9 replies to this topic

[Coilshot]

I started this topic in another thread, and for some odd reason it ended up in a totally different thread. So pasted it all here...

Coilshot, on 19 December 2012 - 05:30 AM, said:

Ilya Muromets comes with an XL 280, and will except up to STD or XL 340.

CTF-2X will except up to STD or XL 340.

CTF-4X will only except up to STD or XL 255

I am not sure about limitations on the other variants, but shouldn't all the same chassis have the same upper limit on the engine size? Which means I cant use my XL 280 for my Muromets, in my CTF-4X. Engine swaps are nice until you can afford what you want for each mech.

random51, on 19 December 2012 - 05:32 AM, said:

Two Ravens go up 245, one of them goes up to 295. Similar engine variations in the Centurion, Awesome, and Cataphract lines.

Nothing is stopping you from engine swaps. Mechs come with engines when you buy them.

Coilshot, on 19 December 2012 - 08:10 AM, said:

Sure there is something stopping me, the CTF-4X only handles up to 255, I got a 280 I wanted to stuff in to it, the 280 came out of another Cataphract. Engine capacity on the mech as far as I knew, was based on tonnage of the mech. Which means ALL Cataphracts should be able to handle 340's. Am I incorrect about weight/tonnage affecting what engine I can put in to the chassis? Or is this some kind of PGI balance mechanism.

[Redshift2k5]

Engine capacity is based on the base engine rating of the mech, which can vary among variants. /thread

[ski2060]

Just because it's the same base variant, doesn't mean they have the same supporting structure or actuators.
The lower engine values on some variants just means they were designed with lower speeds in mind, and can only handle up to a certain power load on it's drive train.

At least that's how I envision it. They may have the same chassis, but the internals may all be different.

[Kraven Kor]

Compare a Dodge Daytona you buy at the dealership with the one they run in NASCAR or whatever.

Bet you couldn't stick that engine in your store-bought car without some... major modifcations

Or look at Dragsters compared to NASCAR Stock Cars. Dragster is all Engine; NASCAR Stock Car needs more suspension, transmission, etc. So the Dragster is much smaller, but with a very much larger engine.

It all makes sense.

[Kristov Kerensky]

It's an artifical/non-canon way PGI has decided to use to make different configurations of the same chassis different as well as limit how fast any given chassis can go.

There's no such limitation in TT, if you can fit the tonnage, you can put whatever size engine you want in a chassis.

[LogicSol]

Kristov Kerensky, on 19 December 2012 - 12:42 PM, said:

There's no such limitation in TT, if you can fit the tonnage, you can put whatever size engine you want in a chassis.

And this is terrible for game balance.
See Quad Gauss atlas.
Remember, in TT, the only difference between any mech is the tonnage, and what it is currently equipped with.
Restrictions are what makes the variants different. This is a good thing.

[Kraven Kor]

And there were a lot of optional rules that tried to make the customization a bit less insane, as well; with varying results.

I mean look at the introduction of Omni Mechs - by that time I had already been building custom mechs entirely from scratch, and modifying IS mechs in silly and/or insane ways (Orion, Jump Jets, Mace + AC/20...) and read the Omni rules and was like "We couldn't already do that?"

[Coilshot]

Yup that is what I thought. I do recall them saying they were setting it up off the base engine, And I do like how they are making it so there are actual variants, and not just blanks to fill in... Also didnt think there would be that big of a difference between same chassis. I mean 255-340 is a big jump. I did end up spending the CBs, and using a shoehorn, stuffed the 255 in.

Thanks for the info.

Kristov Kerensky, on 19 December 2012 - 12:42 PM, said:

It's an artifical/non-canon way PGI has decided to use to make different configurations of the same chassis different as well as limit how fast any given chassis can go.

There's no such limitation in TT, if you can fit the tonnage, you can put whatever size engine you want in a chassis.

[Jetfire]

Moving around all those internals is bound to have an effect on what you can put inside. Relocating hard points is bound to affect what else can fit inside, like the engine.

[Relic1701]

Kristov Kerensky, on 19 December 2012 - 12:42 PM, said:

There's no such limitation in TT, if you can fit the tonnage, you can put whatever size engine you want in a chassis.

Actually there is, the rules for modifications to mechs is (I believe) an optional/advanced ruleset, and if you did see any they were thrown together with whatever spare parts were hanging around. Technically speaking we should not be allowed to modify any IS mech, as they were factory built with a purpose in mind. The only true modular mechs were Omni...and even then it only allowed weapon & heatsink changes.