655 replies to this topic

[Terick]

This thread needs to die and one on the more recent comments from the DEVs created.

[Seabear]

Mechs are not tinkertoy kits. Building a mech takes a great deal of heavy equipment not available to just anyone. Limited customization (swapping secondary armaments, ammo load outs etc.) are fairly common and easily accomplished; the work to construct the IS and mount the engine and do the thousand things that make up a mech takes a factory.
Now when we start taking salvage, the whole thing changes as one adapts what one has into a useable whole. That is part of the canon with mechs often sporting arms or legs from anothe model.

[Dihm]

FACEman Peck, on 20 March 2012 - 06:55 PM, said:

Wow, I thought this topic was dead, NO LONGER!!!!!

It was dead, why the heck did you revive it?

[Gremlich Johns]

Holmes, on 17 December 2011 - 06:49 AM, said:

Not even worth the time. I uninstalled MW:LL within hours after discovering there was no MechLab, and it took me days to download on my joke of an internet connection. I don't **** around, MechLab is half the game for me.

The mechlab in MW:LL is coming. Remember that this is a Beta Mod to Crysis. There are sufficient variants in the game to warrant your continued interest AND if you have recommendations, the Devs are receptive. Your point of view with how a mechlab should work could be key, but now you will not know because you are done with MW:LL.

[Helmer]

Dihm, on 21 March 2012 - 05:14 AM, said:

It was dead, why the heck did you revive it?

Probably to annoy Garth, Ghost and Metro

[Trevnor]

Also, since the revival, anyone remember you could install a single Gauss rifle and ammo bin in a Firefly, with the 300 engine and little to no amour in MW2? And then run at 300+ Kph? I'd call that an Frankinmech.

Edited by Lt Trevnor, 21 March 2012 - 06:17 AM.

[Mellowbloom]

I think if people want to to do crazy stuff with their mechs it's upto them; there should be an amount of restriction to stop them just throwing things on and off every few minutes, though. However, a lot of new players to the series are going to make mistakes when modifying mechs, and they shouldn't be punished too much for that or it will just put them off the game

[Helmer]

Mellowbloom, on 21 March 2012 - 06:27 AM, said:

I think if people want to to do crazy stuff with their mechs it's upto them; there should be an amount of restriction to stop them just throwing things on and off every few minutes, though. However, a lot of new players to the series are going to make mistakes when modifying mechs, and they shouldn't be punished too much for that or it will just put them off the game

Agreed. A Little leeway would be nice for new players. Perhaps a simulator run of the proposed changes.



Cheers

[Ellister]

In re: Frankenmechs, I love the: Weapon Class Only Slots setup.

Ie Energy weapons can only go in Energy weapon slots etc.

keeps the mechs in the spirit they were designed

[MaddMaxx]

Ellister, on 21 March 2012 - 07:32 AM, said:

In re: Frankenmechs, I love the: Weapon Class Only Slots setup.

Ie Energy weapons can only go in Energy weapon slots etc.

keeps the mechs in the spirit they were designed

But the "MechLabians" will so cry foul if they can't totally butcher any design into some gross form of walking gun boat.

[Ellister]

let them cry... they aint real fans

[Ibishima]

well, it's true, that you can't add every weapon to every mech, but as you could see at Sarna, there are "Custom Loadouts"...
And don't forget the CPLT-K2, no LRM, instead 2 PPC... don't know, if that's even possible with the engine (or model), but if you go only Stock, then you have to look at the timeline of these stocks...

BTW: i want my CPLT-K2!!! ^^

[Murphy Slah]

Oh sure. I just put a post up regarding this and THEN see the poll. Doh!
I'm for full customisation. It's what makes Mechwarrior stand out from other games. There are ways to make the scratch-build rules balanced. Don't take it away from us please!

[Togg Bott]

ok, sorry if i sound like the Grammer police. but its not aloud. its allowed.

please forgive me, but sometimes something just sticks me wrong to the point i have to say something.

[Steel Talon]

Ellister, on 21 March 2012 - 07:32 AM, said:

In re: Frankenmechs, I love the: Weapon Class Only Slots setup.

Ie Energy weapons can only go in Energy weapon slots etc.

keeps the mechs in the spirit they were designed

What about warhammer, its hands can hold PPC(energy), aswell as gauss, AC/10 (projectile), same with its shoulder extensions that can hold missiles aswell

Edited by steel talon, 22 March 2012 - 03:43 PM.

[Red1769]

Quote

What about warhammer, its hands can hold PPC(energy), aswell as gauss, AC/10 (projectile), same with its shoulder extensions that can hold missiles aswell

Different varients, different hardpoints. Like the cases with the Catapult and Hunchback, there are lots of mechs like that I'm sure. Devs did say there will be different varients for each mech. I'm sure most people has seen it already, but I would like to put emphasis at 3:00 and beyond of the below video. That's all I have to contribute to this thread. Besides I'm for customization of weapon loadouts, speed, and armor, possibly some systems.

[Vollstrecker]

In some ways, I kinda liked the limitations of Mechwarrior 4's Mechlab in that you were limited in how far you could modify non-Omnis. Replacing Ballistic weapons with like and all. My main complaint was how they limited Omnis in the same manner.

I personally am a fan of the idea of receiving your 'mech in a Stock variant, but allowing customization to a degree. Not quite as limiting as the old "Overall Design Integrity" rules in the old Battletech Master Rules, but you should not be able to turn an Assassin into a Hollander since the 'mechs frame was just not designed that way.

If you somehow can, it should be both highly expensive and take a serious amount of time in a refit-approved area to do so. As it is mentioned that this would be in real-time, this kind of process should take significant time and manpower (which more manpower can reduce the time at higher cost to a certain limit).

The idea another poster had regarding refit packages is an excellent one, to turn one mech variant into another (example being a JR7-D Jenner into a JR7-F), or to upgrade your 'mech to newer technology (like BNC-3S Banshee into BNC-5S).

[Claive]

I have had more fun puttering around with mech design than i have playing the table top game...

limiting us to just stock mechs or using a hard point system would really dumb down my play experience...

[A6PackofToucans]

When I played MWLL I was enjoying the game and all, but the mechs I used and fought against I just didn't feel were "mine"

What I mean is, they are stock mechs that anyone can use, and when everyone has stock mechs, even if there's multiple variants I instantly have an idea of what that mech is carrying, and what his weakness and strengths are. Why? Because I drove that same variant too, and know how many heat sinks it has, how often it can alpha without shutdown, etc. There's no surprises on the battlefield.

Now with customization in MW2 and MW3 and also the more limited mechlab in MW4 I kept coming back to the mechlab to create mechs that would work for me, and my playstyle, with weapons and groupings that suited only me, and a mech that was literally something I could identify with, on the battlefield it was "mine" and other players sometimes actually started recognizing me because of a specific design I had created. The mech had become something truely unique to the battlefield and something to be proud of by it's creator.

When it comes to canon, some of that will have to change with a real time PC simulation, but a lot of the balance was already there because restrictions came from the mechs weight, the weapons weight, cost of components, criticals used up, etc. That's a lot of the fun for me, the custom mechs, and not knowing what the other guy is going to bring to the fight.

I used to spend a lot of time in battles studying the firing sequence of the enemy mechs, and recognizing the weapons he had on his mech, in battles, it adds a lot of replayability to the sim, and keeps things interesting and keeps me and a lot of friends I know coming back for more.

[Seabear]

Small tweaks ,I have no problem with but don't see why a custom built mech is such a desired thing. Half the fun of a game is to get the most within the rules or restrictions of available equipment. To make a mech that no one has ever seen is really out of the BT/MW universe in my opinion. Refit kits and small weapons tweaks are great without changing the basic purpose of the chasis. From a logistcs point of view, a force of custom built mechs is a nightmare! For me to want to play, I want the game based on a consistant in game logic based on the BT/MW lore. If you want to forget that, then I think there are other games that suit your style. For decades the pull of this game world has been its lore and the richness of the universe. I don't mean to be cruel or unkind in that statement, but I like the game because of the restrictions.

That said, there is a place for "customizations" when we start to take salvage. I'm sure there will be some "frankenmechs" once people start replacing missing parts with what's available. That is in the lore. Keep the ground up customs on Solaris where they belong, not on the battlefield.

Sorry if it sounds like I'm preaching.