Discussion: Mech Chassis

Soooo, I think I like 35 tons.

 

For Sheo...

 

Added a couple new variants.

This seems like a jolly good time:

 

Dayum... I'm liking the lighter 'mechs, 35 tons seems like a good 'mech for me.

 

I'm generally not a fan of the late IS tech. Not a lot that I see that seems worth the loss of the OPenis of even base Clan tech

 

Something worth mentioning: available equipment will be based on your "Prestige". For example, if you have 400 Prestige, you can equip any weapon worth 400 BV or less. Equipment is further divided based on what faction you are getting your supplies from. All factions have access to the more common equipment, but each also specializes in a particular field. Furthermore, some factions allow for faster progression in Prestige than others (ex. AAA has the fastest progression while Alliance Industries has the slowest).

More on this can be found here:
http://www.theskjaldborg.com/index.php?threads/discussion-factions.7460/#post-154822

The details of what equipment is available to who is still WIP, but will be posted here when I have the time to finish the list (in the next month or so) :
http://www.theskjaldborg.com/index.php?threads/discussion-faction-weaponry.7510/

 

Theoretically, yes. You may be a rookie Lancer, but you are still a Lancer... among the best of the best. You are part of an exclusive organization with deep pockets and a long reach. Lancers are the tip of the spear of every major conflict of the distant future. Your mere presence on the battlefield commands both fear and respect.

As far as what everyone's starting Prestige will be... I'm still undecided. Will let you know, but I *think* it is safe to assume you will have access to at least some Star League era stuff at the start.

Keep in mind that the scales have also changed. For the purposes of this campaign, a hex represents 40 meters, not the usual 30. This means that ALL mechs are traveling 30% faster than what you are used to... and ALL weapons have 30% more range. Even though technically, some of you may start with some "Introtech" stuff, it is not the same tech of the succession wars.

 

Revamping the list now. For ease of mission creating, I'm creating BV tiers (or "Classes" so as not to confuse with tech "Tiers") for all drone mechs. example:

Keep in mind that the above is just an example and is subject to change. The idea is that regardless of which faction you pick, the BV of each of their drones should be comparable to their contemporaries. That being said, factions will still be limited by what equipment they use (ex. AAA uses only Tier 1 tech, Independence specializing in ballistics, etc). Obviously, since some weapon types have a BV advantage over others (ie. energy vs anything else), you can expect some factions to feature heavier drone platforms to make up for it (low tech AAA will likely feature heavier drones than the clan-equipped Alliance).

Here is an example of Class 1 drones for AAA, Independence, and Alliance respectively:

As you can see, their stats vary quite a bit while still averaging around 994 BV. You may have noticed that the cost increases substantially as you increase the size of the mech, but I will counterbalance this by setting significant price discounts to certain factions. When I get those discounts sorted right, AAA should come out slightly cheaper than Independence and Independence will be slightly cheaper than Alliance.

Keep in mind that each faction also offers significantly different quirks to each of their drone line. AAA may look very strong in terms of raw damage, but it also has the poorest performing AI software (ex. lacking the Easy To Pilot quirk on all of its drones). Likewise, Alliance drones are powerful and sleek (Narrow Profile), but their drones are also the least durable. In the end, each faction will have their own strengths and weaknesses.

EDIT: 35% discount for AAA and Independence looks about right. that will put them very close to Alliance costs.

 

And here's the Class 1 drones for HiveTech and Luthien Exports:

 

Since ballistics suffer the most in terms of BV/ton, it is likely that this will be my measuring stick for all other designs:

HAG/40s are like two LB20 cluster rounds packed in to one massive cluster round... and has similar range brackets to a PPC. Approach with extreme caution.
http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Hyper-Assault_Gauss_Rifle_40