36 replies to this topic

[Nataku]

Honestly, this has been bothering me.
On the one hand I am considering a commando, higher mobility means better communication and the ability to make personal trigger fast reactions to intel.
And on the other I am considering taking a hunchback, higher chances of staying alive means my team won't lose there commander and a LRM spec could provide great support.
Any ideas?

[Fresh Meat]

cyclops

[EDMW CSN]

Anything that is comfortable. Technically the command mech of the command lance tends to mount a C3 system but many merc / named units do not use it also.

But C3 Masters weighs 5 tons so it is probably used on a heavy or medium with weight to spare (like a Centurion who ditched his AC-10 for a PPC).

Assaults with C3 masters can work, but generally they are too slow which means they are usually without support of their faster lance mates imo.

Edited by [EDMW]CSN, 12 March 2012 - 10:42 PM.

[SnowDragon]

What mech did he pilot before becoming a commander?

A Commander that gets into an unfamilar mech typcially doesn't stay commander for long.

[Risky]

To be honest, a MechWarrior should pilot what a MechWarrior is best at piloting regardless if they are in the role of a commander. Commander is there to decide what goes where and that's it, past that he needs to be able to apply his mech to its fullest abilities to help the team.

I don't want to see any of this "Commander should be in a weak scout mech because blah or an atlas because blah" as stated, a commander should be in what mech he is best at using or what is more valuable to the team at the time.

However, I would suggest a heavier (fitted with support weaponry) of mech for the commander role as they would most likely be behind the lines making sure everything goes smoothly and why not take a few pot shots with LRMs or ER lasers/PPCs while your at it?

Edited by Risky, 12 March 2012 - 10:55 PM.

[Aggravated Assault Mech]

In my experience playing other games, putting the FC/CO at the front lines, or in something easy to kill is a bad idea.

Why? Because every time they die you have a communication breakdown, unless your team is well disciplined and a someone was selected as XO and they are confident in picking up the duty immediately.

Personally I'd say anything with heavy armor and long range, like the Catapult. Not only does it give the Commander a better chance at surviving, a longer range mech will typically set up somewhere that gives it a good view of the battlefield.

[AkwardArcher]

There are a few Command BattleMechs

Such as the Wolverine, Cyclops, Battlemaster ...

They usually increased intiative letting the side using one with the commander piloting the ability to go second(a non commander piloting one didnt add a bonus)

Don't know what they could do to add any bonus to a real time game

Edited by Rance Praton, 12 March 2012 - 11:31 PM.

[Ronin13]

i would say a mech with good detection and can hide and not stand out also are we sure they are going to be in mech could be like mechcommander and is in a mobile HQ.

[verybad]

Depends on how the mech's modules are, the map involved, and the opponents.

ie, There are a lot of variables. I would suggest a maneuverable, well armored mech with long range weapons so it can provide support while distributing information to teammates relatively safely.

There are goign to be commanders that think am Atlas (or other assault mech) is the best for the role, there will also be players that think an extremely fast light mech works well as it can stay out of touble and doesn't cost much resources.

There's no hard and fast answer for what is the best command mech, and since we don't have necessary data (the game itself) available yet to make an educated answer, the only reasonable one is "It depends."

[mr Zonke]

I'd imagine something with a relatively low workload would be beneficial, so he can concentrate on the battlegrid and coms and whatnot. A catapult acting firesupport as mentioned above would probably work well I thinks...

[Titus Pullo XIII]

Something like this -- http://en.wikipedia....n_EA-6B_Prowler -- but with legs.

[SmartAlec]

I'd probably go with something that can take some abuse without sacrificing mobility. From the sounds of it, if your commander goes down, you're pretty much up ***** creek without a paddle. Probably want to a avoid the unlucky situation where a lucky incursion behind your lines results in a dead commander before support can get there.

That being said, you probably want to be fast enough to get AWAY from said incursions towards support if need be. I imagine it will be kind of flying by the seat of your pants until the game settles down a bit and balances itself out.

My conclusion: I'd avoid a Jenner, and I'd avoid an Atlas. Everything else will probably be interesting to try out, to see what works best.

[Charles Martel]

I've always used a Marauder as a command mech.

[Captain Nice HD]

The Commando is a decent 'Mech, but a lot of the configurations don't even have the full 9 points of head armor. It is not a good thing when the Unit Commander's BattleMech is in constant danger of decapitation from PPCs and AC/10s.

Although, considering what you have in mind for the Hunchback, might I suggest the classic ARC-2R Archer instead. Good fire-support 'Mech, and a well-built workhorse. There's a reason that the design has survived since the early Age of War right up through the Dark Age...

[Thom Frankfurt]

Well Alexander Kerensky piloted from the seat of an Orion and he didn't do too bad.

[carl kerensky]

How about a Flea? Lol Fast and fleeting. Just stay out of range.

[Polymorphyne]

Cyclops! The perfect command mech

[Semyon Drakon]

The choice of command mech is going to greatly depend on what your unit is designed to do. The weight class has very little to do with a machines ability to let a commander do his job as he pilots. What is important is that the commanders mech is something he can pilot instinctively while also managing a battlespace.

Personally for IS units I pilot a Marauder, for the Clans an Executioner. There are different philosophies involved which I won't go into but don't get hooked on 'this is the ultimate command mech'. Wehat's the point of driving a Cyclops if the rest of your unit is based around medium designs and fast objective raids?

Semyon

[Polymorphyne]

I command more than just a lance, so Ill be commanding from a Cyclops if I can (as the company I command will consist of all kinds of mechs in a multirole setup)

For lance command, obviously the cyclops isnt the right choice.

[Karel Spaten]

Titus Pullo XIII, on 13 March 2012 - 12:40 AM, said:

Something like this -- http://en.wikipedia....n_EA-6B_Prowler -- but with legs.

Basically, a Raven then...

I wouldn't be surprised if the devs have optimised the Centurion as a command mech (i.e. given it more command slots, or somesuch). The name suggests it and the standard 3049 model would struggle for a niche next to the Dragon otherwise.