BATTLETECH: The Cougar
Вставка
- Опубліковано 15 чер 2024
- The face of #Mechassault, the #Cougar was a weapon of desperation built by #ClanJadeFalcon, to act as a pocket-heavy-mech, in order to compensate for the huge losses they suffered during the #RefusalWar with #ClanWolf.
In this video, I am going to go over this machines history, from its beginning at the tail end of the #ClanInvasion era, through to the #DarkAge, and into the new #Ilclan era. It will go over the machine, its spread through the #InnerSphere, its adoption by #Mercenaries, and the missteps taken by many who have operated it, failing to see its true strengths, or being too prideful to use it to the fullest.
#Battletech #Mechwarrior #KellHounds #Pryde #LightMech #LyranCommonwealth #Comstar #Tukayyid #SmokeJaguar #Adder #StarAdder #Puma #Omnimech #Clan #JadeFalcon #Wolf #Battlemech #Mechwarrior
0:00 Opening
2:41 The Falcon and the Wolf
7:29 The Cougar Roars
18:57 The Cougar
25:57 The Cougar Prime
28:30 The Cougar A
30:33 The Cougar B
32:02 The Cougar C
33:50 The Cougar F
36:06 The Cougar T
39:21 Conclusion
-Small errorr, I forgot that Clan ER Pulse Lasers are bad, because I keep forgetting that no one in their right mind would take 2 hexes and generate more heat and lose half the reason to have a pulse laser. lol
-So, the T configuration doesn't do -3, it does -2 with its pulse lasers.
3 tracks inside of this video are remixes of the Mechwarrior soundtrack by @TSealz
Join this channel in order to support this content:
/ @bigred40tech
Join us on the free Discord as well!:
/ discord
Note: I am not associated with the Battletech / Mechwarrior IP, and create this under fair-use. Ownership of the Battletech IP resides with several companies at this time. I support all official releases. - Ігри
Primary Resources Used for this video.
Field Manual Crusader Clans: store.catalystgamelabs.com/products/battletech-field-manual-crusader-clans-pdf
Technical Readout 3060: store.catalystgamelabs.com/products/battletech-technical-readout-3060-pdf
Recognition Guide Volume 19: store.catalystgamelabs.com/products/battletech-recognition-guide-ilclan-vol-19
You can find the Cougar in plastic, from Catalyst Game Labs, in the Clan Fire Star:
store.catalystgamelabs.com/products/battletech-forcepack-clan?variant=39754352132130
Thanks for another great video!!
4 out of 5 Boxed Wine manufacturers support Cougars in the IlClan era.
Always use the Moscato to lure them in
Oh, I know I should say no
But it's kind of hard when she's ready to go
I may be dumb, but I'm not a dweeb
I'm just a sucker with no self-esteem
@@BigRed40TECH it was not the response we expected yet needed
@@BigRed40TECH The Offspring... Nice...
Nice to see you here!
The body count a cougar leaves in their wake is sheer horror. Hundreds, if not thousands of young men and women will lay broken, battered, and defeated at the base of this pouncer.
No, no, the Pouncer is 5 tons heavier and mounts fixed jump jets. ;D
@@thunderK5 40 and still jumping? I hope it isn't to strenuous for the pilot riding. ;)
Giggity
I'm betting on depending on how it's dressed up, it'll woo many a mech jock... ;)
@@K3flynGiven the typical mechwarrior battledress is a set of togs and cooler vest, I think we can take that as a given. Giggity indeed.
"This game is all about salvaging Cougars"
- MechCommander
Indeed!
Starting to realize alot of my favorite designs are Jade Falcon Mechs. You Dare To Refuse My Batchall?!?
Oh, this must be the Christmas special. 3 hours of Big Red carrying on and on and on about cougars, cougars and cougars.
It's a sizable video, but it's not 3 hours :P
@@BigRed40TECH oh and here I was thinking it would be a technical, menu, political, religious, philosophical, and spiritual diatribe with all of us in the back row yelling "keep preaching Demi-Precentor!" 🙂.
Blake be with you Demi-Precentor 😎.
I got into battletech through the mechassault games. The Cougar will always have a special place in my heart.
Same
Same
“Wait, you took parts from the heavy mechs to fix the light mech!?!?”
@@shadowmarine9706😂
Never encountered it in tabletop, but in the Battletech (2018) mod Roguetech it was a mech hated seeing and hated using. It punched well above it's weight and, when being covered for by enemy mechs and vehicles, was a pain to hunt down. If you had clear shots on it, you took them. On the flip side, it was a pain to use as well. By the time you got it, you were usually so heavily out numbered in battle it's low armor and speed (for a light) was a huge liability. A single poor movement phase meant you were down a mech as soon as the enemy opened up. Even when played perfectly, sometimes you just got overran or artillery decided the Cougar just had to go.
In MW 4, the standard game, you ran into a few missions where these were paired with the mentioned puma. First blush on these was difficult, as it was ready for you every time if you charged down the road blindly. it taught you to watch for them, and leg them on sight, as MW 4 basically made that a kill(with higher salvage rates too). This made it worth pulling down with the legs, so you could at least sell it off for good money.
Despite being a Purple Bird Strong kinda guy
The cougar will always have a special place in my heart as mechassault was my introduction to the series 20 something odd years ago.
I used to have a Cougar in few of my Assault Stars. Fast fire support is always a good thing to have
Ever since Mech Assault, The Cougar has been my favorite light mech, possibly my favorite mech of all time. Sure it’s sluggish but as a light fire support platform, it truly shines.
I'm a proud Blakist. My son loves playing Clan Ghost Bear. He almost always brings at least 1 Cougar to our battles.
NGL, it is one of the scariest mechs he brings, and a primary target I am forced to deal with fast, or I pay for it over and over and over.
Great video, man!!!
The 'wrecking ball' introduction for many of us back in the day to clan technology.
my absolute favorite light mech in the franchise. I always love my hard hitters, even in the smallest of packages. as I often like to say when using / building mechs. "My life may be optional, but damage is not"
i really like the TRO 3055 series, but the Cougar's cool so i'm glad you're covering it too!
The Cougar: the perfect picture of an Eggshell armed with a Sledgehammer.
I'm a big fan of clan Jade Falcon mechs. I'm looking forward to seeing more.
The Cougar is a deadly little Mech. Always a good one to field when playing.
The Cougar was one of the few mechs I used throughout all of mechcommander 1 and 2. Also it was the final metal mech I got to fill out my first star of JF mechs in the 90s.
Gosh this mech brings back so many memories from when I was a kid.
Even if it’s not all that it’s cracked up to be, I love this little menace.
Sounds like one of the best team player mechs ever conceived if I'm honest.
That closing line was gold.
Pound for pound, the Cougar is one of the best light mechs in BT. Even with its relatively slow speed, the Cougar is a serious threat on the battlefield
It's very solid, but it's got major problems too. If you can avoid them, it's devastating.
This mech is cheap for an omnimech, yet massively armed and fully capable of even dropping heavies if given the chance.
It's interesting that this 'mech became a design foundation for other machines, such as the Night Gyr and Hel, both trading speed for firepower.
I think you’re onto something here. If you’re prepared to trade some speed for armour and weapons, you can make effective and economical light mech. The panther (in 3025), wolfhound and cougar are all examples of this.
They say Urbie is a slowpoke. But look at it, its a deadly menace in cities. The thing is... used in the preferred environments. Speed is not an issue. Even less if other aspects and roles are compensated with.
We like getting cougars for Christmas especially early
The Cougar seems to be the kind of mech people tend to either love using, or never use at all, and I think a lot of it comes down to risk tolerance: using one Cougar can be fine, as long as you can use something like the Warhammer well of course, but I find that the Cougar really shines when you go balls-to-the wall: send two out to kill a Timberwolf, or use the Cougar in conjunction with something like a PPC boat. Things tend to go really well, or really terribly.
Cougar with Panther, Raven, and Hollander?
@@dubuyajay9964 If you can, swap the Hollander for a Kit Fox A and the Panther for the wolf mech that's basically an ERPPC version of the Hollander. But otherwise it should work well.
Nice to see a full breakdown of this petite omni-mommy.
10/10 for the humor as well. 😂
Not a single joke was uttered! XD
@BigRed40TECH Ah of course. Serious clan mech is serious business after all!
Certainly!
My favorite mech, I love this little snake!
Hide your twenty something ton male Mechs , there's a cougar on the prowl 😅
Hide your kids!
I agree with Red regarding this beautifully designed machine being misused by the Clanners. I've personally used this beauty in multiple BTech games AND the boardgame itself. I absolutely love the 'Mech. You just need to use it properly. It kills anything out there. And if you DO play in campaigns that allow you to modify it to taste, AND if you're playing in a time where the HAG is available.... well.... 'nuff said.
The Cougar is insane. It is peak tech. Clan. Light. Small. So powerful it can take on tonnage twice it's size. I love this mech.
Loved the cougar in MW4M , very useful at the Solaris light circuit. Fast, low profile and could pack weapons, the MWO version is a far cry imo.
The cougar, vulture, and timber Wolf are the holy Trinity of Mechs for my love of battletech. These 3 monsters in the field have carried many a game and round for me from MW4 to MWO to wherever you can find them.
Stealing or bargaining for a cougar is the dream of a mercenary commander. The firepower of a powerful clan mech, but you might be able to afford maintenance and transportation costs. Trading different salvaged clan mediums for a cougar is often not a loss, I’d trade an Ice Ferret for a Cougar any day.
Mechwarrior Online so late into its life is very heavy and assault focused, but the Cougar remains one of the finest mechs on my roster and one of my regular mechs. It is just so hard to match its firepower and hardpoint placement, despite its lower top speed it has excellent acceleration/deceleration as a light mech. No other mech in the game can match its combination of firepower and peeking ability making it the king of fire support lights.
Agree with your conclusion on the Light Assault gun. The movement shortfall isn't really an issue for me because it's meant to work with heavies in it's primary role. It does have the typical clan issue on so many mechs that it needlessly sacrifices armor when it doesn't have enough heat dissipation for most configurations. How much better would the prime be with losing 1.5 ton of pod space and essentially maxing out the armor? Easy to go with 1xLRM15 instead of 2xLRM10 to free up the necessary tonnage, for minimal loss of useable firepower. It's the same story for almost every configuration.
EDIT: Also wanted to add that you can buy/produce 3.3 Cougars for 1 Summoner. If you're trying to re-build your touman - it makes 100% sense to go with the Cougars. Problem is like BR mentions - Zellbringen bound warriors don't care about economics, they want the shinyest toy they can have.
For the edit response: Yea, the Clans are often their own worst enemies, which is what makes the setting so fun lol
A great gift for Christmas
Merry Christmas :)
A hard hitting solid performer in my experience. A rather forgiving light starter mech. Definitely one where initiative needing to land hits is vital as your speed won't be saving you.
A weapon of war instead of a toy for so-called "honor duels". Khan Marthe Pryde learned the lessons of Tukayyid and Twycross well.
It's hard not to take at least one Cougar in every medium star you have, it's simply an all-around great omnimech.
Ah, the Mech that brought me into BattleTech that I originally thought it as Mech Assault. Now after being reintroduced to the IP I have better understanding of not only the universe, but this Mech itself. Great video Red and looking forward to what’s next
Mechwarrior 2 was technically my introduction to Battletech, but I was a young child. Mech Assault 1 is what really got me into BT, and same thing. The Cougar and the Mad Cat were my favorite MA 1 mechs, and the Vulture was a favorite of mine in MA2.
The little Clan glass cannon that could!
Cougar is always a good mech to have on the field! You always do a great job on these videos!
Thank you! :D
While the Cougars seen as flawed & sort of failed to meet the Clanners way of warfare in Trials dueling/Batchall or zellbringin, they're made for Inner Sphere ways of warfares that the Jade Falcons, ironically, never thought that helps keeping their Clan alive from extinction.
The Green Birds' Cougars - whilst being their "Adders at home", are in fact a workhorse trooper mechs like the Vindicators & Cataphracts to House Liao; Panthers & Phoenix Hawks to House Kurita; Centurions & Enforcers to House Davion, as well as Wolfhounds to House Steiner.
Being a "pocket heavy" with a staggering pod space tonnage being more than half of mech's tonnage, further enhances the Cougar's value as a ubiquitous trooper mech that can take on medium & heavy mechs. Despite being a 35-ton light mech, a pod space weighing half its tonnage is not something to sneeze at. It's no wonder all IS great houses were delighted to get their hands on the Clan equivalent to their own trooper mechs such as Cougars & Hellbringers/Lokis
Brought to you in part by the secret council of foreign mech sales. Now move along and watch the nice video
Sea Fox?
@@dubuyajay9964 never
Great video, once again.
I've never really liked the light mech (I've always thought "go big or go home"), with your videos I've really started to like the little ones.
Really considering the idea of putting up a "proper" force together with lights and mediums being the main tonnage, with some ass-aults and heavies in the frontline.
Cougar would *definitely* be in there; such a great combination of firepower, mobility and protection.
Have a great Christmas and New Years, as well!
Remember to take care of yourself and your loved ones
I just used a Watchman on the table yesterday and my opponent had never heard of it before. I was like what, how have you not heard of it? 3055 is like the red headed step child of Battletech. I look forward to the video for the Watchman, it's a solid trooper mech and breaks the 40 ton curse in my opinion.
I agree. I've used it as well and it's a surprisingly tough and capable medium machine, not to mention cheap.
Watchman is great Mech, one of My favorites... Along with it's Cousin the Enforcer.
Vindicator is best girl
@@nurgle333 Vindy is 45 tons
@@74Grimlin oof
Loved the firepower, hated the pace and fragility for this mech... maybe it's my Alpha Strike focus, but I tend to look at mechs through the lens of how it would fit in with the rest of my force... I can see this mech working well with other mechs as long as it's used with intention ... great vid!
Might be better with a light sniper/artillery/gun line. Long range variant with a Hollander, Cougar, and a Raven.
I first encountereed the Cougar in the first MechCommander game, and it became instantly my in-game favorite.
That little mech could outfight pretty much anything below the heavy weight category.
Ah yes, the Cougar, truly one of the prettiest mechs of all time. Even with her wrinkles, she can still strut her stuff!
Hehehehe!
Watch out, younger mechs! The Cougar's coming for you.
The cougar is top 3 favorite omnis and easy top 10 favorite mechs of all time. I had my cougar prime turn two gyro kill an Atlas with its lrms and it was glorious. That cougar is now a star captain.
During a recent playthrough of the 2023 Worldwide Event, I used a Raven II's TSEMP to knockout a Cougar - by far the most dangerous opponent the Clanners fielded. It was the only Clan mech we were able to destroy that time, but it was worth it.
As you said, if you have a 'big threat' to distract from the Cougar, it can be an absolute terror on the battlefield. It shares that with the Adder it's descended from.
Always good to learn more about the Green Budgie. ;)
Gimme a Cougar F, rip out the B-pods and fit a partial wing in there somewhere.
Create an absolute backstabbing, dogfighting menace.
In other words, I feel like the XR was really going somewhere scary.
Also, very excited to hear you're covering the watchman!
Love me a no-frills stopgap mech just as much as a bleeding edge niche one.
Cougar is a great light Clan Mech. I always have a soft spot dor it.
I've used the Cougar A many times to great success. It's LRM20s+ Artemis IV have turned the tide of several conflicts.
I think its one of those mechs some may initially dismiss but if used right it can be a very nice mech to field. Just requires using it correctly.
Omnitech is defo worth the bills--but IS entities should have known that enemies (if they're smart) never allow access to their most lethal toys. Nice vid, Red.
Big Red, I have interest in 3055. Cougar-B with twin ER PPC's interests me. They will keep any other 'Mech at bay. 🙋🏻♂️🎅🏻🤶🏻🎄 Seyla!
When you need firepower on a tonnage budget
News about a 3 hour plus WHM 2C is most excellent news! Merry Christmas & Happy New Years Red, & thanks for top notch BT news & videos!
I do love that Mac the cougar is awesome. I play it a lot and Mechwarrior Online.
Great video as usual. I love the cougar in MW4. A couple medium lasers and LRM 15s with upgrades in armor and it can really rock.
To me i see the cougar as basically a tank destroyer of battletech. Its strong in weapons but not as good in armor and movement. I always love this cat.
I'm ashamed to say it, I've always been a huge Clan ghost bear fan. But in the ill Clan era I think I'm going to be very very very very very Pro Jade Falcon because of the new Direction the story is taking
At least for Jiyi's factions I can agree with that.
@@BigRed40TECH I agree. Whole new direction for CJF. As opposed to what they did to Ghost Bear.
@@TheRockstarRampage Families do not throw kin into a meat grinder...at least not without counting the cost first...quiaff?
Such a cool looking mech.
The Cougar is an icon
Great video another cool clan mech.
This was one of my favourite mech to use in the original mech commander game
Solid Video again Red! You hit it out of the park… fair assessment of the mech and inside jokes to boot!
Jokes, WhAtEvEr Do YoU mEaN?
The Cougar is small, pretty, and scary as heck. It's the plucky sidekick for that attention grabbing Assault Mech.😊
The Cougar can be considered a one hand sledge hammer especially with it's loadouts
Crazy how this released the same day my order for MechAssault came in the mail.
The couger the adder...those cute little boxy mech hahaha I love the design
One of the best cats made by angry birds.
A great video, I liked the detail on the mech making it's way into the IS armouries ^^
It's a major point that's made about the Mech in its Rec Guide, so it had to be mentioned. :)
Much as I despise Jade Falcon as a Clan I adore the Cougar (as well as the Puma it grew out of). Not as flashy as others but in the right hands and with the right loadout? Absolutely deadly. Anything that can catch them can't kill them and they outmanouver most things that can outgun them. Using some of the pod space for JJs and ECM I found to be handy though, hence my preference for the H variant.
In MWO it's a monster as light/fast medium killer if you stick with the assault mechs while the Puma/Adder is a wonderful option for flanking support fire. I've deleted so many mechs with those little beasts :)
I have to give you MASSIVE props for the slides you make. I adore the C variant "Don't alpha strike every turn. Stop it" and the F "This mech may be, in fact, a war crime" :D
Thank you for continuing to do these videos, sharing your love for the mechs and the setting as a whole.
My favourite clan light! Hellz ya!
Now just gotta wait for the Shadowcat. I am a patient man. ;)
AMAZING GOTTA LOVE DAT COUGAR
One of the best Clan light pocket "medium" mechs, named for a cat, made by birds. Lincoln Osis' head is spinning around in his grave...
"You took parts from the heavy mechs to fix the light mech?!"
Well yeah....I thought that...oh....
A most interesting selection for the motor pool. I could see its production chain being prioritized for capture or destruction.
Thanks, Red!
I'm glad you enjoyed! :)
One of my favorite mechs in MWO. A pair of ATM9s and a pair of clanner medium pulse lasers. Good stuff!
Have the wolf dragoons giveaway one on my shelf and one of the only clan mechs I have in IS colors. Wonderful little machine use the prime and A quite a bit.
Twin LRM-10 and ER Large laser Couger was my Solaris mech in MW4 Mercs. Man I absolutely loved it.
True men of culture prefer a mature Mech of years and experience.
Excellent video. The cougar is an awesome mech on tabletop in mwo I'm having a hard time learning it.
Yo..... I never thought this would come... Sorry I'm late!!!!!! My favorite light omnimech... The Cougar....
I love this mech thanks to mechassault.
Merry Christmas Red and fellow MechWarriors.
Merry Christmas!
Good stuff!
Probably my favourite Light mech. Though it's a bit annoying when they get shoehorned into places they shouldn't be in some games.
When i play Clans i almost always have a cougar prime. This machine is dynamite even if it lacks speed. Its twin heavy pulse lasers provide a reliable source of big damage. The only drawback i see is its poor heat management, not allowing to fire its twin LRM 10 because of massive overheat.
I always thought the Cougar, and the Shadowcat did each others traditional jobs better than the other. With the funny divergence being the Shadowcat doesn't mind getting a little more friendly from time to time.
All the time from MW4 to present, the Cougar have and is my favorite Clan Light ( though J.F is not my fav clan ). Along with the Wolfs Dragoons revamped uptonned from 15 to 20t, Flea. Bit slower than Locusts, but pack more punch, better higher up hardpoints and bit more armor. Awesome scout/ ankle biter harassers both! Side note: I love the Mad Dog Mk II? ( clan Ghost Bears idea I think ), the one from MW intro with chin mounted dual hardpoints! Also a favorite in the heavy category
Pocket Archer? Yes. Also, really hard to understand why the Cougar B doesn't come with ECM instead of that extra medium laser.
Because moar Medium Laser. lol
I love Clan Jade Falcon. Malvina Hazen was a blight on its glory. I only ever supported the Prydes and Elizabeth Hazen.
Honestly I've had nothing but good experiences using the cougar! Just gotta play it like it's a light mech! People forget it's a light mech due to its insane fire power
It's more it's gotta strike at the right time. If its exposed early, it's easily pulled from the table if it gets the wrong attention. Still, I really like it.
@BigRed40TECH agreed! Gotta know when to pounce much like a real life cougar!
I couldn't help but giggle at the sentence " the body count the aging cougar left it its wake" 😅
I’ll take the Cougar A and B combo. Hold the Honor