Could flamers/sl be made an energy weapon option, and mg a ballistic, but if they're not in the anti-personnel hardpoints, they don't fire as part of a melee attack - would lead to some interesting variation.
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Small weapon hardpoint suggestion
- Thread starter tremor3258
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Would certainly make sense for certain mechs. I still don't get why the SHD-2H has 3 (!) ballistic hardpoints in its left torso, even though mounting more than one AC isn't really viable, IMHO. That way you could stack 3 MGs or one AC and 2 MGs in there.
I've also found myself wanting to downgrade some mechs from a number of medium to the same amount of small lasers, but was unable to do so because of a lack of support hardpoints.
I've also found myself wanting to downgrade some mechs from a number of medium to the same amount of small lasers, but was unable to do so because of a lack of support hardpoints.
Pretty sure some of the mechs have so many ballistic hardpoints that it isn't even physically possible to fit that many weapons in them.
The Urbie has 4(!) Ballistic hardpoints.
The lightest Ballistic weapon is an AC2 at 6 tons. 4 AC2s cost 24 tons, not counting the ammunition!
Even without a single point of armor, you can't fit that many autocannons on the Urbie!
Same issue with the Cicada-3C, which also (funnily enough) has 4 Ballistic hardpoints, despite only having 14 free tons (without any armor)
I think this is more of a holdover from their partnership with PGI. In MechWarrior: Online, the mechs there share the same number of hardpoints if I recal. The difference being that the “support weapons” hardpoints are used for things like anti missile systems and such.
I agree that machine guns and small lasers/flamers should use the appropriate ballistic or energy hardpoints. I believe that’s how it was in the beta, so I’m not sure why they changed it up. But real life hit me like a truck and I’m not sure what happened in beta for the last 9 or 10 months it was up. Maybe they did and I missed it.
Plus AMS. Do want...
I agree that machine guns and small lasers/flamers should use the appropriate ballistic or energy hardpoints. I believe that’s how it was in the beta, so I’m not sure why they changed it up. But real life hit me like a truck and I’m not sure what happened in beta for the last 9 or 10 months it was up. Maybe they did and I missed it.
Plus AMS. Do want...
AMS! Yes!!!
I think hardpoints were introduced post "Battletech" and once they "Mechwarrior" rules were established. Each variant has a different set of hardpoints. That makes complete sense from a manufacturing point of view. The excessive hardpoints is strange though, but I've used them in strange situations. For example, I have a Centurion with an AC/5 and MG in the right arm -- because I haven't wanted to purchase an AC/10 yet. I've tanked the h* out of it with 800 points of armor and use it as my rodeo clown to soak up shots. Works nicely! Can just charge in and not care.
I think hardpoints were introduced post "Battletech" and once they "Mechwarrior" rules were established. Each variant has a different set of hardpoints. That makes complete sense from a manufacturing point of view. The excessive hardpoints is strange though, but I've used them in strange situations. For example, I have a Centurion with an AC/5 and MG in the right arm -- because I haven't wanted to purchase an AC/10 yet. I've tanked the h* out of it with 800 points of armor and use it as my rodeo clown to soak up shots. Works nicely! Can just charge in and not care.
The hardpoints system started with Microsoft and MechWarrior 3, if I recall. It used different colored blocks corresponding to color coded weapon types. This system was carried foreword to the MechCommander series as well. I gave up on the Microsoft vision of MechWarrior and Battletech video games in general until MW:O when they refined the hard point color system into a number of available slots. It has never officially been a thing for classic Battletech, although Clan omnimechs come close with their pod space and fixed internal diagram.
As to why I quote you specifically, I wish I could fit my AC/10++ on my centurion, but I like having my LRMs and jump jets too much to sacrifice. With the increased armor, agility and ability to hit all ranges with something, it’s worked out well as a skirmished for me.
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Small correction: MechWarrior 3 was made my MicroProse, and every mech was essentially an Omnimech because you could stick pretty much everything everywhere. Hardpoints divided by weapon type where introduced in MW4: Vengeance.
Generally speaking, I don't dislike the hardpoint system here (or in MWO, for that matter); I just wish HBS would've made some adjustments with regards to the facts we 1) can't change engine size and 2) can't change the internal structure. It's rather silly to have an amount of hardpoints that can't be used no matter what.
Hmmm, ok. I thought MicroProse had already gone belly up by the time MW3 was released. I stand corrected then.
As far as changing internal structure and engines goes, there are already components in the game that take up space and sometimes tonnage to add effects. I’ve seen gyros and actuators and heard talk of components to increase speed. I don’t see why there can’t be components that take up space and add tonnage, too. It’s not as elegant as the MW2 mechlab that basically allowed you to build a new mech from the ground up, but it would be serviceable.
I thought hardpoints (via chassis design) was introduced in the Mechwarrior tabletop rules. In order to mount different types of weapons, the various chassis can't be infinitely variable. The recoil from a projectile weapon needs different bracing from energy weapons.
However, I suppose if that's a matter of wanting to follow role-playing (ish) rules vs. random fun of building wacky mechs.
However, I suppose if that's a matter of wanting to follow role-playing (ish) rules vs. random fun of building wacky mechs.
Not that I recall in my years of looking at the table top version. The stock mechs were detailed in each respective technical readout along with notable variants associated with the different houses, mercenary companies or whatever. But they were each fairly rigidly defined (outside of the occasional one-off and RPG stuff).
Technical readout 3050 released clan tech and clan mechs which still didn’t have hard points, per se, but rather fixed internal component structures and a remaining tonnage designated as “pod space”. The player could make custome load outs using whatever weapons they wanted as long as they kept within that pod space and the weapons would fit in the location after all fixed components were placed.
Edit: incidentally, not all clan mechs were Omnimechs. They also had fixed designs just like the inner sphere, albeit much more technologically advanced. They simply used them as garrison units and rear guard because the tactical advantages offered by the Omnis made the Omni better suited to frontline combat.
I would like to see the hardpoint system made more customisable. I think it has very limited use having a limb without any usable hardpoints.
Engine bay customisation would be great.
Back in MechCommander 2 IIRC, you could save custom configurations & name them.
It would save a hell of a lot of time in the Mech Bay if you could just click load your preferred custom variant .