14 replies to this topic

[DjPush]

Why does Sarna make it sound like a failure and some kind of hand me down:

The Linebackerwas designed to eventually replace the Timber Wolf in the touman of Clan Wolf when it was found that the venerable design could not keep pace with its Starmates in running battles, which could, of course, limit its effectiveness during the invasion of the Inner Sphere. The name for the OmniMech comes from the Linebacker's hunched appearance, which resembles players of ancient American Football. The Linebacker has found a home within Clan Wolf in Exile and is TOLERATED by the Crusader Wolves because of their need for equipment. It is said the Crusader Wolves are less accepting of the 'Mech because it was originally planned by Khans Natasha Kerensky and Phelan Ward; both of the Warden cause.

Edited by DjPush, 29 August 2016 - 07:54 AM.

[Tamwulf]

Well, as a replacement for the Timber Wolf, it was kind of a failure. While it was faster then a Timber Wolf, it just didn't have the endurance they were hoping for on the battlefield. It had a role of course, but everything it did, a Timber Wolf could do as well. 65 tons vs. 75 tons really made a difference in it's performance.

The Linebacker was a mech ahead of it's time. It was a fast heavy, designed to keep pace with lighter and faster units that didn't start emerging until late in the war. Like 3065? 3070? When the Elementals started morphing into proto-mechs, and the rise of "advanced tech" really made the Linebacker a force to be reckoned with.

In MWO, I think it'll be a fast heavy, but kinda bland in it's performance. If we start getting heavy lasers, HAG's, and ATM's... well, I think it could become an awesome mech.

[Mcgral18]

Because it's a pretty sad robot

[SMDMadCow]

DjPush, on 29 August 2016 - 07:51 AM, said:

Why does Sarna make it sound like a failure and some kind of hand me down:

The Linebackerwas designed to eventually replace the Timber Wolf in the touman of Clan Wolf when it was found that the venerable design could not keep pace with its Starmates in running battles, which could, of course, limit its effectiveness during the invasion of the Inner Sphere. The name for the OmniMech comes from the Linebacker's hunched appearance, which resembles players of ancient American Football. The Linebacker has found a home within Clan Wolf in Exile and is TOLERATED by the Crusader Wolves because of their need for equipment. It is said the Crusader Wolves are less accepting of the 'Mech because it was originally planned by Khans Natasha Kerensky and Phelan Ward; both of the Warden cause.

You just answered your own question. Politics. Read up on the Refusal War for more background.

[Rakshasa]

It's tolerated for political and doctrinal reasons I think, but the Linebacker is another example of a Clan 'Mech with a dodgy engine/weight build. At 65 tons, with max armour, it has 20.5 tons of pod space to play with - if it was 60 tons, it would have fractionally less armour (20 points total in MWO), but 23 tons of pod space to use. Those Scientist Caste eh? Go figure.

Edited by Rakshasa, 29 August 2016 - 10:12 AM.

[FupDup]

Because it was designed with an engine rating that was too high for its weight, resulting in having low pod space to the point of literally being a morbidly obese version of the Adder.

[dervishx5]

In TT it can be a serious pain in the *** to deal with, especially the D variant.

In MWO, well, we'll see how it goes. Never rush to judgement on a mech before it comes out.

[Snowbluff]

dervishx5, on 29 August 2016 - 10:20 AM, said:

In MWO, well, we'll see how it goes. Never rush to judgement on a mech before it comes out.

True. The viper was considered over engined by some, and turned out fine.

[DjPush]

It's 65 tons. The same as an EBJ. So, I imagine an EBJ and it's firepower with the mobility of a Summoner without the fixed jj's. Is that about right? If so, that could be filthy in MWO.

[SMDMadCow]

DjPush, on 29 August 2016 - 01:05 PM, said:

It's 65 tons. The same as an EBJ. So, I imagine an EBJ and it's firepower with the mobility of a Summoner without the fixed jj's. Is that about right? If so, that could be filthy in MWO.

An EJ already has the same ground speed as a Summoner. The Linebacker is faster still but with less weapons and armor.

[SP3CTREnyc]

DjPush, on 29 August 2016 - 01:05 PM, said:

It's 65 tons. The same as an EBJ. So, I imagine an EBJ and it's firepower with the mobility of a Summoner without the fixed jj's. Is that about right? If so, that could be filthy in MWO.

Except for power draw. The LB doesn't have enough armor to get into a prolonged fight and the maps (let alone the game) are not designed for cover-to-cover engagements. 9x MLas builds, LPLas centric builds, and even the stock ERPPC build don't seem viable considering the new energy system.

[Unreliable Mercenary]

Those side torsos look ripe for the picking.

[TheArisen]

@ OP

The Linebacker was designed by Phelan Kell who went on to lead the Wolves in exile. His main rival & a guy that really hated him became the leader of the Crusader wolves, Vlad Ward. This hatred was passed down to the rest of the clan when Vlad became Khan.

Crusader & Warden are the two dominant political factions in the Clans.

Edited by TheArisen, 29 August 2016 - 04:16 PM.

[dervishx5]

TheArisen, on 29 August 2016 - 04:14 PM, said:

Crusader & Warden are the two dominant political factions in the Clans.

Not anymore.

[Void Angel]

They are at the point in question, and in the current game timeline.

DjPush, on 29 August 2016 - 07:51 AM, said:

Why does Sarna make it sound like a failure and some kind of hand me down:

The Linebackerwas designed to eventually replace the Timber Wolf in the touman of Clan Wolf when it was found that the venerable design could not keep pace with its Starmates in running battles, which could, of course, limit its effectiveness during the invasion of the Inner Sphere. The name for the OmniMech comes from the Linebacker's hunched appearance, which resembles players of ancient American Football. The Linebacker has found a home within Clan Wolf in Exile and is TOLERATED by the Crusader Wolves because of their need for equipment. It is said the Crusader Wolves are less accepting of the 'Mech because it was originally planned by Khans Natasha Kerensky and Phelan Ward; both of the Warden cause.

Pure fluff - note that the reasons the Crusaders are all "harrumph!" about it was that they didn't like the people who commissioned it. Silly Adjective animals... but what can you expect from undereducated barbarian space Huns?

It is not however, true that the Linebacker has less armor than the Ebon Jaguar - Omnimech armor values are customizeable in MWO, so the Linebacker's bigger engine means that it has less pod weight, not less armor.