Adding onto this again since I have seen https://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php/topic,83366.0.html
Seems like something is missing. I see the exemption for Melee (MEL) attacks [from the errata] and AoE attacks, but this doesn't seem to apply for standard physical attacks. If I am understanding RAW, 2 mechs within 1" of a VTOL at 100", one with MEL and 1 without, the one with MEL would be 1" + 100" = 101, so obviously outside range, but the only-physical attacker would be within 1" horizontally and able to hit, since there's no rule about adding vertical distance to a standard physical attack.
This also seems to lead to a situation where a mech on top of a 10" building with 2 mechs 1 inch away at the bottom of the building would be in the same predicament. The MEL attacker would add 10+1 and be outside melee range, but the normal physical attacker would only be 1" away horizontally and able to hit.
The obvious solution is to also add vertical distance for standard physical attacks and not just MEL attacks. No way we're not at least house ruling that for now because in no way should a physical attacker be able to hit a VTOL or mech standing on a tall building while a mech with an axe wouldn't be able to reach it lol.
Side note: charging and DFA are clear since it says it has to be in base-to-base contact. I suppose I can also just accept that short range attacks hit really high units for simplicity's sake (as I guess one could argue the vertical scale is inconsequential for gun-range brackets).
I'm sitting here trying to figure out how a physical attack (Kick, punch, push, charge, DFA) isn't a Melee attack now. I clearly need to play more Alpha-Strike and less standard Battletech.
In Standard Battletech, your machine gun squad at one hex range can totally grease a VTOL flying at
any elevation you want to spend the MP to reach.They just can't swarm it. Likewise a Piranha (10? 12? machineguns?) can grease a VTOL at absurd elevation that it can't reach with its hands, provided the horizontal range is short enough.
Further, Bob's Tinfoil-Hawk (SHD2D) standing on an elevation 60 building (don't ask how he got there) isn't safe from Steve's small laser when Steve's standing one inch/hex from the base of the structure (and horizontally, from bob) but he IS safe from being pushed, punched, kicked, or charged, or hit with an axe.
Remembering the basic INTENT of Alpha Strike, slant ranges aren't calculated because they're a huge pain in the ass, just like in regular Battletech, and nobody's been able to come up with a simple way to do it-so all range is calculated based solely on horizontal distance for everything
except melee (Punches, kicks, pushes/shoves, charges, and melee weapons.)
including weapons with range=pathetic like Heavy Machineguns, Bearhunters, small pulse lasers, infantry rifles, shotguns...etc. etc.
Since Alpha Strike was intended to make bigger games simpler, rather than more complex? I imagine you're reading right, and your house rule is consistent with the intent.
but I could be wrong.