 SoldierHobbes11, on July 24 2014 - 02:05 PM, said:
SoldierHobbes11, on July 24 2014 - 02:05 PM, said:
Items and internals, unless stated otherwise, are mech specific. You have to buy them separately for each individual mech you own. However, almost all of the cosmetics are universal. I think at this point only the Chasis parts are the only cosmetics that are mech specific. Also, there are no straight upgrades (except for maybe the Assault mech being a slightly better version of the CR-T mech), all the choices you make have pros and cons that you'll have to learn to live with. As for bias, in the "competetive" scene, people say that C-classes tend to be the most prominent, and A-classes tend to take the stage in "scrub pubs." Personally, I don't feel any of the bias that others on the forums talk about, but that's just me. As for weapon bias, it's pretty much the same. However, the weapons that people feel are "better" are often much harder to use, so there's a skill requirement that balances these "better" weapons (things like the Heat Cannon and EOC repeater). And I'm glad you liked the guides. Maybe you can teach me MWO, because I can't play that to save my skin...
I see, then I'd likely pickup mechs or at least a good amount of em before going in to fit everything perfectly. I'm also glad that unlike in MWO that mech space is free. 
 
 
That's good that mechs in this game is a ton more balanced, all go into certain qualities, and equally are competitive. I'd say that Lighter mechs have a slight advantage from what I see but that could be just how I view the gameplay. Slower mechs seem like they get swarmed down quicker in this game in my opinion.
MWO is a lot more rough in this standpoint. Jumpers/Poptarts (unlike this game, only a limited amount of mechs can equip Jump Jets, and these mechs equip them well with sniper weapons), LRM boats (mechs with lots and lots of missiles), and maybe a few niche cases in the middle usually dominate the game in the competitive scene, though in public matches the mechs have been more balanced in general.
Once again, thanks for the guides and videos, they are really helpful. 
 
Going to talk a bit on MWO now comparing the two games here. Both games do have the same general themes of robots/mechs and this sort of thing, and both have a depth atmosphere and background lore on the game. However, Hawken feels more like piloting exo-suits or that kind of thing, as most mechs, even the heaviest ones, feel very light, capable of jumping from place to place and have very similar capabilities (not completely true, but in a general aspect most mechs feel similar to each other). MWO has a clear clear difference between the lights and the heavies, this contrast is why both games are quite different in feeling. Lights in MWO feel a little bit more like Hawken's mechs, maybe the lighter Mediums too, but heavier mechs will feel very sluggish.
Also, a lot of mechs do have bias towards other mechs, as some mechs feel just generally without a role when another mech can do the same and more or better. For example, a Locust pales to a Firestarter because the Locust (as it's namesake) has less armor, less weaponry, and no Jump Jets, while Firestarter has better armor, better weaponry, and Jump Jets. Locust sure can go somewhat faster but it doesn't make up for any of it's downfalls at all (plus it's comparing a 20 tonner to a 35 tonner, both light but there is distinct contrast here). Last thing, you only live once, no respawns. That is a giant difference in a game, so it's not like you can jump into one mech and die and get into another to counter whatever killed you. Maybe give it a few more tries, play around with those trial mechs (if you played before MWO's launch, PGI got in some specified trials and such, so things are better for a newer player.)
Oh, and a couple more questions, map wise, how are maps balanced in terms of gameplay, start location, etc? Are some maps better than others? Or are most decently similar? It feels closer to each other than they really should be, but could be because heat isn't affected by the map, no terrain advantages/disadvantages, etc compared to MWO, where some mechs just pale in comparison to others in some maps. Thanks for all the help SoldierHobbes11 

 .