Poll

Do you prefer your Battle Mechs with human like features or without?

Yes, I like Mech designs whose features bear resemblance to faces or fists.
4 (11.1%)
No, I like my Mechs to be walking tanks devoid of any human resemblance.
19 (52.8%)
Couldnt care less, I dont have strong feelings either way.
13 (36.1%)

Total Members Voted: 36

Author Topic: Calling for public opinion.  (Read 6215 times)

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Offline cowboy

  • 26
Re: Calling for public opinion.
Yeah, it was way too big. Here's a link to my dropbox:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/jmlsqkouzg9quhw/Readouts.rar
« Last Edit: July 16, 2012, 12:16:19 pm by cowboy »

 

Offline Timerlane

  • 27
  • Overseer of Slag Determination
Re: Calling for public opinion.
Rules-wise, I'd argue BT melee is probably fairly crude in comparison. Only targets adjacent and in front of a Mech can be kicked, but torso twist can allow punches to reach behind. 'Mechs can potentially kick other 'Mechs' heads off, but only if standing on something waist-high to begin with; otherwise, you can only kick the other 'Mech's legs. A missed kick also carries the risk of a failed piloting roll(you fall over, taking light damage and possibly hurting the MechWarrior).

For the most part, 'Mechs can punch, kick, or if needed, use makeshift clubs like severed 'Mech arms or uprooted trees(the latter do break after one use). Then there are purpose-built melee weapons like hatchets, but they're fairly rare outside of gaming arenas like on Solaris 7(not unheard of, but not common); the Clans shun them entirely(until DA, at least).

Jump Jets allow any standing 'Mech to attempt DFAs within their movement range(a Jump Jet-assisted stomp, essentially), but it's somewhat hard to actually land; furthermore, even if successful, it's not as powerful as one might think, the attacker will take armor damage to their legs(all other physical attacks that hit are "free" in that respect), and you're very likely to fail the modified piloting roll on landing afterwards.

Power-wise, it scales according to 'Mech weight. However(barring previously-mentioned TSM), not even an Atlas can punch a fully armored 'Mech head off(close, though; same damage as a standard PPC). Any Heavy(60-ton+) can deal enough damage through a kick to remove a head(12 damage). Hatchets and makeshift clubs deal as much damage as a kick(clubs do require two free hands to use, however).

It's really more of an opportunity-thing than something you actively try to do(though moving in for the chance to head-kick might well be worth it if you can catch someone standing next to a Level 1 hill).

 
Re: Calling for public opinion.
Thanks for those TROs cowboy, they're going to be an incredible help for my art. 9/10 probably need a little modern tweeking and proportioning but they've got more pleasing overall shapes to the eyes than the more box like designs in MW4:merc.

While reading through the TROs I gained a better understanding of why most have hands and I still hold some doubts about melee but whatever. Its not in MCO so I wont dwell on it too much or cause an enormous debate. However some designs made me die a little inside, like the hands on the stormcrow. It truely was a "wtf are those tiny little useless hands doing there.." type of moment.

Edit:
Wouldnt be so bad to see those armor ratings and weapon configurations in MCO either as imo it'd add more strategy in what you deploy and how you position them. Also gained a huge amount of ideas that i'll get around to posting in a new think tank topic in the not too near future.
« Last Edit: July 19, 2012, 10:34:01 pm by Boundless »

 

Offline cowboy

  • 26
Re: Calling for public opinion.
Not to mention they're fun to read, and if you're still into this like me, just spend time dreaming up scenarios to play out in your head...


:)


But yeah, I had to se a side view to confirm those were in fact hands on a Stormcrow- Lord knows why they have hands, other than the Executioner.

 
Re: Calling for public opinion.
Well its been a long time since my last release since i've been busy butchering and customising what images I had trying to mesh the best parts of several images together.



I really wanted to do more with these since the Warhammer is my favourite heavy mech with the Marauder ranked not far behind it, however paint really doesnt provide the level of detail I'd like to achieve in these images. The marauder may be a lil more hunched than it should be mainly because I gave up on that hexagonal cockpit being incompatable with every attempt of using it that I tried.

The other designs I had near completion before getting my hands on the TROs (props again to cowboy) have gone back to square one so it'll be a little while before those are redone.

 

Offline ThorC

  • 29
Re: Calling for public opinion.
Those look awesome, have you ever tried editing uv texture's?

 

Offline Starman01

  • Moderator
  • 213
  • Mechwarrior
    • Wing Commander Saga
Re: Calling for public opinion.
Those images are really well done  :yes:
MECHCOMMANDER OMNITECH

9 out of 10 voices in my head always tell me that I'm not insane. The 10th is only humming the melody of TETRIS.

 
Re: Calling for public opinion.
Cant say that I have Thor. I'd be willing to give it a shot but i'm pretty restricted time wise presently. Most if not all of my free time is being poured into these mech lab images at the moment since im feeling guilty about the snails pace I was working at over the past month. Still struggling to learn the ins and outs of blender as well which isnt made any easier with their online tutorials and my severe lack on internet time.

 

Offline Polpolion

  • The sizzle, it thinks!
  • 211
    • Minecraft
Re: Calling for public opinion.
Love that Warhammer. It is also my favourite heavy. :D

 

Offline cowboy

  • 26
Re: Calling for public opinion.
I'm just proud I contributed more than posting endless crash reports :D

 

Offline Colonol Dekker

  • HLP is my mistress
  • 213
  • Aken Tigh Dekker- you've probably heard me
    • My old squad sub-domain
Re: Calling for public opinion.
I like my Mechs Tanky, My Nexts anime'mechy and my Gears heavy.
Campaigns I've added my distinctiveness to-
- Blue Planet: Battle Captains
-Battle of Neptune
-Between the Ashes 2
-Blue planet: Age of Aquarius
-FOTG?
-Inferno R1
-Ribos: The aftermath / -Retreat from Deneb
-Sol: A History
-TBP EACW teaser
-Earth Brakiri war
-TBP Fortune Hunters (I think?)
-TBP Relic
-Trancsend (Possibly?)
-Uncharted Territory
-Vassagos Dirge
-War Machine
(Others lost to the mists of time and no discernible audit trail)

Your friendly Orestes tactical controller.

Secret bomb God.
That one time I got permabanned and got to read who was being bitxhy about me :p....
GO GO DEKKER RANGERSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
President of the Scooby Doo Model Appreciation Society
The only good Zod is a dead Zod
NEWGROUNDS COMEDY GOLD, UPDATED DAILY
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Offline magic

  • Moderator
  • 211
Re: Calling for public opinion.
Very nice work Boundless.

 
Re: Calling for public opinion.
This isnt about humanoid form Zigg but about wether battlemech designs that have hands or facial features should stay as they are or be altered to replace said corny features to be more asthetically pleasing.

Also with there being no melee in game the idea on hands on a mech is made redundant unless as is the case this time people want to stay somewhat true to the canon designs.

Finally though, it boils down to wether I can draw the hands or faces on the mechs without it looking stupid. If it does then its going to lose them.

 
Re: Calling for public opinion.
@Boundless: ditto, those front views are great :)

Back on topic, I voted option 3 ("couldn't care less"), for a few reasons. IMO there is no reason for a mech to have arms. They essentially are (as previously stated) bigger tanks. But most designs stem from the 80's and were made to be fun (not plausible*), hence the humanoid shapes.

If I were to re-imagine Battletech, yeah, I would remove most of the hands & fists (there is already plenty of Gundam & co for humanoid mechs). But since we are not, I'd stick to the TROs.

* i think this need to be plausible / realistic is a major hindrance for american sci-fi. Neither europeans (e.g. Dr. Who) nor Japanese aren't so stuck on explaining the fictional universe.