Army Construction
MegaMekNET has specific army construction guidelines that apply to all armies regardless of Operation. There are only two easy-to-grasp rules for constructing armies: The stairstep rule and the BV spread rule. As mentioned, these both apply regardless of the operation in question. The spread rule is enforced automatically through the MekWars client and will not allow you to use the illegal army. However, the stairstep rule is not something the client is able to enforce so all players should be aware and have good sportsmanship when playing.
Stairstep Rule
No Mech or Vee may be more than 1 weight class distant from another Mech or Vee. Using three heavy Mechs/tanks and then one light Mech/tank would be illegal under this rule. Instead, you could use two heavies, a medium and a light or go with three heavies and a medium instead.
The Stairstep Rule discourages min/maxing whereupon an army constructed around a single high-BV unit is surrounded by a number of cheap light units, while encouraging a diverse army composition to make battles more interesting. The rule is currently unable to be enforced via the MekWars Client so players must abide by it on their own or risk punishment.
Variable BV Spread Rule
BV spread is the spread between the highest BV unit and the lowest BV unit within your army. Let's just say a 1450 BV Marauder is your highest BV unit and the lowest BV unit is a 900 BV Stinger. The spread would be 550 of that army would be 550.
The fixed BV spread was replaced with the variable BV spread rule which allows for a great amount of flexibility depending on the overall size of the battle in question. Smaller BV battles will have a lower spread while larger battles will have a much higher spread, almost to the point where the spread becomes a non-factor at the highest levels. The formula for determining the spread is:
BV Spread = (Army BV x 0.1) + 400
Here's a quick guide chart:
| BV of Battle | BV Spread |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 600 |
| 3000 | 700 |
| 4000 | 800 |
| 5000 | 900 |
| 6000 | 1000 |
| 7000 | 1100 |
| 8000 | 1200 |
| 9000 | 1300 |
| 10000 | 1400 |
