My brother Drew and I were discussing battletech over the phone when I mentioned that I had recently tried my hand at improving the fairly sub-par Ymir BWP-2B in the hopes of squeezing an almost decent mech out of it. Before even giving me the chance to describe my new variant, Drew boldly proclaimed that he could easily outdo me. After replying that he couldn't design anything that wasn't brimming with Clan Large Pulse Lasers and ER PPCs, we decided to have a design contest to see who could create the best Ymir. The rules of the design contest were as follows:
1. You may not change the overall tonnage or engine rating of the Ymir BWP-2B.
2. You may only use Level 1 Equipment.
3. The finished design must still seem like a Ymir.
In case you're not familiar with the Ymir BWP-2B, here's it's basic game stats:
Ymir BWP-2B
Mass: 90 Tons
Walking MP: 4
Running MP: 6
Jumping MP: 0
Heat Sinks: 16 Standard
Armor: 10.5 Tons Standard
Weapons:
2 LRM 5s
4 SRM 2s
1 Large Laser
1 AC/5
1 Small Laser
Armor and Equipment Distribution:
Head: 9 points of armor, standard equipment only
Center Torso: 23 points of front armor, 8 points of rear armor, standard equipment only
Left Torso: 17 points of front armor, 6 points of rear armor, 1 Single Heat Sink, 4 SRM 2s, 1 Ton SRM 2 Ammo
Right Torso: 17 points of front armor, 6 points of rear armor, 1 Single Heat Sink, 2 LRM 5s, 1 Ton LRM 5 Ammo
Left Arm: 18 points of armor, Lower Arm Actuator, 1 AC/5, 1 Small Laser, 1 Ton AC/5 Ammo
Right Arm: 18 points of armor, Lower Arm Actuator, Hand Actuator, 1 Large Laser
Left Leg: 23 points of armor, standard equipment only
Right Leg: 23 points of armor, standard equipment only
Now here are our improved versions:
Ymir BWP-2C
Mass: 90 tons
Walking MP: 4
Running MP: 6
Jumping MP: 0
Heat Sinks: 16 Standard
Armor: 14 Tons Standard
Weapons:
1 Large Laser
4 LRM 5s
2 Medium Lasers
1 SRM 6
Armor and Equipment Distribution:
Head: 9 points of armor, standard equipment only
Center Torso: 35 points of front armor, 10 points of rear armor, standard equipment only
Left Torso: 25 points of front armor, 10 points of rear armor, 1 Single Heat Sink, 1 SRM 6, 1 Medium Laser, 1 Ton SRM 6 Ammo
Right Torso: 25 points of front armor, 10 points of rear armor, 1 Single Heat Sink, 2 LRM 5s, 1 Ton LRM 5 Ammo
Left Arm: 23 points of armor, Lower Arm Actuator, 2 LRM 5s, 1 Medium Laser, 1 Ton LRM 5 Ammo
Right Arm: 23 points of armor, Lower Arm Actuator, Hand Actuator, 1 Large Laser
Left Leg: 27 points of armor, standard equipment only
Right Leg: 27 points of armor, standard equipment only
Ymir BWP-2D
Mass: 90 tons
Walking MP: 4
Running MP: 6
Jumping MP: 0
Heat Sinks: 17 Standard
Armor: 14 tons Standard
Weapons:
2 Large Lasers
1 Medium Laser
2 LRM 5s
1 SRM 6
Armor and Equipment Distribution:
Head: 9 points of armor, standard equipment only
Center Torso: 36 points of front armor, 11 points of rear armor, 1 Single Heat Sink
Left Torso: 23 points of front armor, 7 points of rear armor, 1 Single Heat Sink, 1 SRM 6, 1 Ton SRM 6 Ammo
Right Torso: 23 points of front armor, 7 points of rear armor, 1 Single Heat Sink, 2 LRM 5s, 1 Ton LRM 5 Ammo
Left Arm: 24 points of armor, Lower Arm Actuator, 1 Large Laser, 1 Medium Laser
Right Arm: 24 points of armor, Lower Arm Actuator, Hand Actuator, 1 Large Laser
Left Leg: 30 points of armor, standard equipment only
Right Leg: 30 points of armor, standard equipment only
So, which of these two do you think is the better design?