24 replies to this topic

[Dogstar]

I'm looking at the picture and it seems like the Black Lanner is only going to have a weapon mount stub for a right arm?

The way the artwork is angled minimizes the asymmetric look of the mech - just like they've done in the past (Nightstar, Hellspawn) so I'm a bit dubious about how this thing will actually look when modelled - there have been quite a few disappointments in this area recently so I'm getting sensitive to it.

Anyone else dubious about how this will look in game?

[Jay Leon Hart]

I expect it will get the Dragon treatment and that gun arm will get a lot more arm attached.

[WhineyThePoo]

Yeah I expect it to get the dragon treatment. But I hope it will look like the artwork and that they will go back and fix the dragon.

[Rovertoo]

I was under the impression that it only has upper actuators on both arms, so it'll only be able to look up and down, which should work fine.

[WhineyThePoo]

It kinda looks that way now, and PGI will probably make both arms the same cause thats easy. But I believe that the TT lanner had one gimp arm and one fully articulated.

[Angel of Annihilation]

Just noticed the lack of lower arm actuators in the left arm. Form the image I was expecting the right arm to be up/down only while the left was fully actuated. That is a bummer because that really limits the mechs ability to brawl, even if the it would have only have 1/2 the range of motion two fully actuated arms would.

[Gadsden Labe]

The Hero version is named the, Rick Allen.

[Tarogato]

Jay Leon Hart, on 04 November 2017 - 01:14 AM, said:

I expect it will get the Dragon treatment and that gun arm will get a lot more arm attached.

I was gonna say... no, the concept art for the Dragon had the full arm, so we got exactly what was advertised.






If that fan recolour also redrew the arm, I'd be pretty impressed.




But then I found this, which appears to be the original?








Sadface:

[Jay Leon Hart]

The MWO site only shows the Dragon Ortho and Dragon Concept.

Ortho

Spoiler

Concept

Spoiler

So it appears the change happened some time between the ortho and colour concepts. Unless, of course, the original concept was replaced with the an updated concept.

[Bombast]

Per Canon, the Black Lanner Prime has asymmetric arms - The Left Arm has a Shoulder and an Upper Actuator, while the Right Arm has a Lower Actuator as well.

However - Omnitech rules allow for adding and removing actuators. In fact, according to my sheets, the Prime is the only one to have a Lower Actuator. It's removed from all other variants.

So yes, the they're going to add an elbow onto the left arm, to allow for the Omnimech rules and to avoid having to model two left arms for the mech.

[FupDup]

Jay Leon Hart, on 04 November 2017 - 01:14 AM, said:

I expect it will get the Dragon treatment and that gun arm will get a lot more arm attached.

I thought that before, but then I looked down at the mech specifications and saw that neither arm has any lower-arm or hand actuators on any variant. That's why PGI can get away with the asymmetrical arm setup.

Bombast, on 04 November 2017 - 11:01 AM, said:

Per Canon, the Black Lanner Prime has asymmetric arms - The Left Arm has a Shoulder and an Upper Actuator, while the Right Arm has a Lower Actuator as well.

However - Omnitech rules allow for adding and removing actuators. In fact, according to my sheets, the Prime is the only one to have a Lower Actuator. It's removed from all other variants.

So yes, the they're going to add an elbow onto the left arm, to allow for the Omnimech rules and to avoid having to model two left arms for the mech.

Look at the sales page. They removed the LAA from the Prime.

https://mwomercs.com/black-lanner

[Bombast]

FupDup, on 04 November 2017 - 11:03 AM, said:

Look at the sales page. They removed the LAA from the Prime.

https://mwomercs.com/black-lanner

That... is weird.

Would that make this the first Omnimech without lower actuators?

[FupDup]

Bombast, on 04 November 2017 - 11:09 AM, said:

That... is weird.

Would that make this the first Omnimech without lower actuators?

I hope so, because those high arms are one of the few savings graces that the mech has.

[Tarogato]

Bombast, on 04 November 2017 - 11:09 AM, said:

That... is weird.

Would that make this the first Omnimech without lower actuators?

EBJ and NTG also don't have lower arm actuators.

FupDup, on 04 November 2017 - 11:03 AM, said:

I thought that before, but then I looked down at the mech specifications and saw that neither arm has any lower-arm or hand actuators on any variant. That's why PGI can get away with the asymmetrical arm setup.

Look at the sales page. They removed the LAA from the Prime.

In my MegaMek, the 'Lanner doesn't haven't any LAA's on any variants. Even if it's supposed to have one on the right arm, I'm fine with it being removed. It's not a mech like the Dragon where it has a big portion of its firepower on its right arm. Not much is lost by not having that LAA.

Jay Leon Hart, on 04 November 2017 - 10:51 AM, said:

The MWO site only shows the Dragon Ortho and Dragon Concept.

Ortho

Spoiler

Concept

Spoiler

So it appears the change happened some time between the ortho and colour concepts. Unless, of course, the original concept was replaced with the an updated concept.

On the side topic of DRAGONS, if anybody would like to see it get its original arm back, go upvote this: https://www.reddit.c...j15/it_is_time/

See how many people want this shizz, because I think it's a reasonable request.

Edited by Tarogato, 04 November 2017 - 11:25 AM.

[FupDup]

Tarogato, on 04 November 2017 - 11:17 AM, said:

On the side topic of DRAGONS, if anybody would like to see it get its original arm back, go upvote this: https://www.reddit.c...j15/it_is_time/

See how many people want this shizz, because I think it's a reasonable request.

Well, the issue is how to make it work with the arm aiming reticule. The design shown in the orthos can't move side to side, but the left arm can. Are we gonna need a third reticule? Or PGI is gonna have to find a way to make that right arm just stick to the torso.

Or I guess modify it so it has an extra joint to allow for horizontal movement, like the Shadow Cat. However, that means you'll still have to spend crit space on a LAA.

That's the issue at hand here. MWO, as it is coded now, requires both arms to have the same mobility. Either both can only go up/down, or both have to be able to go left/right in addition to up/down.

[Tarogato]

FupDup, on 04 November 2017 - 11:23 AM, said:

Well, the issue is how to make it work with the arm aiming reticule. The design shown in the orthos can't move side to side, but the left arm can. Are we gonna need a third reticule? Or PGI is gonna have to find a way to make that right arm just stick to the torso.

Or I guess modify it so it has an extra joint to allow for horizontal movement, like the Shadow Cat. However, that means you'll still have to spend crit space on a LAA.

That's the issue at hand here. MWO, as it is coded now, requires both arms to have the same mobility. Either both can only go up/down, or both have to be able to go left/right in addition to up/down.

The Shadow Cat is identical to the Dragon. The left arm of the Shadow Cat has a LAA, but the right arm has a gauss and no LAA. But the right arm can definitely move side to side when you have a left LAA equipped. There's no reason the Dragon can't also have horizontal movement. Plus for both mechs, these arms are high mounted stubs without elbows, so it works.

[MauttyKoray]

Dogstar, on 04 November 2017 - 12:47 AM, said:

I'm looking at the picture and it seems like the Black Lanner is only going to have a weapon mount stub for a right arm?

The way the artwork is angled minimizes the asymmetric look of the mech - just like they've done in the past (Nightstar, Hellspawn) so I'm a bit dubious about how this thing will actually look when modelled - there have been quite a few disappointments in this area recently so I'm getting sensitive to it.

Anyone else dubious about how this will look in game?

Black Lanner has always had that, it will have a 'weapon mount' style arm on its right side. Its not probable that they will change this for other variants.

[Andi Nagasia]

MauttyKoray, on 04 November 2017 - 12:29 PM, said:

Black Lanner has always had that, it will have a 'weapon mount' style arm on its right side. Its not probable that they will change this for other variants.

you never know, just look at the VPR arms, with no weapons the arms are practically nonexistent,
they could make one arm have a shell if it has 1Energy, but be an actual arm if is has more than 1,
as is such for the symmetrical BKL-D, which is what im hoping for, as i love Symmetrical Chicken walkers,

Edited by Andi Nagasia, 04 November 2017 - 12:42 PM.

[Dogstar]

I'm not against asymmetry in general its just that I prefer symmetrical mechs and I'm finding that recently, the models are not as pretty as the artwork and that the artwork feels a touch deceptive by deliberately downplaying the asymmetry.

[Y E O N N E]

Dogstar, on 04 November 2017 - 12:46 PM, said:

I'm not against asymmetry in general its just that I prefer symmetrical mechs and I'm finding that recently, the models are not as pretty as the artwork and that the artwork feels a touch deceptive by deliberately downplaying the asymmetry.

...or not even hinting at the existence of asymmetry at all.

Looking at you, Nightstar.