We took infantry out for now. The closest you can get is the Elemental/Longinus

If that were the case, I'd be doing strafing runs to blow it up and kill everyone around it with the ensuing explosion. =D

I personally think this would be an awesome way to run a league and league points I don't see us putting this in right away but it really is a neat idea.

We'll see when that is actually more than just a few thoughts thrown around.

Well, first, if you're only talking about salvage, then one only needs look at BattleMech Construction -and, of course, Armor, Infantry, Battle Armor, AeroFighters, etc., for a cost list.  I would imagine salvage is generally rated from 1/2 to 2/3rds its new value when it's picked up off the battlefield.  Convert that to C-Bills or points, deposit into the winning unit's bank account, and voila you can purchase new material and/or repair/replace other materials, parts, ammo, etc.

Now, if you're talking about doing a MMORPG, any LESS than putting EVERY SINGLE ONE of the books ever produced for the game -were I you I would stop right before the stupid ass jihad, unless you plan to rework it to make bloody sense- and you may as well hang it up.  To boil the BattleTech universe down to a few important concepts without having means and lore to back up those concepts is sheer folly; BattleTech fans would cringe, cuss, and bitch, sci-fi fans would shake their heads and keep ask questions, and general MMORPG players likely wouldn't care, as long as they can grind to level 60.  Therefore, it's better to err on the side of caution and put EVERYTHING into the game, from 1984 when BattleDroids 2nd Edition was released as BattleTech up to the end of the FedCom Civil War.

And, before anyone asks, yes, I hate everything about the jihad... it's the stupidest load of crap I've ever seen come out of any game I've ever played.

Now, shall I tell you how I really feel

Yeah, I came up with a whole Compiled Mission Types Catalog from the various MechCommander and MechWarrior games that have, thus far, been produced.  It has stuff like you're talking about in it.  There are all manner of mission combinations that can take place when one puts their mind to it.

Salvage generally happens after the battle is over, so giving the winner of one match a bonus coming into the next will, well, let me do some math, yeah, probably continue the trend of who is winning.

On the other hand, if salvage happened on a match-per-match basis, within the confines of said match, then you have something that a.) impacts the specific match you are playing right now, and b.) doesn't affect future matches thus promoting a game that still favors skill.

Say you have a squad leader able to call in salvage on any downed battlemechs (I wouldn't bother with anything other than mechs since the components that survive on most other units are generally easier to manufacture than to salvage and restore.)  In order to call in salvage you need to be in proximity of the mech.

Once salvage is called in, a Karnov (or similar carry-all) is dispatched and moves to the salvage area.  The Karnov can be shot down or driven off with sufficient weapons fire making it a priority for friendly forces to defend the salvage area until the operation is complete.  Once the Karnov reaches the edge of the map then the entire team recieves an influx of C-bills appropriate to the salvage.

Clans, generally, could give a shit about salvaging IS mechs, but it may be in their best interest to a.) prevent the IS from salvaging their own losses and b.) prevent the IS from stealing theirs.  Both Clans and IS can salvage their own mechs, recouping some of the losses for losing the mech in the first place.

This gives a distinct flavor for playing either side when the IS is gung-ho crazy about salvaging Clan stuff, and the Clanners are intent on preventing that from happening.

Well think about the scope of the gameplay. You have to capture and hold two outposts and then destroy your oponents main base in a 45 minute match. So far the majority of the ones we've played have ended in stalemate. So much so that we're considering adding a sudden death ending if the 45 minutes runs out. Although, I will grant you that we have not exactly been testing near 32 players per server yet. Adding vehicle capture would make for more dynamic gameplay but I think it also distracts players from the mission objectives. Wining before the time limit with a reasonably balanced set of teams will not be easy.