Dualscar, on 28 January 2013 - 08:42 PM, said:
I'm not sure where sarna.net gets its info from. I checked the cited sources, and it doesn't say anything about changing an omnimech's base configuration hard-wiring all its equipment, only about the ability to make certain components part of a base configuration.
The BattleTech dev posts are a much better source, though.
As it happens,
an actual BattleTech Dev did give exactly that response with regard to the question.
Quote
It is not a supported refit to do this and still have the unit be an Omni. Fixed equipment on an OmniMech can only be changed by making is a custom, non-Omni design. At that point it would be a normal refit of the unit, but the freed space would not be an Omni pod.
This has occurred once or twice in canon design, where a Clan custom has been made from an Omni and becomes a Non-Omni.
Additionally, the OmniMech customization restrictions are described in more detail on pages 47-57 of
TechManual.
The short version is that (canonically):
- An OmniMech's internal structure type (standard, endo-steel, etc) and location/distribution of criticals cannot be changed.
- An OmniMech's engine type (standard, XL, etc), rating (250, 300, etc), and location/distribution of criticals cannot be changed.
- An OmniMech's armor type (standard, FF, etc), amount (total tonnage/number of armor points), distribution (how much armor is where), and location/distribution of criticals cannot be changed.
- The locations and types for the cockpit and gyro may not be changed.
- The presence and location(s) of MASC and TSM cannot be changed; neither may be added to an OmniMech that wasn't originally built with it, and neither can be moved into a set of criticals other than what they originally occupied (for example, it may not be moved from the Left-Torso to the Right-Torso).
- The type of heat sinks (standard, DHS, etc) that are equipped on an OmniMech cannot be changed.
- Weapons and other pieces of equipment, additional Heat Sinks, Jump Jets, and other items may have been built-into the OmniMech as hard-wired "fixed items". Examples of such fixed components include the Flamer on the Adder/"Puma" (mounted in the Center-Torso), the Medium Lasers on the Avatar (mounted in the Center-Torso), and five of the Jump Jets on the Summoner/"Thor" (one mounted in the Center-Torso, the other four filling the legs). Such "fixed items" may not be either moved to another location on the OmniMech nor completely removed from said OmniMech.
The above restrictions are a large part of what keeps each OmniMech unique in spite of their relatively flexible weapon and pod-mounted equpment loads (e.g. why a
Blood Asp might be used in place of a
Kingfisher and vice versa, as well as why the former exists in the first place despite being predated by the latter by 172 years in-universe, and why OmniMechs of the same tonnage can exist without just being "X-ton gunbags with different skins").
Dualscar, on 28 January 2013 - 08:42 PM, said:
As far as solutions, I really like the idea of letting you choose your pod layout after the map and game type is determined. You could easily allow any player dropping in a Timberwolf to, upon loading the map, choose which of his owned Timberwolf variants to use. You could even implement the omnimech limitation by allowing users to customize the base configured equipment, turning the mech into a regular battlemech and removing that variant from the list of options when choosing your variant.
For example, say you own a Timberwolf Prime, A, and B. If you select any of those chassis, after the map and game type are revealed you can choose to launch with any of those three variants. Later on, you heavily customize the A and B variants. You leave the A variant's base configuration intact, only swapping out all its weapons. The B variant you modify with a smaller engine and less armor to make room for more ammo and guns. Now, if you choose the B variant you are stuck with it regardless of the map and game type. But if you choose the Prime or A variants you may still choose either one after the map is revealed, reflecting the fact that they are both still omnimech variants that can be swapped quickly before the battle starts.
Assuming PGI actually adheres to the OmniMech restrictions, one might be outright unable to "modify with a smaller engine and less armor to make room for more ammo and guns" since moifying the Engine in any manner is something of a no-no for OmniMechs (unless, of course, one does not mind completely losing the OmniMech capabilities
).
That being said, I think the notion of some sort of drop-down list of currently-saved configurations in a post-map/pre-start menu (no access to the MechLab at this point!) sounds like an interesting and fair way to do it.
('Twill be quite handy when we Spheroids get access to OmniMechs - either IS-built models, or those liberated from Clan stockpiles!
)
Dualscar, on 28 January 2013 - 08:42 PM, said:
This also requires players to own different variants and lets PGI monetize omnimechs, and those variants can even have fixed weapon hard points to limit ridiculous mech designs while still giving players the omnimech advantage. In fact, I would argue that letting you choose your omni variant after learning about the battle conditions is more true to the omnimech advantage than any previous MechWarrior game has ever been.
I don't know - IMO, basing the financial viability of OmniMechs on the notion that people will "de-OnmiTech" them (either purposefully or accidentially) could work, but it also seems like the sort of thing that could backfire easily and badly.
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