29 replies to this topic

[redplauge]

ok we all know from the faq that there is going to be at least the jenner, hunchback, and atlas...
but which ones?

i can only find my old 3050 (revised) and 3025 (again revised), and the 2750
but lets take the jenner (i would assume that as a light its one of the first ones we can get into)
3025 has the jr7-d jenner and 3050 has the jr7-k... differences? well the k model loses .5 tonnes of armor to fit a case system into the srm launcher.

well ok not a major change... but then the 3025-3050(original 3050) covers tech 1 mechs and 3050(revised) and after cover tech 2 with some tech 3 thrown in until the end of the fedcom civil war, where it jumps forward to the clix system.
now the game starts sometime in 3049, this would be well after the 4th succession war, where the first of the tech 2 stuff is being produced for front line combat. (reverse engineered from the grey death memory cores from right before the 4th war) and then of course the clans hit and the need for the tech 2 equipment becomes paramount.

so the point is are we going to eventually get an atlas with an ac20 or a gauss rifle? or change the gun out as we want? (ah la mechcommander)

[redplauge]

nvm got fixed

Edited by redplauge, 03 November 2011 - 10:34 AM.

[CycKath]

The nickname thing is better for Website Support


As for the 'Mechs I'd bet the 3025 versions are the standard starters for when the game launches with the newer versions appearing rarely

[goon]

I would assume since the game is going to be updated with new things as they appear in lore (with roughly 1:1 dating) with the newer models of mechs being introduced as they were being introduced they may obsolete the previous versions or be separate and available alongside the older versions that were already in the game at a bit of a premium cost.

though the stacking of versions could get confusing if not handled properly.


OR

instead of having them separate mechs, when you purchase a mech chassis you can select what model you want to start with as a base loadout out of what is available at this point in lore/game time and then modify that if you want.

IE you could buy a Hunchback and then select the available variant you wish for a base loadout.

and you could also pay to modify an existing mech you already own to a different variant (using MW4 as a guide, a normal Hunchback cannot be a 4P Swayback because you cannot change the Balistics slot to an energy weapons slot in game and there for is impossible to mount the extra Lasers, in this case you would need to rebuild it as a 4P variant) again for a cost. you can still modify this in the mechlab to what ever the heck you want, but it's still under the restrictions that the particular variant loadout imposes, for example (using MW4 again) If you had a 4P Hunchback you could replace the Lasers with A PPC or any other energy Weapons in place of the Lasers, but only energy weapons, as defined by the slot.

I think this would do nicely.

Edited by goon, 02 November 2011 - 09:33 PM.

[IronWatch]

I demand I start in an Urbie. IIC may be ahead of its time for the game, but a dedicated fan can dream can't he?

[redplauge]

i like goons idea of an upgrade system, tho if we get some sort of salvage system, i see a lot of trading with I.S. ppl for clan equipment... which did happen a lot in the games/books.
and ah the urbie i foresee a need to stockpile clan er ppcs...

[theginganinja]

Well, think about it this way - the devs want the different types of mechs to all have their place in the lance from the very get-go. So they shouldn't have an unlock system that goes up the weight classes. Instead, it could be more of a quality-of-mech type thing - you start out with a basic 'mech or two in every weight class, then unlock "better" 'mechs as you go, possibly getting to Clan tech eventually. And as you spend more time in a certain 'mech, maybe you'd get upgraded equipment. I think that would give the game a fairly well balanced upgrade and unlock system

[Barantor]

Honestly I think we should start in a medium since that is what the vast majority of the mechs are and it would make more sense. Light mechs don't equal '****' or 'cheap'. If the previous games are any indication then we may well start in a medium.

I want to see more about the advancement of your pilot and the link to a specific mech/s rather than moving up from one to another mech in some sense that the 100ton atlas is better than a 75 ton marauder.

[Munchausen]

I would be shocked if we don't see most if not all of the standards that generally appear in the basic set of the tabletop game, although there are a few iconic mechs missing from 4th ed that I would also expect to see. Specifically, I predict we'll see the Locust, Griffin, and Battlemaster, as those are mechs that tend to be heavily featured in art throughout the history of Battletech.

My list of most likelies (just the model for now - variant predictions will wait for more info on game mechanics and setting):
Locust
Commando
Spider
Jenner (for sure)
Vindicator
Hunchback (for sure)
Griffin
Trebuchet
Catapult
Jagermech
Victor
Battlemaster
Awesome
Zeus
Atlas (for sure)

[wanderer]

I've got no problem with "What 'Mech can I use" starting out as a light, depending on the House. I also think that being mercs, being able to BUY new 'Mechs will be part of it (with game credits, not real money). And that should be the limitation. Mercs live and die by the C-bill. And mind you, lights go all over the place. Speed demons like the Locust. Heavily armed and (for a light) armored ones like the Panther or Wolfhound. People can start getting used to a style even when the machine only weighs in at 35 tons or less.

As long as missions make those lighter machines essential, there will always be reasons for them.

[Vallend]

I may one of the few people who think as fresh out of training pilots we should be offered a light Battlemech of the 20 to 25 ton range. From there we can work out way up to better mechs as we progress in the game. I hate games that hand you mid-level equipment from the start, it takes away from the fun and challenge of trying to improve your equipment through play.

[WhiteRabbit]

I hope that light doen't equal bad (as in MW4)... maybe something like sub-standard configurations for fresh pilots (in whatever weight-class)

[wanderer]

WhiteRabbit, on 03 November 2011 - 11:26 AM, said:

I hope that light doen't equal bad (as in MW4)... maybe something like sub-standard configurations for fresh pilots (in whatever weight-class)

If all we do is slug it out, light would be bad.

Fortunately, there's more roles than "shoot the **** out of everyone" in this game. See the section in the FAQ about "information warfare"- lights are ideal for this part of the game, since getting places and scouting begs for high-mobility units.

[Stormwolf]

I'm personally hoping that the initial pick is going to be from the light, medium and low end heavy mechs.

I'd have to following initial picks per faction:

DC and FRR:
Panther, Jenner, Griffin, Wolftrap, Wolverine, Dragon, Catapult

FC
Wasp, Commando, Wolfhound, Centurion, Dervish, Rifleman, Thunderbolt

CC:
Stinger, Raven, Wasp, Vindicator, Huncback, Cataphract, Jagermech

FWL:
Hermes, Wasp, Locust, Wolverine, Cicada, Quickdraw Guillotine

Merc:
Wolfhound, Spider, Locust, Phoenix Hawk, Assassin, Quickdraw, Catapult

There should also be one randomly generated pick from the Era Report 3052 RAT's.


More mechs would become available after the first few missions.

[theginganinja]

vallend, on 03 November 2011 - 11:20 AM, said:

I may one of the few people who think as fresh out of training pilots we should be offered a light Battlemech of the 20 to 25 ton range. From there we can work out way up to better mechs as we progress in the game. I hate games that hand you mid-level equipment from the start, it takes away from the fun and challenge of trying to improve your equipment through play.

The problem is, anyone who comes in a little late or doesn't play as often is going to be in a lot of trouble, because they'll stuck with using only the smaller 'mechs - they'd have no chance against the higher-ranked players without a lot of luck or skill. That's why I like the idea of giving starting players a couple basic 'mechs from each weight class - it lets players experiment with play-styles, while still allowing them to gain "better" 'mechs in their weight class. The new guys have a decent chance of being effective, providing they have some skill, and the high ranking players still get their unlocks.
So, for example, the Marauder and Atlas are in many ways the "ultimate" examples of their weight classes. Making those high-level unlocks while still allowing, say, the Quickdraw and/or Rifleman (both have decent firepower, relatively low armor and speed) in the heavy weight class and the Awesome (High firepower and armor, but low speed and ridiculous heat generation) and/or Charger (great speed for its weight, decent point-blank firepower, relatively low armor) for assault 'mechs. Not sure what the low- and high-rank mediums and lights would be, but the devs could certainly figure something out.

[Munchausen]

Stormwolf, your prediction looks pretty reasonable for a starting 3050 list. I'm just not sure at this point whether we should anticipate seeing full 3050 tech at release. Many of those mechs were in production prior to 3050, it's true, but typically they were not widely available outside of specific house units. I'm not convinced, for instance, that the Combine circa 3049 would be thrilled about any old merc unit getting a hold of its newly rediscovered LB-X technology on the Wolf Trap.

So the answer to the OP is that it really depends on what the setting and mechanics of the game are. I anticipate that we'll see more of a 3025 focus on the tech at release, with lots of small but quick DLC updates over the first 6 months to bring us more in line with 3050.

[Barantor]

My thought is that we see a medium training mech of the likes of a hellspawn in some sort of tutorial and then once the training is over we are offered a selection of weight classes as Stormwolf suggests.

I would rather the differentiation be the roles they play, possibly the upgrades they have, but not the weight they are.

[FireBlood]

I hope it's more of a 3025 focus at start for mech variants, I'm just not really ready or wanting Gauss Rifles, Streak & ER weapons, and advanced Autocannons just yet.

[Stormwolf]

Barantor, on 03 November 2011 - 01:08 PM, said:

My thought is that we see a medium training mech of the likes of a hellspawn in some sort of tutorial and then once the training is over we are offered a selection of weight classes as Stormwolf suggests.

I would rather the differentiation be the roles they play, possibly the upgrades they have, but not the weight they are.

Thanks, it was my initial aim to give players different mechs from the start to create some more diversity.

But I agree with your statement that they should be divided by role.

[Shepherd]

I'm really hoping that you can start with at least one choice from each class. They seem to be big on player roles. Why go big on player roles and then limit everybody to one role to begin with?

Also, remember that there will be no single player to work through. This is straight up multiplayer, so there won't be a kiddie mission with 3 tanks and 1 mech for you to learn how to turn in. There may be a tutorial, but we'll all be diving straight into PvP combat, so all of the roles need to be available at the get-go.