34 replies to this topic

[SnagaDance]

Marack Drock the Unicorn Wizard, on 26 May 2016 - 06:42 AM, said:

Um... Robotech was not really that popular in the USA when BattleTech came out. In fact Robotech had only just been released in the USA when BattleTech was made. The Robotech series was released in the USA in 1984-5. BattleTech came out in 1984. Robotech was NOT popular in the USA when BattleTech came about.

That's why I said "Some people might know them" and "most people just didn't know them"

Marack Drock the Unicorn Wizard, on 26 May 2016 - 06:42 AM, said:

The reason our planets are named after Greek Gods is because THE GREEKS AND ROMANS ARE THE ONES WHO NAMED THE PLANETS. And at the time those planets corresponded with a religion that was very much believed and wide spread.

What about Uranus, Neptune and Pluto? They were identified well after the Roman period, why use names stemming from some pagan polyethistic religion instead of using names that corresponded with the time period? Oh wait, a pattern had been established and people just continued, basically following popular culture of the time.

Callisto, Europa, Ganymede and Io were discovered in 1610? Why necessarily name them after lovers of Zeus?

The moons of Uranus (first 2 found late 18th century) are named for characters from Shakespeare and Pope.

Marack Drock the Unicorn Wizard, on 26 May 2016 - 06:42 AM, said:

BattleTech's naming system of "take names from anything sciency or mythology sounding" makes no sense.

I'd say it makes totally sense! See my remarks about naming the planets and moons not discovered before or during the Roman period. While giving a star a number and any discovered planets simply a number corresponding to it's orbit related to its sun makes perfect sense for cataloging, it's just not a very catchy name. I mean, who wants to live on Kepler-452b? People would decide on a name they'd like, and they'd take it from something they know. Otherwise, what would you call it instead? Just mash up some syllables like 'hokaphimur' in the order of originality? (disclaimer, I do not know if 'hokaphimur' might mean anything in any language, I just made it up).
And thus the BattleTech names make perfect sense, planets named after objects, qualities, people and also earth cities, in a throwback to the originality of names given to towns during the golden ago of exploration. (I personally like that they also added Dutch city names like Utrecht, Zoetermeer and Ridderkerk, though the abscence of Amsterdam is conspicious )

Marack Drock the Unicorn Wizard, on 26 May 2016 - 06:42 AM, said:

Um... last i checked current technology did not allow for pure cognitive control of artificial devices. I know we had just begun experimenting with that stuff but... yeah we are nowhere near the level of tech that I had in mind. We are only just to the place where our Neural technology can lead to a few basic functions in a prosthetic.

Hence why your idea can be considered unoriginal, it's merely the extrapolation of current high tech, like the comparison I drew between then high tech flight helmet interfaces and neurohelmets. As you consider neurohelmets to be unoriginal your own idea is likely to be unoriginal in 30 years time as well, if you follow such a train of thought. But like I said in my previous post I consider such thinking to be too broad, originality in Sci-Fi is a product of the time it was created in, and should not be held accountable to human advancements made since then.

Oh, and I'll totally give you the cool mech designs they made after the first RoboTech designs. My remark about '10 years' was way too long a time period and mainly inspired by the continuation of the minor drawings they had in source books back then, many of whom are just hideous (though the quality varies all the way up to great).
While in retrospect licensing those RoboTech designs was not a smart move (especially considering the rights turned out to be not valid), I can totally understand why a small start up company might do such a thing. Once again also consider the time, directly being able to communicate with the Japanese parent company would have been rather difficult in that time with language barriers and all.
Just to draw a comparison, not even 15 years ago my father was working in China for a year, in a partnership with a local small (by Chinese standards, only a few thousand employees) shipyard. Know who the most important person was after the director? His secretary, because she knew English, which made her vital for any and all contact with parties outside China. Outside partners actually considered her more important than the director, but they never voiced that opinion to them of course. Nowadays a lot more people in China know English so it's not such a big thing anymore but these are processes that take time, just like the growth of a significant pool of Japanese that spoke English well (or vice versa) took time.

One last comparison. Why would a starting video game company use another party's game engine? Because it would be very time consuming and expensive to make ones own, two things you do not need as a vulnerable start up. Only when you're established does it become viable to make your own engine that's completely suited to your needs. Or at least that's how it works for the majority of them. So I totally get why Fasa did it, wasn't smart in retrospect, but I totally get it.

[Karl Streiger]

Marack Drock the Unicorn Wizard, on 27 May 2016 - 03:40 AM, said:

That is why I bring up Stackpole because when he writes you can see that he cares about it, and so he takes great care to come up with ideas. BattleTech books he wrote may not be original, but they still add something because they come from him, and they ask questions. They aren't dished out entertainment like Ghost of Winter or crap like it.

Have to disagree here with a vengeance.
While his political affairs seem to be well woven he had a very strong bias towards Davion and Clan Wolf. A bias that is not backed up by "official" work. For example was the Liao millitary much stronger and more effective than it was described, Max Liao was even the better strategic expert - Hanse on the other hand was the better politician. The marriage with Steiner is proof.
But to underline my statement i have to mention the creation of Alaric Wolf. His brainchild, if i had to bet.

Anyhow those are not his biggest failures - his biggest failures were Prince of Havoc. And even when i have almost any book Stackpole has ever writen in my Library - you start to see similaritys.
And I can't forgive how he destroyed the plot of Morgans assassination with a copy & paste phrase from his X-Wing series. Complete oblivious to the fact how security systems work - he described it as a kind of man in the middle attack but committed from the outside.

[Stahlherz]

Clan Berry Crush.

Top notch cook caste.

[Akillius]

Originally there was 20 clans:
Clan Jade Falcon
Clan Wolf
Clan Ghost Bear
Clan Smoke Jaguar
Clan Snow Raven
Clan Goliath Scorpion
Clan Ice Hellion Clan
Clan Nova Cat
Clan Steel Vipers
Clan Cloud Cobra
Clan Star Adder
Clan Burrock
Clan Diamond Shark (Originally Clan Sea Fox)
Clan Blood Spirit
Clan Coyote
Clan Hell's Horses
Clan Fire Mandrill
Clan Widowmaker (Dead - Absorbed by Clan Wolf)
Clan Mongoose (Dead - Absorbed by Clan Smoke Jaguar)
Clan Wolverine (Dead ? Much of Clan Wolverine might have returned to IS to rebuild... Alias:"Not-Named Clan")

Some future clan names: Clan Wolf-in-Exile, Clan Jade Wolf, Spirit Cats, Ghost Bear Dominion


Anyways, I do like Clan Berry Crush which sounds fun and tasty!

But I'll add Clan Chimaera Chameleon for covert operation caste (black ops using both IS/Clan tech)
Obviously their origins are mysterious, perhaps theres some unfounded rumors they're the rebuilt Clan Wolverine...

[Levi Porphyrogenitus]

Clan Wolverine. They'd be experts at surviving on the run after having been betrayed by the rest of the Clans due to Nicky K's combined jealousy and insanity. Making an alliance with the Dark Caste, they'd bide their time until the Clans were busy and overcommitted elsewhere, at which point they'd unleash an army of 200T Orca Super-Assaults with Rotary Gauss Rifles.

[VonBruinwald]

Clan Doom Slug: Ballistics and OmniMechs taken to the next level.

With the advent of OmniMech Tech many clans thought that would be the end. Not Clan Doom Slug though, they continued to push and refine it to the point where they developed UniMechs. 'Mechs fully capable of transplanting arms and legs and torso sections between different base chassis. Not that they stopped with 'mechs, even their tanks are capable of transplanting turrets from one chassis to another and when taken to the extreme they can even exchange them with the arms of UniMechs.

Due to the nature of UniMech Tech Clan Doom Slug have to rely on Std. Engines over their lighter counterparts but that only slows their 'mechs, it doesn't stop them. After a battle the nature of UniTech allows them to switch out sections and bring units back to full combat capabilities faster than their enemies.

An army of FrankenMechs, slowly advancing, death doesn't slow them and much dakka they bring.

As a Warden Clan they see themselves as protectors of the Inner Sphere, what the sphere does to itself is to be observed, not intervened. They believe the crusaders clans have become the 'external threat' Kerensky foresaw and like a rabid dog the animals should be put down, their use of superior 'tech to sate their own primal bloodlust on the sphere is a dishonour that cannot stand.