Problem

The main issue I encountered while collaborating in the ideation sessions was choosing from the hundreds of 'Mech chassis and procuring a Legendary concept/theme for its aesthetics and loadout. The team also had to take into consideration whether adding a Legend to a chassis' arsenal would create some sort of power-creep. As such, the proposed solution was to ensure that the Legendary 'Mechs had their own unique combat niches apart from its other chassis via unique quirks, mobility stats, and weaponry, and to choose the chassis that were highly requested from the playerbase or needed a buff.

Solution

To hone in on a main Legend concept, the team mainly garnered inspiration from media or folklore. For instance, The VGL-GW Gorewing, one of the 'Mechs I helped design, was a concept inspired by the Manananggal — a monster from Filipino folklore that is able to detach their upper body to fly and hunt prey with its long tongue. To narrow down the chassis for this concept, the team gathered the ones that were adept at aerial combat. Thus, the Vapor Eagle was selected, as it was a medium-tonnage 'Mech known for its capacity to house multiple jump jets and laser weapons to enable "poptart" playstyle (flying up in the air and poking enemies with laser weapons from afar, then returning down to cover). The main quirks given were a full 360 degree torso rotation and reduced fall damage to emulate the Manananggal's detaching upper body, along with jump jets and long-range weaponry (ballistics and lasers) to emulate its hunting capabilities.

Reflection & Skills Gained

MechWarrior Online was the first industry game I've worked on. Having essentially zero knowledge of the BattleTech universe, it was a daunting task to hop into the cockpit. Despite being a noob in the industry and to this fandom, I strived to work hard and sharpen my design skills in every aspect to the best of my ability. I met so many amazing people through this project, and I believe that these experiences will be the stepping stones to building a future in this career path.

Through this experience, I was able to bolster my design skills in many facets; mainly the autonomy to create, document, and efficiently implement content before deadlines. My collaborative skills between cross-disciplinary teams and the playerbase was also a skill I gained through working on MechWarrior Online. I also really enjoyed interacting with the community and voice-acting for 'Mechs!