Actually, I think it isn't necessarily so much that the pilot is only trained in a single 'mech class as that particular pilot card represents that pilot's skills in that class of 'Mech. After all, look at the Katana Tormark pilot cards. The Firepower card being restricted to Medium doesn't mean she forgot how to pilot her Nyx from AoD. It just represents her abilities and skills in a Medium vs a Light (plus the cost for the pilot, for game balance). In her case, the bonuses are the same, but that's not necessarily the case for others. For that matter, Katana's bonuses for an Assault 'Mech might not be the same as for Mediums and Lights - for all we currently know, she might be a --,+2,+2 pilot in an Assault, after all!

Being a pilot myself, I can tell you how difficult flying can be. That's not yet talking about ratings for different aircraft weights, engines, types, if you ever get that far, multi-crew, instruments, etc., etc.. I'd say it was more difficult than piloting a mech, although aerospace fighters would require more training, since you'll have outside-of-atmosphere flying as well (note that Clan aerospace pilots normally have larger heads, must be for the more abstract maths.....or that's just wishful thinking on my part :p. But I do remember reading that bit somewhere).

Examples for mech training. Grayson Carlyle, before his old man's merc unit was destroyed, trained in a med I think. The training battalions of the FedSuns. The Coventry Academy training unit (Chameleons, I think, also medium). Warrior Houses training, but that wasn't covered very well.

Still, I'd say that mech training would be like flying. On initial change of weight/mech type, you'd have a degradation of performance, but as Kotch said, given time, everyone gets better. As for switching between mechs, it's possible, but they wouldn't be that great (I can fly a 747......but I probably wouldn't be able to land it well, or at all.....you don't have THAT problem on a mech).

Good lord! Looks like someone beat his face against a paper shreader. Repeatedly.

like who the hell is he? Eww..

Sabertooth!!!! :p

Notice he got fangs too!

@freeptop

'Mechs are 'Mechs. You are not talking the difference between a Cessna and a 747. You are talking the difference between a Hawk and a Tornado in terms of 'Mechs.

Whilst a 20-ton Locust and a 100-ton Atlas are poles apart in terms of weight the whole point of CBT was that in terms of locomotion they were similar. Indeed the old adage was to put your best gunners in the Atlas and the best pilots in the Locust.

So I'd anticipate that a Locust pilot who always piloted Lights placed in an Atlas would conceivably be overwhelmed by the extra weapons but in terms of piloting, would find the Atlas much easier.

I'd also anticipate an Atlas pilot placed in a Locust would find the speed a little hard to deal with if they had never travelled at close to 200 mph before (the 31st century Locusts have bigger engines than the 3025 versions).

However those are the two extremes. Changing from a Nova Cat (say) to a Timber Wolf (say) would not be particularly challenging. Similar speed profiles, similar degree of armament, similar weight and virtually identical cockpits. Balance profile would be slightly different but that IS what the Neurohelmet was for, to provide the "Inner Ear". Between the feedback from that and the motion of the Gyro, the adjustments were supposed to be largely automatic.

You are not going to convince me that Joe Bloggs who pilots a Nova Cat should not be able to quickly learn how to pilot a Timber Wolf. The fictional universe has that happening time and again and the point of the universe was that it was not only feasible, it was commonplace. Pilot preferences were just that, preferences. I prefer to drive my Saab on long journeys because it's really comfortable. Doesn't mean that over long journeys I'm any less capable in another car...

As for the weight class thing, that always made me laugh. Why is a 55 ton Griffin so different to a 60-ton Mad Dog and yet not to a 50-ton Enforcer? And why would an 80 ton Zeus be significantly different to a 75-ton Timber Wolf but not to an 85-ton Battlemaster? Makes no sense.

Now I used to allow certain special rules in the game (Sprinting, Evasive manoeuvres) but only in a machine a pilot had spent training points on. With familiarity, a pilot should be able to squeeze a little more out. But unless there is a material difference between two rides, there is no reason at all in the CBT universe why pilots cannot change rides.

Kotch, good argument. Shall we conclude a significant change in weight, and not merely a change in weight-class causes a pilot to be (slightly) worse in ride A over ride B?? I think most of us would agree to that.

Of course, fighting styles between mechs would also cause a (slight) degradation in stats. A pilot nominally used to missile boats and support roles wouldn't be up to par in, say, a close-in fighting machine, but given time he'll get used to it.

If we all agree to this, I suppose we can go back to talking about pulls, of which I'm still waiting to be able to buy my first booster here in the UK.

:)

@razor888, everyone is different. I was just putting the opposite viewpoint to the assertion that CBT presumed people were unable to change rides without stat degradation. The truth is, unless the BM explicitly wrote rules to cover it, there was no allowance in the rules for that - no matter how reasonable it may have been.

In the MW3 RPG there was a separate gunnery skill for energy, ballistic and missiles. This meant pilots had different "to hit" targets for different systemson one 'Mech. MW abstracts this into the range stats. That's why Nova Cat 'Mechs tend to have longer maximum and shorter minimum ranges on their energy guns than other factions. It's also why they have longer minimum and shorter maximum ranges on their ballistics.

Unless you can find a way to alter the abstraction by pilot, you can never accurately reflect the gunnery differentials.

Same goes for piloting. An Atlas pilot in a Locust would probably carry a speed penalty. A Locust pilot in an Atlas would probably retain the speed bonus. That's just too complex.

So WK abstract this into pilots not being able to change weight classes or, in some cases, speed modes.

However there will always be some cross-trained pilots who can get by in any weight class - or maybe three or four of the five - which is what this whole discussion was about. Why should this ability be restricted to the Wolf Hunters?? What about Phelan Kell, who is recorded as piloting Lights, Heavies and even Assaults (Light = Wolfhound & Solitaire; Heavy = Timber Wolf; Assault = Gargoyle)? Grayson Death Carlysle who piloted Light (Locust), Medium (Shadow Hawk) and Heavy (Marauder) in his first year or two of being a mercenary?

Whoa! Someone call the Department of Homeland Defense! This thread has been completely highjacked. ;)

would help to have more legendaries for any faction who can pilot more mechs either all or just 2 classes. offers more playability in other pieces.

believe there once was a rumor that Kevin Goddards OC mech would have an ability for 2 different mechs, question is after the layoffs will we ever see his OC kit.

but lets get back to the pulls guys. anyone pulled bailey or the BR vulture?
chances Vulture will be on sneak today (or its gibraltar, pilot, queen bee and liao seafox sa, with ceasers squad card.)

Kotch, when I got to this post, I realized that at the basic level, we're actually in agreement. I think there was just a misunderstanding along the way ;)
I wasn't saying that pilots can't pilot different weight classes - just that there is a "real-life" justification for their skill in unfamiliar weight classes to be different.

In any case, perhaps we should take this to a new thread/journal/PM, or whatnot. I think we're irritating everyone who isn't interested in this discussion ;)

All I was trying to do was justify why a faction could have multiple weight categories and why it didn't have to be restricted to Wolf Hunter...

Heh, I think we all want a pilot who can switch in our factions :).

In that case, I was the one who misunderstood your original post! My apologies, since I certainly agree with that idea :)

So, will anybody else post their pulls? Please Especially post the stats of mechs we haven't seen yet(Vultures and Griffins).