Author Topic: Dark Age Design Philosophy  (Read 9704 times)

MoneyLovinOgre4Hire

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Re: Dark Age Design Philosophy
« Reply #30 on: 23 November 2011, 13:24:22 »
It's also not a Battlemech, it's an Industrialmech.

Also, regarding the Ryoken II- it does have some anti-vehicle applications, but in addition to its lack of big guns it's also got very shallow ammo bins that insure that it can't stick around in a fight very long.
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JPArbiter

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Re: Dark Age Design Philosophy
« Reply #31 on: 23 November 2011, 13:27:32 »
Second line defensive platform=not suppoused to have endurance.  it is supposed to be stationed right next to an ammo depot with a crew ready to load up.

think about the annihilator.  same principle.
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Saevus

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Re: Dark Age Design Philosophy
« Reply #32 on: 23 November 2011, 16:28:47 »
A lot of the stuff in the 3075 and '85 TRs are coming off experience gained through the fires of the Jihad. That can't possibly last to the 3130s, can it?

I was reading through the thread and I came to that, and it made me think. I am not familiar with the Dark Age stuff, at all, my gaming group plays 3039 and earlier 99% of the time, occasionally pulling out some 3050 sheets, BUT...in BT fiction, people are routinely pulling out 5-600 year old tech and making it work...to me, the idea that in a 50 year time span everything went backward that quickly, seems a bit off. I can't remember where I read it, it's in one of the rule books, but there is a guy plowing a field, in a 600 year old John Deere tractor.

Fallen_Raven

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Re: Dark Age Design Philosophy
« Reply #33 on: 23 November 2011, 16:29:45 »
I'm also noting a trend for Republic 'mechs to mount back up energy weapons more often than the "generic" 'mechs used by rebels. (This is entirely opinion and the feel I get from what few novels I've read.) I'm guessing that is because Republic 'mechs are designed for combat, but the rebels are refitting what they can get and have little or no combat doctrine to guide them.
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Nahuris

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Re: Dark Age Design Philosophy
« Reply #34 on: 23 November 2011, 16:31:17 »
That Total Warfare released a number of newer weapons that simply were not thought of when dark age came out, which can add better utility to dark age designs.

case in point the stealth armor and light PPCs on the Ghost

the MML system on a Shiro, Plasma Weapons.... anywhere.

I do not know if I would say I am seeing MORE melee weapons as much as their creative applications, as far as slower designs, I so far have been seeing quite the opposite.  as a direct fire support mech I expected the Mangonel to be a 4/6 for example, and I don't think anyone honestly expected the Shadow Cat II to match the original in speed.

Slower designs as in the 3/5 heavies and all the newer 5/8 lights.
Then there are the Osprey and Icarus II, which even though they are "older" designs, the upgrades aren't faster..... 

Like I said, they are not bad designs, but the design parameter is somewhat different, and you have to use the mech different when playing it.

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Suralin

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Re: Dark Age Design Philosophy
« Reply #35 on: 23 November 2011, 19:24:36 »
Looking forward to the LPR (Light Plasma Rifle) --- 4 tons, 5 heat / 5 damage and a ton of ammo being 20 shots....... (yeah, I'm reaching, but maybe??)

Great minds think alike. I posted something quite similar recently.

Anywho, the weird loadouts for the various Dark Age mechs struck me as, well, weird. I mean, the Shiro has a bunch of LRMs and an AC/2, and then it bothers to put a sword on there for melee combat.  ???

On the other hand, if all that mattered was making the optimum loadouts all the time, there'd be no variety to speak of. So I suppose the weird loadout choices of DA are a good thing overall.

Dread Moores

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Re: Dark Age Design Philosophy
« Reply #36 on: 23 November 2011, 21:20:49 »
Slower designs as in the 3/5 heavies and all the newer 5/8 lights.

To be fair though, once you set aside TRO:3085 (a TRO where it was specifically noted that they designed units to fill in missing movement profiles at various weights), I'm not sure that trend will be continuing. Prototypes overall seems to have a pretty normal balance of speed.

 

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