The Mech Touch

it has mechs. a lot of mechs. and I like mechs. I may be biased but at least I know my bias. I enjoy my bias for mechs.  this is the best mech related story I have ever read. as someone that spent over 100 hours in the Armored Core garage while never starting the final mission, this is right in my strike zone.

This is one of the best and well thought out Orginal novels on Qidian. The relaxed and smooth transitions and clear descriptions of the characters, mechs and building processes are amazing to see from someone who is not a professional writer. But all of these pale in comparison to the godly battle scenes in this novel. By far some of the most exciting and powerful battles and battle descriptions I have ever read. Even if you don’t normally enjoy mechs you should try this novel.

I have spent a lifetime reading and writing countless stoic management reports, design briefs, equipment analysis reviews, and business presentations. None of which I would ever describe as witty, insightful, or entertaining until I read by chance The Mech Touch by Exlor.
His LMC company designs and builds machines of war from the ground up. This novel will leave your nerd senses tingling for more, and if you think flicking a wall switch to light up a room is magic you will find this book magical from chapter to chapter.
Toss away your paperbacks, embrace technical devices and immerse yourself in 'The Age of Mechs'!

I rather enjoy this story.  Its more of a slow burn in terms of pacing, which can understandably be a bit frustrating.  I'm actually not a super big fan of the actiony bits where Ves gets personally involved, but I understand their importance within the context of the story.  I started reading this story because I was looking for something a bit more relaxed compared to the normal fare that I read.

The MC often has many conflicting goals so it often feels like he's dragging his feet a bit, but I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing.  I don't believe its ever been stated that Ves is a super driven person, so bouts of procrastination aren't uncommon and serve to make him seem more realistic.  I don't think said dragging of feet has ever been particularly egregious, but at the same time I binged 350+ of the chapters at once so my perspective may be a bit skewed as a result.

Since I've caught up to the most recent chapters, the story's been updating at a pace of two per day, so I think the updating pace is pretty stable.

I think the supporting cast is fine, but the story is definitely very focused on Ves himself.  We know the names of other characters and a bit of their backstories/motivations, but we don't go super in depth about them.  I would say this is an area that could be improved upon, but not something that really detracts from the overall quality of the story itself.  

As for the World Background, we've been given glimpses into the universe as a whole outside of the small bubble the story's been primarily focused on.  As a result, we know there is a greater universe with other planets/characters/aliens out there waiting to be explored.
From my recollection, I don't believe there's been too many lore dumps.  As things become relevant, Ves (and we as readers) learn more about them, but never really to a truly overwhelming extent.  

All in all, I think this is a fun story that's trying to be a bit different from the normal fare on this site.  From that context, I believe the story I've given is fair.  There's room for improvement, but nothing that detracts significantly from its overall quality.  I think if you enjoy Superstars of Tomorrow this will be something you might enjoy as well.

*I have read every single chapter up to 1736, skipping and skimming nothing*  

Slight inclusion of very mild spoilers that mean nothing out of context ))

First, I have to say that the critics of the Vandal arc aren’t wrong. When I first read about the conscription, I assumed a time skip would be employed at some point. When they arrived at the Aeon corona system, I assumed time would be sped up on the planet rather than slowing down- this seemed like a great chance to accelerate the war ark.

Nevertheless, the MC grew a lot during the arc. It is a bit of a stretch, but this is shaping up to be a 5000 chapter story at this rate. Dedicating 600+ chapters to preliminarily shape the MCs character from a timid indoctrinated weakling into a prototype of a business leader able to survive in a cutthroat world has at least some merit.

Before you discount me completely- yes, I agree, there was some ‘false advertisement’. Being disconnected from the system for so long was counter to what most system novels do and many fellow readers will be justifiably annoyed at that.

Me? I have no issue. Whilst I love your standard system trope chewing gum novels as much as the next guy sometimes, this isn’t that. In one of the recent chapters, the author described serving in the army as a means, not an end. That is the same thing I have to say for my perspective on his usage of the system.

Whilst I cannot speak for the author, what I see from his work is an amalgamation.

In mech touch speak,
the design seed of the novel has taken fractured spiritual pieces from many different genres and used them to craft its own unique identity. Many people comment about the novel not conforming to expectations from various genres. Well... why should it?

In webnovel speak, why continue to define a story by the same tags it started with if the story has come to a point where they are no longer the best choice?
What if Ves loses the Metal Scroll for good? I’m sure the readers will riot(I’m sure the thought of introducing this plot element gives the author a headache for this reason) , but my point is that what if it makes the story better for it?

Unlike so many people saying how the story has deteriorated, I have actually read the whole thing word for word. Whilst I agree that there were times where I was weary with parts of the story, I have never been disappointed.

When ves returns from war, the Story picks up and becomes so much more phenomenal. The start of the new mech generation and his new mechs with their expanding repertoire of abilities are increasingly interesting to read about

Tbh,I really tip my hat to the author. Perhaps the difference between phase tech mechs and  mastercraft mechs are a subtle jibe at the non conformity of this story to cookie cutter ideologies.

I’m sure any mildly intelligent person can think up 100 arguments against anything they wish.

‘Mech designers are unstable, hence justifying the MC making  retarded decisions that help the plot’

I’ll take that excuse at face value. Why not? It makes for an interesting plot point.

‘the novel is so much about business but the business aspect isn’t realistic’

I’m entertained reading about it. I’m not a business magnate myself, nor do I expect the author to be too perfect?

‘What’s with cultivation? Why doesn’t it work like this or like that?’

Spirituality is obscure. Can the author make it more obvious? Does a massive pirate ship full of spirituality users not hammer home the point that only the strongest organisations really use it? Whilst Ves always calls it his unique advantage, there have been many hints in the story that he is well aware that he is not unique. He is aware that he is reinventing the wheel in some areas. He chooses not to think about that because it is not helpful to him.

Many things are inherently open to debate. The author is building a universe. Where’s the fun if it’s perfect?

I encourage fellow readers to read everything. This story is worth it. Enjoy!!

Hello, this is the author of The Mech Touch, and I'll shamelessly review my own story to provide some clarification.

This novel is my original work and I'm writing it as I go. My goal is to write a webnovel with the consistency and quality of Qidian's mainstay stories. This means that I will do my utmost to keep up a regular updating schedule and upload chapters with decent word counts without detrimentally affecting its quality. I have a decade-long history of writing fanfiction and have published about 800,000 words in a dozen different stories, so I'm an old hand at this. I know more than almost anyone else what readers demand from authors, so I will work hard to meet your expectations.

The Mech Touch is a story that I came up with a whim, but found it good enough to start writing immediately. I wanted to write an engaging sci-fi mech novel but from an original premise. Incorporating a 'System' into the story might be a cheap and overused plot element, but its fun and it works for the audience of this website.