Light Mech/ harder start?

[Democratus]

Be sure to not only use light mechs to start, but also limit yourself to stock configuraitons.

What's the point of making things "harder" if you then modify the mechs to make them more powerful?

 

[BunglingLummox]

Be sure to not only use light mechs to start, but also limit yourself to stock configuraitons.

What's the point of making things "harder" if you then modify the mechs to make them more powerful?

You've just described two ways to make the game harder, not one. Changing what you start with can make the game harder. So can changing what you're allowed to do with that stuff. Here, you suggest doing both. That's not making the game harder, that's making it a lot harder.

All three are equally valid.

 

[kstanb]

I like tinkering with my mechs, but with lights you are really constrained by very little free space available

from mediums onwards, it is a different story

 

[MisterSlanky]

I did this with a game that I played for a year of in-game time before heading off to the first priority mission.

- BJ-1 (because story-wise it is mine)
- Panther to replace the vindicator
- Commando to replace the Shadowhawk
- Spider to continue to exist as the spider

The game wasn't overly difficult and I felt like I EARNED my medium on that first priority mission when I eeked out a win with four nearly non-functioning mechs (by that point I had 2/3 parts on nearly every other medium, but I could never seem to complete the builds). The first mission after the priority though is a different story, where the opponent fielded four mediums, plus a bad intel lance. Woe is that day.

 

[JLaughter]

In my game, I started with lights and really had to earn my mediums. I've had a rough time of it since I ran Smithon, and one of my pilots in a Shadow Hawk was cored and killed (RIP Bullet Trap, we probably should have seen this coming). I'd already decided to scrap CT destroyed Mechs...and, in another complication, my heavy front line pilot (Behemoth in a Thunderbolt) took 4 injuries and went down for 90 days or so. Aaaand since I'd decided that Mechs were assigned to certain pilots, and couldn't be used otherwise, that left me to try and run missions with a stable consisting of a Jager, two Firestarters and a Wolverine.

It has been challenging as hell since Smithon! Every mission my pilots are fighting tooth and nail to overcome piles of heavies and mediums...so while I've picked up some more pilots and brought backup mechs out of storage, I'm constantly having to rotate out for repairs and injuries.

It's been plenty hard and fun for me with my little house rules!

 

[me987654]

I started a new game with the:

Blackjack
Panther
Commando 1B
Jenner
Spyder

I did modify the Jenner and Commando to remove the SRMs (Jenner is just too hot... replaced SRMS with one heat sink and more armor.... Commando just got more armor)

Game is definitely harder and I'm sticking to half skull missions right now (it doesn't help that I have the game modded to require 5 parts for a mech )