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Spider 5D - I wanted to try a mech with ECM and really max out the scouting with it to see how it worked. It was ok and I spent some points in the Jumpjets which helped it jump some, but it is a bit difficult to get a feel for with everyone seeming to try out heavies I was against. I think I might get a better feel of it in a 12 man. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't amazing.
Trebuchet 7M - I've had some moderate success with this one lately and sometimes I think it's just because you don't see them that often. I use 3xSRM and 3XMedlaser on it. I maxed out the mobility tree for this one to get the torso swing, but I found that it was like my mouse sensitivity was set 2x normal for my arm movement. Might be something that needs tweaking in regard to the amount of arm movement. We ended up on terra therma in the middle both times, so I was unable to really do flanking like I normally try with it.
Catapult C1(F) - Took my old founders cat out while investing the whole LRM tree in. It has 2xALRM15s so I shot them as much as I could in a 4v4 before the closing brawl happened. I also took the spotting, sensor and radar skills, then topped it off with a split of mobility and defense. It performed well and the LRMs with max velocity seemed to do better than how it was before. I've played this mech the longest (of course) and I could really tell the differences in mobility than before. I did take a few JJ skills and it seemed to benefit from those on mining colony and not feel so anemic.
Awesome 8Q - This one I took the whole PPC line, but didn't take the lasers for my backup medium lasers. My first game in this went poorly as my keyboard settings didn't seem to copy over to PTS, but after I reset those it did about as well as it normally does given that it was 4v4. I did tend to notice the torso twist speeds were better and had to tone down my mouse sensitivity again for the arm movement.
I don't feel it made my old crappy favorites any more desirable, but it did enhance some of them enough for me to notice, even if it was in small ways.
I do think that instead of having all points cost the same amount that the further into a tree you go the more it should cost and make the first skills much, much cheaper xp and cbill wise. As much as folks begrudge the infotech section I do think it will help in a few builds, though some mechs might not see a benefit from it.
The concern with boating is a valid one IMO as having the whole tree for a weapon type does seem to matter. Those mechs with one or two of each type of hardpoint could end up suffering, especially ones who classically needed quirks for that.
I don't think the overall cost bothers me as much as others since the 'rule of 3' was taken out and we don't have to buy mechs we don't want which can be a real expense when talking about assaults.
The critical hits increase I think is a good thing, but I am a lore junky and loved that about previous mechwarrior games that had similar systems. I lost a heat sink when I showed my back to a stormcrow and I didn't mind it, was better than a PPC
