483 replies to this topic

[Alex Wolfe]

Aaron DeChavilier, on 30 January 2012 - 08:27 AM, said:

Also I'm curious to see if FD shoves all 'heads' into the torso cause that would make me frown and sorta ruin the designs. Imagine the commando with head shoved into torso...the victor...black knight...highlander...etc <shudder>

Ummm...

Actually... The original design always bothered me, like it was carrying a TV set on its head .



The redesign by David White revived that mech in my eyes. No longer was I wondering "what's on". One look, and you knew: that mech ('s pilot) means business.



Unlike humans, mech' necklessness may sometimes - in moderation, of course - be a good thing! Fan communities being unwilling to accept any changes to The Canon as they are.

Edited by Alex Wolfe, 30 January 2012 - 11:30 AM.

[Aaron DeChavilier]

yes Alex, that does mean business- but notice how the head section is still raised above the shoulder line, and clearly defined
as a head? the artist merely took the neck section out, but the head still rests on the shoulders.
In the case of the MWO centy; the head is below the shoulder line thus 'crammed into the torso'
and that's not 'realistic' either cause the paneling around the glass makes it a bloody shot-trap!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shot_trap

"Shot traps are locations on the exterior of an armored vehicle where impacting shells are deflected to a weaker or vulnerable point in the armor, or simply guided to hit the vehicle, instead of bouncing or skimming off. Shot traps are undesirable features in armored vehicle design"

my platform however has always been: mechs arent real, thus there is no 'realistic' look and feel that one can attribute to it, ergo ridiculous designs arent bad. That's like complaining the shoulder poldroons in WoW arent realistic cause they huge and cartoony. Now you can apply that either way in the case of the centy, and my opinion is that this particular version of the centy is too radically different from the established mech and actually looks more like a Huntsmen in shape and design...and that mech is from TRO3058.....we don't talk about TRO3058

http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Huntsman

in fact being a Btech junkie, when I first saw the this new Centy; that's exaclty where my head went - to the huntsman

Edited by Aaron DeChavilier, 30 January 2012 - 11:34 AM.

[Alex Wolfe]

Aaron DeChavilier, on 30 January 2012 - 11:31 AM, said:

yes Alex, that does mean business- but notice how the head section is still raised above the shoulder line, and clearly defined
as a head? the artist merely took the neck section out, but the head still rests on the shoulders.

Ah, I see what you mean. Well, I, for one, like the new Centurion, and I've been aware and keen of the design since my tender, youthful years of MechCommander. It's all a matter of taste, I suppose. Loving the stylin' faceplate.

Aaron DeChavilier, on 30 January 2012 - 11:31 AM, said:

the head is below the shoulder line thus 'crammed into the torso'
and that's not 'realistic' either cause the paneling around the glass makes it a bloody shot-trap!
my platform however has always been: mechs arent real, thus there is no 'realistic' look and feel that one can attribute to it, ergo ridiculous designs arent bad. That's like complaining the shoulder poldroons in WoW arent realistic cause they huge and cartoony.

Indeed. If having nicely shaped cockpits (and in fact, exposed cockpits on a walking tank in the first place - why not just steel wall?) and female form-fitting chestplates is wrong, I don't want fantasy to be right! ..."slightly plausible" is plenty .

Aaron DeChavilier, on 30 January 2012 - 11:31 AM, said:

Now you can apply that either way in the case of the centy, and my opinion is that this particular version of the centy is too radically different from the established mech and actually looks more like a Huntsmen in shape and design...and that mech is from TRO3058.....we don't talk about TRO3058

That Huntsman thingy must have the most cheerful face I've ever seen on a robot cyclops toddler baby. How can you hate something so adorable?

Edited by Alex Wolfe, 30 January 2012 - 11:47 AM.

[Omigir]

Or the Hoptman's cigar smoking swagger, or the gargoyals prety leer. n__n

[MeDammit]

I'm 42 years old and have been playing battletech in all forms since each came out. This doesn't make me a know-it-all, but it and history have taught me a few simple truths. It's a game. if it looks cool to you, run with it. the simple premise that battlefields will ever be dominated by giant walking gun-bristling fusion powered robots is kinda silly. People are cheap. Machines are expensive. For every Atlas that can be fielded, you can field 3 Schreck PPC carriers or 30 Striker Light tanks. Do the math. Vehicles win. Mechs may have a very peripheral and specialized role, but kings of the battlefield won't be it. If you're thinking mobility, don't forget VTOLs and atmospheric fighters. Still very cheap compared to mechs.

Ultimately, none of this battletech stuff is realistic or practical or feasible. But it's still fun. That's why we play. For decades sometimes. Who cares if it has hands. If you like them, Thug. If you don't, Warhammer. There's something for everyone. Lets just remember its fun.

[empath]

Ravn, on 29 January 2012 - 06:29 PM, said:

I am starting to worry about the mech release rate. Approximately 1 month and the kickoff is 6-8 months away. MW with only 14 mech models will not be fabulous.

Another Fun Fact™ for Ravn '14 mechs isn't enough for me' <nolastname>:

The original board game had a certain specific number of BattleDroids in it; wanna guess how many?

Here, let me help you:

Battlemaster
Marauder
Warhammer
Archer
Crusader
Thunderbolt
Rifleman
Shadow Hawk
Griffin
Wolverine
Phoenix Hawk
Wasp
Stinger
Locust

hmmm.....

[Nik Van Rhijn]

empath, on 30 January 2012 - 11:05 PM, said:

Another Fun Fact™ for Ravn '14 mechs isn't enough for me' <nolastname>:

The original board game had a certain specific number of BattleDroids in it; wanna guess how many?

Here, let me help you:

Battlemaster
Marauder
Warhammer
Archer
Crusader
Thunderbolt
Rifleman
Shadow Hawk
Griffin
Wolverine
Phoenix Hawk
Wasp
Stinger
Locust

hmmm.....

And a lot of people would like most, if not all of them in the game, once "updated" by FD.

[empath]

Yeah, and I'm not even gonna get into a technical discussion about such underperforming or muddled designs like the SHD-1H...aw, nuts.

[flyingdebris]

um, you guys know i didn't draw that flashman, right?

Thats the art of one the other BT artists http://thundergodxar...deviantart.com/ i think he may have done some stuff for that fan made tro too.

Edited by flyingdebris, 31 January 2012 - 11:03 AM.

[Nick Makiaveli]

To the 14 mechs debate....

I think many here are thinking we are going to see a fully fleshed out game at launch. I honestly don't expect much more than the original BT TT had. Ie Mechs and a place to fight. Some rules for capturing land, mostly for cash and bragging rights.

Down the road when some cash rolls in then we will see campaigns, salvage etc.

[Tsen Shang]

flyingdebris, on 31 January 2012 - 10:59 AM, said:

um, you guys know i didn't draw that flashman, right?

Thats the art of one the other BT artists http://thundergodxar...deviantart.com/ i think he may have done some stuff for that fan made tro too.

I don't suppose you'd be willing to put out a similar sketch of what your version of the Flashman would look like, would you? I'd LOVE to see your take on it. And the Black Knight. And the Archer.

Oh just go ahead and update all 500+ mechs. We're gonna want em all eventually anyway!

<3

[Damocles]

Do they ALL need to be "updated" -?

[Mchawkeye]

Damocles, on 31 January 2012 - 12:58 PM, said:

Do they ALL need to be "updated" -?

Uh. Yeah. I really think they do.

[Aaron DeChavilier]

Damocles, on 31 January 2012 - 12:58 PM, said:

Do they ALL need to be "updated" -?

because of the art style shift, even if they didn't before they will now for the sole purpose
of congruity with existing redesigns. Good thing is, FD is hitting 4.75/5 for excellent redesign
choices, so take heart, he'll do an excellent job.

Edited by Aaron DeChavilier, 31 January 2012 - 01:15 PM.

[Alex Wolfe]

Mchawkeye, on 31 January 2012 - 01:13 PM, said:

Uh. Yeah. I really think they do.

Hear, hear.

The King is naked .

[Tsen Shang]

The key is that they need to be updated while maintaining the feel and consistency of the Battletech universe, but yes. Some need updates, some need downdates. I'm personally not fond of a lot of the newer entries which are over the top, but I know a lot of people aren't fond of the older entries which are under par. There's a happy middle we need Alex to find for us.

[Solis Obscuri]

empath, on 30 January 2012 - 11:05 PM, said:

Another Fun Fact™ for Ravn '14 mechs isn't enough for me' <nolastname>: The original board game had a certain specific number of BattleDroids in it; wanna guess how many? Here, let me help you: Battlemaster Marauder Warhammer Archer Crusader Thunderbolt Rifleman Shadow Hawk Griffin Wolverine Phoenix Hawk Wasp Stinger Locust hmmm.....

But... But... But... aren't all those designs "too Anime" to be real 'mechs, like our real SLDF army is using to fight real 'mech battles on the real battlefield???

Surely, the game must have started out with 17 different weight classes of Clan-tech Timberwolf 'mechs. Certainly nothing with hands...

/sarcasm

[Gaizokubanou]

I like the redesigns. I vote against going closer to horrendous original designs.

[Jack Gallows]

I like the redesigns, no matter what, really.

Having FD do the redesigns gives them a fresh new look and allows some of them to look for the better....but it doesn't null and void their old designs. Let the mechs in MWO have their own individuality, let FD take them and see what he can do with them and enjoy the different take on our long standing mech designs.

Some 'mechs may benefit and their new looks may be better then their old designs (which, opinions may vary,) and I can't see many taking a step back from what they were originally. It also allows the Pirahna to really make this game their own, and help contribute to the massive universe and community that is Battletech/Mechwarrior.

I'd like to see Alex tackle some of the more..."unseen" mechs See what orignal designs he can come up with instead of what has been done in the past, so that maybe we can just move past the legal hoopla that rears it's ugly head around them. Even if they don't get put into the game, I'd still really love to see his ideas based on them, and hell we could even get the community involved in a step by step process and collectively design these machines new looks with polls and such. It'd be a fun way to get to influence some of our favorite mechs, while building an even stronger relationship with the current developers.

[Sug]

Alex Wolfe, on 31 January 2012 - 01:18 PM, said:

Hear, hear.

The King is naked .

On page 2 I like how the human is winning.