OmniMech
translates to:
So, in short, an OmniMech is a Mech where everything is
interchangable (well, most things).
Life Support,
Engine Placement,
Jump Jets and other
critical areas are
fixed, however most other things are interchangable. A
missile rack which is
mounted on the left
shoulder as a standard could be changed to the right shoulder, or changed from an
external to an
internal rack and mounted on the
torso,
arm or even a
leg. The same goes for everything else -
ammo containers,
lasers and
projectile weapons can be placed in any
limb too. This means, as mentioned above, that the Mech can have many
variants and be easily
modified to suit the
situation.
This also makes it very easy to replace destroyed components, as specialized components for each different limb are not required. This does, however, mean that specialized Inner Sphere components are incompatible with Clan OmniMechs as all Clan OmniMech slots require the general Clan OmniWeapon make. As such, the Clans cannot salvage Inner Sphere mechs, whereas the Inner Sphere find that Clan OmniWeapons will fit in their Mechs, giving them an edge in salvaging.
Another advantage of the OmniMech is a Clan invention known as C.A.S.E.. It is specially designed for OmniMechs. C.A.S.E. is an ammo explosion counter measure. Many OmniMechs are outfitted with armor that can slide out in certain positions to reveal ventilation holes. If ammo is positioned next to these ventilation holes, a C.A.S.E. computer may be installed in the OmniMech. These computers detect an internal ammo explosion and the moment such an explosion is detected it slides off the slideable armor pieces so that the explosion rushes out through the ventilation holes, causing minimal damage to the internal.
Most Clan Mechs were OmniMechs, it was known for the Clans to occasionally use standard Mechs. The most interchangeable OmniMechs of them all were the: