So, I had this idea for a Mod. What if mission difficulties weren't easiest to harder from the outer rim moving in towards Terra ... and instead, any area/system you go to would have missions of various difficulty.
The game would then lend itself better to playing different mech teams of various tonnage and feel more like an actual war zone... Each planet could then be a battle zone for players, with merc units fielding multiple lances.
You arrive at the destination, and there are light mech skirmishes, medium and heavy combat missions, assault mech full out assaults... all on one world. the player's ability to complete the whole gamut of them could influence their rep with the factions even more.

Thoughts?
Could that even be modded?