Why Don't We Love The Urbanmech IIC?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 1 ต.ค. 2024
- Today, we take a quick look at one of my least favorite battlemechs due to popular request.
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Urbanmech IIC MF Record Sheet: www.dropbox.co...
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If you're unsubscribing due to this video, I would suggest you take some time to reflect upon the emotional investment you've put into this specific battlemech.
This is just bizarre.
You know this is all pretend, right? BattleTech isn't real life...
People are seriously unsubscribing? That's hilarious. Imagine being so hopped up on copium for something that is not only objectively bad, but isn't even real. Those people need to get a life. With that being said, everyone knows that the Timberwolf is by far the best mech in existence and you better not say anything mean about it or i'll tell mom.
The only thing you managed was that I looked up the Pricetag of the IIC (1.8 Million C-Bills) and to compare that with the Demolisher (Defence, the one with the internal combustion engine (2.1 Million C-Bills) I think these 16% more are worth it. Also I think maintainence is so much cheaper it will be worth it any day.
I mean ..it does seem you put a lot of emotional investment into how much you hate the Urbie.
Is that an actual thing?
Seriously - unsubbing? I love the creepy little thing but even I can accept it's a bit of a rubbish mech. I don't have the contempt you have, but that's cool - you justified it pretty well honestly.
I rember running a test game against the AI in Megamek for my friend. He chose a Timber Wolf and Urbie IIC for his team and ran against two IS Assaults. The Mad Kitty took all the aggro while the Urbie DFA'd both IS Assault mechs to death - pushing one off the map and the other off the cliff. The Urbie broke it's tiny legs during the second DFA, but the Devastator fell down 3 levels, hit it's head and killed the pilot. On that day, the Urbie has earned his pilot a bloodname.
It tests my suspension of disbelief, but that's a grand story.
@@MechanicalFrog what can I say, the stars were just right on that day. No way in hell this will ever happen again, but we had a good, long laugh after that game. Worth mentioning that by the end the Timby was shot to hell, crippled, immobile and missing one arm. My friend has won his fist Megamek game with what was supposed to be a meme list (the most famous mech and the most infamous mech working together) and both of those machines couldn't walk at the end. Which made us laugh even harder.
What I've not heard you mention is that the Urbanmech was NOT meant for urban pacification and anti-rioting. It was meant to reassure the people that they would not need to fear their military. The mech has an intentionally slow speed that can be outpaced by a bicycle. The main gun, and its limited ammo, are vastly overkill against any soft target, and the small laser is nearly useless against a crowd with how it cycles, vs. a pulse laser. The Urbie was meant to be cheaply stationed around cities as a tripwire against raiders and invaders. Of course it can't fight off an Atlas, much less a Marauder. However, it CAN slow them down long enough for reinforcements to arrive.
Well played.
The top speed of an Urbie is the top speed you could go in a city under the old tabletop rules without taking a piloting roll and penalties. It's designed to be waiting when some asshat in a locust stumbles around the corner, and introduce them to their god. Against an assault mech, it's designed to hit and fade and coordinate with other urbies, and be an insufferable murderous little trashcan. An Urbanmech would not be usually firing at a mech's frontal armor, but, if they coordinated right, they'd be getting shots against their thinner back armor and kneecaps, and really causing problems.
so in short. it's not the ment to be the main show, it's the small opening show to the main show.
@@Tomyironmane Second this. Put the same BV worth of assault mech in a square mile of urbanmech territory (grid after grid of cover) and suddenly the 7-15 urbies becomes a terrible nightmare inducing horror to fight.
@@klortikterra4423more like the little gremlin minions of the villain that kills one of the side characters for some reason.
To be fair. Urbie IIC has one and only one application where it excels.
Step 1: have a handful of them collecting dust in a dropship
Step 2: when in trouble, negotiate to surrender a handful of clan-tech mechs in exchange for safe passage/
They can strip the UAC10s and put them on good mechs.
The Urbie has a second use. When that one pilot who is always complaining about what he's piloting starts up again, the commander just has to point at it to shut him up.
@@andrewrose3748 Broom. mop and bucket do the same thing, but cheaper =)
What about stripping the weapons, setting the reactor to self-destruct and "air dropping" them over enemy positions from really high up?
It's good in mechwarrior online.
Clearly we need an indepth look at the Urbanmech, how to deploy one, especially the variant that can toss nukes at people (which was invented at a Con to nuke the Kell Hounds into radioactive dust and was canonized on the spot)
I think this one should cover it for the foreseeable future.
@@MechanicalFrog PLEASE no more Urbie videos, I don't think my monitor can withstand another hit.
The Urbanmech: if the phrase "oh, bless your heart" was a mech
I'm just thankful it didn't have 8 official variants...
I agree that the usefulness is often over stated, and it is a shame that better more interesting mechs can feel they are left by the wayside. However, I don't agree that there being a joke mech receiving attention means is hurting the others. I don't think a casual fan is unaware there are other mechs. I also do agree that there are some cool mechs that just have outdated art and i would love to see updated designs.
It's not the end of the world, but opportunity cost spares no one. That 10,000th piece of urbanmech fan art could be a Calliope, or Vakyrie, or Oni battle armor.
same
@@MechanicalFrog Or for some of them it's fan art for some unrelated property because the person never heard of battletech. Having flaghship faces with a ton of content behind them to enjoy is a great hook for making people aware of a piece of media with some going on to become invested in the wider media and some not.
Hey here is a really cute meme about a mech for a media property you've never heard of. It's kinda funny, and if you google it you get a ton of cool well done art for what looks to be something interesting, and there's a ton of it so this must be a really active community is a fantastic recipe to get eyes on battletech.
How can the Urbanmech be a trash-can, when you can't fit an Urbanmech, inside of an urbanmech?
The burned out husk of an urbanmech takes up less space.
This is where a Large Pulse Laser would have worked better then the Autocannon
I disagree, after a Highlander funeral you can fit 10 Urbanmechs inside another Urbanmach, with room to spare.
It's just as bad a trash can as it is a crappy battlemech. It's like a twenty four karat solid gold toilet with no seat; it's absurdly expensive for something that's uncomfortable to use and likely may injure it's user while also crumpling into a pile of useless scrap if a couple teenagers with steel toe boots kick it a few times.
Just because it's so bad it's funny doesn't mean you should suggest ACTUALLY doing anything with it. At best it's like a DeLorean, which is a poorly designed and poorly functioning car that a lot of people think is awesome because it's in a movie. Nevermind that the batshit crazy scientist building his time machine into a piece of barely functional garbage that keeps breaking down was intended to be a joke about him lacking foresight, much like getting plutonium from terrorists. The biggest difference between DeLoreans and Urbies is that in the real world you almost never see a DeLorean on the street because it being funny (or cool looking) doesn't change the fact that the things just don't work.
I think the necessary improvment for the Urban Mech is to make it a LAM
you're not going to believe this...
Finaly the respect the urbie deserves
Exactly zero.
Indeed, a very good kick round the back of the head.
How dare you, I will have you know in emergency situations this thing can be used as a slightly mobile power plant when the enemy shoots something that is actually valuable inside the city :P
I feel both sides, but I've had some dumb and great times with the trashcan. I run a lot of pirates so urbie/suburbies are seen alot and they kill steal from the assaults alot. My own dumb.
Hahaha
It would rule if you covered some of the aerospace fighters. Some of the best Sarna-Diving I've done has been chasing down stuff like the Torrent super-heavy bomber.
I've always wondered how the Urbie got so popular. Was that just a result of the huge gap in lore and material during the "Dark Age" (hehe) between Clickytech and the more recent era?
I'm willing to do an aerospace fighter video but I guarantee it'll get about 25% of the views a mech video does.
@@MechanicalFrog I'd really love to see the Torrent too, actually. I think it's the oldest named fictional unit in the setting.
I’m gonna go with “it’s so derpy and the stats are so awful we just feel kind of bad for it and cheer whenever it somehow gets a victory.”
Frankly, I believe the cultic devotion to the Urbanmech irl is a reflection on what likely is a similar worship in universe. There's literally no good reason otherwise.
I feel the Urbie was concieved as an intimidating infantry support mech. It brings a big gun to a small gun fight.
It was designed for urban combat. Hence the name.
Show up with heavy machine guns and support away. Rolling into town with an artillery piece with 10 shots is not a recipe for success.
@@MechanicalFrog Small to medium pulse lasers and machine guns for pure anti-infantry operations within a cityscape would make far more sense for something like this travesty of a mech.
You have the RNG with the AC-10 to do well. If i wanted to do that, I'd take the Hollander? Guess the only thing that "Urban" is the 360-degree torso twist, but that's irrelevant for most part on TT.
The Urbanmech I don't even think fulfills this roll well either. It's slow speed means it can't help security detail and tracking down suspects. It's large size while intimidating, is ultimately a tinfoil tiger.
It's roll can just as easily be filled in by an armored fighting vehicle. Literally anything but the Urbanmech.
It's funny and sad how embarrassingly bad this mech is. It's Literally better to use a flea or any of the other light mechs than the urbanmech.
Just remember, you can buy 2 and a half Hetzers for the price of one Urbanmech, and 3 whole Hetzers for the price of an Urbanmech IIC. You know what those Hetzers can do? Flips. And also defend urban centers. And travel faster than half the speed of smell. Dump the trashcan on the curb and invest in Hetzers.
Old storty by now: An Urbanmech took my Marauder IIs head offf. at 14 hexes through woods, because it's player rolled laughable well. I hate those things, mostly bacause an overly lucky player can make a meme into a murdermachine.
Wonders never cease...
Love it I play a lot of Solaris styles games in classic and my fav urbie kill was a Skill 4 pilot successfully hitting a Jenner at long range with it's AC20 and then it blew it's head off. Glorious. . . Forget that it died afterward.
@@MechanicalFrogBah, you know random head shots have always been a thing in Battletech. Along with exploding ammo.
It's true a lot of 'Mechs are quote underserved. There's a lot of art between Tukayyid and the Dark Age which really should be redone-the early Inner Sphere OmniMechs, for instance, and just about every 'Mech from TRO 3075.
It's quite shocking just how little coverage some mechs have gotten.
@@MechanicalFrog I bet a MechFrog series on the IS Omnis would be outstanding. But I trust you to pick the metal that you can best spotlight!
So true the urbanmech is a one shot glass cannon....jump over bulding to shoot a target and then die is its usual battle contribution :-) i did a urban mech swarm table top game and so many of them died before even getting close enough to get a shot off...they managed to kill the odd medium through sheer numbera but they lost the battle badly....nice to see the clans gave it some love but god knows why theyd bother :-) another fun watch and nice to see im not the only pilot that steers well clear of the urbie
Good times had by all... except the pilot of the Urbanmech, who died screaming.
A Savannah Master is a better option than an Urbie IIC for urban combat.
More fun.
"better to train tank-crew" smirks in demolisher
Until you give it to a rookie pilot who can't corner at speed.
Brace yourselves...
Oh No! 😮
We're going out to the woodshed with this one.@@lexington476
No need to brace, what you said is 100% true.
Channel rule 3; positivity matters. And i for one love it when people enjoy this hobby, even if it is a silly love for a silly mech.
I'm glad that people find joy in that mech.
It’s a great mech for the prestige of having a mech, for those people who know enough not to buy Quicksell, but don’t know what a mech really is.
It's the Dane Cook of battlemechs.
@@MechanicalFrog It's the Yugo of Battlemechs.
The bluebook on a Yugo allows you to double the trade value if it has air conditioning, on a 3 to 5 year old car no matter the number of FEET it has traveled in those years.
Since Biden got in office, I think a full tank of gas would double that trade value again.
The point of the Urbanmech isn't to have a oversized gonk droid frog. Its to have a subtle way to get that one guy no one likes to die faster.
Expensive way to frag someone.
@@MechanicalFrog If you ever had someone you REALLY hate, then any price is a good one.
When a Hunchback IIC won't do it fast enough
Or slower, since, y'know, 54 kph and all
Very Draconis Combine of you
I agree. I wish catalyst would have come out with another battle pack with unique mechs they haven’t done yet rather than the new kickstarter urbanmech battalion. They already have a lance why do we need 16.
I don't begrudge them too much for that. If it sells and makes enough money to make less popular models, fine. It's just getting a bit tedious.
I think they did that as a test bed to see if battalion packs would even be viable. The fact that we haven’t seen it for other mechs says they probably didn’t sell as well as they hoped.
@michaelkimberling7307
I feel that a company size pack with faction themes and limited repetition would sell much better than mass urban mechs. Ex. A fed sun's pack that has a couple enforcers, a centurion, a couple valkyries and javelins, and a mixture of one offs of other mechs filling out the rest.
I would happily buy something like that, and I've bought a few hundred mechs already.
As far as the urban mech is concerned, I picked up a single one on impulse and received a second for free because the store had to start giving them away to get rid of them
@@centblinde1450 I like the idea of “faction companies” I agree that those would sell. I’m not sure full company boxes would sell well by far and large if they’re just a single mech. Lance/Star packs like the urbie lance though… that I could see. That and most of the modeling is done with the base mech just a few weapon swaps and different poses and your done.
I originally fell in love with the Urbie both for it's solid look and it's underdog reputation. And if you maintain it's baseline, it's nothing that it doesn't pretend to be. It's slow, cheap and expendable. It's not going to be killing Atlas in a fair fight unless it's getting insanely lucky with boxcars. And that really can't be considered fair. At best you deploy these hunting damage mechs that have taken refuge in a city if you have to put it into a real battle. More likely this is the equivalent to cops bringing in a swat van, because it's got communications gear and a big gun if the baddies try to run in a vehicle. I don't know the exact size of an AC10, but I imagine it's going to do a number on the local equivalent of a Honda Civic as they try and book it.
Of course... that's all the standard implementations. The 'long tom on it to make it good' comments are of course the Ace Customs. Look me, I own all the Urbies in MWO. I drive them all. But I also do stupid Meme BS with them. No armor, XL180 and 2xHPPCs? Yes. And it gets kills because people are dumb enough to laugh at the Urbie, turn their backs and take a lot of lightning to the CT rear. XL180 with 2 MRM10's and some lasers? Yes game I totally went down in rating even though I solo killed nearly three hundred tons of enemy mech before they took me down. (Seriously, Direwolf, Warhawk and Awesome. Then the rest of the team turned and vaporized me.) Riding the redline in a K-9 with MPL's? Yes, I can in fact duel down basically any opponent. Could I do it in other mechs? Absolutely. But that's not the point. I LIKE driving the Urbie. It's FUN. It's not necessarily GOOD, but it's fun.
I'm glad people can find joy in it.
The UrbanMech IIC doesn't deserve the IIC treatment. There's a reason the Hoplite didn't get one, not even a simple weapons upgrade but the Clans looked at the UrbanMech as viable? The Cloud Cobra's Naja is a Kintaro upgrade which didn't get the proper IIC treatment even though it has a lot of potential as a break through and dueling mech. The Kintaro of all mechs wasn't bothered to get a proper IIC upgrade at all because it's seen as unviable but the Urbie and Clint get one?
Even though I like the UrbanMech (especially the Draconis MRM-30 variant) even the Inner Sphere upgrades and variants are just as questionable especially making an Arrow IV version that can shoot nuclear warheads. Put it on a bomber at that point.
The urbie was made for 1 singular purpose; urbie derbies, it just so happens that sometimes someone doesn't get the latest local HPG sports broadcasting schedule and invades during an urbie derby to their detriment.
The Falcon being one such mech, getting little attention, being a similar cost to the urban mech, yet arguably better in an urban setting. The Urbie's only advantage over the Falcon is range, which is less of an issue in an urban environment.
That having been said, I both agree and disagree with what you said. Objectively, the Urbanmech is a waste of money. If you're going to play the "but it's cheap" card, buy 16 Savannah Masters for the same price instead.
Where I disagree is a strange point - I like the fact that Battletech has bad mechs. I'm a 3025 fanboy at heart, because not being able to min-max every mech means you have to make compromises, which gives mechs more character. It makes them more varied.
It also makes the setting more real, as companies and governments in the real world don't always make good products, or good purchasing decisions.
All that being said, there's a fine line between cheap and cheerful, and cheap and useless. The Urbanmech has both feet planted firmly in the latter category.
Kind of a poorer version of the Clint IIC I made before, but a Plasma Rifle with 2 tons of ammo in the right arm and two Small Pulse Lasers with a targeting computer and an additional half ton armor. Still better than the original two on the original mission, but no, I think I would rather have 2 Hetzers than the cheapest UrbanMech.
A lore bit I remember reading - Hell's Horses commonly use this mech. I pity the sibko rat that gets stuck in this rig, watching the cool kids get fast machines. I love bad mechs overall and never expected the Urbie to become what it is today - the mascot you don't want.
Like the Hell's Horses need yet another anchor around their legs...
You first video i just didn't care for sadly. ☹️ i get not liking the Urbanmech. I dont like the Urbie in game. Don't own a mini and probably never will. But a video rant about what has become the cute little mascot mech for the product line just felt a bit over the top. There is a lot of art because people (not you) obvious do like the mech. The majority of images when you google are fan-made. I like that its attracted people to the franchise. I like the plushie. I like the giant inflatable mech. Because i DO know it's not real and its just marketing, and hating that other people love a mech irl because its no good in the game is a bit much and a great way to make those new fans who DO live the mech feel very unwelcome. 😢
I do not hate that other people like it. I dislike that a couple of very insular in-jokes suck all the creative oxygen out of the room and the entirety of BattleTech gets ignored in favor of the 10,000th Urbanmech drawing and a joke about 4 Steiner Atlases scouting.
Do you think it's healthy for the IP that a video about anything other than a known quantity 3025-3055 battlemech will yield less than half the views?
Being locked into the same time period, with the same handful of mechs is a recipe for disaster because eventually, we stop buying boxes of mechs that we already own and no one is buying the 3025 sourcebook that they already have on the shelf.
No one wants to see a video about battle armor, or aerospace fighters, or a mech that isn't in the 3025-3055 TROs and that is sad, because BattleTech is way more than the mechs from those books. It's the collective stories of people and conflict and the wacky machines they create to achieve victory. It's a gigantic space opera that covers hundreds of years, and we cannot move past a few decades of it.
We're trapped in a world of Urbanmech memes and it's exhausting. If we want CGL to be successful in the long run, we need to start expanding our horizons and be willing to cover new ground. I practice what I preach here on this channel. I could do a video on the Atlas, Timberwolf, Mad Dog, and BattleMaster and they would likely do way better than a video on the Nightsky, or Calliope, or any of the post-Elemental battle armors. Why should I cover clan mechs when 75% of the player base are Inner Sphere only, many of them openly hostile to Clan tech? I should do what is popular and just make 3025-3048 videos.
Asking viewers to be open to new things and to broaden horizons got this video downvoted more than across the last 25 videos combined. People unsubscribed from the channel over this. It's completely unhinged and bizarre.
Just my opinion, of course. Nowhere in my video did I suggest anyone couldn't like what they like or do what they want to do.
You know, to ease the pain, and cover one of my favorites of the more recent Mechs shown, why not do a video on the Doom Courser?
Will have to ponder that one.
I get the point you,re trying to make but... you're a bit too harsh? Yeah the urby is more meme than actual good mech and it would be nice to see other mechs get some love, but its not as awful as you make it to be?
Plus my impression as a more casual fan of the franchise is that there is a loooooot of mechs and a lot of them are just interchangeable. The urbie is iconic and memorable. I'm sure there are plenty of cool looking mech with an interesting lore to learn and I'm glad you are giving them love and I agree it would be nice if others did too, especially the official materials.
I'm glad people find joy in the Urbanmech.
Well done, buddy, I think you nailed it! XD
"That was the saltiest thing I've ever tasted. And I once ate a heaping bowl of salt!" -Phillip J Fry
Lots of salt mining today.
For just slightly more Cbills or BV you could have a Demolisher and have something truly fearsome in urban combat
So many other better options.
16% isn’t slightly more.
@@tcideh4929 You're right. In terms of sheer improvement per capita, "Slightly" is too mean of a word; that's an amazing bargain.
@@atmosdwagon4656 I meant that he said its only "slighty" more Cbills.
But 16% isnt slighty more. 1/6 isnt slighty "To a small degree or extent; somewhat."
A slight increase in Cbills would be 5% at most.
@@tcideh4929 Whatever. "Slightly" is a relative term; not one with a specific mathematical amount or range and a trivial point at best.
The sheer cost-efficiency of upgrading to a Demolisher over an Urbanmech IIC is anything but "slight".
For 16% more Cbills, you get a rather large increase in armor (66%), speed (68.5%) and a tremendous increase in available firepower.
Standard Demolishers run a pair of AC/20s; that's twice the firepower of the Urbie IIC's UAC/10 if it double taps every turn.
(The overbearingly pedantic will say that I forgot the small pulse laser. I will retort that I do not care one whit about one little pissant pew-pew.)
I'm pretty sure the Urbanmech love is just Stockholm syndrome at this point.
When you "Ironically" like something for too long, it stops being ironic.
350 comments at time of writing 😂😂😂
My brother in Urbie simp hate...we are now on a watch list 🤣
All engagement is good engagement. Even if I have to spend my afternoon holding my tongue and being polite.
The only decent Urbanmech variant is the 100 ton battlemech, The Imp.
Best argument of the day.
I think the Urbanmech's is one of those mechs that works better in the context of the battletech universe instead of mech vs. mech table top match. It's big advantage, like the Charger or the Catapult, is battlefield turnover.
"Colonel, you want me to give up a Centurion for an Urbanmech?"
"We have 24 hours before the enemy counter attack, it could take a week to fix the Centurion but the Urbie will be fully restored by tonight. It's either that or you get to stop an enemy lance with an assault rifle."
"I'll take the Urbie, Colonel..."
"Smart choice."
I struggle with the disbelief that it would even meet the lore justification. But I'm glad people find joy in it. I'm not arguing that it be erased or anything.
@@MechanicalFrog But I do agree that there are other, more interesting mechs to talk about, in terms of gameplay and lore.
On that note, would you be willing to look at The Vindicator? It's one of one of my favorites and it does not get talked about much.
What I have never understood is why there isn't a laser version of the Urbie. Clantech large pulse lasers hit as hard as AC 10's and two of them together weigh as much as one AC 10. Yes, you'll pay for it in battle value, but 20 damage out to 20 hexes is solid. You could still add a couple of flamers or an ER flamer for that anti-infantry work.
I have no idea... This thing is just a mess.
... the UM-R80 has a snub nose ppc and a small laser with ECM and improved Jump jets
I'm new to Battletech, my favourite mech is the hunchback, the variant with the ac20, just because it looks how i imagine a mech should look, and it looks physically imposing even if it's not the largest mech out there
Big boom. Welcome to the fray, mechwarrior.
Straycat full 3050 clan tech version, UMR-65A Urbie-durby 3/5/3 armor factor 105.
1.5 tons for xl engine and DHS
1.5 tons endo-steel
1.5 tons jump jets
5.5 tons fero-fiberous armor
4 tons for cockpit and gyro (standard)
16 tons of Podspace. (yes, I made it a clanner omni)
Prime config has LB-10X in ra, 2t ammo cased RT, 3 erml LA, and a clanner active probe in the head for the clanner to straddle while sprinting at 54kph...
Alt-A is UAC-20 in the RA because of course it does, three tons of ac-20 ammo cased in the RT because big badda boom., and a single erml in the LA.
Alt-B is LPL in right And left arm, erml right and left arm, and two exta DHS because heaty boi needs cooling.
Even just the LB10x would be a big improvement.
🎶 Do you hear the people sing! 🎶
Right into the bin...
Having come back to Battletech after a LONG hiatus - TRO 3050 was current, TRO 3055 came out shortly before I fell off, and the Battletech Compendium was the current rule book at the time - I am utterly baffled at the meme status of the UrbanMech. Nobody in the 80s and 90s gave a hoot about the dumb thing. It was (is) a bad mech, and basically everything else in the same class did a better job at doing... anything.
My take on a IIC UrbanMech is a bit less direct. Taking a cue from other IIC designs that are meant to be second-line redesigns rather than retrofits, I am built my UM-IIC as a 35-ton 'mech, moving at 4/6/4, with a standard engine, structure, and armor (6.5 tons, a hair under 1 ton off of maximum coverage). I stuck with the base of 10 double heat sinks. For weapons, an UrbanMech just doesn't feel right without putting something 'big' in the right arm mount, so we make the main gun a large pulse laser. In order to give it some actual anti-infantry bite, I came to the same conclusion as you - a cluster of 4 AP gauss rifles mounted in the left arm with 2 tons of ammunition in the torso. With our remaining tonnage, we mount 3 small pulse lasers (2 in the right torso, one in the head) to give us a solid, if scattered, close-in bite.
Overall, I feel like it's pretty close to your build, just with a slightly different way to get there. The main difference (aside from 5 tons overall) is that my design gets the slight speed bump to 4/6/4 over 3/5/3, and the right arm mount being a single large pulse instead of 2 ER mediums. Amusingly, we both come in at nearly identical BV (1080 for the MF, 1070 for mine), but you definitely have the in-universe edge being roughly 700k cheaper in cost.
A LPL is always hard to turn down.
Hey, at the very least you've got it done now and hopefully the people pestering you for it will be satisfied with your answer! And, bonus points, there wasn't a heavy laser variant!
The demands have already started for the next...
Oh lord. Well wishing you the best in either batting those away or managing them. This video has raised another question for me though, if you don't mind. What are your thoughts on entirely custom designed mechs? Since there is this huge wealth of mechs that exist, many who do not see the light of day, do you think people hammering out their own takes away from that more, or can better enhance it by seeing what's available and filling niches?@@MechanicalFrog
Early on during my mechwarrior playthrough, I had one medium and a bunch of lights. I sold them all for an Atlas. About 3 missions later, I had a damaged atlas and 3 urbies to drop with. The urbies are a lot better than locusts. Good times!
I'm glad you had fun. That's what matters.
@@MechanicalFrog don't over extend. It took ages for the trash can team to catch up
Now if you could please Frog, make a video on the real IIC Urban fighter, the Wyvern IIC.
Also really glad you're one of the first bigger Battletech TH-camrs whosl doesn't feed the meme and actually shows people that there are far better options out in the wild, and you shouldn't pigeon hole yourself into memes so awful they make the Clint (the AC/5 version) look like a completely superior option.
"Soon"
ie: It is in the research and prep phase.
Whenever I face an Urbanmech, I shoot at it first. Not because it's the most dangerous thing on the field, but because it's an easy kill. Honestly, you need all the luck in the world to make an Urbanmech combat effective on the field.
Getting lots of, "But I got a headshot with it," comments. Yes, but you can get a lucky shot with any mech.
@@MechanicalFrog That's because of a glitch in the HBS release of the Battletech video game where Urbies were regularly head shotting people from off map and not on sensors.
"Can you see the issue?"
No, no I can't.
R2-D2 with a cannon = friend.
(I'm not unsubbing or anything though lol, you're allowed you're opinion. But I personally adore the lil guy.)
I'm glad you still find joy in it.
@MechanicalFrog - I always saw "urban defense" as more about shooting invading tanks than anti-infantry or police operations. Nevertheless, as I see the Panther as a poor mech - as nothing that light should move that slow - I certainly see similar problems here as you. I may not hate it, but I don't really want them in my merc battalion... unless they are so heavily modified that they are just there to doop an enemy before actually moving like an actual light mech. Honestly, I think the real appeal comes from the R2-D2 look, and little else. I did build a frankenmech using an urbie head... mostly because a patrol car is way more roomy than a fighter cockpit.
The Panther is one of those mechs where you ignore what the typical archetype is. It's a light, but it's meant to be used as a less heavy medium fire support role - think of it as a skinny Vindicator.
Same thing with the Dragon. It's basically a heavier Wolverine.
New-ish subscriber making my way through your videos, I saw this and thought "Urbie IIC? no way that's a thing. must be an April Fools video."
In a way, it is a bit of a prank on all of us... Welcome to the fray, mechwarrior.
I took some time to watch this one, because I saw the title and thought "why would a clan make an Urbanmech IIC?" I didn't even know it existed, nor did it seem to make any sense when you think of the resource lean Clan philosophy.
Then I watched your video and ... yes confirmed it doesn't make sense.
And all was right in the world...
Tangent from the Urbie To See, this is the reason why I run obscure designs/add them to fiction I write. My current ilClan era merc commander helms a Republic Lament, and my MW:D character pilots an Agrotera. There are just some genuinely great and unique designs that don't get enough love and I'm glad my group's opened to playing in eras where they exist
That's awesome!
Demolition derbies: actual use for the Urbie.
Now wheres an Omni-Urbanmech Variant with an LB-10X and a Rotory 5?
In the recycle bin.
@@MechanicalFrog hey its no longer a in the trash. Upgrades people upgrades.
This is why the Coyote’s lost the Wars of Reaving, and subjected the HW Clans to an eternity of obscurity in future BT content. They got what was coming to them.
Brutal.
To be fair there was a time when an AC10 would erase a goodly number of infantry in the open. But infantry rules have been retconned/modernised a fair bit over various rule editions. That said yes the UrbanMech is garbage.
Alas... we live in the here and now... though it is still 1993 in my brain.
My partner very kindly got me battletech for my birthday, so my first lance box was the Urbies. They're not good, but I understand the desire to have something to riff on, and the trashcan is just silly enough to make you want to headpat it.
I also get wishing to see other mechs get more love, though.
It's all good.
Thank you for this public service announcement. I genuinely cannot stand the urbanmech. Even if a force decided it NEEDED a dirt-cheap mech instead of a tank the bugs are all so much better and right there!
I would rather run a 20 tonner like a Wasp or Stinger than an Urbanmech.
@@MechanicalFrog I was thinking the same thing. Not only would I prefer one as a commander, but also as a mechwarrior. Give me a baby bug over an urbie any day
They are trash.
Which is why we love them.
I'm glad they bring you joy.
@@MechanicalFrog
It is the challenge I seek.
How could I effectively use this crap weapon of war such that it is not only effective, but also dominating in its employment.
As such I would forward that on their own, yes.
They are little more than trashcans with a gun, but... when operating in groups as a part of a combined arms team the humble Urbie can become formidable, especially if at least one in each lance has an AC 20
A pointless little thing but a great video about a waste of resources, the Wyvern IIC is far far better at this urban pacification/security lark!
So many better mechs out there...
God, guns, and Battletech. I wish that catalyst Had that company box of urban be locust instead.
I would be much more willing to invest in 12 Locusts.
Thank you for the dose of sanity! I’m one of those who scratch my head at the Urbie’ mascot thing. I mean, I get the ironic joke of it, but it’s gotten a bit overdone at this point.
Happy to take some fire today for speaking some reason.
the concept of urbie formations (Companies and above) is what really boggles my mind because for the cost of 12 UM-R60s, 17,663,100 C bills, you could buy a lance of demolishers (or twice that in POs) , a company of scorpions, and a infantry battalion plus APCs and trucks.
its not really attractive for peace keeping, urban defense, or garrison formations, how it sells is beyond me.
The urbanmech is the Roboute Guiliman of the Battletech universe
Not sure if this is an insult to Roboute or to the Urbanmech.
@@MechanicalFrog I just mean within both communities it's a topic that's meme'd to death to the point where it's more annoying than funny.
In 40k it's a constant joke that Roboute is mega depressed at the state of the universe and he has an alien witch girlfriend, just like all the jokes about the urbanmech
The Urbie is a meme mech with fans, but its not a trash mech. The urbie was designed for actual garison work. It weaponry isnt a threat to civiess or infantry. It was made for hit and run ops in urban warfare. And in lore, IT WORKS WELL. Not to mention some of the variants. Big fan of missile urbies packing large numbers of SRMs
I always felt the Javelin was a meme mech much like the Hunchback IIC: the absurd weapons, minimal ammo, the lack luster armoring, and tendency to fall flat on its face when running.
At the same time i wish the Javelin had a IIC variant, but as far as I've found, it doesn't exist, and there isn't even a JVN-C to compensate.
Why is there a urbanmech iic, when an actual good, yet ridiculous, light mech should have one instead?
If you want to do what an urbanmech can do but you want it to be faster and better armored, you dont upgrade your urbanmech. You buy a hunchback.
At some point, the punch list for all the things you need to change to make the mech good gets so long that you may as well just have a different mech entirely.
Great video as always Mr. Frog. Thanks to you I’ve finally made the decision to order a lance of the trashcans.
I'm glad they can bring you joy.
Gonna once again request a video on the Thug, once you move away from covering IIC designs.
I do like the Thug. If I venture in that direction, we may have to tackle it.
I must admit, I'm a big fan of the Urbanmech. What I'd like to see is a LB10-X. A scattershot weapon along with a flamer would be great against infantry.
LOL. I respectfully disagree. Urbanmechs are not my prefered battlemech but i understand it in a lore perspective. A terran hegemony mech designed for urban combat designed by non military personel who were building tractors. Bought by a sight unseen weapons procurement department who signed off on all kinds of "bad mechs". Like the Charger the urban mech survived most of 4 centuries of interstellar wars of annihilation. Besides my favorite mech is the Raksasha.
Problem- everyone thinks the UrbanMech is an actual Battlemech. It isn't, it's own thing. It's a horrible weapon, but it's an great story telling device and decent to back up a SWAT team. I love the derpy little things but I understand their limits. The biggest thing they have going for them is that they are PTA friendly, they look like they should squish when hugged. For that reason, I'm amazed that the Clans actually made this, given they combine the worst features of North Korea and Plato's "republic". This is the machine they send to a riot and announce "this is an illegal gathering, disperse immediately", with a pair of Pirahnas and two points of solhoma Elementals waiting for people to not disperse. And in the Sphere, the Panther is better.
I had some success with the Urby in the BattleTech PC game. AC-2 & M-laseris doings a decent job if you live long enough to use them.
In strict terms of Mechwarrior usage, the Urbie does have some unique traits though I will qualify that with the following: *It is useful when the player isn't shackled to that useless barrel-bottom 060 rated engine and incredibly vulnerable meme-gun-pod.*
First, that 360 degree torso twist is really good for pullaway shots, especially in conjunction with a solid engine to keep your (often larger) opponent at arm's length. I used to abuse this tactic liberally when playing my ER-Large Laser sniper variant back on MWO.
In MW5, the Urbie is hands down the most common mech you will face, due to the Stinger and Wasp being the single biggest 'Sirs Not Appearing In This Game Without Mods' mechs ever. In the Urbie's defense, it is so common because you will find it doing its intended job: Guarding bases and cities.
The very popular mod, Yet Another Mech Lab, offers Quirks to mechs ala MWO and gives Urbanmechs one of the most bluntly OP GENERIC quirks of mech: +12-+14 to every armor location (sans cockpit) across the frame. This makes it an INFURIATINGLY DENSE target, but also a superb early game brawler for, ironically enough, training up your first tier 2 (Captain or better) mech pilots.
YAML also introduces the (obviously non-canon) R-63X model, which mounts twin Autocannon/2s and a pair of backup lasers to provide long range fire support; basically as a baby-Blackjack. It's a great sky-cleaner on the cheap on defense missions, but it really shines when you rip the weak rock-chuckers off and load up on 4x machineguns. (or more once MG Arrays become available)
Machineguns are actually very effective vs light vehicles and light mechs early on, so with the YAML Armor Superbuff, this is a great mech for "ratting duty" and training the ballistic skill of your pilots.
Beyond that, the K9-Hero mech is a godsend even in purely Vanilla MW5 with Heroes of the Inner Sphere DLC, since it can be bought early, cheaply, and then stripped for 8 Double Heatsinks and its UAC/5 (plus ammo). Resell it, then pick it up as you need DHS as necessary if you're still stuck in the pre-Helm era.
That's where the end of the good stuff: Without the YAML quirk, it is TRIVIALLY EASY to blast off the gun-pod carrying it ubiquitous autocannon, and once that's gone, do whatever you want to the poor bastard because now it's just an unusually durable single small laser turret that sort of "moves".
It is not an especially good mech for anything other than YOLO ambushes in its common configurations, though it is an okay missile boat on the cheap to fill out the ranks in BTA 3062 early on if you don't have the vehicle bays for LRM carriers or tanks or whatever.
Finally, the memes: Yeah, they are pretty overblown, but that's just the ennui of the internet meme machine. You earned my subscription by having the balls to not just mindlessly regurgitate the memes and actually talk shop, though I can see others taking that as you being a killjoy. Sadly, it seems so many internet denizens forget that it's perfectly fine to talk about something or even dislike it without engaging in memes like it's a Pavlonian Response.
Though I am glad you brought up the Atlas, because frankly, I'm more tired of the Steiner Scout Lance memes than anything involving the Urbie at this point. (I do not look at an Atlas and fear it; quite the opposite; I see a big dumb target with "Free back-stabs, here!" and a fat salvage payday every time I spot one. And that doesn't even begin to scratch the massive scrap pile of dozens if not hundreds of dead Atlases I've YOLO killed in MWO over the years. Learn to fear competent teams, not mechs, people.)
If there is any "meme" I find amusing about the Urbie is as follows:
The UM-AIV: A 100% canonical Arrow-IV equipped Urbanmech. Davy-Crockett ammo. This makes it the one and only Inner Sphere mech I know of that is capable of violating the Ares Conventions in the loudest way possible entirely on its own terms. I actually built one of these as a joke when streaming Battletech 3062, and it received the nickname "Urbanocide Mech".
If the argument is that the Urbanmech is useful when it is no longer the Urbanmech because of all the adaptations and fixes we have to implement to make it useful, I agree.
@@MechanicalFrog
It's just the same mode of analysis and improvement I reserve for every other mech in the setting, regardless of the game.
Instead of a long, drawn out explanation, I'll just say this: If the canonical Rifleman fit, Legend Killer, is still a Rifleman after shedding all of its god-awful core-design baggage (changing the internals, the weapons, armor...basically everything but the targeting system) and then taking advantage of its few innate strengths, then any bad mech could seek redemption in my eyes.
Because holy hell is the stock Rifleman a terrifying bad mech to have to pilot.
When a single LRM-10 parked behind a modestly tall rock is a significant risk to your 60 ton "sniper" mech, it's pretty bad.
Firstly, I completely get how polarizing the memeification of the Urbie can be, and I definitely respect the idea that it's all a biiiit much, bordering into the lame and sorta cringe. So absolutely no hard feelings are felt at all when I see someone not really enjoying the mech and the culture that sprung up around it.
That being said, I find the little dude endearing as it's kind of an abject failure but still managed to stick around for as long as it has.
Also, it was an absolute mind-blowing moment to see my 3d-printed Urbie conversion kit show up at 1:02 on the google search. Holy shit.
The funniest thing I find about the Urbanmechs loadout is that a simple pair of medium lasers would do exactly the same thing and be far more appropriate for Urban combat and without sucking up all the tonnage for that oversized Cannon you could increase the speed in armor to actually Make it Mobile on survival strangely enough they always seem to design the urban Mech similar to a long-range support Mech instead of a close combat Mech which it should be to be honest aside from lore appropriate situations I don't know why people give the urban Mech so much attention.
While I’ll agree that the other mechs in the setting don’t get enough attention, I find the satire of the UrbanMech being what it is, and how it presents this military industrial complex as something that cares less for the people, and more for the profit margins that a manufacturer could make off of selling an AC/10 on legs.
(Also, the one with a plasma rifle and hardened armor is my absolute favorite)
That is an impressive group Mech shot!!! And LOVE the eye roll inserts!!
Had to properly convey the pain this video caused.
This is one of those mechs that you play to prove that you are not "ENTIRELY" a min/maxing POS power gamer! ;o)@@MechanicalFrog
"The mech for when you want people to assume you're a bad player." This works.
This was nearly as painful as when BigRed talks Clan Wolf. My condolences on the self inflicted pain you endured for our enjoyment. Knowing love for this mech exists doesn't explain it. Also, why does the peanut gallery sound like my cousin Cletus who lives with his sister wife in a van down by the river? It should sound like an ivy league professor rationalizing bad economic decisions
I'm glad that people can find joy in it. I just want to make sure the hundreds of other mechs, tanks, and BA out there get some love too.
@@MechanicalFrog I am here for that. Especially whoever gives me the first breakdown of Taurian mechs like the Marshal and Toros
In the HBS BattleTech, the Urbie can be dangerous on those 1 skull missions. They are so slow that I am fully committed to a strategy for the rest of the lance, then they appear and start removing torsos from my light flanking mechs... annoying, but not effective.
Oh, and I put an Arrow 4 on one it was the best evar!!1! 😂😂
They can be useful in HBS, but usually aren't.
RogueTech?
I just downloaded all the flowers that I bought from drive-thru RPG and catalyst to my smartphone. I can screw through the files super quick with my smartphone, but it's nothing like having it on desktop with two screens. If I'm not mistaken my locust the standard version could run circles around this sucker and just blow the hell out of it.
I would take a Locust over an Urbanmech.
@@MechanicalFrog I'm relooking at the Lucas IIC I originally didn't like it, but I think it's growing on me. If you remember the locus is my go-to mech
This is why you never let all the engineers take a vacation at once. This thing was for sure designed by temps. I hear they give these out as toys if you buy a happy meal at the SeaFoxMart.
Not Clan Coyote's finest hour.
Isnt the Urbanmech like the VW Bug of BattleTech? A simple machine that has plenty of room for a bored mechanic or engineer to turn into what ever their deranged brain can concoct?
I feel like the best role for an Urbie would be in the Periphery with Rifles or Rocket Launchers, considering how cash-strapped the Periphery traditionally is and the fact that if an urbie gets caught in a proper, pitched mech fight, it won't really last longer than the original alpha strike. Aside from that, take advantage of the 360 degree turn, throw a RAC-2 and use it as a light-weight AA mech. Outside of memes, I can find so many better uses for an AC 10 or 20 than the Urbie.
The "use whatever you have" argument is one I can sympathize with.
If you want a cheap AC/20, use a Hetzer
Your hate fuels the glory of the best can, the trash can. It would not be the flaming dumpster phoenix it has become if everyone just liked it because it was objectively good, it requires your rage to fuel it's Legendary status of the worst of the best and the best of the worst.
I love the obscure and less lime-light focused mechs, lord knows one of my favorite lights is the Hollander. That being said, I like my little waste baskets of war, being able to grin at them from time to time is enjoyable. (granted I create no content so I do not contribute nor detract from the saturation)
Oof, yeah. Urbies are really overhyped at this point. The part of this video that surprised me was that you didn't put a plasma cannon on it. My first thought was to put in a plasma cannon (with a ton or two of ammo) so that it could devastate infantry and vehicles while hopefully slowing down anything else while the poor soul driving it screams for backup. The rest of the space would be medium lasers, small lasers, and MGs.
But on another note, I do think there are defiantly a lot more mechs that deserve more attention. I found out about some obscure mechs when I first started getting into battletech when I went around looking for mechs that had a similar look and/or build to the blackjack, jagermech, and rifleman. My search introduced me to the Rifleman IIC and some more obscure mechs like the Bane, Lancelot, and Dragoon. I actually liked the Dragoon so much that when I had a friend teach me how to draw with pens, it was the subject of my drawing. (If your ever thinking of doing a video on the Dragoon, I can send you a link). But yeah, there are plenty of weird and wonderful mechs out there for artists to show and even meme with if you just look a little harder.
If I put plasma cannons and pulse lasers on everything, I'll start earning a reputation.
@@MechanicalFrog True, though I wasn't nessisarally thinking pulse lasers.
No. The Urban Mech is the pinnacle of perfection. Only a squad of Urban Mechs has the power needed to face a squad of Urban mechs.
I always thought it was there as a garrison for appearance, not actual use. It's cute and makes people feel safe. Clans have their emotional support er s laser. Spheroids have their emotional support urban mech battalion
Maybe I'll use your MF design for the next Urbie Derby I play in (if IICs are allowed).
For Urban environment combat i would go for a wheeled vehicle (more precise control than hover, faster than tracks) with either a single medium laser or two small lasers.
Overall the weapons would be mounted in a turret that aims at whatever the pilot looks at, just like combar helicopters today have.
The vehicle would be as light as anyhow possible, probably 5 tons considering the Savannah Master. Such vehicles, used en masse, will zerg down any enemy force trying to enter a city.
The Hell's Horses should be the kings/queens of urban combat.
@@MechanicalFrog Probably, they have a bunch really nice vehicles with tremendous potential for urban combat.
And their tradition of mixed units means they also use plenty of infantry which will be capable of entering the buidlings and using them for ambushes.
To be fair earlier editions of Battletech did have mech scale weapons do their full damage to Infantry, back in 1986, which is also when the original UrbanMech debuted.
Even then, it's so clearly not an appropriate weapon.
Ive been comenting on these for the last few days lol needed a break from the death of star wars and all that. As you said in the intro alot of the machines you mention are unknown to me, i was first introduced to battletech with mechwarrior 2 on ms dos and eventually the books and mechwarrior 4 as well as mechcommander 2. In the past i always assumed for some reason the urbanmech was the clan version of an industrial mech. I see i was wrong and i cant help but wonder how a fight between an urbanmech and an indiemech would go.
Come on guy's the Urbie has an important role. It can run up at the enemy with it's blistering speed and while the enemy is doubled over in helpless laughter the rest of your unit can sneak up on them from behind and blast them at pointblank range. Of course it sucks to be the Urbie but life always has it's little disappointments.
I love the urbanmech. I will use the urbanmech however it is interesting to hear the opposite perspective nonmatter how negative it is. bread 👍
Cheap, shitty, mass-produced? Russian army would love this machine
The sheer amount of Urb over saturation I see on internet communities gives me a headache.
I don't begrudge anyone's creativity. I just want people to know there are hundreds of other battlemechs out there that get no love at all.
Hi I used MegaMek Lab to make my own version. I figure there are so many of them, some would be used by civilians.
chassis: CityMech
model: HI-X1
Config: Biped
mass:30
engine: 30 Fusion Engine(IS)
structure: IS Reinforced
myomer: Standard
heat sinks: 10 Single
walk mp: 1
jump mp: 0
armor: Heavy Industrial(Inner Sphere)
LA armor: 10
RA armor: 10
LT armor: 11
RT armor: 11
CT armor: 15
HD armor: 9
LL armor: 14
RL armor: 14
RTL armor: 3
RTR armor: 3
RTC armor: 5
Left Arm:
Shoulder
Upper Arm Actuator
Heat Sink
Heavy-Duty Pile Driver
Right Arm:
Shoulder
Upper Arm Actuator
Lower Arm Actuator
Inner Sphere Laser Anti-Missile System
Left Torso:
Heat Sink
Heat Sink
Heat Sink
Right Torso:
Heat Sink
Heat Sink
Heat Sink
Center Torso:
Fusion Engine
Gyro
Heat Sink
Head:
Life Support
Sensors
Cockpit
Heat Sink
Left Leg:
Hip
Upper Leg Actuator
Lower Leg Actuator
Foot Actuator
Right Leg:
Hip
Upper Leg Actuator
Lower Leg Actuator
Foot Actuator
That sure would be an interesting ride.
I dont hate it, but then again im not that deep in the setting. I can see your point however, many mechs do get overshadowed by the "faces" of the setting, be they intentional or not.
There are hundreds of mechs and tanks out there that get almost no limelight. It's sad.
Best thing about the urban mech is that its a free kill in any game video or tabletop
Pretty much.