Neat! I love seeing more mecha. Also, it gives me a chance to type of out some things I've been thinking about. Not that you neccesarily need to hear them, but someone might be interested. Here's my take on how to make balanced mecha. Obviously in most cases there are exceptions to the rule, but they're just that, exceptions. They shouldn't dominate the field.
Per the rules files:
Cockpit armor never higher than 2
(I extend this rule to engine and gyro as well, since we never see any of the original mecha higher)
The rules state that all engines must be equal to the class of the mecha (although I could have sworn that I've seen original game mecha with engines lower than their class. I let that slide as maybe their manufacturer skimped on the engine. Or older tech. Still, I stick to nothing with a bigger engine.) Also, HighOutput engines shouldn't be more than 1/5th of new mecha. It *is* a hot new technology, but it shouldn't be everywhere.
Gyros, generally shouldn't go above 3. I broke this rule repeatedly to get certain ungainly large mecha down to reasonable MV's, but I consider that a side-effect of the very large mecha. The only original mecha with higher than a 3 are the Excel at 4, Savin at 4, Zerosaiko at 4, Chameleon at 4, Chimentero at 5. Basically the *super* mobile get 4's, and some of the truly huge mecha also have room for truly huge gyros to compensate.
Groundhuggers, Groundcars, Areofighters, Hoverfighters shouldn't get gyros except for special cases. Groundcars can use the 'advanced suspension' (rename of gyro...2 I think it was, on one of the original groundcars). And I'll admit I added a 'Fly-By-Wire System' to a certain high end areofighter in my mecha pack. But most of them shouldn't have them. Gyros are specifically for legged mecha.
A mecha can only install modules or equip armor at most 1 class larger than itself. (that's hardcoded) The body must always be equal to the class of the mecha.
All original zoanoids have the Cpit in the head. This should remain true of at least 99% of additional zoanoids.
No more than 1/4 of Battroids risk having the Cpit in the head.
All weapons should balance against equivilant weapons in the STC_Default file. The exception:
Mecha typically have a 'signature' element, whatever it is that made their design stand out enough to be manufactured. For some it's high MV, or high armor, or a particular weapon system. 'Signature' weapons since they're custom built for a mecha and not mass produced like the STC items can justify being as much as 5 points higher spread between DC, Range, BV, ACC and extra Type.
Class 5 is the average for Battroids, zoanoids might be a little lower.
Class 7 is the big mecha. Anything higher than 7 is ludicrously mountain-toweringly big. I know I've made my mecha pack a little top-heavy in the 8, 9, and 10s. But realistically there shouldn't be but a few of those compared to a majority of 4's and 5's.
4's tend to either be cheaper and slightly older technology (Century, Claymore, Condor), or the newer cutting edge technology.
5's are generally dependable well built, moderately armored. (corsair at the low end, Daum II, Vadel, etc)
3's are typically recon mecha (Domino, Alba) or high tech frontline units from Mars or the L5's (like the Neko, Chameleon, or the Luna II)
6's are typically beefy heavy-armor units (maanji, Hariseng)
and 7's are the big boys big toys like the Chimentaro or Savin.
Point Value:
All but the absolute best mecha should have at least 1 design flaw (Savin...uhh...Gigas maybe. Thats about all I can think of). Excessively heavy equipped armor, a cheap but hefty missile pack that puts them overwieght and loses a point of MV/TR , or a component that if equipped instead of installed would give back a point of MV/TR. Mecha Engineering exists for a reason. If a pure mecha jock wants a super mech, he has to find one the old fashion way, or win one.
Likewise, almost no mech should start with a TR 0. If you have to, leave off the TarComp entirely. If the mech is so light wieght that even that wont push it to negative 1, butter up that bacon and pack some wieght on. I don't like leaving the sensors off, but that's another option for lowering TR.
Overall most mecha should start in the -1 to -3 range on both MV and TR. and be able to get a free point by carefully rebalancing their load or dropping uneccesary equipment. Heavy battroids might go to -4 MV. Areofighters, Groundhuggers, Orinthoids, Hoverfighters etc, should add their standard MV penalty to that number (areofighters get an additional -3, Hoverfighters -2, etc etc)
Pointwise:
A low-end mecha should cost in the same range at the BuruBuru 100k to 200k. A decent mech should hit 500-600k starting value (including the above number fudging. Once rebalanced it should be worth 700-900)(can't think of a good example..Vadel? Daum?). The truly high end should top out at about 2 million (Same range as the Savin). Oversized mecha (8,9,10) that are also high end might go 2.5 mil to 3 mil, but they shouldn't be expotentially more expensive than the Savin.
The only thing that should push a mech any higher than the 2 million range is Nukes (Blast/Hyper). (or the slightly less expensive Core Cannon Line/Hyper combo) If there were a technology out there that did as much (or more) damage than Nukes, and wasn't Nukes, people would already be using it.
Another note:
Mass fudging: We all like fudge, but too much will make you sick.
Don't abuse the Mass modifier. If a mech has lowered mass on it's limbs it probably isn't going to have full armor on that location. Or if it does, it probably only has a -2 or -4 mass. -2 and -4 are the general 'high tech space age materials' numbers for the original mecha. Any more than that represents something special for the most part. (Savin) Most equipped armor shouldn't have it's wieght lowered, because it disrupts the balance and reduces the significance of those mechs that do have it. I make an exception for Wings and Wing Armor if you use it, since that's one catagory that you know they concentrate on getting wieght down. Likewise if something is built Tonka-Tough it should probably wiegh it's full amount. Maybe even more.
Zoanoids:
Zoanoids don't get equiped armor for the most part. If you do give them some, make it pretty low value generally. The original mecha didn't get it for a reason. (I broke this rule specifically to have one mech with mid-range zoanoid armor available, but I think most zoa's should have at most class 2 or *maybe* 3 armor). (I also wrote a couple of *really* big zoanoids with heavy armor. They sacrificed their zoanoid high MV for it though.)
(Honestly, most battroids shouldn't have higher than class 3 to 4 anyway. Any higher is the special mechs like, well, the Savin. Or the beefy boys like the Hariseng who don't get much Mass modifers so have to accept the lowered MV for their armor.)
Think that's most everything...weapons, armor, mass, point value, MV/TR, balance against the STC_Default, gyros, engines....
Oh!
Designations. Most mecha designations should probably fit the pre-existing companies. I created one new company (Loman Corporation, designation LoCo) for some of my sillier mecha, but there are already plenty of players.
Almost all zoanoids should be from BioCorp's Biometrics line, designation TSD-.
ITM made a lot of the older first generation mecha. So if you're making older-style tonka-tough brutes they're a good choice.
CYB made the monstrous, a pre-zero mecha, so I assume they don't exist anymore. Anything from them should be equally outdated technology.
Okay, I'm done.
