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Scorpion--55 ton IS medium mech.
There is an opportunity for MWO to stand out from past Mechwarrior titles to have something truly new and unique. In Battletech quad mech designs are few and far between, but among them I believe the Scorpion is the standout chassis that could work in MWO. This is primarily due to how long a quad mech would be. A medium class quad would fit in MWO by being similar in length to the Marauder, but much shorter given its four-legged stance. This would solve the problem of having a quad fit in a dropship, for example.
There are three things I believe are necessary to make quad mechs possible in MWO:
Inverse Kinematics
Rotary "turret" torso as seen on designs that in lore are without them such as Nova and Linebacker
Special rules for how the leg components would work in MWO's hard-point scheme
The first, inverse kinematics is required for the Scorpion to not hover over inclines. In the game that currently does not have inverse kinematics, this is noticeable in conventional bipedal mechs if you look for it. If a quad mech were to ever be introduced without inverse kinematics, the hovering over inclines would be ten times more noticeable and would even interfere with gameplay. However, with the recent announcement of inverse kinematics being re-implemented, I believe this issue can be resolved.
The next issue is how the torso would function. If we look at what PGI has done in the past for the Nova (and soon for the Linebacker) we can see that it is possible to add a gyro to mechs that didn't have them in lore. But another problem is the case of torso yaw and pitch. Given how low to the ground a quad would be, there is an issue with how maneuverable the torso would be moving up or down. This could be solved with a clever redesign from our local concept artist, or, the more difficult option, would be to tie it with how the legs work. Extending and retracting upward to allow for adequate ability to aim upward. Or it could just be an inherent weakness with the chassis, made up for the ability to perhaps have a full 360 turret like that of a modern tank.
The final problem lies with how the leg and arm components would have to function gameplay wise. A quad needs special rules in order for leg damage and destruction to work. The first option is to have the left and right set of legs sharing the left and right leg component. That is one pair of legs would share the same damage as one leg, and the other pair of legs sharing damage of the other leg. The arm component could then take the form of fins on the torso of the mech, as seen on mechs like the Cicada. The second option is to have the front legs act as the arms and the back legs to function as the leg components. A unique quirk to the chassis would involve the destruction of the mech if any arm and leg are lost, or both arms, or both legs.
I strongly believe that the inclusion of a quad mech such as the Scorpion would be an opportunity for PGI to make MWO truly stand out from its predecessors. It would also be a breathe of fresh air in a game that needs diversity to continue to thrive. I hope you consider the proposition of a quad mech more carefully, just as I hope you would find the possibility for it to bring unique and exciting gameplay.
Thank you.
Edited by Garfuncle, 07 July 2016 - 01:15 PM.
