Pity the poor Mauler, having to share a weight class with the Mad Cat MkII. If that
Clan design was not included in the game, the Mauler could have carved out a niche for
itself as a big mech, faster than the hundred ton models, and capable of carrying up to
four big-punch missile and ballistic weapons. Alas, the Mad Cat MkII *is* included in the
game, and the Mauler is thus rendered the most obsolete of any mech in MechWarrior 4.
Strip the omni slots and the small ballistic slot group off
of the Mad Cat MkII, and you have the Mauler's weapon slot configuration. Adding grievous
insult to injury, the Mad Cat MkII has 8.5 more tonnage free to allocate, better component
options, and a substantially better maximum speed. The Mauler's minimum speed is better,
but the Mad Cat MkII can make that up with its excess tonnage. The mauler is able to
squeak out only very small victories with slight advantages in acceleration, deceleration,
and turning rate. It also mounts its ballistic weapons in the left and right torsos, not
the arms; arm-mounted weapons are generally easier to lose to damage, but they also have a
greater range of fire, so that one falls to preference.
I want to like the Mauler, I really do. I just can't
ultimately find any reason beyond aesthetics (or the banning of all Clan equipment) to
pilot one in a multiplayer game.
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Mad
Cat MKII
