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Where Is My "mad Cat" & Other Associated Clan Tech Faq


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#1 Deathz Jester

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Posted 06 August 2012 - 06:46 PM

For starters this is just an in general FAQ about the "Mad Cat" and associated clan tech such as weaponry, components, and other battlemechs. However there are some general questions I may address in here also.There will be some words in this that are highlighted in yellow, they are hyperlinks that go to Sarna.net the Battletech Wiki & one link to the Battle Tech Master Unit List and a description of the highlighted term(s).


Q.What is a "Mad Cat"?

A. The "Mad Cat" is a Clan heavy omni-mech weighing in 75 tons and armed with a wide array of firepower, and has become one of the most iconic battlemechs of battletech. Hence why it is on the cover of multiple Battletech/Mechwarrior games/books.




Q. I've heard the "Mad Cat" referred to as a Timber Wolf, why?

A. "Mad Cat" is the name it has become commonly known as, its real name is Timber Wolf, its nickname comes from it vaguely resembling a cross-over of the Marauder (Mad) and the Catapult (Cat). Canonically speaking what happened was this : (The targeting computer on Phelan Kell's Wolfhound' switched between MAD and CAT when trying to identify it; Precentor Martial Anastasius Focht later officially designated it "Mad Cat".)



Q. When will I get to see/pilot one? -Amendment (6/19/14)

A. The Clan invasion has started, anyone who has purchased, with real money, the Clan Battlemechs either via À la carte or through one of the packages will have access to them (as of this amendment). The other thing to keep in mind is that if you did not purchase the pack, you will have to wait until each of the mechs is released individually through a patch where you can then buy it in-game for C-bills, which are earned by playing the game. As far as community warfare "gameplay" goes, I do not have information on this other than what has already been posted in regards to CW. Purchase link here: http://www.mwomercs.com/clans


Q. So what does that mean?

A. PGI has released a planned Release Calender for the current clan-mechs follow this link: CLAN MECH RELEASE SCHEDULE


Q. I bought one of the Clan packages or à la carte mechs, but I do not see it, where is it?

A. Read this : WHERE'S MY CLAN PURCHASE?


Q. You keep saying the word Clan, what do you mean?

A. The Clans are a group of self-exiled individuals who were originally from the Star League Defense Force (SLDF) this is where it might get a bit complicated for some people, but in short, a group of people splintered off from "our" space and went off on their own to start anew. They have different technology than the Inner Sphere and different battlemechs.



Q. How many Clans are there?

A. There are a total of 22* Clans: Blood Spirit, Burrock, Cloud Cobra, Coyote, Diamond Shark (Sea Fox), Fire Mandrill, Ghost Bear, Goliath Scorpion, Hell's Horses, Ice Hellion, Jade Falcon, Mongoose, Nova Cat, , Smoke Jaguar, Snow Raven, Star Adder, Steel Viper, Stone Lion, Widowmaker, Wolf, Wolf in Exile, Jade Wolf, Wolverine (The not named clan). *Not all 22 clans existed at the same time, for example(s), Widowmaker was absorbed by clan Wolf, Clan Burrock is later absorbed by Star Adder, Clan Wolf-in-Exile did not exist until Clan Wolf had the Refusal War with Clan Jade Falcon, Wolverine was wiped out due to holding different views than the other Clans, and Clan Jade Wolf was only in existence for 19 days....



Q. I've heard mention of "Warden" & "Crusader" clans, what does that mean?

A. "Warden Clans were a political alliance of Clans who believed that Aleksandr Kerensky's Hidden Hope doctrine espoused the belief that the descendants of the Star League-in-exile should protect the Inner Sphere from any external threats.
Crusader Clans were a political alliance of Clans who believed that Aleksandr Kerensky's Hidden Hope Doctrine espoused the descendants of the Star League in Exile returning to the Inner Sphere to conquer it and, thus, save it from itself."

Clicking this button, will show a list of Crusader Clans
Spoiler















Clicking this button, will show a list of Warden Clans
Spoiler
















Q. Weren't all battlemechs made at the same time, why cant we just have them all now?

A. No, this is incorrect. All battlemechs have different manufacturing dates, and to my knowledge PGI is following these dates to the letter. For example today's date in battletech would be June 19, 3049. "We" do not have it because "we" are not the Clans. Only the "Clans" have Clan mechs, however there is nothing keeping you from owning both Clan and Innersphere mechs. A useful site for finding manufacturing dates is here you type in the name of the mech you are looking for and it will list all of its variants and information. The timeline had been reset to 3049, and you might notice we were not invaded until after that year, this is explained in this post RETURNING TO 3049



Q. Why can't I have all the cool Clan weaponry yet?

A. Well as I said above due to manufacturing/invasion dates certain equipment and battlemechs/variants are not available until certain dates. So weapons like the ER Medium Laser, Streak SRM 6s, Ultra Autocannon 20s, wont show up until you own a Clan mech or they decide to release Innersphere versions of them. Generally sarna has information on the weapons' appearance dates if you look under the "production information" section under the weapons picture. Also clan weaponry/equipment currently is only available on Clan battlemechs; as per the last paragraph in Omnimech Rules & Construction link at the bottom of this post.




Q. You mentioned "omni-mech" earlier what is that?

A. Quoted from sarna: "An OmniMech is a (sub-)type of BattleMech that does not feature a fixed weapon configuration, but instead has the ability to replace or change its loadout with modular OmniMech-compatible Omni-pods. Omni-pods can be a wide range of weapon systems and even a limited selection of structural components. Therefore, the capabilities of an OmniMech are only limited by the amount of pod space it possesses (both in mass and bulk), and reconfiguration time." They have various pros and cons that are listed on the sarna link. A list of omni-mechs can be found here, notice however that not all of them are clan, because eventually the Inner Sphere started manufacturing omni-mechs of their own. In short that means that if I have an omni-hardpoint on my mech, I am not restricted to just one weapon type. I may equip an energy, ballistic, or missile weapon to the slot, if the mech design allows for it. 2 major draw-backs of clan tech is that it is vastly more expensive than Inner Sphere tech, and they are not fully modular. Meaning that "an OmniMech's structural components: its engine, internal structure, armor and any equipment installed on the base chassis of OmniMech are "hard-wired" and cannot be modified outside of a total redesign of the 'Mech."

Mentioned above is the Lore description of an omni mech, the in-game interpretation of this is outlined in some of the links at the bottom of this page, a more indepth look can be seen on Smurfy's Online Mechlab to see loadouts of mechs.




Q. Will the Clans be a playable faction?

A. Quotes:

"Posted 03 May 2012 - 03:27 PM
Since Clans are Factions, and not player run (at launch), this would fall under the Faction Unit rules.
Players can earn the privilege to be a member by earning loyalty points and performing certain feats/actions."
source: Here

"Posted 30 July 2012 - 10:11 PM
I think we would need to be brain dead to not want to sell Mad Cats to players. We have design and balance issues to figure out but we will get it sorted so players can play as the clans "
Source: Here

-Amendment: Yes they will be; source http://www.mwomercs.com/clans
(This link may disappear after purchase date is cut off)


The current Clan Battlemechs that are available for early purchase are as follows, in order of tonnage high -low. Note I have listed them Clanname/Innsphere name, they are not two different mechs
  • Direwolf/Daishi - 100 Tons
  • Warhawk/Masakari - 85 Tons
  • Timberwolf/MadCat - 75 Tons
  • Summoner/Thor - 70 Tons
  • Stormcrow/Ryoken - 55 Tons
  • Nova/Blackhawk - 50 Tons
  • Adder/Puma - 35 Tons
  • Kit Fox/ Uller - 30 Tons
-Amendment (6/19/14) Very Useful Links involving information about clan technology, weapons, etc. If any more information can be added I will do so, feel free to make suggestions. Also if something should get a link let me know and I'll edit it. Hopefully this will help out some newbies & people in general who may have questions regarding clan mechs and the infamous "Mad Cat" When I said "today's date" I was using the date of posting as "today's date".

Edited by Iron Harlequin, 18 June 2014 - 11:56 PM.


#2 Skadi

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Posted 06 August 2012 - 06:51 PM

SO, AM I GETTIN MUH MADKITTY OR NAWT!

#3 Deathz Jester

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Posted 06 August 2012 - 06:56 PM

View PostSkadi, on 06 August 2012 - 06:51 PM, said:

SO, AM I GETTIN MUH MADKITTY OR NAWT!



You can have a Timber Wolf

#4 ElderJay

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Posted 06 August 2012 - 06:56 PM

Like the post, keep it up.

#5 NocturnalBeast

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Posted 06 August 2012 - 06:58 PM

I am thinking that there will probably be a "Clan Invasion" expansion at some point that adds clan mechs, tech upgrades, new maps and such.

#6 Flamebot

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Posted 06 August 2012 - 07:01 PM

View PostSkadi, on 06 August 2012 - 06:51 PM, said:

SO, AM I GETTIN MUH MADKITTY OR NAWT!


Skadi, for you... you are permanently confined to an Atlas.

Unfortunately for you, it's stuck with a standard 150 engine... LRM launchers, with the wrong ammo type... and your lasers aren't operational.

Edited by Flamebot, 06 August 2012 - 07:02 PM.


#7 Skadi

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Posted 06 August 2012 - 07:07 PM

View PostFlamebot, on 06 August 2012 - 07:01 PM, said:


Skadi, for you... you are permanently confined to an Atlas.

Unfortunately for you, it's stuck with a standard 150 engine... LRM launchers, with the wrong ammo type... and your lasers aren't operational.

Theres something wrong with that?
Posted Image

#8 Oxford

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Posted 06 August 2012 - 07:08 PM

This needs to be stickied.

#9 Deathz Jester

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Posted 06 August 2012 - 07:18 PM

Updated it, added Q&A for omni-mechs

#10 Bishop Steiner

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Posted 06 August 2012 - 07:21 PM

View PostIron Harlequin, on 06 August 2012 - 06:46 PM, said:

For starters this is just an in general FAQ about the "Mad Cat" and associated clan tech such as weaponry, components, and other battlemechs. However there are some general questions I may address in here also.There will be some words in this that are highlighted in yellow, they are hyperlinks that go to Sarna.net the Battletech Wiki & one link to the Battle Tech Master Unit List and a description of the highlighted term(s).


Q.What is a "Mad Cat"?

A. The "Mad Cat" is a Clan heavy omni-mech weighing in 75 tons and armed with a wide array of firepower, and has become one of the most iconic battlemechs of battletech. Hence why it is on the cover of multiple Battletech/Mechwarrior games/books.




Q. I've heard the "Mad Cat" referred to as a Timber Wolf, why?

A. "Mad Cat" is the name it has become commonly known as, its real name is Timber Wolf, its nickname comes from it vaguely resembling a cross-over of the Marauder (Mad) and the Catapult (Cat).



Q. When will I get to see/pilot one?

A. Well, there has been no official word from PGI as to when this will happen. However the time-line currently is following canon in a 1:1 format. Meaning that for every day in the Battletech Universe that goes by 1 day in the real world goes by, hence the reason Innersphere news updates are dated the way they are. So for example: August 6, 2012 translates to August 6, 3049. With that having been explained the clans have no invaded the main Inner Sphere space yet, they have invaded Periphery space however.



Q. So what does that mean?

A. What that means is that by today's date there aren't any invasions happening in "our" space yet. The invasion process is currently in the "Periphery Action" phase, which takes place from August 3049 until September 3049. Wave 1 of the invasion of the Inner Sphere happens in March of 3050 to April 3050. There are a total of 5 Waves, you can see them here along with which clan invaded what planets on what date.



Q. You keep saying the word Clan, what do you mean?

A. The Clans are a group of self-exiled individuals who were originally from the Star League Defense Force (SLDF) this is where it might get a bit complicated for some people, but in short, a group of people splintered off from "our" space and went off on their own to start anew. They have different technology than the Inner Sphere and different battlemechs.



Q. Weren't all battlemechs made at the same time, why cant we just have them all now?

A. No, this is incorrect. All battlemechs have different manufacturing dates, and to my knowledge PGI is following these dates to the letter. For example today's date in battletech would be August 6, 3049 and the Timber Wolf was first made in 2945. You might ask well then why dont we have it, but I addressed this already. "We" do not have it because "we" are not the Clans. No one has seen a Clan mech in Inner Sphere space yet, even though it has been manufactured already. A useful sight for finding manufacturing dates is here you type in the name of the mech you are looking for and it will list all of its variants and information.



Q. Why can't I have all the cool Clan weaponry yet?

A. Well as I said above due to manufacturing/invasion dates certain equipment and battlemechs/variants are not available until certain dates. So weapons like the ER Medium Laser, Streak SRM 6s, Ultra Autocannon 20s, wont show up until the Clans invade. Generally sarna has information on the weapons' appearance dates if you look under the "production information" section under the weapons picture.




Q. You mentioned "omni-mech" earlier what is that?

A. Quoted from sarna: "An OmniMech is a (sub-)type of BattleMech that does not feature a fixed weapon configuration, but instead has the ability to replace or change its loadout with modular OmniMech-compatible Omni-pods. Omni-pods can be a wide range of weapon systems and even a limited selection of structural components. Therefore, the capabilities of an OmniMech are only limited by the amount of pod space it possesses (both in mass and bulk), and reconfiguration time." They have various pros and cons that are listed on the sarna link. A list of omni-mechs can be found here, notice however that not all of them are clan, because eventually the Inner Sphere started manufacturing omni-mechs of their own.





If any more information can be added I will do so, feel free to make suggestions. Also if something should get a link let me know and I'll edit it. Hopefully this will help out some newbies & maybe get a sticky.



A noble effort, and well done. But doomed to ignominious defeat, I fear, unless, the Dev's will pin it. After all, most of the "Can haz MadKatz Plz?" crowd in't exactly famous for using the search engine.

But nicely done.

#11 Lokust Davion

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Posted 06 August 2012 - 07:22 PM

oh yes.... timber wolf.. the most iconic battlemech. it always reminds me of the time when i first saw them on the mechwarrior 2 intro video back in 1995/96.



#12 Deathz Jester

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Posted 06 August 2012 - 07:31 PM

the movement in that vid makes me chuckle... but then again i have to remember its from '95 '96...

#13 Deathz Jester

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Posted 06 August 2012 - 08:14 PM

View PostBishop Steiner, on 06 August 2012 - 07:21 PM, said:



A noble effort, and well done. But doomed to ignominious defeat, I fear, unless, the Dev's will pin it. After all, most of the "Can haz MadKatz Plz?" crowd in't exactly famous for using the search engine.

But nicely done.



Well I'd hope that alot of people actually give some "yay sticky" type feedback instead of typical view & runs....

but thanks, I basically got tired of seeing a "Where's my damn madcat or [insert other clan mech name here]" titled threads every time i blink so i put it together in an attempt to educate the noobies to the genre and less battle-tech savvy individuals.

#14 Rowen Windsong

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Posted 06 August 2012 - 11:55 PM

Quote

Q. You mentioned "omni-mech" earlier what is that?

A. Quoted from sarna: "An OmniMech is a (sub-)type of BattleMech that does not feature a fixed weapon configuration, but instead has the ability to replace or change its loadout with modular OmniMech-compatible Omni-pods. Omni-pods can be a wide range of weapon systems and even a limited selection of structural components. Therefore, the capabilities of an OmniMech are only limited by the amount of pod space it possesses (both in mass and bulk), and reconfiguration time." They have various pros and cons that are listed on the sarna link. A list of omni-mechs can be found here, notice however that not all of them are clan, because eventually the Inner Sphere started manufacturing omni-mechs of their own.


So with this being said, and unless I missed I missed a post somewhere. Does this mean we will eventually be getting Omni-Compatible mechs as the time lines move along?

Also can't wait for the MadCat to return and for a Ymir, crossing fingers on the Ymir though lol.

Posted Image



*PS this should be stickied, loved the post and will answer a lot of people questions. ;)

Edited by Rowen Windsong, 06 August 2012 - 11:59 PM.


#15 Nightgaun7

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Posted 07 August 2012 - 12:01 AM

Lava cannons. lava cannons everywhere

#16 Samuikaze

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Posted 07 August 2012 - 01:50 AM

View PostLokust Davion, on 06 August 2012 - 07:22 PM, said:

oh yes.... timber wolf.. the most iconic battlemech. it always reminds me of the time when i first saw them on the mechwarrior 2 intro video back in 1995/96.




View PostLokust Davion, on 06 August 2012 - 07:22 PM, said:

oh yes.... timber wolf.. the most iconic battlemech. it always reminds me of the time when i first saw them on the mechwarrior 2 intro video back in 1995/96.


And remember now, that is not the way to pilot a Timber Wolf ! ;) I remember thinking when that first came out, ERPPC's one shotting a JJing mech? ERPPC/MG's config? No, no, no, no, no.

Nice thread Iron.

#17 xxx WreckinBallRaj xxx

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Posted 07 August 2012 - 04:07 AM

Q. You mentioned "omni-mech" earlier what is that?
(Simpler answer)
It means that instead of having a Hardpoint entirely limited to 1 weapon type(sometimes 2 in rare cases), you can simply put "anything" there. "Omni-Mech" means->Mech with Omni-Hardpoints; meaning you can put pretty much "anything" in those Hardpoints. For example if I'm an Atlas, my Arms are Energy-only Hardpoints. If they were Omni however; then I could slot anything there to my heart's content. Mechs with this technology are typically called "Omni-Mechs" and feared, at least in lore, because you have no idea what an enemy Mech is going to have when he has slots that can load and fire anything. They are also extremely customizable, unlike our much more restricted Inner Sphere variants.

This however is advanced Mech chassis technology invented by the Clans and first discovered from fighting them and salvaging their superior Mechs. It is not available by the Inner Sphere(Us) prior to the Clan Invasion in 3049-3052 because our factions(Houses, etc) do not invent it and haven't yet discovered it. Afterwards it is duplicated into later constructed variants and Mechs after Inner Sphere studies and learns how to reproduce it. Simply put, the Inner Sphere is extremely far behind in technology advancement due to the constant centuries of war. The Clans however were mostly free of constant conflict(specifically wars) and soared far ahead in Mech and Weapon advancements. Omni-Mech technology is just one such advancement they made. Our current year in MWO is 3049 fyi, so we are 5-10 years before real advancements made from the Clan Invasion.

#18 Tearalum

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Posted 07 August 2012 - 04:15 AM

Where is your MadCat?
HERE is your MadCat!
Posted Image

#19 xxx WreckinBallRaj xxx

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Posted 07 August 2012 - 04:31 AM

Lol I didn't know Lego did MechWarrior. That is awesome and wish I could put it on my desk. I'd go with a towering Atlas though.

Edit: http://brickmechs.co...1/08/atlas-mw4/
^ This. Right here. I want one of these.

Edited by Bluten, 07 August 2012 - 05:01 AM.


#20 rooster

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Posted 07 August 2012 - 04:44 AM

View PostIron Harlequin, on 06 August 2012 - 06:46 PM, said:


Q. You keep saying the word Clan, what do you mean?

A. The Clans are a group of self-exiled individuals who were originally from the Star League Defense Force (SLDF) this is where it might get a bit complicated for some people, but in short, a group of people splintered off from "our" space and went off on their own to start anew. They have different technology than the Inner Sphere and different battlemechs.




the clans are alien replicators who assimilated the star leagues DNA and used their alien technology to improve their weapons for the upcoming invasion of the inner sphere to harvest the rest of the human race.

duh





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