The countdown for the Crab has begun and we've just received the most important material, the scale comparison. It's a good thing now that PGI is giving the deserved attention to the scaling. They've been pretty much spot on with every 'Mech after the first clan pack.
The Crab is not easy to fix with clever scaling though. It has the most dreaded geometry shape in MWO; a long and pointy nose. This presents a few problems;
- These 'Mechs tend to have much larger surface areas compared to humanoid 'Mechs (This can be fixed by scaling).
- Torso twisting is less effective, since the nose acts as a shot-trap and blocks the other side torso during twisting completely (This can't be fixed by scaling).
- The whole 'Mech is an easy target from any aspect but directly forward.
The video curiously starts out with a comparison with a Trebuchet. It's probably to wow the viewers and make them think "Wow it's tiny!", since the Trebuchet is one of the worst scaled mediums in this game.
The Hunchback comparison is the most useful one. The HBK is a really well scaled 'Mech and we can see that the Crab is pretty much a HBK bending forward (minus the hunch). Their surface area is about the same, with the Crab having roughly half the frontal surface area while double from the sides. It's as good as it gets.
Now that the scaling is fine and this 'Mech actually as a chance to be something unique, it got me thinking about possible application scenarios. The MDD pilots know that it tends to pop a side really quick but if you use the destroyed side as a shield the MDD can just refuse to go down. Same goes for the Stalker. In that respect, the Crab can be a nasty mid-long range poker with a mostly empty shield side. 3xLPL or 3xLL builds could be really effective.
Don't get your hopes too high though. The Crab will probably be an OK medium but nothing groundbreaking, just like the Enforcer.
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