Author Topic: MrJake's Interminable Questions Thread (Read 33593 times)

MrJake · « **Reply #60 on:** 17 October 2017, 00:39:11 »

Ohhh, okay. Yeah, that's not clear at all. It's the multiple uses of the word "unit" that threw me off. Maybe substitute Lances or Formations or something?

Also, think I found something.

(Game is set in 3025)

Marketplace>Purchase Parts>(Filter)Heat

The results yield what seems to be duplicate entries for Aero Heat Sink and Aero Double Heat Sink . Also, pretty sure the Double ones aren't supposed to be there.

ajh

PS: I'm really having a lot of fun with Mega+. I live in the boonies, and it's great for me. Really reinvigorated my enthusiasm for BT. So in case I haven't said it, "Thanks. Great work."

PPS: Also, 195 tons, just under the wire.

MrJake · « **Reply #61 on:** 17 October 2017, 20:48:53 »

The AtB rules mention Early Victory in several places. Is that coded? Do I have to do anything? And, if so, what?

NickAragua · « **Reply #62 on:** 17 October 2017, 22:42:56 »

You mean like in a contract?

Contracts never finish on their own, you have to manually "complete mission" in the briefing room.

"Early Victory", I believe, happens whenever enemy morale goes to "Rout", unless you're on a garrison contract in which case the opfor just backs off for a month or two. I think you also get to do that if you win a "Base Attack (Attacker)" scenario. Conversely, if you lose a "Base Attack (Defender)", the contract ends early in defeat.

MrJake · « **Reply #63 on:** 17 October 2017, 23:04:05 »

Yeah, contract. Sorry. I was looking over the AtB rules and found the references, but I wasn't sure how to apply it. Do I just manually end the contract at that point and move on? I guess the big question is, do I still get paid for the full contract? Maybe a bonus? Anything? 'Cause, if not, I'm way behind my percentage of salvage, but I happen to know a recent former employer who has a very large pile of salvage that I just delivered.... 8)

What Maxim is it? Every employer is one missed payment away from becoming a target?

Edit:

NEVERMIND!!! I should have trusted youse guys.

MrJake · « **Reply #64 on:** 18 October 2017, 00:00:46 »

On the "Finances" page, on the table, beneath the heading "Notes."

The first words of all entries are capitalized except for the words "loan" and "recruitment."

ajh

scJazz · « **Reply #65 on:** 18 October 2017, 10:50:12 »

Quote from: MrJake on 17 October 2017, 23:04:05

What Maxim is it? Every employer is one missed payment away from becoming a target?

49. Every client is one missed payment away from becoming a target and every target is one bribe away from becoming a client.

MrJake · « **Reply #66 on:** 18 October 2017, 14:34:16 »

Ah, treachery! What every game needs just a little bit more of....

Also, if I assign a green tech to a training force, does he/she get training xp, too?

MrJake · « **Reply #67 on:** 18 October 2017, 15:10:46 »

Is placing an infantry unit in a "Support" role (as per AtB rules) coded?

Rince Wind · « **Reply #68 on:** 18 October 2017, 15:55:27 »

No to both. (I am pretty sure.)

MrJake · « **Reply #69 on:** 18 October 2017, 20:28:05 »

Oh, I really wish I had taken the time to find out how the exporting/importing of parts worked before I opened that one up "just to be sure...." :'(

MrJake · « **Reply #70 on:** 18 October 2017, 21:01:10 »

Ohhhh. So that's why you don't put all the Green eggs in one basket.

That was brutal.

MrJake · « **Reply #71 on:** 18 October 2017, 23:17:21 »

Hi, I'm a bot client!

I liked it so much I bot the company!

[blank]

I'm sorry. It's very late.

MrJake · « **Reply #72 on:** 19 October 2017, 16:33:24 »

When playing AtB, is it considered kosher to use the "Hire Full complement" option after purchasing a vehicle unit through the Marketplace?

scJazz · « **Reply #73 on:** 19 October 2017, 19:04:35 »

Jake... "Kosher" is whatever you say it is when playing AtB.

RahTol · « **Reply #74 on:** 19 October 2017, 22:38:53 »

As scJazz said, it's up to you.

For myself, I only allow myself to use other recruitment methods outside the ATB Personnel market when I'm on a 'friendly' planet and not on a contract. By friendly I mean either belonging to the faction I most recently worked for, a Hiring Hall planet or a planet belonging to a faction I consider myself on good terms with (worked for several times without working against them.)

But that's just my personal rule, you decide what's fun for you, but, from experience I will say it's more fun to be consistent with your own rules. So if you decide your rules are if you BUY a vehicle you can "Hire Full Complement" but NOT if you scavenge one, stick to that rule, try not to bend your own rules 'just this once' as it really takes the fun out of it.

On the same note, slavishly following the 'official' rules even if you don't agree with them is no more fun. They are a great starting point, but you should feel free to change them to suit yourself without feeling like your 'cheating.'

PurpleDragon · « **Reply #75 on:** 19 October 2017, 23:43:20 »

Quote from: RahTol on 19 October 2017, 22:38:53

As scJazz said, it's up to you.

For myself, I only allow myself to use other recruitment methods outside the ATB Personnel market when I'm on a 'friendly' planet and not on a contract. By friendly I mean either belonging to the faction I most recently worked for, a Hiring Hall planet or a planet belonging to a faction I consider myself on good terms with (worked for several times without working against them.)

As is above plus if you are on a planetary defense; cadre; garrison duty I allow hiring from the personnel market. PLanetary Assault and Guerilla warfare are questionable; but, under the right circumstances I would allow those as well. However, I very rarely, if ever, use the "fill unit..." option in the hangar.

PurpleDragon · « **Reply #76 on:** 19 October 2017, 23:46:00 »

I think it would be neat if there were an option for personnel to possibly come with their own unit from the personnel market. Sort of like the infantry platoons do. The only thing I'd really want different is that it would not be an automatic and that the unit(s) might have pre-existing damages.

scJazz · « **Reply #77 on:** 20 October 2017, 10:08:54 »

Quote from: RahTol on 19 October 2017, 22:38:53

But that's just my personal rule, you decide what's fun for you, but, from experience I will say it's more fun to be consistent with your own rules. So if you decide your rules are if you BUY a vehicle you can "Hire Full Complement" but NOT if you scavenge one, stick to that rule, try not to bend your own rules 'just this once' as it really takes the fun out of it.

On the same note, slavishly following the 'official' rules even if you don't agree with them is no more fun. They are a great starting point, but you should feel free to change them to suit yourself without feeling like your 'cheating.'

Two hugely important comments right there. AtB is a Framework, not a fully functional gaming system. Given how many different ways there are to play BattleTech with different XP costs, Skill ranges, Eras, using Vees, VTOLs, Infantry, Artillery, Dropships, Warships, House/Clan/Mercenary/ComStar, ad nauseum there will never be an all encompassing set of AtB rules. It is just a coat rack... feel free to drape whatever additional coats on it that you feel like.

Southernskies · « **Reply #78 on:** 20 October 2017, 17:54:37 »

For reference:

http://schlockmercenary.wikia.com/wiki/The_Seventy_Maxims_of_Maximally_Effective_Mercenaries

MrJake · « **Reply #79 on:** 20 October 2017, 21:27:24 »

Love the Schlock.

And, thanks everyone for the advice. I really do get all that. I'm manually running half a dozen rules that I like from CO while I do AtB. When I ask questions like that, I'm just trying to gauge the experiences of people with more...experiences...at the game than I do. I don't want to inadvertently make things way to easy or too hard, for example. That's all.

And in that vein:

Is it...halal...to use AeroSpace forces in your lances? Cause I'm starting to think it can make some missions too easy.... Or is that even a thing? If circumstances align to make a mission particularly easy, do most people just take the win and move on?

Edit:

Oh man! This game makes me laugh out loud at least once, every time I play. Two Bot controlled Meks duking it out on top of bldg till one of them explodes? I laughed at that. Forgetting to check for armor breaches before jumping in the water? Oh, I rolled at that one. Especially when I saw, "Mech destroyed by Pilot Error." I thought that was hysterical.

And sometimes its just the little things. Like just now, when a Leopard class dropship appeared among my allied units. I just managed my very first completely successful bombing run. And when I saw that dropship, my jaw dropped and I couldn't stop snickering. I can barely keep my lance coordinated, and they gave me a dropship? And on a liason mission so it's completely under my control?

Let me reiterate. I just figured out to drop things on people without crashing into the countryside. And now I get to try it with a DS? Hehhehhehehehehe. This is going to be fun.

PurpleDragon · « **Reply #80 on:** 21 October 2017, 01:37:21 »

;D

Southernskies · « **Reply #81 on:** 21 October 2017, 05:39:09 »

Quote from: MrJake on 20 October 2017, 21:27:24

And sometimes its just the little things. Like just now, when a Leopard class dropship appeared among my allied units. I just managed my very first completely successful bombing run. And when I saw that dropship, my jaw dropped and I couldn't stop snickering. I can barely keep my lance coordinated, and they gave me a dropship? And on a liason mission so it's completely under my control?

Let me reiterate. I just figured out to drop things on people without crashing into the countryside. And now I get to try it with a DS? Hehhehhehehehehe. This is going to be fun.

WTF? What contract and sub-mission are you on that you were assigned THAT!
Most of my liaison pilot light mechs.

Rince Wind · « **Reply #82 on:** 21 October 2017, 07:44:53 »

I think you need to tick the dropship box in the AtB rules, then on some missions you get a dropship assigned, if you have none of your own in the TO&E. It will always be a regular Leopard and it will always be under your control and comes in addition to any liaison mechs.

scJazz · « **Reply #83 on:** 21 October 2017, 10:42:38 »

Quote from: MrJake on 20 October 2017, 21:27:24

And, thanks everyone for the advice. I really do get all that. I'm manually running half a dozen rules that I like from CO while I do AtB. When I ask questions like that, I'm just trying to gauge the experiences of people with more...experiences...at the game than I do. I don't want to inadvertently make things way to easy or too hard, for example. That's all.

And in that vein:

Is it...halal...to use AeroSpace forces in your lances? Cause I'm starting to think it can make some missions too easy.... Or is that even a thing? If circumstances align to make a mission particularly easy, do most people just take the win and move on?

I do use Hire Full Complement for the initial purchase. After that though... if you get it damaged and say... one of the crew dies... *whelp* I also generally use the hire any of your choice Bonus to hire additional vee crews. Finally, AtB rules are not particularly kind to Vee "Forces". The rules are designed around starting with a Mech Company and using Mech Lances. Deviation from this norm will require you making adjustments.

MrJake · « **Reply #84 on:** 21 October 2017, 14:07:38 »

In case anyone is interested, after a few practice sessions in MegaMek, I did in fact manage to not crash the Leopard. I even air-dropped a unit!

It was, of course, entirely inconsequential to the mission, as it turns out, but...Yah me!

A few notes:

1. Aerospace fighters can hover? Who knew?

2. Please God don't ask me to land that stupid DS. My attempts (without referencing the appropriate rules, I must admit) should have been called, "How to Make Big Craters and Scare Your Dog with Random Cursing. A Primer."

ajh

PS: I'm telling myself that I must have done something right, because they gave me another one. Whoot whoo!

yukamichi · « **Reply #85 on:** 21 October 2017, 14:58:40 »

FYI, you can deploy a dropship grounded. Just set its altitude and velocity to 0 in the deployment screen. Just need a circle of 7 clear, same-elevation hexes to plop it onto. Princess doesn't respond well to facing grounded dropships though in my experience, she tends to line all her units up in a row facing its nose and then just sit there and fire at it (no idea if any updates to Princess behavior have changed this recently). It becomes a very boring war of attrition and feels cheap all the free extra salvage you usually end up getting from it.

Also yeah, apparently all ASF have VSTOL equipment by default. Pretty nifty.

scJazz · « **Reply #86 on:** 21 October 2017, 17:49:04 »

ASF = VTOL yes... CF = only if they equip it.

MrJake · « **Reply #87 on:** 21 October 2017, 17:58:46 »

At elevation 4, my DS managed to airdrop a mech 12 hexes in the wrong direction. Right off the board. That was one strong crosswind.

MrJake · « **Reply #88 on:** 21 October 2017, 21:24:08 »

If your Liason unit is forced (or elects) to flee, does that count as destroyed for the purpose of Contract Breaches?

MrJake · « **Reply #89 on:** 23 October 2017, 16:13:22 »

1. The name "Geraldine" seems to associated with males. My Grandmother would not approve.

2. "L_dia" should be "Lydia", yes?

3. Does a lance wt. of "Ultra Light" use the same opfor RAT as "Light"?