A Helpful Compilation - Guide for Mech Commander 2

Mech Commander 2 Vehicles and Weapons
A helpful compilation

By Anon I. Moose



Table of contents:
1.0	Introduction
2.0	Weapon Tables
3.0	Battlemech Tables
3.1	House comparisons
4.0	Vehicle Tables
5.0	Gameplay Tips



1.0	Introduction

I wrote this article because I couldn't find any FAQs on Mech Commander 2.
I ended up finishing the game before I finished the article, so instead
of spending hours on end polishing it into solid reference material, I'll
release it to the world as is.  My hope is that someone will take this as
a base for a true Mech Commander 2 FAQ/Walkthrough.

If you just saw this on GameFaqs or wherever, here's a short description
of what the game's about:

	Mech Commander 2 is a 3D real-time strategy game set in the Battletech
	universe of giant robot combat.  In this game, you control a
	mercenary company which is employed by a succession of galactic
	factions (otherwise known as Houses) trying to gain control of the
	planet Carver V.  There isn't anything particularly noteworthy about
	Carver V, except that it's become the battleground on which the
	frictions between the Houses explode in mechanized combat.

You can go to www.mechcommander2.com for the official hype (and a demo)
or look up reviews of the game at www.gamerankings.com.



2.0	Weapon Tables

Legend:

NAME	The weapon's name.

T	Weapon type.  B = Ballistic, E = Energy, M = Missile.

R	Effective range.  S = Short (0-60 M), M = Medium (30-90 M),
	L = Long (60-120 M).  Note that each weapon has a minimum and
	maximum range, and that ranges overlap.

DM	Damage.  How much damage the weapon does if it hits.

ROF	Rate of fire.  How many times the weapon can fire per time unit.

HT	In Mech Commander 2, heat is only a consideration when building a
	mech.  Each mech has a number of "heat points" it can allocate to
	weapon use, and each weapon takes up a number of heat points.

Size	In the game, each mech has a "grid" of squares determining how much
	space the mech has for weapons and add-ons.  Each weapon takes up
	a number of squares.

Cost	The weapon's cost in C-Bills (the monetary unit in the game).

D*R	Damage times rate of fire.  A measure of the maximum damage a
	weapon can pump out per time unit.  Doesn't take into account
	splash effects, miss rate, or penetration.

DR/HS	(damage * ROF)/(Heat * Size).  A measure of how efficient a weapon
	is, comparing its damage capability vs. how much heat/space it
	uses up.


BALLISTIC WEAPONS
Ballistic weapons tend to deliver more damage with less heat than
their energy-based counterparts, at the cost of using more space
and have limited ammo.

Note that the machine gun seems to be a very efficient weapon.
Again, this is because the table doesn't take into account
penetration effects.

NAME                          T  R  DM  ROF  HT  SIZE  COST  D*R  DR/HS
====                          =  =  ==  ===  ==  ===  =====  ==== =====
Long Tom Cannon               B  L  15  1.4  20  2x5  29300  21.0 0.105
Clan Gauss Rifle              B  L  10  1.6   1  2x4  18500  16.0 2.000
Gauss Rifle                   B  L  10  1.4   1  2x4  15300  14.0 1.750
Light Gauss Rifle             B  L   6  1.5   1  2x3   7200   9.0 1.500
Clan Ultra Light Autocannon   B  L   2  5.6   1  2x2   7500  11.2 2.800
Ultra Light Autocannon        B  L   2  4.5   1  2x2   5500   9.0 2.250
Light Autocannon              B  L   2  3.3   1  2x2   3500   6.6 1.650

Clan Ultra Medium Autocannon  B  M   6  2.8   3  2x3  10200  16.8 0.933
Ultra Medium Autocannon       B  M   6  2.5   4  2x3   8000  15.0 0.625
Medium Autocannon             B  M   6  1.8   2  2x3   5300  10.8 0.900

Clan Ultra Heavy Autocannon   B  S  12  2.7   8  2x4  14200  32.4 0.506
Ultra Heavy Autocannon        B  S  12  2.4   8  2x4  11800  28.8 0.450
Heavy Autocannon              B  S  12  1.7   7  2x4   7100  20.4 0.364
Machine Gun Array             B  S   1  4.0   0  1x1    900   4.0 4.000


ENERGY WEAPONS
These weapons never run out of ammo.  The drawback is that they shed a
lot of heat, especially for the longer-range weapons.  As a result,
energy weapons are more efficient in the short and medium ranges.

NAME                          T  R  DM  ROF  HT  SIZE  COST  D*R  DR/HS
====                          =  =  ==  ===  ==  ===  =====  ==== =====
Clan ER PPC                   E  L   7  2.2  15  1x3  14900  15.4 0.342
ER PPC                        E  L   7  1.5  15  1x3   8000  10.5 0.233
Clan ER Large Laser           E  L   4  2.5  12  1X2   7700  10.0 0.417
ER Large Laser                E  L   4  2.0  12  1x2   5300   8.0 0.333

Clan Heavy Large Laser        E  M   9  1.8  18  1x2  15000  16.2 0.450
PPC                           E  M   7  1.5  10  1x3   5700  10.5 0.350
Large Laser                   E  M   4  2.0   8  1x2   3800   8.0 0.500
Clan Large Pulse Laser        E  M   2  6.2  10  1x2   6000  12.4 0.620
Large Pulse Laser             E  M   2  5.6  10  1x2   5000  11.2 0.560
Clan ER Laser                 E  M   2  3.0   5  1x1   4500   6.0 1.200
ER Laser                      E  M   2  2.4   5  1x1   3000   4.8 0.960

Clan Heavy Laser              E  S   5  2.0   7  1x1   4700  10.0 1.429
Flamer Array                  E  S   3  1.7   7  1x1   1800   5.1 0.729
Clan Pulse Laser              E  S   2  4.0   4  1x1   2400   8.0 2.000
Pulse Laser                   E  S   2  3.5   4  1x1   2000   7.0 1.750
Laser                         E  S   2  2.4   3  1x1   1700   4.8 1.600


MISSILE WEAPONS
Note that LRMs are capable of indirect fire.  That is, they can fire at
units they don't have direct line of sight with, as long as some other unit
does.  Additionally, Swarm LRMs have splash damage, so they can cause
damage to the target even if they miss.

NAME                          T  R  DM  ROF  HT  SIZE  COST  D*R  DR/HS
====                          =  =  ==  ===  ==  ===  =====  ==== =====
Clan LRM Rack                 M  L   3  2.1   4  1x1   4500   6.3 1.575
Swarm LRM Pack                M  L   3  1.1   2  1x1   2600   3.3 1.650
LRM Rack                      M  L   3  1.1   2  1x1   1700   3.3 1.650
Thunderbolt Missile           M  M  13  1.7   8  2x4  16400  22.1 0.345
Clan Streak SRM Pack          M  S   2  3.2   2  1x1   2200   6.4 3.200
Streak SRM Pack               M  S   2  3.0   2  1x1   2000   6.0 3.000


MISCELLANEOUS EQUIPMENT
Armor and heat sinks trade off space for extra hit points/heat points.
Only some mechs are equipped with Jump Jets, you can take the jets off
to free up some heat for weapons.

NAME         DESCRIPTION                         SIZE  COST
====         ==================                  ==== =====
Armor        Armor+32                            1x1   3000
Heat Sink    Heat dissipation+4                  1x1   2000
Jump Jets    Jumping capability, uses 7 heat     ---   ????



3.0	Battlemech Tables

Legend:

NAME	The mech's name.

HOUSE	The house most likely to field this type of mech.

WT	Weight, in tons.

ARM	Armor points.

SPD	Maximum running speed.  All mechs have the same walking speed,
	but will run at their individual top speeds when a run order is given.

X	Extra equipment:

	J = Jump Jets.  Allows mech to jump, can be removed to free up
	the 7 heat points it uses.

	I = Intermediate sensors.  Radar.  A pilot with Sensors skill can
	determine additional information about the enemy units on the radar.

	A = Advanced sensors.  Longer-range than Intermediate sensors, and
	can display additional information about enemy units.  This
	effectively acts as a "+1" on the Sensors skill; if a pilot's Sensors
	skill is 0 (none), he's given a Sensors skill of 1 when he rides
	this mech.

	S = "Stealth" ECM.  This mech will be invisible to mech-bound sensors
	or sensor towers.  It can only be detected by direct Line of Sight.
	The catch is that stealth mechs have a very low profile, and can't
	mount most of the larger weapons.

COST	The mech's cost when new, in C-bills.

Space	The space capacity of this mech.

Damage capacity ranges:  These numbers are obtained by adding the D*R values
	for its weapons for each of the 3 ranges.
	A Cyclops has a gauss rifle and 4 LRM Packs.  It's long-range damage
	capacity, then, is 14.0+4x3.3 = 27.2

	Note that the ranges overlap.  At 110 meters, a Cougar can fire
	its long-range weapons, and dish out up to 25.2 points of damage
	per time unit.  At 80 meters, the Cougar can fire its medium- and
	long-range weapons, so the damage capacity is to 24.8 + 25.2 = 50
	punishing points of damage per time unit.  At 50 meters, the Cougar
	is too close to fire it's long-range weapons, so the damage capacity
	goes down to 24.8 points.  Get under 30 meters, and the Cougar is
	too close to fire ANY weapons!

NAME	   HOUSE    WT ARM SPD X   COST  SPACE  S (0-60)  M (30-90)  L (60-120)
=========  ======= === === === ==  ===== ====== ======== ========== ===========
Fire Ant   Bandit   30  80  97	                27.3
Urbanmech  Bandit   30  80  54 J                 9.6      10.8

Cyclops    Liao     90 272  65 A                12.0       9.6       27.2
Lao Hu     Liao     75 194  86 J                40.8      22.4
Catapult   Liao     65 176  65 J                14.4                 33.0
Men Shen   Liao     55 176  97 AS               28.0                 16.5
Starslayer Liao     50 176  86 J                32.4      16.0
Sha-Yu     Liao     40 112 119 JI                7.0      18.8
Raven      Liao     35  96  97 AS               18.0      14.4
Anubis     Liao     30  96 130 JI  		 8.0                 13.2

Atlas	   Steiner 100 304  54	                56.4      19.2       13.2
Highlander Steiner  90 276  54 J                40.4                 30.5
Zeus       Steiner  80 194  65	                21.0      37.0       16.5
Shootist   Steiner  70 226  65	                42.8       8.0
Bushwacker Steiner  55 144  86	                12.0      21.3        9.9
Hunchback  Steiner  50 144  65 J                30.0
Hollander  Steiner  35  96  86	                          14.0
Razorback  Steiner  30 112  97 JI               24.0       8.0

Blood Asp  Clan     90 240  65                  39.2      32.4       32.0
Mad Cat    clan     75 226  86	                16.0      14.4       56.0
Thor       Clan     70 194  86 J                51.6      12.0       15.4
Vulture    Clan     60 162  86	                24.0      24.8       37.8
Ryoken     Clan     55 208  97	                12.8      36.8       12.6
Shadow Cat Clan     45 112  97 J                          12.0       32.0
Cougar     Clan     35  96  86	                          24.8       25.2
Uller      Clan     30  96  97 I                14.4                 21.2

Jagermech  Davion   65 130  65 J                                     36.0
Enfield    Davion   50 176  86	                 9.6      26.2
Wolfhound  Davion   35 112  97 J                26.4                  8.0


3.1 House comparisons

Bandits:  Underpowered, underarmored, underequipped.
Not worth keeping after you've found better units.

House Liao:  Their mechs tend to be faster than the other major houses,
and more likely to have "exotic" components like advanced sensors, jump jets,
and "stealth" ECM.  They pay for this by being relatively under-armed.
Liao mechs make excellent scout/covert ops units, and their stealth units
are the only ones in the game that can take out sensor towers/proximity
alerts without setting them off.

House Steiner:  Slow, heavily armored, with devastating close-range attacks,
Steiner are the choice for the player who just wants to pound his opponent
into submission.

House Davion:
Victor Davion returned from the Clan homeworld of Strana Mechty with a wealth
of new technology, both mechs and weapons.  The Madcat is the archetypical
clantech design:  decently fast, lighter than average for its load, and a
world of hurt for anyone on its sights, especially at long range.

Davion also fields some older mechs, but they're not nearly as big
a threat as their Clan units.



4.0	Vehicle tables

All houses seem to be equally likely to field any of the vehicles below.


SUPPORT UNITS
These are the units you can request in the middle of a mission.

Name		Weight	Armor	Speed	Weapons
===============	==	=====	=====	==================
Scout 'Copter	5	40	119	Machine Gun Array
Shilone Bomber	10	15	54	N/A
Repair Truck	20	65	54	N/A
Minelayer	30	225	54	N/A


Flying Units
These units can fly, and are not affected by terrain elevation/water.

Name		Weight	Armor	Speed	Weapons
===============	==	=====	=====	==================
Attack 'Copter	35	77	86	Medium Autocannon
Heavy 'Copter	50	135	65	4 Streak SRM Pack, 2 Pulse Laser


Ground Effect vehicles
These units move over the ground.  The move slower uphill, and cannot
cross water.

Name		Weight	Armor	Speed	Weapons
===============	==	=====	=====	==================
Infantry	1	10	17	Machine Gun Array
Powered Armor	5	20	34	Laser, Streak SRM Pack
Armored Car	5	20	65	Machine Gun Array
Aerospotter	20	170	54	Large Laser
Hunter		25	38	86	3 LRM Rack
Hetzer		40	50	54	Heavy Autocannon
LRM Carrier	50	32	54	5 LRM Rack
Swarm LRM Carr.	50	32	54	5 Swarm LRM Rack
Vedette		50	54	65	Medium Autocannon
Storm		60	111	54	2 PPC
Partisan	80	137	54	4 Light Autocannon


Hover vehicles
These units can move over the ground and skim over water.
However, they have the same problems moving uphill as their
tracked/wheeled counterparts.

Name		Weight	Armor	Speed	Weapons
===============	==	=====	=====	==================
Centipede	15	35	97	Large Laser
Harasser	20	33	86	2 Streak SRM Pack
Scimitar	25	45	86	2 Flamer Array
Drillson	50	108	65	8 Streak SRM Pack


Non-combat units
These units don't have weapons, but may be enemy targets.
If at all possible, capture resource trucks instead of destroying them,
they're worth 4000 RPs each!

Name		Weight	Armor	Speed	Weapons
===============	==	=====	=====	==================
Jeep		5	10	65	N/A
APC		15	50	86	N/A
Fuel Truck	20	20	54	N/A
Resource Truck	20	20	54	N/A
Cargo Truck	25	15	54	N/A
Troop Transport	25	65	54	N/A



5.0	Gameplay Tips
===============================

STUDY THE MAP:
When you first start a mission, pause the game and spend some time just
looking around.  Take note of turret emplacements, repair bays, and resource
bunkers and trucks.  Some resource trucks won't show up in the map, so
keep your eyes peeled for moving trucks during the mission!

A good trick to find structures is to follow the roads you find and see where
they lead.  Most military facilities are linked by roads either to each other
or to civilian population centers.

REPAIR AND SALVAGE:
Resource points (RPs, for short) do not carry across missions, any RPs you do
not use at the end of a mission are lost.  The two most important things
you can buy with RPs are Repair Trucks and Salvage planes.

Repair trucks will repair all armor damage and ammo depletion for your mechs,
short of replacing lost limbs/weapons.  This is a must for the longer
missions.

Some missions have Mech Bays you can capture.  You may think of these as
bigger, fixed versions of the repair truck.

Salvage planes will pick up any non-exploded downed mech from the battlefield
and bring it to limited working condition on the spot.  You still need to
repair any existing damage to the mech.  One of your units must be within
sight of the target mech for the Salvage plane to spot it.  These salvaged
units are pretty worthless during the mission (the limited capacity of Repair
Trucks and Mech Bays is better put towards patching your starting units),
but your employer will fix any repairs after the mission is over, which
means you effectively get a free like-new mech for the next mission!
I'd recommend using any RPs you can spare for battlefield salvage after you've
finished the mission but before your mechs head to the extraction point.

HOPPING:
An often-overlooked movement method is hopping.  Simply put, any jumping mech
can just keep hopping ad infinitum, which in some cases is much faster than
simply walking/running.  The drawback is that you might as well forget
about stealth, everyone will see you jumping.  

AMBUSH:
One tecnique that can be easily exploited/abused is to lure enemy units into
an ambush.  In the current version of the game, most enemy units will follow
the luring mech all through the map, oblivious to anything else firing at
them.

TURRET CAPTURE:
This is dangerous, but can be very rewarding when you use the turrets to
fire upon enemy units you've led back to it (be careful with enemy mechs,
though... they can recapture turret control towers and use them to fire
at you!).

The trick with capturing turret control towers is to use cover
for your advantage.  Look at the map.  Figure out a path that will have
buildings and other obstructions blocking the line of sight between the
turret emplacements and you for as long as possible. Note that the turret
control itself counts as an obstruction!  With LRM turrets it gets more
complicated.  LRMs are capable of indirect fire, so you have to avoid LOS
from the LRMs, the control tower, and from any lookout towers associated
with the turret grouping.

In the execution stage, the key is timing.  Turrets that are not currently
looking at you will need to turn around/pop out and focus on you before
firing.  If possible, start your attack run from beyond the turrets' detection
range, move fast, and keep buildings between you and the turrets.  Keep close
to the ground; if you jump, count on every turret in the vicinity spotting
you and getting at least one good shot in you.