262 replies to this topic

[General Taskeen]

It'd be nice if the Yen-Lo could use/have its Hatchet...

Edited by General Taskeen, 10 March 2013 - 10:33 AM.

[Cpt Beefheart]

I voted yes. As a Heavy/Assault pilot who weighs heavily on slow, powerful weapons one counter I find myself facing is a puny little light mech running up and standing below my cockpit, chipping away at my CT from where I can't point my weapons (I think this is fighting dirty, personally, but war is war). How I would love to be able to step back and slam the little s**t with my arms and watch it sail back into range of my cannons *swat*... *BLAM BLAM BLAM BLAM BLAM* "HA HA HAAAA... silly little mech".

Another scenario is running out of ammunition. It would be great to still be kind of useful once your ammo is depleted.

I also like this as it's a way to discourage close combat from devolving into a boring "death circle" (two mechs circling each other in a stalemate). In my mind this happens because the most logical way to fight with ranged weapons at close quarters is to try to get behind your opponent. Imagine: two mechs running toward each other, guns blazing, and instead of trying to get behind each other, they get in close and try to knock the other mech down before their enemy can.

Then there's melee mechs like the Axeman ect. which I would LOVE to see come in as a frontal assault mech. sSRM boats? I don't think any of those would enjoy getting too close to a mech sporting a melee weapon.

[KaneDeathForge]

Voted yes. think of it it will ballence out some of those darn lights (aka like the commando) that love to sit ontop of you wile in your Big Assault . since you can only shoot so far down Punch Kick that little nut and send him back off of your legs. outherwise any time you have a light on your legs you are one word! Screwed. i have had this happen and seen it happen way to often. plus love that that little image up there

[Monky]

I think the simplest thing to do is a simple 'punch' that basically puts the mech into a swinging animation, the fist apply damage when they strike something. during this time the torso moves left if it's a right arm punch and right if it's a left arm punch. Aim the torso up and down to guide it up and down. Use heat/damage rules from tabletop and keep it as a very close range option that is hard to pull off but potent with little cost in heat.

BIG O, SHOOOOOWWWWW TIIIIIIIIIIIMEEEEE

[Capt Cole 117]

Logically a sword/axe should be damaged when it hits a mech, unlike a human a mech would have similar hardness/toughness to anything you could make a mech melee weapon with. Its just another type of collision when you think about it, my arm hitting your torso, shaping your arm into an axe wouldn’t change that. Kind of silly when you think about it.

[ShamaelTheFallen]

I really wan an Axeman N2

[Dorynn]

I believe mechs should, if not equipped with melee weapons directly, at least be able to beat on eachother like the multi-ton titans that they are. I have several reasons for this:

1. It's canon. Good reason for me, although I recognize that this won't matter to many other people.

2. It's an important part of a mech's arsenal. There's a reason that 'ankle-biting' is such an effective tactic right now: the Raven/Jenner/Spider/Cicada doesn't have to worry about the mech he's harassing, which is often two or three times his tonnage, simply getting fed up and booting him into the next solar system. Assault mechs are slow to move and slow to turn, and right now the only way to be able to stand up (?) to ankle-biters in an assault is to pack as large an engine as possible, which is ludicrously expensive and makes you weaker (due to the increased weight) against other mechs of similar size. The only alternative is to rely on your team mates, and we all know how wrong that can go. As it is currently, I feel it to be unbalanced.

3. Its one of the few advantages in one-on-one combat the Inner Sphere had over the Clans. Sure, the Clans aren't in yet, but when they are, without the ability to take the steel gloves off and just beat on each other (something that Clans DON'T do, since they think it's dishonorable), Inner Sphere mechs will be at an even bigger disadvantage than they will with all the other strengths the Clans possess.

I'll admit that MWO isn't a direct translation of Battletech on the tabletop, but it needs this.

[The Blazer of Lasers]

Sure if you like atlas kung-fu instant kill loss matches.

[Bobzilla]

It should def be put in. Doesn't even have to do damage, rocking, knockdown, crit chance if to internals.

[Nathan Foxbane]

They said it would likely be a Solaris option, but I would love to see it regular too.

[Syllogy]

They already confirmed that they would like to do Melee. Currently it is in the Concept Stage.

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[Victor Morson]

Youngbull1980, on 21 November 2012 - 01:17 AM, said:

I SOOOO want an axman

I don't want any Kung-Fu looking 'mechs, obviously, but an Axman, Hatchetman or a 'mech with a "Battle fist" like the Awesome would be fun to use in desperate situations, in particular if you did a slow-recovery leap-attack like Steel Battalion. Melee should be very high risk if it ever shows up.

[Keyonastring]

I would have to say no. With no collision damage in the game the issue becomes scout runs up to heavy or assault, runs straight into them and hacks away. Like has already need said, if knock down and collision damage get put it sure. Scout run into Assault, scout takes damage and falls. Assault then has time to just stomp assault to death with collision or back up and blast it. Then it would actually be a skill to use it, not just a hack and slash.

[Bobzilla]

Keyonastring, on 19 March 2013 - 12:17 PM, said:

I would have to say no. With no collision damage in the game the issue becomes scout runs up to heavy or assault, runs straight into them and hacks away. Like has already need said, if knock down and collision damage get put it sure. Scout run into Assault, scout takes damage and falls. Assault then has time to just stomp assault to death with collision or back up and blast it. Then it would actually be a skill to use it, not just a hack and slash.

You don't see it like: scout runs up to assault, scout does almost worthless melee attacks due to weight difference, assault alphas, light goes pop.

[Totnacht]

Donas, on 10 March 2013 - 07:30 AM, said:

Voted yes, and apologizing to the Devs in advance for the nightmarish implementation of it, should they decide to go that route.

Dear friend,

whoever you are,

your signature made my day at work SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much better.

Best regards, Totnacht

[Donas]

I do my best. lol

[IrrelevantFish]

I voted "no" for three reasons:

• If piloted properly in the current environment, assault mechs have no need of melee attacks to deal with lights, and lights should never be in a position to be affected by them.
  
• It's very hard to implement with server-authoritative net-code.
  
• Collisions would be a far better mechanism of producing the desired results.

So as cool as melee attacks are in concept, I would like it to be one of the very last features they implement, if they implement it at all.

[Mokou]

IrrelevantFish, on 04 April 2013 - 07:00 AM, said:

• It's very hard to implement with server-authoritative net-code.

If it's just like small range weapon (5m max range or smth like this). It will be not "very hard to implement".

Edited by Mokou, 04 April 2013 - 07:04 AM.

[IrrelevantFish]

Mokou, on 04 April 2013 - 07:04 AM, said:

If it's just like small range weapon (5m max range or smth like this). It will be not "very hard to implement".

Not exactly. The problem is that standard weapons-fire can be simulated quite accurately with simple points or lines, and the shooter and target remain relatively independent of each other.

Neither is the case with melee attacks, where the shape and volume of the striker and the target must be taken into account, the striker and target become momentarily physically connected, and (if knockdowns were implemented) the target's final location depends on the directionality and location of both the striker and target ... not to mention what would happen if multiple mechs were attacking at once.

Now, I suppose you could treat melee attacks as short-ranged projectile weapons, but the simplicity would cause significant artifacts, both visually and in gameplay. An implementation that would satisfy the expectations of today's gamers would be very messy indeed.

[Kyzar Kon]

I woud definatly want to see melee. It would actually make having those hand acuators worth a damn ( seeing they take up space and tons!) Also its a staple of Battletech, its just a matter of having the technology and balance to implent it. I know people prefer to just have 'pew pew' mechs, but especially during the clan wars that are pretty mych on our doorstep its one of the most effective counters to them.

I remember a game I double punched a cheese warhawk in the face twice with my ammo-less battered Atlas. That clanner 'flipped a ******!".

Implamenting it is the issue. Creating attack animations, collision detection, and all that crap is alot of extra work that PGI will struggle with. (they cant even put two mechs out a month, and that last ones 3d geometry make me puke.)

If it was implamented they should also add the ability to "pew pew" mechs to flip their guns backward to fire behind them like in TT. New level of depth.