Battletech nerds rejoice? Mechwarrior 5 being worked on?

[Vladimir]

The Timber Wolf was top class. I liked the Summoner, Hellbringer and Mad Dog as well though. I was never that keen on the big assault class mechs such as the Dire Wolf or Masakari - you get too overconfident in those. As for the IS mechs, they're basically crap and inferior in design and function. So what is there to like?

Quoted for truth.

Early Clan invasion IS tech was just too unwieldy to use on a decent weapons platform. The game designers did a good job when they created Clan tech. Powerful and compact without going overboard.

[Whacker]

What I've always been told and my impressions somewhat support is that clan tech is generally lighter and hits harder, but it also produces more heat and is a bit more fragile. IS PPC vs Clan ErPPC for example. Clan mechs seem to be able to take roughly the same amount of punishment as their IS counterparts, but they can load more gear due to more efficient design. I think the reason the IS kept getting their asses handed to them was the clan ruthlessness and superior weaponry. ALL clan weapons as I understand it outdistance their IS counterparts by a good margin.

[caravel]

The ballistics weapons (autocannons) also have a higher rate of fire compared to the IS equivalents.

[Martok]

[/geek mode on]

What I've always been told and my impressions somewhat support is that clan tech is generally lighter and hits harder, but it also produces more heat and is a bit more fragile. IS PPC vs Clan ErPPC for example. Clan mechs seem to be able to take roughly the same amount of punishment as their IS counterparts, but they can load more gear due to more efficient design. I think the reason the IS kept getting their asses handed to them was the clan ruthlessness and superior weaponry. ALL clan weapons as I understand it outdistance their IS counterparts by a good margin.

Well certainly in the pen-and-paper version, Clan mechs outclass their IS counterparts in virtually every way. Their weapons are longer range, do more damage, and usually generate less heat. In addition, Clan armor composites give them around 20% more protection (IIRC) than those of the IS, and their engines allow their mechs to be significantly faster. Taken all together, a single Clan mech is roughly equal to two IS mechs of the same weight class -- and it will still often win even then, as Clan pilots receive so much more....intensive training than their IS counterparts that when they "graduate" to regular combat duty, they're quite literally already hardened veterans.

The caveat, however, is that Clan mechs are much more expensive than IS mechs, and cannot afford to field as many. Plus, there are hints (although not specifically confirmed) that the Clans don't have the same population and manpower pools that the Great Houses of the IS do. So there are at least some offsetting advantages.


[/geek mode off]


Sorry, couldn't resist.