WVR-7K on Canyon Network

This thing is fun!

Patch #35 Comes Tonight!

More information on the patch here!

This patch brings some fixes to Viridian Bog. They have apparently toned down the fog effects on the map. Personally, I think having so much stuff to get stuck on was a bigger problem, but hey, UPDATES!

A Lengthy Love Affair: III

Greetings MechWarriors,

Over the past few posts, I have been talking about my adoration for Highlander pilots and their unique maneuver. This time, I’d like to take a peek into what would happen in real life to a Light Mech caught in the path of a dropping Highlander! There are a number of simplifying assumptions that I will make to ball-park useful numbers. This will include the values for acceleration due to gravity, wind resistance, the reality of three dimensional vectors, etc, etc. Although these assumptions remove us from the “real world” and are somewhat idealized, they will allow us to fill in as many gaps as we can to come to a conclusion. And, let’s be real here, there are some details that we just can’t get from a work of fiction!

So, let’s start by determining, as best we can, what the jump capacity of a Highlander is. A 90m jump capacity is what is listed on sarna.net, but a 20m jump capacity is listed in MWO. We’ll split the difference and assume the jump capacity of the average Highlander is 55m. Next, we need to determine the height of a Light Mech for us to crush. An Atlas is referenced as being 13-15m tall. A Jenner, being an average Light, would stand just under half as tall. So, let’s assume that a Jenner is 6m tall.

So, what this tells us is that a Highlander will be able to produce around a DY of 55m. At the peak of its ascent, the Highlander’s +/-V_y and +a_y will be zero, as it’s no longer traveling upward. Given the height of a Jenner, the Highlander will only have 49m to fall before it strikes the Jenner. Now, we need to determine how fast the Highlander will be traveling when it strikes that puny Jenner. To do this, we will assume that the acceleration due to gravity is what it is at sea-level on Earth, ~9.81m/s². For simplicity, we will assume that the Highlander travels all 49m without experiencing positive acceleration or external forces. Given the change in position and the acceleration during motion, we can determine the amount of time it would take the Highlander to strike the Jenner.

DY = a₀ Dt²/2 + V_Y0Dt

This equation states: The change in position is equal to the initial acceleration multiplied by the (change in time)² all divided by two PLUS the initial velocity multiplied by the change in time. Because our Highlander is not moving when it comes to the peak of its jump, the initial velocity is zero. The initial acceleration is not zero because the Highlander’s acceleration has simply changed from a net positive to a net negative, or it is always experiencing gravity. Simplified, we’re left with:

Dt = sqrt(2DY/a₀)

Plugging in our known values, we are able to determine that the Highlander’s descent will last 3.35 seconds! Now, that’s moving pretty quick! Next, let’s determine the velocity at the time of impact.

DV_y  = a₀Dt + V_Y0

Again, our initial velocity is zero, so, we’re able to simplify the equation once more.

DV_y  = a₀Dt = (9.81m/s²)*(3.35s) = 32.85 m/s

There, we have now determined how fast an average Highlander would be travelling when it strikes a Jenner after a full jump in Earth equivalent gravity. How exciting! But, you may be wondering where we are to go from here if we want to find the amount of force a Highlander would impart on a Jenner. Next time, we’ll continue our look into the details of that very question! Anyone that is interested in reading ahead will find what they’re looking for from the concept of momentum and impulse!

Good luck and good hunting, pilots.

Sources:
http://www.sarna.net
http://mwomercs.com/forums/topic/4688-mwo-battlemech-scale/

An End to the Tournament

Greetings MechWarriors,

This morning marks the end of this weekend's MechWarrior Online Tournament! Congratulations to everyone that completed the challenge and who was handsomely rewarded for their efforts!

This was the first tournament that I have participated in and let me tell you, what a grind this one was. The objective of this tournament was to obtain 20 Tournament Points. These Points could be earned in only one way: get at least one kill, at least one assist, survive the match, and win. Sounds easy right? Well, maybe it was for some, but I thought it was a little grueling and, at times, demoralizing. However, I'd like to personally thank whoever it was at Piranha Games that decided to give everyone three days of Premium Time (normally a paid-for service) starting after their first Point! Thanks, pal and/or gal! That really helped me a lot. With Premium Time you gain an extra 50% to your match C-Bills and Exp. That means that while grinding for the prize, I would gain an 80%  C-Bill bonus while running my Hero Mech and a 50% experience bonus as well! F-to-the-yeah, buddy!

The prize for suffering slightly through this tournament was a brand new, crisp, fresh-out-of-teh-box, VTR-9S, Victor. Competition was stiff, but at least a couple of people in my Unit got theirs! Here's a picture of mine.

Now, after all that has been said, I must also say this: I don't like Ultra AC/5's, of  which, the Victor has two. I'll write a post someday as to why I don't like them, if it wasn't obvious after using one. So, once again I'm looking into different builds. I have since changed a couple of the ones that I posted before, but we'll talk about them another day. I've already gone on long enough, so here's a screenshot of what I was thinking for my VTR-9S.

No matter how much I play with this Mech, it will only ever be my second favorite Victor. This would be my first.

Good luck & good hunting, pilots.

A Lengthy Love Affair: II

Greetings MechWarriors,

Last time we took a look at the infamous Highlander! Let’s pick up where we left off. The unique maneuver that Highlander pilots took a keen interest in was simply referred to as the “Highlander Burial”. Did these pilots use an exceptional array of weapons? Did they learn the time-honored “Duck and Cover” art of denial? Did they have extraordinary camouflage technology? Heck no, they had jump capacity!

Highlander pilots used their Mechs as one big, rootin’, tootin’ pile driver. That’s right, after launching their Mechs 60 meters into the air; these pilots would bring their Highlander down on top of the enemy! Any light Mech caught in this unfortunate situation would promptly become a permanent part of the landscape. What a daring move! This technique would go on to become almost an art form amongst Highlander pilots. The move gained so much prominence that it wasn't long before each Highlander was outfitted with reinforced legs! Now, that’s a smashing story.

The Highlander would go through many changes to its armaments, all the way up through the Jihad Era in 3068, but the “Highlander Burial” was here to stay. As the Civil War Era began, the Highlander steered away from long range support in favor of urban warfare and close quarter brawls. A prominent example would be the HGN-734 produced by our Brothers in the Lyran Alliance! The conditions that give a Mech a swath of cover in urban environments also gave the Highlander even more opportunities to pave the roadways with pesky, scouting lights.

And so concludes our brief look into the history of the Highlander and the tactics employed by its pilots. Now, if you’re anything like me, you’re dying to look at the math behind such a crushing exchange! Next time, we’ll run the numbers.

Good luck & good hunting, pilots.


Sources:
http://www.masterunitlist.info/
http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Main_Page

My First Video Post!

Greetings MechWarriors,

[LMC]Douglas G and I on HPG Manifold last night trying to get points for this weekends tournament. More information on the tournament: Here. 

I'll do what I can to work on the quality of these videos as we go along. I hope you enjoy!

A Lengthy Love Affair: I

Greetings MechWarriors,

The history of the Mech l would like to talk about today involves a little bit of my own history as well. As a youngin’, I was always interested in the classic “cut-away” books that featured depictions of the internal workings of a chosen subject. I remember having a book on castles that I really enjoyed. There were many new things to learn about, including the “Forget Me Not”, a style of imprisonment eerily similar to the dreaded oubliette. I was probably as interested in the scenes of battle used to describe the caste defenses as I was in the infrastructure: farming, peasant life, and the like.

It wasn’t until I was about 12-13 years old that I came across one of my favorite adult “cut-away” books. BattleTech: The Return of Kerensky. Technical Readout: 3050. This edition covered the new technology that was being used at the time and included a never before featured Clan Mech. This book was my first real introduction into the BattleTech universe and I used it to whole-heartedly drive me imagination wild. There was however, one Inner Sphere Mech in particular that really took my heart; the uniquely strategic Highlander.

At a whopping 90 tons and with an M-7 Gauss cannon to tout, the Highlander was already a formidable opponent from the start. Though the gauss cannon and a torso mounted LRM-20 could effectively keep an enemy at bay, a Light pilot would have dual medium lasers and a friendly SRM6 to answer to in the shorter ranges. During its introduction in 2592, the Highlander was the heaviest Mech to feature jump jets. Any medium Mech pilot could testify to the saving grace that is jump jets. I know they’ve saved me and my Wolverine many times over. Even during its early days, Highlander pilots found a unique use for flying a large building more than 60 meters into the air. This Mech made the “Highlander Burial” a House-hold name. Next time, we’ll find out why and more.

More to come.


Source:
http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Main_Page