155 replies to this topic

[Tsen Shang]

I love the new direction the art has taken the mechs. I've been amazed at how awesome the new designs look so far, but this design sets me on edge a bit. Maybe it feels like I'm losing my old Battlemechs, or that a new era has come and I just refuse to float with the winds of change. This is the only 'mech so far that I've had a reaction to; The Catapult, Atlas, Jenner, Hunchback, and Dragon are all super cool to me. I have a special attachment to the Dragon, but not to the Centurion so why does it bother me?

After some ho humming and muddling about I figured it out. Because it doesn't even remind me of the Centurion. The lines aren't the same and if the name hadn't been attached to the image I would've struggled to guess what it was. The fin may have given it away, but apart from that and the hips, it's completely different. Examples:








You can tell what this is because the lines, the contours, and the mech itself is the same. It's been spruced up to look amazing, but it's the same reliable Dragon I've come to love. You can do the same for every other mech that has been redone so far, at least until now.

When did this:




Become this:




Centurion + Son, I am disappoint.





Yes, I know I'm gonna get yelled at, but please...a little more of the mechs we love and a little less Japan. I find myself hoping that many of my favorite mechs don't get bastardized. If the Archer isn't true to the original, I'm out.

Edit: General response here: http://mwomercs.com/...dpost__p__97589

Please focus less on the anime/Japan bit and more on the rest of the post. It's like quoting one line from a term paper that's completely unrelated and running away with it.

Edited by Tsen Shang, 27 January 2012 - 11:47 AM.

[Cruiser]

Well it can be kinda hard to not make something that looks like the japanese made it, since they've pretty much monopolized mech games for the past many years.

While I do aggree that there might be a bit much japanese inspiration in the new designs, I have to admit that I like them and I think that the "classic" designs where in sore need of an upgrade so I will roll with this.

On a personal note, I cant wait to see how they will do the Thor, Madcat and Vultures upgrade design

[Lorcan Lladd]

As you know, many of the older 'Mech models were directly inspired by, if they were not outright meant to be identical to, japanese Mechas.
Of course it's going to look japanese - just saying.

[ArchSight]

Cruiser, on 26 January 2012 - 01:54 AM, said:

Well it can be kinda hard to not make something that looks like the japanese made it, since they've pretty much monopolized mech games for the past many years.

While I do aggree that there might be a bit much japanese inspiration in the new designs, I have to admit that I like them and I think that the "classic" designs where in sore need of an upgrade so I will roll with this.

On a personal note, I cant wait to see how they will do the Thor, Madcat and Vultures upgrade design

The Vulture and Thor doesn't need to be changed because they already have been modernized a bit plus they have no necks. The Mad Cat's cockpit is too large and will need to be smaller to prevent easy head shots.

Japanese Anime Robots all have humonoid designs including necks. When I played mechwarrior the biggest things that set mechs apart from Gundams for me was the lack of a neck and the arms were connected to the weapons not by hands. A mech is a machine made to wage war with a single human piloting it. It doesn't need every human feature imaginable to be effective at it.

[Cruiser]

Who said that necks was a criteria for a design getting an overhaul?

[Solis Obscuri]

I don't know what you mean...

Edited by Solis Obscuri, 26 January 2012 - 02:49 AM.

[ArchSight]

Cruiser, on 26 January 2012 - 02:34 AM, said:

Who said that necks was a criteria for a design getting an overhaul?

It could be.

[Lio Lio]

Well atleast the new Centurion looks like the ammo has the ability to travel from the RT to the RA. Im sure there was a slit somewhere in the old ball joint..i just can imagine where it could be at. I would imagine any sort of movment would slit the ammo feed....Then i slap myself and say its just a game pewpewpew..


*edit* after looking at the old/new images some more..I gotta say (of all teh changes) I like the new "claw" looking foot over teh thin "sandal" looking foot the best.

Edited by Lio Lio, 26 January 2012 - 05:45 AM.

[Nik Van Rhijn]

Taking the neck out makes the mech a much more logical layout. The feet now look as if they could support it properly. To be honest I think FD's reworking look much more like western style mechs than the Japanese mecha that they were talen from. There also seems more room to actually fit a pilot in now while fitting all the internals in as well. That AC10 looks much better and much more like a proper weapon. In the original it could just as easily have been a PPC.

[Omigir]

I think there needs to be some images of what a 'Anime' mech really looks like

More detail =/= japanese.

The old TRO pictures were very short on any real detail and allot of the mechs looked like they cold not stand still, let alone even move.. they also lacked that military 'tank' feel. In fact they missed military feel at all.

[Skwisgaar Skwigelf]

No necks makes sense. In a world of cameras and sensors and radar the tactical advantage of having the head sticking up and able to swivel are far outweighed by the advantages of having the cockpit set in the torso and better armored and protected for the pilot.

[Omigir]

Gundam and Matcros/robotech are the two big contributors thanks to google. BTW, some of these might look familer due to ROBOTECH providing the 'unseen'.

[Mechteric]

I can see why a neck with a head sticking out wouldn't be good, because its that much easier to just pop it off with a halfway decently aimed shot. Its interesting the different things different people have criticisms about. I think my first impression was it looks mean, but that the shield arm did slightly irk me... at least at first. Then as I looked at the articulation of the arm and hand I realized that it was probably the best way to keep that arm protected from fire so you wouldn't lose complete functionality of that hand after the first round that made its way into it.

[Omigir]

Armored Core:

[Dragon Lady]

I've always considered the turnable head to be one of the more ridiculous features of Battlemech designs. There simply isn't room inside that kind of 'Mech's head for a pilot, unless said pilot was curled up in the fetal position, which would make piloting rather difficult. And if the pilot isn't completely inside the head, that means the neck mechanisms are right where there should be controls and MFDs, which would also make piloting rather difficult. The last alternative is that the pilot isn't in the head at all, but in the Center Torso...

[Roughneck45]

Its probably because that original centurion picture looks..... out of date? If they made it look exactly like that in game, it would look pretty bad imo. I think the old pic looks more japanese than the new one, kinda like oldschool voltron or something, and one of those reasons is the neck. Having a neck on a mech never made much sense to me, almost like they are trying to give the enemy an easy target to sever the cockpit off lol. I think the new model looks distincly mechwarrior. It doesnt have smooth edges or frilly frivilous things like the anime ones. All these redesigns are pretty awesome so far.

[Chuckie]

Tsen Shang, on 26 January 2012 - 01:39 AM, said:

Yes, I know I'm gonna get yelled at, but please...a little more of the mechs we love and a little less Japan. I find myself hoping that many of my favorite mechs don't get bastardized. If the Archer isn't true to the original, I'm out.

Have to disagree the MW:O art doesn't look anime at all, to me they look more industrial like a darker Matrix / District 9 style Sci-Fi.. More function over form








Which BTW I am COMPLETELY fine with.. to me the Mechs should look like they are war machines, not cartoons.

Also BTW.. should note the fact a headshot can kill the biggest mech.. they wouldnt put the cockpit on a stick where it says:

<<< SHOOT HERE >>>

So a war machine wouldn't have the cockpit exposed like the cartoonish looking Gundam, RoboTech, Voltron, MaCross, etc.. all mostly do.

Edited by Chuckie, 26 January 2012 - 08:23 AM.

[boogle]

CapperDeluxe, on 26 January 2012 - 06:28 AM, said:

I can see why a neck with a head sticking out wouldn't be good, because its that much easier to just pop it off with a halfway decently aimed shot. Its interesting the different things different people have criticisms about. I think my first impression was it looks mean, but that the shield arm did slightly irk me... at least at first. Then as I looked at the articulation of the arm and hand I realized that it was probably the best way to keep that arm protected from fire so you wouldn't lose complete functionality of that hand after the first round that made its way into it.

I'm with you on this one, capperdeluxe. Initially I dislike almost all of the redesigns, but the more that I look at them the more I like them; until I get to the point where I think they're better than the originals.

About the arm-shield; do you think this is a decorative feature (to look like a scutum) or a functional piece of armor? Personally I hope it's a little of both (although admittedly I'd much rather have the extra armor covering my AC/10).

[Elizander]

I'd pilot the new centurion design. I'd rather crash and burn in a wasp against an atlas than pilot the old one.

[Omigir]

boogle, on 26 January 2012 - 07:51 AM, said:

I'm with you on this one, capperdeluxe. Initially I dislike almost all of the redesigns, but the more that I look at them the more I like them; until I get to the point where I think they're better than the originals.

About the arm-shield; do you think this is a decorative feature (to look like a scutum) or a functional piece of armor? Personally I hope it's a little of both (although admittedly I'd much rather have the extra armor covering my AC/10).

Could be something as simple as functonal, but not adding any more armor. I.E. its just a representaiton of the arm. At that same point, a flat sheet of metal like that = weapon platform to mount things to to!