37 replies to this topic

[FireNova]

Doolie, on 14 February 2012 - 05:31 PM, said:

I'd like to see the Devs use them to pwn all the Great Houses with their advanced Star League tech. That would be slick.

-D

Fixed.

[FireNova]

Phelan Adam Davion, on 14 February 2012 - 06:06 PM, said:

Everyone needs to be reliant on ComStar so that ComStar can be in a perfect position to control simply everything like the government in real life does and obey what they tell us what to do or they shut off our HPG grid take away our goodies.

Fixed.

[Shalmyan Moonsong]

I can't wait to see the role of Comstar in the game, and they were always one of my favorite factions. Anastasius Focht was probably the best written character in the whole series of Battletech, from what he did, both in his hidden past and in actions for the Inner Sphere. A great man, wonderful tactician, and sly politician, he took advantage of the great houses and clans equally and got away with it, with little trouble, and though the Comguards had been around for sometime, it was really Anastasius who began reworking the way things were done at Sandhurst, that made the Comgaurds, a real skilled military force, and not a school of Tactics, who's graduates had little to no experience, in applying what they had learned.

Comstar FTW.

[Jack Gallows]

FireNova, on 14 February 2012 - 07:13 PM, said:

Fixed.

Except, the Clans would cause a big problem for Comstar, since they'd not be able to intel gather if they did launch an offensive against the IS, and the Clans are beholden to HPG tech that Comstar holds over the IS. Basically, comstar wouldn't be able to achieve much, and using the Jihad as an example is pretty useless because Comstar only has 50 'mech regiments, the great houses each have more then that and the attrition rate that Comstar would suffer would knock them out forever.

And as others have said, Comstar needs to remain an NPC faction. If players want, it'd be nice for certain LP rewards to be offered as unit decals/skins for certain Comguard units once Tukayyid happens, so even if they fight for X faction they can still quasi have their own group if they'd like. Same for stuff like St. Ives.

Edited by Jack Gallows, 14 February 2012 - 07:55 PM.

[FireNova]

Jack Gallows, on 14 February 2012 - 07:54 PM, said:

Except, the Clans would cause a big problem for Comstar, since they'd not be able to intel gather if they did launch an offensive against the IS, and the Clans are beholden to HPG tech that Comstar holds over the IS. Basically, comstar wouldn't be able to achieve much, and using the Jihad as an example is pretty useless because Comstar only has 50 'mech regiments, the great houses each have more then that and the attrition rate that Comstar would suffer would knock them out forever.

And as others have said, Comstar needs to remain an NPC faction. If players want, it'd be nice for certain LP rewards to be offered as unit decals/skins for certain Comguard units once Tukayyid happens, so even if they fight for X faction they can still quasi have their own group if they'd like. Same for stuff like St. Ives.

Eh, fair enough. Still though, I would be quite worried for any faction regardless of political standing/loyalties/etc to have that much control over something (interplanetary communications) that everyone uses. The Federated Suns might be safe/have a backup (black boxes) from ComStar influence thanks to NAIS efforts, but I am not so sure about every other Great House should they have second thoughts about allowing ComStar to control them. Not that they would have a choice in the matter anyways, regardless. And even if the Great Houses each have more forces than ComStar alone (not accounting for Word of Blake forces here), any communications interdiction (blackout) would hamper that to a crawl (unless the FedSuns is willing to share its black box technology with the other Houses?). After all how would forces loyal to other Houses communicate/coordinate with each other over the course of many planets/star systems/fronts/sectors without HPGs? It would be like a giant walking around blind trying to hit a small fly.

Maybe despite that the Houses could still overtake ComStar communications or no communications.....but I would suspect it would be a very tough struggle to fight a force that can not only communicate with each other, but have better tech (Star League), better training, better coordination, better understanding for where X House Mech Battalion is at, where Y factories is at on Z planet, where best to send ROM agents to sabotage said Y factories on said Z planet, etc.

Despite my dislike for ComStar (for obvious said reasons), I still think that people should be allowed to play ComStar (just not as all powerful HPG communications lords....that should probably be reserved for the devs if that). After all why deny people the chance to play St. Ives, or Lone Wolves, etc. Freedom to choose is the thing that I think will make/break this game.

As for the Clans being "reliant" on ComStar......well....that was all fine and dandy until ComStar learned about Chuck Norris' plan to conquer Terra so that he could build many ranches upon the state of Texas and reform the Star League there and stop the Blakists' plan to set up a New World Order government that would ban all Chuck Norris films from the Inner Sphere.

[Jack Gallows]

During this time period, there is no world of blake splinter in comstar, and they fielded 50 'mech regiments, meaning an individual Great house fields more then Comstar can at this point. AFFS alone has over 98+ RCTs. So, no such thing as "world of blake forces" at this time period, also...the Jihad is effing horrible and poorly written/planned out.

As for the Black Boxes...they really kind of aren't an alternative...they're much slower and are in my eyes a kind of last resort...especially when it's months before you get the message. It helps...but couldn't ever actually replace HPG.

The clincher is risk versus reward. Attacking Comstar might net the Houses control over HPG...but the risk is quite too high for the reward...especially considering what it could do to the welfare of their people. No or incredibly slow comms would kill some planets asking for food/etc aid, and the like.

The reason I can't see Comstar as being an active faction is...they don't hold planets in a sizable amount like the houses do, ever. It doesn't make much sense for them to be a player faction.

As for the last part, Chuck has one serious problem, and that's a guy named Clint Eastwood. Your Legion of Norris is screwed, sir.

[jbone]

I Agree, I think being a combination of Ma Bell and the First National Bank of the Inner Sphere isn't a viable option. Same thing with Clan *censored* also known as the *Censored* *Censored*. Some things aren't really mean to be played as characters, they are plot devices.

[HanaYuriko]

There are a lot of events in BT lore that suggests ComStar had a military force. Like the White Fleet at the Dark Nebula, or any time someone stumbles on a Star League cache. Usually shortly after Snord's Irregulars (and later Rhonda's Irregulars) come upon a discovery. One of the bigger events was when ComStar and House Marik tried to frame Grayson Carlisle and the Gray Death Legion for war crimes when they located the Star League base on Helm in late 3027 early 3028. The discovery which led to the Helm Memory Core and gave NAIS a huge technological boost in development.

But even before that, IIRC it was widely known that there was some sort of security force employed by ComStar to protect their interstellar assets.

Edited by HanaYuriko, 14 February 2012 - 10:24 PM.

[Deadfire]

Just jumping in as my first post lol

In any case for the purposes of lore and time period (FAQ states 3049 as the current year) Comstar begins announcing troop movements in 3053. Just as well until that point "named" units Comstar hasn't revealed any (nor to those that wish to claim to be representing the Com Guards would have a idea of which to have a base in lore)

As much as I'm a Com Guard fan (not fanatic there are blakeists for that ) I can't see there being ComGuard represented....yet

[whiskey tango foxtrot]

A question/ comment.............in 3048 comstar encounters Clan Smoke Jaguar.......in 3049 comstar makes contact with the Clans.......in 3050 comstar begins aiding the clans....if comstar=devs then devs=clans......we're screwed......it's why i'm a lone wolf........am i missing something??

[FinnMcKool]

Comstar had at times manipulated The great houses by pretending to be other houses attacking hear or there????

This is a built in mechanism for the DEVs to use in order to keep the timeline storie true and still leave room for players actions to effect the bigger game universe

If say Stiener players where about to take over everything , the DEVs could come in as comstar , pretending to be Davion or ect. ect.


Maybe if the big Map gets way out of Tune with what the time line storie is, there could be an special Day for players to take on premade roles of comstar the DEVs could take command positions and direct the battle to an out come that puts the map/storie back into alignment

I would be willing to pay cash to be in such a battle , and it wouldnt give me an advantage in normal game play

[whiskey tango foxtrot]

OK ......3049 (now) Comstar knows the clans are going to invade.....is Comstar hiding this from the Great Houses????......while aiding the clans.....maybe the House's should send a Merc unit to "visit" Comstar.

[Strum Wealh]

whiskey tango foxtrot, on 20 February 2012 - 10:07 AM, said:

OK ......3049 (now) Comstar knows the clans are going to invade.....is Comstar hiding this from the Great Houses????......while aiding the clans.....maybe the House's should send a Merc unit to "visit" Comstar.

And said Merc unit encounters 'Mechs thought centuries-extinct with unfamiliar unit insignia*... and is never heard from again...

*"Insignia" is apparently the plural of the singular "insigne".

Edited by Strum Wealh, 20 February 2012 - 10:22 AM.

[whiskey tango foxtrot]

Strum Wealh, on 20 February 2012 - 10:20 AM, said:

And said Merc unit encounters 'Mechs thought centuries-extinct with unfamiliar unit insignia*... and is never heard from again...

*"Insignia" is apparently the plural of the singular "insigne".

Com Guard???

[Strum Wealh]

whiskey tango foxtrot, on 20 February 2012 - 10:24 AM, said:

Com Guard???

Yep - the Com Guards.

Quote

The Com Guards were founded in the wake of the collapse of the Star League by Jerome Blake, who created them as a source of order for the Inner Sphere should the Successor States attempt to attack Terra or any HPG stations across the Sphere. The Com Guards were kept hidden by Blake and his successors far from the prying eyes of the Successor State militaries, and, due to this, escaped much of the technological downgrades that said militaries suffered over the course of four Succession Wars.

As of 3049, Wolfnet estimated the Com Guards' BattleMech strength alone to represent the equivalent of more than fifty Regiments.

The presence of the Com Guards was revealed to the Inner Sphere during the Clan Invasion, when the then-Precentor Martial Anastasius Focht struck a deal with the Clans to fight his Com Guards on the planet of Tukayyid for control of the Inner Sphere.

-----

Thanks to the large volume of Star League Defense Force hardware carefully and meticulously stockpiled, lack of military adventurism and ROM's efforts to cripple the Great House's overall level of technology, the Com Guards maintained the most technically advanced military in the Inner Sphere prior to the arrival of the Clans. The Com Guards have many vintage Star League-era 'Mechs not normally found in the armies of the Successor States, due to massive Terran stockpiles left behind by the Star League Defense Force. The Com Guards also were the only Inner Sphere entity to maintain a fleet of WarShips up until the recovery of the Helm Memory Core, as the respective Successor State navies had destroyed theirs in the Second Succession War.

Because the Com Guards use mainly Star League-era 'Mechs, they had access to much lostech that the rest of the Inner Sphere had forgotten. This served the Guards well during the Tukayyid battles, as their more advanced weapons proved to work better against the Clanners.

Specifically, the "Terran Defense Force":

Quote

Even with the public expansion of the Com Guard to defend ComStar's miyad HPG compounds, the full extent of the Terran Defense Force remained hidden. Not even the fearsome Wolfnet could pierce ROM's protective cloak, its best estimates was that the Defenders of the Faithful was a Level V sized beta formation with the strength of tweleve Regiments, two or more being BattleMech Regiments.

[whiskey tango foxtrot]

This game is going to get very interesting...[keeps cards close to chest]

[Micheal Hessek]

Are we forgetting the Brion Legion? They used the sub-unit of six for their force and were hired by Comstar as security.

[Redbear6]

Doolie, on 14 February 2012 - 05:31 PM, said:

Thanks for the feedback. The Comguards were active before the clans though. I can't remember the book, but didn't they paint up as Liao Death Commando Units and attack New Avalon in a raid? I'm a bit fuzzy around the edges these days, but I think I remember them being very active in covert raids that were in the interest of Comstar and maintaining the monopoly on HPG technology.

I'd like to see the Devs use them as their unit. That would be slick.

-D

Yes they did. and to refresh your memory, The book was Warrior: Coupe (book 3 of the trilogy). On September 10th 3029, a unit of the Comstar military forces attacked the NAIS disguised as Liao's Death Commandos. Thier attack was held off by a number of NAIS personell as infantry in the buildings, and the Mech componant of the attack was brought to a standstill by one Prince Hanse Davion in his Battlemaster until the resident mercinary group was able to sorte, and defeat (or drive to suicide) the attacking forces.