Ancestors

Written by Craig P on 2025-01-25 at 02:24

OK, after I learned what makes the mechs in Battletech count as difficult, I started over with the idea to optimize not for "best mechs" but "cheapest mechs".

Currently I'm deploying 200t of mecha and it counts as ONE SKULL, which is the same price as a single 50 ton mecha from my previous playthroughs.

Every battle is a cakewalk, aside from the small fact that half of my mecha are extreeeeeeemely slow.

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Written by Craig P on 2025-01-25 at 02:26

This has led me to discovering a lot of mech classes I previously dismissed as Rather Crap.

I used to be a laser-boy, because they're more effective when you have a decent coolant system, and why would you have a shit coolant system?

Well, because having a shit coolant system HALVES the drop price of your mech. Well, from 7500 to 4000.

So I've found some real gems of efficiency hiding in these new parameters.

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Written by Craig P on 2025-01-25 at 02:29

One of my favorites are the "Cattle Masters", light mecha intended to herd cattle, revamped for battle.

They're a shitty shtick mech, right? Just there to add flavor?

Well... it turns out that their industrial skeleton allows them to literally pick up and carry a 7t gun into battle. Just, like, a big fuckin' rifle in their hands.

And their drop cost multiple? 71%.

So this doesn't even cost what it says it costs. It's even cheaper.

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Written by Craig P on 2025-01-25 at 02:32

And then there's the Hunchback. Now I won't claim I ever disliked the Hunchback, it packs a hell of a punch... but I never liked it either, because it's primary armament is chest-mounted autocannons, which have a huge penalty to hit.

And battle fists as their quirk? Like melee is ever useful?!

Well, look at that FRIGGIN PRICE. A drop price of 4.5k.

How low it that? Well compare it to this other mech which comes STOCK at 7.5k. And is TWENTY TONS LIGHTER.

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Toot

Written by Craig P on 2025-01-25 at 02:36

Why's the artic fox so pricey?

It's got a coolant kit and engine lightening mods built in. I can't remove them.

And to be clear, this isn't a "shit" hunchback. It's a full-bore monster hunchback with AC-20, a spread of lasers, and a handheld shotgun for fun.

For less than the price of a 30 ton mech.

I have to wonder how this works in other implementations of Battletech. This feels pretty wrong.

But it makes the game... SUPER easy. No longer do I just use nothing but vehicles.

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Descendants

Written by Craig P on 2025-01-25 at 02:37

I still use vehicles, though, because all my light mecha are slow as balls due to the mass of unlightened engines.

But they hit as hard as medium mecha, and my 50-ton medium mecha hit as hard as ever but are, and I can't stress this enough-

ONE THIRD THE PRICE of my performance-optimized mecha.

Sure, I have to basically give up PPCs and laser broadsides. But I barely notice when I have three times as many guns.

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Written by seb hanlon 😷 on 2025-01-26 at 15:57

@Craigp this sounds like convergent evolution vis-a-vis WH40K Orks?

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Written by Craig P on 2025-01-26 at 16:33

@hanlsp Dunno, I don't play WH40k. Maybe!

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