No respawn mode

[(TLL)TheLastSnowman]

I agree with sky walker. A mechlab is critical to any true battlemech game. I would be seriously disappointed if this mod did not include one. Sure it would still be fun and I'd probably play it but I would not be nearly as interested in it as if it had a mechlab. Would there be people who find ways to exploit balance issues? Yes, but that is a case in any game with any degree of player customization and it is easily fixed with a nerf of the weapon's power, raising of the weapon's weight, increase in the amount of heat generated, etc...
I mean there is nothing quite like spending time planning out your mech and building it yourself and then taking it out on the field to test both it and your abilities against other player's ideas and abilities. While I agree that other more pressing issues should definitely come first, the mechlab is still a critical part of the game.

[Aidan]

I agree with sky walker. A mechlab is critical to any true battlemech game. I would be seriously disappointed if this mod did not include one. Sure it would still be fun and I'd probably play it but I would not be nearly as interested in it as if it had a mechlab. Would there be people who find ways to exploit balance issues? Yes, but that is a case in any game with any degree of player customization and it is easily fixed with a nerf of the weapon's power, raising of the weapon's weight, increase in the amount of heat generated, etc...
I mean there is nothing quite like spending time planning out your mech and building it yourself and then taking it out on the field to test both it and your abilities against other player's ideas and abilities. While I agree that other more pressing issues should definitely come first, the mechlab is still a critical part of the game.

Well stated (TLL)TheLastSnowman. 

[Landros Radick]

A mechlab is critical to any true battlemech MechWarrior game.

Fixed that for you.

Battletech customization was unwieldy, expensive (in game terms) and not really all that utilized in the PnP. Most tournaments ran stock configurations both pre-3050 and post. There's a mechanic for it, but it wasn't a major part of the full experience of Battletech except for Solaris.

Battletech: Crescent Hawks Revenge/Inception, Mechwarrior 1, EVGA Multiplayer Battletech (GEnie),  Multiplayer Battletech: Solaris (AOL) and Multiplayer Battletech: 3025 (EA) all did not include a customization mechanic other than preset variants. The spirit of Battletech is the warfare, not the customization.

I'm not against customization or the mechlab, we already stated we will have one in due time. I just don't see the point of one being absolutely critical to a Leagues success except to satisfy some individuals fears of immediate stagnation.

[Aidan]

I just don't see the point of one being absolutely critical to a Leagues success except to satisfy some individuals fears of immediate stagnation.

Landros, good points on the other stock games. But please do not distort some league intentions. NBT just has a certain way they play and they will stay with it. If they change this way, then maybe NBT will morph into something different. There is already league interest in doing just that. But there are the stalwarts of the league hoping MWLL will "mature" with regards to the MWLL feature list. Some of them think, because of the slow release of the MWLL mod (do not interpret that in a negative way it is just a statement of fact because of the limited resources MWLL has), that modifying the NBT league would not be worth the effort especially with a new AAA title on the horizon.

NBT is a concept. The whole planetary league concept and rule set is what makes NBT, NBT. If this concept changes it is no longer NBT but something else.

I know the MWLL team cannot cater to the wishes and demands of various leagues. But if the MWLL team is interested in league adoption of their creation, I would hope your software would be flexible enough to allow a league to pursue the creation of the necessary changes to enforce, through software, the league gamerule requirements. If not, oh well, there is always Mektek and Smith and Tinker.

Remember I am a fan of the MWLL effort. I play the role over at the NBT forums of informing NBT about new MWLL features and promoting the use of the game for NBT league play. "It is hard to teach old dogs new tricks" And there are some "Old Dogs" at NBT. But I know one thing for sure, they are not stupid and they know what they like. They will not switch to a new game unless they perceive the new game is better than the old. While MWLL may be close to that perception, it is not quite there. YET !

No-respawn, MechLab, some minor mech animation changes, some server switches, more maps, more mechs will go a long way at NBT.

Sheesh I thought I was gonna shut up about this.