The Mech Lab
(Information from mechwarrior 2 CD my comments are in Navy text.)

There are two basic considerations in balancing a BattleMech: (1) maximum weight and (2) critical space. Maximum weight is determined by the total allowable tonnage for the base chassis selected. Critical space refers to the critical slots in each section of a BattleMech designed to house weapons and ’Mech system components. The capacity of these areas is determined by the BattleMech’s tonnage and a pre-allocated assignment of critical space to the base chassis, the main framework of each BattleMech. The available critical slots in each section of the base chassis determine the space in which to allocate the primary components of a ’Mech. Select the ’MECH LAB Holoprojector from the READYROOM to begin the BattleMech customization process. Before adding a component to your ’Mech, check your current mass for allowable weight, making sure that the critical slots required to carry it are available in your ’Mech’s internal structure. Once you complete the procedures for customizing a ’Mech, you can select SAVE and enter your custom name to add it to the ’MECH LAB or ABORT to return to the READYROOM at any time during the following ’Mech design process.

STEP 1 -- DETERMINE BASE CHASSIS

There are 15 base chassis in the ’Mech Design Lab ranging from a base tonnage of 20 to 100, plus alternate variants for each. Select the ’MECH LAB Holoprojector and use the PREV/NEXT VARIANT and PREV/NEXT CHASSIS arrows to cycle through all the customizable ’Mechs and variants available. Once the base chassis you want to customize is displayed on the holoprojector, select CUSTOMIZE to access that configuration’s specifications. The base chassis you select determines your ’Mech’s maximum tonnage capacity -- this is your starting point. The total weight of the BattleMech's engine, weapons, armor and additional components cannot exceed this base tonnage to construct a legal ’Mech.

Every mech has its advantages and disadvantages for instence a timber wolf has weak legs, and a war hammer has strong legs but extreamly weak arms, the only mechs with severe disadvantages are the Maddog and Summoner mechs. The mad dog has a bug where if its arms go it takes off its torso with them, and the summoners enourmous torso makes it a apt to take more damage, avoide using those two mechs. However using the Ghost Bears Legacy CD to launch into netmech will sometimes fix the bug with the Maddog, this is not considered cheating and the GBL CD will also give you a different sound track on some missions.

STEP 2 -- SELECT ENGINE

Choose an engine for your BattleMech. Select "Engine" from the configuration summary to display the Engine screen. Select FASTER or SLOWER to scroll through the BattleMech engines available. Once you have determined the engine you will use in your BattleMech, click on the type of engine on the Engine screen to toggle between Std (Standard) or XL (Extra Light) engine technology. An XL-type engine weighs half as much as a standard engine of the same rating, but occupies additional critical slots in each side of a ’Mech’s Torso.

A good base speed for any mech is between 75 and 108 KPH.

STEP 3 -- MODIFY HEAT SINKS

Every BattleMech engine is equipped with heat sinks as standard equipment, but some ’Mechs will need additional heat sinks to effectively dissipate heat, depending on their weapons configuration. Select "Heat Sinks" on the configuration summary to display the Heat Sinks screen. A BattleMech may not carry a mix of normal and double heat sinks. Select ADD and DELETE to determine the number of heat sinks you’d like your ’Mech to carry. Then, click on the type of heat sink technology to toggle between Single or Double heat sinks. The total weight of the default heat sinks is included in the engine tonnage; extra heat sinks can be added at a weight cost per heat sink. The critical slots required for the total number of heat sinks added is determined by the ’Mech’s engine rating.

The more the better your dead with out them, tey to keep around 28 double heat sinks on your class 1 designs as they heat up faster because of all the lasers.

STEP 4 -- DETERMINE JUMP CAPABILITY

BattleMechs may be equipped with jump jets in their Legs and/or Torsos to allow jump capability. Each jump jet gives a ’Mech additional jump capability. Select "Jump Jets" from the configuration summary to display the Jump Jets screen. Select ADD and DELETE arrows to set your ’Mech’s desired jump jet mass/capability. Once you set the desired number of jump jets, the Jump Jets screen will indicate the total jump jet tonnage added.

A mech withour jump jets is a dead mech, keep a minimum of 4 on all of your designs.

STEP 5 -- DETERMINE INTERNAL STRUCTURE

The internal structure of a ’Mech can be constructed with standard or Endo Steel technology. Select "Internal" to display the Internal Structure screen. Although using Endo Steel frees up tonnage that can be used to add weapons and armor, it requires more critical slots to be carried by a ’Mech. Click on the type of internal structure technology to toggle between Std (Standard) or Endo-S (Endo-Steel).

Endo-S is great for desings where you have alot of criticals but verry lilt tonage to work with, I have noticed that Standard Internals with Ferro-F armor provides better prtection then the other combinations.

STEP 6 -- MODIFY ARMOR

You can add armor to your ’Mech in half-ton increments and as much as your ’Mech’s internal structure will allow. The armor factor is based on a ’Mech’s armor type and tonnage. Select "Armor" to display the Armor screen. You can add twice as much armor as internal structure to each area of a ’Mech’s torso, arms and legs, and three times as much to a ’Mech’s head. Select ADD or DELETE to modify your ’Mech with the desired armor. Click on the type of armor to select either Std (Standard) or Ferro-F (Ferro-Fibrous) armor technology. For each ton of standard armor added, you are supplied with plates of armor which you can distribute to your ’Mech’s structure. Ferro-Fibrous armor increases the armor factor per ton, but occupies more critical slots in a ’Mech’s internal structure.Once you determine the total tonnage of armor to add, you can distribute the selected number of plates of armor to the different sections in your BattleMech’s internal structure. The exact armor factor used to protect each area is left to your discretion. Use the ’Mech diagram on the Armor Allocation screen to select the section of the ’Mech to which you would like to add armor, then use the first set of arrows on the left to increase or decrease the amount of armor allocated to those areas. For areas to which armor can be allocated to front and back sections, use the second set of arrows to increase or decrease armor accordingly. The Armor Allocation screen will indicate the armor assigned to each section of the BattleMech.

Max out your armor, and put about 2/3 of your armor in the front for C1 and C7 God designs as you will take most if not all of your damage in the front torso. However you will want more equaly distributed armor for C3 - C6 desings as missiles tend to circle you on inpact.

STEP 7 -- ADD WEAPONS AND AMMUNITION

You can add up to ten weapons and as much ammo as your BattleMech’s total tonnage and critical slots will support. Select "Weapons" to display the Weapons screen. Check the Weapons and Ammo screen to determine which weapons are included on the current configuration. Then review the Weapons Table on the right to determine which weapons are available for incorporation into your custom ’Mech. To add a weapon to your configuration, select the weapon you would like to add from the Weapons Table to display its specifications in the Weapon Info screen. Then, select ADD WEAPON to add it to the ’Mech’s weapons configuration. The added weapon will then appear on the Weapons and Ammo screen to indicate its presence on the ’Mech being customized. To delete a weapon, just select it from the Weapons Table, then select DELETE WEAPON to remove it from the configuration. If the weapon you have added is an ammunition-based weapon (i.e., non-energy weapon), you can add or delete ammo in keeping with the base chassis’s allowable tonnage and critical space -- select ADD AMMO or DELETE AMMO from the Weapons and Ammo screen accordingly to change the amount of ammo for the currently selected weapon.

The type of weapons you put on depend on the Class of mech you are desining (ex All energy weapons for C1) try not to use excesive large lasers of either type as they generate tremendus heat, Gauss Rifles and SRM launchers are totaly useless avoide them like the plague.

STEP 8 -- ADD EQUIPMENT

Select "Equipment" on the configuration summary to display the Equipment screen. Each ’Mech is equipped with several mandatory equipment systems which are accounted for in the design of a BattleMech. Both mandatory and assignable equipment will appear on the Equipment screen to indicate which systems are included in your configuration. In addition to various actuators and CASE, the other type of equipment your ’Mech configuration can be equipped with is MASC to enable a ’Mech with the capability of short bursts of speed at the cost of heat build-up and increased stresses. Select MASC from the Equipment screen to either equip your configuration with, or remove MASC. The Equipment screen will indicate its presence or absence on the current configuration.

The only peice of equiment that is worth any thing is MASC take off the hand and arm actuators to save soome criticals.

STEP 9 -- ASSIGN CRITICALS

Once you have customized your ’Mech with all the components desired, you must assign them to critical slots in your ’Mech’s internal structure. Select "ASSIGN CRITICALS" to display the Criticals screen. The number of blank slots in a given internal structure section acts as a limit to the number of weapons and other equipment that can be carried in this section. For example, if the Center Torso only has two empty slots remaining, and a PPC takes up three slots, a PPC cannot be placed in the BattleMech's Center Torso. To free up slots in a ’Mech’s internal structure, you can move any non-required equipment to another section in your ’Mech.

Check the Unassigned Criticals screen to determine the different components that must still be assigned to a section of your BattleMech configuration. Select the current internal structure section displayed to the left to determine the areas with available critical space, indicated by a blank section. (Click on the section to cycle through the components contained in each.) Only a portion of the BattleMech's heat sinks have to be allocated to critical slots. Default heat sinks are assumed to be an integral part of the engine and are only destroyed if the engine is totally destroyed.

All weapons and equipment must be assigned to critical slots in a single location. Each ton of ammunition occupies one critical slot. The slot required for this ton of ammunition does not have to be assigned to the same location as the weapon using the ammo. You can re-assign a component that has already been assigned to critical slots in a ’Mech. Just click on the component on the particular internal structure section from which you want to remove it, and it will appear in the Unassigned Criticals screen. You can then reassign it to another ’Mech area. Once you have assigned all components to the required critical slots in your ’Mech’s internal structure, the Unassigned Criticals screen should be empty. Select SAVE to add your ’Mech configuration to the ’MECH LAB. A prompt will appear at the top of the configuration summary to allow you to type in a variant letter, or backspace to rename it. You can then select ACCEPT to take your customized ’Mech out to the battlefield.

OK now heres a real tough one fill up all of your criticasl if posibale keep your weapons in the torso behind the heavyer armor as arms tend to be flying off withing the first few minutes of battle. Try to keep at least one laser in your head or center torso so ou dont get hulled. There is a bug where if you put ammo in your arms and your arms blow up before you can use up all the ammo you will sometimes get ghost ammo this is well known throughout most leagues and is not considered cheating so use it to your advantage.