So, I've been a fan of battletech since I was introduced to it via Mechwarrior 4 (it was the only one available alright!) and loved it ever since.
Now, I've been making a future-history setting of my own and I've been having trouble with creating a vehicle designer. Every attempt I've made had been something of a failure. I've learned from them but I simply can't win as it were. So far I've settled to a simple 1 ton = 12m^3 ratio, an era system (although I'm still working the kinks out of that one), a 'base' and 'modified' volume, and having surface area be (rounded) 6x([Modified Volume]^1/3)^2 (where six is the number of sides to track) with the eventual product requiring one to also track energy, heat, reactor fuel, and propellant at the minimum.
So, how did you guys decide on the vehicle design system? How did you make it so... simple that anyone with a weapon list, some slot tracking, and some time can make a design? I'm just so fascinated by this system and yet it is kind of mystifying at times.
If you can, can you help a fan out?
