Quotable Wednesday version 12

You are one ugly muttafacka. - Dutch - 1987 - Predator

So yesterday was the release of the ugliest hero mech ever but people love her. "Pretty Baby"



The history behind PB is this:
Leftenant Danielle Peterson: As a member of the Chisholm’s Raiders, Peterson has a petite build and physical beauty that is atypical of MechWarriors and seemingly at odds with her Awesome’s appearance. She is highly regarded for her exceptional piloting ability, and the extraordinary agility and performance she displays in her BattleMech have been well documented. Seemingly uninhibited by the Awesome’s typical lack of maneuverability, Peterson’s incredible skills have made her and her Awesome (“Pretty Baby”) famous in all the Successor States. Several Solaris VII stables have offered her tremendous financial rewards were she to retire and join them, but so far she has publicly maintained that her allegiance to the Federated Suns, and she claims she does not intend to retire until they are done with her

Quotable Wednesdays 11

"Distract your opponent ...Reemember that and no one will defeat you." Theophraste Lupin - Arsene Lupin - 2004.

Look over there ...so I can jab you here. Really good movie if you can stand the subtitles.

Neurohelmet and MechWarrior Online

"To 'unlock' a neurohelmet, the pilot transmitted a special, brief series of motions or entered some word or number command into the onboard computer. This code was secret and different for each individual pilot and his 'Mech, and prevented anyone else from simply climbing in and taking over the machine. Failure to transmit the proper sequence could result in damage to the helmet or the wearer." The Sword and the Dagger by Ardath Mayhar 1986.

Imagine no locks or keys needed on vehicles ....just moing into it an placing a helmet and with a certain number of commands or motions would allow you to drive ...the incorrect command or motion would get you nothing or possibly killed.

In MechWarrior Online, of course nothing feels close to this ...there may be a few people who say a prayer before dropping that the game wont crash or they are hoping to score a kill or a hit even. No risk involved at all.

The book gave me all new appreciation for the honor of piloting the mechs.

Tactic Tip #110

"Halt and identify yourselves!" the Wasp challenged, as Sep and Jarlik continued moving forward. The guard then lifted its right arm in an accusatory gesture that spat fire from its medium laser.

"Hostiles on Palace grounds. Engaging!" they heard him report frantically over the crackle of the general frequency. The two heavy 'Mechs dodged, and the shot missed.

"Concentrate fire!" Sep yelled into the com. "Right leg! Give him everything you've got." The combined fire from their lasers, autocannon, and SRMs was deafening, almost blinding. Then they saw the Wasp fall to the ground, its right leg totally disintegrated. The huge machine was now effectively out of commision.

"One down," said Sep, "but he's put out the warning now, and it won't be long before the rest of them show up. We better get done with this now!"


"The Sword and the Dagger"

Ardath Mayhar

Mechs Listed in "The Sword and the Dagger "

I have finished reading and thought it might be cool to list all the mechs used or discussed in the game or mentioned at all.
Only 2 mechs mentioned in the book exist in the game so far. I posted pictures of them. PGI is hoping to release every mech known to man so all of these will be coming at some point :D


Mentioned in the book but no detail
Wasp
Rifleman Stinger
Enforcer Catapult

Ostroc
Archer
Trebuche


Listed in the glossary and used in the book.
Victor:
This 80-ton assault 'Mech moves at a maximum speed of about 64.8 kph, and is the only one of its class with jump capability (120 meters maximum). The Victor mounts an autocannon in its right arm, two medium lasers in the left arm, and an SRM 4 in its center torso. In battle, the Victor is often able to throw its opponents off guard, as they do not expect to find a heavy 'Mech with jump capability.
 
Zeus:
The 80-ton Zeus is the pride of House Steiner. whose designers created it as a heavy 'Mech capable of performing hit-and-run tactics. It mounts an LRM in the right arm, a large laser and medium laser in the left torso, a medium laser in the center torso, and an autocannon in the left arm. The Mech's top speed is 64.8 kph. Its excellent armor, especially around the chest and legs, allow it to withstand all but the heaviest fire. Its strong, heavily armored legs make the Zeus a feared kicker, and a bludgeon feature on its left arm gives it a mighty punch.
Battlemaster:
A formidable assault ‘Mech, the BattleMaster weighs 85 tons and has a maximum speed of 64.8 kph. The firepower that the BattleMaster can generate in one volley is staggering and more than deadly at close range. Its main fire weapon is its right-arm PPC, and its three right-torso and three left-torso medium lasers provide close support fire. Of the six lasers, two are mounted on the 'Mech's right and left rear, making it one of the few models equipped with rear firing weapons. An SRM 6 and two machine guns complete the BattleMaster's weaponry. 

  Dragon:
The Dragon is a well-armed 'Mech whose top speed of 86.4 kph makes it one of the fastest of the heavies. Armed with 24 rounds for its LRM and a whopping 40 rounds for its autocannon, the Dragon can carry on sustained battles without reloading. Even if ammo does run low, the 'Mech's left-arm and left-torso medium lasers ensure that it has other weapons to fire.



 
Warhammer:
Because of its size and weaponry, the 70-ton heavy 'Mech War-hammer is one of the most dangerous and powerful on the battlefield. It mounts PPCs on both right and left arms, an SRM on the right torso, and a medium and small laser and a machine gun on each side of its torso. These give it the sheer firepower needed by a first-line fighter. The special searchlight mounted on the 'Mech's left torso ties in with its tracking system. Able to function either as a light or as part of the targeting system, this feature makes the WarHammer a formidable night-fighter. The Mech's top speed is 64.8 kph.
JagerMech: This 65-ton 'Mech mounts two light and two medium autocannon and two medium lasers. Its top speed is 64.8 kph. Crusader: A heavy BattleMech, weighing 65 tons, with a top speed of 64.8 kph. It is heavily armed even for a 'Mech, mounting a laser, heavy machine gun, and massed LRM batteries in each arm, and SRMs on each leg. The Crusader is capable of delivering a full spread of 42 missiles at optimum 160-180 meter range, with the potential of crippling or destroying even the mighty BattleMaster
Thunderbolt:
The Thunderbolt is a 65-ton heavy 'Mech, and is one of the best-armed 'Mechs in existence. Its arm-mounted large laser packs a powerful punch. Combined with its three left-torso-mounted medium lasers and the SRM 2 mounted on its right torso, the 'Mech has ample firepower at long and medium ranges. For close combat, it mounts a torso-mounted SRM 2 and two left-arm machine guns.  Vindicator:
The Vindicator is a 45-ton medium 'Mech that is not particularly fast (top speed 64.8 kph) for its size. One of the most common 'Mechs among the House Liao forces, the 'Mech mounts an LRM in the left torso, a PPC in its right arm, a small laser in its left arm, and a medium laser that bulges from the left side of the 'Mech's head. 
Valkyrie:
A 'Mech design seen only among the forces of House Davion, the Valkyrie is a highly regarded light 'Mech. Its six tons of armor, top speed of 86.4 kph, and 150-meter jump capacity allow it to outmaneuver heavier units in battle and to absorb a fair amount of damage. Its left-torso LRM is unusual in a light ‘Mech, making it a potentially tough opponent at long range. At close range, its right-arm medium laser and super jump capacity can be a potent mix. Though no match for a medium or heavy ‘Mech in one-to-one combat, the Valkyrie is effective when part of a lance.

Tactic Tip #109

State your intent


Many times in matches especially with 4 man premade and 4 pugs you have no idea what the pugs are doing (are they another premade?)
We have some guys that are fast typist can put in our intent in chat and can coordinate on the fly.  We tested this last week - our team running 4 fast mechs to cap their base while the rest distracted the enemy. Yes a fast cap and a cheap shot but a shot none the less ....they could have defend but chose to run at the 4 pugs.

The match before that we made a mistake of not telling our pugs what our intent was and they were really bend out of shape about it. We tried delaying the game to 10 minutes not killing them or capping just pure survival ...there were only 3 of us and only one pilot was able to survive ....he was still running when they gave up searching for him and capped instead at 13:23 minutes. The rest of our team was complaining that we should have told them and looking back they were right.

They would not have helped us but it made with good watching. we were cheering him on the whole time ...running and hiding in a awesome was funny.

Book One: The Sword and the Dagger



I started this book and while it is difficult to tear myself away from it I am reading it with a completely new perspective of MWO ...it is amazing to think something written this long ago is influencing the game today.

 

http://www.sarna.net/wiki/The_Sword_and_the_Dagger

 

I do not want to give any of the book away but I plan on posting my thoughts on the book as I read it.