87 replies to this topic

[Axen Marik]

All that genetic manipulation and you'd think you would have eradicated the whiney b*&^* genes by now.

[SwampFox2019]

Meh... they'll get around to it... and my cougar... =D

[Obnoxious1]

What has been obviously overlooked is that no one is really going to take a race of people, whose mothers were inseminated by a turkey baster, seriously anyway. So the 'Clanner' names for mechs is a moot point.

[Rabid Monkey]

NATO gave Russian fighters code names like "Foxbat" for the MIG-25 that the Russians didn't use, and IS does the same with the Clan mechs. If you're fighting on the IS side, it'd be the "Mad Cat" and if you're on the Clan side you'd call it the "Timberwolf". It's that simple folks.

[Zolthar]

If I call a Mad Cat Timber Wolf, lot of my friend have no idea of what mech am I talking about. But if I talk of the Mad Cat, they all know what I'm talking about.

The "Mad Cat" became an Iconic Mech and was generally know as Mad Cat...

You gotta live with it my dear purist friends

[CyBerkut]

Axen Marik, on 08 January 2013 - 12:46 PM, said:

All that genetic manipulation and you'd think you would have eradicated the whiney b*&^* genes by now.

Well, they are probably inseparably linked to the role playing genes...

[CyBerkut]

Obnoxious1, on 08 January 2013 - 01:24 PM, said:

What has been obviously overlooked is that no one is really going to take a race of people, whose mothers were inseminated by a turkey baster, seriously anyway. So the 'Clanner' names for mechs is a moot point.

I feel compelled to point out here that Obnoxious1 is probably the only person posting in this forum who doesn't actually have a navel...

[ValdnadHartagga]

Stormwolf, on 24 October 2012 - 01:16 PM, said:

Those MK X versions are cheap knockoffs, they don't even have omni capability for crying out loud.

Literally so. Anything named "Mad Cat Mk. X" was created specifically for sale to the Inner Sphere by the Diamond Sharks, with the exception of the Mad Cat Mk. IV, which is called the Savage Wolf in Clan space.

Pariah Devalis, on 03 January 2013 - 10:55 PM, said:

A Nissan Maxima is a Nissan Maxima, a Ford Taurus is a Ford Taurus, and a Timberwolf is a Timberwolf.

And the Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II is widely known as the "Warthog." And hardcore Jeep owners insist on using internal model codes to refer to their vehicles rather than the market name (applied to your Nissan Maxima example, it would be called the Nissan A35 (if it was an '09+). By the way, the Maxima used to be the Datsun 810, and is currently sold in some international markets as the Nissan Teana). Just because it has a brand name doesn't mean somebody won't call it something else.

Alex Wolfe, on 08 January 2013 - 10:04 AM, said:

Ryoken... "hound", 猟犬?

Well, that makes sense, but I always thought the guys who made the mech just kitbashed something like "Demon* Sword"　（魎剣）　or something like that in half-correct Japanese...

Curious: do you have a source on that "hound" translation, or is it your own interpretation?

"Hunting Dog" is the correct translation; that came straight from the powers-that-be on the CBT forums before the last massive crash a few years ago.

Stormcrow IV, on 24 October 2012 - 09:39 AM, said:

Tell me why "Ryoken" makes more sense than "Stormcrow" and I'll listen to the IS folks. Until then, the original, intended names of the platforms are what I'll call them.

It's not supposed to make sense, it's just a radio designation. It is literally the first thing that came to a Kurita pilot's head when he saw the thing in action. You can't just call out "that thing" on the radio; all unknowns are assigned a reporting name (just like how we have targets A-H in MWO) to avoid confusion. When you use the reporting name long enough (i.e., don't know what the thing is actually called), the name sticks (see A-10 "Warthog"). Mad Cat makes zero sense, but that's the name established by Comstar and by the time they found out what it was really called, "Mad Cat" was probably in such widespread use that changing the reporting name would have just caused confusion.

Stormcrow IV, on 24 October 2012 - 09:39 AM, said:

My real reason is that there are a ton of styles and cultures mixed into the BT universe. Why would I want more of the same inner sphere influence at the cost of neglecting the new and interesting cultures of the different clans?
Thor and Loki? How creative, I didn't realize there was a strong mythological background to parts of the IS ...
And the Draconis Combine is Japanese and Indian. I didn't need the replacement names ... to tell me that Asian infuence played into IS culture

The reporting names assigned to Clan 'Mechs are indicative of where they were first spotted. The Mad Dog was originally reported as the Hagetaka (which is incidentally Japanese for "vulture" - obviously named for its appearance). The Loki was named by AFFS forces on the Steiner side (i.e., the invasion corridor) inspired by the "utter madness" of its configuration. Since the invasion corridor runs right through the Rasalhague Republic (which is a blend of Lyran, Combine, and Nordic cultures), most of the reporting names have Germanic, Japanese, and Nordic origins.

Stormcrow IV, on 24 October 2012 - 09:39 AM, said:

Blanketing the interesting Clan names/culture with more of the same IS crap just doesn't make sense and it suppresses the individuality that BT brings to the table.

The entire point of the reporting names is that the Inner Sphere is trying to reconcile the strange new ClanTech with familiar terminology. In a way, it becomes rebellious bigotry - in light of the Clan juggernaut, the general culture of the Inner Sphere refuses to acknowledge proper Clan terminology. In the minds of the Spheroids, the Clans are simply the enemy - they don't deserve respect, tolerance, nor mutual understanding. Real-life examples: pretty much any war. There are less-than-tolerant members of the general population that don't hesitate to refer to the enemy by a derisive name (what were the Vietnamese referred to during the Viet Nam War? What stereotypical food was used to reference Germans during the World Wars?).

Half of BattleTech is the politics (the other half is the results thereof). There are not suppposed to be good guys or bad guys (though there are favored pets) - everything is gray, at least until the Clans came and became the bad guys, or later when the Blakists do the same. Propanganda and bias are important elements of the universe - this is why Clan 'Mechs appear with their IS reporting names in games that feature Inner Sphere protagonists, why Clan players who love playing Clan will always use Clan 'Mech names, and why pretty much all players go after Davonistas with gusto (even the Davonistas). That is what keeps it interesting.

Clearly you are biased to using Clan names for Clan 'Mechs, which is fine, but have you ever considered that your preference is rooted in fictional propaganda (one way or another)? That's pretty cool!



tl;dr: BAWWWWWWWWWW.