Mechwarrior Online Announced! [Archive] - Giant in the Playground Forums

KnightDisciple

2011-11-01, 11:39 AM

Free to play, no less!

PC Gamer article (http://www.pcgamer.com/2011/10/31/meet-mechwarrior-online-piranhas-free-to-play-tactical-mech-sim/).

Game Website (http://mwomercs.com/). Not a lot of media up yet, but a pretty extensive FAQ.

Personally, I'm kind of pumped. If it really is Free to Play, and doesn't devolve into Pay to Win, I might just get into this thing. :smallbiggrin:

Mando Knight

2011-11-01, 12:20 PM

...Real-time? So I'll be on a planet fighting guys for a month, then have to take a break for another month while my JumpShip takes me to the next system?

It also means that like a year after release, since it's starting in 3050...

...We're screwed. Unless we're either one of the lucky ones or get a chance to join the Clans.

userpay

2011-11-01, 12:20 PM

Oh hell yes. If this is anything like Mechwarrior 4 I can see myself playing this to death. By their own words it sounds like the only thing that'll be in the cash shop is items relating to looks though I wouldn't be surprised if that changes.

psilontech

2011-11-01, 02:12 PM

MechWarrior more of a tactical sim and less of a shooter.

Definitely will be following this in the future.
Thanks for the link, mate!

Karoht

2011-11-01, 03:40 PM

Tactical Sim.

Let me just say that again, slowly.

Tactical.
Sim.

Aaaaaaaaaah. You have no idea how much I missed being in a cockpit and out-thinking, out-manouvering, or out crazy-ing other players, be they NPC's or real people. Oh it's been a while. I look forward to this game, especially if it has more to it than a very limited bunch of environments to shoot each other in.

I'll have to brush up on my jump jet skills.

Of course, everyone is going to roll Horde Clan if they're available. I wonder what other factions might be around.

Mando Knight

2011-11-01, 03:50 PM

I think what they mean by that is that while there'll still be the in-the-'Mech-headcapping-grunts-with-your-Gauss-Rifle action, more emphasis will be put on your leadership skills... MW4 has the potential for some of that if you are willing to have your fingers fly across the keyboard to boss your lances around (also makes most of the later missions easier and improves their survival rate), but this will also include more electronic/information warfare, so we may get ghost images, the need for Active Probes to improve sensor data, not necessarily knowing what the enemy is equipped with until you detect them using it...

I can see great potential for when we hit 3050, or when you're doing black ops against skunk works facilities...

Karoht

2011-11-01, 04:02 PM

I think what they mean by that is that while there'll still be the in-the-'Mech-headcapping-grunts-with-your-Gauss-Rifle action, more emphasis will be put on your leadership skills... MW4 has the potential for some of that if you are willing to have your fingers fly across the keyboard to boss your lances around (also makes most of the later missions easier and improves their survival rate), but this will also include more electronic/information warfare, so we may get ghost images, the need for Active Probes to improve sensor data, not necessarily knowing what the enemy is equipped with until you detect them using it...

I can see great potential for when we hit 3050, or when you're doing black ops against skunk works facilities...

All of that sounds absolutely awesome.

Without too many spoilers, what happens in 3050?

Penguinizer

2011-11-01, 04:40 PM

I was optimistic until I realized the developers works seem to only consist of: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, a fishing game and work on the multiplayer of Duke Nukem Forever.

elpollo

2011-11-01, 04:43 PM

... and there goes the single player Mech game that I really wanted. Darn.

Timberwolf

2011-11-01, 04:52 PM

All of that sounds absolutely awesome.

Without too many spoilers, what happens in 3050?

What happens in 3050 ?

The Clans happen in 3050. (http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Clans)

And this time... we shall mercilessly condemn the spheroid freebirths to utterly ignominous defeat !

Star Colonel Wolfie McKenna
Clan Snow Raven.

Ahem.

I really, really want that single player game. Hopefully that reboot will happen. Ok, it's 3025 timeline, but I'll take what I can get because the trailer that was released looks awesome.

userpay

2011-11-01, 05:18 PM

As much as I'd like an actual campaign I have a feeling Mechwarrior 5 turned into Mechwarrior Online. We'll have to wait and see I guess.

Silverraptor

2011-11-01, 05:53 PM

I am so downloading this when it becomes available. We need to make a Gitp clan!:smallbiggrin:

ShneekeyTheLost

2011-11-01, 06:02 PM

Just give me a Hussar, and a NavSat to guide her by...

As far as Clans go... I attended the con where they were revealed. Gawd that sucked. When we realized they've got a range advantage on us, as well as an apparent immunity to overheating (remember, they were using DHS, and we'd only heard of heat sinks... shooting two LRM15's AND 2 PPC's? That's like... instant shut-down threat to us), we changed tactics.

A few of us decided to change tactics. We had a Firestarter start a bunch of fires to block LoS, which severely nerfed their range advantage, took to the heavy woods, and forced them to come to us, rather than the other way 'round.

Then? We dogpile'd them. Two marauders, a hunchback, and a hussar can focus-fire down a Madcat pretty quickly in medium range with only a +2 terrain modifier.

We dropped a Highlander on the Dashio. Got a lucky head-shot and took it down. Of course, he got taken out by the Madcat, seeing as how he was prone and all, but it was still an accomplishment.

Man, that was an insane fight. We still got whupped, don't get me wrong, but we made 'em pay for their victory... of course, the guys at the next table down were cussin' so loud it was echoing off the walls, so they probably didn't do so well.

Mando Knight

2011-11-01, 06:26 PM

Ok, it's 3025 timeline, but I'll take what I can get because the trailer that was released looks awesome.
It'll be ~3049, actually. They moved the date up. So we'll be on the precipice of DOOM riding astride Timber Wolves.

As much as I'd like an actual campaign I have a feeling Mechwarrior 5 turned into Mechwarrior Online. We'll have to wait and see I guess.
It kinda did. It was the MechWarrior reboot that was in prepping for a while but then dropped off the map a couple years ago while they were working on figuring out dozens of little details and whatnot.

I am so downloading this when it becomes available. We need to make a Gitp clan!:smallbiggrin:
*Insert witty Clan remark here*

...No, seriously, insert one there. I'm drawing blanks.

We dropped a Highlander on the Dashio. Got a lucky head-shot and took it down.
...Not familiar with how the play progressed through the years... were actual Highlander Burials common back then, or was it used just frequently enough in just the right situations that it's been immortalized in rulebooks since?

James the Dark

2011-11-01, 07:13 PM

If memory serves, the reason Highlander Burials were 'common' or at least spoken of in parlance was because in Lvl1 tech (which was all the first editions of Battletech had to work with) the Highlander was pretty much the biggest thing with Jump Jets. Thus, the most damage on a Death From Above, since the tonnage factors into damage. And since that damage uses the Punch table (only attacking the arms, torsoes, and head, instead of the whole body) there was a much higher chance of outright killing a mech with a DFA when you've got 85 or 90 tonnes landing on you.

It was just a matter of 'How do I kill this little bugger before it gets behind us, bearing in mind that I dumped my ammo and my arms are gone?', I feel. And then it spiralled out from there.

ShneekeyTheLost

2011-11-01, 07:41 PM

...Not familiar with how the play progressed through the years... were actual Highlander Burials common back then, or was it used just frequently enough in just the right situations that it's been immortalized in rulebooks since?

Depends on the situation...

DFA wasn't really all that common a tactic because it royally screwed you over, even if you pulled it off.

However, in this instance, it was valuable because we pretty much traded a Highlander who was already heavily damaged for a Daisho... so a 90 ton heavily damaged mech for a mostly undamaged 100 ton Clan mech... I'll take that trade-off any day.

Mind you, DFA was slightly more common in team play, where you weren't betting the outcome of the fight on a 1 in 6 (twice) chance, since your buddies can theoretically cover for you, but still...

It may not have been that common, but it's one of those things that you always remember. "Yea, there was that one team we went up against... damn Highlander dropped right on top of the Marauder..."

Karoht

2011-11-01, 08:51 PM

I fail to see why the coming of the Clans is all that bad a thing. You know, for a game that involves things like war. Someone mind filling me on on why that's so terrible a thing?

Misery Esquire

2011-11-01, 09:56 PM

I fail to see why the coming of the Clans is all that bad a thing. You know, for a game that involves things like war. Someone mind filling me on on why that's so terrible a thing?

Play Inner Sphere. Cry as Clan mechs stomp you into the ground. Bring a buddy. Cry as a 2v1 turns into the Clanner stomping you. Bring three or four buddies. Be the last man standing with everyone else in the scrapheap.

(Warden for Life)

Joran

2011-11-01, 10:34 PM

It may not have been that common, but it's one of those things that you always remember. "Yea, there was that one team we went up against... damn Highlander dropped right on top of the Marauder..."

My most memorable Battletech moment was failing an easy piloting skill check when I was trying to cross a river to get into better position. I did the console check, where my pilot had to avoid knocking his head into the dashboard and taking damage (a 3 or higher on 2D6), failed it with a 2. One bit of damage to the pilot, time to roll if I lose consciousness (again a 3 or higher on 2D6), failed again with a 2. I laughed so hard during the next turn when my mech was at the bottom of the river with a blacked out pilot.

My other memorable Battletech moment was rolling a 12 on the critical hit table for the torso... getting two engine hits and a gyro hit. Three engine hits would have shut down the mech, two gyro hits would have forced the mech prone... but nope, the enemy mech was mostly fine.

P.S. I mostly played 3050 rules, so Inner Sphere's technological disadvantage wasn't as massive. Double heat sinks, XL engines, more weapons!

king.com

2011-11-01, 10:58 PM

...We're screwed. Unless we're either one of the lucky ones or get a chance to join the Clans.

Pfft, maybe you Steiner are screwed, Im gonna be hanging out nice and safe in Davion territory.

Mando Knight

2011-11-02, 01:46 AM

I fail to see why the coming of the Clans is all that bad a thing. You know, for a game that involves things like war. Someone mind filling me on on why that's so terrible a thing?

From the angle of "Shoot, the Fourth Succession War kinda wraps things up, we can't have a war game without wars" then, yes, the Clan Invasion is a good thing. From the angle of "Who the hell are these guys with the new 'Mechs and bleeding-edge tech, what's with the recent mass movements of one of the largest mercenary companies in the Sphere, and why did their leader just call a meeting with all the heads of the Successor States?" the Clan Invasion is very, very bad.

Quick primer on Why The Clans Are Scary:
1.) In 3050, and even for decades afterward, the Clans have perfected several 'Mech technologies that the Sphere was just starting to recover: ton for ton, a 'Mech intelligently built with Clan tech will out muscle almost anything the Sphere has to offer at the beginning of 3050. And even more unfortunately for the Sphere, the Clans like to put their best designs out in the front lines so they can finish off their opponents quickly.
2.) They came from freaking nowhere: Kerensky and his warriors disappeared centuries ago, and faded into myth to return at the Sphere's darkest hour (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/KingInTheMountain), like so many mythical leaders before. And now, SURPRISE! They're here to kick your rear instead of save you.
3.) Their culture got weird compared to the Sphere due to their warrior heritage.
4.) Their eugenics program worked, and so those superior 'Mechs are piloted by warriors bred for superior reflexes.
5.) And that's not even getting into their Elementals, power armored infantry that can shrug off anti-personnel fire and strike back. Depending on how their commander intends them to be used, a group of five Elementals can mow down dozens of conventional infantry with minimal casualties or alternatively pounce on enemy 'Mechs and execute them by tearing apart critical components... including the pilot.

king.com

2011-11-02, 02:47 AM

From the angle of "Shoot, the Fourth Succession War kinda wraps things up, we can't have a war game without wars" then, yes, the Clan Invasion is a good thing. From the angle of "Who the hell are these guys with the new 'Mechs and bleeding-edge tech, what's with the recent mass movements of one of the largest mercenary companies in the Sphere, and why did their leader just call a meeting with all the heads of the Successor States?" the Clan Invasion is very, very bad.

Quick primer on Why The Clans Are Scary:
1.) In 3050, and even for decades afterward, the Clans have perfected several 'Mech technologies that the Sphere was just starting to recover: ton for ton, a 'Mech intelligently built with Clan tech will out muscle almost anything the Sphere has to offer at the beginning of 3050. And even more unfortunately for the Sphere, the Clans like to put their best designs out in the front lines so they can finish off their opponents quickly.
2.) They came from freaking nowhere: Kerensky and his warriors disappeared centuries ago, and faded into myth to return at the Sphere's darkest hour (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/KingInTheMountain), like so many mythical leaders before. And now, SURPRISE! They're here to kick your rear instead of save you.
3.) Their culture got weird compared to the Sphere due to their warrior heritage.
4.) Their eugenics program worked, and so those superior 'Mechs are piloted by warriors bred for superior reflexes.
5.) And that's not even getting into their Elementals, power armored infantry that can shrug off anti-personnel fire and strike back. Depending on how their commander intends them to be used, a group of five Elementals can mow down dozens of conventional infantry with minimal casualties or alternatively pounce on enemy 'Mechs and execute them by tearing apart critical components... including the pilot.

Plus your also missing they have the greatest 'randomly inserting different words into regular english' of all cultures in sci-fi. Freebirth, surrat, quiaff. Its great stuff :smallbiggrin:

But yea, Clan invasion is going to go bad for everyone...mass casualties, enforcing strict caste based society on people used to freedom oh and the Smoke Jaguars and their occasional planetary bombardment to counter Inner Sphere resistance groups.

The most important thing about the Clan Invasion is that someday, maybe...we get to participate in Operation Bulldog and Operation Serpent. You want your raids? Form a part of the best and brightest of the reformed Star League Defence Force to exterminate the Smoke Jaguar military forces and destroy their ability to ever wage war again...

Geez....I cant wait for the clans to invade. :smallcool:

*Insert witty Clan remark here*

...No, seriously, insert one there. I'm drawing blanks.

Ah...maybe... Clan Giant Playground? Thats the best I got...

Karoht

2011-11-02, 09:19 AM

From the angle of "Shoot, the Fourth Succession War kinda wraps things up, we can't have a war game without wars" then, yes, the Clan Invasion is a good thing. From the angle of "Who the hell are these guys with the new 'Mechs and bleeding-edge tech, what's with the recent mass movements of one of the largest mercenary companies in the Sphere, and why did their leader just call a meeting with all the heads of the Successor States?" the Clan Invasion is very, very bad.

Quick primer on Why The Clans Are Scary:
1.) In 3050, and even for decades afterward, the Clans have perfected several 'Mech technologies that the Sphere was just starting to recover: ton for ton, a 'Mech intelligently built with Clan tech will out muscle almost anything the Sphere has to offer at the beginning of 3050. And even more unfortunately for the Sphere, the Clans like to put their best designs out in the front lines so they can finish off their opponents quickly.
2.) They came from freaking nowhere: Kerensky and his warriors disappeared centuries ago, and faded into myth to return at the Sphere's darkest hour (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/KingInTheMountain), like so many mythical leaders before. And now, SURPRISE! They're here to kick your rear instead of save you.
3.) Their culture got weird compared to the Sphere due to their warrior heritage.
4.) Their eugenics program worked, and so those superior 'Mechs are piloted by warriors bred for superior reflexes.
5.) And that's not even getting into their Elementals, power armored infantry that can shrug off anti-personnel fire and strike back. Depending on how their commander intends them to be used, a group of five Elementals can mow down dozens of conventional infantry with minimal casualties or alternatively pounce on enemy 'Mechs and execute them by tearing apart critical components... including the pilot.
In that context, yes, it's a scary thing.
In game? Woo hoo, badass enemies are more fun to fight than non-badass enemies. Sounds like it will be a fun game.

userpay

2011-11-02, 10:33 AM

Ah...maybe... Clan Giant Playground? Thats the best I got...

Clan Playground: Because when your in mech this big the whole world becomes your playground.

Mando Knight

2011-11-02, 12:13 PM

In game? Woo hoo, badass enemies are more fun to fight than non-badass enemies.
We'll see how they handle the Invasion. And you should note that the Sphere Mechwarriors are fairly badass themselves (because if you're going to strap guys into five meter tall machines of death, you're going to want the best in there), so it won't be like going from fighting stormtroopers to Boba Fett, it'll be more like going from dueling your rival with revolvers to dueling your rival... while he's using an assault rifle. If you kill him, you might be able to get an assault rifle of your own if you grab decent salvage. Until then, however, you'd best hope that attrition or lucky shots get him before he gets you.

Karoht

2011-11-02, 12:36 PM

We'll see how they handle the Invasion. And you should note that the Sphere Mechwarriors are fairly badass themselves (because if you're going to strap guys into five meter tall machines of death, you're going to want the best in there), so it won't be like going from fighting stormtroopers to Boba Fett, it'll be more like going from dueling your rival with revolvers to dueling your rival... while he's using an assault rifle. If you kill him, you might be able to get an assault rifle of your own if you grab decent salvage. Until then, however, you'd best hope that attrition or lucky shots get him before he gets you.

Or, as I stated before. Out-smart, out-manouver, or out-crazy the other guy/s. The only problem is that the Clan are used to outsmarting and outmanouvering, and they outgun.
I remember reading that when the Clans first showed up, their tactics were so radically different, they though the Clans were aliens. Just pointing that out.

So what is everyone's favorite weapons in Battletech/Mechwarrior? Pick one close range, one medium range, one long range.

My picks-
Close: Melee or Machine Guns.
Medium: Lasers
Long: Autocannons. Banks of UAC2's I find to be highly effective and very very efficient. Not really a missile fan.

The Glyphstone

2011-11-02, 12:48 PM

I've never played Battletech, but as far as Mechwarrior goes:

Close: Pulse Lasers
Medium: Pulse Lasers
Long: Close the distance, then Pulse Lasers.:smallbiggrin:

Also, in the FAQ:

Q. Will I be able to fully customize my Mechs' load out, decals, paint job, and equipment?

A. You will be able to customize your load out, decals, paint job and equipment. But when it comes to armor, weapons and accessories please refer to the previous question and answer.

Is it just me, or is this the only question in the entire FAQ that even mentions armor/equipment? The actual previous Q/A is about combined arms and vehicles.

Misery Esquire

2011-11-02, 12:52 PM

I've never played Battletech, but as far as Mechwarrior goes:

Close: Pulse Lasers
Medium: Pulse Lasers
Long: Close the distance, then Pulse Lasers.:smallbiggrin:

Drat, you stole my anwser!

...though, I prefer ER (Clan) PPCs to Pulse lasers for long distances.

Mando Knight

2011-11-02, 01:36 PM

I've never played Battletech, but as far as Mechwarrior goes:

Close: Pulse Lasers
Medium: Pulse Lasers
Long: Close the distance, then Pulse Lasers.:smallbiggrin:

Drat, you stole my anwser!

...though, I prefer ER (Clan) PPCs to Pulse lasers for long distances.
Pulse lasers are terrifying weapons, especially when used close up, but my favorite primary guns are the Clan ER PPC and Gauss Rifle. Long-ranged headcappers means your opponents will begin to fear your might as you one-shot their best 'Mechs. Missiles are also fantastic for fire support and cleanup duty, and in MechWarrior as homing munitions.

Beleriphon

2011-11-02, 01:48 PM

My favourite tactic in MW4 multiplay was always to use a Firefly with some stupid huge engine run in, tag the biggest mech I could find with a homing tracer, usually on the head, and then have my team fire one round of missles each at that guy. Gotta say, having nearly 100 missles hit a Daisho can be damn funny to watch.

userpay

2011-11-02, 02:29 PM

Close: Melee, more in concept than practice though as I've never been in a game where I could use it.
Medium: PPCs/Gauss Rifles
Long: PPCs/Gauss Rifles
The later two depending on what sort of mech I'm in though I tend to prefer PPCs.

Actually would anyone perhaps be interested in running a BattleTech game in forum? I had been in one on Myth-Weavers, we had everything set up, but it ended up dieing out during negotiations for our first mission.

Erloas

2011-11-02, 03:35 PM

I just wish I got to play the TT game more. I want to be excited about this... but I haven't been playing many computer games lately and don't ever feel like putting in the time to pick up an MMO any more. But if its good, and reasonable FTP then I'll probably give it a go.

As for the clan invasion, the biggest issue I have with the clan tech is that it is simply better. Its not conditionally better, its just better. It doesn't trade an advantage like range for increased heat or reduced damage, it doesn't even take more weight or slots to equip it. And its not just weapons, its structure, engines, and just about everything else.
They just increased the BV of the items so you get less of them in an even match, which is fair enough from a large scale tactical balance sense but just seems to cause problems if you aren't careful, especially in smaller games and I don't see any good way of doing it right in a single mech per player system.

Favorite weapons... I have a soft spot for the AC20. Sure, it has a lot of shortcomings and its a pain to fit in anything, but it has the oh-crap feel that no other gun does.
Long range I like the flexibility of the RAC5.
But of course it depends a lot on when and what size 'Mechs you are fielding. A large bank of ERMLs can cause a lot of damage and is pretty reliable but its only slight less easy-mode then the ERMPL spam.

Gnoman

2011-11-02, 04:00 PM

You do know there is already a free, perfectly legal implementation of the tabletop game, with campaign software, don't you?

elpollo

2011-11-02, 04:04 PM

Is it just me, or is this the only question in the entire FAQ that even mentions armor/equipment? The actual previous Q/A is about combined arms and vehicles.

It says "At the moment we are not following up with combined arms (tanks, hovercraft, jets etc.)", so I guess that means they aren't following up with custom mech loadouts.

edit - to be clear, what I've taken from the answer is that you'll have choice of the stock designs, but will have to stick to canon designs rather than making your own with 10 LRM 20s and 1 shot. Rereading the answer makes me much less sure of this, though.

Karoht

2011-11-02, 04:54 PM

I just wish I got to play the TT game more. I want to be excited about this... but I haven't been playing many computer games lately and don't ever feel like putting in the time to pick up an MMO any more. But if its good, and reasonable FTP then I'll probably give it a go.If it's half as good as World of Tanks, I'm still sold.

As for the clan invasion, the biggest issue I have with the clan tech is that it is simply better. Its not conditionally better, its just better.Yes. That is exactly the point. They've kept most of their awesome tech, and they expanded on it in some areas. Meanwhile the shattered Star League went the opposite direction. Either ignoring tech or losing access/production capability during the wars.
In case you're wondering, I'm pretty sure FASA intended the Clan tech to be imbalanced. What with the fact that the Clan were sort of the intended Big Bad.

A large bank of ERMLs can cause a lot of damage and is pretty reliable but its only slight less easy-mode then the ERMPL spam.Wow, shows how long it's been since I played. Bwah? ERML/ERMPL? Extended Range Medium Laser/Extended Range Medium Pulse Laser?

Othesemo

2011-11-02, 05:14 PM

This sounds awesome. I haven't played the tabletop game, but I've been addicted to MW3 and 4 for... about eight years. Can't wait for this to come out.

Also, I second the idea of having a GitP clan.

Joran

2011-11-02, 05:25 PM

So what is everyone's favorite weapons in Battletech/Mechwarrior? Pick one close range, one medium range, one long range.

Close Range: LB 20-X AC: Because firing the largest shotgun known to mankind is awesome. Also, you get to roll each pellet individually, so lots of chances for head hits.

Medium Range: Medium laser: That magical weapon that I put whenever I needed to spend 1 ton.

Long Range: Clan ER PPC or Gauss Rifle: My favorite mech was the Banshee because the first time I played, I headshot someone with the Gauss Rifle.

Karoht

2011-11-02, 05:49 PM

Yeah, Gauss Rifles are pretty awesome. Shame about the weight though. There's that one mech, the Rhino? It's got two of them. Once I played one, I never wanted to play anything else. But I always ended up being shoved into the Urban/Short range rolls more than anything. Good times in the Rhino though. Good times.

Mando Knight

2011-11-02, 06:37 PM

Yeah, Gauss Rifles are pretty awesome. Shame about the weight though. There's that one mech, the Rhino? It's got two of them. Once I played one, I never wanted to play anything else. But I always ended up being shoved into the Urban/Short range rolls more than anything. Good times in the Rhino though. Good times.

The Rhino is an 80-ton tank that says it's an up-armored LRM Carrier.

Also, "Awesome" is defined as "80 tons and three PPCs."

Othesemo

2011-11-02, 08:05 PM

Actually, they seem to be foreshadowing the Clans pretty blatantly. I mean, they even wrote a ;) on their FAQ when asked if the clans would appear.

Nothing, in any world, is more suspicious than a winky face.

Mando Knight

2011-11-02, 08:32 PM

Actually, they seem to be foreshadowing the Clans pretty blatantly. I mean, they even wrote a ;) on their FAQ when asked if the clans would appear.

Nothing, in any world, is more suspicious than a winky face.

They put the starting year as 3049. If that doesn't say O HAI, CLANS, then nothing does.

KnightDisciple

2011-11-03, 09:38 AM

Actually, they seem to be foreshadowing the Clans pretty blatantly. I mean, they even wrote a ;) on their FAQ when asked if the clans would appear.

Nothing, in any world, is more suspicious than a winky face.

They put the starting year as 3049. If that doesn't say O HAI, CLANS, then nothing does.

I'll take "Option C", which is "both things combined make me very, very suspicious".

...Anyone planning to join the Free Rasalhague Republic? :smalltongue:

Fri

2011-11-03, 10:05 AM

hoooly freakin crap. finally a new mechwarrior game? I couldn't care less whether it's online or not, but a new mechwarrior game is something for a cheer. crossing my fingers for this one.

The Glyphstone

2011-11-03, 10:10 AM

Now if only they manage to avoid the pit of suck that Free-To-Play games seem to gravitate towards - i.e., Freemium.

Karoht

2011-11-03, 10:20 AM

The Rhino is an 80-ton tank that says it's an up-armored LRM Carrier.

Also, "Awesome" is defined as "80 tons and three PPCs."
I defer to your wisdom on this particular context of the word 'awesome' sir/s.

I like being able to sustain fire though. PPC's aren't exactly known for being heat friendly. If I've got guns, I want to fire them every chance I need to. Yeah yeah, heatsinks and such, blah blah blah. I'm usually stuck in the 50-65 ton range. Though there was a 35 ton mech I rather liked. I forget the name but it was armed with a single UAC 10 and a small laser, might have had another weapon on it as well like a medium laser. Fast as heck, jump jets, just small quick fun and could pack a quick and solid punch. I don't think it had arms though. Sneeze on it and it would explode though. Fun times.

otakuryoga

2011-11-03, 11:42 AM

I defer to your wisdom on this particular context of the word 'awesome' sir/s.

I like being able to sustain fire though. PPC's aren't exactly known for being heat friendly. If I've got guns, I want to fire them every chance I need to. Yeah yeah, heatsinks and such, blah blah blah. I'm usually stuck in the 50-65 ton range. Though there was a 35 ton mech I rather liked. I forget the name but it was armed with a single UAC 10 and a small laser, might have had another weapon on it as well like a medium laser. Fast as heck, jump jets, just small quick fun and could pack a quick and solid punch. I don't think it had arms though. Sneeze on it and it would explode though. Fun times.

thats why the Awesome is...well, awesome
you run and fire all 3 PPC you heat up by 2
so every 3rd round you only fire 2 PPC and you never have any heat penalty

as compared to the worst design ever (the Masakari Prime) where you do an alpha strike and end at 28/30 on heat scale

Illieas

2011-11-03, 02:13 PM

Close: Hatchet. ended a couple table top with a hatchet to the face on a couple games
Medium: PPCs
Long: LRM20s I like the shooting tons and tons of missiles but gauss is a close second.

I only played mechwarrior 2 of the mechwarrior series. And i loved that game. just used the Nova all the time and group fired the medium lazers.

the opening cinematic is still a favorite
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNLBj8IyVN0

It been a long time since i played the battle tech stuff hopefulley this will be good.

MCerberus

2011-11-03, 03:18 PM

I'm looking forward to this. I'm rather tired of MMO PvP being 'hyper-active fleas jumping at each other while particle effects go off'

planning a missile boat.

Mando Knight

2011-11-03, 03:31 PM

I only played mechwarrior 2 of the mechwarrior series. And i loved that game. just used the Nova all the time and group fired the medium lazers.
All the lasers? Or did you group different lasers to different groups so you didn't turn into the 'Mech's namesake (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nova)? (Nova Prime's alpha strike is just as stupid as a Masakari Prime's. It generates 4 less overheat, but it's also just a Medium 'Mech, meaning that it's even more of a sitting duck while in shutdown.)

the opening cinematic is still a favorite
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNLBj8IyVN0
I take issue with that sequence. A Timber Wolf should never run out of ammunition. If it does, then either its best guns have been blown off, or some moron decided to make a loadout that doesn't take advantage of the beauty's 15 built-in DHS.

DaedalusMkV

2011-11-03, 03:53 PM

All the lasers? Or did you group different lasers to different groups so you didn't turn into the 'Mech's namesake (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nova)? (Nova Prime's alpha strike is just as stupid as a Masakari Prime's. It generates 4 less overheat, but it's also just a Medium 'Mech, meaning that it's even more of a sitting duck while in shutdown.)

Ah yes, heat-based failure. I once ran a Nova in either 3 or 4 that was specifically built to be a sniper. Maxed out the ER Heavy Lasers, filled up the rest of my tonnage with heatsinks and then aimed for the cockpit. It worked really well as long as I made sure to run around for long enough to reset my heat all the way to 0 after each shot. Any more heat than that and my standard alpha-strike snipe would cause an overheat and my poorly armoured medium mech was left defenseless. Died that way more times than I care to admit. Oh, and if I tried firing when my Heat was higher than 15% or so, I'd just explode. Sure, in retrospect it was a really poorly thought-out strategy that got me killed more times than a more sane mech design, but one-shotting a 100+ ton Clan Assault mech with my Medium? Good times.

I'm definitely going to have to keep my eye on this as it starts to near release. I loved me some Mechwarrior back when I was a kid, and a semi-persistant online version would be all shades of cool.

The Glyphstone

2011-11-03, 03:56 PM

I'm looking forward to this. I'm rather tired of MMO PvP being 'hyper-active fleas jumping at each other while particle effects go off'

planning a missile boat.

No worries there, the Flea (http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Flea) has no Jump Jets on it or any of its variants.:smallbiggrin:

MCerberus

2011-11-03, 04:07 PM

I think the weirdest heat-related shenanigans came from my old habit of running incendiary rockets in team modes.

I remember it being moderately effective when the rest of the team would immediately jump on the disabled mech. To give you an idea on how much I loved explosions: And I don't recall the model of the assault mech (been a while) but I had something like 8 linked LRM racks.

But the more veteran players can describe why I'm a madman in better detail.

Mando Knight

2011-11-03, 04:16 PM

100+ ton
There aren't any canon functioning Colossal-class 'Mechs until around 3132, when the Ares (http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Ares_%28BattleMech%29) pops up. I consider it a flop, personally.

No worries there, the Flea (http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Flea) has no Jump Jets on it or any of its variants.:smallbiggrin:
Come to think of it, who's the moron who named it the Flea and didn't give it the ability to jump?

Timberwolf

2011-11-03, 08:13 PM

I think the weirdest heat-related shenanigans came from my old habit of running incendiary rockets in team modes.

But the more veteran players can describe why I'm a madman in better detail.

Yeah, the old inferno boat. I personally favoured the one and only Zippo Raven, but an assault mech loaded with inferno rockets or LRM's is basically a one hit shutdown if it goes right. I always used a Mad Dog (Vulture to you Spheroids) for running the twin inferno rocket config. However, if you get caught by something with any sort of guns, you're dead. Your score will also suck and anyone playing against you will hate your guts and will try to kill you over and over again. However, for taking mechs out of the game, especially under sinked, over gunned snipers, you can't beat it. Well, I say that, if I remember rightly, there was a mini version of the Long Tom that fired inferno rounds. Now there's a weapon for those not afraid to walk outside with a really stupid hat on. Strip the armour off an Uller and put one in the arm. Fun if totally ineffective.

The 7 ERLL Nova Cat that Daedalus is mentioning is an interesting beast. No armour (you need the weight for at least some heatsinks or you fire and explode even with 0% heat) and 7 big guns. You cannot run this one without a team and to make it work, your team will hate you as it is a kill theif extraordinaire. One thing I will say, it teaches you how to hide and how to shoot at very long range.

And I see James the Dark is still lurking.

Banzai !!, old chap.

Meta

2011-11-06, 11:01 AM

Gotta wait four years for my hollander... Hopefully they keep some mechs semi-exclusive for factions (salvages are fine obviously)

EDIT: Dis one
http://www.solaris7.com/TRO/HTMLBattleMech/BattlemechInfo.asp?ID=899

16 shots, slow speed, low armor, and the biggest gun a manufacturer puts on a mech. THAT's a mech that either wins or dies.

Shyftir

2011-11-07, 02:03 AM

BTW my suggestion for the playground clan/unit: Playground Heroes. (reference to the song "bar room heroes." by the dropkick murphies)

GloatingSwine

2011-11-07, 12:21 PM

I'm not a great fan on the pre 3050 mechs myself, all my favourites are post 3050. however, the Warhammer and a suitably regunned Dragon (HOW COULD I FORGET THE DRAGON ??)

Despite it's presence in that first CG trailer for Mechwarrior 5, I doubt the Warhammer will show up even when the universe ticks over.

Same with the rest of the Macross, Dougram, and Crusher Joe licenses. An F2P model argues for keeping costs down, not paying license fees for designs.

KnightDisciple

2011-11-07, 12:40 PM

Despite it's presence in that first CG trailer for Mechwarrior 5, I doubt the Warhammer will show up even when the universe ticks over.

Same with the rest of the Macross, Dougram, and Crusher Joe licenses. An F2P model argues for keeping costs down, not paying license fees for designs.

Well. We won't see the same model for them. There are retooled looks that deviate enough to not cause trouble. Pretty sure this is a Warhammer, for instance. (http://bg.battletech.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/CAT3500A_BT25thAnniversaryIntroductoryBoxSet1.jpg)

...Have I mentioned I really want to drive a Crusader? :smallfrown:

Erloas

2011-11-07, 12:51 PM

Despite it's presence in that first CG trailer for Mechwarrior 5, I doubt the Warhammer will show up even when the universe ticks over.

Same with the rest of the Macross, Dougram, and Crusher Joe licenses. An F2P model argues for keeping costs down, not paying license fees for designs.

Seeing as how the lawyers have been working at it (again) for the last year or two, and last anything was said, the whole unseen thing should be done with.

I also don't think they could even do a pre-3050 game without the unseen, as thats like half of the designs in that time period. They of course would use the new versions of the 'Mechs, rather then the unseen versions. Which is good anyway, I thought the unseen marauder looked bad, and don't specifically remember many of the others but I was never impressed with them.

If they weren't going to use the unseen 'Mechs then it would have made a lot more sense to jump another 10-25 years so they have 10x the 'Mech designs to work with.

And there should be no royalties involved. Using a 'Mech with the same name as one that used to look like a copyrighted mech from another system wouldn't involve royalties unless they were going back to the old copyrighted designs. Because its the design, not the name, that is the issue.
The main issue with the unseen designs has been that they have a decade (or more) worth of old pictures that they can't use because they have the old designs on them.

GloatingSwine

2011-11-07, 01:27 PM

And there should be no royalties involved. Using a 'Mech with the same name as one that used to look like a copyrighted mech from another system wouldn't involve royalties unless they were going back to the old copyrighted designs. Because its the design, not the name, that is the issue.

I suspect that changing the design enough but retaining the name would basically lead to something that was, basically, so different that no-one would care or recognise it any more.

Edit: Not that I wouldn't love to see them have the original designs as a middle finger to Harmony Gold.

Erloas

2011-11-07, 01:43 PM

I suspect that changing the design enough but retaining the name would basically lead to something that was, basically, so different that no-one would care or recognise it any more.

I'm not exactly sure what you are trying to say. Because the redesigns, that are no longer close enough for copyright issues, have been in place for 10-15 years already. I would suspect that the majority of players know the re-seen designs almost exclusively and don't know the original unseen ones.

Although I have heard that every once in a while the other company does still complain that the new designs are still too close to their old designs, but its a moot point that was settled (with the help of lawyers) when it came up originally. I think the complaining mostly comes from them wanting money since the franchises the designs originally came from are defunct now.

The more recent issues with the unseen came up when CGL wanted to get the rights to the old designs, not to go back to them or continue using them in some fashion, but simply so they could use pictures from the early days that used the designs and models that they have. It was, I believe, supposed to be part of the 25years of Battletech, which they are a little late for now, because they are really limited in what they can show from the early days because of the unseen designs. They wanted to use the designs for historical purposes, not current or future uses.

At least thats the impression I got of the whole situation, having followed it somewhat over the last 2 years.

Breltar

2011-11-07, 02:23 PM

They will probably just use the reseen designs and be done with it, most folks actually like them and the newer style longbow I feel looks far superior to the old school one that was 'copyrighted'.

There are way more mechs than just the unseen and the unseen definitely do not make up half.

They do make up a lot of Davion mechs, but there are still enough to use regardless and the reseen designs are there anyway.

They have said that the main part of the game will be conquest style rather than deathmatch and I am excited about that since WoT is only deathmatch...

I also hope that the only thing that MWO borrows from WoT is the ease of getting into games.

GungHo

2011-11-07, 02:57 PM

I do find it funny how many people are listing post-3050 IS designs as what they want to pilot, or Clanner mechs. We'll have a full year before the earliest stuff is available, you know. :smalltongue:
For me, my first exposure to BattleTech was MechWarrior 2... so if you ask me what I want to drive around, I'll be biased toward what brought me in. It's not always a matter of "lol they don't know any better".

Erloas

2011-11-07, 03:52 PM

There are way more mechs than just the unseen and the unseen definitely do not make up half.
Well I was using a bit of hyperbole, but I decided to check.
There are 86 3025 chassis, which is what we would have available in a game set pre-clan. There are 21 unseen chassis. Which is 25%, which isn't half, but its still a significant amount. Its not just the numbers though, many are classics and vital to the era. It simply wouldn't be battletech without them.

here is a list of Unseen:

Archer
Battlemaster
Crusader
Goliath
Griffin
Locust
Longbow
Marauder
Ostroc
Ostscout
Ostsol
Phoenix Hawk
Rifleman
Scorpion
Shadow Hawk
Stinger
Thunderbolt
Valkyrie
Warhammer
Wasp
Wolverine

I was going to post the 3025 'Mechs as well but the post got too long (even spoilered) and wouldn't post

Mando Knight

2011-11-07, 03:56 PM

For me, my first exposure to BattleTech was MechWarrior 2... so if you ask me what I want to drive around, I'll be biased toward what brought me in. It's not always a matter of "lol they don't know any better".
Well, that, and post-3050 has been the assumption for so long that people actually have to stop and think about what 'Mechs they would use if they can't pick from Post-Invasion material.

And quite frankly, the paradigm of 'Mech balance changed in 3050, and is probably best exemplified by the Timber Wolf. Before the Clans arrived, you couldn't have a fast, well-armored, well-armed, all-ranged war machine that rarely ran into heating or ammunition problems on its own. You had to choose, and that's why 'Mechs like the AS7-D Atlas, CGR-1A1 Charger, and AWS-8Q Awesome were relevant despite the Atlas's range issues, the Charger's engine taking up 60% of its mass, and the Awesome's heat issues.

Breltar

2011-11-07, 05:06 PM

I was going to post the 3025 'Mechs as well but the post got too long (even spoilered) and wouldn't post

3025 isn't the only one to go by though since MWO is going to start in 3049, right at the start of Clan activity. Record sheet for 3039 can also be used, as well as mechs that are old or are starting to be prototyped back into existence by the discovery of the Helm memory core in 3028.

I think that the game will start out with only a few select mechs anyway and build up, so even if they can't use the unseens (even though in interviews they said there wasn't a problem) then there is still a core amount that can be used for all the IS fighting till the Clans are integrated.

Once the Clans are integrated it opens up all the other options like the ad-hoc Bushwacker and all the mechs redesigned/rediscovered with Clan tech introductions.

Also take a look at Project Pheonix as that redesigned all the 'unseens' to make them legit again.
http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Technical_Readout:_Project_Phoenix

Erloas

2011-11-07, 05:37 PM

I had went with 3025 because thats primarily what would have been available. The fact that little was changing or advancing was, after all, sort of what defined the Succession Wars Era.
But just to check I pulled up 3039 as well and its a very short list and only 3 chassis that are new, the rest are just new configs of existing ones. Of those 3 I don't know any of them and one may have been unique. Not that SSW is a definitive source, its just the fasts and easiest for a list to compare with.

Also if they are trying to advance the game in "real time" as the FAQ implied, the game would be out for close to a year before captured tech could even start to be used and several years before any of the new IS designs are out. And an MMO can't (logically at least) be built on a hand full of prototype 'Mechs. (although I suppose that might fit with the Pay for Premium content idea)

I'm also well aware of Project Phoenix, and that was pretty much my point in the first place. That there is no issue with using the unseen 'Mechs, because they have been redone (a long time ago) to not be an issue and it would be the redone version, not the unseen, that would be in the game.

LansXero

2011-11-07, 08:38 PM

Admitedly I dont know much about the setting or the previous games, but arent Omnimech the main selling point? If I understand correctly they wouldnt be available due to the starting date, and a game about mech combat loses a lot of appeal if you cant choose your specific loadout and customize it to be your own. I think they should really prioritize opening that for players, regardless of the actual tech level choice is good.

Then again, the only game of the type Ive played was Front Mission 3 but I know that what I loved the most about it was how I could combine arms and legs and torsos and weapons in different ways.

Gnoman

2011-11-07, 09:04 PM

While I don't know how this game will handle it, OmniMechs are NOT required for units to be customizable in the BT universe. The (fluff-wise) advantage of OmniMechs (as well as OmniFighters, OmniVehicles, etc.) was that cutomiztion only took a few hours instead of weeks in the shop. From a gameplay standpoint, the advantage was that each unit came with a number of pre-loaded configurations, allowing more versaitle units without calculating BV.

Breltar

2011-11-07, 10:11 PM

And an MMO can't (logically at least) be built on a hand full of prototype 'Mechs. (although I suppose that might fit with the Pay for Premium content idea)

Prototypes are used in WoT and it seems to be working out fairly well, even though I'm not a fan of the way they run only deathmatch. :smallbiggrin:

There was some change happening with the lostech that was being recovered in the wake of the succession wars. The clan invasion both accelerated this and also brought in all the salvage and captures that those filthy clanners brought with them.

I am hoping that they not only include the 'stock' (really first) variants of the mechs but also the subsequent models of the same mech. Examples include the locust which had a medium laser and 2 machine guns but later models swapped the MGs for a variety of things.

They have enough to make a game and infinitely expand and also have a time frame to base expansion on. I think it's a good plan and hope the game lives up to all of our expectations.

Karoht

2011-11-08, 11:30 AM

I'm really not too worried about the mech choices at launch. Partly because it's launch, and partly because even the story implies (The clans are coming, run for the hills) that new shiney stuff is just around the corner.

Or, worst case scenario, they break canon and give us even more stuff at launch. Which I highly doubt they will, but that's not the point.

Man, I can't wait to see what a really well organized clan Star can do to mess people up.

I wonder if they'll add in starfighters at some point, or if they're at launch or what. I wouldn't mind piloting one of those.

9mm

2011-11-08, 11:38 AM

Man, I can't wait to see what a really well organized clan Star can do to mess people up.

Won't take much; clan tech will always have the raw numbers over IS. the IS advantage was variety in tech (which won't be available at 3049), and not being tied down to the RoE's of the Clan's; and something tells me players won't hold to those RoE's either.

userpay

2011-11-08, 11:41 AM

I'm really not too worried about the mech choices at launch. Partly because it's launch, and partly because even the story implies (The clans are coming, run for the hills) that new shiney stuff is just around the corner.

Or, worst case scenario, they break canon and give us even more stuff at launch. Which I highly doubt they will, but that's not the point.

Man, I can't wait to see what a really well organized clan Star can do to mess people up.

I wonder if they'll add in starfighters at some point, or if they're at launch or what. I wouldn't mind piloting one of those.

Weren't they talking about the time progression being day for day though? If they do that we wouldn't be getting new tech for at least a year as a result right?

Karoht

2011-11-08, 12:07 PM

Weren't they talking about the time progression being day for day though? If they do that we wouldn't be getting new tech for at least a year as a result right?Great, so we have a year to mess around with basic tech, learn strategy and combat in basic tech. Then the clans show up, we learn to adapt those strategies. Then we get better gear, and work that into strategy and combat techniques. That right there sounds like an awesome progression. It's going to take a year? Oh well.

It is going to create a bit of the curmudgeonly players.
"Back in my day we didn't have double heat sinks or clan tech or any of that crap you new players get."
And so on.

I'm a fan of learning things 'the hard way' and then having better and better stuff present itself. Part of why I liked TIE Fighter so much as opposed to X-Wing. Learning to dogfight in a ship with poor armament and next to no survivability meant you had to rely heavily on your wits and piloting, and using other advantages like speed and maneuverability. When better craft presented themselves, you were just that much more prepared to really take advantage of them. In Mech, we're going to have to use the old clunky crappy mechs and learn how to get the most out of them. Then we'll be given better stuff. Again, I'm all for that.

MCerberus

2011-11-08, 01:12 PM

I'm a fan of learning things 'the hard way' and then having better and better stuff present itself. Part of why I liked TIE Fighter so much as opposed to X-Wing. Learning to dogfight in a ship with poor armament and next to no survivability meant you had to rely heavily on your wits and piloting, and using other advantages like speed and maneuverability. When better craft presented themselves, you were just that much more prepared to really take advantage of them. In Mech, we're going to have to use the old clunky crappy mechs and learn how to get the most out of them. Then we'll be given better stuff. Again, I'm all for that.

Nostalgia:

Interceptors FTW. Except the last half of the game puts you in that ridiculously wonky looking abomination that was central to the plot.

Rustic Dude

2011-11-08, 01:16 PM

It seems that now they are rethinking the mechs and updating their appearance to fit those newer times...

...I fear for my Urbie. It may start looking cool.

Karoht

2011-11-08, 01:18 PM

Nostalgia:

Interceptors FTW. Except the last half of the game puts you in that ridiculously wonky looking abomination that was central to the plot.The TIE Defender? The thing bristling with guns and missiles and tougher shields/armor than a B-Wing and faster than anything else in the game? With a tractor beam to make it really REALLY faceroll?

Yeah, Interceptor FTW. I was a fan of the A-Wing in XvT, but the Interceptor still holds a special place in my heart.
I once fought a TIE Defender one on one, with a TIE Fighter. And won. No, it wasn't a sim or a retarded player. Fight lasted a good 11 minutes because I would run out of laser energy just chipping away at his massive shields.

It seems that now they are rethinking the mechs and updating their appearance to fit those newer times...

...I fear for my Urbie. It may start looking cool.It's Battletech. The uglier and jankier and junkier it looks, the better it looks. Cool still being relative mind you.

"That is one ugly looking mech"
"Yeah, but that ugly looking hunk o junk is MY ugly looking hunk o junk"

Philistine

2011-11-08, 01:24 PM

Weellll...

I obviously don't know how the game is going to implement all this, but the Inner Sphere's tech renaissance started in 3035. It took time to get the new/old tech into production, much less into the field, for a number of reasons - most of which are "logistics" and "finances." Another factor is that in many cases the Succession Wars-era tech was competitive enough with Star-League era gear (some of which came with pretty significant drawbacks of its own, above and beyond the higher pricetag) that you could argue that it wasn't strictly necessary, or at least that it didn't necessarily have to be a fighting force's top priority. The upshot is, the re-equipment of IS forces was a gradual thing over a period of years, so it's not in any way a violation of canon to give players access to lostech or refitted 'Mechs a year before the in-universe publication date of the Technical Readout. It's not like the calendar flipped over to New Year's Day 3050 and everyone said, "Okay, it's time to break out all the high-tech toys now!"

For that matter, the Clan Invasion began in 3048 - in-universe, the TR:3050 is the result of two years' worth of ComStar's efforts to gather intelligence on the invaders. And while only 16 OmniMechs were mentioned in that book, the fluff text in later books makes it clear that many of the models introduced to players much later had actually been around in-universe a lot longer. So once again, canon isn't nearly as restrictive as it might seem at first glance.

Karoht

2011-11-08, 01:28 PM

Weellll...
~snip~
... So once again, canon isn't nearly as restrictive as it might seem at first glance.Excellent. That is actually rather encouraging.

Mando Knight

2011-11-08, 01:53 PM

Nostalgia:

Interceptors FTW. Except the last half of the game puts you in that ridiculously wonky looking abomination that was central to the plot.

The TIE Defender? The thing bristling with guns and missiles and tougher shields/armor than a B-Wing and faster than anything else in the game? With a tractor beam to make it really REALLY faceroll?
I think he means the King Hell God Emperor Starfighter of Death (starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Missile_Boat). The TIE Defender is a thing of beauty.

It seems that now they are rethinking the mechs and updating their appearance to fit those newer times...

...I fear for my Urbie. It may start looking cool.

It's Battletech. The uglier and jankier and junkier it looks, the better it looks. Cool still being relative mind you.

"That is one ugly looking mech"
"Yeah, but that ugly looking hunk o junk is MY ugly looking hunk o junk"
It is relative, though... to me, the 5-meter-tall trashcan is cannon fodder, while 'Mechs like the Timber Wolf, Bushwhacker, and Atlas are awesome designs.

Timberwolf

2011-11-08, 03:14 PM

It is relative, though... to me, the 5-meter-tall trashcan is cannon fodder, while 'Mechs like the Timber Wolf, Bushwhacker, and Atlas are awesome designs.

Ugh, the bushwacker. I agree on the Wolfie though, it's iconic. As far as I go, it's the Cauldron Born, Timberwolf, Goshawk and Cougar that are things of beauty.

9mm

2011-11-08, 03:21 PM

Ugh, the bushwacker. I agree on the Wolfie though, it's iconic. As far as I go, it's the Cauldron Born, Timberwolf, Goshawk and Cougar that are things of beauty.

But all fall sort of the beauty that is the Fafnir!

I kid, I kid.

Honest the more I hear about this game; I get happy and sad. Growing tech? awesome, but the clans WILL have an early advantage. So all maps are urban fights negating the range advantage, despite that being THE bugaboo for both cultures? okay.

MCerberus

2011-11-08, 03:40 PM

I've noticed a distinct lack of people showing interest in the promised battlefield command / Lance leader roll.

Everyone seems to want to go to their normal combat scenario. Speaking of which, I wonder how long it'll take in the game to get into something that fires an absurd amount of LRM-20s

GungHo

2011-11-08, 03:40 PM

It's Battletech. The uglier and jankier and junkier it looks, the better it looks. Cool still being relative mind you.

"That is one ugly looking mech"
"Yeah, but that ugly looking hunk o junk is MY ugly looking hunk o junk"
The Hatomoto-Chi still takes the cake for being the most ridiculous thing on the battlefield. Everything else is built for purpose, guns up front, bristling engines of death... very few "sleek go-fast" designs, except maybe some outliers like the Raven that are built specifically to be sleek and go-fast. And in walks this mech that looks like it was designed by someone who watched anime just so they could learn Japanese so he could pick up Asian chicks (but it doesn't work because he's always hitting on Koreans). It's got tiny little ankles that look like they couldn't hold up a mech half its size. It has calf/boot flares. It's got hat/antenna/horn things that will be blown off in the first salvo. I give it points for having a hand with which it can slap thee mightily. But... dude... seriously?

The Atlas is also goofy but it has that whole "Stay Puft Marshmallow Man" menacing smile thing going for it. The guy who drew that one up was obviously taken to the Nutcracker when he was a child... and he was screaming in terror the entire time.

Karoht

2011-11-08, 04:20 PM

I've noticed a distinct lack of people showing interest in the promised battlefield command / Lance leader roll.

Everyone seems to want to go to their normal combat scenario. Speaking of which, I wonder how long it'll take in the game to get into something that fires an absurd amount of LRM-20s

I'm interested, but only to a point. Depends on the interface mostly.

The Glyphstone

2011-11-08, 05:32 PM

The Atlas is also goofy but it has that whole "Stay Puft Marshmallow Man" menacing smile thing going for it. The guy who drew that one up was obviously taken to the Nutcracker when he was a child... and he was screaming in terror the entire time.

I gotta sig this.

Mando Knight

2011-11-08, 06:15 PM

I've noticed a distinct lack of people showing interest in the promised battlefield command / Lance leader roll.
Oh, I'm interested, it's just that you're commanding groups of GIANT ROBOTS from the cockpit of a GIANT ROBOT. The GIANT ROBOTS tend to overtake the rest of the conversation in preliminary analysis. The info warfare will come in once we know more about its implementation.

...I also hope we'll have an integrated music player system or something. Nothing goes with GIANT (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOhnKIVLzOw) ROBOTS (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NysDKXqVhjY) like the power (www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZKpByV5764) of ROCK (www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNFm7-UgobE). Except occasionally rap (www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqUsHmtZygg) and the lamentations of the women. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAlztMvvNkk)

GloatingSwine

2011-11-08, 06:33 PM

like the power (www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZKpByV5764) of ROCK (www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNFm7-UgobE).

Man, those guys are amateurs.

This (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8vXhrsZFAY) is how you apply the power of rock to your giant robot.

The Glyphstone

2011-11-08, 06:35 PM

Wait, someone actually wants the fruitless and thankless job of giving battlefield orders to strangers in a F2P game? It'll be like herding cats - or more accurately, like herding LOLcats.

GloatingSwine

2011-11-08, 06:38 PM

Wait, someone actually wants the fruitless and thankless job of giving battlefield orders to strangers in a F2P game? It'll be like herding cats - or more accurately, like herding LOLcats.

It's fairly simple, just have it work like Battlefield. The leader gives an order, if people follow that order both get points for doing it. If there's an incentive for following the squad order and there's any level of teamwork going on then everyone wins.

Especially as it seems like teams of 4 is what they're going for, so you probably won't be playing with randoms that often.

Mando Knight

2011-11-08, 07:25 PM

Man, those guys are amateurs.

This (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8vXhrsZFAY) is how you apply the power of rock to your giant robot.

...Valid point, except against Masaaki Endoh, one of the founding members of JAM Project (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Music/JAMProject).

MCerberus

2011-11-08, 07:32 PM

Wait, someone actually wants the fruitless and thankless job of giving battlefield orders to strangers in a F2P game? It'll be like herding cats - or more accurately, like herding LOLcats.

As a perspective artillery dude, I do need someone to make sure the herded LOLcats don't leave me alone to get shredded by a closer-range mechs, do some scanning, and deal with information. And then I can unleash a hellstorm that countermeasure systems gain sentience JUST TO WEEP ABOUT.

The exhaust from the missiles will create a second sun!
THE CON-TRAILS WILL DARKEN THE SKIES AS IF IN A HURRICANE!

Sorry, kind of dakka'd out there.

stabbybelkar

2011-11-08, 08:37 PM

I just wish I got to play the TT game more. I want to be excited about this... but I haven't been playing many computer games lately and don't ever feel like putting in the time to pick up an MMO any more. But if its good, and reasonable FTP then I'll probably give it a go.

As for the clan invasion, the biggest issue I have with the clan tech is that it is simply better. Its not conditionally better, its just better. It doesn't trade an advantage like range for increased heat or reduced damage, it doesn't even take more weight or slots to equip it. And its not just weapons, its structure, engines, and just about everything else.
They just increased the BV of the items so you get less of them in an even match, which is fair enough from a large scale tactical balance sense but just seems to cause problems if you aren't careful, especially in smaller games and I don't see any good way of doing it right in a single mech per player system.

Favorite weapons... I have a soft spot for the AC20. Sure, it has a lot of shortcomings and its a pain to fit in anything, but it has the oh-crap feel that no other gun does.
Long range I like the flexibility of the RAC5.
But of course it depends a lot on when and what size 'Mechs you are fielding. A large bank of ERMLs can cause a lot of damage and is pretty reliable but its only slight less easy-mode then the ERMPL spam.

Um, not sure if this counts or not but a least im MW4 the clan weapons did generate more heat than the IC equifalents. Speaking of MW4, anyone else hoping for a Solaris mode?

Breltar

2011-11-08, 08:44 PM

For that matter, the Clan Invasion began in 3048

3049 at 'The Rock' where Phelan Kell is captured by Clan Wolf while tracking some bandits.

Gnoman

2011-11-08, 08:44 PM

Clan units had double heat sinks while IS ones had single models. Thus Clan mechs ran cooler than the IS versions. This is generally ignored in the video games thus far.

MCerberus

2011-11-08, 10:26 PM

This may be an odd question that I must have missed somewhere, but, um, how does the game work?

Is it planet-side open world grab a gun and start shooting, or is it going to be like world of tanks, where you matchmake in?

9mm

2011-11-08, 10:50 PM

Clan units had double heat sinks while IS ones had single models. Thus Clan mechs ran cooler than the IS versions. This is generally ignored in the video games thus far.

To my knowledge, all game take place after 3050; when the grey death core had been long since recovered and a massive amount of data was being deciphered. Double Heat sinks were the first thing all the Successor States reverse engineered.

Mando Knight

2011-11-09, 12:13 AM

Um, not sure if this counts or not but a least im MW4 the clan weapons did generate more heat than the IC equifalents.
The Clan energy weapons generate more heat, as you're comparing ER to standard. The Sphere has access to ER energy tech, but they don't see the Clan's boost in laser damage or all of the extra range. In the end, if heat is a primary concern (which it often is in IS laser 'Mechs, though even IS Double Heat Sinks help with that problem), you'll probably want to stick with the standard lasers, which generate less heat than the ER versions.

This may be an odd question that I must have missed somewhere, but, um, how does the game work?

Is it planet-side open world grab a gun and start shooting, or is it going to be like world of tanks, where you matchmake in?
We don't know yet. I would assume something similar to the latter.

MCerberus

2011-11-09, 12:35 AM

We don't know yet. I would assume something similar to the latter.

I'm kind of hoping for more open world stuff. Shifting objectives, skirmishes that keep escalating, then someone brings in an assault lance and all hell breaks loose.

GloatingSwine

2011-11-09, 02:07 AM

Is it planet-side open world grab a gun and start shooting, or is it going to be like world of tanks, where you matchmake in?

From what they've said about the world persistence, I'd expect it to be something like Chromehounds. A persistent online map fought over by three or more factions, your squad can move between factions, and you get into games by choosing a battle (ie. choosing a map and gamemode) and it matchmakes you into a game of that game type on that map. Whoever wins earns some points for their faction towards controlling that planet.

Breltar

2011-11-09, 10:56 AM

From what they've said about the world persistence, I'd expect it to be something like Chromehounds. A persistent online map fought over by three or more factions, your squad can move between factions, and you get into games by choosing a battle (ie. choosing a map and gamemode) and it matchmakes you into a game of that game type on that map. Whoever wins earns some points for their faction towards controlling that planet.

This is kinda what I am hoping for too with wins earning you rep with whatever house you declare for as a merc.

They have said that maps will be a conquest mode rather than a deathmatch like World of Tanks, so we will have points to capture and actual objectives besides just blowing up the other side.

Karoht

2011-11-09, 11:13 AM

This is kinda what I am hoping for too with wins earning you rep with whatever house you declare for as a merc.

They have said that maps will be a conquest mode rather than a deathmatch like World of Tanks, so we will have points to capture and actual objectives besides just blowing up the other side.

It's Mechwarrior. Blowing up the other side is the best objective of all.

Actually, a mechanic I hope to see.
If a certain group holds a certain objective for too long, Clan just drop out of the sky and come try and take it. In ever increasing waves.

It would make for some fun sneaky backstabby stuff.
"Okay fellas, we gotta take that facility back or... wait what's that? Oh crap, Clan. Lets see how this goes down."
PvP based very very heavily around the theory that "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" ...for now.

But if that doesn't happen I won't lose sleep. Just think it would be cool, once the clan invasion starts. Especially on clan controlled worlds.

GungHo

2011-11-09, 11:18 AM

To my knowledge, all game take place after 3050; when the grey death core had been long since recovered and a massive amount of data was being deciphered. Double Heat sinks were the first thing all the Successor States reverse engineered.
MechWarrior 1 - 3024-3028
MechWarrior 2 - 3057
MechWarrior 2: Mercenaries - ~3039/40
MechWarrior 3 - Post Operation Bulldog/Task Force Serpent (3060)
MechWarrior 4 - 3064
MechWarrior 4: Mercenaries - 3066-3067
MechCommander: 3059
MechCommander 2: ~3063
MechAssault Series: Not sure... guessing ~3062.
Battletech: The Crecent Hawks' Inception: 3028
Battletech: The Crecent Hawks' Revenge: 3028-3052

Edit: Note, this is from what I gleaned of Sarna & other Wikis. I inferred dates with the tildes. Feel free to impress me with your upbergeekdom by correcting my pathetic stupidity.

stabbybelkar

2011-11-12, 02:04 AM

Out of curiosity, do you guys prefer the Inner Sphere names for the mechs or the Clan ones? I prefer the clan names but I'm biased; Mechwarrior 2 used the Clan names and not only was that where I got introduced to BattleTech, it was the first video game I had ever played ever. As a result, every time I hear someone call the Timber Wolf a Mad Cat, I die a little inside.

KnightDisciple

2011-11-12, 02:40 AM

Out of curriousity, do you guys prefer the Inner Sphere names for the mechs or the Clan ones? I prefer the clan names but I'm biased; Mechwarrior 2 used the Clan names and not only was that where I got introduced to BattleTech, it was the first video game I had ever played ever. As a result, everytime I hear someone call the Timber Wolf a Mad Cat, I die a little inside.

Depends on the name. I like Timber Wolf and Mad Cat about equally. I like Dire Wolf way better than Daishi. And so on.

Astrella

2011-11-14, 05:00 PM

Ehm, slightly off-topic question: is there still a Battletech tabletop game around? If so, what / where / who, etc..

Erloas

2011-11-14, 05:14 PM

http://bg.battletech.com/

Its now being ran by Catalyst Game Labs. From what I've heard its been making a fairly strong comeback the last few years, though not really having an idea of where it was 15-20 years ago and how far it dropped, I don't really know what that really means. Seems to be a decent group of players in Phoenix when I was down there. But where I'm at now I'm really the only player, but where I'm at now they pretty much only play 40k, so its not exactly a diverse set of people, its also an area without a lot of people.

Mando Knight

2011-11-14, 05:23 PM

http://bg.battletech.com/

They've recently released the 25th Anniversary Introductory Box Set (http://bg.battletech.com/?wpsc-product=battletech-25th-anniversary-introductory-box-set), though it came a bit late. My university's gaming association's resident mecha GM bought the box when it came out, and his BattleTech group got to help him break it in.

Impnemo

2011-11-14, 05:38 PM

MechWarrior 2: Mercenaries - ~3039/40

3044 till 3052. Covers up to the battle of Tukayyid. Game was interesting as you can buy new mechs and techs as they come on line in the years prior to the invasion. And then get curbstomped anyway until you can salvage some decent clan tech weapons and chassis, and enough to field replacements...

CRITICAL HIT: Heat Sink :smallfurious:

Gnoman

2011-11-14, 06:41 PM

They've recently released the 25th Anniversary Introductory Box Set (http://bg.battletech.com/?wpsc-product=battletech-25th-anniversary-introductory-box-set), though it came a bit late. My university's gaming association's resident mecha GM bought the box when it came out, and his BattleTech group got to help him break it in.

There's also megamek/mekwars, which are free, legal implementations of the ruleset. Megamek is the tabletop engine itself, while mekwars is campaign software.

Breltar

2011-11-14, 08:52 PM

http://bg.battletech.com/

Its now being ran by Catalyst Game Labs. From what I've heard its been making a fairly strong comeback the last few years, though not really having an idea of where it was 15-20 years ago and how far it dropped, I don't really know what that really means. Seems to be a decent group of players in Phoenix when I was down there. But where I'm at now I'm really the only player, but where I'm at now they pretty much only play 40k, so its not exactly a diverse set of people, its also an area without a lot of people.

Basically 40k got more mainstream and a ton of folks moved to that and it got a bit more rare to see anyone playing it at all. Recent attempts at reviving the title with the Dark Ages heroclix style games haven't made it come back fully but are helping with the name at least.

Of course... I come from back in the days of Rogue Trader when we had to order Imperial Robots and anything else from the UK and convert currency to british pounds etc. There were a lot more Battletech players back then, as well as historicals and things like that.

We had a boost in sci fi games in the early 90s with things like Full Thrust and such but then GW came along strong around 2000 and basically decimated the competition with their own stores in the mall. This decade has about 90% of the folks playing 40k or Warhammer in my local stores, due to the way that GW markets their products.

I seriously believe it is now easier to market an indie video game than an indie tabletop. Not that Battletech is indie, but it has tried very hard to make a comeback with catalyst at the helm.

The Glyphstone

2011-11-14, 09:49 PM

Is there anywhere that still sells the 25th Anniversary box set, or was it a limited edition run?

KnightDisciple

2011-11-14, 11:08 PM

Is there anywhere that still sells the 25th Anniversary box set, or was it a limited edition run?

I got it from the FLGS that I frequent, but I haven't seen another copy for a while. I've seen some books that are published/republished, but not even a model expansion set or anything.

Just checked the Catalyst site. The Box Set is "not in stock". They do seem to have stock for all the various books themselves. I'm a little sad there's not an apparent producer of new models. :smallfrown:

Breltar

2011-11-15, 11:45 AM

Reaper Miniatures has some minis that are similar, but I am not sure if they are quite on the same scale... there are also the heroclix ones but I think they are discontinued now?

http://www.reapermini.com/Miniatures/cav/

Silverraptor

2012-09-18, 07:32 PM

Guys! You won't believe this! I got invited to the closed Beta!:smallbiggrin: Yes!

*Downloads*

I can't wait!

Edit: Oh wait, I had to fill out a questionaire and send in my system specs. Oh well, I hope for an update soon.:smallcool:

Rustic Dude

2012-09-18, 08:02 PM

Be careful to not cut yourself with the rough edges the game has, and have fun! Also, you just broke the NDA. :smalltongue:

EDIT: It seems there has been a wave of fake invites because the devs derped a bit and sent only the e-mails. Maybe that's the reason of you having to fill that survey.

Silverraptor

2012-09-18, 08:44 PM

Be careful to not cut yourself with the rough edges the game has, and have fun! Also, you just broke the NDA. :smalltongue:

EDIT: It seems there has been a wave of fake invites because the devs derped a bit and sent only the e-mails. Maybe that's the reason of you having to fill that survey.

I haven't been given a non-Disclosure agreement to sign yet. Besides, they already announced that there is a closed beta, so I wasn't saying anything no one already knew, except that I got invited.

And the survey was mainly on my gaming experience to free to play games, mechwarrior games, hours I play, and specs for the computer I'm using. Pretty much the exact same thing I filled out when I signed up to Blizzard to play their beta games as well. Except (again) this time I got invited.:smallbiggrin:

Silverraptor

2012-09-18, 09:18 PM

Be careful to not cut yourself with the rough edges the game has, and have fun! Also, you just broke the NDA. :smalltongue:

EDIT: It seems there has been a wave of fake invites because the devs derped a bit and sent only the e-mails. Maybe that's the reason of you having to fill that survey.

Oh my god! Okay, so it turns out that invite was fake. I just got an email apologizing for the accidental beta invite to me. But then they said, as an apology for the mistake, they're going to let me into the beta anyways!:smallbiggrin:

Othesemo

2012-09-18, 11:07 PM

Oh my god! Okay, so it turns out that invite was fake. I just got an email apologizing for the accidental beta invite to me. But then they said, as an apology for the mistake, they're going to let me into the beta anyways!:smallbiggrin:

Same thing happened to me. Patching now...

Silverraptor

2012-09-19, 12:29 AM

We need to start dusting the thread off and get the clan together.

Othesemo

2012-09-19, 03:58 AM

We need to start dusting the thread off and get the clan together.

It might be worth examining the non-disclosure agreement. I'm not certain that any worthwhile discussion could be (legally) had on a public forums.

Rustic Dude

2012-09-19, 05:04 AM

If I have read correctly on the Mwo Forums, you can have a discussion if it's only with other Beta players, which means that you've got to do that in the private section of a forum where only Beta Testers can access.

No such luck here. :smalltongue:

Martok

2012-10-14, 06:23 AM

Oh my god! Okay, so it turns out that invite was fake. I just got an email apologizing for the accidental beta invite to me. But then they said, as an apology for the mistake, they're going to let me into the beta anyways!:smallbiggrin:
This happened to me as well. I'm hoping to spend some time playing it tomorrow. :smallcool: