69 replies to this topic

[Paladin1]

Riptor, on 15 December 2011 - 08:17 AM, said:

I will look for it. All i know is its on the Sarna wiki in one of the steiner mechs descriptions... gimme a moment

Ah.. here it is:

http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Battle_Hawk

Doesnt really say when it was built but it has pulse lasers so it should be rather recent.

Ahh, that. First, let me point out that the Battlehawk was first seen in the 3055TRO, which placed it after the Outreach summit where Hanse Davion blackmailed Marik into selling the AFFC upgrade kits at cost. That influx of material you read about was in reference to this event.

Secondly, as I had mentioned before, this isn't something that happens normally and wasn't happening at all until Hanse forced the Marik to do so. That's the reason that there are so many different variants of the classic designs in the 3050TRO but the number of variants slims down considerably in 3055TRO. Before the Outreach summit, each House was building their own designs but afterwards the AFFC was getting a large influx of designs from House Marik.

Seriously, a `Mechwarrior from the AFFC is going to have a boatload of designs to choose from but there's still going to be limits. They still won't, for example, have access to Kurita Panthers, Wolftraps or Grand Dragons or Liao Vindicators and while most AFFC designs are nice, I really would love to have access to some Grand Dragons, those are some sweet rides.

[Skwisgaar Skwigelf]

I like the Wolftrap too, that's a cool design. Basically a 30 kmh faster Centurion with LBX.

Edited by Skwisgaar Skwigelf, 15 December 2011 - 01:24 PM.

[Red Faction]

As long as slavage is an option then I think we will be safe in our choice of faction, though I think georaphy should play a role. You wont be salvaging a A Komodo is the Capellan Marches or a Victor in the Tamarind March, but you can blow ones leg off and make off with it as salvage. As long as we have a good selection that is relevant to each faction and canon I think we should be okay in the purchasing and the salvage area. As a FedSuns and FRR lover, I loe the thought of taking down some DCMS designs and dragging them home, or Blowing a LAAF design to shreds and taking its fire power back to the dropship with me.

[Dlardrageth]

Red Faction, on 15 December 2011 - 02:12 PM, said:

As long as slavage is an option then I think we will be safe in our choice of faction, though I think georaphy should play a role. You wont be salvaging a A Komodo is the Capellan Marches or a Victor in the Tamarind March, but you can blow ones leg off and make off with it as salvage. As long as we have a good selection that is relevant to each faction and canon I think we should be okay in the purchasing and the salvage area. As a FedSuns and FRR lover, I loe the thought of taking down some DCMS designs and dragging them home, or Blowing a LAAF design to shreds and taking its fire power back to the dropship with me.

Question in your example still remains what good will it do? So you got yourself the leg of a Komodo, okay. Over time you actually manage to get a "full" Mech salvaged so you can get to work assembling it. Okay. Having done that, you still need to keep stocked up on Komodo parts due to losses/destroyed parts you might suffer in battle. And don't expect to be able to just buy replacements "off the market". Thus it seems quite the hassle just for the cause of piloting a different faction's Mech occasionally.

Would likely be easier, all-in-all, to go Merc for a while if you totally want a Komodo, wouldn't it?

[Paladin1]

Skwisgaar Skwigelf, on 15 December 2011 - 12:34 PM, said:

I like the Wolftrap too, that's a cool design. Basically a 30 kmh faster Centurion with LBX.

Run a Wolftrap with the CN9-D variant of the Centurion and you'd be amazed at how well they work together. Identical movement profiles, weapon loads and similar armor levels. Run them with a lance of Grand Dragons providing heavy cover fire and a lance of Jenners for flanking duties and you're looking at a high speed death dealing machine.

[Barantor]

Dlardrageth, on 15 December 2011 - 02:25 PM, said:

Question in your example still remains what good will it do? So you got yourself the leg of a Komodo, okay. Over time you actually manage to get a "full" Mech salvaged so you can get to work assembling it. Okay. Having done that, you still need to keep stocked up on Komodo parts due to losses/destroyed parts you might suffer in battle. And don't expect to be able to just buy replacements "off the market". Thus it seems quite the hassle just for the cause of piloting a different faction's Mech occasionally.

Would likely be easier, all-in-all, to go Merc for a while if you totally want a Komodo, wouldn't it?

Right now we don't know if there will be any type of auction house or black market system. If there is then you might get 5 marauder legs and sell those to earn enough c-bills to get your komodo legs, etc.

If you were in a merc unit it might come with a unit armory where you can dump parts your lance/company mates might need or just for the unit as a whole. It will still make some mechs rare, but it would be possible.

[dh crow]

From a story perspective, it'd be nice to have mechs restricted by faction and factory production. However, I'm not sure there are actually going to be enough chassis in the game for restrictions to be anything but harmful.

[Blastcaps]

dh crow, on 16 December 2011 - 12:38 AM, said:

From a story perspective, it'd be nice to have mechs restricted by faction and factory production. However, I'm not sure there are actually going to be enough chassis in the game for restrictions to be anything but harmful.

think thats going to be dependant on the number of different chasis available, my example about the guardian vexor ship in eve online is a valid one, used to be quite a few now there's only 3 left, rare mechs either designs of varients should have a limited number in the game at any one given time, but as i suggested, when they get blown up/destroyed having rumors of a lostek cache surfacing with some of the rare mechs in them gives players the incentive to go hunt the cache down, and keeps the same number of the rare mechs in the game, it just means they keep changing hands as some get destroyed, and also means people will be willing at times to risk said rare mechs in game knowing that they have a chance at getting replacement IF they can find the cache first and hold onto it because if someone else also finds the planet its on you have a nice chance of having to fight for the cache to claim it.

[macmerritt]

How about a compromise of sorts. We all want salvage but I dont see the devs deciding on making people lose their mechs permenatly.

When you start the game you are limited to your factions starting mechs. As you play thru the game and kill other mechs you unlock those mechs for purchase representing your ability to salvage, repair, and use other factions mechs. Thus you can keep my and other pricing examples while satisfying peoples desire to have faction and/or rare mechs.

I for one hope to see some mechanic that keeps "gold" from playing a major part in purchasing anything other than XP and currency boosts and custom decals/paint jobs. I would also like to see some of the rarer mechs in canon remain that way for awhile in order to keep that wow factor when you come across them in battle. I dont wish to see the 1st FedSun Armored Cav running 2 Dragons, an Annhilator, and a Hatamoto-Chi until many years down the road. One or two "salvaged" designs in a House unit would show that they have had success against their foes, otherwise it looks like a cash clan unit.

[Long Tom]

Like others have suggested, I say that there are a "basic set" of mechs that are available to all factions. However, to spice things up there could be unique mechs that can only be purchased if the world(s) in which they are manufactured is controlled by your faction. The more "faction specific" the design, the closer to the core to that faction the world will be. Thus all factions have an incentive battle deeper into their opponents territory. If the mechs were priced high enough to exclude new players, they would be less likely to join a faction solely on the mech availability.