156 replies to this topic

[Angel of Annihilation]

My personal choices would be:

Highlander
Thug (or my ultimate favorite mech - Marauder - damn the unseen)

They bring in a Thug (or Marauder) and they get to sell another Founders Pack....

Only issue I see with the Thug is that there really aren't alot of variants available so they would have to take some artistic license and come up with some. Personally love to see the SRM-6s replaced with 4 medium lasers so you could go all out energy on one.

The Victor has never thrilled me in any way, seems very weakly armed or I should say while the AC/20 is nice, 10 rounds of Ammo isn't and once that gun is gone, it just doesn't have anything really to back it up.

Edit: Actually thinking about it, wouldn't mind seeing a Zeus, especially the ZEU-5T variant.

Edited by Viktor Drake, 30 July 2012 - 04:09 PM.

[Kyzar Kon]

Money on the Charger or Crocket!!!

[JFlash49]

I want a Mauler!!!

[ivan the ghost]

the nightstar might be interesting . it re-entered production in 3036.
http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Nightstar

[Bishop Steiner]

ivan the ghost, on 30 July 2012 - 05:24 PM, said:

the nightstar might be interesting . it re-entered production in 3036.
http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Nightstar

Broheim, hate to be the one to puncture your carbon dating, but that "about 250 years later" date..... there's a reason it's a hyper-link. To this http://www.sarna.net...i/Clan_Invasion

saying "about 250 years later" was just laying out the rough time-line for Kerensky's children to make their appearance, and it was only AFTER this that the Nightstar (and many other mechs) went into production again. The Gauss Rifle itself was not even re-introduced til 3040.

[Tadakuma]

As has been mention the number of variants and game balance appears to be the most important factors when choosing the release mechs. Given that I think that we are more likely to see the Hatamoto-Chi and it's many variants before the Mauler.

The Mauler has the additional disadvantage that all it's variants use star league tech or post invasion tech. So I doubt it's going to be mech 16.

(for that matter 16 will probably be a medium and my money would be on the Clint for a fast medium with a couple of variants or maybe the Blackjack for a Jump capable medium brawler with a diverse range of variants)

[Arborean]

I find the Mauler to be an unlikely choice due to the MWO Team's faithfulness to the 3025 board game tech manual. All the mechs in the game so far have the same weapon loadouts as the 3025 tech readout.

The Mauler doesn't make an appearance until the next tech manual - 3050. If MWO were to be faithful to the Mauler's stats, it would be far too powerful for the current game. That's because 3050 is after the Clans' arrival, and inner sphere mechs got a boost in stats.

[James Searcy]

I'd also point out they appear to be selecting from the "Battletech - A Game of Armored Combat" starter box set 'Mechs. All their current selections are from it.

The Mauler's not in there.

[xxx WreckinBallRaj xxx]

Zeus.

That is all.

[Thorn Hallis]

"Two" isn't that many.

[CCC Dober]

Alright, I wanted to chime in and point you to an upcoming development in the periphery (August 13th 3049). For those in the know, I'm talking about the involvement of the Wolfhound. This 35 ton Light Mech was piloted by Phelan Kell at the time, who became one of the first prominent victims of the Clan invasion. The same person would later become a key player in BT history. I'm pretty sure this will influence the decision of the devs at one point or another. Respect, where respect is due.

[Phoenix Branson]

Mauler will be shown tomorrow!

[Sackdaddy]

Dan Allard piloted a Wolfhound as well long before the clan invasion.

It will be either a Zeus or a Victor... hopefully instead they'll give more heavies like a Grasshopper or a Caesar

[CCC Dober]

Sackdaddy, on 31 July 2012 - 07:45 PM, said:

Dan Allard piloted a Wolfhound as well long before the clan invasion.
...

Heh, you just made my case. There are in fact multiple reasons to bring the Wolfhound in

[Judas Ebon Michaels]

Arborean, on 30 July 2012 - 08:38 PM, said:

I find the Mauler to be an unlikely choice due to the MWO Team's faithfulness to the 3025 board game tech manual. All the mechs in the game so far have the same weapon loadouts as the 3025 tech readout.

The Mauler doesn't make an appearance until the next tech manual - 3050. If MWO were to be faithful to the Mauler's stats, it would be far too powerful for the current game. That's because 3050 is after the Clans' arrival, and inner sphere mechs got a boost in stats.

Hate to burst your bubble, but the Raven and Cataphract don't appear in TROs until the prototypes for each debut in TRO 3039 and main production models in TRO 3050.

[Clay Pigeon]

Xathanael, on 29 July 2012 - 07:02 AM, said:

Variants

• MAL-1K - This overhaul replaces the lasers with Snub-Nose PPCs and is built on an Endo Steel chassis. No longer having enough space for the Ferro-Fibrous armor, this variant mounts several more tons of standard armor with the space that has been freed up. The autocannons were replaced with the same number of Light Autocannon/5s, along with enough ammo bins to take advantage of special munitions. A small cockpit makes way for an additional double heat sink, giving this version of the Mauler adequate heat-dissipation capabilities. BV (1.0) = ??, BV (2.0) = 1,678^[4]

• MAL-1PT5 - A low-tech version of the Mauler for the arenas of the Solaris Games that is built completely from stock Succession Wars era technology. It mounts only standard heat sinks instead of double heat sinks, standard armor instead of ferro-fibrous armor, and no CASE. Most importantly, it has a standard engine instead of an XL engine. The increased mass of the engine neccessitates the downgrading of the lasers to Medium Lasers on both arms. To make good for the downgraded technology level, a twelfth standard heat sink was added as well as an additional ton of armor. The armor was also rearranged to provide even better protection to the front torso sections, at the cost of armor to the rear torso sections and arms. (The canonicity of this design is questionable, as it was only published in the German edition of the Solaris VII Boxed Set. It is identical to the Linesman in all but name. BV (1.0) = ??, BV (2.0) = ??

• MAL-3R - The 3R variant of the Mauler upgrades the design and addresses the concerns of pilots that used the 1R model. The four Autocannon/2s have been replaced with a pair of LB-X Autocannon/10s. The LB-X ACs allow the 'Mech to fire both solid rounds and specialized cluster rounds which act like 'Mech sized shotgun shells. The ER Large Lasers were removed from the design, but MAL-3R retains the two LRM-15 launchers of its predecessor. Also incorporated in the design is a single Small Laser and a C3 Slave unit, the latter of which allows the 3R to use targeting data from units that are closer to the enemy and vice versa. BV (1.0) = 1,698 (C3: 202)^[2], BV (2.0) = 1,877^[4]

• MAL-C - The C variant of the Mauler is a modification that was made to the 1R model to allow it to carry a C3 Slave unit into battle. This is achieved by removing one ton of autocannon ammunition. This small modification allows the Mauler to share targeting data with friendly units and makes the 'Mech a highly effective sniper. BV (1.0) = 1,133 (C3: 261)^[2], BV (2.0) = 1,473^[4]

• The DCMS-MX90-D Daboku, while not a proper variant of the Mauler, is noteworthy as its immediate predecessor. Although itself a highly unsuccessful design, the Daboku can be described as a prototype that was eventually refined into theMauler design.

The first variant, the 1K, uses snub-nosed PPCs. Those aren't invented until the 3060s. All the other variants are even farther ahead in the future.

[xxx WreckinBallRaj xxx]

Yes, Zeus! As in Father of Apollo? Mount Olympus? Don't-****-with-me-or-I'll-shove-a-lightning-bolt-up-your-*** Zeus! You got a problem with that?!
http://ironmikescorn...l-jackson-1.jpg

Edited by Bluten, 01 August 2012 - 01:06 AM.

[Deathstroke]

UrLeftKnut, on 28 July 2012 - 05:56 PM, said:

I'm thinking the Annihilator's gonna show, it's older and bigger than the Mauler, with more ballistic hardpoints and better armor, despite that it's slower. Also it's got 9 applicable variants, (3 of which can only appear after the Clan Invasion, but that still leaves 6), plus it's built for urban combat and can go toe-to-toe with an Atlas with a reasonable chance of coming out on top, depending on loadout.
Then again, the Urbanmech is also a logical addition, but you don't see them coming out with it either, do you?

If the ANH rears its head, you'll likely never see me not in one ever again. My favorite all time mech, despite its odd neck.

[sicky]

i think it will be the Cyclops

[Yoshitsune Tetsuhara]

sicky, on 01 August 2012 - 01:14 AM, said:

i think it will be the Cyclops

think the same, it will be the Cyclops