Darky101, on 01 June 2016 - 08:25 AM, said:
So what do you think?
They dont look too apealing to me....
Honestly?
Probably not, outside of Pokemech need.
Cyclops is going to have some simply terrible durability, and low weapons, sadly the kiss of death, overall. So barring massive Atlas like structure quirks (which as a mech that carried 60% of potential armor, I would hope it doesn't get), I see it as having a seriously uphill battle.
Phoenix Hawk will mitigate some of that with speed. But it's still 1) 45 tons, 2) low mounted weapons where it counts, and 3) has those JJ protrusion from the ST which will almost certainly spell death to using XLs which thus negates the speed factor.
I wish it wasn't so. But this game can be broken into a simple
Trinity of Essentials:
Hitboxes/Geometry:
-Largely interrelated, but not the same. The Archer and Dragon and Awesome are examples of bad geometry, and no amount of tweaking the actual hitbox boundaries will improve that. Other designs like the Catapult the hitboxes make considerable difference in survivability. Still, Smallish torsos, and massive arms are pretty essential to "good" geometry.
Hardpoints:
-A combination of type, quantity and location. High mounted hardpoints are always desirable, with sufficient high mounted weapons, one can overcome, to a degree, bad physical geometry/hitboxes. Depending on geometry, so is asymmetrical placement. Desirability of type really depends on the Meta of the Month, whereas more is always better.
Quirks:
-Meant to be the icing on the cake. Became the 800 lb gorilla wrecking any hope of balance. In theory, they should be there to "fix" what can't be through hitboxes and hardpoints, such as the buffing the Atlas to actually be as tough as it is in lore. In some instances we see really well thought out quirks that truly fit the lore Mech such as the RFL-3N (offensive heavy, glass cannon), other times we see utter nonsense like the Archers, and then we get some truly WTF moments like the old Triple ERPPC Thuds, or Atlas Tough Blackjack.
Before quirks, Speed/mobility was the third tier, but realistically, now, while always important, if a mech doesn't rock it in at 2 of the above categories, and preferably all 3? All the speed and agility in the world is largely meaningless. Largely because there are plenty of fast mechs that excel at all of the above.
We don't know the quirks for either machine. But we do know the physical geometry, and can take educated guesses at hitboxes. We know how much protection the arms will give, via the Orthos. We know the type and quantity of hardpoints, and can give an educated guess at locations. By all indications the only thing either will really have going for them is potentially Quirks. Unless either somehow become XL Viable, neither will be able to maximize speed.
Sadly, these are further examples where PGI went off the rails chasing the Esport Unicorn and lost track of their original 4 Pillars of Design for MWO, the key being "ROLE WARFARE".
Had they ever truly bothered fleshing that out, these mechs, for all their weaknesses, would have a place. With proper role warfare, Quirks woul dhave actual meaning.
Taken from the TROs for the Phoenix Hawk and the Cyclops:
-Phoenix Hawk: " The multi-channel Tek BattleCom communications gear, which is heavily shielded to protect against battlefield interference, makes the Phoenix Hawk well-suited to a command/forward operations role. The swift ´Mech may also be outfitted with jamming and ECM gear. The PXH often serves in light regiments and scout lances, and the LAM convertible Phoenix Hawk often plays a dual role in air and land ´Mech units. "
-Cyclops: "was designed primarily as a heavy assault ´Mech, but its sophisticated communications and information network equipment make it equally valuable as a command vehicle. In battlefield situations, the ´Mech is capable of coordinating up to an entire BattleMech regiment with the B-2000 computer on line. It easily maintains planet-wide and orbital communications, too, using the Olmstead 840 tight beam commsystem and satellite assistance."
They've paid some lip service to the Cyclops B-2000, but the likelihood of it trumping the basic "shoot em up" attributes of Meta Mechs is slim to none.
Had they really thought about Role Warfare, included sized hardpoints in the Mechlab and several other decisions skipped, many mechs like the Cyclops, Panther, Phoenix Hawk and such would have a place in MWO. As it stands, their only real place is as developmental assets for HBS's turn based Battletech Game, which is a dang shame.
Edited by Bishop Steiner, 04 June 2016 - 09:00 AM.
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