Very happy to be a part of your video, Big Red. Glad I can return the favour after you've been so kind as to lend your voice to my own stuff. Mixed feelings overall though. On the one hand, it's always good to see the community working together. On the other, my name is now associated with the goddamn wannabee Rakshasa. XD
Look, the Rakshasa's trying its best, as many people have told me. lol For real though, thank you for taking the time to record the line for the video. I definitely enjoyed doing this as both a serious video, and an April fools video. :)
Hah! I had to double check that I was watching the right channel at the start of the video. It's really cool to see all of you guys collaborate on a project like this and I truly hope it continues.
Tex and Big Red teaming up? Fuck yes. As for the Rakshasa; never used it so I can't comment on it too much. That said given the IS technology I'd say it was a solid mech; just a shadow of what it was copying.
good to hear Sven's voice in there too! That boy is on his way to be one of the best purveyors of Stompy Robit lore on the internet! Along with yourself and Prof. Tex, of course
The Rakshasa: An object lesson in how it's Clan tech that makes Clan mechs. It is everything the Mad Cat is, but with dialed down stats. Clan XL engines are brokenly good, their LRMs are flat-out better in every way, and their ER Large Lasers laugh at Inner Sphere equivalents from the mountaintops. That said, the Rakshasa is an order of magnitude cheaper, and the 1B going with standard large lasers takes it from a fast heavy sniper to a long-to-medium range heavy with fewer heat issues, and enough speed to keep at its preferred engagement range against anything its own size or larger. The Artemis LRM10s aren't a bad choice either, using less ammo for more precision (the Mad Cat is an amazing duelist at long range, but a prolonged engagement eats up its LRMs like nothing else). Still, the more vulnerable engine, less armor, and lack of short-range anti-vehicle/infantry/battle armor weapons keeps it from the unstoppable versatility of its inspiration.
IS Commander: The Mad Cat is expensive as fuck, I'd rather buy a Catapult with arms... Rakshasa: **Basically a Catapult with arms** IS Commander: This is shit.
On the other hand, the Rakshasa has spare parts less than 18 months away, something breaks on a MadCat, the part needs to be custom made on the clan homeworlds and shipped to the front to fix it. The Rakshasa, if the part isn't already in your inventory, is a month or 2 shipping from your nearest GM wholesale parts distributor, or like 4 months from the factory for the parts that are completely unique
It’s funny how hard he is on the heat issue. If you look at the Timberwolf prime it has the exact same issue with the same heat sinks and will run 20 heat over on an alphastrike, what am I missing here?
I like to believe that GM bought out FIAT and made them a subdivision at some point over the centuries. They would give them the Rakshasa project, and when something wouldn’t work on it someone would yell, “Well Fix It Again Tony!” In all great video, and it was great to see both Tex and Sven apart of the video. That Citadel line at the end was great 😂
The Rakshasa seems like it should always have been a concept design rather than a mass production one. Reverse engineer your desired product, learn from the mistakes you made creating the reverse engineered item. Then with that knowledge, create the product you actually want to make.
The importance of the gap between most IS and Clan tech components in mech design cannot be overstated. Applying Clan grade technology to even existing bad IS chassis can elevate them far beyond the limitations they were saddled with at their initial development, the Charger C is a prime example of this IMO. Even the walking coffin that is the Bombardier can have immense potential unlocked by the use of Clan tech, heck merely swapping the BMB-12D's existing weapons and equipment for their Clan equivalents will give engineers 11.5 more tons to play with and further refinements can create a C variant that not only excels at it's original mission profile but also opens up additional potential uses.
The best clan mech in MW5 is unironically the Urbanmech. It's compact, fast, hits hard, has more armor than most heavies, has junp jets, and is hard to head shot. I've had more intense duels with an Urbanmech IIC than I've had with entire lances of Nova's. I've even seen clan Urbanmech's outlast Blood Asp's. It's insane how durable clan tech makes the little trash can.
Red thankyou for this video! You've made some great points especially when stating that this mech is so typical of what the military industrial comexes is often guilty of. Also a big thank to Tex for helping out on this one!
Every time I say this mech's name, I feel an unnatural urge to say it, like how the bat from Ace Ventura's name was pronounced.(Rock-shhhah-ssaaaaahhhhh!)
The problem of being a Wannabee is that they're never able to measure up to the original. And then there is the straight-jacket of placing yourself into the same mould with sub-part materials. And the Rakshasa is severely straight-jacketted by trying to be a Mad Cat. Using as much LosTech as it can - Inner Sphere versions of Endo-Steel, Ferro-Fibrous Armor and XL Engines - leaves no space left to tinker with the chassis effectively, especially when trying to optimize the weapons loadout.
I will never forget TRO 3055, that was the first TRO I ever got as a kid. I remember most of the Mechs fondly, but even as a kid I knew most of the IS Mechs were not so good, including the Rakshasa
For some reason I love this mech, it has character. Always been a fan of “bad” mechs; they have their niches, just gotta find them! Plus I also unironically dislike the MadCat even barring clan wolf so an IS copy that tries its best makes me smile. Also cool hearing Tex and Sven in the vid!!
One of my favorite IS mechs. Very well conceived by FASA reflecting real world weapons development, as always. BattleTech is a franchise about the good, bad, and ugly parts of the Military-Industrial Complexes of the real world. The Rakshasa is analogous-ish to the Mig-25 and F-15, or the BMP-1 and the M2 Bradley; it's about when one concept is copied, and the copy ends up doing different things entirely from the original...sometimes (and most certainly in the cases of the F-15 and the Bradley) much better. The Rakshasa was *not* an IS Timber Wolf, but it was a fine mech in its own right despite failing to be an IS Timber Wolf. I'm quite looking forward to this video.
@@BigRed40TECH True the IS ER Large Laser are not the best (I really would like to have ER PPC´s^^). But the general Weapons Config of the 1A is ok. If you reduce the Speed to 4/6/0 you can even use a Standard Engine 😉. Or you reduce the Speed and give the Rakshasa Jumpjets to get 4/6/4. There are many possibilities with this Mech. I simply put in a Light Fusion Engine, reduced Speed to 4/6/0, gave it 16 Double Heatsinks, Endo Steel, put in CASE´s, a Guardian ECM and 14 tons of Standard Armor. Additional changed the Medium Laser to ER Medium Laser and voila have a Mech with a BV count of 1791. ...that maybe low compared to a real MadCat but it is not a bad Heavy IS Mech all in all.
Honestly, I love the Rakshasa the more I look at it, and for my Merc groups post 3055, it makes an absolutely perfect clan force-on-force trainer, modeling approximately one of their most common mechs (even if falling far behind
@@mrbuzzsaw9340 Heavy vs Assault (even if it only 5 Tons difference^^) ... But why a better Pilot...I like to compare Mechs with the thought in Mind that the Pilots are Equal...or you could directly take Natasha Kerensky as your Pilot at the height of her Abilities and blast everything in One on One to pieces 😉😁
The Rakshasa is an interesting design, but to paraphrase 11dragonkid, the Rakshasa works best when it’s not trying to ape the Mad Cat. It’s a decent enough Heavy mech otherwise.
Probably easier to buy from GM than the clanners. Also you presumably get a lot better customer service than from the clanners. Plus not as likely to draw as much fire from the enemy compared to a madkat
@@BigRed40TECH Sadly the Clanners did not Sell at 3055 ...maybe the Wolf Dragoons (they at least had Clan Weapons...or so it is said in the "Blood of Kerensky" Novels). I never understood why not later create a Version with a Light Engine and Case and lower the Speed to 4/6. With that you can even throw away the ER Large Laser and put in ER PPC´s (maybe even change the LRM to SRM6 and put one more DH into the Mech). 😁
@@thorveim1174 Ah, clan Sea Fox. "Aff friend, we will sell you this fine clan mech. Neg, we do not take credit. Do we look like Comstar to you? Aff, these Locusts will do in trade, we have astechs that need to get their hours in making Locust-C mechs and a client in the Periphary that is definitely not Bull themed that would like them."
Worst of all...its not an Omni mech. IF the IS had been able to build their own 75 ton, 5/8 omnimech, it likely would be a nice combo for flexibility on the battlefield.
In a parallel universe where the Truce of Tukayyid was allowed to run out and the FedCom didn't break apart, I can see the Inner Sphere catching up to the Clans technology-wise and producing a Rakshasa that actually equals the Timber Wolf. I wonder what such a universe would be like to live in...
This was the best April Fool video of the day! Great work and it was cool to have your guests as well. The main illustration was a big improvement on the original lineart too. The Rakshasa isn't a bad mech per se, it's just so underwhelming compared to the mech it was meant to copy. It is legit in lore as a failed but well meaning attempt to make a Clan Mech without using Clan tech. In short, it was the Chevy Citation of 3055.😮 I think the Rakshasa only comes up short in 3 specs. 1. The cost, which is way, way too much for what you get. Instant buyers remorse here. 2. Lowballing the LRMs, which to me was worse than the ERLLs. LRM 15 duo would better approximate the Madcat and persuade pilots not to alpha strike. 3. The cockpit armor issue, which is ridiculous in any mech over 45 tons. 😅
Ah, the April Fools joke that is the Rakshasa-1A. Always happy to see collaborations within the content creators within the community. Thinking about picking up the Battalion kickstarter pack to enter into the hobby since for $60-ish the Game of Armored Combat pack looks less appealing.
I loved this mech but the 1B with regular large lasers. This allowed it to run and fire all it's ranged weapons and then close when it ran out of LRM ammo. Like he pointed out the 2A was vicious brawler and combining the two as a tag team is very effective in open terrain.
I personally like the timberwolf. For the Radshasa I would have downgraded the ER Lasers to normal, removed the Pulse Laser, traded the LRMs for SRMs and mount ECM and possibly more heatsinks. But - It's like Tex said in his charger video, sometimes the military industrial complex just pushes out new models to see what sticks. It is (to it's pilots dismay^^) a necessary step for the development of new weapon systems or tactics.
@Big Red 40K I was late to the party and missed the first 8 minutes or so during the premier. Having gone back to watch the start I have to say I absolutely love that you went full circle with the Colton and Wilde quotes. That's so clever. It's great when creators such as yourself go the extra mile to research sayings and work nuggets like that into their videos.
And once they stripped the wannabe Madcat weapons off a few years later. And rearmed it as a faster newer tech Marauder variant. It got really really nasty.
The 2A model mentioned at the end. With a RAC-5 with three tons of ammo, large pulse laser, and four medium pulse lasers. Less Timberwolf, more of a cocaine fueled Marauder variant. Move fast, throw out a wall of lead once in range, and give the bad guys a pulse laser shower up close, roughly on par of a Penetrator. Weapons load out make the speed you get of off the 375XL more of a plus than a minus. Course a stock engine is more durable. But that extra bit of speed lets you get up close, and start tearing the enemy's face off.
@@kevinmulkey9774 The 2A was after the Rakshasa started doing steroids after stopping trying to copy the MadCat 2A is a mech that still holds up in the Dark Age/IllClan Age IME. RAC 5 , 4mpl and 1lpl gonna multi band hit so even vs hardened or reflective armor you're gonna be doing decent damage for heat at mid range, while being 5/8 with 200+ armor points
@@ssjjshawn exactly! They quit trying to make it two mechs one. And embraced the Mad part of the Madcat. But it wasn't till seven years in 3062 after the first run Rotary AC showed up. So now till forever in Universe the first few runs that haven't exploded yet, are going to stock. 8(
I don't mind Rakshasa, honestly. I don't mind her at all. MDG-1A is a "good enough" discount Stalker. You stand back for 12 turns, spamming LRM10s and ERLLs, until ammo bins run dry and then you go in swinging. Reasonably fast, reasonably armoured, reasonably armed. She pales in comparison to her elder sisters: MadCat, Stalker and Marauder, but she does her job good enough. 5/8 on a 1800 BV mech is not that bad. People give Rakshasa more smack that she deserves.
Great to get a collaboration from some of the best Battletech oriented UA-cam personas ! As for the Rakshasa -The only way I found to make it viable early in it's release was to drop the ER Large for PPCs and go from there . Twin ER PPCs and 6 medium pulse lasers is one way. 2 standard PPCs 4LRM-5s and 3 medium lasers is another . Moving 5/8 and keeping cool while bracket firing makes both usable .
I unironically adore the -2A variant of this thing. It's kinda goofy and weird, but I've never really been in a situation where it can't bring a lot of firepower to bear. At long range? Rotary AC/5. AC/5 jams? Close to LPL range. Enemy gets too close? MORE PULSE LASERS! I wouldn't say its great, but I love derpy mechs. I also field the Grasshopper-like Charger variants a lot.
My heart is divided. Not for the Rakshasa, whose only real aspiration had to have been to be an omnimech and for the pilots to choose how they want their modular configuration to be. But the part that divides my heart is not there, but elsewhere. As a Battletech player, I would never use extended-range weapons if I could avoid it, because a few hexagons don't deserve the price you pay when it comes to heat generated. But if I remember well the books of Kerensky's trilogy where they tell us about the initial invasion of the inner sphere, they tell us that the weapons of the clans are two to three times greater in range than the traditional technology of the inner sphere ... And that's an immense distance... and if I lived and fought under those conditions, to have Extended Range weaponry that would allow me but not to equal, if I fought more equivalent to the machines of the clans, which would allow me to stay alive and at least be able to punish the enemy, because if those figures of double to triple the scope were true, suicide would be to be subjected to that punishment or to let the enemy take the initiative totally (after all, the first victories of the Inner Sphere were with ambushes and limiting those ranges to the maximum, which on board, is somewhat more secondary than in front of the stories). Obviously in a board game, these abysmal differences of distances, would be a deadly (even in the number of boards to put) although it is true that they would lead the Inner Sphere to try to limit the fight to as they did. The problem is that the limitation of game boards (and their gameplay) leads to Extended Range weapons versus normal ones being a dubious implementation easily correctable, while excess heat, it becomes a critically deadly circumstance against those who use them in the Inner Sphere. I tried to imagine these literary limitations in a test game, doubling the range of the ER weapons over the basic ones and putting those of the clans with double their scopes (which gives about 2.5 times the additional range over the normal ones and although it still gives a huge advantage over the ER of the Inner Sphere, these, at least, allowed a deployment of more offensive tactics, which even allowed to get the Inner Sphere out of "mousetrap" battles, to offensive operations, yes, having to count on a superiority of means, but that was a possibility that was not within the reach of the use of non-ER weapons. I encourage anyone who wants to try this, because it gives rise to very fun games and to see in another way the ER weapons and even some other technologies such as fusion engine XL. Thanks for this video, of that TRO3055, which has things that I love.
If I were to bring this thing back into the IlClan Era I would change the mission profile of this thing entirely, instead of a Long Range Brawler. I'd make it a Short Range Brawler with some Long Range bite to it Switch out the LRM-10s with Artemis with Streak SRM-6s with a ton of ammo each With the made-up tonnage, you'll be able to switch out the existing Medium and Medium Pulse Lasers with advanced Medium X-pulse Lasers. The ER Large Laser will remain for the direct Long Range bite I mentioned earlier Lastly, the removal of a DBH will facilitate the addition of C.A.S.E and a ton of armor to protect the skilled pilots required to push this war machine to it's limits While still not a perfect machine, as it still needs the caution and the skill of an experienced pilot, the Rakshasa will now be a close-range monster of incredible accuracy. Able to tear IS and perhaps even Clan Heavies apart within 9 hexes for a staggering fourty-two potential damage per salvo, and that's after prodding them with their ER Large Lasers as well. Not at all what the original designers had in mind, but with this variant, perhaps it will be able to seriously emulate its Clan inspiration's lethal reputation
Except one thing... those madcatz controllers may have been shit, but they usually had a gimmick that let them outperform the real thing in limited circumstances. Turbo or macros for instance. Durability for cheap and gimmicky
A waste of a perfectly good Marauder chassis. Honestly, I could understand it if it at least looked like a Timby for the psychological warfare factor, but it doesn't even achieve this. Just imagine the same hesitation that happens when you're facing Chargers or Banshees and aren't quite sure which variants they are also applying here...
Fascinating... A part of me wonders if such a concept could have been done on an assault chassis... Still prohibitively expensive, no doubt, but perhaps able to bring similar or better weapons to bear without the sacrifices of cooling capabilities or CASE.
That was the deal with the marauder II, the wolf’s dragoons knew that the marauder frame/chassis could handle being upscaled into an 100 ton mech which helped with the heat and added very nice amounts of armor
I honestly don't know which one I hate more. The Rakshasa or the Uziel. Both are under armorer, under cooled, under gunned, and pretend to be much more than they actually are. I guess the Rakshasa is a bit faster and maneuvers better than the Uziel, but the Uziel runs a bit cooler. Either way they are both very poor mechs that struggle fighting even against mechs that others of the same weight and are much older designs brush off like dust.
I loved how you were able to get Tex to open up this video, and that closing was nice, too. I'd be interested to see the MML variant with a few tweaks. Only reason why I fixate on that is because it kinda feels like leaving the launcher boxes empty feels odd. Kinda hard to think of what to complement it with though, maybe try to get some inspiration from the Vulture with Twin Large Pulse Lasers? Add in some CASE, not do Artemis. Not sure what else I'd add off the top of my head.
8:38 Yeah... TBH, by the time I was first introduced to the setting, TRO3058 was already out, but even then... I've never been 100% on board with any of the default Mad Cat designs - even as a filthy clanner (I was 7 and they were the main characters of MW2, sue me). At the time, I wasn't a fan of how they didn't carry *that* many pulse lasers - kid me liked the fast rate of fire for MPLs in MW2, and liked the fast 'pewpewpew' more than it being good or not. But now that I'm older, looking back... kid me was onto something - Timber Wolves are *expensive* and get pretty easily overshadowed partially because the basic model variants are trying to do too many things - as a solo artist, as you described - when I always feel that omnis are typically better suited to a more refined strategy based on the specific mission profile (like the Thor B, Black Hawk S, or Dasher A) rather than just a generalist. So being introduced to the Rakshasa as a 'bad mad cat' as a kid just... left me wondering why anybody would even want this design. As an adult, I can see that you're getting not-a-terrible deal on it for BV, but it *is* a very squishy machine - it's got a comparable BV to a basic introtech Atlas which... seems about right, ultimately, but still often leaves me wondering why you'd want it instead of several of your alternatives. The MDG-2A is much funnier machine - one I'm also fond of, for all the reasons you mentioned (it being itself rather than a bad imitation) and glad you showcased as well.
Just because I have a lot of free time, I created a IS mech with the same load out as the mad cat, a mech that got me into the game which I played without even knowing anything about the clans, but I had to increase the tonnage to 85 and swap out the ER Laser for large pulse in order to make it functional in 3055. It will cost you 21,334,693 c-bills and comes with jump jets, but moves in the same speed as a Victor and has 14 double heat sinks.
I've always loved the Mech 3 intro. I always laughed at the fact the Timberwolf would use it's Large Lasers on the infantry and tanks then use its Small Lasers and Machine Guns on the Atlas!!
I'd pull the large lasers off the arms and put in heavy auto cannons. Because being low slung the gun pods are it would handle the recoil well. And maybe replace the missile pods with the original Marauder dorsal auto cannon or PPC.
I like the limitations of this mek. It requires more skill to heat manage, and leave you with difficult decisions. Makes for a more exciting game in my opinion.
Sure, I don't look for perfection myself. But I dunno if I'd call the Rakshasa good under most conditions. Those ER Large Lasers are pretty boat-anchory.
@@BigRed40TECH The good news about mechs like the Rakshasa (honestly about the only good thing about the Rakshasa) is that if you're playing with modification rules having a pair of large, heavy, main weapons that you can rip out is nice for all the free tonnage it gives you to play with. Still not a spectacular mech, but if you're willing to specialize it or at least downgrade the firepower a bit you can get a mech that's much better than the main variant. Hell even the Timberwolf itself benefits from this, the A variant is far better than the Prime in my opinion, mainly because it drops some of the overwhelming firepower of the Prime in favor of a lighter weaponry loadout and more heat sinking capability while also getting rid of the ammo bins.
"my name is tex, and this is my favorite shop on the citadel" not only did i get that reference, my nerdy ass squee laughed until i damn near pissed myself 🤣🤣
Maybe the "real" question is: does an IS heavy mech need that speed? Quickdraw and Dragon have that speed, but have mediocre armor and weapons. An upgraded Orion or Marauder will be better.
Had to do a double take for a second when that smooth, whiskey-laden voice started coming out of my earbuds. 🤣 Fantastic video, Big Red, Sven, Tex, and everybody else involved with it. This 'mech is saved from mediocrity by having a whole bunch of character crammed into its flawed frame.
I remember piloting one in MW2: Mercenaries. I modded it to fit 4 MLasers (2 per arm), 2 SSRM-6s, and an ERLLaser. If memory serves me correctly, 2T SSRM ammo, maxed armor, and a bunch of heat sinks. ...I also remember the thing cost as much as an Atlas. 🤦♂️
Honestly I think the Rakshasa is like the Mackie in a way. They're both mech's that exist more for their lore and to evolve the setting than to be played with.
Tex needs to do more. Only because I love listening to his videos and i want more to listen to. That man's words are canonically gospel when it comes to battletech.
Very happy to be a part of your video, Big Red. Glad I can return the favour after you've been so kind as to lend your voice to my own stuff.
Mixed feelings overall though. On the one hand, it's always good to see the community working together. On the other, my name is now associated with the goddamn wannabee Rakshasa. XD
Look, the Rakshasa's trying its best, as many people have told me. lol
For real though, thank you for taking the time to record the line for the video. I definitely enjoyed doing this as both a serious video, and an April fools video. :)
I was a bit taken aback. Thought I clicked the wrong link.
😅😅😅😅😂😂😂😂
You could always see it as some form of eulogy, though.
Just remember,you'll go down in history for a far superior machine that is the urbanmech.
Hah! I had to double check that I was watching the right channel at the start of the video. It's really cool to see all of you guys collaborate on a project like this and I truly hope it continues.
Yeah I was tabbed-out and thought I'd misclicked an older BPL video by accident
Me too. 😂😂
"What are you?"
"I'm you, but worse"
Tex and Big Red teaming up?
Fuck yes.
As for the Rakshasa; never used it so I can't comment on it too much. That said given the IS technology I'd say it was a solid mech; just a shadow of what it was copying.
Yup, it was surprising to hear him here👍
OH HELL YES...
You two sould work togeher as much as possible.
🤜🤛👍👍👍👍
good to hear Sven's voice in there too! That boy is on his way to be one of the best purveyors of Stompy Robit lore on the internet! Along with yourself and Prof. Tex, of course
The Mad Cat at home:
😂
"Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness. - Oscar Wilde." very aptly sums up the Rakshasa.
The Rakshasa: An object lesson in how it's Clan tech that makes Clan mechs. It is everything the Mad Cat is, but with dialed down stats. Clan XL engines are brokenly good, their LRMs are flat-out better in every way, and their ER Large Lasers laugh at Inner Sphere equivalents from the mountaintops. That said, the Rakshasa is an order of magnitude cheaper, and the 1B going with standard large lasers takes it from a fast heavy sniper to a long-to-medium range heavy with fewer heat issues, and enough speed to keep at its preferred engagement range against anything its own size or larger. The Artemis LRM10s aren't a bad choice either, using less ammo for more precision (the Mad Cat is an amazing duelist at long range, but a prolonged engagement eats up its LRMs like nothing else). Still, the more vulnerable engine, less armor, and lack of short-range anti-vehicle/infantry/battle armor weapons keeps it from the unstoppable versatility of its inspiration.
The Rakshasa, in terms of production cost, isn't *that* much cheaper. But it is cheaper in BV more so.
IS Commander: The Mad Cat is expensive as fuck, I'd rather buy a Catapult with arms...
Rakshasa: **Basically a Catapult with arms**
IS Commander: This is shit.
@@Kuraimizu9152 Coulda bought like 2 catapults and welded them together. Bam better mech
On the other hand, the Rakshasa has spare parts less than 18 months away, something breaks on a MadCat, the part needs to be custom made on the clan homeworlds and shipped to the front to fix it. The Rakshasa, if the part isn't already in your inventory, is a month or 2 shipping from your nearest GM wholesale parts distributor, or like 4 months from the factory for the parts that are completely unique
It’s funny how hard he is on the heat issue. If you look at the Timberwolf prime it has the exact same issue with the same heat sinks and will run 20 heat over on an alphastrike, what am I missing here?
I like to believe that GM bought out FIAT and made them a subdivision at some point over the centuries. They would give them the Rakshasa project, and when something wouldn’t work on it someone would yell, “Well Fix It Again Tony!” In all great video, and it was great to see both Tex and Sven apart of the video. That Citadel line at the end was great 😂
Imagine not just replacing the Marauder's AC5 with LRM15/20
We DO need a Marauder like that.
Im sorry but you have just suggested a good idea to the inner sphere, please report to the nearest liao reeducation center.
no
@@95keat This is how the cataphract and raven became the faces of inovation in 3025
@@95keatplease face the wall while the ComStar men collect the HPG bill
The more people bag on this mech, the more I love it.
Bring it on. ❤
I saw one sitting in a bargain bin at the local Quikcell recently
Still a fun mech
The urbanmech affect
Discount Dan has plenty. Hit him up.
@@michaelcarpenter2498 it's a fixer upper. Something to have fun with.
The Rakshasa seems like it should always have been a concept design rather than a mass production one. Reverse engineer your desired product, learn from the mistakes you made creating the reverse engineered item. Then with that knowledge, create the product you actually want to make.
Another great video good see Tex helping you out.
My voice was just bugging me when I recorded that. :P
I'm always happy to hear Tex anywhere, for a sec I forgot who I was watching lol
The importance of the gap between most IS and Clan tech components in mech design cannot be overstated. Applying Clan grade technology to even existing bad IS chassis can elevate them far beyond the limitations they were saddled with at their initial development, the Charger C is a prime example of this IMO. Even the walking coffin that is the Bombardier can have immense potential unlocked by the use of Clan tech, heck merely swapping the BMB-12D's existing weapons and equipment for their Clan equivalents will give engineers 11.5 more tons to play with and further refinements can create a C variant that not only excels at it's original mission profile but also opens up additional potential uses.
The best clan mech in MW5 is unironically the Urbanmech. It's compact, fast, hits hard, has more armor than most heavies, has junp jets, and is hard to head shot. I've had more intense duels with an Urbanmech IIC than I've had with entire lances of Nova's. I've even seen clan Urbanmech's outlast Blood Asp's.
It's insane how durable clan tech makes the little trash can.
That was a great flip. The preview had big red, the real thing has Tex.
I don't know what you mean ;)
Red thankyou for this video! You've made some great points especially when stating that this mech is so typical of what the military industrial comexes is often guilty of.
Also a big thank to Tex for helping out on this one!
Every time I say this mech's name, I feel an unnatural urge to say it, like how the bat from Ace Ventura's name was pronounced.(Rock-shhhah-ssaaaaahhhhh!)
Every single time! It just rolls of the tongue!
The problem of being a Wannabee is that they're never able to measure up to the original. And then there is the straight-jacket of placing yourself into the same mould with sub-part materials.
And the Rakshasa is severely straight-jacketted by trying to be a Mad Cat. Using as much LosTech as it can - Inner Sphere versions of Endo-Steel, Ferro-Fibrous Armor and XL Engines - leaves no space left to tinker with the chassis effectively, especially when trying to optimize the weapons loadout.
God damn my man. April Fools day is the day for silliness! You decided to raise the bar again!
However do you mean? It's a serious video!
Holy sh*t thought I clicked on the wrong video, didn't expect Tex to lend his voice.
The sphere realized just how good we are, tried to catch lightning in a bottle again, and it was adorable for me to watch as a Clanner.
I will never forget TRO 3055, that was the first TRO I ever got as a kid. I remember most of the Mechs fondly, but even as a kid I knew most of the IS Mechs were not so good, including the Rakshasa
Salamander though... a masterpiece.
@@BigRed40TECH there's are of course a few gems. Salamander, Gunslinger, Penetrator, Wraith, Naginata
@@Executioner9000 I'm big on the Hollander, Grand Titan, Berserker, and Hercules as well, just off the top of my head.
For some reason I love this mech, it has character. Always been a fan of “bad” mechs; they have their niches, just gotta find them! Plus I also unironically dislike the MadCat even barring clan wolf so an IS copy that tries its best makes me smile.
Also cool hearing Tex and Sven in the vid!!
Big red I love the fact you opted to have tex do the introduction and outro.this was a great video made better by it.
Glad to see the collaboration
Yea, it was great to get sven to do the Davion quote. :)
Love the collaboration with the BPL! You guys are great in understanding and learning about the history of the world of Battletech.
If this is an elaborate April fools joke I’m gonna cry, love my IS Mad Cat shitbox
One of my favorite IS mechs. Very well conceived by FASA reflecting real world weapons development, as always. BattleTech is a franchise about the good, bad, and ugly parts of the Military-Industrial Complexes of the real world. The Rakshasa is analogous-ish to the Mig-25 and F-15, or the BMP-1 and the M2 Bradley; it's about when one concept is copied, and the copy ends up doing different things entirely from the original...sometimes (and most certainly in the cases of the F-15 and the Bradley) much better. The Rakshasa was *not* an IS Timber Wolf, but it was a fine mech in its own right despite failing to be an IS Timber Wolf.
I'm quite looking forward to this video.
I think it becomes a better mech, but I'm not big on the 1A. Inner Sphere ER Large Lasers are just... not good imo.
@@BigRed40TECH True the IS ER Large Laser are not the best (I really would like to have ER PPC´s^^). But the general Weapons Config of the 1A is ok.
If you reduce the Speed to 4/6/0 you can even use a Standard Engine 😉. Or you reduce the Speed and give the Rakshasa Jumpjets to get 4/6/4.
There are many possibilities with this Mech.
I simply put in a Light Fusion Engine, reduced Speed to 4/6/0, gave it 16 Double Heatsinks, Endo Steel, put in CASE´s, a Guardian ECM and 14 tons of Standard Armor. Additional changed the Medium Laser to ER Medium Laser and voila have a Mech with a BV count of 1791.
...that maybe low compared to a real MadCat but it is not a bad Heavy IS Mech all in all.
Honestly, I love the Rakshasa the more I look at it, and for my Merc groups post 3055, it makes an absolutely perfect clan force-on-force trainer, modeling approximately one of their most common mechs (even if falling far behind
@Merkarion You bring that I'll bring an AWR-8T with a better pilot to make up the difference and we'll see who wins.
@@mrbuzzsaw9340 Heavy vs Assault (even if it only 5 Tons difference^^) ... But why a better Pilot...I like to compare Mechs with the thought in Mind that the Pilots are Equal...or you could directly take Natasha Kerensky as your Pilot at the height of her Abilities and blast everything in One on One to pieces 😉😁
The Rakshasa is an interesting design, but to paraphrase 11dragonkid, the Rakshasa works best when it’s not trying to ape the Mad Cat. It’s a decent enough Heavy mech otherwise.
God I love these collaborations between the creators in this hobby, you guys are amazing!
A mech has become a lot more viable over time as the Inner Sphere slowly gains the ability to make Clan tech grade stuff
When that happens, just buy a Mad Cat XD
Probably easier to buy from GM than the clanners. Also you presumably get a lot better customer service than from the clanners. Plus not as likely to draw as much fire from the enemy compared to a madkat
@@BigRed40TECH Sadly the Clanners did not Sell at 3055 ...maybe the Wolf Dragoons (they at least had Clan Weapons...or so it is said in the "Blood of Kerensky" Novels).
I never understood why not later create a Version with a Light Engine and Case and lower the Speed to 4/6. With that you can even throw away the ER Large Laser and put in ER PPC´s (maybe even change the LRM to SRM6 and put one more DH into the Mech). 😁
@@spencerjones841 buying from clans is exactly what sea fox/diamond shark is for! :p
@@thorveim1174 Ah, clan Sea Fox. "Aff friend, we will sell you this fine clan mech. Neg, we do not take credit. Do we look like Comstar to you? Aff, these Locusts will do in trade, we have astechs that need to get their hours in making Locust-C mechs and a client in the Periphary that is definitely not Bull themed that would like them."
The king of high quality Battletech shitposts appears once again on this Day of Fools. Great video Red! Thanks to all involved\m/
It was quite exciting to see Tex and Red teaming up for this video. The melding of real life quotes and BattleTech lore made for interesting viewing.
Thank you Papa Tex for once again allowing your dulcet tones to grace us.
Can we have madcat?
No, we have madcat at home
Madcat at home:
great video and nice cameos by tex and sven, also i heard comments help the video perform
Worst of all...its not an Omni mech. IF the IS had been able to build their own 75 ton, 5/8 omnimech, it likely would be a nice combo for flexibility on the battlefield.
In a parallel universe where the Truce of Tukayyid was allowed to run out and the FedCom didn't break apart, I can see the Inner Sphere catching up to the Clans technology-wise and producing a Rakshasa that actually equals the Timber Wolf. I wonder what such a universe would be like to live in...
Awesome guest appearance from Tex (Black Pants Legion channel), as well as another great Battletech lore content creator: Sven Van Der Plank!
The Rakshasa. I call it the "Aldi's Mad-Cat."
Wow, you got Tex as your narrator for this video. Awesome, much respect earned.
This was the best April Fool video of the day! Great work and it was cool to have your guests as well. The main illustration was a big improvement on the original lineart too.
The Rakshasa isn't a bad mech per se, it's just so underwhelming compared to the mech it was meant to copy. It is legit in lore as a failed but well meaning attempt to make a Clan Mech without using Clan tech. In short, it was the Chevy Citation of 3055.😮 I think the Rakshasa only comes up short in 3 specs.
1. The cost, which is way, way too much for what you get. Instant buyers remorse here.
2. Lowballing the LRMs, which to me was worse than the ERLLs. LRM 15 duo would better approximate the Madcat and persuade pilots not to alpha strike.
3. The cockpit armor issue, which is ridiculous in any mech over 45 tons. 😅
That, ladies and gentlemen, is how you do an April Fools.
We have Timber Wolf at home.
Timber Wolf at home:
Ah, the April Fools joke that is the Rakshasa-1A.
Always happy to see collaborations within the content creators within the community. Thinking about picking up the Battalion kickstarter pack to enter into the hobby since for $60-ish the Game of Armored Combat pack looks less appealing.
the out-of-season april fool's joke of a mech.
We don't have iPhones in 3065, we can't play this sh*t.
I had to check and make sure I was on the right channel when the video started!!
Love the diablo announcment joke. Good one
The rakasa...
Rakashasha..
Rashaka..
Resaca
Shakaka...
I loved this mech but the 1B with regular large lasers. This allowed it to run and fire all it's ranged weapons and then close when it ran out of LRM ammo. Like he pointed out the 2A was vicious brawler and combining the two as a tag team is very effective in open terrain.
Great job Red. Tex and Sven thank you.
Amazing opening, I actually had to double-check which channel I was on! April Fool's perfection!
This is the answer to the meme: "mom, I want a Mad Cat (Timberwolf)"
Mom: 'We have Mad Cat (Timberwolf) at home'
at home: the MDG-1A
I personally like the timberwolf. For the Radshasa I would have downgraded the ER Lasers to normal, removed the Pulse Laser, traded the LRMs for SRMs and mount ECM and possibly more heatsinks. But - It's like Tex said in his charger video, sometimes the military industrial complex just pushes out new models to see what sticks. It is (to it's pilots dismay^^) a necessary step for the development of new weapon systems or tactics.
Better things definitely came about because the Rakshasa existed.
Just not the Rakshasa itself :P
@Big Red 40K I was late to the party and missed the first 8 minutes or so during the premier. Having gone back to watch the start I have to say I absolutely love that you went full circle with the Colton and Wilde quotes. That's so clever. It's great when creators such as yourself go the extra mile to research sayings and work nuggets like that into their videos.
I always loved that old cgi opening: he's running along, firing his Timberwolf's weapons and then, WHOA! WHERE DID THAT COME FROM!?
36:44 Does Blake’s word comes with nuclear hellfire. If it does, I would like a return order.
Non-refundable. Non-returnable O.O
The Mech built off of the Marauder frame... That was worse than the Marauder. Not on paper, but definitely in practice.
And once they stripped the wannabe Madcat weapons off a few years later. And rearmed it as a faster newer tech Marauder variant. It got really really nasty.
@@kevinmulkey9774 what variant are you talking about? It's IS XL Engine makes it not able to take a hit once it looses it's armor.
The 2A model mentioned at the end. With a RAC-5 with three tons of ammo, large pulse laser, and four medium pulse lasers. Less Timberwolf, more of a cocaine fueled Marauder variant.
Move fast, throw out a wall of lead once in range, and give the bad guys a pulse laser shower up close, roughly on par of a Penetrator.
Weapons load out make the speed you get of off the 375XL more of a plus than a minus. Course a stock engine is more durable. But that extra bit of speed lets you get up close, and start tearing the enemy's face off.
@@kevinmulkey9774 The 2A was after the Rakshasa started doing steroids after stopping trying to copy the MadCat
2A is a mech that still holds up in the Dark Age/IllClan Age IME. RAC 5 , 4mpl and 1lpl gonna multi band hit so even vs hardened or reflective armor you're gonna be doing decent damage for heat at mid range, while being 5/8 with 200+ armor points
@@ssjjshawn exactly!
They quit trying to make it two mechs one. And embraced the Mad part of the Madcat.
But it wasn't till seven years in 3062 after the first run Rotary AC showed up. So now till forever in Universe the first few runs that haven't exploded yet, are going to stock. 8(
I heard Tex at the start of this, and thought to myself "wait, what...?" Hah, I'm glad you guys collaborated here. Are you guys homies?
You glorious man you wonderfully played wonderfully played. You had my interest now you have my attention! LOL.
I dunno what you mean.
I don't mind Rakshasa, honestly. I don't mind her at all. MDG-1A is a "good enough" discount Stalker. You stand back for 12 turns, spamming LRM10s and ERLLs, until ammo bins run dry and then you go in swinging. Reasonably fast, reasonably armoured, reasonably armed. She pales in comparison to her elder sisters: MadCat, Stalker and Marauder, but she does her job good enough. 5/8 on a 1800 BV mech is not that bad. People give Rakshasa more smack that she deserves.
Great to get a collaboration from some of the best Battletech oriented UA-cam personas !
As for the Rakshasa -The only way I found to make it viable early in it's release was to
drop the ER Large for PPCs and go from there . Twin ER PPCs and 6 medium pulse lasers
is one way. 2 standard PPCs 4LRM-5s and 3 medium lasers is another .
Moving 5/8 and keeping cool while bracket firing makes both usable .
Had something caught in your throat in the beginning. Glad it cleared up!
Yea, it got way easier to record after the first hurdle thankfully. :P
I unironically adore the -2A variant of this thing. It's kinda goofy and weird, but I've never really been in a situation where it can't bring a lot of firepower to bear. At long range? Rotary AC/5. AC/5 jams? Close to LPL range. Enemy gets too close? MORE PULSE LASERS! I wouldn't say its great, but I love derpy mechs. I also field the Grasshopper-like Charger variants a lot.
Good to see tex in here! That is awesome!
Waaaait a second... which channel am I watching?
I'm glad that this collaboration was made.
My heart is divided. Not for the Rakshasa, whose only real aspiration had to have been to be an omnimech and for the pilots to choose how they want their modular configuration to be.
But the part that divides my heart is not there, but elsewhere. As a Battletech player, I would never use extended-range weapons if I could avoid it, because a few hexagons don't deserve the price you pay when it comes to heat generated. But if I remember well the books of Kerensky's trilogy where they tell us about the initial invasion of the inner sphere, they tell us that the weapons of the clans are two to three times greater in range than the traditional technology of the inner sphere ... And that's an immense distance... and if I lived and fought under those conditions, to have Extended Range weaponry that would allow me but not to equal, if I fought more equivalent to the machines of the clans, which would allow me to stay alive and at least be able to punish the enemy, because if those figures of double to triple the scope were true, suicide would be to be subjected to that punishment or to let the enemy take the initiative totally (after all, the first victories of the Inner Sphere were with ambushes and limiting those ranges to the maximum, which on board, is somewhat more secondary than in front of the stories).
Obviously in a board game, these abysmal differences of distances, would be a deadly (even in the number of boards to put) although it is true that they would lead the Inner Sphere to try to limit the fight to as they did. The problem is that the limitation of game boards (and their gameplay) leads to Extended Range weapons versus normal ones being a dubious implementation easily correctable, while excess heat, it becomes a critically deadly circumstance against those who use them in the Inner Sphere.
I tried to imagine these literary limitations in a test game, doubling the range of the ER weapons over the basic ones and putting those of the clans with double their scopes (which gives about 2.5 times the additional range over the normal ones and although it still gives a huge advantage over the ER of the Inner Sphere, these, at least, allowed a deployment of more offensive tactics, which even allowed to get the Inner Sphere out of "mousetrap" battles, to offensive operations, yes, having to count on a superiority of means, but that was a possibility that was not within the reach of the use of non-ER weapons. I encourage anyone who wants to try this, because it gives rise to very fun games and to see in another way the ER weapons and even some other technologies such as fusion engine XL.
Thanks for this video, of that TRO3055, which has things that I love.
No relation to me . Looking forward to the video .
I do love collaboration videos .
WAIT, I KNOW THAT VOICE. This is the best cross over ever
I had to check what channel I was on for a moment
Hm? Why? O.O
@@BigRed40TECH I listen while driving and don't actually look at the video, and Tex threw me a loop lol
If I were to bring this thing back into the IlClan Era I would change the mission profile of this thing entirely, instead of a Long Range Brawler. I'd make it a Short Range Brawler with some Long Range bite to it
Switch out the LRM-10s with Artemis with Streak SRM-6s with a ton of ammo each
With the made-up tonnage, you'll be able to switch out the existing Medium and Medium Pulse Lasers with advanced Medium X-pulse Lasers. The ER Large Laser will remain for the direct Long Range bite I mentioned earlier
Lastly, the removal of a DBH will facilitate the addition of C.A.S.E and a ton of armor to protect the skilled pilots required to push this war machine to it's limits
While still not a perfect machine, as it still needs the caution and the skill of an experienced pilot, the Rakshasa will now be a close-range monster of incredible accuracy. Able to tear IS and perhaps even Clan Heavies apart within 9 hexes for a staggering fourty-two potential damage per salvo, and that's after prodding them with their ER Large Lasers as well.
Not at all what the original designers had in mind, but with this variant, perhaps it will be able to seriously emulate its Clan inspiration's lethal reputation
"We have madcats at home."
The thing is a madcat by way of Mad Catz (old school console gamers who were/had little brothers will get that one)
Except one thing... those madcatz controllers may have been shit, but they usually had a gimmick that let them outperform the real thing in limited circumstances. Turbo or macros for instance. Durability for cheap and gimmicky
MadCatz made awesome arcade sticks.
A waste of a perfectly good Marauder chassis.
Honestly, I could understand it if it at least looked like a Timby for the psychological warfare factor, but it doesn't even achieve this. Just imagine the same hesitation that happens when you're facing Chargers or Banshees and aren't quite sure which variants they are also applying here...
An excellent video! Maybe I'll make the -2A...
To quote the quirks list in Yet Another Clan Invasion mod for MW5… “DCMA’d by the Clans.”
Fascinating... A part of me wonders if such a concept could have been done on an assault chassis... Still prohibitively expensive, no doubt, but perhaps able to bring similar or better weapons to bear without the sacrifices of cooling capabilities or CASE.
That was the deal with the marauder II, the wolf’s dragoons knew that the marauder frame/chassis could handle being upscaled into an 100 ton mech which helped with the heat and added very nice amounts of armor
The more people hate on it the Rakshasa more I love this bargin-bin Mad Cat. They all laugh until the rotary spools up, then the tears flow...
I honestly don't know which one I hate more. The Rakshasa or the Uziel. Both are under armorer, under cooled, under gunned, and pretend to be much more than they actually are. I guess the Rakshasa is a bit faster and maneuvers better than the Uziel, but the Uziel runs a bit cooler. Either way they are both very poor mechs that struggle fighting even against mechs that others of the same weight and are much older designs brush off like dust.
I still love seeing that mecha premier clip at the vid opening.
Also, excellent topic of choice for today's date. "Oh no! It's a MadCat... Oh wait..."
Clicks on Big Red, hears Tex...😄
We love you Tex!
I loved how you were able to get Tex to open up this video, and that closing was nice, too. I'd be interested to see the MML variant with a few tweaks. Only reason why I fixate on that is because it kinda feels like leaving the launcher boxes empty feels odd. Kinda hard to think of what to complement it with though, maybe try to get some inspiration from the Vulture with Twin Large Pulse Lasers? Add in some CASE, not do Artemis. Not sure what else I'd add off the top of my head.
Now I want a Marauder with missile pods, thanks a lot bro 😑 Also, Tex intro? Noiiiice!
@Big Red 40k Awesome Job as Usual.
Nobody cold opens like Tex. That was exquisite.
8:38
Yeah... TBH, by the time I was first introduced to the setting, TRO3058 was already out, but even then... I've never been 100% on board with any of the default Mad Cat designs - even as a filthy clanner (I was 7 and they were the main characters of MW2, sue me).
At the time, I wasn't a fan of how they didn't carry *that* many pulse lasers - kid me liked the fast rate of fire for MPLs in MW2, and liked the fast 'pewpewpew' more than it being good or not. But now that I'm older, looking back... kid me was onto something - Timber Wolves are *expensive* and get pretty easily overshadowed partially because the basic model variants are trying to do too many things - as a solo artist, as you described - when I always feel that omnis are typically better suited to a more refined strategy based on the specific mission profile (like the Thor B, Black Hawk S, or Dasher A) rather than just a generalist.
So being introduced to the Rakshasa as a 'bad mad cat' as a kid just... left me wondering why anybody would even want this design.
As an adult, I can see that you're getting not-a-terrible deal on it for BV, but it *is* a very squishy machine - it's got a comparable BV to a basic introtech Atlas which... seems about right, ultimately, but still often leaves me wondering why you'd want it instead of several of your alternatives.
The MDG-2A is much funnier machine - one I'm also fond of, for all the reasons you mentioned (it being itself rather than a bad imitation) and glad you showcased as well.
Just because I have a lot of free time, I created a IS mech with the same load out as the mad cat, a mech that got me into the game which I played without even knowing anything about the clans, but I had to increase the tonnage to 85 and swap out the ER Laser for large pulse in order to make it functional in 3055. It will cost you 21,334,693 c-bills and comes with jump jets, but moves in the same speed as a Victor and has 14 double heat sinks.
Post for engagement! GET THIS MAN MORE SUBS ALREADY
I've always loved the Mech 3 intro. I always laughed at the fact the Timberwolf would use it's Large Lasers on the infantry and tanks then use its Small Lasers and Machine Guns on the Atlas!!
I'd pull the large lasers off the arms and put in heavy auto cannons. Because being low slung the gun pods are it would handle the recoil well. And maybe replace the missile pods with the original Marauder dorsal auto cannon or PPC.
I like the limitations of this mek. It requires more skill to heat manage, and leave you with difficult decisions. Makes for a more exciting game in my opinion.
Sure, I don't look for perfection myself. But I dunno if I'd call the Rakshasa good under most conditions. Those ER Large Lasers are pretty boat-anchory.
@@BigRed40TECH The good news about mechs like the Rakshasa (honestly about the only good thing about the Rakshasa) is that if you're playing with modification rules having a pair of large, heavy, main weapons that you can rip out is nice for all the free tonnage it gives you to play with. Still not a spectacular mech, but if you're willing to specialize it or at least downgrade the firepower a bit you can get a mech that's much better than the main variant.
Hell even the Timberwolf itself benefits from this, the A variant is far better than the Prime in my opinion, mainly because it drops some of the overwhelming firepower of the Prime in favor of a lighter weaponry loadout and more heat sinking capability while also getting rid of the ammo bins.
I think the rakshasa works best as a threat to the clans. That there technological edge can if slowly be chipped away
The Mad Cat but your computer can't handle high definition graphics.
Ah yes, the Sam's Choice brand Timberwolf.
"my name is tex, and this is my favorite shop on the citadel" not only did i get that reference, my nerdy ass squee laughed until i damn near pissed myself 🤣🤣
I would rather have 3 Warhammers and spend the leftover savings on ammo for the campaign that this trio would steamroller over!
Maybe the "real" question is: does an IS heavy mech need that speed?
Quickdraw and Dragon have that speed, but have mediocre armor and weapons.
An upgraded Orion or Marauder will be better.
Had to do a double take for a second when that smooth, whiskey-laden voice started coming out of my earbuds. 🤣 Fantastic video, Big Red, Sven, Tex, and everybody else involved with it. This 'mech is saved from mediocrity by having a whole bunch of character crammed into its flawed frame.
See big red, colabs army impossible. Good job... This is my favorite shop on the citadel.
Why does autocorrect keep misspelling "aren't"
I remember piloting one in MW2: Mercenaries. I modded it to fit 4 MLasers (2 per arm), 2 SSRM-6s, and an ERLLaser. If memory serves me correctly, 2T SSRM ammo, maxed armor, and a bunch of heat sinks.
...I also remember the thing cost as much as an Atlas. 🤦♂️
Honestly I think the Rakshasa is like the Mackie in a way.
They're both mech's that exist more for their lore and to evolve the setting than to be played with.
Tex needs to do more. Only because I love listening to his videos and i want more to listen to.
That man's words are canonically gospel when it comes to battletech.