Rotwang
11/18/02 10:25 PM
213.224.83.134
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I vote for the original TR3025 for nostalgic reasons and 3058 for having some of the coolest designs and artwork of any of the TR's. Third vote goes to the original TR3050.
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Karagin
11/18/02 11:17 PM
68.21.149.173
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My favs would be TRO3025 ORIGINAL, TRO3026 and TRO2750.
The others seems to fall in to order as they came out behind the ones above.
With both the revised TRO3025 and 3050 coming in dead last, to me the added in artwork was so bad it almost made me NOT buy them.
Karagin
Given time and plenty of paper, a philosopher can prove anything.
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realworldviews
11/18/02 11:50 PM
24.98.65.31
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3050 would have to be my favorite for many reasons, not just the artwork. 3025 & 2750 come in second, and the rest as Karagin said all fall in somewhere after.
The rest just weren't as good. IMHO.
Colonel Brian Davis
Gamers United
"Dreams become reality, for all who start off with a dream"
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Rockdaddy
11/19/02 02:39 AM
206.102.32.166
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Top of the list is 3025 and 3026. The artwork is fabulous and the fluff is wonderful to read. Plus the designs are the ones I've been using for years and the ones I cut my teeth on. A lot of it is nostalgia, but some of it is just that they were very good products.
Along those same lines 3057 and 3058 are second tier. Again we have excellent artwork from Duane Loose and intelligent fluff. But the nostalga factor somes in high here, and some of the designs are rehashed from various earlier sources in the case of 3058.
2750 falls in behind that with great fluff, but just mediocre artwork. 3050 is also grouped in with this. The fluff on all the upgraded IS mechs is good for what it was (an assesment of upgraded 'Mechs) . The biggest drawback is that both the 2750 and 3050 books were sparse on fluff which started an unfortunate trend that only 3057 and 3058 seem to have broken.
3055 was nice because it gave us all new 'Mechs and aerospace stuff, but the art was just mediocre and it was so riddled with errors (the price you pay for getting a first print run I guess, although you would think quality control should have been involved) that it is hard to use for anything except fluff. While the fluff is more extensive than what was in 3050, it still continued the trend of barely having anything when compared to 3025/3026.
3060 and 3067 are at the bottom of the list. The art (and I use the term loosely for the collection of kindergarten scratchings that were used) make both books an absolute eyesore to look at. The writing in both books are terribly uninspired and just lack that certain "oomph." The only high point in either book was the introduction of the ProtoMech, which was interesting because it something new. The low point was just the blatent rehashing of designs from the videogames and Field Manuals in 3067, meaning not so many of the 'Mech designs were new.
This list does not take into account the revised 3025/3026, 3050, or 3055. I already had the originals and felt no need to buy new versions of the books, considering the reasosn they had to be revised in the first place.
All I need are some tasty waves, a cool buzz, and I'm fine.
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LordChaos
11/19/02 03:33 AM
67.41.67.186
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Original 3025 and 3026 are top. Art, fluff, and overall feel they gave make them the best.
Original 3050 and 2750 come in tied for second (well, 3rd realy). While decent, they lacked in commparision to the top two.
After that, well, it just goes down hill so fast it's not worth discussing. Some individual entries in TROs are ok, but in general the entire thing just sorta nosedived.
Real mechwariors pilot IS mechs.
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Cray
11/19/02 07:14 AM
64.83.29.242
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3025 for artwork and fluff.
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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Nightward
11/20/02 08:04 PM
132.234.251.211
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I have one of the earlier runs of the 3025 Tech Readout (The one where they confused the Ostsol and Ostscout, and some fluff trails off on the right pages and can be found randomly in other parts of the book). I like that book because it has the feel of something produced by BT lovers, for BT lovers.
I also liked TR: 3050 because it introduced the Clans. I know what the majority of you feel about the Clans, but I started play as a Wolf and this is where it all began.
TR: 3058 introduced some nifty new tanks, which were actually a threat to 'Mechs. For that reason alone, the TR deserves a special mention.
I agree that some of the art in the newer TRs have been substandard, but I feel that FASA was trying to capitalise on the manga/mecha phenomononon (I can spell it, I just don't know when to stop  ) and thus hired artists to do the job. That being said, I do like Plog's work, particularly the Nova Cat and Savage Coyote.
I also liked the two 'Mechs from the DCMS Field Manual. Some other FMs have introduced garbage (the Templar, Fafnir, Sha Yu spring to mind) but the older books, with the Perseus, Akuma, and No-Dachi had a carefuly considered, cultural feel to them that is often missing in these days of munchkinism design techniques and pre-dark age timeline tweaking.
Yea, verily. Let it be known far and wide that Nightward loathes MW: DA. Indeed, it is with the BURNING ANIMUS OF A THOUSAND SUNS that he doth rage against it with.
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Bob_Richter
11/21/02 01:22 PM
134.39.194.88
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TR3025(unrevised), without a doubt.
Best in artwork.
Best in fluff.
3026(unrevised) is second place, but only because it's not a 'Mech readout. It's still one of the most useful tems in my collection.
Nothing else even compares to these artifacts of the bygone era that made Battletech the game so many loved, before the Gray Death Memory Core and the Clan Invasion.
Third place has to go to TR3057. It contains a certain amount of very useful information that makes it indespensible. The artwork is top-rate (ignoring the possible physics issues with the Warships, which I don't like anyway,) and the fluff's not half bad.
3050(unrevised) holds a special (4th) Place in my heart. It was my first TRO, and it's the single most vital resource for playing in 3049-3054.
3055 & 3058 hold the same place in my regard. In a way, I think of them as a single readout, since they basically do the same thing. 3055 and 3058 both introduced far more 'Mechs than the Battletech Universe would ever need, but they also introduced the Clan second-line 'Mechs. (actually, all the ones in 3058 had been previously published, but that's nitpicking.)
5th and 6th, respectively.
3060 was a mediocre readout. None of the designs were neccesary (Battletech already had far too many 'Mechs.) The artwork ranged from mediocre to terrible and the fluff wasn't much better. 7th
3067 was more of the same. Same bad artwork. Same crappy fluff. Same total needlessness. 8th (because they should have known better)
2750 was THE WORST Technical Readout ever produced for Battletech. At its feet we can lay such evils as XL Engines, Double Heat Sinks, and the majority of the Canon Warships.
The art was bad. No, I mean REALLY bad. The worst artwork in any Battletech product, save where matierials from it were replicated elsewhere. The fluff was terrible.
-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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MacLeod
11/24/02 12:16 AM
64.172.59.137
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1. Original printing of 3050. It was my first, and it was what I cut my teeth on.
2. 3058, because I love the tank designs as well as the Bushwacker. I can't help it. The Bushwacker is the epitome of the 'walking-tank' feel of a BattleMech.
3. Original 3025. 'Nuff said.
4. 3057. I just like the pictures. 
5. 3055. I know you guys bash this one frequently because of the pics of the IICs, but the IICs are the part of this that I love. I can't help it - it's the anime junkie in me.
Drugs don't kill people, pancreatic cancer kills people.
... and whoever heard of a drug that causes pancreatic cancer?
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NathanKell
11/27/02 06:26 PM
67.86.58.8
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Yet another vote for '25 and '26.
But I'll break the trend: the 3067 aerospace section is absolutely, bar none, the finest aerospace art ever in BT (then again, there ain't much to choose from...). Occassionally the clan fighters get too spiky; but it's worlds better than in even '25 (let alone 55...). I'd love to see Chaffee redo the 2750 warships.
-NathanKell, BT Space Wars
Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blind-folded fear.
Thomas Jefferson |
MadWolf
11/30/02 06:07 PM
134.53.144.26
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TR3050, My favorite, not only because it was my first TR that i owned, It also has that little scamp of a mech that i love playing to annoy the hell out of most players, The Hussar 2000-D !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Nothing is Impossible, It is only Improbable.
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KamikazeJohnson
11/30/02 09:31 PM
142.161.0.92
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TRO:3025, hands down.
As I've mentioned before, I prefer designing L2, but playing L1. I've always found that the "classic" 'Mechs had the most character, even absurdities like the Shadow Hawk, Urbie, and JagerMech. Also, once ClanTech and LosTech come back into it, the number of "official" 'Mechs got too high to really appreciate the designs.
Oh yeah, I hate OmniMechs, and I was highly annoyed at what TRO:3050 did to my beloved T-Bolt  Maybe that had something to fo with it...
Peace is that glorious moment in history when everyone stands around reloading.
--Thomas Jefferson
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realworldviews
12/02/02 12:22 PM
24.98.65.31
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I liked what they did to the T-Bolt, They didn't really change anything on it, but they were able to increase it's deadlyness. I always did have a fondness for the T-bolt.
Colonel Brian Davis
Gamers United
"Dreams become reality, for all who start off with a dream"
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neochu
12/04/02 10:35 AM
209.202.75.74
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my fav is the 3055 dropships warships and jumships book. I am a space junke and it will always be my fav area. as for the ground units. I am 3058-306 I think high tech because it gives me greater choices for weaponry not to mention the fact that I can usually find a mech design for speciifc purposes. also I like this time line because around 3060 the innersphere had begun its clan assault and actually collaborated their heads to defeat something greater than theirselves. and roughly during this counter attack the lvl 3 tech came out and the IS began to gain advantage over the clans. that is just the way I am though
KT
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Bloodrider
12/04/02 06:12 PM
64.12.96.167
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My favorite is the original 3025, largely because of the fluff (loved the Battle History section, wish they'd kept that up in later TROs). My second pick would have to be the original 2750, mainly because it had two of my best-loved 'Mechs in it- Lancelot and Highlander.
"Gentlemen, you can't fight in here. This is the war room..." -from Dr. Strangelove
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