@@MechanicalFrog Even if they don't backstab you or start by stabbing you, the warrior elite crazies is a serious problem. And in sometimes different ways from clanner warrior elite crazy.
@@bthsr7113 At least you can trust the Capellan Confederation to try to backstab you no matter how stupid the idea is. When dealing with the Combine, the juice is never worth the squeeze.
If nothing else, the Nova Cat leadership should've taken note on how the Azami/Arkab legions were treated. DCMS leadership barely tolerated their existence even after a nearly 600 year alliance by the time the clans rocked up. In the early 3070's the Wobbies bombed the Azami homeworlds with asteroids, Combine goes 6 months without sending any emergency aid, so Arkab Legions on deployment pack up and go home to help their citizens recover, Combine responds by sending a full blown warship to threaten them to return to their positions and bombs two of their cities as a 'warning'. Azami nuke the warship and declare independence. That whole affair should have been a major wake up call to the Cats over how the Combine really views their 'allies'.
Hey there! I heard you on the BPL podcast and decided to mosey on over to see a video or three. Time well spent; subbed and will be watching more. Thanks for your hard work!
2:30 I heard it as "cave the Nova Cats paws" and I hope other people have as well. The history breakdown here made me lament the loss of the Nova Cats, a faction beat up so bad you'd think they were the Capellans. Also, I really appreciate how you cover your bases with the MF variants, the anti-infantry/anti-vehicle options are always welcome!
This was a mech I saw when I was very new, a Sea Foxes version painted on Camospecs. My tastes have changed, but it's s nice to see it again now with a much better understanding of the lore and the Nova Cats involvement, they have such a tragic story. It really seems like a great Heavy mech - I like a little missle with my lasers - and a great mini to pick up for a more modern game. Thanks for making later tech eras seem fun instead of daunting.
Someone needs to tell the Nova Cats that they are not the Kwizatz Hadarach, and that they are not prescient. Hell, just studying the bloody history of the Draconis Combine would have told you that any alliance with the Combine is treacherous at the best of times.
I dunno if that mech is good or not, but man it looks cool af, pretty much how I imagine clan mechs to be, still getting that more rugged/industrial aesthetic BT has but also more sleek, more animalistic and closer to the game's original inspirations of Mecha Anime.
@@anselmoffrisia2930 While I am a sucker for quad mechs and totem mechs, there is no fair way to call that thing understated. Thunder Stallion is understated for a horse totem though.
Reflective armour - for the discerning mechwarrior who moonlights as a disco ball. I have to admit I've re-assessed my previous position on the newer armour types after recently realizing I'd misunderstood the rules on Hardened Armour. Now I have an Atlas with 32 tons of hardened armour to play with, which is nice.
Good video, as always. The clan I've painted are the nova/spirit cats. I think it is hilarious that the clan has visions that invariably lead them (led them?) Into exactly the wrong thing to do. 😂
Seriously, the Nova Cats seem like a study in how often a faction can bet on the wrong horse before going pretty much extinct. But the Cave Lion seems like a good machine, it might use expensive tech, but it´s low dependence on ammo makes it an enduring fighter in long campaigns. It´s mobile for its weight class, jump jets would be nice but you can´t have everything at once. MF version seems so humble compared to your usual takes, but i like it.
@@MechanicalFrogYeah, pretty much XD Poor friend of yours... But seriously, the Nova Cats seemed like such an iteresting faction, shame it ended in such a horrifying way.
@@sim.frischh9781 Just the fact they out of all the clans, only they suddenly had a "wait, are we the baddies?" moment and switched side was something I found great a bout them. Even clan mary-stu didnt openly switch side and their wardens remained self serving.
@@ursulcx299 Quite a few Clans never invaded the Inner Sphere in the first place, Nova Cats only switched sides when they got stomped by Kuritans of all people... And then they chose to side with those same Kuritans of all people against their own kind. While their ultimate fate is a bit harsh Nova Cats should not protest too much in light of their numerous previous actions. They were not the good guys. Good guys do not cooperate with Smoke Jaguars and they most definitely do not cooperate with Draconis Combine.
I've used the cave lion. It's something I stumbled upon in the era reports of the Dark Age and found it distinctive looking enough to use in a homebrew force as the faction leader's personal ride. The reflective armor makes it a nightmare for mechs with energy loadouts to deal with, and it's weapon selection has just ripped apart even foes above it's weight bracket. I think the big issue I have with it is the battlefists coupled with the reflective armor. The temptation to Melee must be avoided. That and this thing is expensive as all hell to fix should it get roughed up in a battle. Which, as I'm using it in a campaign, is a problem. The other issue i've had with it came with the Ironwind model not having a proper torso. I had to fabricate my own. Meaning my model does not have visible ATMs.
Nice. Very nice. Aside from being difficult to maintain. From point blank to 23 hexes, this cat has something for everyone... even if I'd personally pull the ATM3.
This is a pleasant surprise, the Cave Lion is special for me as it is the first battlemech I commanded in a pick up game of ClickTech years ago. It's a real beast of a battlemech whether in Classic or Alpha Strike and has a great IWM mini. A bit of good news for the Nova Cats/ Spirit Cats is they are still existing and currently running the Clan Protectorate though old habits die hard as they've put themselves between FWL Remnants and the Ilclan.
Love me the Nova Cats. So much of the good ideas go wrong. Why yes, we will move into the Inner Sphere like the others. Heck, we are even backing the Star League! This SHOULD work fine. Oh wait, is that the Author's Hammer coming down? Awww nuts. But yeah. I like this mech, but the claws + reflective armor + ATM makes me tilt the head. Remove the ATMs and claws, be a long range ambushy death dealer that doesn't need ammo. There, go. OR ditch reflective armor and maybe the ATMs and now you can brawl too. The MF Model is pretty rad too.
Hello Frog. In a semi-recent battle, my Merc unit was able to salvage a Cave Lion Mech. The ATM was trashed, so that was totally removed, along with its ammo. In its place, I added an AMS to the Head, a ton of ammo in the CT, and a 5th Medium Pulse Laser to the CT. This gives even more hitting power at close range, with very accurate lasers to finish off what the ERPPCs did as the Mech closed the range. Other than the AMS ammo in the center torso, the Mech has NO ammo-dependent weaponry. Another option would be to replace the ATM and its ammo with TWO Clan Laser AMS, and Three Clan Heavy Small Lasers.
@@Gigas0101An entire LAM force painted up in the Seekers colors would be awesome to see. Especially if the leader of a force gets taken out and the Starscream-painted one shrieks "MEGATRON HAS FALLEN! I, STARSCREAM, AM THE NEW LEADER OF THE DECEPTICONS!"
Thanks for pointing the light at this one. I love it. But I often start with style over substance and then hope to correct on the fly with salvage over the course of a campaign.
Hello Frog. Yet another fine video, my friend. Consider your MF variant 'yoinked'. It is VERY similar to my own variant. The difference being that kept the pair of PPCs and all the pulse lasers. I dropped the MML and ammo in favor of 2 AP Gauss rifles and a ton of ammo, and the rest was shoved into more armor. A total of 13.5 tons of the Reflective armor. I am thinking of copying your variant, but using Ferro Fiberous Armor instead of the Reflective. In any case, keep on making videos... you are adding to my stable of Mechs with all these Mech Frog variants.
I see you noticed I haven't watched a mechfrog video in a while.. and here you are tempeting me back with the totem mech for my tragic Nova Cats. Well played sir.. Great video!
I assumed you were kidnapped for ransom by a gang of penguins who brought you to Chile where you ended up falling for one of your captors and started a new family/life.
Love the high hard point ppcs and melee capability. Hate the over complicated legs that are going to be a nightmare to repair and have more moving parts to break.
Never seen this one in the lore or on the table. But am a big fan of any mech that resembles a beast. The kodiak being a prime example of awesome art. Cheers
Could've done without the reminder of Clan Nova Cat's destruction. It's enough of a black mark against Battletech that the writers chose that direction. But as always, a good video. Shame there are not more variants.
That is a cool looking mech. Really hoping we get a videogame set in the il-clan era. All the chaos from the Wolves and Falcons racing to Terra would be the perfecting setting for a mercenary game.
Another example of Clan-built Battlemechs that shows how superfluous the omnis are. I find the combination of reflective armor and battlefists kind of weird, but it is a nice option to have with all of those pulse lasers.
Finally got to run this mech today. Painted it a long time ago and finally was able to use it and it produced very well! I love the look of this mech and I only like it more because of today.
A great mech now serving multiple masters. Some of the Nova Cat touman also ended up joining the Republic of the Sphere, and we know that turned out. Only in Marik space does the Nova Cat/Spirit Cat touman really survive. The Cave Lion is a great unit to pair up with the Nova Cats other energy focused units like the Supernova, Nova Cat or Sphinx
I was somewhat familiar with the Cave Lion prior to this video, thanks to the MechWarrior Clix game, but I did enjoy it very much. I also have 2 variants of the Cave Lion myself. Big surprise there. The Cave Lion ISM only changes the loadout of the original (canon) Cave Lion; it still retains the Laser Reflective armor, 17 DHS, and of course all of the other structural bits. For weapons and gear, it mounts an IS Large Re-Engineered Laser in each side torso, backed up by a pair of Medium Pulse Lasers in each arm; it mounts a Light Active Probe to find pesky enemies that are dishonorable enough to hide, and a Laser Anti Missile System to deal with, well, missiles - although I don't think it would protect against Arrow IVs. The Cave Lion ISM 2, my second variant, goes a different route. It drops the Laser Reflective armor for more conventional Ferro-Fibrous, while losing a half-ton of it. The standard Clan myomer was replaced with IS Triple-Strength Myomer, with an engine supercharger also being added. Its DHS dropped from 17 to 12, and 3 Jump Jets were added for mobility. This variant is intended for close quarters combat, so its only ranged weapons are a pair of Large Pulse Lasers - one to each side torso location - and a pair of Medium Pulse Lasers in the CT. The primary focus of the design are the claws mounted on each arm; the Jump Jets, TSM, and supercharger are all intended to get it in close as quickly as possible, with the pulse lasers intended to, as mentioned before, provide both ranged attacks as well as bringing the heat up to engage the TSM. So it's movement is now 5[6]/8[12]/3. Have fun with it.
I would LOVE to see this mech in MWO!! Those high mounts for the large weapons would do well! Now we just need to see about adding jump jets... I absolutely love the look of this mech! I saw it and immediately thought it was a lighter version of the Kodiak.
Interesting! I knew of the Cave Lion from when Mechwarrior AOD was introduced. I thought of having one for a Spirit Cat force eventually. It may not be my favorite aesthetically, unlike the Ocelot or even the Wendigo, but I like that it didnt entirely enter Zoids territory with its look.
I don't remember this one showing up in the Spirit Cats lineup back in the clickytech days. Maybe it showed up after I stopped playing. Anyways I liked it; definitely a great 'mech for the DA fights, as there's plenty of firepower at any range, and the reflective armor can be really useful. And the pilot can punch things effectively! It looks badass too, which doesn't hurt at all. I suppose you liked the 'mech as is a lot, since your version changed little in terms of actual effect. I also liked your lore dump on the Nova Cats, who really had a sad existence. But it does seem to explain why Kev Ross has no problem sending his Spirit Cats against the Swordsworn later on.
with a name like Cave Lion, I wonder when we will see something like Cave Bear or Short Faced Bear from clan Ghost Bear. as for the final point abount getting players introduced to later eras, honestly what causes me to give later points in the time line a look is what the latest model year of my favorite mechs brings, for instance what bells and whistles does a 3150 Marauder, Warhammer, Phoenix Hawk have? Stealth armor, plasma rifles, silver bullet, and other goodies on familiar mechs to properly equip them for the latest age of warfare truly interest me.
@@elwant Yeah, it was a poor choice. While I see potential reason for why you'd want to avoid an all energy build in case your enemy is also running reflective armor, I feel like two tons of AP SRM and a half ton of smoke (to disengage) feeding an SRM 4 would work better.
Looks interesting, I'll give it a shot once the timeline advances enough in our current campaign (assuming I can gain access and have the C-Bills / BV).
Another fun watch of a mech ive never used :-) im one of the ludites stuck at the clan invasion era lol...we have used some of the more modern stuff but too rarely to have much knowledge of the combat assets available :-)
Now we just need a 25 ton "boom box" 'mech to "complete the set" along with the Hunch IIC, Cave Lion, and Kodiak 3. Unless there already is one and I just missed it. I'm not really familiar with much in the License-to-IlClan era, or really anything past the FedCom breakup.
The Cave Lion, because somehow the Sphinx wasn't punchy or energy efficient enough....... It's sadly disappointing that the Cat's Xi galaxy didn't survive long enough to see this mech - I can fully picture them combining that reflective armour with some laser heat sinks stolen from the Falcons and rounding it out with their infamously bright neon colored acid trip of a camo scheme, then strolling around the battlefield with a star of these in full Disco mode.
Nova Cat always got the short end of the stick with the Combine, being blamed for the political and military actions of the Black Dragon conservative group. Outside of the Combine, it was actually acknowledged that the Draconis Combine was the one ultimately responsible for the Second Combine-Dominion War. The Nova Cats, shortly after the Kerfuffle, tried to join the Republic of the Sphere in mass, but Hohiro was dead set against it as their forces were needed as a defense against Ghost Bear. While Stone fought, and won, a Trial to prevent all of Clan Nova Cat from joining, two Galaxies of their best did join the Republic. Had the Nova Cats been allowed to join the Republic, the Second Combine-Dominion War wouldn't have happened and the Republic of the Sphere might have been in a stronger position to fight off the oncoming forces from within and without. Of course, if they had the Nova Cats staying together in the Combine, they may have had a better chance to hold off the Dominion and the Combine later on.
I don't think I've done very many novel reviews. I'm pretty forgiving and may be not the greatest critic. However, Hour of the Wolf should have been three novels, one written from each POV. Malvina/Alaric/Devlin
Yeah, I have loved all of Pardoe's stories Keep in mind he wasn't the one making decisions over how much to cover And scope has been the real issue most people have raised with his recent books
While I can't fault their aspirations, leave it to a Clan to look at a faltering industrial base and diminishing resources, and go "Make us the most expensive, advanced and repair-intensive mech you can muster."
I wonder why both the Sphinx and Cave Lion were both produced as they are both similar designs, focusing on energy based weapons. Both seemed to supplement the Nova Cat Omnimech. As for Sea Fox I'd be surprised if they continue producing the design, especially when they have the likes of the Savage Wolf. Personally, I like the machine, and I've played it on the Clix table top game.
You left out the most serious drawback of Reflective Armor: area-of-effect damage, like that of bombs and artillery, is doubled. That makes it a very dangerous choice on larger designs.
The dreaded enemy. Never shall I forgive Clan Nova Cat for their desecration of Irece, and for their razing of LexaTech! Death before dishonor! Death before defeat! In all seriousness, this looks almost like the Konito at home. Not terrible, but c'mon. Konito is love, Konito is life
3122 is WAY after I stopped playing, so I had to look up the AP gauss rifles. basically it's an MG with longer range and 50% more damage... Cool. but I don;t think I like the reflactive armor. I mean if you know your OpFor is mostly/exclusively energy, then yeah I can see that. but clanners use too many missiles and ac's for it to be a comfortable gamble
@bthsr7113 I don't want to see it happen either, but it's not looking good. And the Wolf Empire is taking a beating. Hell, even the remnants of House Marik are joining together to beat up on them. As for the rest of the Clans in the IS? I think only Sea Fox is doing fine, and that's only because everyone wants their weapons.
@@MechanicalFrog THAT I'm cool with... Though someone should recon the Kerensky Cluster with warship escorts to see if they've destroyed themselves with their "True Nicholas Kerensky hasn't been tried yet" or if they've managed to achieve greater feats of technology at greater human cost of the other castes who are secretly making plans to assert themselves.
likely extinct, because of the difficulty maintaining it. As for the Nova Cats? I'm convinced someone threw a bunch of names in a hat, drew out which factions dies and when about figuring out HOW... Nice Writeup, however, sir.
I am loving this And there's no better stories than Clan vs Draconis Combine stories, because everyone who dies deserves it thoroughly It's like war of the war crimes up in here
Oh look, another clan mech with claws... that will never get used by said clanners because melee combat is dishonorable XD The cave lion is a decently hard hitting no nonsense bread and butter clan design that was build for longer lasting engagements. As mentioned in the vid this machine is available to wealthy mercenary units through clan sea fox, wich also saved it from becomming extinct i guess, and has the "difficult to maintain" quirk.. so expect your mechtechs to be very agitated when working on this one. Personaly im not a big fan of reflective armor. Taking 40 points of damage from a UAC/10 is no joke and thats a weapon system thats widely available at that point in time, a time mind you where gauss rifles are everywhere, not to mention all the diferent kinds of missle launchers. If a 100 years old javelin can rip you to shreds with its twin SRM launchers by possibly causing whooping 48 points of damage per salvo you gotta ask yourself if its really worth it. Not to mention reflective armor can be hard to impossible to come by in the field so you will have to lug around an ample amount of tonnage just for that. So the Cave lion, a last Gasp of the doomed novacats.. i guess drug fueled "visions" make for bad advise afterall eh?
@@Kepora1 Also the New Avalon Catholic Church getting.... you know. THAT is going to bite them in the tail, mark my words. Catholics can get plenty crazy without tangible justification, let alone an actual causus beli.
@@loreman2803Smoke Jaguars were defeated by FedCom and Second Star League not by Combine. And Nova Cats were so weak Tortuga Dominion would have stomped them out of existence. In military terms the Combine is oversized joke. Luthien had to be saved by mercenaries hired by Feds, humiliation is beyond description
@@MechanicalFrog other Battlwtech youtubers use it all the time and I see no negative impacts, their videos are still recommended and have ads. Self censorship is cringe either way, do your part to stand up to the Blakists.
My poor Nova Cats got done dirty by the Combine. Would have been nice to have just a fraction of that Wolf plot armor.
Nova Cat punishes Draconis citizens
Draconis Government punishes Nova Cats
Nova Cats: We learned it from you!
Never trust the Combine. It almost never works out.
@@MechanicalFrog Even if they don't backstab you or start by stabbing you, the warrior elite crazies is a serious problem. And in sometimes different ways from clanner warrior elite crazy.
@@bthsr7113 At least you can trust the Capellan Confederation to try to backstab you no matter how stupid the idea is.
When dealing with the Combine, the juice is never worth the squeeze.
Sounds about right honestly
If nothing else, the Nova Cat leadership should've taken note on how the Azami/Arkab legions were treated. DCMS leadership barely tolerated their existence even after a nearly 600 year alliance by the time the clans rocked up.
In the early 3070's the Wobbies bombed the Azami homeworlds with asteroids, Combine goes 6 months without sending any emergency aid, so Arkab Legions on deployment pack up and go home to help their citizens recover, Combine responds by sending a full blown warship to threaten them to return to their positions and bombs two of their cities as a 'warning'. Azami nuke the warship and declare independence.
That whole affair should have been a major wake up call to the Cats over how the Combine really views their 'allies'.
I like how this mech looks,it looks fierce and mean. And a clan mech that can throw down in melee is a plus. Though its out of my eras of play.
Hey there! I heard you on the BPL podcast and decided to mosey on over to see a video or three. Time well spent; subbed and will be watching more. Thanks for your hard work!
Welcome to the fray, Mechwarrior. Thanks a lot for giving the channel a try.
That BPL podcast episode was honestly really good
same here!
Same
A clan mech that can punch gooder, spec'd mostly for close combat??
Will wonders never cease.
Look up the Jade Hawk, and prepare to be astounded.
@@Tallus_ap_Mordren Ah yes, the DFA SRM shotgun with mean kicks. Nasty thing.
@@bthsr7113 close, but no. The TSM/Supercharger double claw thing. So basically a Kontio on steroids, but older.
Clan Nova Cat and Clan Goliath Scorpion honestly just start and end their design processes with "take copious amounts of hard substances".
2:30 I heard it as "cave the Nova Cats paws" and I hope other people have as well.
The history breakdown here made me lament the loss of the Nova Cats, a faction beat up so bad you'd think they were the Capellans.
Also, I really appreciate how you cover your bases with the MF variants, the anti-infantry/anti-vehicle options are always welcome!
Thanks. It's always good to have some anti-Infantry gear around to lay waste to those pesky boots on the ground.
Thanks for giving the Nova Cats some love. This is a great clan mech.
Sure thing. Credit where it is due.
@@MechanicalFrog Every clan has at least one design worth using. Love them or hate them, you can't deny they have nice toys.
This was a mech I saw when I was very new, a Sea Foxes version painted on Camospecs. My tastes have changed, but it's s nice to see it again now with a much better understanding of the lore and the Nova Cats involvement, they have such a tragic story. It really seems like a great Heavy mech - I like a little missle with my lasers - and a great mini to pick up for a more modern game. Thanks for making later tech eras seem fun instead of daunting.
I'm glad it has its fans. It's a solid newer pick.
Someone needs to tell the Nova Cats that they are not the Kwizatz Hadarach, and that they are not prescient. Hell, just studying the bloody history of the Draconis Combine would have told you that any alliance with the Combine is treacherous at the best of times.
They're the friend who leaps into every investment scheme that comes along and almost never comes out ahead.
@@MechanicalFrog "friend"
Wait, aren't they also the clank that gets intoxicated to have visions on top of normal clanner rituals?
@@MechanicalFrog"I'm telling you, Bored Blakes Yacht Club is going to the moon" - Nova Cat
I will always support the Nova Cats no matter what. Nova Cats for life!
Some of those Clickytech mechs really transfer well to Classic and Alpha Strike both, this is one.
I dunno if that mech is good or not, but man it looks cool af, pretty much how I imagine clan mechs to be, still getting that more rugged/industrial aesthetic BT has but also more sleek, more animalistic and closer to the game's original inspirations of Mecha Anime.
It's an understated totem, and that's what I like.
Understated, just like the Balius.
@@anselmoffrisia2930 While I am a sucker for quad mechs and totem mechs, there is no fair way to call that thing understated. Thunder Stallion is understated for a horse totem though.
Reflective armour - for the discerning mechwarrior who moonlights as a disco ball.
I have to admit I've re-assessed my previous position on the newer armour types after recently realizing I'd misunderstood the rules on Hardened Armour. Now I have an Atlas with 32 tons of hardened armour to play with, which is nice.
Once you wrap your brain around the rules, they're a neat option.
Good video, as always.
The clan I've painted are the nova/spirit cats. I think it is hilarious that the clan has visions that invariably lead them (led them?) Into exactly the wrong thing to do.
😂
This is why you don't make important decisions while inebriated.
@@MechanicalFrog 😆
Seriously, the Nova Cats seem like a study in how often a faction can bet on the wrong horse before going pretty much extinct.
But the Cave Lion seems like a good machine, it might use expensive tech, but it´s low dependence on ammo makes it an enduring fighter in long campaigns.
It´s mobile for its weight class, jump jets would be nice but you can´t have everything at once.
MF version seems so humble compared to your usual takes, but i like it.
Reminds me of a friend who always seems to lose money on investments.
@@MechanicalFrogYeah, pretty much XD
Poor friend of yours...
But seriously, the Nova Cats seemed like such an iteresting faction, shame it ended in such a horrifying way.
@@sim.frischh9781 Just the fact they out of all the clans, only they suddenly had a "wait, are we the baddies?" moment and switched side was something I found great a bout them. Even clan mary-stu didnt openly switch side and their wardens remained self serving.
@@ursulcx299 I liked how they were a more spiritual kind as a whole without becoming junkies like the Goliath Scorpions.
@@ursulcx299 Quite a few Clans never invaded the Inner Sphere in the first place, Nova Cats only switched sides when they got stomped by Kuritans of all people... And then they chose to side with those same Kuritans of all people against their own kind. While their ultimate fate is a bit harsh Nova Cats should not protest too much in light of their numerous previous actions. They were not the good guys. Good guys do not cooperate with Smoke Jaguars and they most definitely do not cooperate with Draconis Combine.
I've used the cave lion. It's something I stumbled upon in the era reports of the Dark Age and found it distinctive looking enough to use in a homebrew force as the faction leader's personal ride.
The reflective armor makes it a nightmare for mechs with energy loadouts to deal with, and it's weapon selection has just ripped apart even foes above it's weight bracket. I think the big issue I have with it is the battlefists coupled with the reflective armor. The temptation to Melee must be avoided. That and this thing is expensive as all hell to fix should it get roughed up in a battle. Which, as I'm using it in a campaign, is a problem.
The other issue i've had with it came with the Ironwind model not having a proper torso. I had to fabricate my own. Meaning my model does not have visible ATMs.
I suppose the battlefists are there as insurance to hopefully make any physical interaction as brief as possible.
@@MechanicalFrogIt probably helps also with the Distracting quirk's intimidation factor.
Nice. Very nice. Aside from being difficult to maintain.
From point blank to 23 hexes, this cat has something for everyone... even if I'd personally pull the ATM3.
This is a pleasant surprise, the Cave Lion is special for me as it is the first battlemech I commanded in a pick up game of ClickTech years ago. It's a real beast of a battlemech whether in Classic or Alpha Strike and has a great IWM mini. A bit of good news for the Nova Cats/ Spirit Cats is they are still existing and currently running the Clan Protectorate though old habits die hard as they've put themselves between FWL Remnants and the Ilclan.
It's a fun one.
the Word of Blake "kerfuffle" gave the Nova Cats paws? but i thought they already had those!
Settle down, meow.
Love me the Nova Cats. So much of the good ideas go wrong. Why yes, we will move into the Inner Sphere like the others. Heck, we are even backing the Star League! This SHOULD work fine. Oh wait, is that the Author's Hammer coming down? Awww nuts.
But yeah. I like this mech, but the claws + reflective armor + ATM makes me tilt the head. Remove the ATMs and claws, be a long range ambushy death dealer that doesn't need ammo. There, go. OR ditch reflective armor and maybe the ATMs and now you can brawl too.
The MF Model is pretty rad too.
This is the first time I’ve seen this machine. I like it. I will have to give this one a try.
Hope you like it!
Hello Frog.
In a semi-recent battle, my Merc unit was able to salvage a Cave Lion Mech. The ATM was trashed, so that was totally removed, along with its ammo. In its place, I added an AMS to the Head, a ton of ammo in the CT, and a 5th Medium Pulse Laser to the CT. This gives even more hitting power at close range, with very accurate lasers to finish off what the ERPPCs did as the Mech closed the range.
Other than the AMS ammo in the center torso, the Mech has NO ammo-dependent weaponry.
Another option would be to replace the ATM and its ammo with TWO Clan Laser AMS, and Three Clan Heavy Small Lasers.
SCREW THE CONTINUITY*SLAPS ON SYMBOL* ITS A DECEPTICON NOW!
**Angry transformer noises**
All LAM force with decepticon symbols?
@@Gigas0101 Call forth the Seeker colors!
@@Gigas0101An entire LAM force painted up in the Seekers colors would be awesome to see.
Especially if the leader of a force gets taken out and the Starscream-painted one shrieks "MEGATRON HAS FALLEN! I, STARSCREAM, AM THE NEW LEADER OF THE DECEPTICONS!"
Wow, that's a Mech I've never heard of before! Thanks! 🎉😊
You bet!
Thanks for pointing the light at this one. I love it. But I often start with style over substance and then hope to correct on the fly with salvage over the course of a campaign.
It's a fun one.
Hello Frog.
Yet another fine video, my friend. Consider your MF variant 'yoinked'. It is VERY similar to my own variant. The difference being that kept the pair of PPCs and all the pulse lasers. I dropped the MML and ammo in favor of 2 AP Gauss rifles and a ton of ammo, and the rest was shoved into more armor. A total of 13.5 tons of the Reflective armor.
I am thinking of copying your variant, but using Ferro Fiberous Armor instead of the Reflective.
In any case, keep on making videos... you are adding to my stable of Mechs with all these Mech Frog variants.
Oh, nice!
I see you noticed I haven't watched a mechfrog video in a while.. and here you are tempeting me back with the totem mech for my tragic Nova Cats.
Well played sir..
Great video!
I assumed you were kidnapped for ransom by a gang of penguins who brought you to Chile where you ended up falling for one of your captors and started a new family/life.
@@MechanicalFrog love is strange and mysterious as a Nova Cat Vision.. I'm not sure what's more beautiful the Santiago skyline or the Andes peaks.
Love the high hard point ppcs and melee capability. Hate the over complicated legs that are going to be a nightmare to repair and have more moving parts to break.
Good points.
Never seen this one in the lore or on the table. But am a big fan of any mech that resembles a beast. The kodiak being a prime example of awesome art. Cheers
Found you through the algorithm. You've got a voice for radio and some great witticisms - keep it up! Subbed.
Thank you for giving the vid a go. The nonsense must flow.
Could've done without the reminder of Clan Nova Cat's destruction. It's enough of a black mark against Battletech that the writers chose that direction.
But as always, a good video. Shame there are not more variants.
Too soon? Too soon...
@@MechanicalFrog it will probably always be too soon, but not much I can do about it
That is a cool looking mech. Really hoping we get a videogame set in the il-clan era. All the chaos from the Wolves and Falcons racing to Terra would be the perfecting setting for a mercenary game.
Really missed the chance to name it the Cave Cougar for some alliteration. Thanks for the video.
Another example of Clan-built Battlemechs that shows how superfluous the omnis are. I find the combination of reflective armor and battlefists kind of weird, but it is a nice option to have with all of those pulse lasers.
Better to have them and not need them, than need them and not have them. :D
Finally got to run this mech today. Painted it a long time ago and finally was able to use it and it produced very well! I love the look of this mech and I only like it more because of today.
Great to hear!
A great mech now serving multiple masters. Some of the Nova Cat touman also ended up joining the Republic of the Sphere, and we know that turned out. Only in Marik space does the Nova Cat/Spirit Cat touman really survive. The Cave Lion is a great unit to pair up with the Nova Cats other energy focused units like the Supernova, Nova Cat or Sphinx
Yeh maybe the remnants can find a little planet somewhere in the Periphery where they can live in peace.
@@MechanicalFrog Nah The Cats are solidly embedded on Marik now and serve as literal catspaws for Clan Sea Fox.
I was somewhat familiar with the Cave Lion prior to this video, thanks to the MechWarrior Clix game, but I did enjoy it very much. I also have 2 variants of the Cave Lion myself.
Big surprise there.
The Cave Lion ISM only changes the loadout of the original (canon) Cave Lion; it still retains the Laser Reflective armor, 17 DHS, and of course all of the other structural bits. For weapons and gear, it mounts an IS Large Re-Engineered Laser in each side torso, backed up by a pair of Medium Pulse Lasers in each arm; it mounts a Light Active Probe to find pesky enemies that are dishonorable enough to hide, and a Laser Anti Missile System to deal with, well, missiles - although I don't think it would protect against Arrow IVs.
The Cave Lion ISM 2, my second variant, goes a different route. It drops the Laser Reflective armor for more conventional Ferro-Fibrous, while losing a half-ton of it. The standard Clan myomer was replaced with IS Triple-Strength Myomer, with an engine supercharger also being added. Its DHS dropped from 17 to 12, and 3 Jump Jets were added for mobility. This variant is intended for close quarters combat, so its only ranged weapons are a pair of Large Pulse Lasers - one to each side torso location - and a pair of Medium Pulse Lasers in the CT. The primary focus of the design are the claws mounted on each arm; the Jump Jets, TSM, and supercharger are all intended to get it in close as quickly as possible, with the pulse lasers intended to, as mentioned before, provide both ranged attacks as well as bringing the heat up to engage the TSM. So it's movement is now 5[6]/8[12]/3. Have fun with it.
That TSM and supercharger are an interesting route. Fierce Cave Lion there.
Smol, energy based Kodiak
It has a hint of that to it.
I would LOVE to see this mech in MWO!! Those high mounts for the large weapons would do well! Now we just need to see about adding jump jets... I absolutely love the look of this mech! I saw it and immediately thought it was a lighter version of the Kodiak.
Interesting! I knew of the Cave Lion from when Mechwarrior AOD was introduced. I thought of having one for a Spirit Cat force eventually. It may not be my favorite aesthetically, unlike the Ocelot or even the Wendigo, but I like that it didnt entirely enter Zoids territory with its look.
Some nice options there.
Neat! Have not read about this one! Thanks MF, and Happy Easter!
Hope you enjoyed it. Have a great weekend.
I don't remember this one showing up in the Spirit Cats lineup back in the clickytech days. Maybe it showed up after I stopped playing. Anyways I liked it; definitely a great 'mech for the DA fights, as there's plenty of firepower at any range, and the reflective armor can be really useful. And the pilot can punch things effectively! It looks badass too, which doesn't hurt at all. I suppose you liked the 'mech as is a lot, since your version changed little in terms of actual effect. I also liked your lore dump on the Nova Cats, who really had a sad existence. But it does seem to explain why Kev Ross has no problem sending his Spirit Cats against the Swordsworn later on.
with a name like Cave Lion, I wonder when we will see something like Cave Bear or Short Faced Bear from clan Ghost Bear.
as for the final point abount getting players introduced to later eras, honestly what causes me to give later points in the time line a look is what the latest model year of my favorite mechs brings, for instance what bells and whistles does a 3150 Marauder, Warhammer, Phoenix Hawk have? Stealth armor, plasma rifles, silver bullet, and other goodies on familiar mechs to properly equip them for the latest age of warfare truly interest me.
Lots of gems out there for the courageous gamer.
@@MechanicalFrog As I don't play tabletop, where would I encounter them?
The newer technical readouts, I suppose.
3:42 Oh, _NOW_ it's not cool to shoot at protesters. OK, Kurita. I got you.
Yeah some very selective outrage there by the Combine propaganda machine.
👍Excellent stuff. I’ve already got the Cave Lion on my IWM shopping list, for my FWL forces.
As do I.
the ATM-3 with 2 tons of ammo is painful to see on this, that's a lot of potential explosions to you compared to your enemies
Yeah I knew I was going to pull it for the MF at first glance.
As part of the deals that got it made, the Sea Foxes forced the addition of the ATM-3 so they could show off their ATM production.
@@elwant Yeah, it was a poor choice. While I see potential reason for why you'd want to avoid an all energy build in case your enemy is also running reflective armor, I feel like two tons of AP SRM and a half ton of smoke (to disengage) feeding an SRM 4 would work better.
3 AP gauss rifles, because it wouldn't be a mech frog variant if it didn't have some infantry hate😂
As a 40k fan. Big fan of the super big pauldrons because reasons!
Can't imagine why.
Definitely going into my favorite looking mechs category
It has a good look to it.
Looks interesting, I'll give it a shot once the timeline advances enough in our current campaign (assuming I can gain access and have the C-Bills / BV).
Another fun watch of a mech ive never used :-) im one of the ludites stuck at the clan invasion era lol...we have used some of the more modern stuff but too rarely to have much knowledge of the combat assets available :-)
Glad you enjoyed
Why do i love a mech i didnt even know existed before this.
It's a miracle!
Now I want someone to take all of J.K. Simmons' lines from the Portal series and with clever editing, dub them over his Zootopia character.
Heh.
Now we just need a 25 ton "boom box" 'mech to "complete the set" along with the Hunch IIC, Cave Lion, and Kodiak 3.
Unless there already is one and I just missed it. I'm not really familiar with much in the License-to-IlClan era, or really anything past the FedCom breakup.
The Cave Lion, because somehow the Sphinx wasn't punchy or energy efficient enough.......
It's sadly disappointing that the Cat's Xi galaxy didn't survive long enough to see this mech - I can fully picture them combining that reflective armour with some laser heat sinks stolen from the Falcons and rounding it out with their infamously bright neon colored acid trip of a camo scheme, then strolling around the battlefield with a star of these in full Disco mode.
Because Nova Cats !!! honestly though prefer the Sphinx , this is a little hefty on the BV for my liking
Fair critique.
Friendly reminder that storyline event results were binding for story, up until they weren't....
No fun allowed.
Nova Cat always got the short end of the stick with the Combine, being blamed for the political and military actions of the Black Dragon conservative group. Outside of the Combine, it was actually acknowledged that the Draconis Combine was the one ultimately responsible for the Second Combine-Dominion War.
The Nova Cats, shortly after the Kerfuffle, tried to join the Republic of the Sphere in mass, but Hohiro was dead set against it as their forces were needed as a defense against Ghost Bear. While Stone fought, and won, a Trial to prevent all of Clan Nova Cat from joining, two Galaxies of their best did join the Republic. Had the Nova Cats been allowed to join the Republic, the Second Combine-Dominion War wouldn't have happened and the Republic of the Sphere might have been in a stronger position to fight off the oncoming forces from within and without.
Of course, if they had the Nova Cats staying together in the Combine, they may have had a better chance to hold off the Dominion and the Combine later on.
"Mistakes were made"
Another outstanding video! Can you make a playlist with your book reviews? I made the mistake of buying two of Blaine Lee Pardoe's "books".
I don't think I've done very many novel reviews. I'm pretty forgiving and may be not the greatest critic. However, Hour of the Wolf should have been three novels, one written from each POV. Malvina/Alaric/Devlin
Yeah, I have loved all of Pardoe's stories
Keep in mind he wasn't the one making decisions over how much to cover
And scope has been the real issue most people have raised with his recent books
3:35 Kurita be like "Hey you can't kill civilians, that's OUR job."
While I can't fault their aspirations, leave it to a Clan to look at a faltering industrial base and diminishing resources, and go "Make us the most expensive, advanced and repair-intensive mech you can muster."
I blame the Sea Foxes.
I wonder why both the Sphinx and Cave Lion were both produced as they are both similar designs, focusing on energy based weapons. Both seemed to supplement the Nova Cat Omnimech.
As for Sea Fox I'd be surprised if they continue producing the design, especially when they have the likes of the Savage Wolf.
Personally, I like the machine, and I've played it on the Clix table top game.
I'd like to see the Rasalhague Dominion pick it up. It's a good one.
Great video! Looking forward to more videos.
More to come!
You left out the most serious drawback of Reflective Armor: area-of-effect damage, like that of bombs and artillery, is doubled. That makes it a very dangerous choice on larger designs.
I remember the Cave Lion from the Clix game nice model bad game can't wait to see how it comes out in the Catalyst game
It has a little bit of the Cerberus vibe to it and I like that.
(read in pops voice from regular show) Oooooooooooooooooooooh! What fun!
Good times had by all.
Can you cover up the Fireball Mech?
I'm sure we will at some point.
New player but I'm gonna have to give this one a go. Cool mech with cool lore.
I'd not heard of it, its a fairly blasty monster in stock form though and fast enough to cause a panic if they overload a flank with them coming in
Yeah it is a zappy one.
Its been great to see you grow and continue to grow, with your appearance on the podcasts i can only imagine it getting better
I just feel very lucky to be doing this. Thank you for the continued support.
“Distracting” is a positive quirk, not a negative one.
Depends.
Wow, A MechFrog Variant of a Mech without PlasCas... Sometimes Wonders really happens. xD
Gotta keep you on your toes.
12:25 while the future of clan nova cat is in doubt...i hope the cave lion persists.. 🤔😒😒 dark frog. dark.😬😳
If Smoke Jaguar can return, any clan can.
The dreaded enemy. Never shall I forgive Clan Nova Cat for their desecration of Irece, and for their razing of LexaTech! Death before dishonor! Death before defeat!
In all seriousness, this looks almost like the Konito at home. Not terrible, but c'mon. Konito is love, Konito is life
Let's just get one of each.
I'll settle for a Star of each, sure.
3122 is WAY after I stopped playing, so I had to look up the AP gauss rifles. basically it's an MG with longer range and 50% more damage... Cool. but I don;t think I like the reflactive armor. I mean if you know your OpFor is mostly/exclusively energy, then yeah I can see that. but clanners use too many missiles and ac's for it to be a comfortable gamble
It's really an extension of the rock/paper/scissors dynamic of the game itself.
Cheers!
Because it’s just grrrrrrreat!
Settle down, meow.
The only change I'd make is basically like yours but drop a mp for a super charger.
Not a bad idea.
Did you ever get the feeling that CGL is gradually phasing out the Clans? Not many of them left. And quite a few that are, ain't in very good shape
I hope not. I feel like they still add more than they detract... but the wolf does need a bloody nose and heavy limp to knock some sense into them.
@bthsr7113 I don't want to see it happen either, but it's not looking good.
And the Wolf Empire is taking a beating. Hell, even the remnants of House Marik are joining together to beat up on them.
As for the rest of the Clans in the IS? I think only Sea Fox is doing fine, and that's only because everyone wants their weapons.
I think that over time, there will be less and less difference between IS and Clan as technologies and cultures converge and interact.
@@MechanicalFrog THAT I'm cool with... Though someone should recon the Kerensky Cluster with warship escorts to see if they've destroyed themselves with their "True Nicholas Kerensky hasn't been tried yet" or if they've managed to achieve greater feats of technology at greater human cost of the other castes who are secretly making plans to assert themselves.
Where's the Kanazuchi?
In our hearts.
likely extinct, because of the difficulty maintaining it. As for the Nova Cats? I'm convinced someone threw a bunch of names in a hat, drew out which factions dies and when about figuring out HOW... Nice Writeup, however, sir.
RIP Nova Cats. The Jim Cramer of Clans.
@13:05 I feel seen
:)
New to me ty
Of course!
I am loving this
And there's no better stories than Clan vs Draconis Combine stories, because everyone who dies deserves it thoroughly
It's like war of the war crimes up in here
Heard about this mech from RogueTech mod. Thank you for covering it. Pretty cool concept.
I dont hate this mech legs are little skinny. loadout wise its not bad at all.
Not too shabby.
ROAR!!!....ribbit
Roaribit...
Oh look, another clan mech with claws... that will never get used by said clanners because melee combat is dishonorable XD
The cave lion is a decently hard hitting no nonsense bread and butter clan design that was build for longer lasting engagements.
As mentioned in the vid this machine is available to wealthy mercenary units through clan sea fox, wich also saved it from becomming extinct i guess, and has the "difficult to maintain" quirk.. so expect your mechtechs to be very agitated when working on this one.
Personaly im not a big fan of reflective armor. Taking 40 points of damage from a UAC/10 is no joke and thats a weapon system thats widely available at that point in time, a time mind you where gauss rifles are everywhere, not to mention all the diferent kinds of missle launchers.
If a 100 years old javelin can rip you to shreds with its twin SRM launchers by possibly causing whooping 48 points of damage per salvo you gotta ask yourself if its really worth it. Not to mention reflective armor can be hard to impossible to come by in the field so you will have to lug around an ample amount of tonnage just for that.
So the Cave lion, a last Gasp of the doomed novacats.. i guess drug fueled "visions" make for bad advise afterall eh?
By the late 3060s, most of the Clans had given up on the whole melee is dishonorable thing. The Falcons really embraced it.
@@MechanicalFrog Hah.. so you can teach a clanner new tricks afterall
Do a vid on the Lioness, every one knows girlies are way better than boyies. Have a nice day Leona. PS thanks again
Have a great weekend!
Wrong armor type for fisticuffs.
ribbit
Indeed...
An entire clan wiped out. Sounds to me like the Combine is already making the world a better place.
But they actively undo any good they did by still existing.
@@Kepora1 Also the New Avalon Catholic Church getting.... you know. THAT is going to bite them in the tail, mark my words. Catholics can get plenty crazy without tangible justification, let alone an actual causus beli.
Har har.
Thats 1 Broken and 1 gone, Combine is tallying up
@@loreman2803Smoke Jaguars were defeated by FedCom and Second Star League not by Combine. And Nova Cats were so weak Tortuga Dominion would have stomped them out of existence. In military terms the Combine is oversized joke. Luthien had to be saved by mercenaries hired by Feds, humiliation is beyond description
Looks cool but feels like a knock-off voltron...
Heh, ok.
>"kerfuffle"
I love ya man, but *dislike.* I love your videos, but that's horribly crinfy and annoying.
Please, just call things what they are.
I cannot help that the RUclips algorithm will punish the video if I use that term. Do you want me to use it out of spite and have the channel suffer?
@@MechanicalFrog other Battlwtech youtubers use it all the time and I see no negative impacts, their videos are still recommended and have ads. Self censorship is cringe either way, do your part to stand up to the Blakists.
Yeah, MF's "kerfuffle" is used more by other users than the original term
And no major BT RUclipsr uses "the J word"