Mech Aesthetics

Simple question.

Do you think the mechs, by and large, look cool? As cool as they could look?

To me, there's only a couple mechs that actually look cool. The rest look dumb to me. For example, the Jenner. The Jenner looks like half of a sculpture, featuring just the legs and bottom half of the torso. Better yet, the Stalker. The Stalker looks like cow legs with an egg stuck on top of it. I even think the Atlas looks, well, corny as fuck.

To me the only aesthetically pleasing mechs in the game that I think look 'cool' are the Phract, the Orion, the Dragon, and the Awesome.

Other ones that look 'decent' to me are the Centurion, the Spider, the Victor, the Highlander, the Quickdraw, and the Hunchback... and maybe the Raven (the slower ones like say 4X tarting, to me, look like they got more swag too).

I think the rest of the mechs in the game currently are actually ugly and is a significant reason for why I never even pilot those mechs.

Anyone else feel as shallow or swag-inclined like myself? What are your thoughts? Better yet, why..! I look forward to reading peoples responses to get an idea of what their standards are, why they are the way they are, or if they even have any at all. Some people just focus on winning or whatever, and don't give a shit if the thing they pilot is a literal turd with guns on top. To me, that's a big turnoff in any game. I gotta play with style, which is what I define it as (and sometimes matches up with the masses).

Looking back before MWO and even into other mech/robot stuff/etc, I'm not particularly impressed with MWO mech aesthetics as a *whole*. I dunno if that is even possible, but, nevertheless I've seen other games where the entire approach to aesthetics leaves me greatly impressed even if some of them aren't particularly appealing for whatever reason, the style and stuff still lingers in the aeshetics enough for me to respect things. I dunno if I feel that way about half the mechs in MWO.

Also, consider Clan mechs. Think about mechs to come. Previous MW titles. Aesthetics presented in other BT forms.

Thoughts?

What do you all think?

 

You should start a poll for this question dude!

For me..

Sexy:
- Spider (looks like a japanese Mecha!)
- Hunchback (That BFG!)
- Cataphract (Cowboy)
- Catapult (sexy chick)
- Jagermech (impressive Rifle-Cannons)
- Atlas (terrifying Death-Look)
- Victor (Gladiator)

Cool:
- Centurion
- Cicada
- Orion
- Awesome

Ok:
- Commando
- Raven
- Quickdraw
- Highlander

Ugly:
- Jenner (birdxman)
- Blackjack (cheap jager-fake)
- Kintaro (cheap quickdraw-fake)
- Trebuchet (Lego-Man)
- Dragon (Dragon??)
- Stalker (crippled big bird with no wings)

can't rate the upcoming mechs, because i havent seen them in action

 

I am not gonna get into it in depth but a lot of the mechs are recycled parts from different mechs. Some of them look great. Others not so much and some look like frankenmechs.

 

I have differing opinions on which I fall into each category, but, yeah. I feel the same. There are certain mechs that I simply don't want to even pilot because they're so visually unappealing to me. #1 being the Hunchback... It might be passable if an AC was visible when equipped. However, as is, I feel like I'm driving a Dodge Fart in that thing. And Dragons?? Jesus. It's a fast nose! It's like a Aston Martin Lagonda. Ugliest sports car ever made. I don't care about speed if the thing looks like a horse's hindquarters.

Most mechs look very generic to me. Highlanders, Vics, QDs, KTOs. They might as well all be the same basic humanoid from a few hundred meters. Cicadas, Ravens and Jenners all just strike me as purely utilitarian speed machines. Legs, no arms, build to sprint.

At least Atlas and Stalkers look unique. Nothing phenomenal, but, at least unique. The Skull of an Atlas is pretty bitchin', but... meh.

The only mechs that really strike me as really looking bad-ass are Fracts, Cats, Jags and Jacks. They all seem to have more of a powerful posture. For one, their weapons are more visible, making them more appealing to me. Fracts just look like linebackers - ready to tear up whoever crosses them and Catapults just look sleek and sexy. YES! EVEN WITH THE BIG EARBOXES!

Oh. And Centurions. Remind me of a boxer. Quick, agile and ready to strike.

What I'm more excited for is the Shadowhawk and Griffin. Once again, they make me think football. Very humanoid structure with some speed and shoulders to stop that run-game!

So, yeah. I, too, factor in aesthetics when picking a mech.

 

My question to you guys is: do you like/dislike the MWO representation of the mech or BT's designs? I don't play BattleTech so I don't have the sourcebooks. I am under the impression that PGI has recreated these mech faithfully.

As for Soy's question, I haven't thought about aesthetics when it came to the mechs I own. My first mech chassis was chosen for cost and survivability (the centuries). Since I don't play in 3pv, I don't see my mech much so I don't think abouthow cool or meh the design is.

 

It's funny I suppose, but I am inclined toward chicken walkers... with the exception of Stalker
The first mech I puchased was a K2... because it looks Damn Cool!
Other Mechs I think fall into this Damn Cool! category are:
Cataphract
Raven
JagerMech

Cent's are Kinda cool, and so are
Hunchies,

but I don't much care for the looks of the other mechs in the game so far...
I do have an Atlas in my inventory, but shouldn't everyone have at least one?

I suppose everyone has their own taste, but there is validity in looking good... or at least thinking you do.
If you think you look good, you feel good, and play better.

That being said, I would sooo like to see
Marauder
Timber Wolf
Mad Dog
Super Nova
War Hammer
Hatamoto-Chi

 

That's what the mech bay is for

 

I see it this way. This is mechwarrior afterall. You can change the look and update the emch, and you should! But you should at least keep a bit of the original feel.

My comments:
Commando: LEGO Dude... Wish they give it a better (ninja) cockpit face.
Jenner: I wish the head is a bit round, but definitely more updated look, ok I guess.
Raven: LOVE.
Spider: Wish they have the more obvious wings.

Blackjack: A bit disappointed. Almost like parts of Jager reused on a body that does not fit.
Centurion: I like. Especially the head.
Cicada: Actually think they do a good job on that, keeping some of the original feel.
Hunchback: Great job!
Kintaro: Quite decent really. A bit generic, but decent.
Trebuchet: Looks like how they ducttape matchboxes to a craftstick. Disappointed.

Cataphract: Totally cool with the look and feel.
Catapult: What it should be also. Nice.
Dragon: I wish the CT loks more like a dragon head. Actually did a decent job modernizing the mech, if you have seen the old design.
Jager: Great one. What it should be.
Orion: Don't really like how the cockpit look, but other than that, quite ok.
Quickdraw: I like the chest cargobay weaponary that captures the feel of a quickdraw, and them arm too.

Atlas: Wonderful!
Awesome: It does not feel like the original mech, but on the other hand, feels like a dreadnaught from 40K, which is sweet.
Highlander: Another 40K tribute, this time a Tau. Not too much of a fan.
Stalker: I actually love this thing. Totally it.
Victor: Somehow I think the mech looks a bit squashed. A bit less wide and it would look better.


Locust: Part of me like the original and the goggled look, part of me like the new one.
Shadowhawk: Acceptable (would have been really nice if not for the old one), then again PGI designers are NOTHING compare to the original designer-gods of those unseen, period.
Thunderbolt: sweet it seems.
Battlemaster: Acceptable (would have been really nice if not for the old one)

 

Take a look at a Founder Jenner the next time one's in a match with you. It has revised geometry, giving it a round dome-like head very similar to the original artwork.

Yeah, it always seemed like one of the thinner assaults.

The original design simply wouldn't work in a modern game. I would have preferred a look more like the Project Phoenix artwork, but oh well. This one is the furthest from the original design artwork I've seen them go, but they had a lot of changing to do to get it to work in the context of this game. Overall, I think I like it. But the final decision will come when I get them in my bays and have a closer look.

You don't give the art team enough credit. They have taken completely unrealistic two-dimensional anime-based art and made realistic three-dimensional graphical assets out of them. They have made them look different, yet still immediately recognizable for the most part. That combination takes skill and finesse.

...which weren't doing art for BattleTech (or BattleDroids or whatever it was called at that point) at all. Have you seen the asian versions of BattleMechs? They're nothing at all like what we have in the U.S. (and I'm assuming all of the Western world). You pretty much have to take their word for which BattleMech is which, as they aren't recognizable at all.

-----

To the OP:

Yes, I do think most of them look cool. I'm very aesthetically-inclined, and I have to like the look of a 'Mech or I won't pilot it. The only two that fail this test are the Cicada and Stalker -- they look like the original artwork, but I have always thought they were fugly. The rest of them are at least acceptable in my book.

My favorites look-wise are:
Spider
Jenner
Raven (love the Stealth Fighter look)
Centurion
Cataphract
Catapult
Dragon
Awesome

 

The only thing I see when I look at a mech is the weapons loadout, cooling efficiency and top speed.

 

Well, My comment on the art team is on the "Shadowhawk" and that line of unseen, which were borrowed from some japanese anime (you know which ones, and I don't feel like bitching about the whole harmonygold ordeal). To be fair the designer is quite a famous one (Kunio Okawara if you are wondering, father of Gundam, you can't win), and I am PRETTY DARN SURE those design can translate to 3D really nicely consider the amount of models and G-kits on them over the years. I will not say the same to all unseen, just those certain ones in the series (yes, not even the whole line in the original anim, some of them are quite average).

I am not saying the PGI art team doing a bad job, in fact I love their work, it is just that those handfuls of originals are wonderful.

Just so you know, they are being compared to the guy that has designed mecha for the following anime series (I will list some famous ones only that you might have heard of in the western world), it is hard for them to have a chance, even as they are good:
Gundam (UC timeline, most of them, some in conjunction of the other famous mecha-gods like Mamoru Nagano and Katoki, also other timelines like X G W(tv), Turn A, etc.)
Votoms
Dougram (duh!)
Panzer World Galient (used to love these when I were a child)
Blue Comet Layzner

 

...then what the fuck are the figurines used to play the actual BT game?

...

 

Apparently pieces of paper taped to bottlecaps.


And the original Dougram/Shadowhawk design really sucks when translated into 3D, right?

[img width=350 height=319]http://www.estarland.com/images/products/26/25826/45179.jpg[/img]
[img width=300 height=241]http://toyboxdx.com/phorum/addon.php?4,module=embed_images,url=http%3A%2F%2Ftoyboxdx.com%2Fphorum%2Ffile.php%3F4%2Cfile%3D4921[/img]

 

I think you mean this.

Ugly Mechs That Look Like Medieval Churches/Barns:
-Cataphract

 

I wonder if the designers had to make any changes due to possible design flaws (if there is any). For example Games Workshop makes really cool space Martine figurines but time and time again costume makers and 3d artists have to make changes to actually use the huge shoulders shown.

 

He's not perfect. Here's an example of why. I give you, Fish Gundam (To be honest, out of 15-20 designs, there are only three that are decent in G Gundam...):

 

No designer is perfect, he is no exception.
There are worse.

But G is supposed to be a bit lighthearted with a bit of comedy fantasy inside, with loads of cameo and other totally unrealistic thing. I mean, there is no reality in the series when the pilots can jump out and destroy mecha with their bare hands, or with a silk ribbon.

There are other productions that are funny and sometimes less appealing too, he made a few series aimed for younger kids. The whole "robot wrestling" style anime, all completed with combination transformation and transformers style things.

That and the original prototype designs can be quite weird also. Not every design is a Zaku quality.

But as far as the mentioned unseen goes, those are pretty solid.

 

I dunno. Between fish and windmill, I think the fish is worse... All in all, that whole series was just... eck.

Ah well. I do agree though, the original unseens are cool. I think FASA has come up with some designs since then that are just as cool...
And then there's the Yeoman...



Make that look fun to play Alex... make that look good.

Back to the topic at hand:
On the one hand, the homogeneity of designs is somewhat disappointing. On the other, it makes the designs feel a bit more real in terms of military hardware. Plus it would make sense (I haven't done the background check on our MWO mechs...) that mechs from the same manufacturer would have a similar design aesthetic. Something I felt was missing from the tabletop designs. Way too much diversity in the look of the designs.

Also, I really love the Commando design. I like the fact that Alex included elements of the mistaken face (The tilted hat giant eyeball) and the real face. And I love the fact that these designs do not have 'necks'. A bizarre pet peeve of mine, seeing mechs in the official artwork turning their heads.

 

I really don't like the look of the Cataphract, but that is cause I know what its BT lore is and one the mechs its made from it better looking to me. However, we will never see the Marauder in the game cause of Robotech and Harmony Gold.