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Something else we are seeing with PGI is their delivering mech pack options to the players to have non OmniMech alternatives at various tonnages that don't already exist in the game The recent Warhammer IIC was useful because it gave a alternative to the gargoyle at 80 tons, that wasn't an omnimech stuck with a 400XL engine. Same reason why we got the Marauder IIC as the battlemech option over a Warhawk that wasn't stuck with 20 DHS as fixed equipment.
Currently there is a need for battlemech alternatives at 95 tons, 70 tons, 65 tons, 45 tons, and 25 tons, There could also be a 20 ton omnimech alternative to the piranha but it would need to be a PGI original creation as nothing exists in the lore other than the fire moth, which won't function with the limitations of the game engine as far as mech speeds are concerned.
At 25 tons the blatantly obvious choice is the Locust IIC which has so many variants in the lore that fit the current game tech timeline, that the only PGI creation needs to be a "hero" mech. This is another mech from the 3055 TRO (as were the Jenner IIC, Incubus, Vapour Eagle, Linebacker, Marauder IIC, Warhammer IIC and Rifleman IIC) so its already pretty clear PGI is pulling a lot of mechs from that TRO now that the lawsuit has been settled with Harmony Gold especially regarding "derivative works".
At 45 tons it should be equally obvious that we are going to be getting the Shadow Hawk IIC as again it fits the tech timeline with four existing variants, leaving PGI to just create one "reinforcement" and a "hero" variant. Its another mech from the 3055 TRO as well.
The 65 ton slot we already know is going to be the Rifleman IIC. 'Nuff said.
The most likely 70 ton option that at least fits the tech timeline for its year of introduction (and doesn't require adding a new weapon system to the game...as with the Bowman and its ARROW IV artillery missiles) is the Guillotine IIC which while only one known configuration exists prior to 3070, its not as if PGI hasn't created multiple variants for a mech before to get around timeline limitations. Picking this mech also lets them produce a Guillotine for the Inner Sphere players at the same time (so they can do a joint mech pack like the Evolution one of the Charger and Hatamoto-Chi) with only minor art changes being required for the mech models (as with the Highlander and Highlander IIC). There are five versions of the inner sphere Guillotine that fit the timeline so PGI needs to only create the "hero" version.
As to the 95 ton option... nothing exists which fits the tech timeline already so I would expect this is going to be the 2019 MechCon mech announcement, another PGI original and it does make sense for an additional reason. The 2016 mech was the Roughneck (65 ton IS heavy), the 2017 was the Sun Spider (70 ton Clan heavy) and the 2018 being the Corsair (95 ton IS assault). Thus in all likelihood, the 2019 mech is going to be an clan assault, and given we already have two 80 ton, two 85 ton, four 90 ton and two 100 ton clan mechs... but only one 95 ton, that its going to be 95 tons also like the Corsair. I would imagine the lore has it being a creation of Clan Diamond Shark or Clan Hell's Horses.
Anyone have any different predictions or see any flaws in my logic ?
Edited by Dee Eight, 07 March 2019 - 10:58 AM.
