15 replies to this topic

[The6thMessenger]

Hmm... so apparently Urbies are stuck at 32 KPH.

Why couldn't they just make it an option to have a range of 3 to 5 engine selection that would add or reduce hexes? I mean at least get the urbie to 120 Engine, with 60/90/120/150/180 engine options.

Have Blackjacks have options to 90/135/180/225 engines. Have Locusts 100/120/140/160/180 Engines. Have Marauders at 150/225/300 engines. King Crabs with 200/300 engines, so on and so forth.

Playing as an all-urbanmech lance is going to be a headache now. xD

Edited by The6thMessenger, 06 April 2018 - 08:33 PM.

[Karl Streiger]

I think you have the engine of an car in mind?
It's not that easy for a Mech maybe even a fusion powered tank. Not so much for a ice driven vehicle.

The main issue are the muscles you need to swap the myomer for faster movement.
You need a more powerful energy transformster that turn the energy of the fusion in something you could apparently use.
Cooling need to be improved too

[The6thMessenger]

Karl Streiger, on 06 April 2018 - 08:26 PM, said:

I think you have the engine of an car in mind?
It's not that easy for a Mech maybe even a fusion powered tank. Not so much for a ice driven vehicle.

The main issue are the muscles you need to swap the myomer for faster movement.
You need a more powerful energy transformster that turn the energy of the fusion in something you could apparently use.
Cooling need to be improved too

I've seen their mechlab, they have 4 empty spaces for CT and Legs -- they don't have any actuators or shoulders showing.

They could just simplify it with a drop-down menu, and picking engine size would reduce or increase the amount of available tonnage.

Edited by The6thMessenger, 06 April 2018 - 08:33 PM.

[Koniving]

The6thMessenger, on 06 April 2018 - 08:32 PM, said:

They could just simplify it with a drop-down menu, and picking engine size would reduce or increase the amount of available tonnage.

They could.
But it wouldn't be "Battletech" campaign customization.
It'd be "Build your own mech."

[Koniving]

Figured out the 4 slots!!!!

The side torsos ONLY PERMIT -- 11 slots... NOT 12.

Thus, 2 slots are pumped into the Center Torso, one from each side torso.

Sadly no explanation for the legs...

[Metus regem]

Hey Kon I don't know if you were in the beta or not, but HBS let's us tinker with the files for single player play, one of the things I did was make the AC/10/20 be useable in CQB while at the same time put out multiple shells that did damage in a weighted center position, like AC/s should... made everything feel much better.

[Exilyth]

I suspect the CT will have one engine and one gyro slot by default, with mechs equipped with compact/xxl gyro/engine adding/removing slots accordingly. Then again, the head only has one slot - not enough for compact cockpits.

Since they're going for 3025 tech initially, they probably didn't think about such future extensions.
*shrugs*
We'll see on release.

Anyway, mechlab looks nice - the way weapons and equipment look reminds me a lot of Mechcommander 1.

[MechaBattler]

A bit off topic. But Razer recently launched their own 'game store'. They're doing a 15% off store wide promo code. And they're selling Battletech for $35.99. And it's handle through Steam keys. This is the cheapest deal I've found on the game. Barring sketchier means.

Edited by MechaBattler, 07 April 2018 - 01:55 PM.

[IllCaesar]

I can buy having locked engine sizes. Its pretty much the biggest part of the mech and hardest to replace except for its structure, which also is something you cannot change. I think it makes sense for the mechs to have somewhat limited customization given the timeframe.

I think the main reason they didn't do it is because then it'd be a bigger headache on organizing salvage and just plain harder to plan certain mandatory missions. Either you're stuck salvaging engines that you don't want frequently due to how it is randomized or you're forced to salvage mechs that you don't want just to get their engines.

I'm not sure but the legendary battlemechs might have their own individual engine sizes so there is that to possibly look forward to.

[The6thMessenger]

IllCaesar, on 07 April 2018 - 07:23 PM, said:

I can buy having locked engine sizes. Its pretty much the biggest part of the mech and hardest to replace except for its structure, which also is something you cannot change. I think it makes sense for the mechs to have somewhat limited customization given the timeframe.

I think the main reason they didn't do it is because then it'd be a bigger headache on organizing salvage and just plain harder to plan certain mandatory missions. Either you're stuck salvaging engines that you don't want frequently due to how it is randomized or you're forced to salvage mechs that you don't want just to get their engines.

I'm not sure but the legendary battlemechs might have their own individual engine sizes so there is that to possibly look forward to.

I honestly don't see problem in being able to salvage engine. If the CT is destroyed, no engine, if only legs are destroyed or head, then there's engine. And if they do get a lot of engine, they could just sell what they don't need and it just turns into CBills.

As for organizing, elaborate?

[MeiSooHaityu]

I think the engines being fixed were two fold.

1. Lore wise... it would be something difficult to do in a proper BattleTech setting without sending a mech to a factory to have it changed out. Repairing is one thing, but I think when it comes to replacement, it is seen as being very integrated into the mech's design and it isn't as easy as swapping out weapons (which can also actually be very difficult to do in BT:TT as well). Your Mechtech might be a wiz at piecing a mech back together, but they can't rework an entire fusion engine meant for something else into a BattleMech.

2. Game balance wise... I think it helps keep builds from getting a bit too over powered. A fixed engine combined with fixed armor type/internals (No Ferro armor or Endo Steel internals) and single heat sinks helps keep some of the more outlandish builds from surfacing. It means that the player has to be creative and try to work around the restrictions to improve upon the design, or in many cases, do it out of necessity to keep the mech combat effective after serious damage and weapon loss from the previous mission. It means that often the player has to weigh the pros and cons of adding equipment and weapons.

Overall I think it is a good decision. Not only does it more conform to the limitations of the universe when it comes to total mech conversions in the field. It still allows for a decent amount of customization freedom, but it also means that sometimes a player really needs to think and work around what the chassis is giving them.

Also, as a side note, the Urbanmech was actually sped up a tiny bit in the game. HBS had said that they had tried to balance some of the outlier mechs, so the Urbanmech got a tiny bit faster and the Locust became a tiny bit slower. Still, the Urbanmech is slow and the Locust is still incredibly fast. Just not as fast or slow as they would have been.

[The6thMessenger]

MeiSooHaityu, on 10 April 2018 - 03:24 AM, said:

Also, as a side note, the Urbanmech was actually sped up a tiny bit in the game. HBS had said that they had tried to balance some of the outlier mechs, so the Urbanmech got a tiny bit faster and the Locust became a tiny bit slower. Still, the Urbanmech is slow and the Locust is still incredibly fast. Just not as fast or slow as they would have been.

Well, I actually emailed them, and they're actually thinking of including engine upgrades.

Also I've been watching pre-release games, why on earth is it so hard getting damn Urbies?

[davoodoo]

Tbh im dissapointed with hardpoints.

[Koniving]

The6thMessenger, on 10 April 2018 - 03:32 AM, said:

Well, I actually emailed them, and they're actually thinking of including engine upgrades.

Also I've been watching pre-release games, why on earth is it so hard getting damn Urbies?

Urban mechs are among the most heavily armored light mechs. This and being able to attack four times in a cycle while assaults get to attack once, heavies attack twice, mediums attack three times...

and it isn't any wonder why Urbies are hard to deal with.

This said moving them wouldn't be so bad if they were in the "medium" category of movement. When all mechs move at the same time, their movement is quite a bit greater than during combat. Assaults remain the same, but heavies get theirs cut in half, mediums into thirds, and lights into fourths. This is how they balance it. Sure the lights get their full movement after four moves (which they get in a single cycle). One could see it as capitalizing on their agility, and the power of their engines to let them fire more frequently compared to heavier mechs with more weapons.

[Koniving]

I saw something recently that caught my attention.

The Chameleon 4 is among many mechs depicted have a CT weapon setup that doesn't fit. In many cases these are relagated to the right torso on the crits table.

However the Chameleon was unique in that it made it into the TRO while breaking the rules by having 3 items in the center torso. Two MGs and a half ton of ammunition.
Sequentially the ammo is now considered in the RT, but descriptions maintain that the ammo's right there with the guns.

We know that the side torsos have 11 slots instead of 12, which is where the CT gets its 4 free slots.
Makes me wonder if perhaps this is so that we could create such mechs?

We don't know where the twin slots per leg come from, but I assume it is so that you can fit more heatsinks in the legs to take advantage of water-bound tactics.

I do hope that HBS makes a DLC with more adventure to be had, alongside potentially more mechs.

[Metus regem]

Koniving, on 16 April 2018 - 07:57 AM, said:

I saw something recently that caught my attention.

The Chameleon 4 is among many mechs depicted have a CT weapon setup that doesn't fit. In many cases these are relagated to the right torso on the crits table.

However the Chameleon was unique in that it made it into the TRO while breaking the rules by having 3 items in the center torso. Two MGs and a half ton of ammunition.
Sequentially the ammo is now considered in the RT, but descriptions maintain that the ammo's right there with the guns.

We know that the side torsos have 11 slots instead of 12, which is where the CT gets its 4 free slots.
Makes me wonder if perhaps this is so that we could create such mechs?

We don't know where the twin slots per leg come from, but I assume it is so that you can fit more heatsinks in the legs to take advantage of water-bound tactics.

I do hope that HBS makes a DLC with more adventure to be had, alongside potentially more mechs.

To quote Mitch:

"In success, anything is possible."

That being said, that error with the Chameleon isn't the only such instance of these errors, the King Crab is famous for having AC/20's and LAA's....