I know i'm a year late, but this reminded me of my first steps into BT with Mechwarrior 2! I was so young that i still couldn't read so my grandma would sit next to me and read it all for me for hours! I really treasure those memories and BT will always be special to me for it.
Alt C: 2 Gauss Rifles Me: oh, that's all? that's not too ba- wait a minute... TWO? I know it's balanced out by lack of laser weapons, but come on its Baby Gausszilla.
I played a mech Warrior who got captured by the Bears. Being a bondsman sucked until I won a challenge and became a clan Warrior. The Mad Dog was wicked .
The Vulture was key to the development of several Inner Sphere designs, as well, most notably the Avatar, one of the first home-grown Omnimechs, and the Bushwacker, which was a defunct design until salvaged Vultures gave the development team new ideas for mounting such a bulky engine.
I love the version in MechWarrior 4 with the underslung pulse lasers on the torso, the look of it was really cool too. I love the mad dag, one of the coolest designs ever
I agree, Mechwarrior 4 cutscene was the coolest freaking thing I had seen at the time even over a lot of movies. Always preferred the II in looks from that scene.
@@arcdraconis9579 My kind of first impression reaction is the make up of his squad. He's got a Cougar, a Shadowcat, and another light mech if I remember correctly, he probably wanted speed.
@@ericwollaston5654 Agreed. The LRM 20's are nice, but the LRM 15's still give good indirect support, and extra ammo so more sustain. You save 3 tons dropping to Clan LRM 15's, that gives you either another two tons of ammo and an extra double heat sink, or two double heatsinks and an extra ton of ammo. Both of which are good options.
@@CMDRFandragon Yea, the Mad Dog is very much the Clan Archer. 10 tons lighter, but the weapons combination (2 LRM20s and four lasers) is nearly identical - though the lasers are of course upgraded thanks to it being Clan tech. The legs are reversed and the hands are removed (wouldn't want to get dirty in melee combat like a nasty Spheroid freebirth) but a very similar design overall. I think it's Archer > MadDog, Warhammer > Hellbringer, Thunderbolt > Summoner, and Marauder > Timber Wolf (well, ok, with some Catapult thrown in... The TW-A is more Marauder ).
This brings to mind the old intro cutscene from MW2 Ghost Bear, when the patrolling Mad Dog gets bushwhacked by a Kodiak bursting out of the snow. Went poorly for the Mad Dog, but still a memorable clip of a great mech.
As a Ghost Bear fanboi this was always one of my fav mechs. The centre torso always kinda reminded me a little of a slimmed down unseen archer... Loved the pulses and LRM20s...so much pain and misery for the enemy... Timberwolf was the pinnacle of the armour, speed, firepower and heat square at the time of the clan invasion...
I always imagined the Mad Dog was like the Archer combined with the Rifleman, the same way the Timber Wolf was the Marauder combined with the Catapult.
@@MrDmitriRavenoff Refitting to LRM 15's is my go to with a standard Mad Dog tbh. The tonnage saved means more LRM ammo, which is the biggest weakness of the LRM 20 armed Mad Dog. I prefer more ammo and will accept a lower LRM volley in return because I can use those LRM 15's more than I can the stock LRM 20's. An extra couple of tons of LRM ammo means I go from 6 turns of LRM fire to essentially unlimited given the average game length. Even works in Campaign games, as you need fewer downtimes for resupply. Dropping the Mad Dog from 20's to 15's just makes so much sense in pretty much any Mechwarrior/Battletech game because of that extra ammo capacity. The extra heatsink don't hurt either! I mean, lets face it, a Clan LRM 20 is 5 tons, a Clan LRM 15 is 3.5 tons. That means you save 3 tons, which means say an extra two tons of ammo and an extra double heatsink, or an extra ton of ammo, and two extra double heatsinks, and I am pretty certain the Mad Dog has the critical space for both. options, especially as the LRM 15's are a slot smaller. Given that LRM ammo and Heat are the biggest problems of the Mad Dog, dropping to LRM 15's just makes sense..... It does not solve those issues, but it goes a long way to alleviating them.
Interesting that a sly dog teaches us about a Mad Dog. We were waiting like Vultures for such a Lore-Rich video to arrive in our sights! This Mech exemplifies why an OmniMech cannot have Touman-y configurations. Thank you for chasing down the Lore for this video and sharing it with us.
The Mad Dog is without a doubt one of the best 'mechs ever made. I actually prefer it to even the Timber Wolf. It may not be as heavily armored, but it hits more reliably and it's much more cost-efficient.
It does have more downsides than low-ish armor for its weight though... Like being lacking in heat capacity (it cant fire all of its arm lasers without overheating even while standing still) and lower range than the timberwolf due to using large pulses instead of er large lasers. Sometimes you can REALLY feel like sacrifices were made to fit all that weaponry despite being 15 tons lighter than its competitor
@@thorveim1174 You're right, but it's not so bad. You can stay cool by just opening with the LPLs at range, only shooting the LRMs once your target has open armor to exploit and only shooting the MPLs when the opponent gets too close, switching out one LPLs for both MPLs. It's definitely something you gotta learn how to manage, but it's not unmanageable.
@@NonApplicable1983 oh yeah the power of simple math can allow you to manage heat in any mech... Doesnt mean its not heavily over-armed compared to the heat it can dissipate though. I mean imagine if it could fire all lasers every turn without cooking itself :p
@@thorveim1174 Still a great Mech though. Yeah you can definitely argue the Timberwolf is better, and can manage heat better, but its also 15 tons heavier. For its weight, the Vulture/Mad Dog is one of the best out there. Sure, it requires heat management but its still a versatile platform, and I have to admit I prefer it over the Timberwolf. Its a lot cheaper for a start! I would rather have two Mad Dogs than a single Timberwolf.... EDIT: And yes, I do mean that, its much easier to build a Lance around two Mad Dogs than two Timberwolf.... Timberwolf has higher BV value by a good margin. In a 7 thousand BV game you can probably field two early Mad Dogs, but you can only field one Timberwolf. With 7000 BV you can field two early Mad Dogs plus a medium and a scout light. With a Timberwolf you are probably looking at the single Timberwolf, two mediums and a light. Is that a bad thing? No, but as I said, I would rather have two Mad Dogs than a single Timberwolf....
Hands down, I can say this is one of your best videos to date. The increased emphasis on historical context, battlefield use, and tactics that the mechs were deployed in have made these longer-form videos an absolute treat, and I am more than glad that I subscribed to see them. I can't imagine the time and dedication it takes to make these, so as a fan I want to just say thank you, and please pace yourself and take the time you need away from all this if you feel burnout creeping in. You are worth the wait.
I take days off after the big videos. So outside of streaming, I'm taking the next 2-3 days off. I rarely take time, but the big videos are exhausting. So I do take breaks after them. Basically, if you see me make a video that's 60+ minutes, I take a few days off video making afterwards.
This thing was so life changing in the good old Mech Commander (1998) from Microprose. One of best, cost effective long range fire support you could drop into the field, at least for me...
I recall MechWarrior 2 (a 100 % clan based game) having the Vulture. Sounds to me like the mad dog being the "clan" might be an error/retcon? Also played the invasion period games on PC and the Mad Dog and Mad Cat Inner Sphere names for them always drove me nuts when looking for the clan Mecha in the IS mercenary inventories.
Big thing I like about these videos is that you also touch on TT effectiveness/role. And how it goes kind of hand in hand with the lore. Great job, as always 👍
The Mad Dog is the epitaph of the concept of "Perfect Budget Bang for your Buck". Got 60 tons left over to use in your lance? Mad Dog always. On a Triangle graph it is a perfect Triangle perfectly set at the mid zone of each point. A perfect jack of all trades but not specialised or great at any of them, which is fine, because that is what you want out of it anyway and can easily be customised to fit into the role of any of them. There is a reason it is the default lone wolf mech for Mechwarrior 2. It is also the mech I recommend you start with when it comes to omnimechs in Mechwarrior Online; The first mech you should buy after you start playing because it can be customised to fit any role and will fill those roles to excellence if you know how to pilot it well.
The Mad Dog was the first 'mech I ever customized, back when I was first introduced to this universe by MechWarrior 2. If I remember correctly, I removed the two Medium Pulse Lasers specifically so I could fit jump jets on it. I would soar over my foes and rain LRMs on their head with impunity.
My first exposure to Battletech was of course, the cartoon. Vultures were everywhere. My second exposure was the Sega Genesis game. You play a generic Wolf MechWarrior in a Mad Cat. My third, and arguably more important exposure was the card game. I had a couple of Vultures, and thought to myself, with little understanding of the setting, "My. What a funny looking Mad Cat. Must be related?" Thanks to the information here, I have a much better understanding of said 'Mech and setting. And for that, I thank you. Quality work as always, BR40K.
I always liked the Vulture. I always thought it looked like a clanned - up Archer torso with omni limbs. These videos are really great, Red! Im not usually interested much in the Clan mechs, but lately ive been going back to catch these long form videos and they are so interesting and entertaining! Thank you thank you!
That MechWarrior 4 intro cinematic version of the Mad Dog is, and has always been, my favorite. Absolutely beautiful. Same for the Shadowcat shown in the same cinematic. Awesome stuff.
Holy crap youtube way to drop the ball I almost missed thus video didn't appear in my feed or notification good thing I went to your channel itself and saw the vid
I'm glad that this is the Jaguar 'Mech to get the glowing review. I consider it a middling OmniMech of the invasion that has the most important feature of any machine from the setting- character. The clan that spawned it began as a black ops specialist unit, and over time divested themselves of true recon vehicles and aircraft because the society they became forgot all of the necessary tools to perform black ops, and fell back into warrior flash. A sweet 'Mech that pushed others (like late model Dragons.) The Prime is also just a damn decent way to spend 2400BV or 16m c-bills (equivalent) in combined arms scenarios like the lore describes. Mind you, I'm the guy who generally doesn't like OmniMechs. Some chassis are fantastic- but frequently they are more flash than function.
My very first mech warrior experience was in one of the sim pods at rtx 2015. Piloted a vulture. Decimated the competition. Still have my score sheet. Friend gifted me mw 5 a month ago and I have been enjoying it very much.
Such a beautiful death machine. Definitely one of my favorites, but it was MW4 that made me love it. Something about that little nose mounted Omni Rack was great.
The Mad Dog I first saw in the (CLAN NAME REDACTED)'s intro video of Mechwarrior 2. It had always struck me as a cousin to the Timber Wolf, and indeed it was (albeit dubious reasons). Personally, the Mad Dog has always done right by me. It's purely savage and its primary configuration is delightfully focused.
The Mad Dog was my very first brush with the series, as a k'nex set I got for a birthday long ago. It's ended up being very special to me, and I field quite a few of them on the table as a result. The damn things are vicious I'll say that much.
This was a good watch with showing of much dedication for the topic. The editing was nice, but I can feel people will listen to it in podcast format style. And the mw2 music score is such a treat. Never get tired to hearing it.
I am always impressed by each of your video Big Red! The amount of analysis in each is so well done! Thank you for taking the time to share this passion you have with us!
I challenge you to a trial of possession for the rights for the manufacturing rights of the reconfigured A configuration of the mad dog in the name of clan jade falcon, what forces dare face the falcons talons?
My personal Mad Dog/Vulture build would use twp Clan ER PPCs and three additional Double Heat Sinks to achieve heat neutral firing. For short range it carries 5 Clan ER small lasers in each arm, the rest goes to additional armor. But that's just me.
I'm still catching up. I only found these videos recently. I go for the long videos first as they have so much lore in them. The mech is cool, the lore is even better. Keep up the amazing work.
The Mad Dog is one of my favorite mechs, I grinded for weeks to get it and the warhawk in MWO, 10/10, I'd do it again, managed to take down and Atlas with it.
One of those better clan designs that get more efficient when you shoot an arm off them , or even a torso with the attendant 2 engine hits isn't too bad on some variants , also agree about the armour it isn't too bad for its class but it's not enough for it's role in a sustained combat
I loved this mech in the games, but its pulse lasers really stood out in MW3 with the mouse targeting. You could write your name in mech armor is you were good enough. It's interesting how much the design borrows from the Archer.
My introduction to MechWarrior was Vengence - the opening never fails to get me hyped to play the game again and again to avenge my family - especially in the epic last stand of the Vulture. I always include it in my mech squads - equipping PPCs
I remember in Mechwarrior 3, or maybe 4, I loved the Vulture. I'm sure I need to get Vulture mod for MW5, and when I've more money I need to get more mechs for the tabletop game (even though I haven't played even a single game and likely won't :P ). Thanks for the video, I really enjoyed it.
It is also worth mentioning that Operation Serpent was made possible by a Smoke Jaguar Warrior named Trent who became disillusioned with his clan. Trent ultimately defected to the Inner Sphere and revealed the route to the Clan homeworlds taken by Aleksandr Kerensky, allowing the Inner Sphere invasion force to attack.
As a Ghost Bear player, the Mad Dog has always been one of my favorites. That said I loved the mech even before I went for the Ghost Bears. This mech is fantastic, I used to have like 3 or 4 firing patterns memorized for the Prime to try and get the most firepower for the least heat.
When the clans first came out, the Mad Dog was my ride. I put Timberwolf arms on it, and ran it with the two ERPPCs. I only got to field it once, where it earned its name “Murder Bird”. My opponent notice I wasn’t using my torso weapons, so ran in for a close exchange, and I hit him with both ERPPCs and 14 small lasers. Cored him out. They never let me play that configuration again.
A cool and effective Smoke Jaguar mech whose very name insults Clan Wolf? I'm kinda surprised this isn't Big Red's favorite mech - certainly ticks all the right boxes for him...
It's a solid machine, one of my favourite clan-mechs too, but not because it insults Clan Wolf, because it's just a really solid heavy, and for the clans, its operational and near ubiquitous.
My current Roguetech save has a Vulture II, but due to limited parts it mounts 2 rocket launcher pack 20s with 5 shots per launcher, then for the rest of one torso a mortar 8 to reach out and touch you. To end it all it now has a heavy rotary rifle with as much ammo as fits in that arm. The closer it gets the more damage you will take and it does not overheat.
Yes...I remember Lutien very well. How could I forget? I fought with the Crescent Hawks, headed up by Jason Youngblood. We fought throught the battle, but the worst part was that damn valley. Our company was strung out on level ground. with no where to hide. I remember being scared...riend of mine, Pierce told me to use it...they fought like...furies...like animals. i don't know how we held out. The command lance was shot to hell, recon was down and I was the only survivor of the Strike lacne...I rmemeber hearing the screams of my best friend as she...as she..baked alive in her cockpit...elementals crawling all over her enforcer...I couldn't help her...I just couldn't get there in time....then...just like that.. it was over...the clans had shot their wad and it was overl...I looked down the valley...saw some clan warrior cflimbing out of her cockpit of her ruined Vulture.. My first thought was to blast hert...but then I couldn't face Jason again...let alone the old mabn from the Kell hounds....That was it...that was the last battle I ever fought and may I never fight another....so...Yeah...I remember Luthien really well.
First mech I played on MWO was the Solaris Games Mad Dog. I still have a fondness for that thing. Turned it into an SRM mech, 6 SRM 6's rounded out with a couple small lasers if I recall correctly, been awhile since I played MWO. The thing can take down an Assault Mech easily if you catch it off guard. 6 SRM6's into the back kind of grabs people attention, and it is an absolute demon against the lights that like to try pick off straggling heavies. That thing has one shot more than one light that thought it had itself a nice, juicy, clumsy Heavy kill!
I've always appreciated the Vulture's design. It looks like a proper mech *blistering* with firepower. Very cool variants too, I love its weapon pairings
The Vulture is perhaps the true face of the Mechwarrior games. It features prominently in most intros and outros across the video games, and gets top billing in MW3 and MW4, the latter of which doesn't even feature a Mad Cat.
Give them a break! Clan Hell's Horses has lost so often and experienced so many defeats, that the "Mongol Doctrine" may be their only chance to achieve anything.
This is the mech I used as a 9-year-old at a birthday party to win a 7 or 8 player match against several adults in the cockpit arcade version of Battletech. My final kill was by alpha strike. The guy was pissed!
Soooo... we have the 'Mad Cat' and the 'Mad Dog,' similar mechs originating with the same galactic power(s). But one of these names is the Clan name, and one is the Inner Sphere name? My OCD is triggered so hard right now.
Great video, and enjoyed very much. IMO, would have been better split into 2 videos, one one the MD specifically and one on the general history, but YMMV. Always felt that the MD was the perfect example of clan mech design prioritizing raw firepower for dueling over an effective war machine. A couple very minor changes (Endo, LRM20=>15) frees up enough tonnage to increase armor, HS, and ammo to significantly improve its performance on a battlefield.
I'm not shy about admitting that my introduction to Battletech was through Mechassault. It's why some of my favorite mechs are what they are. Timber Wolf, Catapult, Atlas. I also favor the Cougar and Kit Fox, and have a soft spot for the Summoner. In that game, while I had a loose understanding of the four weight brackets of mechs, I always confused the Mad Dog for a medium Mech with more firepower. It just didn't seem to have the size of the Timby or Summoner, but wasn't as small and nimble as a Kit Fox or Cougar. It wasn't a light, heavy, or assault, as far as I could tell. How wrong I was, but that little mix up just makes the Mad Dog more memorable to me.
I know i'm a year late, but this reminded me of my first steps into BT with Mechwarrior 2! I was so young that i still couldn't read so my grandma would sit next to me and read it all for me for hours! I really treasure those memories and BT will always be special to me for it.
You will never be late for the Battletech fun!
That's so cute
The Mad Dog never fails to make me go "Wait, it has *how* much firepower?" every time I look at it.
dont think it handles the heat that well though.. but large pulses are weapons of terror, no matter what carries them
Clan Scientist Caste "how much firepower you want on this design?" Clan Warrior Caste "Yes!" 😋
And it "only" weights 60 tons!
Alt C: 2 Gauss Rifles
Me: oh, that's all? that's not too ba- wait a minute... TWO?
I know it's balanced out by lack of laser weapons, but come on its Baby Gausszilla.
I built one in MW4 that carried 2 guass and 2 lrm 15s.
I played a mech Warrior who got captured by the Bears. Being a bondsman sucked until I won a challenge and became a clan Warrior. The Mad Dog was wicked .
honestly a cool story to think about. especially with the ghostbear dominion.
That sounds awesome!
Hearing the name of the Smoke Jaguar Khan of the Clan Invasion era brings back memories as I started my Battletech journey playing Mechwarriors 3.
Good ol' times!
The Vulture was key to the development of several Inner Sphere designs, as well, most notably the Avatar, one of the first home-grown Omnimechs, and the Bushwacker, which was a defunct design until salvaged Vultures gave the development team new ideas for mounting such a bulky engine.
Yep. It'll be mentioned in their videos when we get to them. :)
I love the version in MechWarrior 4 with the underslung pulse lasers on the torso, the look of it was really cool too. I love the mad dag, one of the coolest designs ever
In Battletech that's the Mad Dog II / Mad Dog III in appearance.
I agree, Mechwarrior 4 cutscene was the coolest freaking thing I had seen at the time even over a lot of movies. Always preferred the II in looks from that scene.
It does irk me how Duke is riding a vulture when he has a daishi stashed
@@arcdraconis9579 maybe he preferred more speed to keep up with his guys?
@@arcdraconis9579 My kind of first impression reaction is the make up of his squad. He's got a Cougar, a Shadowcat, and another light mech if I remember correctly, he probably wanted speed.
The Mad Dog, when a Clanner wanted an Archer and a Rifleman at the same time, but with more speed.
Great assessment. I prefer to have LRM-15's installed instead with more ammunition.
@@ericwollaston5654 Agreed. The LRM 20's are nice, but the LRM 15's still give good indirect support, and extra ammo so more sustain.
You save 3 tons dropping to Clan LRM 15's, that gives you either another two tons of ammo and an extra double heat sink, or two double heatsinks and an extra ton of ammo.
Both of which are good options.
Once i actually saw an Archer, I cant unsee the Mad Dog as an Archer where they moved the cockpit up on top and slapped some chicken legs on it.
@@CMDRFandragon Yea, the Mad Dog is very much the Clan Archer. 10 tons lighter, but the weapons combination (2 LRM20s and four lasers) is nearly identical - though the lasers are of course upgraded thanks to it being Clan tech. The legs are reversed and the hands are removed (wouldn't want to get dirty in melee combat like a nasty Spheroid freebirth) but a very similar design overall. I think it's Archer > MadDog, Warhammer > Hellbringer, Thunderbolt > Summoner, and Marauder > Timber Wolf (well, ok, with some Catapult thrown in... The TW-A is more Marauder ).
@@alganhar1 Does it have the crits to sidegrade the MPLs to ERMLs for 2 more DHS? On top of the 20-15 deal.
This brings to mind the old intro cutscene from MW2 Ghost Bear, when the patrolling Mad Dog gets bushwhacked by a Kodiak bursting out of the snow. Went poorly for the Mad Dog, but still a memorable clip of a great mech.
Do not forget Mechwarrior 4 Vengeance Intro. Granted it got its leg actuators wrecked, and then it got a beat down.
@@joshuasturnfield7549 Still, its pilot stood his ground and went down like a boss.
@@joshuasturnfield7549 to be fair, he did go down swinging on a full lance of Nova Cats and Uziels. 😂
"Freebirth!"
And there's the Mech 2 Mercenaries ending cinematic. The Mad Dog gets a sore deal in the movies.
As a Ghost Bear fanboi this was always one of my fav mechs.
The centre torso always kinda reminded me a little of a slimmed down unseen archer...
Loved the pulses and LRM20s...so much pain and misery for the enemy...
Timberwolf was the pinnacle of the armour, speed, firepower and heat square at the time of the clan invasion...
I always wanted to retrofit it with LRM-15's with more HS and Ammo.
@@MrDmitriRavenoff and make it even better - thats crazy talk 🙂
I always imagined the Mad Dog was like the Archer combined with the Rifleman, the same way the Timber Wolf was the Marauder combined with the Catapult.
@@spectre111 thats actually a really good way to look at the Mad Dog
@@MrDmitriRavenoff Refitting to LRM 15's is my go to with a standard Mad Dog tbh. The tonnage saved means more LRM ammo, which is the biggest weakness of the LRM 20 armed Mad Dog. I prefer more ammo and will accept a lower LRM volley in return because I can use those LRM 15's more than I can the stock LRM 20's. An extra couple of tons of LRM ammo means I go from 6 turns of LRM fire to essentially unlimited given the average game length.
Even works in Campaign games, as you need fewer downtimes for resupply. Dropping the Mad Dog from 20's to 15's just makes so much sense in pretty much any Mechwarrior/Battletech game because of that extra ammo capacity.
The extra heatsink don't hurt either!
I mean, lets face it, a Clan LRM 20 is 5 tons, a Clan LRM 15 is 3.5 tons. That means you save 3 tons, which means say an extra two tons of ammo and an extra double heatsink, or an extra ton of ammo, and two extra double heatsinks, and I am pretty certain the Mad Dog has the critical space for both. options, especially as the LRM 15's are a slot smaller.
Given that LRM ammo and Heat are the biggest problems of the Mad Dog, dropping to LRM 15's just makes sense..... It does not solve those issues, but it goes a long way to alleviating them.
Interesting that a sly dog teaches us about a Mad Dog.
We were waiting like Vultures for such a Lore-Rich video to arrive in our sights!
This Mech exemplifies why an OmniMech cannot have Touman-y configurations.
Thank you for chasing down the Lore for this video and sharing it with us.
i remember watching a trailer for a mechwarrior game that a mad dog was in a mission then a kodiak suddenly crushes the poor fella jaja
Ghost Bear Legacy.
That was the intro, to my memory.
I remember that intro too. "Oh hey, Mad Dog, my fav-oh. Oh no."
Ouch!
The Mad Dog is without a doubt one of the best 'mechs ever made. I actually prefer it to even the Timber Wolf. It may not be as heavily armored, but it hits more reliably and it's much more cost-efficient.
It does have more downsides than low-ish armor for its weight though... Like being lacking in heat capacity (it cant fire all of its arm lasers without overheating even while standing still) and lower range than the timberwolf due to using large pulses instead of er large lasers. Sometimes you can REALLY feel like sacrifices were made to fit all that weaponry despite being 15 tons lighter than its competitor
@@thorveim1174 You're right, but it's not so bad. You can stay cool by just opening with the LPLs at range, only shooting the LRMs once your target has open armor to exploit and only shooting the MPLs when the opponent gets too close, switching out one LPLs for both MPLs. It's definitely something you gotta learn how to manage, but it's not unmanageable.
@@NonApplicable1983 oh yeah the power of simple math can allow you to manage heat in any mech... Doesnt mean its not heavily over-armed compared to the heat it can dissipate though. I mean imagine if it could fire all lasers every turn without cooking itself :p
To be fair if there was more then one Mad Cat factory they would likely have been much cheaper then they were. The Mad Dog didn't have that problem.
@@thorveim1174 Still a great Mech though. Yeah you can definitely argue the Timberwolf is better, and can manage heat better, but its also 15 tons heavier.
For its weight, the Vulture/Mad Dog is one of the best out there. Sure, it requires heat management but its still a versatile platform, and I have to admit I prefer it over the Timberwolf. Its a lot cheaper for a start! I would rather have two Mad Dogs than a single Timberwolf....
EDIT: And yes, I do mean that, its much easier to build a Lance around two Mad Dogs than two Timberwolf.... Timberwolf has higher BV value by a good margin. In a 7 thousand BV game you can probably field two early Mad Dogs, but you can only field one Timberwolf. With 7000 BV you can field two early Mad Dogs plus a medium and a scout light. With a Timberwolf you are probably looking at the single Timberwolf, two mediums and a light.
Is that a bad thing? No, but as I said, I would rather have two Mad Dogs than a single Timberwolf....
Hands down, I can say this is one of your best videos to date. The increased emphasis on historical context, battlefield use, and tactics that the mechs were deployed in have made these longer-form videos an absolute treat, and I am more than glad that I subscribed to see them.
I can't imagine the time and dedication it takes to make these, so as a fan I want to just say thank you, and please pace yourself and take the time you need away from all this if you feel burnout creeping in. You are worth the wait.
I take days off after the big videos. So outside of streaming, I'm taking the next 2-3 days off. I rarely take time, but the big videos are exhausting. So I do take breaks after them. Basically, if you see me make a video that's 60+ minutes, I take a few days off video making afterwards.
He is really cool!
This thing was so life changing in the good old Mech Commander (1998) from Microprose. One of best, cost effective long range fire support you could drop into the field, at least for me...
Great game. We need a third one.
Gotta love a fire support mech that can be it's own damn body guard.
Would love a reboot of MechCommander
@@Linkous12yes, but which studio would you like to develope it?
The MW4 intro always gave me goosebumps, instilled a love of the Vulture for me.
There is a remastered version on YT ...link here: ua-cam.com/video/Gkn6XUuL5r4/v-deo.html
It always confused me
How could that vulture move that fast when the pilots balls were that big
Mad dog is one of my all time favorites
There's a Mech named the Mad Dog by the Clans and another named the Mad Cat by the IS.
That amuses me.
I recall MechWarrior 2 (a 100 % clan based game) having the Vulture. Sounds to me like the mad dog being the "clan" might be an error/retcon? Also played the invasion period games on PC and the Mad Dog and Mad Cat Inner Sphere names for them always drove me nuts when looking for the clan Mecha in the IS mercenary inventories.
@@carllong8954 you're more than likely thinking of MW2 Mercenaries with the IS naming of the mech vs the Clan games that use the original name.
I have a pet theory that they accidentally swapped those names within FASA before printing, but that's just me.
mad cat wasnt an insult but a target computer glitch between marauder and catapult
@@Genesis23OPBreally?
MAD, RABID! The highlight of the OmniMech series, exactly what I have been waiting for!
Big thing I like about these videos is that you also touch on TT effectiveness/role. And how it goes kind of hand in hand with the lore. Great job, as always 👍
Thanks End :D
He is really awesome!
The Mad Dog is the epitaph of the concept of "Perfect Budget Bang for your Buck". Got 60 tons left over to use in your lance? Mad Dog always. On a Triangle graph it is a perfect Triangle perfectly set at the mid zone of each point. A perfect jack of all trades but not specialised or great at any of them, which is fine, because that is what you want out of it anyway and can easily be customised to fit into the role of any of them. There is a reason it is the default lone wolf mech for Mechwarrior 2.
It is also the mech I recommend you start with when it comes to omnimechs in Mechwarrior Online; The first mech you should buy after you start playing because it can be customised to fit any role and will fill those roles to excellence if you know how to pilot it well.
I always liked a full star of Mad Dogs: A, C, C, DD, DD.
1 - ER PPC
1 - LB 5-X
2 - LRM 20
4 - LB 2-X
4 - Gauss Rifles
6 - Medium Pulse Lasers
8 - SRM 6
Excellent. As far as long-form videos go, this was able to keep my attention long enough to watch it all in one go. I enjoyed this one a lot.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Me too!
This is fantastic, thanks for the absolutely deep dive into this mech. I always loved the A configuration despite the LB-5X auto cannon.
Scatter Damage? Yes. :P
Was an awesome vid!! Made me appreciate the vulture more! Glad to have helped gather footage for ya! Thank ya for the opportunity!
The Mad Dog was the first 'mech I ever customized, back when I was first introduced to this universe by MechWarrior 2. If I remember correctly, I removed the two Medium Pulse Lasers specifically so I could fit jump jets on it. I would soar over my foes and rain LRMs on their head with impunity.
My first exposure to Battletech was of course, the cartoon. Vultures were everywhere.
My second exposure was the Sega Genesis game. You play a generic Wolf MechWarrior in a Mad Cat.
My third, and arguably more important exposure was the card game. I had a couple of Vultures, and thought to myself, with little understanding of the setting,
"My. What a funny looking Mad Cat. Must be related?"
Thanks to the information here, I have a much better understanding of said 'Mech and setting. And for that, I thank you.
Quality work as always, BR40K.
I always liked the Vulture. I always thought it looked like a clanned - up Archer torso with omni limbs.
These videos are really great, Red! Im not usually interested much in the Clan mechs, but lately ive been going back to catch these long form videos and they are so interesting and entertaining! Thank you thank you!
That MechWarrior 4 intro cinematic version of the Mad Dog is, and has always been, my favorite. Absolutely beautiful. Same for the Shadowcat shown in the same cinematic. Awesome stuff.
Holy crap youtube way to drop the ball I almost missed thus video didn't appear in my feed or notification good thing I went to your channel itself and saw the vid
-_-
Another Meisterwerk. Thanks for these. I can imagine the amount of work it takes to create.
Nice to see mw3 footage here. Yup, the Mad Dog was in the intro.
I loved it taking down the Summoner when I first saw it.
Even the Mechwarrior 2 mechlab voice made it sound ominous when it said, "Mad Dog".
I'm glad that this is the Jaguar 'Mech to get the glowing review. I consider it a middling OmniMech of the invasion that has the most important feature of any machine from the setting- character.
The clan that spawned it began as a black ops specialist unit, and over time divested themselves of true recon vehicles and aircraft because the society they became forgot all of the necessary tools to perform black ops, and fell back into warrior flash.
A sweet 'Mech that pushed others (like late model Dragons.) The Prime is also just a damn decent way to spend 2400BV or 16m c-bills (equivalent) in combined arms scenarios like the lore describes. Mind you, I'm the guy who generally doesn't like OmniMechs. Some chassis are fantastic- but frequently they are more flash than function.
My very first mech warrior experience was in one of the sim pods at rtx 2015. Piloted a vulture. Decimated the competition. Still have my score sheet. Friend gifted me mw 5 a month ago and I have been enjoying it very much.
60 tons of fun! Always dangerous, yet does tend to go down faster than 65-75 ton clan mechs, if only because you focus fire the smaller ones first!
Such a beautiful death machine. Definitely one of my favorites, but it was MW4 that made me love it. Something about that little nose mounted Omni Rack was great.
The Mad Dog I first saw in the (CLAN NAME REDACTED)'s intro video of Mechwarrior 2. It had always struck me as a cousin to the Timber Wolf, and indeed it was (albeit dubious reasons). Personally, the Mad Dog has always done right by me. It's purely savage and its primary configuration is delightfully focused.
It is pure raw weapon power!
The Mad Dog was my very first brush with the series, as a k'nex set I got for a birthday long ago. It's ended up being very special to me, and I field quite a few of them on the table as a result. The damn things are vicious I'll say that much.
Dude! I miss those old k'nex sets. I remember playing Mech Assault and that same year getting a Mad Cat k'nex set. Fell in love with the setting.
@@juangalton999 I remember playing Mechassault at my cousin's house a long time ago as well, blew my mind when it all came together!
Dankeschön! Tolles Video.
Thank you BavarianOverlord! :)
Love it love it LOVE IT! Good job, Bear!
This was a good watch with showing of much dedication for the topic. The editing was nice, but I can feel people will listen to it in podcast format style. And the mw2 music score is such a treat. Never get tired to hearing it.
Ugh... One of my favorites! And dayum it's a long one... May have to save this for the drive on Monday
I am always impressed by each of your video Big Red! The amount of analysis in each is so well done! Thank you for taking the time to share this passion you have with us!
It’s surprising that some Clanner didn’t decide to take the A configuration and slap on a bunch of ATM-6s on it.
It shows there is some decency left in this world. :P
I challenge you to a trial of possession for the rights for the manufacturing rights of the reconfigured A configuration of the mad dog in the name of clan jade falcon, what forces dare face the falcons talons?
@@Apyr404 They already have those rights though :\
Woah! Over an hour deep dive. Thanks, this is great!
Glad you liked it!
My personal Mad Dog/Vulture build would use twp Clan ER PPCs and three additional Double Heat Sinks to achieve heat neutral firing.
For short range it carries 5 Clan ER small lasers in each arm, the rest goes to additional armor.
But that's just me.
Not bad if eccentric choice. Yet armor can't be added that I know of.
I'm still catching up. I only found these videos recently. I go for the long videos first as they have so much lore in them. The mech is cool, the lore is even better. Keep up the amazing work.
Wait until you see the WHM IIC video XD
Mad Dog A: When you want to demoralize your opponent by taking an hour to resolve every single firing round.
"I hit with 30 SRM's this turn, rolling locations."
"NOOOOOOO"
Add in cluster rolls for those LBXs and you destroy not only his mech, but also his Saturday.
Thank you for covering my favorite Clan Mech.
The Mad Dog is one of my favorite mechs, I grinded for weeks to get it and the warhawk in MWO, 10/10, I'd do it again, managed to take down and Atlas with it.
The unbelievably corny and simultaneously badass intro to mech 4 has emblazoned this mech permanently into my subconscious.
The Warhammer and the Vulture were always my favorite mechs, and are the only original Ral Partha minis I still have.
One of those better clan designs that get more efficient when you shoot an arm off them , or even a torso with the attendant 2 engine hits isn't too bad on some variants , also agree about the armour it isn't too bad for its class but it's not enough for it's role in a sustained combat
Fun fact : the way you pronounce Smoke Jaguar comes as Smokejack Wire if subtitles are enabled. Thanks for the vid, it's one of your best.
I loved this mech in the games, but its pulse lasers really stood out in MW3 with the mouse targeting. You could write your name in mech armor is you were good enough.
It's interesting how much the design borrows from the Archer.
@@OfficerHotpants "Does this modification to my armaments make my ass(ault) look fat?"
@@OfficerHotpants And it appears that you didn’t read the original series of novels?
The Archer featured quite a lot.
My introduction to MechWarrior was Vengence - the opening never fails to get me hyped to play the game again and again to avenge my family - especially in the epic last stand of the Vulture.
I always include it in my mech squads - equipping PPCs
A monster of a video for a monster of a mech. Thank you for your work and dedication
This is my favourite mech I’m excited thank you
I'm not a big fan of Clans in general. But goddamn, this mech is a work of art, one of my favourites for many years)
Yessssss my fave mech. Was waiting for this one
Love that its a long video too
Love the video Red, another great technical readout!
One of my favorites from the invasion.
I remember in Mechwarrior 3, or maybe 4, I loved the Vulture.
I'm sure I need to get Vulture mod for MW5, and when I've more money I need to get more mechs for the tabletop game (even though I haven't played even a single game and likely won't :P ).
Thanks for the video, I really enjoyed it.
My all time favourite omni
It is also worth mentioning that Operation Serpent was made possible by a Smoke Jaguar Warrior named Trent who became disillusioned with his clan.
Trent ultimately defected to the Inner Sphere and revealed the route to the Clan homeworlds taken by Aleksandr Kerensky, allowing the Inner Sphere invasion force to attack.
Awesome video! It was fun to learn about an iconic Mech.
This channel is awesome. Thanks for all th hard work you put into these.
Thank you War Hawk!
As a Ghost Bear player, the Mad Dog has always been one of my favorites. That said I loved the mech even before I went for the Ghost Bears. This mech is fantastic, I used to have like 3 or 4 firing patterns memorized for the Prime to try and get the most firepower for the least heat.
When the clans first came out, the Mad Dog was my ride. I put Timberwolf arms on it, and ran it with the two ERPPCs. I only got to field it once, where it earned its name “Murder Bird”. My opponent notice I wasn’t using my torso weapons, so ran in for a close exchange, and I hit him with both ERPPCs and 14 small lasers. Cored him out. They never let me play that configuration again.
One my favorite mechs when first playingz Mechcomander 2. Usually loaded with 2 Heavy Large Lasers and 6 LRM 5s.
Another great Battletech video.
An hour and a half video about my favorite mech!
another exelent video as always Big Red keep up the good work 👍
That was tour de force! Can't wait to paint my this model.
I thought the mad dog was a mix between an archer and a madcat because it literaly looks like an archer with chiken legs
It's not related to the Archer at all. lol
Both the IS and the CLANs knew slapping lotta missiles into your side torsos is a good idea.
A cool and effective Smoke Jaguar mech whose very name insults Clan Wolf? I'm kinda surprised this isn't Big Red's favorite mech - certainly ticks all the right boxes for him...
It's a solid machine, one of my favourite clan-mechs too, but not because it insults Clan Wolf, because it's just a really solid heavy, and for the clans, its operational and near ubiquitous.
We do not have "Mad Cats", free birth! We do, however, have Mad Dogs.
My current Roguetech save has a Vulture II, but due to limited parts it mounts 2 rocket launcher pack 20s with 5 shots per launcher, then for the rest of one torso a mortar 8 to reach out and touch you. To end it all it now has a heavy rotary rifle with as much ammo as fits in that arm. The closer it gets the more damage you will take and it does not overheat.
Yes...I remember Lutien very well. How could I forget? I fought with the Crescent Hawks, headed up by Jason Youngblood. We fought throught the battle, but the worst part was that damn valley. Our company was strung out on level ground. with no where to hide. I remember being scared...riend of mine, Pierce told me to use it...they fought like...furies...like animals. i don't know how we held out. The command lance was shot to hell, recon was down and I was the only survivor of the Strike lacne...I rmemeber hearing the screams of my best friend as she...as she..baked alive in her cockpit...elementals crawling all over her enforcer...I couldn't help her...I just couldn't get there in time....then...just like that.. it was over...the clans had shot their wad and it was overl...I looked down the valley...saw some clan warrior cflimbing out of her cockpit of her ruined Vulture.. My first thought was to blast hert...but then I couldn't face Jason again...let alone the old mabn from the Kell hounds....That was it...that was the last battle I ever fought and may I never fight another....so...Yeah...I remember Luthien really well.
First mech I played on MWO was the Solaris Games Mad Dog. I still have a fondness for that thing. Turned it into an SRM mech, 6 SRM 6's rounded out with a couple small lasers if I recall correctly, been awhile since I played MWO. The thing can take down an Assault Mech easily if you catch it off guard. 6 SRM6's into the back kind of grabs people attention, and it is an absolute demon against the lights that like to try pick off straggling heavies. That thing has one shot more than one light that thought it had itself a nice, juicy, clumsy Heavy kill!
I've always appreciated the Vulture's design. It looks like a proper mech *blistering* with firepower. Very cool variants too, I love its weapon pairings
Very cool... Ill need to include this in one of my forces
What a great one, thanks mate!
Thank you! It was a ton of fun making this one. :)
Thanks for the interesting video. Good use of MW5 for footage
The SRM boat version of the Mad Dog is nasty. I one-shotted a Marauder II using Infernos.
Hour and a half special lets go!
Revisiting this gem in 2024!
Great work!
The Vulture is perhaps the true face of the Mechwarrior games. It features prominently in most intros and outros across the video games, and gets top billing in MW3 and MW4, the latter of which doesn't even feature a Mad Cat.
Awesome Video.
Give them a break!
Clan Hell's Horses has lost so often and experienced so many defeats, that the "Mongol Doctrine" may be their only chance to achieve anything.
This is the mech I used as a 9-year-old at a birthday party to win a 7 or 8 player match against several adults in the cockpit arcade version of Battletech. My final kill was by alpha strike. The guy was pissed!
The lobby/starting graphic for this vid is epic
That's From UA-cam.
ua-cam.com/video/LTQdcQDtNCo/v-deo.html&ab_channel=KellyPlayz
I truly can't wait for this October for us to experience in MechWarrior 5 clans stand alone expantion to the game
Awesome video man thanks. Almost Halfway through and I can't wait to listen to the rest
Wonderful job! Like well earned!
Soooo... we have the 'Mad Cat' and the 'Mad Dog,' similar mechs originating with the same galactic power(s). But one of these names is the Clan name, and one is the Inner Sphere name? My OCD is triggered so hard right now.
My OCD is actually CDO in alphabetical order like it should be!!!!
MADCATMADCATMADCATMADCAT
Not exactly a name, but a glitch
The Mad Cat is the innersphears name for the clan Timberwolf a 75 ton mech.
The Mad Dog is the innersphears name for the clan Vulture a 60 ton mech.
@@brettdriver9432 Vulture is the Inner Sphere name, Mad Dog is the Clan name. The Smoke Jaguars named it that way to insult Clan Wolf.
@@brettdriver9432 I'm well aware of these facts. You seem to have missed the point of my remark, good sir. :)
just fought Sean Lang in a Urban meach while i piloted this in MWO the other night cool to see it brought to light now
Great Job as usual :D
Great video, and enjoyed very much. IMO, would have been better split into 2 videos, one one the MD specifically and one on the general history, but YMMV.
Always felt that the MD was the perfect example of clan mech design prioritizing raw firepower for dueling over an effective war machine. A couple very minor changes (Endo, LRM20=>15) frees up enough tonnage to increase armor, HS, and ammo to significantly improve its performance on a battlefield.
No video splits are planned for any content. There are chapters as apart of the video. :)
I'm not shy about admitting that my introduction to Battletech was through Mechassault. It's why some of my favorite mechs are what they are. Timber Wolf, Catapult, Atlas. I also favor the Cougar and Kit Fox, and have a soft spot for the Summoner. In that game, while I had a loose understanding of the four weight brackets of mechs, I always confused the Mad Dog for a medium Mech with more firepower.
It just didn't seem to have the size of the Timby or Summoner, but wasn't as small and nimble as a Kit Fox or Cougar. It wasn't a light, heavy, or assault, as far as I could tell. How wrong I was, but that little mix up just makes the Mad Dog more memorable to me.