Part 151: Lan

Actually, the issue was that he didn't dodge, he just had a battle skill trigger that reduced the damage to 0. Since the attack technically hit, that means that there was a chance that it would force an eject. Frankly, the real issue is the absurdly high rate of force-ejections in this game, which becomes truly frustrating later in the game, when enemies are fully capable of killing a dismounted pilot in one hit.

Wanzer Retrospecticus: Lan

Build Cycle #5: Missions 40-41



Thrudgelmir
Submitted by: Nick Buntline

Parts
Body: Yongsai 3
L. Arm: Getty
R. Arm: Tiandong 3
Legs: Getty
Backpack: BX002
Computer: COMB603

Weapon
L. Shoulder: Empty
L. Hand: Huosai 2
R. Shoulder: Empty
R. Hand: Heavy Shield

MVP of Mission: 41
Fatal Flaw: The world wasn't ready for a spider-legged wanzer...

This wanzer only made it into a couple of missions because Lan only joined the party late in the build cycle, so it didn't get a lot of play. When I did use it, though, it was relatively solid, except...

The spider-legs definitely look cool, there's no doubt about that, but the game, for whatever reason, gives them hefty penalties when it comes to moving over rough terrain, which reducing the effectiveness of this design substantially. A shame, really.

Build Cycle #6: Missions 42-50



Brennandi Dólgur
Submitted by: Deceitful Penguin

Parts
Body: Shunwang 1
L. Arm: Prov PAW2
R. Arm: Prov PAW2
Legs: Tiandong 3
Backpack: BPT9MAX
Computer: COM 6

Weapons
L. Shoulder: Empty
L. Hand: Huosai 2
R. Shoulder: Empty
R. Hand: Huosai 2

MVP of Mission: 43
Fatal Flaw: On balance, probably played a minor role in Deceitful Penguin's eventual banning.

By the way, in case anyone's reading this in the archives, or aren't following the comments in the thread itself, the name is apparently an Icelandic dick joke. Thanks, Deceitful Penguin.

Anyway, the issue with this design is that it uses inferior flamethrowers in the hopes that Double Shot I will trigger and double its attacking power, which is fine on the occasions that it does go off, but a rather substantial problem for the other 80% of the time.

I would have preferred swapping out the legs for something lighter, and then investing the extra weight in a better flamethrower. Then again, I probably wouldn't have named it after an erect penis either.

Build Cycle #7: Missions 51-55



Firearm
Submitted by: Mehuyael

Parts
Body: Lenghe 1
L. Arm: Yongsai 3
R. Arm: Vinedrai
Legs: Whisk
Backpack: BPT9MAX
Computer: COMG10

Weapons
L. Shoulder: -
L. Hand: SN-107G
R. Shoulder: -
R. Hand: Hot Gazel

Used in Missions: 51-55

I don't know, I guess the design is okay, but the accuracy isn't ideal. The issue with the flamethrower is that it has inherently low accuracy, meaning that, in order for it to be effective, it practically is begging for the most accurate arms you can find. On the other hand, it has a maximum range of two, so you want to use parts that can absorb the damage the wanzer will necessarily take getting into position.

I'm not saying Mehuyael was wrong in picking the parts that he did, I'm just saying that the characteristics of the flamethrower make it very tricky to build a wanzer around.

All-Star Endgame Showcase: Missions 56-59



Thrudgelmir

Parts
Body: Yongsai 3
L. Arm: Yongsai 3
R. Arm: Shunwang 1
Legs: Shunwang 1
Backpack: BPT9MAX
Computer: COMG10

Weapons
L. Shoulder: Empty
L. Hand: Hot Gazel
R. Shoulder: Empty
R. Hand: Heavy Shield

Well, it was obvious that Lan was going to have a flamethrower, after all, she never touched another weapon for as long as I had her, the only question was whether I'd give her one flamethrower or two.

I ultimately went with only one in order to increase her durability. Frankly, if RoF III goes off, which, I'll admit, is less likely than Double Shot I would have been, it will be as effective as shooting two flamethrowers, and when you consider how tricky it could have been to load two Hot Gazels onto a wanzer, then it just makes more sense to only pick the one.

As for the parts, I really liked the way the original Thrudgelmir looked, so I kept the Yongsai body. I chose Shunwang legs instead of the Getty legs because I thought the Shunwang parts looked cooler. I picked a Shunwang arm for the shield arm more out of a sense of symmetry than real calculated decision.