Well, even the 'slow' VTOLs are expected to have 7/11 at least, to take the skirmisher/harrasser role. And those are still better to have 10/15 or more as well. Yellow Jacket is fine as 6/9 but that's only acceptable because it's primary role is the sniper, and it is stupid to push those to roaming the enemy around as if it's a Warrior - I doubt that you ever expect this, though. Not to mention that you can buy about four Yellow Jackets while you can only buy a Hollander with the similar C-Bill.
And as the niche unit it would be expected to have some flaws. And being the sniper means it doesn't have to be that fast either. Actually 6/9 as well as being airborne means it's a very fast sniper. It is not so slow for put them on the middle of the line or behind of the frontline of your formation too, and in this case they are quite survivable. Not to mention that its nature of airborne unit makes it better suited for the position than Hollander, and it causes more to hit modifier who targets it. Nothing says that the Yellow Jacket should be stay in a place either; it could advance backwards, which I did mentioned repeatedly.
It is the problem that try to using a sniper as the skirmisher and argue that 'Why this skirmisher does not works as it should be.' It's nothing different to put the armored howitzer to the front and says that "Because it's tracked and is armored so it is a tank and it must be placed on the frontline." For frontliner skirmishers and 30 tonner it would be expected to have cruising MP of about 7~10 as minimum, but is not a virtue for a sniper. And low engine rating requirement for VTOL could be abused for gather more spare tonnage too.
Anyway, even those armored VTOLs are should have enough speed as well, to take the role efficiently. Sure that means lower firepower, but seriously, will just some tons makes that much difference? On the case of medium battle armor, I understand that putting lower armor on them for the maximum armor point may results them to only fitted with a single MG if they had better armor such as improved stealth armor. Yes VTOLs have low weight so every spare ton does counts. but will only have 3.5 ton of standard armor have that much firepower, if you could spend 3.5 tons more and fitted with far better armor points? With ten spare heat sinks(assumed that it have at least fusion engine), that would be enough for having three medium lasers and a small laser so it would makes the difference, indeed, but what if you have enough tonnage to already adds something like that? After then I don't think that 3.5 spare tons could be used to increase its firepower dramatically.
Perhaps it could be used for enhance its speed? A fusion engine for a 30 tons VTOL weights 3 tons for cruising 7, 9 tons for cruising 10, 19 tons for cruising 13. Perhaps it does matters for the VTOLs with cruising 7, but for the others it doesn't looks so good enough.
And I don't understand why you are complain about rotor despite what you advocate does not expect the chance to suffer the destroyed rotor result. Is there any reason why you think that the VTOL that is could be destroyed quickly by any type of weapons is better than the VTOL that is only susceptible to LB-X and some other weapons? Despite both would have the same cruising MP and also same to hit modifier? Is there any meaning for 'destroyed rotor' if the said VTOL is explodes instantly by struck by a PPC, for example? Rotor does not saves your VTOL as if it's an energy shield. It only struck by about 30%. The other 69+% are hits on the other parts, remember, and those parts does not enjoys 1/10 damage reduction but those parts are not subjected to be capped at 2 armor points either. That means you should plate the armor on it.
Yes it is also true that VTOL is hard to hit, due to its high to hit modifier. Even LB-X are not that easy to hit those either, for although it gets -1 for cluster round and also -2 for aims the airborne unit VTOL's high cruising speed still causes considerable to hit modifier to the attackers. But even if you are fully armored it, that doesn't reduce the to hit modifier either. And as I said above you do need several LB-X fragments that was hit the VTOL to kill it.
Anyway, you better think the battle as the teamwork, rather than duel. It is not the duel at all, and you have several units to control. You should acknowledge that anything shoots something cannot shoot the another at the same time. Anything that shoots them to death means, the same firepower does not touches all the others. Thus durable unit makes the opponent to think twice before which one to shoot, they will gives some time before perished and split fire does little to them. And because Battletech rules requires you to declare all the shots and its targets, after then resolve all the attacks, so durable units may cause overkill and wasting the enemy firepowers as well.
Susceptibility is RELATIVE. Properly used VTOLs are in constant motion, and if you have a high cruise, that means they're both highly controllable (avoiding sideslip, which makes it easier to do clever things with them) and have an easier time landing shots (You're not eating a flanking penalty with your weapons).
Thus, more likely to do damage, than to take it-because missed shots don't hurt, and landed shots do.
Third, mobility lets you GET those good shot positions and postures more easily without flanking, or at lower risks when you MUST flank, which will be less frequently. thus you can go with lighter weapons with longer ranges and be more useful than a big gun on a flying bunker.
How so? the shot you can't make? it does no damage, it's like missing, only you don't even get the chance to TRY.
Two points that hit, do more damage than a thirty point miss. It's easier to get that hit, if you can cruise and be harder TO hit, than that Yasha or Yellowjacket that had to flank and still had to get inside the range of weapons that can TAC or generte PSRs.
Further, is your LBX thing-let's say you only got one pellet to the rotor. a Warrior goes from 9/14 to 8/12. That's still a decent mobility for a light unit. A Yellowjacket goes from 6/9, to 5/8. That's a column shift down toward 'easy to kill' and forces flanking where you used to cruise.
Two pellets and your H-7 is suddenly in Yasha's starting territory, but your Yellowjacket? that's into 'about as frequently as a Patton gets hit', only with less ability to make use of it.
Three? that's about the time the H-7/H-8 or Cavalry needs to be moving off the board, but for a YJ or Yasha, it's about the time the pilot needs to find a nice clearing to evacuate himself from, because he isn't going to be able to fly out under his own power for long.
Armor, or not.
(examples from TRO 3039, not 3026 versions, as the devs decided they couldnt have the H-7 outperforming the Donar...or even being peer level to a Clantech machine on the tabletop...and they excused it in a game that uses LOTS of math, by declaring the build method too complicated for ordinary players to grasp.)
See, the problem you're still not seeing, is that a 'team' that can make your slow VTOL useful, is usually better off without it AT ALL. Even if you don't reallocate the BV points, the rest of the team is going to be more effective if they aren't distracted keeping a Yellowjacket alive.
We've TESTED this. Whether it's an objective based scenario, or "Kill everything" the YJ is...well, deficient, and it's not because it's underprotected.
a 6/9 tank, that loses its motives, can still shoot, and still hold a position until the armor's exhausted. It may need to be craned out of there, but it's still a combat asset unless, or until, it is destroyed outright.
a 6/9 'mech, can lose whole sections and keep going as a viable combat unit unless it's saddled with an IS XL or XXL engine.
A VTOL can't do that.A VTOL that loses its motive system, becomes one-with-the-terrain, and it's a lot easier to hit a 6/9 or 7/11 VTOL, than it is to hit 8/12 or better, meaning it WILL lose its motive systems fairly quickly, whereas something lightly armored and fast, may never get hit
at all, has an easier time getting into position to DO damage, and can maneuver to force reactions your slower VTOL simply
can't.
Battle IS teamwork-part of that, is that your team members are there to create tactical dilemmas for your opponent. Mobility is a key ingredient in
doing that, and the slower vTOLs aren't nearly as capable as VTOLs with what you might call 'laughable' armor-because THOSE VTOLs have
mobility-they can position and reposition against an enemy force's flanks, isolate or draw off THEIR team members into pursuits with less risk of being
caught.
OR cornered.
Like I've said before, you should get another player, set up a string of mountainous maps, and play out the Goat Path scenario. (Equal BVs 'mechs on one side, VTOLs on the other).
The only time I've seen a VTOL player LOSE that scenario, he was running Yellowjackets and variants with the same idea you're promoting-that is, "LOTS OF HEAVY ARMOR AND BIG GUNS!" instead of mobility and range.
Thick armor tends to make players
sloppy, at least until they've actually RUN the class a few dozen times and really internalized what VTOLs do well, versus what other unit types do well, and where they are fundamentally disadvantaged.
and, as I've also said more than once in here, there are maps and scenarios where I wouldn't take a VTOL at all-because it's the wrong tool for the job, the wrong kind of scenario to use it.
Not all tools are equal on all maps. You probably wouldn't take a Hetzer on a water map, would you? or a Hydrofoil on a map where the only water is two hexes? Hovertanks on dense forest? Of course not.
Two mapsheets for VTOLs is a telephone booth for anything else. VTOLs as a unit aren't very useful there, even when they're carved from a block of ferro-somethingorother. The only scenario where that isn't true, is facing an urbanmech in hip-deep mud.
