137 replies to this topic

[Meteor Hammer]

I'm looking forward to getting my hands on some clan tech, but I think I'll be playing as an IS pilot. Due to my age, I'd be old and broken by clan standards, while coming into my prime by IS standards. When I look at mech chassis, I like a similar number of clan and IS chassis, (although I suspect that my favorite clan chassis will be included, I'm not so sure on the IS chassis), and I definately fight like an IS pilot (brawling all the way )

As for why people want to be clan, I reckon a lot of the player base first encountered Battletech through Mechwarrior 2 where you played as Clan Wolf, or Clan Jade Falcon with Clan Ghost Bear in the expansion. People will have a soft spot for the clans if it is their first experience of mech combat.

Metero Hammer

[Red Dox]

Incunabulum, on 16 August 2012 - 12:39 PM, said:

Why are so many people in love with them to the extent that even thoug MW:O is still in beta they keep asking when clans will be introduced.

For me, even though clan tech is teh awesomes, who the heck can have a hardon for a society with a rigid class system that eschews scientific and technological advance for the ability to be the best dueller around, to the point that they suck in large-scale warfare?

Why love so many people the different Inner Sphere factions? They are lowtech, they scheme and plot in a devious scale that makes Dr. Moriati look like a girl scout. Most people are so greedy they betray everthing and only believe in the mighty C-bill. Most of the IS mechs are ugly (and the good one are "Unseen" ^^) and if they can´t ******** you with four Atlases but have to fight 1v1, most IS mechwarriors suck.

Choosing the Clans is for some people the same as being loyal to Kurita or Marik. Even Comstar and Word of Blake have loyal fans *shrug*. Diversity is a good thing and as long as everyone can choose what he likes, why not the Clans?

For me its the lore, the honour and the chance to rise form bottom to top. In the Inner Sphere, you can´t be some day leader of House Davion because your heritage sucks. With the Clans, as a trueborn, I can be Ilkhan if I do my job good enough. And coming with the lore, the "Kerensky blood" triology was a very entertaining series, but "Legend of the Jade Phoenix" was the main reason I pledged my course for the Jade Falcons.

If someone wants to read for himself
http://www.epubbud.c....php?g=V6PL2HHP

-----Red Dox

[Zakatak]

I will not be playing a lab-grown freak with a superiority complex, regardless of the tech they offer. If I want a Timber Wolf, I'll haul it's corpse with me to be repaired.

Freeborn is the right way to be born.

[WAR ArkAngel]

The mechs look so much more badass. Shadowcat? Madcat? Masakari? Vulture? Diashi? I mean...come on. I like my chicken leg mechs... and the clans have the best ones.

Edited by WAR ArkAngel, 16 August 2012 - 02:45 PM.

[Oxford]

Red Dox, on 16 August 2012 - 02:25 PM, said:

Choosing the Clans is for some people the same as being loyal to Kurita or Marik. Even Comstar and Word of Blake have loyal fans *shrug*. Diversity is a good thing and as long as everyone can choose what he likes, why not the Clans?

And this is pretty much why I'll stick with the IS thank you very much. I grew up with the game in it's most venerable and low tech form. The reintroduction of all the lostech was when the game started its slow decent into hell as far as I'm concerned.

I have no problem with the artwork of the iconic clan mechs like the Timberwolf and the Vulture but I grew up with the Marauder and the Battlemaster.

Now you kids get your damn Omnimechs off my lawn!

Edited by Oxford, 16 August 2012 - 02:46 PM.

[light487]

The most advanced tech, the most variety of components, the iconic shapes and textures.. so many reasons..

When you don't have Clan mechs and tech, the IS mechs and tech ARE the most advanced mechs and tech...

[Bishop Steiner]

Incunabulum, on 16 August 2012 - 12:39 PM, said:

Why are so many people in love with them to the extent that even thoug MW:O is still in beta they keep asking when clans will be introduced.

For me, even though clan tech is teh awesomes, who the heck can have a hardon for a society with a rigid class system that eschews scientific and technological advance for the ability to be the best dueller around, to the point that they suck in large-scale warfare?

It can't be about the possibility of conflict - the smallest IS polity has more going on in this area than any of the clans.

For some people, it is that they find the Clan Society interesting, some the Mechs.

I have a feeling, a large majority though are all over them, simply because they are power gamers, and all they care about is having the biggest gun. (I see far too many posts disparaging the "fluff", which tells me that a lot of people are probably just looking at it as a giant mecha FPS, instead of looking into the HUGE backtory that makes Mechwarrior so cool (from pure game mechanics, Hawken is probably "better" as the stuff I have seen they look and act much more mobile and fluid than Btech mechs), and I bet a lot of them will get bored and move on when the "next big thing" comes along.

The easiest way to sort which is which will probably be which players stick to Zellbrigen. Those will be the Clan Players I respect. The rest I plan to team up againt and gangfire into them oblivion.

[qultar]

as a old player i fell in love with the idea of Clan Ghost Bear
you were not some honor less cash hunter or fighting for a group that almost bombed them selfs back to the stone age
you were trying to come back "home" and restore the starleage

unlike many i loved the lore i still have my clan books
and the best battletech book i read was about the ghost bears(wish i knew the name so i can get a new copy)

there start almost never happend as the founders were to be put in other clans. But they were in such love that rather then that then went out into the harsh world of ice and snow and face death.

in the end they were saved by a ghost bear den
and found out that the bear was not this solo beast every one knew but a close famly unit. Armed with this info they went to the leader of the clans to fight there case and won

To me as some one that sees only dishonor and greed in the world. I saw the world i Wish was real a world were honor was the only thing that mattered and that love can win

[BLUWOLFx]

well my self like some IS mechs an i like some clan mechs. but i can wait to get my hands on my favorite clan mechs. ie nova cat with 7 lasers. or a hellspawn.

[Petrothian Tong]

just look at the IS roleplay and the clan roleplay on the internet...

Clanners tends to throw epeen around alot =D

[xxx WreckinBallRaj xxx]

If you want a faction similar to America go with Federated Suns.(Davion)

[qultar]

Bluten, on 16 August 2012 - 03:20 PM, said:

If you want a faction similar to America go with Federated Suns.(Davion)

umm FWL is more like the USA

[Star Ace]

What I do not understand is how clan tech can be implemented without seriously unbalancing the game, because most powergamers won't adhere to any sort of honor code, Zellbrigen or otherwise. Some players only play to win, and will get whatever advantage they can to do so (the IS mentality with the Clan firepower). I cannot imagine most Clan opponents not ganging up on IS Mechs with superior Tech. It makes sense in the tabletop game, since things can be balanced, but in a game where a few members of the population care about power more than the lore, I wonder how will this finally play out.

Note that I am not saying clans are bad, or their 'Mechs "suck", whatever. I of course don't like their eugenics stuff, but I do like some of the Mechs. I just don't see people role-playing the clans; they will probably powerplay instead.

Hope the above doesn't come offensive, as I am sure some people in here would love to roleplay their favorite clan faction when finally available.

Edited by Star Ace, 16 August 2012 - 03:41 PM.

[Jack Gallows]

I have to agree with Hayden that I'd rather have seen something closer to 3025. I do not *hate* the Clans, but don't find them as enthralling or interesting as the events of the Succession Wars and other conflicts that happened in the Inner Sphere after the fall of the Star League. I also find that while some people truly enjoy them for their lore/etc, it's more often then not about their technological advancements then actually having a deep care for any specific faction. Clans pretty much ruined the table top, and their tech tends to make any 'mech/equipment obsolete when they show up.

[qultar]

Star Ace, on 16 August 2012 - 03:40 PM, said:

What I do not understand is how clan tech can be implemented without seriously unbalancing the game, because most powergamers won't adhere to any sort of honor code, Zellbrigen or otherwise. Some players only play to win, and will get whatever advantage they can to do so (the IS mentality with the Clan firepower). I cannot imagine most Clan opponents not ganging up on IS Mechs with superior Tech. It makes sense in the tabletop game, since things can be balanced, but in a game where a few members of the population care about power more than the lore, I wonder how will this finally play out.

Note that I am not saying clans are bad, or their 'Mechs "suck", whatever. I of course don't like their eugenics stuff, but I do like some of the Mechs. I just don't see people role-playing the clans; they will probably powerplay instead.

Hope the above doesn't come offensive, as I am sure some people in here would love to roleplay their favorite clan faction when finally available.

my bet is that it will make mech of claners 5 on 8 or 10 on 12

Edited by qultar, 16 August 2012 - 04:03 PM.

[Evinthal]

TG Xarbala, on 16 August 2012 - 01:27 PM, said:

The Wars of Reaving was CGL wiping off the insincere patina of romanticism off the Clans and showing them raw, desperate, and with their true colors flying. It's almost like the survivors of FASA got sick and tired of people treating the Clans like they're better than they actually are. They already have Davions for that nonsense, so it was a good move. And unlike the Jihad, all of the dirty Clanner politics made perfect sense as it unfolded.

That it was, as RNB has said in his Developer Interview for MW:O he though the Clans tech was a little much, and felt things like the Heavy Lasers were more of what they should have had from the start. High damage, but with the drawbacks of high heat, lower range and a glaring flaw in the weapon (the +1 to hit penalty).

However I disagree with the Jihad not making sense, but I can respect your viewpoint on it, and I don't want to derail the thread.

TG Xarbala, on 16 August 2012 - 01:47 PM, said:

CWiE inflicted the Hellstar on us, the most boring `Mech to play as or against, and that's unforgivable.

Wolf-in-Exile and Clan Hell's Horses co-made it. It wasn't just Wolf-In-Exile.

Also the Hellstar was a product of its environment and its time. It was designed to be a hard hitting 'mech capable of operating away from supply lines for an extended period of time in order to effectively fight the Blakists.

Wolf-in-Exile and Clan Hell's Horses learned from the mistakes of a previous extended campaign that relied heavily on supply lines. Go figure.

Star Ace, on 16 August 2012 - 03:40 PM, said:

What I do not understand is how clan tech can be implemented without seriously unbalancing the game, because most powergamers won't adhere to any sort of honor code, Zellbrigen or otherwise. Some players only play to win, and will get whatever advantage they can to do so (the IS mentality with the Clan firepower). I cannot imagine most Clan opponents not ganging up on IS Mechs with superior Tech. It makes sense in the tabletop game, since things can be balanced, but in a game where a few members of the population care about power more than the lore, I wonder how will this finally play out.

Note that I am not saying clans are bad, or their 'Mechs "suck", whatever. I of course don't like their eugenics stuff, but I do like some of the Mechs. I just don't see people role-playing the clans; they will probably powerplay instead.

Hope the above doesn't come offensive, as I am sure some people in here would love to roleplay their favorite clan faction when finally available.

I like the Clans, but I do agree. Some (note: I said SOME) people who play them are more power gamers and just want more dakka, I have a feeling these same people are the ones who pilot a reviled variant of the K2 Catapult.

I really hope for some kind of balancing system in the future, so here is hoping they can do it and make it GOOD.

[Joseph Mallan]

TG Xarbala, on 16 August 2012 - 01:47 PM, said:

CWiE inflicted the Hellstar on us, the most boring `Mech to play as or against, and that's unforgivable.

Blame that squarely on Mechwarrior:Darkage! Not the Exiles

[Razor Kotovsky]

Hayden, on 16 August 2012 - 12:53 PM, said:

As a guy firmly stuck in 3025, I think the dev team is missing the boat by starting the game so close to the clan invasion. They could have easily spent a year or two in the 3025-3049 era, which has the advantage of being much easier to balance than the mess after 3050. The clans are too popular not to include, but I think by chomping at the bit for clans so early the community misses out on some of the most easily balanced elements of BT canon. I suspect the timeline will only go forward from the release date, and so I and others like me can kiss off the 4th Succession War, War of 3039, and the numerous other small scale conflicts taking place in this time frame.

10 years is a long enough wait for Bushwacker, thank you

Hopefully the game in that 2009 teaser will come to be.

[Telecleez]

Hayden, on 16 August 2012 - 12:53 PM, said:

As a guy firmly stuck in 3025, I think the dev team is missing the boat by starting the game so close to the clan invasion. They could have easily spent a year or two in the 3025-3049 era, which has the advantage of being much easier to balance than the mess after 3050. The clans are too popular not to include, but I think by chomping at the bit for clans so early the community misses out on some of the most easily balanced elements of BT canon. I suspect the timeline will only go forward from the release date, and so I and others like me can kiss off the 4th Succession War, War of 3039, and the numerous other small scale conflicts taking place in this time frame.

i agree with ya they should have started maybe with the 4th SW but as to the clans i guess and i must admit that im a lil drawn in by the ridged honor system (though i've noticed few of them would violate it if it got them the win) and the advances in tech. But i also like the IS (Davion in particular) freedom they had to choose if they wanted to be a MW they could if they passed the training not just being a can-o-baby bred to be a mw and nothing else or what ever you were bred to be... never got into the class sys from the clans but some ppl like that.

but mostly i think its the tech and sense of honor that they espouse

[TG Xarbala]

Evinthal, on 16 August 2012 - 04:07 PM, said:

That it was, as RNB has said in his Developer Interview for MW:O he though the Clans tech was a little much, and felt things like the Heavy Lasers were more of what they should have had from the start. High damage, but with the drawbacks of high heat, lower range and a glaring flaw in the weapon (the +1 to hit penalty).

However I disagree with the Jihad not making sense, but I can respect your viewpoint on it, and I don't want to derail the thread.

Wolf-in-Exile and Clan Hell's Horses co-made it. It wasn't just Wolf-In-Exile.

Also the Hellstar was a product of its environment and its time. It was designed to be a hard hitting 'mech capable of operating away from supply lines for an extended period of time in order to effectively fight the Blakists.

Wolf-in-Exile and Clan Hell's Horses learned from the mistakes of a previous extended campaign that relied heavily on supply lines. Go figure.

Yeah, I agree that Clantech went the wrong direction from the start. Wholesale superiority rather than extreme specialization brought about by their extremely specialized warrior culture. That's part of why I find the inevitable inclusion of Clantech as something fearsome and terrible, and IS tech won't even be remotely competitive until the FedCom Civil War era.

I don't dislike the Jihad and actually found the sourcebooks and cutaway fiction interesting reads, moreso than a soap-opera style novel in the classic Battletech fashion. In fact, I actually quite like the Jihad, flaws and all, and you don't even get that much in some circles. I just think that the Wars of Reaving went by a lot more smoothly with fewer leaps of logic. Those were the problems with developing the WoB as a legitimate interstellar threat and justifying their derail from "let's exterminate the Clans" to "let's watch the Sphere burn (and, spoilers, secretly encourage the creation of a new Republic)." Some people were willing to roll with it and appreciate a good smack-down drag out total war that puts the Smoke Jaguars to shame, but the logical compromises and the unfortunate removal of a lot of up-and-coming new-generation-of-leaders characters in favor of the survival of such interesting stalwarts as VSD and Kai Allard-Liao and the rise of Devlin Stone kind of put a damper on some people's enthusiasm.

Personally, I just think the Wars of Reaving managed to follow plotlines and bring about sweeping changes through logical conclusions and old-fashioned ruthlessness. So I give the slight advantage to the Clan side of the metaplot at the time.

It'll be decades before we get to see interesting post-Tukayyid stuff though, if the game continues to follow a strict realtime calendar with no timeskips.

And one last aside: I find it difficult to begrudge Clan Hell's Horses for the Hellstar. I'm too busy blaming them for the Epona.

Edited by TG Xarbala, 16 August 2012 - 04:30 PM.