Why be...

[cookies4you]

Why would you want to be an Aerospace/Land(IDK what they're called) Vehicles? Why be those when you can be a mech? Can someone explain to me why would you want to not be a mech? Is there a limit or something?

[Teroh]

It's like you're asking:
"Why do we use F-22's and the Marines when we can just use an M1A1 Abrams?"
Everything has its own use.

[Spyro]

military history has shown that every battlefield asset has its uses

[Cujo]

Why would you want to be an Aerospace/Land(IDK what they're called) Vehicles? Why be those when you can be a mech? Can someone explain to me why would you want to not be a mech? Is there a limit or something?

nocookies4you, come back, 1 year!

in text the soup nazi stuff isn't as funny, if you've seen it, imagine him as a cookie nazi.

[DigitalStef]

Because there this old phrase that say's: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." and Tanks where never broken and thrown out as a battlefield weapons so why replace about... 400+ years of experience with tanks with new fangled mechs when tanks are proven to work just fine.

It like saying now that we have tanks who want to be a infantry man?


That is why Tanks and other conventional tactics and technologies are still used in the battletech universe. The reason everyone wants to be a mech pilot is the prestige that goes with it is akin to a Fighter pilot today. Everyone thinks it wicked cool!

[(TLL) Heretic]

Why Tanks?  Well...lets see.....

Shrek, 80ton Main Battle Tank, 3PPCs loadout, MechCommander it cost 30660

Awesome, 80ton Battlemech, 3PPC, MechCommander it cost 54170.

Now true, a Shrek won't trade salvos long with an Awesome (but it will knock chunks out of the 'mech before it falls), but could an Awesome survive 2 Shreks (even if the extra cash bought a VTOL it's still 6 PPCs to 3).

Everything has it's use, tanks can own 'mechs if deployed correctly... 

Most 'mechpilots would be in mediums by the time the tanker was in a Shrek if they made cash at the same rate from the start. The Raven is slightly cheaper than the Shrek, the Hollander slightly more expensive (using MCs costings) and 3PPCs are a lot for those machines to withstand....

So you might ask..why would you want to pilot a 'mech when Armour gives you much more bang for your buck?

[KorJax]

Tanks have their uses, being that they are considerably more affordable than mechs, even if they may sport some high end weaponry (such as Gauss or LBX20).  This allows a "heavy weapons" option for a much cheaper cost than what a heavy-weapons mech would cost.  They also have a lower profile than a mech.  I wouldn't say they are harder to hit because they still are sizable, but just not as tall/noticable.

However the tanks in general will not have as much total armor as a heavy/assualt mech (though they still have plenty), usually don't hold as much weapons/tech, cannot support jump jets, and their mobility is limited (mainly in terms of traversable terrain, such as a mech will be able to go over small rocks, up hills, and over obstacles with no problems other than slightly slower speed while tanks will have more trouble doing the same).

TL;DR:  Mech's aren't garunteed to own everything.  A demolisher with two gauss rifles on it is still deadly threat, and signifigantly cheaper than getting a Mad Cat MKII with dual gauss rifles + missles + lasers.

[13th Fear]

Every unit has it pros and cons.  Mechs are extremely powerful, but slow not very maneuverable.  Aerospace fighters are quick, and agile, and can get a large view of the battlefield in a short peiod, but aren't nearly as powerful or as easy to pilot.  Battle suits, are small and hard to detect, but lack significant fire power.  Tanks tend to fill the middle ground with average maneuvarability and weapons.

[~SJ~ Karuik]

actually in the 31st century mechs are fairly quick and manuverable, other than that, you sound about right to me 13th, also add EXPENSIVE to mechs 

PS- why be a person who asks why be anything but a mech? WHY?!

[Tiger Dragon]

For the cost and a years support of a single Atlas, a house can fit, support, and enhance about three divisions of Infantry for about 20 years or a two tank battalions for five years.

[Bensam123]

It all depends on how they're balanced. If vehicles have a plus like being able to move quite fast (hover tanks specifically are able to do some neat tricks you wouldn't be able to do with a bipedal mech) and deliver good shots I think they have a chance at being used. They have to have some sort of niche to fit into though.

Battlesuits have a niche since they're small, fast, manevurable, and carry a decent amount of firepower. Vehicles have no such benefits.

I'm going to be the devils advocate here and say I HOPE to hell that cost isn't the only reason someone would pick a vehicle over a mech. Credits or currency is no way of balancing things. Take Counterstrike for instance (most well known example). Almost everyone does the pistol round and then purchases a deagle, AK, or M4 as soon as they get money. The only people who don't are those who enjoy using other guns even if they'll suck it up doing so. True they're cheaper and will get used first, but anyone who has any sort of brains knows to wait things out a tiny bit more instead of blowing their savings early. In other words they're a very small and probably will be a unused stepping stone on the way to a mech if their only use is a low cost alternative.

The only way for credits to be a effective balancing measure is making them really count. As in you'll suck and take it up the bum for a good part of the game if you just wait things out to buy a Atlas. Not a mech costs 130% more then the equivelant vehicle. Then again I'm not in the closed beta so there might be something I'm not catching.

Also zerging is not a effective balancing measure either. Saying two vehicles can stand up to one mech may be true realistically, but who would want to be one of those two vehicle pilots that doesn't stand a chance without someone else? I know I rather be the person in the mech stepping on the fodder then the fodder desperately trying to kill the mech.

[=KoS= Eldragon]

Vehicles in Battletech are like pawns on a chessboard; Plentiful and meant to be sacrificed to spare your more important pieces.

From a Classic Battletech Rules perspective, cost is the only balancing factor that matters (Either Battle Value, or C-Bills). Cost is tricky to balance, but it is easier than trying to balance different weapons against each other strictly by their game play function (Weight, Range, Damage, etc). When balancing against cost, the game designer simply needs to change the cost slightly up or down to achieve the desired effect.

I love playing vehicles in CBT, you can pack a lot of firepower into a vehicle at a fraction of the cost of a mech. If you use those vehicles to support your mechs the value of your force is greater than the sum of its parts. A Force Multiplier, to use modern military parlance.

As to Mechwarrior Living Legends, well I expect tanks to have excellent armor to make up for thier reduced mobility and firepower.

[Bensam123]

Thats exactly why balancing based on currency is a bad idea. Developers do it because it's easy, not because its the best way to do things. You don't need to have mirror balancing either which a lot of developers are doing nowdays rather then overall balance. You don't need to balance vehicles in terms of firepower either, there are a lot of different ways to manipulate and make game mechanics.

Even if a vehicle is a pawn, a person more then likely will not want to be a pawn. They want to be the person smashing the pawns.

[Diablo48]

You know, a heavy vehicle like the Demolisher can work great earlier in the game if you prefer firepower and armor over speed because you can get it far earlier than an assault 'Mech, so if you specialize in the big toys you have an option besides getting yourself killed in something that you hate for most of the game.

[Tallen]

I play ETQW competetively and my role when there're vehicles available is a tanker.  Tanks have a low enough profile to pop over a ridge, squeeze off an accurate long range shot and move back over the ridge.  I suspect in MWLL they will be faster at it than mechs and I'll certainly try my hand at it.  I also just got multiplayer for MW4Mercs running for the first time in 6 years and it's my hope that aircraft will deter people from turning the game into Pogo-StickWarrior.