Cray
02/14/02 01:50 PM
204.245.128.3
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A Liao Marauder design. The shortcomings of the Capellan industrial base are seen in the shortages of ER PPCs and need to use PPCs. However, the designers were true to Xin Sheng and embraced this limitation as an opportunity to incorporate more firepower into the MAD-5L than an ER PPC-equipped model could have.
The MAD-5L is not meant to close with its targets - it is a long-ranged hunter that exploits its speed, weapons range, and stealth technology to be an impossible-to-hit foe. The MAD-5L was originally conceived as a lone hunter but the potential of MAD-5L lances (and companies) was daunting: multiple, ghostly targets to haunt a foe with an endless supply of sniping shots. The designers agreed that units of MAD-5Ls would be fearsome foes, but regrettable Capellan industrial limitations...
...would be solved, the Chancellor told them, with the aid of the Capellans' stalwart allies of the Triple Alliance. New Vandenburg had a factory just churning out old MAD-3R chasses...chassises...chassi...anyway, and Canopus had a new endosteel factory to support production of some of the jointly built Canopus-Taurian mechs. Capellan engineers would share the MAD-5L's chassis's plans with the Alliance members, who could do what they willed with the plans. In return, the Concordat would supply MAD-5L chassis built with Canopian endosteel to the Confederation, where it would be finished with a Confederation XL engine and armor.
COMBAT DEPLOYMENT
The MAD-5L is just reaching field units in full lance units. They are currently being distributed to the 4th Tau Ceti Rangers, but the rumors on Sian are that Chancellor Sun-Tzu Liao intends to repeat Duchess Ilsa Liao's experiment with an (nearly) all-Marauder unit. Of course, with the lessons of history in mind, this as-of-yet-unnamed unit will not repeat the mistakes of the past.
CAPABILITIES
Despite "selecting" PPCs to manage the MAD-5L's heat, the MAD-5L still faces significant heat problems (but it wouldn't be a Marauder if it ran cool, would it?) The stealth armor can impose a heat burden equal to a PPC on the MAD-5L, essentially burdening the mech with the equivalent of 4 PPCs on a coolant system designed for 3 and spare change. The ER Medium Lasers are not user-friendly in this regard, either.
MAD-5L Marauder
75 tons
4 tons endosteel internal structure
19.5 tons 375 XL
Walking: 5
Running: 8
Jumping: 0
7 tons 17 DHS (RA/LA)
4 tons gyroscope
3 tons cockpit
13 tons stealth armor
Head: 3 9
CT: 23 35/10
RT/LT: 16 25/7
RA/LA: 12 22
RL/LL: 16 21
21 tons 3x PPC (RA/LA/RT)
2 tons 2x ER Medium Lasers (RA/LA)
1.5 tons Guardian ECM suite (CT)
Stealth Armor: 2 RA/LA/RL/LL/RT/LT
Endosteel: 7 RT/LT
No hand actuators
VARIANTS
The MAD-5L has no variants other than differing prototypes. A version with a triplet of ER large lasers was tested; the weight savings was put into eliminating the endosteel frame, adding a beagle active probe, and mounting two additional heat sinks in the torso. It also was able to use TSM. Another, much closer to the production model, had 15 heat sinks, slightly more leg armor, and a beagle active probe.
Mike Miller, Materials Engineer
Disclaimer: Anything stated in this post is unofficial and non-canon unless directly quoted from a published book. Random internet musings of a BattleTech writer are not canon.
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Greyslayer
02/14/02 01:58 PM
137.172.211.9
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This is practically a direct 'second-stage' upgrade of an already existing model (namely the Taurian Marauder you posted awhile back). There seems to be a direct lack of originality, as well as this it isn't close to the original Cappellan refit of the Marauder (which had a slightly uneven weapon profile compared to the other houses).
Greyslayer
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Cray
02/14/02 02:07 PM
204.245.128.3
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>There seems to be a direct lack of originality
Thpppptt.  As a matter of fact, I started with a triple ER LL set up directly plaigerized from a MAD-5L on classicbattletech and worked through several iterations of ER LLs/PPCs/ER PPCs only to find myself back to 3 PPCs. The idea is good enough for reuse, particularly in high-heat mechs.
>as well as this it isn't close to the original Cappellan refit of the Marauder
...which was a half-a$$ed solution to the MAD-3R's heat problem and a marginal failure no one liked. Clearly, rather than sticking with bad idea to reinforce their national identity ("Look at us! Remember, we're the Capellans! We're the Inner Sphere nation that takes the dumb solutions to engineering problems!"), the Capellans would do it right when they had the option (and DHS).
Mike Miller, Materials Engineer
Disclaimer: Anything stated in this post is unofficial and non-canon unless directly quoted from a published book. Random internet musings of a BattleTech writer are not canon.
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Greyslayer
02/14/02 02:23 PM
137.172.211.9
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'("Look at us! Remember, we're the Capellans! We're the Inner Sphere nation that takes the dumb solutions to engineering problems!")'
But they have to, its written in their contract. I am sure of it, I mean they left Kali alive and everything. If you must use a all energy boat why not use the Marik Marauder as the base (considering it takes a fair while to design new mechs or even mass-producable refits it would be quite likely that they tinkered with the Marik model maybe leaving the Lg Pulse Lasers and removing the LB-10-X (a very lacking weapon in the Cappellan Arsenal) and replace it with a overslung ER PPC and extra heat sinks, Guardian ECM or whatever.
Greyslayer
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Cray
02/14/02 02:33 PM
204.245.128.3
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>I am sure of it, I mean they left Kali alive and everything
Don't forget, that could part of an Inscrutable Oriental Master Plan by Sun Tzu.
Anyway...Problem with LPLs as main guns is their anemic range, doesn't fit the MAD-5L sniper idea...
But maybe taking the Marik model and (as you say) replacing the LBX with an ER PPC, then realizing that the stealth and speed would make the -5L a good sniper, so they replace one of the arm lasers with an ER PPC...that sounds all too Capellan. (Though they really seemed to get their act together with the mechs of the FM:CC).
Mike Miller, Materials Engineer
Disclaimer: Anything stated in this post is unofficial and non-canon unless directly quoted from a published book. Random internet musings of a BattleTech writer are not canon.
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Bob_Richter
02/14/02 07:33 PM
134.121.247.162
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Amusing.
-Bob (The Magnificent) Richter
Assertions made in this post are the humble opinion of Bob.
They are not necessarily statements of fact or decrees from God Himself, unless explicitly and seriously stated to be so.
:)
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Cray
02/15/02 07:24 AM
204.245.128.3
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I'm a bit over on crits - I forgot the torso PPC when I was stuffing the side torsos with endosteel.
Accordingly, the MAD-5L just lost an arm-mounted DHS, gained a ton of armor, moved the other arm-mounted DHS to the right torso, and split 6 endosteel crits between RA and LA.
Mike Miller, Materials Engineer
Disclaimer: Anything stated in this post is unofficial and non-canon unless directly quoted from a published book. Random internet musings of a BattleTech writer are not canon.
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Karagin
02/22/07 05:50 AM
70.123.166.36
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Then explain their Cataphact?
Karagin
Given time and plenty of paper, a philosopher can prove anything.
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Fang
02/22/07 01:59 PM
65.82.104.120
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some reason makes me think a bit of the Mother's Milk MAD variant listed here http://www.solaris7.com/Armory/ArmoryInfo.asp?ID=1591 that I did not too long ago.
One by one, the rabbits are stealing my sanity.....
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Cray
02/22/07 02:48 PM
147.160.136.10
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Quote:
Then explain their Cataphact?
Heh. Yeah, that was one of the half-assed solutions that the -5L was trying to avoid repeating. 
Mike Miller, Materials Engineer
Disclaimer: Anything stated in this post is unofficial and non-canon unless directly quoted from a published book. Random internet musings of a BattleTech writer are not canon.
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sdog
02/22/07 03:45 PM
139.174.165.124
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i really like that mech. i have no experience with stealth armour though.
i'd swap the ER-ML for normal ML. The ER don't provide more damage/heat than PPC, with a reduced range. So it's not an advatage to fire them at med or long range, as the PPC would hit better.
However below the PPC min range normal ML will also fire at short range, for the same damage at reduced heat. At the same time they are cheaper and have less BV. Or would this be to streamlined, you could give it a fluff reason: the arm weapon system of the 3R is used without change.
I realised soon that the fun part of playing a military game is that we have lots of lifes and in the end knowone dies, ...
- Skaven, ArmA modding community
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Cray
02/22/07 09:59 PM
68.200.109.191
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Quote:
I'd swap the ER-ML for normal ML. The ER don't provide more damage/heat than PPC, with a reduced range. So it's not an advatage to fire them at med or long range, as the PPC would hit better.
I know, I'm a real fan of the ML/PPC combo. However, in BT, people are nutty about new toys like ER MLs. So, to capture that thinking, I stacked on ER MLs.
Mike Miller, Materials Engineer
Disclaimer: Anything stated in this post is unofficial and non-canon unless directly quoted from a published book. Random internet musings of a BattleTech writer are not canon.
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Karagin
02/22/07 11:18 PM
70.123.166.36
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At least you didn't do the MPLs on this one...
Karagin
Given time and plenty of paper, a philosopher can prove anything.
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