A Vulture by another name, anyone?

Greeting Mechwarriors,

I was excited to find the background image for my page. I had wanted to find an image that looked like it was from the old cut-away Battletech books and, look at that, I even found a 'Mech I like. Plus, it matches the color scheme. But, for anyone unfamiliar with the 'Mech represented, it's almost meaningless. With a dash on context, you might be as happy as I am with the selection.

So, what's that in the background? That's the Mad Dog Clan 'Mech, nicknamed the "Vulture" by the first Inner Sphere (IS) pilots that engaged it. This 'Mech was widely used within the Clans after its production began in 2963 by Clan Smoke Jaguar. The overall purpose of this Heavy 'Mech is to provide opportunistic fire-support. The tactic used by Mad Dog pilots mainly employed hanging back from the front lines, waiting for an easy target. If faced with an opponent inside its optimal range, the Mad Dog doesn't want for a means to protect itself.

The majority of the variants for this 'Mech allow for the mounting of several missile racks, whether they be defensive short range missile (SRM) or offensive long range missile (LRM) stagings. Heck, you could even do both. Other defensive options include the punch of ballistic weapons and/or medium range energy weapons. The tactics previously mentioned and the general theme of variant loadouts translated pretty well into MWO, although sometimes it makes more sense to play completely defensively. There are a ton of options thanks to the Omni-pods, interchangeable torso and arm components, available.

Love that camo pattern combo. Ain't it purtty?

If used properly, this 'Mech has the maneuverability and damage potential to make someone worry about stumbling into one while trying to flank your allies. Is it the best Clan 'Mech available in the game? Nah, not even close. Can you still have fun with it? Can you still use it to fend off larger 'Mechs? Can you still use it to dispose of stupid Jenners? Can you still use it to slice, dice, and julienne your way to some sweet Cbill (CB) earnings? Of course, don't be dense! Why else would I be writing this? I recommend that you buy one immediately! NOW! Spread forth the folds of your wallet and dispense currency, chumps. Just kidding, but, seriously, try it out. It's even available as a Trial 'Mech at the moment.

Here's a peak at my current Mad Dog build. I chose the defensive route.

Currently 8.5milCB into this week's event. Cha-ching!


Good luck and good hunting, pilots.





Sources:
http://metamechs.com/mwo-guides/master-guides/mad-dog/
http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Mad_Dog_(Vulture)

Before ECM was a thing...

Some decent gameplay with the LMC.

*Yawn* Oh, you're still here?

Greetings Mechwarriors,

Once again, it's been a while since I've posted anything on here. I didn't mean to let it fall by the wayside, but obviously my efforts were disingenuous.

There have been even more changes to the game since the last time that I've posted. I can't really speak to any of the changes that have come to the CW Meta or anything having to do with the abysmal state of IS space right now. It's clear who took over CW. *puts hands on hip and adds a cocked head stare*

I had thought to make my next post about the Grasshopper because I had been trying to earn enough XP to Master it. Well, in the meantime I mastered all three of them and then moved on. I moved on to my Atlas and did the same..and then my BlackJack. Now, I'm working slowly (as slow as people that prefer IE) on my Vindicator. I dare you to prove to me that someone can have a favorite Vindicator.

For the next week, there is an event going on. Let's be honest though, there's almost always some event going on in MWO. This week's is the "Blood Money" event. Ooooooo, how edgy. This is an event that rewards the people who purchased the Resistance I 'Mech Pack and gives more rewards to anyone who bought the Resistance II 'Mech Pack. Even though I only fall into the former category, I'm looking forward to earning a cool 20,000,000CB just for playing with the 'Mechs I bought. That'll afford me any 'Mech in the game. I'd get a Gargoyle if I'd ever heard a good thing about it.

So, back to my point, I'm back in my Grasshopper! Aaaand touting some new trollin' camo. Well, I suppose it's more just for fun than trolling, but hey. I put it across all my Resistance I 'Mechs.

Drop that spoon, Mr. Bonaparte

"You know what?" he asked rhetorically. I don't really feel like writing about loadouts or anything. The Meta be damned! I want to talk about something that has actually got me somewhat excited; these gosh-darn "new" maps. Two of the public maps have been refined, expanded, polished, dusted off, and tossed metaphorically at our faces. And not in that order, #hotfixfreepatch. The upgrades to each of the maps include mostly an increase in size, level of detail, flanking lanes, and invisible geometry to get stuck on.

There are now light posts and tress that you can knock over! *bonk bonk bonk* Yes, the noise you just made in your head is pretty close to the noise that the trees make as you topple them over effortlessly. They don't sound very much like a tree (you know, 'cause I'm an arborist for sure) and I think there may only be two variances on the sound effect. I've seen people on the MWO forums complain about the noise being a distraction from immersion, but those people need to immerse themselves in about ten feet of water. That reminds me, there are now collision noises and more collision damage. *bonk clang bonk clang*

These new maps look spectacular though, they really do. Well, compared to the rest of the game. I'm definitely in favor of improvements and expansions to the maps. I don't know why this isn't a priority over the release of new 'Mechs for the game...oh wait, the maps are free, duh.

I have actually done a little bit of trolling in this game recently and I loved it. I've even seen other people follow suit! I may have started something! And by "following suit", I mean dinosaur suit.

"Okay, kids, say goodbye to Barney"

Good luck and good hunting, pilots.

Welcome back, Freeborn.

Greetings Mechwarriors,

You may or may not have noticed that I haven’t posted anything in several months. Well, we’re all back here now, so let’s do our best to pick back up where we left off. The previous post expressed my disappointment with the announcement of a third wave of Clan ‘Mechs.  It wasn’t long after that that I stepped away from MWO until recently. I don’t know what it was, but I just lost interest. I had just gotten the content released for the Resistance pack, Zeus included, but I just wasn’t to be enthused. I’ll be honest, and I’ll address this more below, I was a little disappointed with the Resistance ‘Mechs. It was also evident at that time that our Unit Leader was going to be taking a prolonged hiatus. I wish I had had the time to take his place, but I just didn’t. So, with that, it was a lot of fun playing with the members of the Lyran Mechanized Cavalry.

So, now I have my own Unit and almost anyone is welcome to join. There will be no organization what-so-ever. There probably won’t even be communication. But, just think, you could still be a part of it. Like I said, I just don’t have the time to do much other than play casually. What’s that? Sure, I’ll answer that question you didn’t think to ask. My Unit is based off of the Taurian Guard: Hell’s Heart Regiment. Because, why not? I’ve always been a fan of Asterion and Theseus. Even the color scheme for this regiment isn’t so bad, once you find how to apply it.

Right?

There have been additions to the Community Warfare map roster, almost none of which I’ve played on. Going back to Community Warfare is going to take longer than going back to PUGs. And, much wow, the addition of the Urban Mech. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, “That’s a fine way to waste $40, buddy.” I suppose if you want to spend $40 on trolling, then hey, don’t let me stop you.

I previously mentioned that I wasn’t completely sold on the Resistance ‘Mechs when they came out and I had had a chance to climb into the cockpit. The Resistance ‘Mechs are the Panther, Enforcer, Grasshopper, and Zeus, each with variants. As I had assumed would happen, the Enforcer quickly became my favorite of the bunch and finally opened my heart to the I.S. UAC/5. It’s been a while since these ‘Mechs came out, so I’ve given the Grasshopper a second chance. Next time, I will post some tactics and on why I'm starting to like it more and more. Now that I think about it, there have been only a few ‘Mechs that I’ve completely given up on so far...Which reminds me! I bought a Timber Wolf and I love it.

I jump for a livin'

I’d also like to thank everyone that is reading this blog, even though I don’t know who you are. Honestly, if I met you in real life, we’d start with a handshake, end with a high five, and part ways with a level of intimacy that would surprise even you. I’ve gotten around 1350 views since November, 2014. Let’s just say that that is much more than I expected to ever get. Without the traffic that I’ve gotten so far, I’d probably not have the motivation to keep going with this. Someday I may even put more effort in my writing (I lurv commas). Thank you to the Misfir3 for posting a link to this blog on the LMC website. Please feel free to add you email address to the Follow Me box and click Add! It’ll make my day if you do. I'll try to return the favor.

Good luck and good hunting, pilots.

Really? THAT's what you've been up to?

Greetings Mechwarriors,

I must say that I'm a little disappointed. I'm certainly not surprised, but I am at least a little taken aback. I had been thinking about doing a post on the new Resistance Mechs, the Panther and Enforcer, that were recently released, or a post about what kind of music that I like to listen to while I play MWO, or a post about my change of opinion on the Ultra AC/5, or a post about my participation in a really, really fun community run event, or a post about how freaking sweet this is...but no, I think I need to address my disappointment.

This past Monday, PGI announced the pre-order availability of the Wave III Clan Collection. Really? That's what you've been up to, PGI? How about a different game type? How about more match making options? How about not breaking two things while patching one? How about really putting the finishing touches on this game before starting development on another one? Here's a great example of what I mean.

Adding those ovals was a comparable effort.

Six cockpit screens, with a seventh off to the right, that display absolutely nothing. I'm sure most people that have been playing this game for more than a month have just learned to ignore these screens and work around them, but these are a glaring omission. Shouldn't these display something? Wouldn't it be great if these were customizable? Why not let players choose parts of the HUD to instead display on these cockpit screens? Wouldn't that add to the immersion since I know that I'm not wearing a neurohelmet?

I also realize that I have adjusted my in-game FOV to give me more visibility and that not doing so could reduce the visibility of these displays, but, I mean, really. There's not even a speck of a hint on a quickly passing breeze that anything even remotely having to do with these screens will ever be implemented. So, again, I say, "really?"



Good luck and good hunting, pilots.