Battletech technical archive

[PainRack]

It had a clandestine mission of economically pacifying those same worlds. BEAT made the Periphery economies as dependent on spaceborne commerce as possible.

After the war, the Star League did not end its attempt to subjugate the Periphery economically; they just took a more pragmatic approach. Rather than making all of a planet's industry directly dependent on interstellar trade, they focused on two areas, power production and water purification. Fusion plants and water purification facilities are very capital intensive installations, requiring a vast amount of high-tech machinery to construct and a constant flow of spare parts to operate. The investment needed to construct a facility to produce the unnecessary parts to build such an installation is enormous, but once built, such a facility can support the construction and subsequent maintenance of 500 power or water purification plants. Make the facility marginally larger and it could support over a thousand plants. It was the flow of these critical supplies that the Star League controlled.
The actual production facilities were located in the Inner Sphere, and built with Star League funds. Because of the large production runs and general economic efficiencies of the giant plants, spare parts could be sold profitably to Periphery facilities at prices that no Periphery manufacturer could match. Within 10 years, 94.8 percent of the Periphery's fusion power plants, and 81 percent of its water purification plants depended on spare parts from the Inner Sphere. Of the Periphery's 237 small manufacturing firms supplying spare parts to these two industries, only 6 reminded in business by 2620.

Some of the first targets were these same massive production facilities whose products kept the Periphery under control. The remainding production was used to keep the Inner Sphere planets from totally falling into barbarism.

Divide and Conquer, "An Historical Economic Analysis of the Periphery and its Consequences for the Current Balance of Power, by Professor Lewis Samuel, Comstar Press, Terra, 3023.

From Accessory the Periphery.

There's a quote in the RPG material somewhere about there being only 20(?) fusion powerplant generators supplying all fusion reactors during the Succession war......... I try to verify this.

[PainRack]

Edit: Can a Mod delete the above post?

It had a clandestine mission of economically pacifying those same worlds. BEAT made the Periphery economies as dependent on spaceborne commerce as possible.

After the war, the Star League did not end its attempt to subjugate the Periphery economically; they just took a more pragmatic approach. Rather than making all of a planet's industry directly dependent on interstellar trade, they focused on two areas, power production and water purification.

Fusion plants and water purification facilities are very capital intensive installations, requiring a vast amount of high-tech machinery to construct and a constant flow of spare parts to operate. The investment needed to construct a facility to produce the unnecessary parts to build such an installation is enormous, but once built, such a facility can support the construction and subsequent maintenance of 500 power or water purification plants. Make the facility marginally larger and it could support over a thousand plants. It was the flow of these critical supplies that the Star League controlled.

The actual production facilities were located in the Inner Sphere, and built with Star League funds. Because of the large production runs and general economic efficiencies of the giant plants, spare parts could be sold profitably to Periphery facilities at prices that no Periphery manufacturer could match.

Within 10 years, 94.8 percent of the Periphery's fusion power plants, and 81 percent of its water purification plants depended on spare parts from the Inner Sphere. Of the Periphery's 237 small manufacturing firms supplying spare parts to these two industries, only 6 reminded in business by 2620.

Some of the first targets were these same massive production facilities whose products kept the Periphery under control. The remainding production was used to keep the Inner Sphere planets from totally falling into barbarism.

Divide and Conquer, "An Historical Economic Analysis of the Periphery and its Consequences for the Current Balance of Power, by Professor Lewis Samuel, Comstar Press, Terra, 3023.

From Accessory the Periphery.

[PainRack]

Stroud's Omnimech is set up for the Clan direct enhanced imaging interface. He wants to try some experimental surgery, fitting me with the neccesary EI implants-better than using a neurohelmet, but apparently turning your brain to jelly after a few years.

Mechwarrior 3rd Edition. Unknown timeline, but apparently between 3060-3063, as it mentions a Smoke Jaguar mechwarrior on Solaris.

The 3060 TR where it notes that protomech tech is unlikely to occur in the IS because of technology difficulties with the EI is apparently exaggerated.

Perhaps the neural technology is only experimental and not tested yet. Alternatively, Stroud had been tricked by unscrupulous black market dealers.

I jerked my chin at the heavy metal door only five meters past the Omni.Fifteen meters high and ten meters wide, it took up a large portion of the wall and was one of two that could be used to bring mechs into the bay.

The autocannon rounds tore into the heavy metal door, punching holes and in some cases, gashing large rents into the metal but also smashing the upper supports. Then the 80 ton mech staggered forward, shouldering its way through with the screech of stressed and tearing metal.

Mechwarrior 3rd Edition
Firepower of large bore autocannon(probably Ultra AC/20). The description is a bit vague, as holes might mean craters as opposed to punching through the door.

Enough damage was done that the supports were weakened sufficiently for the mech to push the door down.

Cheap to equip and easy to train, armor and standard infantry units outnumber all other types of combat unit in the Inner Sphere by a ratio of more than fifteen to one.

Mechwarrior, Third Edition
A comparison of the composition of military units in the Inner Sphere.

it would be interesting to see whether infantry units are "pure" or actually mixed. On paper, infantry regiments comprise only of 3 battalions of infantry along with any transport and logistic vehicles. However, the actual order of battle for most infantry units (if described) include armour elements attached to support them. During the SL era, infantry brigades included armour elements to provide them with the neccesary firepower.

[PainRack]

Posted by Chris o Farrell:

High above the battlefield, the captured Whirlwind Class destroyer Fire Fang rolled along her axis, bringing her port side batteries to bear on the coordinates relayed up to her through the naval-fire liaison officer attached to Ariana Winston's command staff. When the ship's weapons officer reported that her surviving naval Gauss and PPC batteries were locked onto the target, the captain gave the command to fire.

In the vacuum of space, there was little to see. A bright spark lit the Gauss cannon's muzzle for only a fraction of a second. Then a brighter, but briefer flare belched from the heavy naval PPC battery. All in all, a rather disappointing show had anyone been outside the Fire Fang to watch it.
On the battlefield northeast of Bagera, the effects were a little more dramatic. The Gauss slug, accelerated to incredible velocities, slammed into the red-brown mud with the force of a hundred conventional artillery shells. Less than a second later the PPC discharge savaged the Jaguars' position, flashing the muddy ground into dirty steam.
Colonel Timothy Price, Marshal Bryan's second in command, watched in horrified fascination as the energy released by the blast shattered the Clan 'Mechs unfortunate enough to be near the naval fire's impact point. Though the fire mission had fallen over one hundred meters to the west of Price's designated target, the effect on the Jaguars was nothing less than appalling. Nine of the lighter enemy 'Mechs just ceased to exist, blown to pieces by the unbe¬lievable energies delivered by the Fire Fang's weapons. Any Elemental unlucky enough to be caught in the primary blast area was vaporized. Most of the surviving Clan forces were so badly dam¬aged as to be useless as fighting machines, or even as spare parts.

"Dancer, this is Gauntlet Two." Price paused and swallowed hard against the lump in his throat. These were soldiers, and no soldier, friend, or enemy deserved to die like that, with no way to retaliate or even protect himself. "Dancer, Clan resistance in Bagera has been broken. Gauntlet is moving in, but I don't think we'll have to do anything but mop up."

Twilight of the Clans IV.

Comparison with Oriente bombardment

On the morning of March 22 the foggy air around the station was abruptly filled with a seemingly endless barrage of missiles and PPC fire. The attackers gave no warning and hit with such ferocity that more than 132 civilians in the surrounding buildings also died. No ComStar personnel survived the attack that left the HPG facility a pile of scorched rubble and cinders.

Comstar Sourcebook

Apparently sensing imminent defeat, the Blakist Fleet commander ordered an orbital bombardment in and around Harlech after nearly a week of fighting. Simultaneously, the Blakist sterilized the entire Remus continent using stragetic nuclear weapons.

As I write this, Harlech burns. The majestic spires of Wolf Hall, once strong and proud on the skyline, are blackened and broken. Now they arenothing but a grave marker for the fallen Dragoons. Choked with oil and debris, Lake Kearney is a black pit that devours light and reflects nothing. The Harlech Links(whhere I have spent so many pleasant hours over the years) is a blasted heath gouged with BattleMech footprints.
In the streets, once filled with cosmopolitan bustle, only the dead now linger. The sky is black with smoke from a thousand fires. They rage unchecked, for tto venture out invites attack from the white BattleMechs and packs of battle armor that stalk the streets firing at any movement. The wounded fill the hospitals, but are not safe even there from infantry searching for mercenaries or their families.
During the night(or what the chronometers tell me was night), the fighting came a lot closer to the HPG. I only have a Level II of infantry to defend the transmitter. I hope we can hang on. I hope the remainding Dragoons can defeat those who were once my brothers.
I hope Precentor Martial Steiner-Davion can save us all from these monsters.
I don't know how much longer I'll be able to keep transmitting...

Dawn of the Jihad sourcebook
Scale of warship bombardment at Outreach. Despite it being Ground Zero, Harlech is still standing, albeit with most of its structures rubble(Wolf Hall and MRBC buildings described as so. However, structural damage may be miminal, as seen by the spires of Wolf Hall.)

[PainRack]

But just as I fingered the trigger, that Warhammer wheeled about and hit me with the other PPC, tossing me back 30 meters.

House Steiner Sourcebook.
Suggests that the kinetic portion of PPC forms a significant portion of its damage, as opposed to the more commonly view of thermal transfer from plasma.

[PainRack]

Five years later, the First Lord New Year's Day message of 2635 arrived on Tharkad from Terra on January 7, an incredible feat.

At this early stage of HPG development, messages took 6 days to arrive from Terra to Tharkad.

Items such as computer assisted surgery tables and oxygenated coolers covers to slow a person metabolism became standard equipment in every hospital in the Star League.

House Steiner sourcebook

The MASH is capable of supplying the highest level of hospital care. Often manned by the best civilian surgeons, its facilities permit even the most delicate surgeries, as long as there is a steady source of medical supplies and relative calm in which to operate.

Having chosen their field location, the MASH team unhitches the vehicle's right side, which is hinged along the bottom edge. The whole panel is then lowered to the level of the truck's floor. This becomes an extension of the hospital area, and is fixed into place with strong legs and supports bracing it from underneath. Temporary walls and a roof are erected around the extension, connecting it to the truck's interior. Now the expanded interior can be made sterile, awaiting the arrival of the wounded.

Using materials unloaded from the trucks, several other temporary structures are also built. One group of buildings is for triage, the screening of the wounded to determine the severity of their injuries. Another group of buildings contains the medical diagnostic equipment, such as body fluid analyzers, X-ray machines, and neuroscanners, which are all hooked up to the MASH truck for power.

The next group of buildings houses recuperating patients. They will either recover here and then return to battle, or they will be sent offworld for further treatment.

The interior of the MASH is a high-tech affair. Entering through one set of wide doors, the patient is taken to a table to be prepared for surgery. In the meantime, one of the five team doctors is at a terminal accessing the results of medical tests on the patient. From the results, the MASH's computer suggests a plan of action to the surgeon.

Having been prepped, the patient is brought to the surgeon and placed on the automated table, whose robot arms administer anesthesia. From there, the surgeon takes over. When he wants a surgical instrument such as a laser scalpel, the table automatically dispenses it via a group of robot hands stationed over the tray of sterile equipment.

Depending on the situation, either the triage officer or the computer compiles continuos reports on the patient's condition, which the surgeon receives simultaneously through a small earphone. When he needs to consult a test result or an X-ray, it immediately appears on a nearby data screen. In an emergency, such as sudden heart failure or a seizure, the surgeon can take control of one of the automated table's many mechanical hands. The machine understands a wide variety of surgical maneuvers and can greatly aid the beleaguered surgeon.

If the patient is slipping away too fast, the surgeon can initiate the emergency freeze procedure. A large, clean cover descends onto the table, turning it into a large, air-tight tube containing the patient. Once in place, the tube's temperature is lowered by flooding the interior with a clear, oxygen-rich liquid. The surgeon then places his hands through sleeves leading into the air-tight area and continues operating, with the table providing instruments from underneath its cover.

Once the operation is complete, the surgeon enters data into the computer on post-op care, medication needed, and any other notes. This information is available to the nurses in the post-op ward, who will add their own observations to the patient's record.

If a sudden change in the fortunes of war forces the MASH to move suddenly, it can disassemble its temporary structures and send patients on in ambulances, all in less than four hours. Drugs and medical equipment are loaded back onto the MASH, with supply trucks carting away the remaining non-medical supplies.

As the surgery is prepared to move, only one of the five operating theaters is stripped down and stowed. The truck's right wall is lifted back up, then reattached to the truck so that the rear of the MASH can hold six of the most seriously injured patients. Even moving at high speeds, some surgery can be performed in the one operating theater.

MASH Truck TR 3025.

Description of computer assisted surgery in 3020 and its invention during the SL era.

Suggests that other than the loss of cyrogenics(which in current medical usuage is useful for cardiac surgeries AFAIK), computer assisted surgery may be equivalent to the SL era.

[PainRack]

The Free Worlds presently has 17 fully or partly operational Mech production facillities, manufacturing an estimated 500 mechs per year. Another seven production lines are currently shut down(due to component shortages) or disabled.

Estimated productive capacity of the FWL in 3025.

As previously noted,the Free Worlds League has had a serious shortage of assault Mech production capacity for the past 20-25 years. In 3025, League plants have only four active production lines of this type, producing an estimated 30 units per year.

Assault mech production in the FWL. Suggests an average of 7 mechs per line a year. The Atlas line on New Avalon, due to lack of resources can only produce 1-2 mechs a year.

placing them at a distinct disadvantage against equivalent units from the Lyran Commonwealth, which are well-stocked with Zeuses and Goliaths.

Due to the limited number of Goliaths, they almost never work in conjunction with each other. However, the Goliath has been instrumental in a few battles throughout the Inner Sphere.

Only a handful of Goliaths are still functional. Of these, the majority are in the hands of House Steiner.

As there are so few Goliaths in service, no variants are known to exist.

House Kurita's raid on the planet Ryde along the Steiner border in 2950 resulted in the only recorded combat of Goliath versus Goliath.

MechWarrior Warren Hestrus
Heir to the surviving 'Mech of the Goliath versus Goliath confrontation, Warren is currently serving in House Steiner's Lyran Guard.

Goliath TRO 3025
Comments about the rarity of the Goliath mech. The above comment shows the paucity of Marik assault mechs.

House Liao was able however to concentrate an entire company of Goliaths into a single unit, which was eventually bested by Andrew Reburn and Delta Company. However, this is not unusual, House Liao has previously concentrated all types of a mech model into a single unit before, so the above incident should not serve as an example of the commonality of Goliath mechs.

At present, the one operational PPC plant at Campbelton cannot come close to meeting demand.

There is only 1-2 operational PPC facilities in the FWL in 3025(a second facillity is rumoured to be re-opened by the Anduriens and output reserved for the Anduriens, acting against Resolution 288)

[PainRack]

Though the model was criticized as being severely underarmed and thus outclassed by other privately produced 'Mechs, the Terran Hegemony manufactured more than 5,000 Banshees in the next ten years. About a third of these still exist.

By the end of the 'Mech's ten-year production run, The Hegemony had officially abandoned it, relegating the Banshee to militias and second-line units.

SL mech production.

House Steiner variants may prove to be the most successful. With a full hundred Banshees on hand for experimentation, Steiner engineers have been busy modifying them. Assisted by Davion technicians, and with plans from the Hesperus II factories, House Steiner first attempted a modification suggested by many of the Banshee's early critics.

An unpopular mech model, produced by Defiance presumably at its Hesperus facilities yielded a production rate of 500 a year.

[PainRack]

Orginally posted by Slacker

Okay, to really throw a monkey wrench into everything, I'm going to add this to the fire. This information is from Battletechnology #0202, which was published back in the 80's. The magazine's in-game date is April 3028. I don't have time now to put up all of the stats, but here are some values for laser weaponry I think we'll all find...interesting:

M2412A1 Starflash Laser Pistol
.5mj over .01 sec, with a total delivery of 5kw.

Magna Mark XX Laser Rifle
5mj beam, with a total delivery of 5mw/sec or 50kw/.01 sec

Diverse Optics Type 10 Small Laser
1000 mj over .02 sec, with a total delivery of 1mw

Harmon Medium Laser
2000 mj over .01 sec, with a total delivery of 2mw

Sunglow Type 2 Heavy Laser
5000 mj over .01 second, with a total deliver of 5mw

Remember, this is 3025 level 1 stuff.

There are basic technical problems with the numbers.

Does anyone have the link to the threads where I posted the quote on US missiles being used against Terran CAAN forces?

[PainRack]

The Swift Wind and some other scout car drivers use a scaled-down neurohelment, similar to those used by Speeder racers, to aid their handling of the vehicle. Using a neurohelmet, he has a wide angle of vision as well as night visino and infrared sighting.

The Swift Wind's most important component is its communication system, which allows data transmission by voice or code. The most basic use ofthe com system is with nearby 'Mech or artillery units. The com units in scout cars also provide surface-to-air communications, which allow the scout to gather information from friendly AeroSpace Pilots or to coordinate their strafing and bombing runs. The scout can also use the com system to uplink with friendly micro-satellites, when available, and to relay messages to truly distant points on the planet.

Scout car communication systems can even communicate with distant DropShips and even JumpShips, which means a scout can land secretly on a planet, then communicate his findings without the need for relay systems that might alert the enemy to his presence.

This ability to use satellites and other spacefaring vessels also gives the system some predictive ability. There is a computer-generated map projected on the scout car's dashboard, which is a compilation of known information and the satellite's scans of the terrain ahead.

The system is also adept at detecting and eavesdropping on enemy communications. The scout can monitor what the enemy is saying or relay it back to his parent unit while the com system is directing the scout to the point of origination. This obviously saves the scout valuable time in searching out the enemy. It also protects him from stumbling onto the enemy unaware.

The scout can safely leave his car and still use the communication system through an earphone, mike, and control device. The control device is a hand-held card that allows remote use of the system. The earphone and mike system are also small and are usually attached to the scout's cap with the wires hidden in the seams. The remote system's only limitation is that the scout must be in line-of-sight of the scout car, and no farther than 1200 meters away.

The large transmitting/receiving dish seen in the illustration is a fairly standard feature on scout cars. It can be collapsed and folding to fit snugly on the roof of the scout car in a matter of seconds.

Because this sophisticated communications system offers a scout so many advantages, it is one of the reasons he may choose the car rather than the cheaper Skimmer, if he can afford to. The comm system's major disadvantage is that it requires a lot of power and generates a fair amount of heat, which is why scout cars are usually fusion-powered. Because fusion engines are now rare, it also means that fewer and fewer scout cars are in working order. If the engine or the communication set breaks down, repairing them is either very costly or, in some cases, no longer possible.

TRO 3025 Swift Wind.

[PainRack]

Proof that C3 technology such as MechCommander(yeah, its novel canon) and drones are old technology in Btech, not some new technological whizget.

Intelligence-gathering is a major part of any war. In the early years of the Succession Wars, the only units that could accurately gather information were scout 'Mechs such as Stingers or Wasps. Though orbital intelligence was the most effective means of gaining information, it was often defeated by enemy jamming systems or the simpler method of attacking the scanning DropShip.

Many military vehicle manufacturers accurately predicted that the 'Mech would soon become a costly war tool, and that scout 'Mechs would be the most expensive. This was because the scout 'Mechs would always be assigned the most dangerous situations and thus would suffer the highest attrition rates. ScolTeck decided early on to produce the most effective scout vehicle possible. Devoting all possible resources to developing sensor systems, Scol-Teck released the Hi-Scout Drone Carriers in the year 3000.

ScolTeck Hi-Scout Drone Carriers are used by the armies of nearly all the Successor States. Their main function is to detect invaders that might land on important but lightly defended worlds. Sometimes, the drones are also used for battlefield communications and detection.

The Hi-Scout is the best detection unit available. With its StelthMat-Q Communications System, the Hi-Scout can find and identify enemy units on almost any part of a planet without being detected itself. Its maximum detection range is 60 kilometers, although the use of the vehicle's drone sensor units may increase this range. The Hi-Scout has infrared, seismic, sound, motion, radio, radar, and hyperpulse detection systems.

The NapFind and PathTrack Sensor Drones use some of the most complex communications equipment ever developed. The NapFind's sensor range is 10 kilometers, and the PathTrack's sensor range is 20 kilometers.

The NapFind drone uses a skirtless hover system, the most advanced lift system available in the Inner Sphere. Developed in conjunction with other military vehicle manufacturers, the system employs something called a "venturi-disk," the details of which have not been released to the public. The NapFind sensor system is one of the most advanced available, using infrared, seismic, sound, and motion detection systems.

The PathTrack is a tracked drone, similar in design to the NapFind, except that it has more powerful detection systems. The PathTrack has all the detection capabilities of the NapFind, except that it may also detect and intercept radio transmissions and relay them back to the Hi-Scout.

The Hi-Scout's MultiTrack Coordination System allows the vehicle to relay information from drone to drone, creating a "sensor chain" that increases detection range by over 100 percent. The only problem with this system is that some worlds have an unusual amount of background radiation, which can interfere with the MultiTrack.

The Hi-Scout also contains normal communications systems that enable it to transmit over 500 different channels, using all of them at the same time.

Like many command-type vehicles, the Hi-Scout carries a small self-defense weapon to discourage nosy infantry units or light vehicles. The missile system uses the TacTex MiniFind as a guidance system.

TRO 3026 Hi-Scout Drone Carriers
An emphasis on orbital scanners weakened the emphasis on ground assets. The Succession Wars

The Nirasaki-400X Command Computer is the fastest battlefield computer in the Inner Sphere. Packed with six parallel processors, the 400X can easily monitor the battlefield operations of a battalion. When tied to the communications system of the Fury, the 400X tracks enemy troop movements, identifies suspected positions, and analyzes enemy goals. The system was very well received in prototype testing, but its complexity requires the assignment of an extra computer specialist to the battalion command staff.

Fury TRO 2750.
Almost exact description of the Mechcommander software/computers system.

[PainRack]

In 2590, its development arm designed a neurocontrol device to operate a remotepiloted AeroSpace Fighter toy . The impulse system
generated a series of overlapping waves that produced a three-dimensional image of what the toy was "seeing" in the operator's mind

Rounding off the weaponry that the fighter carries is a lone Cavalier Industries LRM, which works well with the Bauer-Scope 130Y targeting system . The pilot can track each missile of a volley of LRMs, giving it new targeting information from either the battlecomputer or his own neural impulses . Thus, a pilot can compensate for an enemy move that the battlecomputer might not, and have the weapons respond
accordingly in flight .

Rapier TR 2750

[PainRack]

So far, extensive testing of the Tempest has taken place on the planet Irian, home of the production facilities. The testing has been completed for various types of planetary conditions, ranging from polar to near molten extremes.

Tempest, TR 3055.
Variety of terrain where the Tempest could be deployed. Its also interesting to note the variety of terrain described here.

[PainRack]

Although heavily damaged by naval bombardment, the Diplan Luthien Corporation retooled its remainding plants for Jenner assembly. By 2830,Diplan of Ozawa and Diplan Luthien had a combined annual output of 1,350 Jenners

TR 3025.
Gives an average construction rate of 675 mechs yearly per factory.

Despite the outbreak of the First Succession War, construction continued at Diplan until 2815, when a shortage of raw materials brought construction to a halth.

Details how shortage and war derailed construction of a popular mech model and forced shifting of factories to Luthien and Ozawa.

[PainRack]

The VTR 9B Victor was originally built under a defense contract with the Star League in 2510.

HildCo Interplanetary produced the 'Mech out of three plants whose facilities were destroyed during the First Succession War. Most of the firm's records fell into the hands of House Kurita, however. Thus, the total number of Victors produced has been determined to be nearly 1000. Many were lost during Kerensky's exodus from the Star League, and still more were lost during the First Succession War.

Victor TRO, 3025.
3 factories over a period of 200 years created 1000 mechs.

The limited numbers seriously show how limited production runs of mechs were even in the Star League era. With this in mind, the only plausible way that the Star League could had sustained 12 corps of battlemech armies along with free units would had been to either
1. Retain battlemechs produced centuries ago. Possible since Kerensky supposedly removed the remainding Mackies during the Exodus. Which argues against the common conception that the SL army was made up of high tech mechs and models.
2. The figures are wrong and need to be retcon.
3. Purchase orders were deliberately "splintered", with mech armies comprising of a polygut of models. This would mean that the only reason why the Inner Sphere had "common" models was due to the vagaries of war, with captured factories and armouries giving the Successor State exclusive "holds" on mech models.
Reason 3 and 1 combined are possibly the "best" reason that fits the evidence. The Atlas, despite its "old tech" was a relatively new design of the Star League, premiering just in time for the war against Amaris. The Orion was also an old model, premiering as the first "assault" mech in battletech(despite its lower weight than the Mackie), yet, both models were used by premier generals of the SLDF. This despite new models of mechs such as the Pillager having made its debut in the SLDF.
We also do know that the SLDF has a hand-me down policy, with House armies receiving the older, obscelent models of mechs in use, and Royal units receiving the best of equipment and pilots.

Of course, none of this answer the question of whether its possible to build assault mechs in anything past modern day warship figures.

[Nephtys]

It could be explained as having various run spurts. It could have produced 500 of the 9B model (3025 Techbase Equivalent), waited another two hundred years, building other models and such, or variants even, before making say, another 500 of the 2750 era model.

In the meanwhile, the factories could have made dozens of other designs, many of which are extinct. Also, the Victor was a bit of a specialized thing. It wasn't as omnipresent as the Atlas or Warhammer or something.

[PainRack]

It could be explained as having various run spurts. It could have produced 500 of the 9B model (3025 Techbase Equivalent), waited another two hundred years, building other models and such, or variants even, before making say, another 500 of the 2750 era model.

In the meanwhile, the factories could have made dozens of other designs, many of which are extinct. Also, the Victor was a bit of a specialized thing. It wasn't as omnipresent as the Atlas or Warhammer or something.

As I said, the production figures doesn't answer the question of whether its possible to build assault mechs in larger quantities. However, in lieu of such limited production, we need to examine how the SLDF could sustain 12 corps of mechs on top of free units and RCTs like the ELH.

Using an army with so many numerous designs would only increase the logistical burden. For example, the Orion lasers are different from other lasers and specialised, making it difficult to simply acquire spare parts. While we have seen examples of lasers being swapped(the defiance laser bounty), there exist a plethora of equipment incompatibilities that will cripple any long war the SLDF find itself in.

Such difficulties would only had been amplified during the Amaris uprising, when the SLDF lost its main base of supply and operations. It also gives another reason why Kerensky would had ordered a campaign against the Rim World republic, explaining what was described by the fatigue and equipment difficulties in the SLDF sourcebook.

[The Dark]

As of 30 Dec 3061 (going forward a bit from the TRO), the Federated Commonwealth alone had 87 regiments and 7 battalions of BattleMechs. The Lyran Alliance had another 78 regiments and 2 battalions. The FC and LA combined are slightly less than half the size of the Star League, and have the equivalent of 6 Corps, 3 regiments, and 9 battalions. Given the recent end of the Clan War at this time, a 12 corps Star League seems relatively plausible, as they had greater resources than the Successor States, particularly given the devastation of the pre-Ares Convention wars.

[PainRack]

As of 30 Dec 3061 (going forward a bit from the TRO), the Federated Commonwealth alone had 87 regiments and 7 battalions of BattleMechs. The Lyran Alliance had another 78 regiments and 2 battalions. The FC and LA combined are slightly less than half the size of the Star League, and have the equivalent of 6 Corps, 3 regiments, and 9 battalions. Given the recent end of the Clan War at this time, a 12 corps Star League seems relatively plausible, as they had greater resources than the Successor States, particularly given the devastation of the pre-Ares Convention wars.

I'm not referring to the SLDF not being able to build enough battlemechs. I'm talking about the composition of those armies with regards to models.

A thousand victors, 5 thousand Banshee,thousands of wasps. What this means is that the SLDF can't possibly comprise of the homogeneous designs it should be. They must comprise of a mishmash of designs, even more heterogeneous than Succession Era regiments.

The logistic problem should be obvious. While the game rules make mech armour to be equivalent, the fluff text suggest that armour plate are different and logically, it should be. The armour plate that protects a Wasp should be radically different from that protecting an Atlas, and only workshop facillities that can mould armour plate should be capable of warping "raw" armour plates to fit specific mechs. Even if we follow FanPro canonicity, it doesn't cancel the problem of how mech actuators, mech engines, myomer don't fit other mechs in the game mechanics, even if they are the same tonnage. Hybrid of Warhammer/Rifleman are canon outside of battletechnology, since we saw such a hybrid in Star Lord and it does show the canon problem of tech differences. One of the reason why Clantech wasn't adopted by the Inner Sphere in the early 50s was also due to tech incompatabilities with fire control and other issues, with Clan mechs breaking down rapidly(albeit, I'm not so sure about the canonicity of this source since Maxtech came about).

The reason why the Inner Sphere could use so much clantech post Bulldog was due to a technological gizmo described in a game manual, albeit referred to offhand in a novel. And even here, there is no reason to assume that the mechs don't face the same maintenance issues of using non-standard parts. After all, Clan Wolf, Nova Cat and Ghost Bear faced the exact same problems as referred to in Wolf Clan sourcebook, Invading Clans and the TRO 3067.

[SAMAS]

Proof that C3 technology such as MechCommander(yeah, its novel canon) and drones are old technology in Btech, not some new technological whizget.

I thought it was considered "new" in the sense of them rediscovering stuff they had before, and lost. Isn't most of that Star League-era TROs?

[Block]

So what exactly happened during the WoB Jihad? The cannon seemed to skip from Catherine's exile to Ghost knight and the knockout of the HPG grid. Which sucked imo, since I hate the new Mechwarrior stuff.

[PainRack]

I thought it was considered "new" in the sense of them rediscovering stuff they had before, and lost. Isn't most of that Star League-era TROs?

Its more of "fan" opinion here. There's been some people who feel that the battle management protoccols found in MechCommander apparently represent some new technological and tactical approach for Battletech armies..... This even though Somerset Strikers and the usuage of holotanks and Tukayid should had showed otherwise.

So what exactly happened during the WoB Jihad? The cannon seemed to skip from Catherine's exile to Ghost knight and the knockout of the HPG grid. Which sucked imo, since I hate the new Mechwarrior stuff.

The Jihad caused massive disruption to the Battletech community as the Blakist manipulated and armed divisive elements of each society and use WMDs. Stone unified an army with the help of Victor Steiner Davion and Stone decided to enact changes to the Inner Sphere just slightly below par with what Kerensky did to the Clans.

[PainRack]

A member of Bandit King Redjack Ryan's motley 'Mech force, Pers Stromsky is known for his merciless combat style. There are many stories of his sadistic practice of kicking in the cockpits of disabled enemy 'Mechs to ensure the death of the MechWarrior still inside. Redjack Ryan and his men excuse Stromsky's inhuman behavior, saying that he has become more than half machine himself, with both legs, one arm, and the right side of his face now encased in bionic material.

Stromsky survived one of the greatest horrors a MechWarrior has to face, that of a cockpit burnthrough in an overheated 'Mech. Some warriors who know Stromsky say that he tries to destroy disabled MechWarriors out of mercy, so that they will not have to burn as he did, trapped in a disabled 'Mech.

Availability of medical care in 3025.
A pirate is able to maintain bionic arm/legs in the Periphery.

[Block]

So what exactly happened during the WoB Jihad? The cannon seemed to skip from Catherine's exile to Ghost knight and the knockout of the HPG grid. Which sucked imo, since I hate the new Mechwarrior stuff.

The Jihad caused massive disruption to the Battletech community as the Blakist manipulated and armed divisive elements of each society and use WMDs. Stone unified an army with the help of Victor Steiner Davion and Stone decided to enact changes to the Inner Sphere just slightly below par with what Kerensky did to the Clans.

Well yar I got that, but how did they manage to disrupt all 5 succesor states, not counting the FWL since my understanding is that there was some sort of alliance in place there, Com-Star, and the Clans? It just boggles the mind how they could've had that many Divisions hidden away, since the Fed Suns alone had over 50 RCTs if I remember right.

[SAMAS]

So what exactly happened during the WoB Jihad? The cannon seemed to skip from Catherine's exile to Ghost knight and the knockout of the HPG grid. Which sucked imo, since I hate the new Mechwarrior stuff.

The Jihad caused massive disruption to the Battletech community as the Blakist manipulated and armed divisive elements of each society and use WMDs. Stone unified an army with the help of Victor Steiner Davion and Stone decided to enact changes to the Inner Sphere just slightly below par with what Kerensky did to the Clans.

Also, the Jihad is the current CBT story. We don't yet know all of what exactly happened in the Jihad, because it's still being written.