Finally made it all the way to the end, and can add my own suggestions.
Of the missing 'mechs in-game, a LOT of them can be built on 'mechs that exist. The only value in adding them anyway would be in adding quirks to go with them, but on a lot of the very oldest 'mechs, the quirks were already added to the chassis that was expected to be the "base" (ie: KFX-Prime has the right hardpoints to build the KFX-A and KFX-B, and had generic ballistic quirks added as a result, though the KFX-A could come with some sort of Gauss-specific quirk, and the KFX-B could have a UAC jam chance quirk, etc).
'Mechs that can NOT be built in the game would be the most value-added, but require slightly more work than mere mechlabbing.
Clans:
DWF-C and -X have been mentioned several times, all accurately touting their merits. A suggestion for the -C would be to replace a heat sink with a half-ton of streak ammo, and perhaps an extra ton of ATM ammo. Or else one-shot streaks could be added to the game in a form similar to rocket launchers (one shot, double damage).
BAS-E
MAD-IIC-3 gives the double-energy CT of the -1 with the missile left torso of the -8 on a single chassis (since this is a battlemech, and those chassis can't just be recombined).
WHK-D adds energy hardpoints to the right torso.
WHK-F adds a ballistic hardpoint to the right torso. (This is the canonized version of the MW4 Warhawk)
WHK-H adds an extra missile hardpoint to the right arm, combined with two energy hardpoints.
NTG-E: adds a lot more energy hardpoints, and a head-mounted missile
SMN-G/Q each add three missile hardpoints to the side torsos, dramatically increasing the power of the splat-Summoner, which doesn't seem to get nearly as much love as the poptarting sniper versions.
HBR-C: adds an extra energy hardpoint to the left arm
HBR-H: provides a compelling reason to NOT take ECM on a Hellbringer: 4x energy and a missile hardpoint on the left torso.
MDD-D: can be built on the Revnant, although creating it as a dedicated CB version allows easier access, and could allow for specific unique quirks.
SCR-E: double-energy side torsos, energy/missile arm combos. Adds more variety to the Stormcrow, and adds more torso options.
HMN-D: adds an extra energy hardpoint to the right torso.
HMN-H: adds extra energy hardpoints to each arm, and adds ECM to the left leg. This will be the first leg-mounted hardpoint of any 'mech in MWO.
SHC-C: This version of the Shadow Cat will add an energy hardpoint to the left torso, allowing for four energy hardpoints across the 'mech.
VPR-F: While this would definitely add new flavor to the Viper, we all know it will immediately be combined with the -C's side torsos to boat 12 MG's on a chassis with a LOT more armor than a Piranha. This may need specific set-of-8 quirks, or even a return of negative quirks, to attempt to balance this out.
VPR-H: this simply adds the AMS hardpoint to the -A's left torso. Super-easy for PGI with literally zero extra graphic design.
VPR-I: adds a left-arm omnipod with energy and missile in the same arm.
ADR-E: two energy hardpoints in each side torso. This would be the first Adder to have more than a single hardpoint in any component.
MLX E/F/H/P, These could be added through the addition of only one or two of them: the -F, and the -H
MLX-F: adds four energy hardpoints to each arm, with ECM in the right torso. The -P uses the same arms, and the -E uses the right arm, with any missile left arm.
MLX-H: adds a missile/AMS combo in the left arm. The right arm has three energy hardpoints, which would already be eclipsed by the -F's four energy hardpoints.
Inner Sphere:
Could you guys sit down and provide a detailed explanation of why you can NOT add Crit-Splitting and Ammo-Switching? Be as technical as you can get. I'm sure there are some folks in the community who'll understand exactly what you're saying, and may even be able to come up with a solution that you haven't thought of, yet. You've already relied on Modding to make MW5 worth playing. I'm sure that same talent can be put to use on MWO.
Atlas: There are several versions of the Atlas that would be made possible with Crit-Splitting. The -S2, for example, uses a Heavy Gauss Rifle AND a Light Fusion Engine.
Atlas-S3: this is the canonized version of MW4's Atlas, and should be added for all the nostalgia it provides, as well as for the head-mounted energy hardpoint.
Marauders: Looking through the record sheets, there are actually more Marauders with ECM than without, and the only two Marauders with Jump Jets are the two that are currently in MWO. This gives a false impression of what "normal" marauders are like to most MWO players (myself, included, until I went digging). The 7D would be a great base chassis from which other missing ECM marauders could be built.
Speaking of missing tech: why can't you guys add Triple Strength Myomer? Sure, there's no melee, so 90% of its purpose is gone, but its in-game mechanic could be similar to that of MASC: whenever the 'mechs heat is above 30%, they get a speed boost (but without the time-limiting risk of MASC). The player would then need to carefully meter their heat, and keep it between 30% and 100% to maintain the speed advantage. Once you've done that, you can add the stealth-armored MAD-4L.
I mentioned in another post but for conciseness: Jagermech -DG, and -DGr both move their side-torso energy hardpoints to the CT, which would allow the Jagermech to Zombie, and give it a reason to take a standard engine.
The last 'mech I've researched is the Bushwacker-L1. This is the only variant of the Bushwacker missing from MWO, but is waiting on Crit-Splitting so it can fit an LBX-20 in the right arm.
There are several versions of the Commando that add things like Artemis and ECM, and move hardpoints around so that everything still fits, as well as new and unique versions of other lighter 'mechs, all of which are present in the record sheets (which I assume PGI has access to) and provide variation on what currently exists in MWO.
What PGI REALLY needs, is to have someone on staff with the same nth-level nerd/geek knowledge and enthusiasm as displayed here in this post. I'm fairly certain that at least half of these posts were made without any refresher, whatsoever, and were simply written based on what the player already knows about missing variants that can't be built in MWO. If someone at PGI had that level of knowledge, you'd already know what versions were easiest to add that can't already be kit-bashed, and you'd be able to start piecing them together on your own.
Gas Guzzler, on 17 January 2021 - 08:06 AM, said:
I realized that, but still hoping for a SNV variant with more hardpoints.
I don't know of any SNV with more than 8 hardpoints. The -1, -B, and -C have 8 energy. The -3 has 7 energy, and the -A and -Boiler have 8 hardpoints of varying types.