3 replies to this topic

[Stone Wall]

Sorry for the design, they did this a llooonnnggg time ago. I hope it helps new people.

http://www.mechwarri.../trm/Custom.htm

[Stone Wall]

CUSTOMIZATION

"Customization of your personal mech is not only fun, but rewarding as well. It is neccessary to obtain the greatest effectiveness from any particular chassis. Stock mechs are usually not well balanced for gameplay, this is designed into the game to encourage the use of the mechlab. Like any other aspect of the game, use of the mechlab will take some practice, but proficient use of the resources and tools available there is vital to your success on the field of battle."

Choosing a Chassis :

• Deciding which chassis to use for your mech is one of the most difficult aspects of the entire process. All mechs have their various and unique properties, the key is to make a choice that maximizes your fighting potential, enhances your strengths and minimizes your weaknesses. Decide what kind of fighting style best suits you, fast and agile fighters, or big, crushing battleships. It might take some time and experimentation playing the game, but eventually, you will find a style that is comfortable for you. Once the decision has been made, work on a particular chassis can begin. Try out many different types and configurations, you might be surprised to find that one type of mech seems to work much better for you than the others. Mechs are grouped into 4 classes, light, medium, heavy and assault. Reference the "Chassis" section of MechSpecs for descriptions of each individual chassis.

  • Light Mechs - Under 40 tons : Mech classified as "Light" are The Inner Sphere Firefly, Owens, and the Clan Puma. There are best suited for scout mechs or hit and run harrassers. Their light weight and minimal armor protection making them somewhat vulnerable, speed and stealth are their greatest strengths. Although they can be outfitted to deliver a surprising punch, this is usually at the expense of armor protection or speed.
    
    
    
  • Medium Mechs - 40 to 55 tons : A versatile class of mechs, including the Inner Sphere Strider and Bushwacker, and the Clan varieties Shadow Cat, Black HawkMedium mechs are an oustanding group of machines, they can be outfitted to perform most any function, with great effectivness. Not as swift or manueverable as the light mechs, or carrying the heavy offensive capabilities of larger types, they can provide the most well balanced mix of speed, protection and firepower.
    
    
    
  • Heavy Mechs - 60 to 75 tons : Heavy mechs are the cruisers of the battlefield, able to carry much the same firepower as the heavier Assault mechs, they have greater agility. Some types are surprisingly quick for their large size, and they are a tremendous threat to any other mech they happen to encounter. Inner Sphere Avatar, Champion, and Orion, and the Clan's Vulture, Cauldron Born, Thor and Mad Cat comprise this formidable class of battlemechs.
    
    
    
  • Assault Mechs - 80 tons and over : These are the battleships, their raw, brute force unmatched by any other type of mech. Massive weaponry and heavy armor make these fearsome monsters deadly opponents. Able to carry any type of weapon, and enough ammunition and heat sinks to destroy a city, quickly. A smaller mech in the gunsights of one of these beasts is soon reduced to a smouldering pile of twisted debris. The Inner Sphere is represented by the Sunder and the Annihilator, the Clan claims the Supernova and Daishi. They have one weakness, their lack of quickness and agility can make them vulnerable to smaller foes.
    
    
  "Be prepared to do some juggling, weight and critical spaces need to be factored in to every aspect of design. Everyone would love to go into battle with a Shadow Cat, carrying 4 Ultra 20 Autocannons, with no worries about heat build up or ammunition usage. The reality is a bit more practical, everything must balance out, all pieces must fit together efficiently or the result will be a design that is poor fighting mech. Slow performance for chassis size, constant overheating, or the inability to stay in a fight for any length of time before being killed are warning signs that your mech needs further work. Use this section as a guideline, then make you own choices based on your needs and experiences."
  
  
  
• Modifying :
  
  The primary configurations of a particular chassis most often presents an unfocused approach to design. A mix of short, medium and long range weapons are the normal configurations. Having selected a suitable fighting style, and selected a chassis to implement it, refitting and existing mech is the next task, this is where it begins to get really fun. Much trail and error will be involved in designing and polishing a unique weapon. As it begin to take shape, you spend more time in the cockpit, you begin to get a feel for it, it becomes a part of you, a natural extension of your will. While you may design and fight in a number of different types, there will always be one that remains special, the bread and butter you return to when a tough battle looms. It will become a trusted friend.
  • Stripping : To ensure that all aspects of the design are fully optimized, the best way to continue is with a clean sheet of paper, at the customization screen, remove everything that can be removed from the chassis, weapons, equipment and armor. Once everything is gone, you can begin to build it to a specific goal. You should have 51 critical spaces available, REGARDLESS OF TONNAGE, ALL FULLY STRIPPED MECHS HAVE 51 CRITICAL SPACES. If you have less, either all the armor has not been removed, or an XL engine, which consumes critical spaces, is still fitted. Fit a "Standard" engine, and click it down to the smallest size available. Now you have a clean design to work with. SAVE THIS MECH AS IS!, name it "base" or "stripped", whatever, it will save you from having to strip a particular chassis again, further customization can be started with this mech instead of a Primary Variant.
    
  • Armor : Always add armor next, and carry as much as possible of any particular type. Armor types cannot be mixed, so whether you choose Standard, Ferro-Fibrous, or Clan Ferro-Fibrous it must all be the same variety. Maximum armor values are critical in surviving for any length of time on the battlefield, especially in multi-player on-line gaming. Your opponent will be tough, have superior aim and tactical abilities, and will show absolutely no mercy. Adequate armor protection will allow you to maintain a fight for greater periods of time, perhaps resulting in victory. Reference "Armor" section for a detailed analysis of armor types and properties.
    
  • Weapons :This is what you have been waiting for, adding weapon types is one of the most fun, but most complicated areas of customization. Suit you weapons to your fighting style. If you are the type of pilot that likes to close with the enemy, getting right in their face, it would be a waste of resources to fit long range weapons to your mech. On the other hand, if you enjoy picking off enemies from long range, there is no need to waste space with small lasers or machine guns. Place most, if not all weapons in torso areas, the arms of most mechs have a habit of being lost in an extended battle, and a trip to the "Mobile Field Base" won't replace a lost limb. By placing weapons in the torso, you ensure continued firepower throughout a fight. And without weapons in the arms, armor can be eliminated from them. The resulting savings in weight can be utilized for equipment or engine upgrades. When fitting energy weapons, don't forget to allow for adequate heat sinks. The "Weapons" section will describe different weapon types in great detail. Choose wisely, your life and that of your teammates depends on your effective use of your weapons.
    
  • Equipment : Addition of equipment can be confusing, often you will not realize that you need a certain type, and will just struggle along without it. Study carefully the"Equipment" section to get an idea of what is available, and use those types that seem useful to you. You can always modify your design, and you will find yourself in the Mechlab frequently, fine-tuning your mech. Some of the more useful types are Targeting computers, ECM suites, and AMS's. Only you can decide what best suits your particular needs. Heat sinks and engines are also accessed through this part of the menu.
    
  • Engine : Finally, install the engine, if you have the criticals spaces needed, an XL type represents the best power to weight ratio. If not, stay with the Standard variety, whatever type is chosen, just click on the right arrow to increase the size to it's maximum. MASC is a valuable piece of equipment, it will boost your top speed by 25%, for the cost of 3 critical spaces and 2 tons of weight, if the resources are available, make it a part of your design. It can be especially valuable in Medium mechs with larger engines, boosting their speed greatly. A fast target is much harder to hit, and "Speed is life" on the field of battle. The "Engines" section will give general weight and size information, while detailed analysis for each chassis and all available engines can be found in "Chassis" section under each particular mech type. These tables give top speeds for each engine with and without MASC installed.
    
  • Finalizing : Make sure that armor is distributed, its not enough that it is selected, it must physically be placed in each area of the chassis. Click "Auto-Distribute Armor Points" and then fine tune the settings from there. Ensure that weapons are properly grouped, long range weapons together, and short range weapons together. It will be much easier to select the proper weapon if they are logically grouped. Now is also the time to tweak armor values, engine sizes and weapons load outs. Make certain the mechs weight is utilized effectively, you receive no benefit or performance gain by piloting an underweight mech, a 60 ton mech should weigh very close to 60 tons when all is said and done. Increase engine size, or armor values to bring it up to weight. If a design is consistently under weight, choose the next smaller chassis. You might find that you still have all you want in your mech, plus the added benefit of greater performance. [/color]
    
  • Saving : Don't forget to save your hard work before exiting the Mechlab. Give your mech a unique name and click "Save". The name should be short, descriptive and easily remembered, instead of "MadCat01", for example, "LaserBoss" will allow you to pick exactly the mech you want for a particular battle. This will be greatly appreciated by your teammates and opponents who are waiting for you to exit the Mechlab and allow the game to be started. Don't be a "Lab Rat" not only is it impolite, but the other players are sure to make rude comments about your abilities and parentage behind your back. Often "Lab Rats" are especially targeted for destruction once the game begins, justifiably so. Once a game is entered, you should already be prepared to fight, it is not the time to configure a mech.

• Testing :
  
  After all that time in the Mechlab, you should be anxious to test your design against an opponent, this is best done fron the "Instant Action" menu. Select a world, make it a challenge, remember that the warriors you meet on-line will be much tougher than any you will face in the game. If you are heavy with energy based weapons, select a hot world, such as "Beachhead", this will provide a better understanding of the heat characteristics of your mech. Select opponents that will challenge your skill as a pilot. As you become more proficient, you can test your mech at the hardest difficulty level, against up to 6 of the toughest foes, and still come out a winner. Now you are truly ready to test your mettle against the finest mechwarriors in the known universe, the internet gamers that live for armored battlemech combat.[/color]

"Have fun, continue testing and practicing until you become feared among the mighty. There are few feelings as satisfying as having the respect of a pilot that used to chew you to ribbons. You will find that your toughest opponents will become your best and most trusted friends on-line. Superior pilots will seek out the challenge and camradarie of other competent pilots, that is how clans and teams are born, and why some teams seen to sweep all opposition before them as easily as swatting flies. Before they ever joined, they studied, and built and fought. In their quest to find tougher opponents and challenges, they joined with those that earned their respect, and became a family of warriors."

Edited by Stone Wall, 06 December 2012 - 06:24 PM.

[MagicHamsta]

Urbanmech?
('-')

Edited by MagicHamsta, 06 December 2012 - 11:18 PM.

[Stone Wall]

MagicHamsta, on 06 December 2012 - 11:18 PM, said:

Urbanmech?
('-')

trash can?