enhanced speed and maneuverability the Linebacker receives by trading away some of its weapons' weight for a larger engine is not worth that investment - that it will negatively impact the potential performance of the mech. Subjectively, that opinion is valid, as opinions tend to be. Objectively, said argument has no merit, as the performance of a mech is largely subjective - and we have every reason to believe, also objectively, that the Linebacker has every element necessary to perform at least as well as the Stormcrow, which is a top tier mech.
Now... objectively, we can say that putting a standard engine in a Clan mech, discounting any argument about the size of that engine, will negatively impact the potential performance of the mech. Clan mechs gain very little survivability (the only excuse to use one) with standard engines over their improved XL engines. The result is a significant amount of lost tonnage for which no practical benefit is gained. That is, objectively, a bad choice.
Can quirks be used to make up for what is objectively a bad configuration? Absolutely. But it would require unprecedented levels of quirks for a Clan mech (which it would not likely get, thanks to PGI's rules), and even then would still only manage to squeek back into the "over-engined, under-gunned" category that so many revile. You're literally quirking the hell out of the mech just to bring it to lower-tier usefulness.
But I'm not one to deny a player his choice in mech. It's timeline appropriate, and has enough variants using existing tech. I personally don't have a stake in it. Once the Kodiak comes out, and after the DW and WHK resize, I won't be needing another clan assault for potentially a very long time. Should either the Turkina or Kingfisher be released, they'd have to be VERY compelling for me to consider a purchase, and it's unlikely I'd choose the Kingfisher over the Turkina.
I'm not really using objective incorrectly. It seems you would rather have an overengined undergunned heavy than a Kingfisher, which is purely subjective. Objectively speaking, the Kingfisher has the
potential to be more useful than a Linebacker.
Additionally, you keep saying that thing about not quirking Omnis. The Gargoyle has 17 extra structure on its Side torsos, and 12 to its CT. Those are significant numbers, in the order of magnitude of the quirks I suggest for the Kingfisher. Even the 70 ton Summoner has 15 ST structure, 11 arm structure, etc.
You keep sayings its wasted tonnage on the STD, but what you are essentially saying is it has perfect justification for meaningful quirks, more so than the Gargoyle, or the Linebacker for that matter, because as you put it, they are over-engined but are also getting something out of that additional tonnage (speed).
In your opinion, you would rather have the Linebacker and that's fine, but like I said, there is no OBJECTIVE reason for why its more worthy for a release than a Kingfisher or Turkina is.