Poor mech building options compared to Mercenaries.

[Telmorial]

I'm enjoying Clans a lot but finding the mech building very limited compared to Mercenaries.
Can't remove jets, change engines etc.

I think it's partly a lore thing, as that's controlled by those omni upgrade package things but most of those are exactly the same for the center torso and legs.

Does it get better later in the campaign? I think I'm about half way through.

[themovingfinger]

Postat inițial de Ferranis:

The main problem of the new mech lab is that it is not fun. Tinkering around is too limited, the menu is horrible, you don't have a lot of choice anyway.

Really don't care that its "in lore" not fun. Make it fun first. Lore comes second to fun.

Battletech has been around for nearly half a century, evolving from a tabletop game into digital formats like the MechWarrior franchise and MechWarrior Online. It’s a universe built on lore—a deep, intricate history that has made Battletech one of the most enduring and successful franchises in gaming. Only Dungeons & Dragons has been around longer, and not by much. Trivializing or dismissing that lore? You might as well tell a Trekkie that Vulcans are dull and the Federation is irrelevant—you’d meet the same bemused disbelief.

The Clan invasion of the Inner Sphere is the apex arc of a backstory spanning centuries. More importantly, as a game, it is designed to challenge you. It’s meant to make you think—hard—about your mech loadouts and the constraints you face. For those lamenting the supposed lack of creative freedom, consider this: MechWarrior 5: Clans deliberately leans into the logistical and strategic challenges inherent to Clan technology. This isn’t an accident; it’s the core of the MechWarrior experience. The series has always embraced the tension between functionality and scarcity, forcing players to think critically about resource allocation.

The developers have smartly distilled this tension by focusing on the tactical interplay of standardized omnipods and loadouts. Could you install a mod and create an overpowered “munchkin” mech that steamrolls everything? Sure. But doesn’t that defeat the entire point of strategic gameplay? If your idea of fun is unrestricted customization that undermines balance and lore alike, perhaps another game would be a better fit—one less concerned with challenging its players to overcome thoughtful constraints and more focused on letting them skip the hard parts entirely.

[themovingfinger]

Postat inițial de yminale:

Postat inițial de =яενєηąŋŧ=:

Stock loadouts are really for tournament play so game master don't have to constantly check players record sheet.

Wait, what kind of tournament runs on the honor system where players get to mark their own record sheets? Is this the 'Did-I-really-take-that-hit?' league? Anyone who's been to a serious Battletech tournament knows that accurately tracking hits and crits is why the tournament runner—and their assistants—handle the record-keeping, not the players. Suggesting stock loadouts are just for lazy game masters who don’t want to check record sheets feels like you’ve never been to a real tournament. If there’s a prize on the line, no one’s leaving it up to a player's creative accounting on a mech sheet.

[Alrik]

The problem with Omni Mechs in any Mechwarrior game is that their main benefit isn't used.
Yes, Omni Mechs can't switch engines, internal structure or armor type, but in the lore they the only Mechs that can switch their weapon loadout prior the mission.

Normal Mechs can change the engine, the armor and the internal structure type, but that takes weeks of work and is usually done for:
1.) Special Mechs like the Ye Lo Wang (a heavily modified Centurion for the Solaris Games)
2.) Field refits for older Mechs that needed an upgrade

That could work in a singleplayer Mechwarrior game with time consumption for repairs / modifications and the change to swap Omni Mech loadouts before the mission starts.
Normal Mechs would be limited to swapping ammunition like shrapnel SRMs for Standard SRMs or Cluster Mun for LB-X autocannons instead slugs.

In a multiplayer Mechwarrior game like MWO players with omni mechs should be able to choose a mechloadout after the map is selected.
Could potentielly be done in MWO if using the dropdecks, but most players hate them.

[Captain Autismo]

Postat inițial de Telmorial:

I'm enjoying Clans a lot but finding the mech building very limited compared to Mercenaries.
Can't remove jets, change engines etc.

I think it's partly a lore thing, as that's controlled by those omni upgrade package things but most of those are exactly the same for the center torso and legs.

Does it get better later in the campaign? I think I'm about half way through.

It is a lore thing, however Clans has more customisation than default MW5. MWO uses different customisation, however that is entirely up to the players, and would be hard to balance against in a PVE sense. Other than that there is the lore.

Lorewise, IS mechs need months to be refit, most of them not bothering due to expenses, and normally only being done either due to a lack of spare parts for existing modules, or, a requirement for a different type of fighting.

The most notable mech I can think of that does this is Yen - Lo- Wang, a Centurion - A modified by Justin Xiang Allard to better perform in an arena, stripping its long ranged weapons, and upping its cannon (as well as modifying its hand into a melee weapon, sharpening three fingers and reenforcing them). This took a lot of time, something not accurately reflected in MW5 Mercs

The clans however use omnipods. This allows them to rapidly change loadouts. Going from months, and a lot of money, to days, with a bit of work. Hence why you can mix and match omnipods, or add armour pods, or things like that. It gives you more freedom, and allows you to keep using designs you like long after you should have stopped