Mech of the Week: DVS- Devastator

[Wrangler]

I didn't like the EC usage. But that's how it is.  Thing still nasty.

[Colt Ward]

You talking about putting the tag 'EC' on the end of those designs or 'some were for Klondike and then retrofit later' use?

[Wrangler]

You talking about putting the tag 'EC' on the end of those designs or 'some were for Klondike and then retrofit later' use?

Yes.

[Empyrus]

I would assume the Clans didn't actually give them real designations and were in process of calling everything just by its proper names (like how no fully Clan-tech design has designation), and the EC is essentially a tag added by historians in-universe for sake of clarification.

[Hellraiser]

EC?

Early Clan?

[mbear]

EC?

Early Clan?

Yes

[Wrangler]

EC?

Early Clan?

Yes. Its on all the refits of Star League units. I think makes no sense since early Clan engineers/desigers would have given the Mechs a new designation based on its old one. Like Devastator has DVS-2. It would be in universe DVS-2B or DVS-2r or something.  EC thing not in universe something people at the time be calling these machines.

Well other than "BLOOD OF KERSENSKY! THAT THING TOOK OUT TOMMY!".

[Rince Wind]

Oh no, not Tommy!

And he was due to retire next week as well!

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

And the family photos he was always showing were so adorable.

But really, I think EC makes as much sense as the IIC designation, which is also something that appears to be used exclusively by the Inner Sphere and not by the Clans themselves.

[Vonshroom]

My favorite Assault Mech and favorite post 3050 mech as well. Awesome design, art, and "feel". Reading the Flashpoint novel was awesome. This would be my ideal ride if I had to pilot a mech and I was blessed enough to have one. I actually greatly prefer the standard PPC's for heat management / simplicity and the damage is the same as the ER's so no big loss. The mech has no weaknesses, haha perfect design. 

[Colt Ward]

I actually greatly prefer the standard PPC's for heat management / simplicity and the damage is the same as the ER's so no big loss.

No, the damage is not the same- the listed 'final' Dev EC has Enchanced ERPPCs which is the step between IS & Clan ERPPCs.  They do 12 points of damage, which is why I said the mech has 4 head capper chances that it can safely fire off for 16 turns.

The final EC design overheats slowly- like I said if you stand in a puddle you are going to be cool.

[Stormlion1]

Looking at the timeframe I doubt many were built before Klondike and the fact it didnt even get a IIc version in 3050 makes me think it actually wasnt a popular choice among the Clans in the Golden Century. Perhaps they were mostly used by Wolverines, Widowmakers, and Mongoose pushed the design into Dezgra territory.

[Colt Ward]

Like I said, taking handful literally you have at most 11 . . . Wolverines prob not b/c the way it talks about the Enhanced ERPPC being mounted later, the Mongoose were speedster mechs (not Hellion level nuts) but I do not see them with a 3/5.

[Stormlion1]

Just coming up with a theory why the design faded away. Being in the forces of three Clans that no longer exist would be a good reason.

[SteelRaven]

Just coming up with a theory why the design faded away. Being in the forces of three Clans that no longer exist would be a good reason.

Clans resources shifted to Omnis very fast, fluff for allot of the more common Clan standard mechs made it sound like each design was on the brink of being discontinued until the invasion made it clear they needed simpler designs that could be turned out in a hurry. 

[Stormlion1]

Clans resources shifted to Omnis very fast, fluff for allot of the more common Clan standard mechs made it sound like each design was on the brink of being discontinued until the invasion made it clear they needed simpler designs that could be turned out in a hurry.

That's understandable if every Clan was rescources rich and they all moved to Omnimechs over the decades but we know many Clans were rescource poor and used Star League era mechs even up to the Invasion. Clans like the Blood Spirits would have continued using mechs like the Devastator because they wouldnt have a choice. Even the Ghost Bears fielded ancient designs like the Atlas II all the way into the invasion.

[Maingunnery]

That's understandable if every Clan was rescources rich and they all moved to Omnimechs over the decades but we know many Clans were rescource poor and used Star League era mechs even up to the Invasion. Clans like the Blood Spirits would have continued using mechs like the Devastator because they wouldnt have a choice. Even the Ghost Bears fielded ancient designs like the Atlas II all the way into the invasion.

Sure but all Clans would evaluate which designs to keep in production, most designs would have to fall out of production and slowly become rarer or even extinct in the Clans.

[SteelRaven]

Even the Ghost Bears fielded ancient designs like the Atlas II all the way into the invasion.

They probably had more Atlas IIs than Devastators (It was the Founders mech after all) The Clans did have Brian Caches of old SLDF mechs but we don't know in what numbers so we can only guess what survived the Golden Age and what became scrap after so many trails. A Jade Falcon mechwarrior forgot the NightStar was originally a SLDF design when the IS began to deploy them for themselves as non survived in Clan space the Golden Age. Likewise, the newer Woodsman was phased out during the production of T-Wolves and Gargoyles, seemingly non survived to serve in Operation Revival.   

[Colt Ward]

That's understandable if every Clan was rescources rich and they all moved to Omnimechs over the decades but we know many Clans were rescource poor and used Star League era mechs even up to the Invasion. Clans like the Blood Spirits would have continued using mechs like the Devastator because they wouldnt have a choice. Even the Ghost Bears fielded ancient designs like the Atlas II all the way into the invasion.

They had at most 6 of the prototypes to refit, and when they say they built a handful to me it implies they built at most 5 based off a prototype or plans they had on hand.  I would actually say they were hand built rather than ever really produced.

[Wrangler]

A friend of mine was using a fictionally captured Devastator that was refitted with Clan tech.   Clan ER PPCs, Gauss Rifles, lasers as well. Essentially it was murder machine but it wasn't too op, but had the Clans had put the Devastator into production while fitting them out with mature Clan Tech (aka the normal stuff), it would be force to be reckoned with.

[Hotpoint]

Like I said, taking handful literally you have at most 11 . . . Wolverines prob not b/c the way it talks about the Enhanced ERPPC being mounted later,

Looking at Golden Century it says: "After Klondike, Wolverine engineers installed two Enhanced ER PPCs, updated the torso medium lasers and upgraded the heat sinks to help cope with the tremendous heat produced by the new weapons" so presumably it must have been just before the Annihilation.

Given that this was also when they were ramping up production of the Mercury II, Stag and Pulverizer I doubt they were making more Devastators too (they were just hanging their new toy on things they already had).

[Hellraiser]

Well given that only 6 prototypes were created before the exodus, IIRC......   I don't think we'd have very many on hand for the Wolverines to use if someone wasn't cranking out some new ones.

It seems like an odd mech to get a variant of actually given it was so new & rare.

[Colt Ward]

Hand built . . . but they started developing their own mechs, looking forward rather than back, to make the Pulverizer.

[Hellraiser]

It would be in universe DVS-2B or DVS-2r or something. 

Or, based on what we got from similar refits at Tukayyid......  DVS-2 (c)

[SteelRaven]

They may have skipped a new designation at first and was later added on EC for context.

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

Bringing this thread back up to discuss the DVS-10 and DVS-11.

Showing up in TRO 3150 and finally getting a record sheet in Record Sheets 3150 a considerable amount of time later, the DVS-10 is an extremely specialized mech.  Like the MUSE EARTH, it moves at 4/6(10) thanks to a 400XL engine combined with MASC and an armored Supercharger.  Endo-Composite structure and FF armor save weight and very nearly provide the same level of protection (it has 1 less point in the center torso rear) while a Compact Gyro (also armored) reclaims some internal space.  For weaponry, it mounts two Re-engineered Large Lasers, one in each arm, and two Re-engineered Medium Lasers in the Center Torso, kept frosty by 18 double heatsinks (giving it 36 dissipation compared to a maximum of 32 heat on a running alpha strike).  That's honestly quite anemic firepower for a 100 ton mech and isn't great unless you're expecting to face opponents with Hardened or Reflective armor- though given the mech is used by the FedSuns it's got some use against the Combine.  Armor on the Hips and Shoulders also means that this mech is very resistant to having limbs blown off by lucky crits.

The DVS-11 returns to something closer to the original.  The Gauss Rifles are back in the arms, but the torso PPCs are now Snub Noses and the lasers are now Clanspec, with an ER Medium in each side torso and an ER small in the head and center torso (the CT one being rear-facing).  The MASC, Supercharger, and Compact Gyro are retained from the 10, but the component armor is gone and the engine has been downgraded back to a standard 300XL for a 3/5(8) movement pattern.  Heat is handled by 12 double heatsinks, all contained in the engine.  You can't freely mash the Alpha Strike button, but it does handily cover the main armament while running.  Endo-Composite provides some weight-saving.

[Wrangler]

I'd go with DVS-11 anyday over 10.   400XL wicked expensive to repair/replace in a campaign unless doing generic chaos campaign / warchest system.   RE-Lasers is just not that great of a trade to me, I know the Clan tech DVS-11 is technically more expensive because tech itself.  DVS-10 has potential for pickup game, but it lack hitting firepower to me, unless you're facing a lot specialty Harden armored units from Kurita.

I find this little funny that my predictions/concerns back in September 2017 of the DVS-10/11 was nearly dead on what we got as far variants go. 

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

One hilarious thing about the 10 is that if you're up against an enemy with Reflective Armor, you're better off making a 9 hex charge if you can set it up than using the lasers.  The 10's weapon array is positively anemic- I'm not sure what other 100 tonners have such low firepower.

[BrianDavion]

One hilarious thing about the 10 is that if you're up against an enemy with Reflective Armor, you're better off making a 9 hex charge if you can set it up than using the lasers.  The 10's weapon array is positively anemic- I'm not sure what other 100 tonners have such low firepower.

I thought RE lasers ignored the bonuses of reflective armor?

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

They do.  But Reflective Armor also takes double damage from physical attacks, so a 100 ton mech charging from 9 hexes?  That's a lot of damage.  A lot more than two 9 point and two 6 point hits.