Battletech/Mechwarrior Lore : The Mad Cat
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- Опубликовано: 6 мар 2019
- #Battletech #BattletechLore #Timberwolf
Tex Talks Battletech is a new series where Tex talks Battletech, Battletech lore, history, and mech combat in the glorious 31st Century. For childhood onward I was propelled into the world of Battletech, Mechwarrior and the like from tabletop game to RPG to PC game(s). It is my honor to now talk Battletech and mechwarrior lore from battlemechs to the nation states that use them and all the technology in between. Battletech to me is the epitome of a setting done well, and naturally battletech's gernally awesome lore reflects the depth of the universe. So, if you want to hear the lore of a great setting, by a voice that is the personification of whiskey, look no further.
Avast Clanners, its Fightin' time. No guts. No Galaxy.
Battletech Images/Art and everything else is the property of the respective owner(s). I am not a Battletech artist, they are. I claim zero ownership and if you see something of yours you want linked to, by all means hit me up.
Editing Guru - The Mad Asgardian
SARNA WIKI (The king repository of Battletech Knowledge) - www.sarna.net/wiki/Main_Page
The best announcer and arguably best voice in Battletech, also if you don't hire him for your fucking game it's probably not worth the box it came in. Games come in boxes, right? Oh yeah just hire:
George Ledoux - www.georgeledoux.com/
Battletech Music: KUMAKIN
/ komm-suser-tod 
Развлечения
NEXT UP IS THE FUCKING CATAPULT. AFTER THAT, PROBABLY SOMETHING WAY OFF MOST PEOPLES RADAR. STAY TUNED. ALSO LETS LET MY EDITOR GET SOME REST. HE NEEDS TO WATCH SOME SANFORD AND SON AND RELAX. RELAX.
Have you considered doing audio-only videos talking about Battletech lore? your voice and delivery are so easy on the ears I would love to listen to those kinda like a podcast. It would also allow you to give the editor some breathing room.
Been say'n it for years. Clans are the space Nazis.
Yay Catapult! I always enjoy the dedicated IS missile boats!
@@vianenhive ....maybe
You and George Ledoux have such a great voice. It be great to have both of you guys work together on a battletech type story.
"Birds are not allowed to shit on Clantech. It's dishonorable."
I fucking lost it.
My buddy in his raven with nac beacon and tag lasers out the ass did as well
"Yeah armor is great but when three archers dump an lrm20 on you head."
@@Tula-cs1ef Parry these 2000 LRMs you filthy clanner >:D
There’s a lesson to be learned in watching an army made entirely of a small number of highly specialized shock troops fail after bogging down. Almost like it has happened before. Multiple times. Over three thousand years.
It's almost eerie. Like history just can't stop repeating itself. Or rather military brass just can't realize that there's no such thing as a super-soldier program. The clans are proof of this. They made super soldiers they got their asses beat by a bunch of telephone Communications operators.
Nicopolis anyone?
HMMMMM
The only place they got bogged down at was Luthien. They smashed pretty much every other world until Tukkayid. Even IS omnimechs only made the tiniest of difference.
Not to mention the invasion was sabotaged by Clan Wolf and the Dragoons. With further interference by the Wolves at Tukkayid by getting the other Clans to underbid and agitating existing rivalries. Comstar also disassembled several objectives making victory for some Clans literally impossible.
All that and the Comguards barely scraped a win against 1/3 of the Clans
@@dickc.normous6369 i tend to agree. Tex honestly way overhyped Tukayyid. Really, Operation Bulldog and Task Force Serpent are far more impressive.
My mercenary heart looks at the Mad Cat and thinks ‘Wow, that’s pretty. But I like being able to afford food too.’
Get your hands on one of them, you can sell it for enough money for food for you, food for your harem, and food for 25 generations of your sons and daughters’ harems.
@@tumbleweed1552 >Not using it to stomp your way to nobility.
Your children will hate you for selling their future for "food".
@@Drak976You’re assuming the nobility doesn’t have a dozen Mad Cats.
You have: Mad Cat
They have: food
You have food because you brought a Mad Cat.
Madcat's like a drum mag: Start with one, finish with something else.
Apt description
lol that us such a good description
that is frightfully accurate
Accurate. Very Accurate
*_300th Like!_*
Clanners speak like Macho Man. This is new head canon.
+1
Ooooh yeah.
@@philips.5563 NNNATTENTION FREEEBIRTH SCUM
THE MAN LAYS CLAIMMM TO YOUR PUNY SYSTEM
HHHAAND A FULL GALAXYYAA
OF THEEE BADDEST DUDESS THIS SIDE OF STRANA MECHTYYY
STAND READY TO ACCEPT YOUR CHALLENGE
ANYWHEEEEREA
ANYTYMEEEE
LOL!!! From now on when I play Clans I'm issuing Batchalls as the Macho Man. :) OH YEAH!!!
@@Leisurelee53 This is a perfect comment.
"Birds are not allowed to shit on clan tech." [Laughs in Raven calling in missiles with a chance of more missiles]
[Laughs in a light star with a pair of Kit Fox C]
At least there're no sapient alien birds.
I said there're none.
@@nikital.6523 Look up George Ledoux's reading of Far Country. I promise you'll love it.
Do aerospace fighters count as birds? And do bombs/LRMs count as shit?
@@David_Fellner Thanks for a good laugh. George apparently excels at squaking as well. Hardly a surprise, but good to know.
"The sin isn't that they made a worse 'mech, the sin is that they tried.And that goes for Diablo too; you hear that, Blizzard?"
@Ironeagle 777 no... it gets a bad reputation, because "not being Clan Tech redeems everything" is like "all you can eat crab legs".
@@seand.g423 it's a theory, not at all a fact.
oh boy did this age like a fine wine, no kidding
@@Lesbian.Monster.Hunter Crys in Immortal
Best game Blizzard has made in years was the new version of D2.
For most of the video:
Stays in character as some in universe arms analyst making factual statements about fictional weapons.
Suddenly:
Breaks the "forth wall" to shit on Blizzard and Diablo.
Marvelous.
some things....some things are worth it
@@theblackpantslegion
amen.
Even a thousand years in the future, the scars haven't fully healed.
@@theblackpantslegion Even 3 years later, still apt. Took two more Diablo games for me to start appreciating 3 and understand how magnificent 2 truly is.
Haha, my dad would agree with you about that. He always said that the Mad Cat was great mech, but had terrible Tacticians pointing it in directions. My dad was ex-military and occasionally griped that while clan made the best equipment, pilots, they couldn't adapt to a situation outside their honorable code. He told me, " War on that scale is always shifting, honor is meaningless and logistically the clan would never win against inter-space.
your dad was smart
It didn't help that they declared war on the entire Sphere. They should've fought them piecemeal. Divide et Imperia.
Honor has always been bullshit. It was originally invented as a way for rulers to control their subjects.
@@manictiger Would you rather men acted as animals and just go kill and steal and violate other people whenever they felt like it? Is that what you want? Lawlessness and anarchy?
@@NodDisciple1
No, that's called conscience.
"Normal people" don't need "honor" to keep from lopping off random peoples' heads like pre-chivalric knights.
"They added a small laser to shoot birds or something..." I died. xD
BIRDS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO SHIT ON CLAN TECH IT IS DISHONORABLE
Well, how else are you going to stop the birds from ruining Meat Mountain?
OMG that killed me too!
You know pigeons have pissed off the clanner fuckos when they add a small laser to a mech 🤣
"We have a half-ton of weight left and for some reason this super-special hyper-adaptable omnimech we built is unable to accommodate any changes in armor. What do we put in there?"
"Put a small laser."
"Why?"
"Why not?"
I’ve been playing Battle-tech since the eighties. Sir, this is the most entertaining narration of lore I’ve ever heard. Thank you.
No sir, thank you for the kind words
The Mad Cat represents what I call "The Death Star Paradox". That paradox can be summed up as follows: The more powerful a weapon becomes, the fewer of it can be produced, and the more useless it actually becomes in a war due to the fact that, logistically, it can't be everywhere it needs to be. Given a choice between a Mad Cat and an equal money/tonnage value of UrbanMechs, I'll gladly make it Garbage Day every day.
Actually, Tex sums up the major issue. It's not that it's parts are particularly hard to make, it's that there was only ONE factory making the things, and Clan Wolf is guarding the crap outta those schematics.
I wouldn't. I hate urbanmechs.
If it wasn't for poor AI and limited battlefield space no other mech with long ranged weaponry would ever get close enough to an urbanmech for it to do decent damage.
An urbanmech, unless you are doing a defense mission, is like having a toddler following you around the battlefield holding a gun. A toddler with arthritis.
@@DGneoseeker1 so how would your long range mech take over a city with urbanmechs in it, if you never go in the city. Waste a bunch of lrms trying to flush them out with blind fire? You are forced into close quarters in the city. so you can enter it. If you do enter it, every alley could have a trashcan waiting for you to walk by and then pop out to nail you in your rear armor. Like it was designed to do defend urban areas.
@@Lunarice98 Well, the sensible answer would be surveillance from orbit combined with precision orbital bombardment with railguns, but I suppose there's some cultural problem with doing that in Battletech.
Are there any actual cities in MW5? I feel like every area I encounter is mostly open with just a few complexes of buildings.
@@DGneoseeker1 they exist, and fuck are Urbanmechs terrifying in 99% of scenario's (AC20BF urbies are so fucking lethal in any environment)
Logistics. The downfall of an enemy with superior weapons and training.
Well Done
In case of BT it's called plot devices out of ass
Two Thumbs Up. The best and mightiest military in any realms needs the greatest network of logistics and complex support in order to achieve victory. No food, no c-bills/money, no oil/gas, and no spare part, will spell doom for a military. That's why among Clanners, only the Wolves, the Ghost Bear's, the Falconers, the Diamond Shark's, and the Star Adder's are elite in their Touman due their strong merchant logistical support
While amatuers study tactics, professionals work out logistics.
@@SonOfTerra92 They weren't any better trained than the Western Allies though, especially near the end of the war.
@@src175 The comparasion also falls appart cuz the nazis were not idiots like the Clans and decide to fight like it is 1812, forgoing reconesicence and scouting and depending on the honor system to determine what the enemies are bringing to the table.
“Sneak up on me and get blasted son”
How to win me over to sub in one sentence.
Same, never seen this guy before but I like him
Don't forget the ER Small Laser "To shoot birds or something. You're not allowed to $#!% on clan-tech apparently."
Friggin' hilarious.
"A medium pulse laser for Disco death mode" or "Why!? because its a omni mech dummy, its legos with weapons"
Small pulse laser.... for shooting birds. Cuz pooping on clan tech...
Bet that one Mad Cat pilot in the opening cinematic for Mechwarrior Gold wished he had the rear-facing launchers... then again it may not have mattered as Panther's fellow pilots were tasked to back shoot said Mad Cat from long range while Panther stayed close and jammed transmission.
To be fair, I feel like Clan Honor Culture was a direct result of the constraints of Kerensky's fleet needing to survive. Batchall was the result of using the least amount of resources possible in order to preserve the fleet. Cloning the result of dwindling genepools. Strict codes of honor to limit destruction and harm to the collective. Swift victories the result of never having the resources or manpower for more prolonged engagements. The main pillar of their society was this belief system that had morphed and mutated out of necessity, carrying on when those necessities were no longer a factor. The Clans leaned on their advanced technology to prop up their culture and survival in the early days, and when it ceased to be a true advantage, what remained? The Clans forgot where they came from--not necessarily in the mythological sense, they knew they were from the Inner Sphere and descendants of Kerensky, but they forgot the why of these beliefs and practices, and therefore, lost the right to truly control their future. It was only through the destruction and failure of their culture that a new one could be allowed to grow--some took that opportunity, others didnt.
Basically: the Timberwolf/madcat was one of the greatest lone mechs, but unfortunately it was rather a lonely mech.
That poor Rakshasa looks like it was made by the Orks of WH40k.
considering the intial tech base of the Inner sphere at the time... yeaaah.
It worked purely off of the faith of the inner sphere peasants. When the clan disassembled one to laugh at the poor inner sphere imitation, random bits of missiles, bolts, and loose wiring fell out..... also one of the arms was apparently held on by a variant of gorilla glue.
to be fair, the Rakshasa is a decent machine in it's own right, if a little lack luster. It fills the fire support role rather well for cheap BV.
If it were built by the orks, then the Clans are fucked, because Ork tech works by the reality warping effects of the Waaagh! field and would also carry enough *DAKKA* to level whole Clan Galaxies
@@weldonwin Then explain how you can wipe them off of a planet?
"Think of it as Diablo III to Diablo II, with II being the OG Mat Cat."
A+ sir. Subbed.
"But that's a story for another time."
NO. NOW. STORY TIME.
For the reasons cited in this video, the Timber Wolf makes a fantastic front man for the Battletech franchise. Look at it on paper, and it's the perfect battle machine; modular, fast, hard hitting etc. That Timber Wolf on the cover of Mechwarrior 2 got me into Battletech in the first place as an "oh boy, a robot tank fight simulator" tween. But then you get into it and start looking at the broader picture, start looking at the logistics and battle campaigns, you start to realize that there's more here beyond "it's really good at shooting things for a few minutes." That's the whole Battletech franchise. "Hey, look, here are some gigantic robot tanks fighting with lasers and explosions driven by colorful characters in war!sexy outfits. Cool huh? Yeah, now look at the logistics of prosecuting a galactic-scale campaign, see why this isn't effective in the long run?" Ah man Battletech is great. FASA Forever!
I mean honestly, the Clans lost because they didn't build up their logistics except for like Clan Wolf and maybe Clan Steel Viper.
If the Clans had brought proper logistics, and generally fought like an actual military (i.e. like the Inner Sphere), then OmniMechs would've proven even more capable and useful.
They're very flexible and their easily swappable loadouts eases logistics somewhat.
You don't need to build an entire another new BattleMech, you just need to swap out pods. The Clans lost because they didn't care about logistics or any real strategical thinking.
No amount of superior technology can make up for that.
Frankly, blaming the tools as some sort of symptom for their fuckups doesn't work because their tools would be even more useful for militaries that actually think like a professional military should.
It hard to salvage the mad cat because it reserve for the winner. I like that quote
Translation: you can't salvage a timber wolf because it is the winner:)
Com star would like to know your location.... although they already know it.
To be fair, Clan Wolf didn't plan like an Idiot. indeed, they did the one thing most of the other Crusader clans did not when preparing for the invasion of the Inner sphere; They didn't Underestimate the IS. whilst the Crusaders just expected the IS to fall over and die for them, preparing only treasure ships to haul back their no doubt mighty and easily won gains, Clan Wolf Prepared supplies and Warships. where Crusader clans expected to blow past freeborn filth, Clan Wolf prepared for a bitter fight. where clan Toxic Falcon, Smoked Jaguar and the other jerk ass crusaders beat down and antagonized the Inner sphere peasants they captured when they took ahold of worlds, leading to hatred and rebellion against them, Clan Wolf treated them fairly and properly garrisoned their claimed worlds.
If Clan Wolf had been in charge of the invasion from the start, and all clans had organized and operated like them, it's quite possible that the inner sphere would've been taken fully by the clans. but that was not the case and so Space AT&T came and punished the clans with their super-secret fancy smancy cache of star-league tech mechs they'd been hoarding for a few centuries, and proceeded to use the clan's honor system to stop them. arguably, most of the clans were dumb, and were run by Dumb crusaders. but there were a few people with solid heads on their shoulders that weren't pants on head retarded.
Okay, help me out here. This is an obvious hole in my BattleTech lore so forgive me if the answer is blatantly obvious. But...why did Clan Wolf send out the Dragoons in the first place to prepare the Inner Sphere for a Crusader Clan invasion if they were going to take part in said invasion as part of the Antagonist force?
@@jonharper4478 They weren't. Clan wolf was Roped into the Invasion, by the Crusaders, as "Punishment" for being one of the few clans to vote AGAINST the invasion, even after the Crusaders delivered their (doctored) evidence of Inner Sphere ships looking for them ( a captured Comstar Explorator vessel that Jumped right on top of Huntress ). Clan wolf then figured that, if they were going to do this, they'd do it right, and get it over with as quickly as possible, by taking Terra.
@@havoc3742 Okay, thank you for that. That was the missing piece of the puzzle. I'm still learning BattleTech lore as I'm a bit new to the genre. My knowledge is a bit spotty. Didn't they eventually join with the Inner Sphere?
@@jonharper4478 Well, that's uh, Complicated matter. the general answer is, Yeeeeeeeeees, but there's a lot of nuance and minutia in that answer. Really, if you want to learn, and have the time, go to SARNA, they have a lot of this stuff for you to dive into, and you will have to dive, cus there's an OCEAN of info to digest
@@havoc3742 Already on it. Thank you for your time and the info.
I am contractually obliged to love the Timberwolf. Mechwarrior 2 was my first real taste of the setting, and even though I played Mercenaries 10x as much (and enjoyed the Inner Sphere as a setting far more), I can't forget where it all started.
Same with me, it's why I call Clan mechs by their Clan designations.
warning.
clanner detected.
firing autocannon...
its a mad cat.
"If Mad Cat was a westler, Mad Cat MkII was Macho Man Randy Savage"
the most perfect description EVER
I agree.
You almost killed me by choking on my drink when you were going over the configurations..... 😂😂😂😂
"An er small laser to shoot birds or something, because your not allowed to shit on clan mechs, and clanners are sadistic asses." 😂😂
It's true. It's what its for
"Moon landing units"
HOLY HELL I'M DYING HERE 🤣
Its how we measure things
@@theblackpantslegion Fun fact, the Apollo Guidance Computer did all of it's measurements and calculations in metric, and then used some of it's meager processing power to convert those measurements into furlongs, ounces and tablespoons. I mean, Buzz Aldrin only had one doctorate in orbital mechanics and Neil Armstrong merely had a master's in aeronatical engineering, it's blatantly obvious that metric was just too much for these idiots to comprehend.
"It's Lego's with weapons " Tex that was true poetry. Peace and love to all
*Slaps cockpit of timberwolf* This bad boy can fit so many LRM missiles.
Holy Shit Tex, your delivery is perfect! "Birds are not allowed to shit on Clan Tech. It's dishonorable!" every time I even think of this line I burst out laughing! I'mma go blow up some stuff on MWO now. Thanks!
Just look at the Mad Cat ... TONS of rounded windows ... and I dont think they include windscreen wipers for every one of them. Now imagine a bunch of birds crapping on the thing ... NIGHTMARE TO CLEAN! It is easer to "roast them mid-air" with the light laser.
Summary: The Mad Cat is good so long as you have nothing to do with it logistics wise. Nice to know.
eh past the clan invasion you could probably get parts from Clan Diamond Shark/Sea Fox.
Its particularly ironic when you consider that part of the reason Omnitech exists is to make logistics support EASIER. I'm a die-hard clanner (Namely Da Bears), and even I need to admit they dropped the ball on that particular capability.
@@tanall5959 indeed.
@@tanall5959 well it both does and doesn't make logistics easier the headache is since it can carry any weapon means you have to ship ammo and parts for every weapon the good part is if you run out of parts and ammo for a type of weapon you can just pop it out and out weapons you have parts and ammo for in.
@@michaelkeha On the one hand, yes. With a regular battlemech, the only weapons and ammo you'd carry are replacements for what the units on your dropdeck use. On the other hand, omnitech means you dont need as many units on your dropdeck to account for the various eventualities you encounter, since they can be reconfigured enroute. Plus, omnis are supposed to have a LOT of interchangable parts, simplifying maintenance and repair.
Of course, all that only really counts for anything when your command structure has a sane supply line to back you up, and as we saw with the clans...
Hot take: the Clans actually hate war, their entire existence is cringing in terror at the waste of the Amaris Civil War and trying in vain to devise some way to make war clean and fair and noblebright. They love the idea of war, the stories of war, the romance of war, they like being in peril and killing other people...but they're scared shitless of actual, genuine war and are nearly worthless at waging it. Really it's kind of absurd that they got as far as they got and didn't all die like cattle to partisans with plastic explosives.
All their prattling about honor is in the effort of avoiding actual war, I agree.
@Wyatt Earp It's made hot by BTech canon's presentation of the Clanners as somehow being supersoldiers "bred for war" and not acknowledging that the Clanners invaded the Inner Sphere with what amounted to very expensive parade units.
They only got as far as they got because most of the time the Davion and Kuritan guns were still pointing at each other. The moment the IS decided "hey we should fight these other guys" it all ground to a halt for them. Yeah space AT&T brought it to a halt but there were an increasing number of reversals for the Clans just prior to that. With regards to partisans, never forget Turtle Bay
One of the quotations in the loading screen quotes mod for Fallout 4 explains this; "Men who have never been in a battle love weapons. They like to hold one in their hands and consider the damage they could do with it."
Really, the Clans' leadership should have found a way to actually be honorable or at least pragmatic. "By presenting the illusion that warfare can inspire virtuous acts, the politicians perpetuate evil."
@@tranz2deep If you look up any of the lore on the Clans founder, Nick Kerensky, then you'll learn that despite the clans worship of him, he was a psychopathic tyrant who created the clan system to create a military dictatorship led by gene-engineered warrior-nobles who literally worshiped war and constantly fought each-other, despite never having to be exposed to the true horrors of war. PS, he also broke his own laws whenever he felt like it.
"One small laser to shoot birds or something" I died.
BattleTech lore would make such a good Netflix original series
Tragically today those TV companies are full of morons and never make anymore interesting shows like what you just proposed. Put this way, they simply don't want money, the just want to fail.
@@hujiaming6151 It MIGHT work if The Expanse or Cobra Kai people did it as both groups actually bother to listen to the fans.
That or any other FASA products like Renegade Legion, ShadowRun, Earthdawn, Crimson Skies or Vor: The Maelstrom.
Do I correctly recall watching some Mechwarrior cartoon series when I was a kid?
@@pwnmeisterageIt was Battletech and it didn't do so well.
Also Discount Dan's is the best mech dealer EVAR
Please buy a Hunchback.
Second best. Stan's Previously Owned -Ships- BattleMechs is best mech dealer. Evar. Of all time.
@@maesterdanteamadeus444 Hunchbacks actually do well as laser and AC boats in the Battletech computer game.
I really want to buy MadCat/ TimberWolves miniature/models, any one can give me hint where i can buy it, and i from outside US, so need the place. Any info i'll appreciate it, Willing to buy Madcat, Vulture, Ryokken, Daishi,and Masakari (I'm Clan Lover anyway). Thanx guys
@@AllForManKind77 You tried Iron Wind Miniatures? Or the Chinese Manufacturers making the box sets?
Greetings Freeborn "friends", the Mad Cat Mk2 can be yours for the low, low price of 24,036,900 C-bills, favorable trading rights, and a modest portion of your planet. Long term technical support and ammunition resupply sold separately.
Inquiries should be directed to the Clan Diamond Shark Merchant Caste (and not to the Grand Council).
Please remember that We of Clan Wolf in Exile have generously granted Clan Diamond Shark rights to have an embassy and bazaar on Arch Royal and also do offer technical training and assistance with our friends the Kell Hounds.
This is Raith Hawker of the Ghost Bear Dominion. We request that you cease all attempts to sell restricted weaponry to the Rasalhaguean citizenry.
Though off the record if you are willing to trade, I have a pair of Ice Ferrets I am willing to part with in exchange for the Mad Cat MK2.
@@RaithSienar I am Star Colnel Timur Malthus of a band of Jade Falcons In Exile. I was disgusted with both factions of the Jade Falcon Civil War and left with my personal Supernova. We are in need of resupply, and as much as it disgusts me, are willing to take on bondsmen duties for supplies, mechs, other war material, and much needed scientists after the last purge of rebels in the science caste.
@@dubuyajay9964
Listen here, Clanners! I am Deridus, guardsman for House Steiner, and I am willing to trade three Awesomes and a House Steiner Recon 'Mech (Atlas A or C) for a Mad Cat. If not, the lance that those 'Mechs help constitute will take it by force.
Got a Mark 4?
"I'm here to kick ass and claim bondsmen. And I'm all outta bondsmen."
Aaaaand /sub after stop laughing.
"It has two LRM 20's, because compromise is for losers." LMFAO!! I love these videos. Keep it up son!
This was hilarious. I loved the snarky comedy. I forgot how much I loved battletech.
This reminded me of how much I love playing clan
Totaly. Just stumbled onto this. Had a great laugh while enjoying an Old Fashoned for the evening unwind.
23 Urban Mech s
„Because birds are not allowed to shit on Clantech - it’s dishonorable !“
Gets me every time 😂
I find myself rewatching these because they were so well done. 100 years from now someone will watch this and feel inspired.
Uncle Joe once said "Quantity has a Quality all of it's own..."
the TiberWolf/MadCat is a great mech, but too few too late.
Is it weird that I go back to this video to re-watch the segment at 15:21? The brutal reality of the history of war just pulls me in every time. Like getting hit with a punch to the face and somehow liking it.
The brain is a majestic thing, like that.
"The poster child of the franchise" Only the current one. Never forget Mad Cat, before you it was the Warhammer. One day, you too will be displaced.
Atlas Locust and Raven all featured prominently as box art too. I would say if the franchose does have a face, it is the Atlas though.
I'd have to agree. Thanks to Harmony Gold being unkind to the BattleTech franchise the Atlas is the most iconic mech that's been consistently in the game more or less since day one. Being one of the toughest units in the game helps cement its image as a durable symbol.
The Dougram designs were more fitting for Battletech than the Macross stuff.
The Axeman gets a lot of fan love too.
I still to this day, in my head, hear a variant of the Beatles' "Taxman" when I read that mech's name.
MkII MKIV
Quantity over quality?
Grinding war of attrition?
*SOVIET ANTHEM INTENSIFIES*
USA was similar in WW2; "We can easily destroy 3 of their tanks, the problem is they always seem to bring a 4th."
To be fair, the T34 had some unexpected good qualities, aside from being cheap.
@@ShadrachVS1 never helps when the biggest military industrial complex on earth is mobilized because your allies decided to drag them in while hoping to demoralize them
@Someguy's CPU Lend-lease support for the Soviet Union was a minuscule sliver of the program. We're talking within a rounding error of them entirely supporting their own war effort. The Atlantic, North Africa, the Pacific, and Western Europe were the parts we were involved in, not Eastern Europe.
I remember sitting and laughing at a video talking about the t-34. The final number of how many t-34 tanks were made was between 52,000 and 55,000... Because the Soviet Union lost count. I was laughing at it because when you produce less tiger tanks then the margin of error for the inventory for your enemy... You have officially lost the war.
"It's a sin that they tried."
+1 sub
Thank you. Long live Diablo II.
As a Veteran who served in the Cavalry, I agree with your unpopular opinion and your solid reasons for why. After watching these lore videos...you have a new sub. I humbly request that you do a video on the Shadowhawk....the best damn old school medium mech out there in the IS.
I'd argue with you because I'm a Zoomie Weather Asshole!
That'd be a lawsuit if it wasn't freed up from Harmony gold the shadowhawk is a Unseen...
@@sheilaolfieway1885 Now it's Reseen...
@@DoctorPhobos here in 6 months, it will likely be unseen again. That story changes faster than a radio station changes songs.
@@CSSstravag I know of a couple radio stations where that is most certainly true.
"because...sneak up on me and get blasted son." LOL
Oh man I want to dust off my MechWarrior 4 mercenaries now.
Free legal download now! Google it
Mechwarrior 5 Mercenaries will come at 10 September, 2019 trough Steam. Googling it for more info
I will dust off my Mechassault game.
@@AllForManKind77
That's what you hoped, anyway.
@@AllForManKind77 Yeah, about that...... As it turns out, Steam won't be getting it right away. Something about piranha games, non-public "hush-hush" deals, epic contract, lied/stabbed every fan player right between the shoulder blades, China harvesting player account data through epic, micro-transactioning to death......I'm a little fuzzy on the exact details, but the info is out there if you wanna look for yourself.
THEY ATTACKED MY HOME PLANET!
"Information is ammunition!"
Activate E N H A N C E D_I M A G I N G!!
YOU DARE TO REFUSE MUH BATCHALL!
@@regisblue2614 REFUSE YOUR WHAT?!
Most Clan mechs in general lack the ammo for a prolonged engagement. I think what made the Timber Wolf stand out is its balance between firepower, mobility & ARMOR. Worse than the lack of ammo was there lack of armor for more firepower. And you fail to mention that the Clans were delayed in launching the invasion by the Wolf Dragoon's recon mission. What if the Clan invasion arrived in the Inner Sphere in 3005?
Mike George 3005 would have been a better time. The Clans didn’t change too much from 3005 to 3050. However the Inner Sphere was still in the midst of the 3rd Succession Wars. They would have smashed through the Lyran’s and the Draconis Combine forces along their mutual border.
Co-operation between great house didn’t begin until after 2020 and the Helm Memory core was only discovered in 3028.
question ... how can a machine armed with two PPCs or whole bunch of lasers be "lacking ammo" ? ... The beauty of the Timberwolf is that it can be a missile carrier or nearly pure energy based platform simply depending on the fit you put on it ...
the lack of supply is more of lack of supply of the machines themselves, not ammo for them ...
@@Asghaad for what i understand energy weapons should not have ''infinite'' ammo, since they require some type of charge to power them, its like using fuel to power a weapon instead of using bullets so it has to run out after extended use. The reason why they apparently look like they have infinite ammo is for simple writting and gameplay convenience and make them diferent from other weapons that use a more casic type of ammo.
@@ShadrackMeduson generally there are two types of energy based weaponry
1. particle accelerator - usually plasma or some exotic particle beam or bolt which is then "accelerated" at the target
2. energy beam weapons - all kinds of lasers and similar energy projection types that do NOT need anything other than power source
in world of battletech there are BOTH types represented.
PPCs are perfect example of the first type while Lasers in all theyr sizes and variations are the type 2
PS: even the first type can be "unlimited" if its taking the material it needs to operate from its environment
Well if you don't need to worry about ammo, overheating might be an issue. Running a mech too hot can literally cook a pilot and damage the structure of the mech.
A year later and I still love this. Though I think you got the wrong understanding of why (in universe) the clans lost. The group that was against the war and warned IS and Clan this was wrong was also the same group that was most successful and had (possibly) the most Mad cats and was most successful. They were Wolf. And they were the ones that did not want a war and that alone is why they lost - they did not want to win - even when they did.
I"M STOKED on that introl.... "oh, wait.... THEY LOST, DIdn't they?" HAHAHAHA I LOVE IT!
"Some people call them Mad Cats," and those people are wrong.
Brilliant video, good sir. Keep 'em up.
And your unpopular opinion is spot on. The Clans expected the IS forces to fight the same way they did; quick, vicious, and short.
But the IS did universally refer to it as a Mad Cat. It wasn't until later they referred to it by it's proper name (when the clans and IS sort of kind of made up((ish)))
@@christiedt4999 Guess that would make the IS universally wrong, would it not?
@@derekburge5294 if they had no other context then no, not really. They had a crumby targeting computer display mad cat so they went with it
It's almost as if different cultures can have different names for things, and that's okay? Chips and fries, anyway?
@@sandordugalin8951 Crisps and chips, too.
"You are not allowed to shit on Clan Tech" 😂😂😂😂 Had tears in my eyes laughing. I prefer the Timberwolf with pure laser config and anti missle system to put on the hurt at closer range. Worked great for me for longer combats as i could easily take out light mechs (Ravens are Target practice🤭) in a single go while killing of heavier mechs up to the Atlas pretty fast with good aim 😁 Is is a perfectly balanced killing plattform with the right pilot
As a side note i liked your opinion at the end. The comparison to WW2 was well made. In same way the claners ideals where similiar to alexander kerensky if it comes to not blasting your foes with nukes and such but their underestimated the IS for their ruthless but anyway brillliant tactics. In the end of a war there are no winners, there are only survivors.
"In Moon Landing units.." Nice one.
My favorite mech of any franchise ever. Hope to live to see the day a machine like this could be built. One can dream... Still remember this thing in Mechwarrior 2 when I was three years old
'Mighty Warriors?'
I T
I S
N O T E D
Hey Tex, Clan Wolf remembers Tukyad really well, because we were pretty much the only ones to beat Space AT&T's ass. For real though, love seeing these videos. Madcat was one of the first mechs I ever piloted, love MechWarrior 2, it's always going to hold a special place in my heart. Keep the videos coming man, love me some MechWarrior lore!
Agreed, fellow warrior Clan wolf Forever WARDENS FTW!
I think a lot of people like the madcat not only because of box art and lore but because of how badass the mech simply is. I remember when I was a kid my older brother got Mech commander, having never played battletech. He managed to salvage a madcat and expressed how much he liked having it. That colored what I thought of the mech as a kid. Now 22 years later I'm rediscovering this whole IP after some forays into mech commander, mech warrior and the mechwarrior Clix minies released by wizkids as a teenager. I feel like I'm really diving in more then I did then. That being said inner sphere loyalties for sure but I would still love to get my mercenary hands on a madcat. I've no prolonged conflict to deal with just a lot of pirates to kill.
While I'm no clanner fanboy I DO have to give a tip of the hat to some of their designs and this is one of them. The delta config is still my favorite.
I am a huge MadCat fan. One of my favorite mechs next to Blood Asp and Nova Cat... And I subbed anyway, out of spite I think haha. But seriously, even though I love the MadCat I also loved this video, well done.
Always loved the Angry Feline
The Pissed Pussy?
These are so incredible man.
I used to be glued to my dad’s hip while joystick and all he’d run around in a madcap on the family PC. I love this world, and I love THIS mech.
Great work, so much nostalgia and badassery.
When one says Mech, Mech Warrior, or BattleTech, only one thing comes to my mind: MadCat.
It would forever be ingrained on my mind as the bad ass mofo, that represents the pinnacle of mecha for me.
It's not so much the Madcat persay, as many would say, but Clan Tech itself, which is lighter and more deadly by far. Of course though, like a certain other tech centric dictatorship that rose to prominence on their mechanized war machine, they are not designed for wars of attrition, even if they accept training causality figures that would be ridiculous to even the most despotic of regimes, not to mention openly endorse a culture of dueling.
After: Hilarious that we both make the same general reference in comparing the Clans to Nazi Germany. But the question remains... how many Urbies would it take to destroy a Mad Cat?
FIND OUT THIS WEEK ON URBIE FIGHT CLUB
Umm... 3. I'm going to go with 3... because that's how many it took for me to kill one.
well as Tex pointed out it's kinda hard when1. your supply lines are long, 2. your not exactly designing yourself for prolonged fights and 3.Your invasion is lead by a bunch of religous zealots only out for Honor and not victory.
I wanna hear this guy talk about the goddamned Daishi.
*ahem* Dire Wolf.
@@cliffcampbell8827 Ok Clanner
@@eragon9876543210 It's called the DIRE WOLF, YOU FILTHY FREEBIRTH SURAT!
@They Live! Again. Just call any clanner a wolverine they hate it.
I'd have to say aesthetically the mad cat 2 is probably my favorite mech but functionality wise the catapult is probably my favorite
Me as a hunchback pilot everytime I see a mad cat: "let's scratch up that pretty paint"
Good stuff. We need more people talking about Battletech, highlighting the awesome universe that still thrives today and pointing out clanners suck balls :D I will point people to your channel on my next stream this friday. Have a good one Blackpantslegion :)
Thanks bud. Yeah, we need all we can talk about this great game and setting. I really hope Battletech/Mechwarrior has a wondrous resurgence the way many other tabletop games have. I really want there to be a brighter future for this game series that has, sadly, had its spans of mismanagement in the past.
Also, you do good stuff.
Thanks :)
with the massive resurgence of dungeons and dragons via the 5th edition system, I can only hope for a resurgence of the Mechwarrior system as well
Not all clans were bad. I actually had respect for Ghost Bear, Spirit Cat, Wolf, and sometimes Jade Falcon (decent clan, but run by dickwits). The Smoke Jaguars got what they deserved.
@@ScornedOne1080 I believe the correct term is "Smoked Jaguar," and yes, they got exactly what they deserved.
17:05 "history isn't always about quality, it's about quantity."
Crusader Wolves: *laughs in Tundra Wolf*
The mad cat is my favorite mech. It is the first mech I was ever introduced to when I played mechwarrior II and thus battle tech for the first time. It will always have a place in nostalgia for me.
Hey Tex, another great video.
The Catapult is one of my oldest favorite Mechs. Ya gotta love 'reaching out and touching someone from long ranges', and the Catapult delivers. It is easy to maintain, get parts for, and it's ammo is fairly cheap.
When FASA released the Clans on the Inner Sphere, I fought several battles at the Emperor's Headquarters in Chicago, on 6x6 foot terrain tables covered in Geo-Hex terrain. Moss for trees, Gravel for impassable terrain, etc.
I set up a 'gun line' of Blackjacks and Catapults at the edge of my side of the board and just bombarded and sniped at the Clan Mechs until they got close enough to start doing real damage.
Then I 'faded' off the battlefield to 'fight another day', or more likely, from another chosen fixed position... like the valley choke point I ended up rolling for (natural 20 in a d20). Gave 'em another dose of LR firepower and fell back yet again.
Over the course of 3 weeks, I wore down the Clan units engaging me to the point that they broke off and returned to their landing zone. Being faster than my Mechs, I let 'em go and fell back for refit and repairs.
Net result? I was one of only three out of well over a dozen commanders that 'won' their engagements against the Clans. And I, to this day, credit it all to my Catapults and Blackjacks.
spoken Frank-ly
“Shit why didn’t we think of combining a marauder and catapult?”
Because the defining characteristics of the Marauder are exploding like a British battlecruiser and having the most egregiously bad heat management of any non-prototype mech ever. Why would you want to combine that piece of shit with a perfectly good Catapult?
@@nathanbrown8680 the marauder kicks ass if you build it right. It's almost like it was built for rotary autocannons. Made one with 2 RAC5s and it shreds anything including assaults, while the damage you receive splashes across the whole mech because of its design, without the need of torso twisting
@@enfernoo As Matt Easton would say, "Context."
The question "why didn't we think of that?" is for 1991 or 3049. Mechwarrior 2 came out in 1995. Before then there was no first person mech piloting outside a handful of arcades. Just one in 1991. All bipedal mechs used the same hit location table.
RACs entered production in 3062. 2002's Mechwarrior 4: Mercenaries was the first computer game set in or after 3062. And it didn't have the Marauder because Harmony Gold are copyright trolls.
Back then in or out of universe, the Marauder was a dumpster fire unless it was the Davion flashbulb, and that wasn't exactly a beacon of sensible heat management either. It's just that the original Marauder is so bad that replacing the autocannon with a Blue Circle large laser and four heatsinks is an improvement.
@@nathanbrown8680 You take that back...
@@atticusthegamingllama8302 Never. I will stand by Harmony Gold being copyright trolls to the end of time. It's not even their copyright. They lost the case in the country where the copyrights were originally filed. The character designs are Big West's to do with as they please and they licensed them to FASA.
I would like to see what you think about the Daishi aka Dire Wolf. On paper, that thing is terrifying, as it is a 100 ton beast that while slow, it packs enough firepower to demolish anything in its path and is very well armored. Only good thing for the Inner Sphere is that it is rare and astronomically expensive.
Been a fan of BPL for a while, but just now getting in to Battletech. Thanks for the content. I watch while I paint my mechs. Good times.
I just found your channel and this series and it's my new favourite thing ever! Thanks mate!!
God I love these videos, the commentary is humorous yet insightful.
"Some call it a game changer, some call it a waste of time and resources..."
I call it a Frankenmech.
i mean its literally what if someone rule34ed a cat and a marauder. While i as a fanboy of both designs get an absolute mech boner over the prospect i think a much better example would be warhammer especially in some configurations
The Rakshasa looks like some drunk engineer glued the arms from a Marauder on a Catapult and called it a day.
I may be a fan of the Clans, but I 100% agree with your assessment of their short-comings and why they lost the war. Fantastic video.
Or 17 urbanmechs.
Thanks for this, I laughed pretty hard
I always thought the urban mech was a bit of tractor. Light mech with too much armour to be quick on its feet so its easy to hit. Not enough firepower and because its a light mech the added armour isn't enough to make a great deal of difference so in conclusion the urban mech is the result of terrible design doctrine.
@@milanondrak5564 but... 17 ac10s against one madcat. Sure, on a flat plane the madcat has the speed/range advantage but in a city..... Weee!
@@scalien225 a optimally build general purpose mech vs a very narrowly defined purpose mech for urban warfare, that it's name is composed literally and entirely of URBAN and MECH, and you suppose in urban fight, the little bastards will win. Dude.
17 Urbanmechs would defeat (or chase off) a Mad Cat even on an open field. That doesn’t mean 17 Urbanmechs would be a more useful buy (tactically they are pretty limited), but 17 AC 10’s against one target isn’t going to go well for said target.
@@somerotter that's considering all 17 urbanmechs get within range to use those... remember clan tech has more range ,better armor and is generally a big FU to IS tech... espcially during the invasion...
Your best work yet, Tex. Change nothing about your delivery and style of narration. This is IT.
The Mad Cat is a neat mech that your accountant hates due to cost, but you as a mechwarrior loves as it wrecks anything that happens to cross your path. Terrible in a strategic sense, but amazing in the tactical sense.
Revisiting this vid after the excellent Marauder vid. Thanks for all the great lore vids!
This is one of best most well thought out analysis of why the clanners was always going to lose.
Paints a different picture for us filthy casuals who only know the video games that hand us battle ready mechs without concern for the logistics.
Mechwariror 4 mercs has a maintenance fee you have to pay.... along wiht other expenses ,but it's all rolled into "Per Cycle expenses"
You say that but young me playing Mechwarrior 2: Mercenaries and always dying because I forgot to stock missiles for long campaigns disagrees
Logistics has gotten some play in the series. Mech2Mercs, Mech3, Mech Commander, and Battletech probably being the hardest on this. If you want to be highly concerned with maintenance and salvage rights, the Roguetech mod for Battletech makes me cry in c-bills...
That's really only a thing in MechWarrior 2 and Ghost Bear's Legacy, since in those games you play as a Clan MechWarrior in Clan space, so the supply chain is a non-issue
Just found your series the other day and I'm loving it. I love the dry humor!
I'm like three years late here, but I honestly lost it at this narration. The MadCat was what introduced me to BattleTech, and I love it with a passion. This was still hilarious.
"And a medium pulse laser for 'Disco Death Mode!'" 😂🤣🤣
The mighty Dubstep Beam. WUB-WUB-WUB-WUB
This is absolutely my favorite Battletech/mechwarrior youtube channel along with critical rocket. You have a gift sir for telling the great tales of Battletech. Out-fucking-standing.
Edit because how could I forget to say, WE NEED MORE!
Merry Christmas you filthy animals have a great one!
Thanks, and we're working on it
I love coming back to these old videos every now and then and rolling around in delicious Tex-ness
Agreeing with Tex here. The timby is nice...but the clan application of it in their invasion was like giving a hugely expensive power saw to a chimp and asking it to create woodcraft.
The version from mechassault is my favorite, 2 PPC with rechargers and capacitors, 4 Clan Machine Guns, and 2 LRM 15s moving at 85kph.
it's not an official variant but I like to use it in MW4.
Moar Battletech!
God this has made my day!
Mad Cat is my favourite!
This video was great, laughed through most of it. But the info you provided was awesome.
Thanks, you've got a new sub!
Thanks for doing this. I'm new to the lore, and loving what I'm seeing so far.
Amazing, glad I found you. Instant Subscriber. Hey, a lance consisting of 3 Catapults and a Hunchback (to keep the curious at arms reach)always makes a great (relatively cheap) Fire Support Lance for any company.
One more reason Ghost Bear kicked so much ass is they didn't destroy the worlds they conquered they reshaped them in kerenskys image one system at a time, they hired mercenaries, faught the inner sphere in a gorilla war, because fuck honor outside clan space retreating and reappearing at each hpg center forcing massive redistribution of resources and bled fedcom dry. The reason they did so well is cause they waged a war against comstars moneyballs and mostly came out on top mostly, that and the kodiak is one hell of a mech.
Thanks for doing this, been waiting for this vid, this mech is definitely my favourite, I mean sure its got its ups and downs but I just love the design and versatility.
Disco death mode. That line earned my sub, well done!