Mech Commander 2 Vehicles and Weapons A helpful compilation By Anon I. Moose Table of contents: 1.0 Introduction 2.0 Weapon Tables 3.0 Battlemech Tables 3.1 House comparisons 4.0 Vehicle Tables 5.0 Gameplay Tips 1.0 Introduction I wrote this article because I couldn't find any FAQs on Mech Commander 2. I ended up finishing the game before I finished the article, so instead of spending hours on end polishing it into solid reference material, I'll release it to the world as is. My hope is that someone will take this as a base for a true Mech Commander 2 FAQ/Walkthrough. If you just saw this on GameFaqs or wherever, here's a short description of what the game's about: Mech Commander 2 is a 3D real-time strategy game set in the Battletech universe of giant robot combat. In this game, you control a mercenary company which is employed by a succession of galactic factions (otherwise known as Houses) trying to gain control of the planet Carver V. There isn't anything particularly noteworthy about Carver V, except that it's become the battleground on which the frictions between the Houses explode in mechanized combat. You can go to www.mechcommander2.com for the official hype (and a demo) or look up reviews of the game at www.gamerankings.com. 2.0 Weapon Tables Legend: NAME The weapon's name. T Weapon type. B = Ballistic, E = Energy, M = Missile. R Effective range. S = Short (0-60 M), M = Medium (30-90 M), L = Long (60-120 M). Note that each weapon has a minimum and maximum range, and that ranges overlap. DM Damage. How much damage the weapon does if it hits. ROF Rate of fire. How many times the weapon can fire per time unit. HT In Mech Commander 2, heat is only a consideration when building a mech. Each mech has a number of "heat points" it can allocate to weapon use, and each weapon takes up a number of heat points. Size In the game, each mech has a "grid" of squares determining how much space the mech has for weapons and add-ons. Each weapon takes up a number of squares. Cost The weapon's cost in C-Bills (the monetary unit in the game). D*R Damage times rate of fire. A measure of the maximum damage a weapon can pump out per time unit. Doesn't take into account splash effects, miss rate, or penetration. DR/HS (damage * ROF)/(Heat * Size). A measure of how efficient a weapon is, comparing its damage capability vs. how much heat/space it uses up. BALLISTIC WEAPONS Ballistic weapons tend to deliver more damage with less heat than their energy-based counterparts, at the cost of using more space and have limited ammo. Note that the machine gun seems to be a very efficient weapon. Again, this is because the table doesn't take into account penetration effects. NAME T R DM ROF HT SIZE COST D*R DR/HS ==== = = == === == === ===== ==== ===== Long Tom Cannon B L 15 1.4 20 2x5 29300 21.0 0.105 Clan Gauss Rifle B L 10 1.6 1 2x4 18500 16.0 2.000 Gauss Rifle B L 10 1.4 1 2x4 15300 14.0 1.750 Light Gauss Rifle B L 6 1.5 1 2x3 7200 9.0 1.500 Clan Ultra Light Autocannon B L 2 5.6 1 2x2 7500 11.2 2.800 Ultra Light Autocannon B L 2 4.5 1 2x2 5500 9.0 2.250 Light Autocannon B L 2 3.3 1 2x2 3500 6.6 1.650 Clan Ultra Medium Autocannon B M 6 2.8 3 2x3 10200 16.8 0.933 Ultra Medium Autocannon B M 6 2.5 4 2x3 8000 15.0 0.625 Medium Autocannon B M 6 1.8 2 2x3 5300 10.8 0.900 Clan Ultra Heavy Autocannon B S 12 2.7 8 2x4 14200 32.4 0.506 Ultra Heavy Autocannon B S 12 2.4 8 2x4 11800 28.8 0.450 Heavy Autocannon B S 12 1.7 7 2x4 7100 20.4 0.364 Machine Gun Array B S 1 4.0 0 1x1 900 4.0 4.000 ENERGY WEAPONS These weapons never run out of ammo. The drawback is that they shed a lot of heat, especially for the longer-range weapons. As a result, energy weapons are more efficient in the short and medium ranges. NAME T R DM ROF HT SIZE COST D*R DR/HS ==== = = == === == === ===== ==== ===== Clan ER PPC E L 7 2.2 15 1x3 14900 15.4 0.342 ER PPC E L 7 1.5 15 1x3 8000 10.5 0.233 Clan ER Large Laser E L 4 2.5 12 1X2 7700 10.0 0.417 ER Large Laser E L 4 2.0 12 1x2 5300 8.0 0.333 Clan Heavy Large Laser E M 9 1.8 18 1x2 15000 16.2 0.450 PPC E M 7 1.5 10 1x3 5700 10.5 0.350 Large Laser E M 4 2.0 8 1x2 3800 8.0 0.500 Clan Large Pulse Laser E M 2 6.2 10 1x2 6000 12.4 0.620 Large Pulse Laser E M 2 5.6 10 1x2 5000 11.2 0.560 Clan ER Laser E M 2 3.0 5 1x1 4500 6.0 1.200 ER Laser E M 2 2.4 5 1x1 3000 4.8 0.960 Clan Heavy Laser E S 5 2.0 7 1x1 4700 10.0 1.429 Flamer Array E S 3 1.7 7 1x1 1800 5.1 0.729 Clan Pulse Laser E S 2 4.0 4 1x1 2400 8.0 2.000 Pulse Laser E S 2 3.5 4 1x1 2000 7.0 1.750 Laser E S 2 2.4 3 1x1 1700 4.8 1.600 MISSILE WEAPONS Note that LRMs are capable of indirect fire. That is, they can fire at units they don't have direct line of sight with, as long as some other unit does. Additionally, Swarm LRMs have splash damage, so they can cause damage to the target even if they miss. NAME T R DM ROF HT SIZE COST D*R DR/HS ==== = = == === == === ===== ==== ===== Clan LRM Rack M L 3 2.1 4 1x1 4500 6.3 1.575 Swarm LRM Pack M L 3 1.1 2 1x1 2600 3.3 1.650 LRM Rack M L 3 1.1 2 1x1 1700 3.3 1.650 Thunderbolt Missile M M 13 1.7 8 2x4 16400 22.1 0.345 Clan Streak SRM Pack M S 2 3.2 2 1x1 2200 6.4 3.200 Streak SRM Pack M S 2 3.0 2 1x1 2000 6.0 3.000 MISCELLANEOUS EQUIPMENT Armor and heat sinks trade off space for extra hit points/heat points. Only some mechs are equipped with Jump Jets, you can take the jets off to free up some heat for weapons. NAME DESCRIPTION SIZE COST ==== ================== ==== ===== Armor Armor+32 1x1 3000 Heat Sink Heat dissipation+4 1x1 2000 Jump Jets Jumping capability, uses 7 heat --- ???? 3.0 Battlemech Tables Legend: NAME The mech's name. HOUSE The house most likely to field this type of mech. WT Weight, in tons. ARM Armor points. SPD Maximum running speed. All mechs have the same walking speed, but will run at their individual top speeds when a run order is given. X Extra equipment: J = Jump Jets. Allows mech to jump, can be removed to free up the 7 heat points it uses. I = Intermediate sensors. Radar. A pilot with Sensors skill can determine additional information about the enemy units on the radar. A = Advanced sensors. Longer-range than Intermediate sensors, and can display additional information about enemy units. This effectively acts as a "+1" on the Sensors skill; if a pilot's Sensors skill is 0 (none), he's given a Sensors skill of 1 when he rides this mech. S = "Stealth" ECM. This mech will be invisible to mech-bound sensors or sensor towers. It can only be detected by direct Line of Sight. The catch is that stealth mechs have a very low profile, and can't mount most of the larger weapons. COST The mech's cost when new, in C-bills. Space The space capacity of this mech. Damage capacity ranges: These numbers are obtained by adding the D*R values for its weapons for each of the 3 ranges. A Cyclops has a gauss rifle and 4 LRM Packs. It's long-range damage capacity, then, is 14.0+4x3.3 = 27.2 Note that the ranges overlap. At 110 meters, a Cougar can fire its long-range weapons, and dish out up to 25.2 points of damage per time unit. At 80 meters, the Cougar can fire its medium- and long-range weapons, so the damage capacity is to 24.8 + 25.2 = 50 punishing points of damage per time unit. At 50 meters, the Cougar is too close to fire it's long-range weapons, so the damage capacity goes down to 24.8 points. Get under 30 meters, and the Cougar is too close to fire ANY weapons! NAME HOUSE WT ARM SPD X COST SPACE S (0-60) M (30-90) L (60-120) ========= ======= === === === == ===== ====== ======== ========== =========== Fire Ant Bandit 30 80 97 27.3 Urbanmech Bandit 30 80 54 J 9.6 10.8 Cyclops Liao 90 272 65 A 12.0 9.6 27.2 Lao Hu Liao 75 194 86 J 40.8 22.4 Catapult Liao 65 176 65 J 14.4 33.0 Men Shen Liao 55 176 97 AS 28.0 16.5 Starslayer Liao 50 176 86 J 32.4 16.0 Sha-Yu Liao 40 112 119 JI 7.0 18.8 Raven Liao 35 96 97 AS 18.0 14.4 Anubis Liao 30 96 130 JI 8.0 13.2 Atlas Steiner 100 304 54 56.4 19.2 13.2 Highlander Steiner 90 276 54 J 40.4 30.5 Zeus Steiner 80 194 65 21.0 37.0 16.5 Shootist Steiner 70 226 65 42.8 8.0 Bushwacker Steiner 55 144 86 12.0 21.3 9.9 Hunchback Steiner 50 144 65 J 30.0 Hollander Steiner 35 96 86 14.0 Razorback Steiner 30 112 97 JI 24.0 8.0 Blood Asp Clan 90 240 65 39.2 32.4 32.0 Mad Cat clan 75 226 86 16.0 14.4 56.0 Thor Clan 70 194 86 J 51.6 12.0 15.4 Vulture Clan 60 162 86 24.0 24.8 37.8 Ryoken Clan 55 208 97 12.8 36.8 12.6 Shadow Cat Clan 45 112 97 J 12.0 32.0 Cougar Clan 35 96 86 24.8 25.2 Uller Clan 30 96 97 I 14.4 21.2 Jagermech Davion 65 130 65 J 36.0 Enfield Davion 50 176 86 9.6 26.2 Wolfhound Davion 35 112 97 J 26.4 8.0 3.1 House comparisons Bandits: Underpowered, underarmored, underequipped. Not worth keeping after you've found better units. House Liao: Their mechs tend to be faster than the other major houses, and more likely to have "exotic" components like advanced sensors, jump jets, and "stealth" ECM. They pay for this by being relatively under-armed. Liao mechs make excellent scout/covert ops units, and their stealth units are the only ones in the game that can take out sensor towers/proximity alerts without setting them off. House Steiner: Slow, heavily armored, with devastating close-range attacks, Steiner are the choice for the player who just wants to pound his opponent into submission. House Davion: Victor Davion returned from the Clan homeworld of Strana Mechty with a wealth of new technology, both mechs and weapons. The Madcat is the archetypical clantech design: decently fast, lighter than average for its load, and a world of hurt for anyone on its sights, especially at long range. Davion also fields some older mechs, but they're not nearly as big a threat as their Clan units. 4.0 Vehicle tables All houses seem to be equally likely to field any of the vehicles below. SUPPORT UNITS These are the units you can request in the middle of a mission. Name Weight Armor Speed Weapons =============== == ===== ===== ================== Scout 'Copter 5 40 119 Machine Gun Array Shilone Bomber 10 15 54 N/A Repair Truck 20 65 54 N/A Minelayer 30 225 54 N/A Flying Units These units can fly, and are not affected by terrain elevation/water. Name Weight Armor Speed Weapons =============== == ===== ===== ================== Attack 'Copter 35 77 86 Medium Autocannon Heavy 'Copter 50 135 65 4 Streak SRM Pack, 2 Pulse Laser Ground Effect vehicles These units move over the ground. The move slower uphill, and cannot cross water. Name Weight Armor Speed Weapons =============== == ===== ===== ================== Infantry 1 10 17 Machine Gun Array Powered Armor 5 20 34 Laser, Streak SRM Pack Armored Car 5 20 65 Machine Gun Array Aerospotter 20 170 54 Large Laser Hunter 25 38 86 3 LRM Rack Hetzer 40 50 54 Heavy Autocannon LRM Carrier 50 32 54 5 LRM Rack Swarm LRM Carr. 50 32 54 5 Swarm LRM Rack Vedette 50 54 65 Medium Autocannon Storm 60 111 54 2 PPC Partisan 80 137 54 4 Light Autocannon Hover vehicles These units can move over the ground and skim over water. However, they have the same problems moving uphill as their tracked/wheeled counterparts. Name Weight Armor Speed Weapons =============== == ===== ===== ================== Centipede 15 35 97 Large Laser Harasser 20 33 86 2 Streak SRM Pack Scimitar 25 45 86 2 Flamer Array Drillson 50 108 65 8 Streak SRM Pack Non-combat units These units don't have weapons, but may be enemy targets. If at all possible, capture resource trucks instead of destroying them, they're worth 4000 RPs each! Name Weight Armor Speed Weapons =============== == ===== ===== ================== Jeep 5 10 65 N/A APC 15 50 86 N/A Fuel Truck 20 20 54 N/A Resource Truck 20 20 54 N/A Cargo Truck 25 15 54 N/A Troop Transport 25 65 54 N/A 5.0 Gameplay Tips =============================== STUDY THE MAP: When you first start a mission, pause the game and spend some time just looking around. Take note of turret emplacements, repair bays, and resource bunkers and trucks. Some resource trucks won't show up in the map, so keep your eyes peeled for moving trucks during the mission! A good trick to find structures is to follow the roads you find and see where they lead. Most military facilities are linked by roads either to each other or to civilian population centers. REPAIR AND SALVAGE: Resource points (RPs, for short) do not carry across missions, any RPs you do not use at the end of a mission are lost. The two most important things you can buy with RPs are Repair Trucks and Salvage planes. Repair trucks will repair all armor damage and ammo depletion for your mechs, short of replacing lost limbs/weapons. This is a must for the longer missions. Some missions have Mech Bays you can capture. You may think of these as bigger, fixed versions of the repair truck. Salvage planes will pick up any non-exploded downed mech from the battlefield and bring it to limited working condition on the spot. You still need to repair any existing damage to the mech. One of your units must be within sight of the target mech for the Salvage plane to spot it. These salvaged units are pretty worthless during the mission (the limited capacity of Repair Trucks and Mech Bays is better put towards patching your starting units), but your employer will fix any repairs after the mission is over, which means you effectively get a free like-new mech for the next mission! I'd recommend using any RPs you can spare for battlefield salvage after you've finished the mission but before your mechs head to the extraction point. HOPPING: An often-overlooked movement method is hopping. Simply put, any jumping mech can just keep hopping ad infinitum, which in some cases is much faster than simply walking/running. The drawback is that you might as well forget about stealth, everyone will see you jumping. AMBUSH: One tecnique that can be easily exploited/abused is to lure enemy units into an ambush. In the current version of the game, most enemy units will follow the luring mech all through the map, oblivious to anything else firing at them. TURRET CAPTURE: This is dangerous, but can be very rewarding when you use the turrets to fire upon enemy units you've led back to it (be careful with enemy mechs, though... they can recapture turret control towers and use them to fire at you!). The trick with capturing turret control towers is to use cover for your advantage. Look at the map. Figure out a path that will have buildings and other obstructions blocking the line of sight between the turret emplacements and you for as long as possible. Note that the turret control itself counts as an obstruction! With LRM turrets it gets more complicated. LRMs are capable of indirect fire, so you have to avoid LOS from the LRMs, the control tower, and from any lookout towers associated with the turret grouping. In the execution stage, the key is timing. Turrets that are not currently looking at you will need to turn around/pop out and focus on you before firing. If possible, start your attack run from beyond the turrets' detection range, move fast, and keep buildings between you and the turrets. Keep close to the ground; if you jump, count on every turret in the vicinity spotting you and getting at least one good shot in you.