On the other hand, if a mech is built around an auto cannon, making it heart neutral is pathermtically easy. Even with jump jets.
Trouble is its pretty easy with lasers, too. I ran the numbers in this thread and even with SHS a large laser can be made heat neutral just as easily. An AC/10 is 12 tons and 7 crits for three heat a shot, so that's 15 tons and 10 crits in total. A large laser is 5 tons and two crits for eight heat, so that's 13 tons and 10 crits. Now you do lose some damage, but you don't need to worry about tons and crits from carrying ammo or that ammo exploding on you, and those heat sinks are all crits that can be rolled on instead of something more valuable like a 7 crit autocannon or its exploding ammo.
Now yes, that's the AC/10, probably the worst weapon in the game when you math it out, but even an AC/5 is 8 tons and four crits for one heat, so 9 tons and five crits in total, and you gain three hexes in range and lose three points in damage, and again, you're going to need to add in the ammo.
LosTech really helps out the autocannons a ton though, with a single DHS balancing out a double-fired UAC/5 for a total of ten tons and 8 crits, blowing the large laser out of the water in terms of range and damage even with the ammo needs, and even the ERLL starts looking dicey since it still only has 8 damage and one hex less range than the AC/5 for a staggering 12 heat that's going to need six DHS to counter.
Starting? I've been sick of it the moment the term "ilKhan" was first put to paper.
Hasn't it dated to the OG Clan Invasion though?
This would've been the best way to handle Ilclan imo. Show that Alaric recognizes the clans are no longer the strongest tech base, has learned from the failings of the Clan Invasion and Wars of Reaving, and has remade his clan's military doctrine from the ground up to reflect that. Have his wins be a result of actually being smart and taking advantage of the inner sphere's expectations and flaws instead of just getting lucky every time. Hell, maybe have some other clans call him dezgra for daring to fight on spheroid terms, which would've made his victory as Ilclan all the sweeter because now those clans are forced to follow his example. This could create both intrigue with clans who clearly don't like his new ideology, and also create an actually believable threat because now we have a clanner faction that isn't held back by their old culture-based weaknesses.
Isn't that what Malvina Hazen and her Mongol Doctrine did for Alaric by clearing the way to Terra, only for him to take advantage of how hated she and the Falcons were and turn literally everyone against them?
The initial ilClan stuff isn't terrible and actually makes a bit of sense, but its everything else afterwards that has Alaric's enemies all start chewing on lead paint chips.
repeatedly) that the enemy destroys things you're going to capture? A military concept that's only been a thing for thousands of years. Sure you guys don't do it but aren't you supposed to be educated your whole life about this stuff? It would've been far more logical for Showers or whoever to get up and do a Sportpalast Speech at the kickoff. "This is total war against the dezgra Houses, we must conduct this war differently." Unless the inflexibility is in fact 'the joke' by the writers.