19 replies to this topic

[Mark Yore]

As my mech collection builds it's interesting to see the way different designs have evolved.

So Mechs like the Mad Cat Mk II, the Cyclops and the Ebon Jaguar have attractive designs and even when asymmetrical can still be quite beautiful.

And then there's the Corsair.

It can be a very effective Mech, but it looks like a pile of scrap that someone has attached an engine to. Is there any reason why it is so appallingly ugly?

What's your best and worst looking Mech?

Edited by Mark Yore, 15 April 2022 - 11:32 PM.

[Akamia Terizen]

I agree with you; the Corsair is ugly as sin!

That’s very intentional. As an apocryphal design, though, there’s no real canon to speak of for it. There is some fluff somewhere, however. It’s supposedly a Periphery FrankenMech, or even a whole class of Periphery FrankenMechs, which tells me that no two Corsairs are supposed to look the same, necessarily; it’s the old-school BattleTech post-apocalyptic scavenging situation turned up to eleven. However, in the end PGI needs a distinct silhouette for this apocryphal BattleMech, so they turn out more standardized than they really should be while looking absolutely hideous, like the walking junkyard it’s supposed to be.

I always loved the Timber Wolf’s design, in every game it’s ever appeared in. Ditto the Mad Cat MK II. I also really like the way MWO renders the Highlander IIC and, to a lesser extent, the IS Highlander as well. Those two looked kinda ugly in their original tabletop art IMO. CGL gave the IS Highlander a nicer look, though; I hope the same happens for the Highlander IIC sometime soon, if it hasn’t happened already and Sarna just hasn’t updated yet.

Edited by Akamia Terizen, 15 April 2022 - 11:17 PM.

[Gagis]

It frustrates me how Annihilator, Night Gyr and Vulcan are among the very best mechs in the game, but are also the absolute ugliest mechs in the game.

I wanted to pilot pretty mechies!

[Bud Crue]

I always liked the idea of the original BT lore that IS mechs were, in many instances, ancient heirlooms past down over generations. Machines that had been in countless battles, repaired and rearmed with what was available and could be made to work with ever decreasing technical know-how. Mechs like that ought to look rough to put it mildly. I really like the resistance camo that came with the special mechs of the Resistance Pack as it gives those variants a taste of that beat to hell aesthetic. If anything I'd like more mechs with the Corsair's thrown together vibe. But I digress... the best looking mech in the game is debatable, but to me it's the Black Knight and the ugliest is hands down the Ice Ferret. Nothing else looks as goofy and less like a weapon of war than that thing.

[ScrapIron Prime]

My vote for prettiest mech is the Centurion. If you go look it up on sarna.net, you’ll see how bad the art has been over the years for that fella, and how EXCELLENT a render they did for the game.

on the other end of the scale is the Corsair, yeah. I get that it’s a Frankenstein mech, and they certainly captured that well, but it’s SO ugly that I feel bad about using it. I mean I punched it up a notch with the loudest tartan camo I could and bright yellow “UG LEE” letters on the back, but still. It’s an eyesore to be sure.

[Redinator]

5 in my opinion pretty chassis:

Black Knight, Kodiak, Nightstar, King Crab, Marauder 2

5 ugly ones:

Ice Ferret, Bushwacker, Wolverine, Crab, Orion

Btw, i like the "thrown together" style of the Corsair.

Edited by Redinator, 16 April 2022 - 11:40 AM.

[pattonesque]

Gagis, on 16 April 2022 - 12:12 AM, said:

It frustrates me how Annihilator, Night Gyr and Vulcan are among the very best mechs in the game, but are also the absolute ugliest mechs in the game.

I wanted to pilot pretty mechies!

I like how ugly the Annihilator and Night Gyr are -- the Anni especially feels like a real looming monster

[Sjorpha]

I think the corsair looks great, it's a frankenmech pieced together by leftover parts and the aesthetic is perfect for a pirate gang or struggling resistance force that has to make do with what they can scrap together.

[Corbantu]

Redinator, on 16 April 2022 - 11:36 AM, said:

5 in my opinion pretty chassis:

Black Knight, Kodiak, Nightstar, King Crab, Marauder 2

5 ugly ones:

Ice Ferret, Bushwacker, Wolverine, Crab, Orion

Btw, i like the "thrown together" style of the Corsair.

I can't get over the hands on the Nightstar, they seem so unnecessary and impractical. Especially with the way the arms stand in MWO.

I like the bushwacker and crab!

The mech I like the least is the Pheonix Hawk, it looks so out of place compared to the rest of the BT theme.

[Mark Yore]

Redinator, on 16 April 2022 - 11:36 AM, said:

5 in my opinion pretty chassis:

Black Knight, Kodiak, Nightstar, King Crab, Marauder 2

5 ugly ones:

Ice Ferret, Bushwacker, Wolverine, Crab, Orion

Btw, i like the "thrown together" style of the Corsair.

I'd add the Stalker in there as a very nice looking Mech, particularly because it doesn't have extended arms so it's functional as well. I like the Crab, it just needs more weapon points.

[DaZur]

I have high appreciation for the IS Rifleman. The symmetry, high mount weapons, Embedded cockpit... What's not to love.

As far as the Corsair is concerned... It's butt-ugly. Still... I actually really dig the esthetics of the mech, warts and all. The detail in design, plate-work, panel lines and "widgets" just has a solid build quality. I also give a particular nod to the cockpit as it's one of the few that looks "complete".

[Bamboozle Gold]

Sjorpha, on 16 April 2022 - 03:09 PM, said:

I think the corsair looks great, it's a frankenmech pieced together by leftover parts and the aesthetic is perfect for a pirate gang or struggling resistance force that has to make do with what they can scrap together.

Same. It's one of my favourite mechs visually. That excavator bucket really brings it together!

Other mechs that I really like the look of:
Huntsman
Uziel
Urbie

Ugliest mechs in the game:
Champion
Blood Asp with the ears
Timberwolf from the rear

[Kiiyor]

Gagis, on 16 April 2022 - 12:12 AM, said:

It frustrates me how Annihilator, Night Gyr and Vulcan are among the very best mechs in the game, but are also the absolute ugliest mechs in the game.

I wanted to pilot pretty mechies!

While I don't mind the look we have, I wish the Anni had shied away from it's purely canon aesthetic. There's some awesome designs out there if you ignore the submarine belly.

[KaptinOrk]

Best:
- Centurion: In my opinion, this is still the best looking 'mech in the game. The old art is a product of its time and the current CGL art and mini are fine, but PGI knocked this one out of the park. Absolutely badass.

- Bushwhacker: Attack helicopter on legs.

- Ebon Jaguar: Fighter jet on legs. Unlike the Champion, this actually pulls it off.

- Vindicator: It desperately needed some better visuals.

- Panther: Same as the Vindicator.

Worst:
- Banshee, Battlemaster, Executioner, Gargoyle and any other rectangular humanoid assault. This is a group that I call the "walking slabs", they all feel so generic and unispired.

- Jenners (IS and Clan): There's only so much they could do with canon design, but they're still ugly and vaguely phallic.

- Ice Ferret: Ugliest clan 'mech.

- Hellspawn: Ugliest IS 'mech.

[DaZur]

KaptinOrk, on 19 April 2022 - 11:20 AM, said:

Best:
- Centurion: In my opinion, this is still the best looking 'mech in the game. The old art is a product of its time and the current CGL art and mini are fine, but PGI knocked this one out of the park. Absolutely badass.

Centurion used to be even better... Back before the weapon geometry pass, it used to have a beautiful "gun arm" and the missiles utilized a doored bay. IMHO they goobered it up when they tried to make the arm and chest modular.

KaptinOrk, on 19 April 2022 - 11:20 AM, said:

Worst:
- Banshee, Battlemaster, Executioner, Gargoyle and any other rectangular humanoid assault. This is a group that I call the "walking slabs", they all feel so generic and uninspired.

Agreed... Alex really missed the mark on the Battlemaster IMHO. Banshee, Executioner and Gargoyle are "lipstick on a pig"... There's only so much they could do with these guys.

[Bassault]

Gagis, on 16 April 2022 - 12:12 AM, said:

It frustrates me how Annihilator, Night Gyr and Vulcan are among the very best mechs in the game, but are also the absolute ugliest mechs in the game.

I wanted to pilot pretty mechies!

How could you possibly think the Annihilator is ugly?

[Corbantu]

I bought a Champion last night. Man that is an ugly mech. It looks so misshapen and jerryriged, like none of the parts go together, and it doesn't look cheap either. It looks like top of the shelf components were put together In a completely hap hazardly way.

So far ive been doing really well with it, which is a shock because its forward profile is huge and broad. Maybe people just feel sorry for how ugly it is, so they let me get some kills in?

[Moldur]

Of all the examples you use the Corsair haha. Yes. It does look like a pile of scrap. That's by design. I mean just look at the cockpit. It's got a freaking computer test bench running the operating system.

[Flea King Fleappuccino]

Flea wins cutest mech award hands down lol

[Major Areolas]

Corbantu, on 20 April 2022 - 06:10 AM, said:

I bought a Champion last night. Man that is an ugly mech. It looks so misshapen and jerryriged, like none of the parts go together, and it doesn't look cheap either. It looks like top of the shelf components were put together In a completely hap hazardly way.

So far ive been doing really well with it, which is a shock because its forward profile is huge and broad. Maybe people just feel sorry for how ugly it is, so they let me get some kills in?

My biggest issue with the Champion is that of all the chassis in the game, it looks the most like a friggin airplane or god forbid, a LAM, to a greater degree than any other mech in the game, other than perhaps an Ebon Jag, and yet for something that looks capable of flight, only the hero has jump jets. Lame.