[Woorloog]

Oh, and thanks kagete for the impressions. Sounds pretty cool, though I don't like that mouse aiming so good. Would be nice if they could slow the turn rate down a bit to give those of us who plan to play with a stick a bit more of a chance.

Beta beta beta... Things will be changed and tweaked, i wouldn't worry about it so much.

[Tamanon]

In preparation for MWO I'm reading some BattleTech books. A gaffer recommended me The Blood of Kerensky which covers the clan invasion and I have to say I'm positively surprised. The books may not be literary masterpieces but I'm really enjoying them. I'm on book three now and I can definetely recommend the books to anyone who is interested in reading something about the clan invasion. Oh, and thanks kagete for the impressions. Sounds pretty cool, though I don't like that mouse aiming so good. Would be nice if they could slow the turn rate down a bit to give those of us who plan to play with a stick a bit more of a chance.

The Warrior Trilogy and pretty much any Michael Stackpole book in the series is pretty good. He does political intrigue well.

[Woorloog]

The Warrior Trilogy and pretty much any Michael Stackpole book in the series is pretty good. He does political intrigue well.

I think people somewhere were complaining Stackpole and some other authors are Davion fanboys, making them always to be good guys and heroes or something like.

Also, i need some serious doublethink skill to be a fan of both Capellan Confederation and Federatet Suns.

[kagete]

The mouse aim is both good and bad in some respects but is generally a net positive. It adds some realism and a lot of depth to the gameplay because different people will aim with different sensitivities and the weapons all react differently to how you aim and shoot.

Its nice too because the draw distance is impressive and you can zoom enough to snipe mechs that don't even show up on your radar or targeting because of how far they are.

[dionysus]

How do you assign weapons to weapon groups? Right now I am just firing everything at one time and overheating and shutting down cause I can't figure out how to do it either in game or in the game loader.

[Tamanon]

I think people somewhere were complaining Stackpole and some other authors are Davion fanboys, making them always to be good guys and heroes or something like. Also, i need some serious doublethink skill to be a fan of both Capellan Confederation and Federatet Suns.

Eh, he spreads it out a bit, the Kuritas are really well-represented in his books too. I think the only side that really gets the shaft are the Liaos and the Mariks, but they're supposed to be the "bad" ones.

Also, the later books when the Steiners and Davions start splitting, there's only really one good guy.

[kagete]

How do you assign weapons to weapon groups? Right now I am just firing everything at one time and overheating and shutting down cause I can't figure out how to do it either in game or in the game loader.

use your arrow keys and the right Ctrl key. You basically toggle whether a weapon fires for each group, so you can turn on your machineguns to fire in all weapon groups for example.

[Woorloog]

Eh, he spreads it out a bit, the Kuritas are really well-represented in his books too. I think the only side that really gets the shaft are the Liaos and the Mariks, but they're supposed to be the "bad" ones. Also, the later books when the Steiners and Davions start splitting, there's only really one good guy.

The problem with Battletech is that no one is right, nor really a good guy. Me, i don't like representing anyone of the Houses as good or the right one. Sure, if a book is from one's viewpoint, then of course it will show that House in the good light but that doesn't have to happen.
I like the Capellan Solution a lot because it kinda draws attention to Sun-Tsu Liao's methods, indeed some people are questioning their faction's actions.

[Kai Dracon]

I think the closest there's ever been to an ethically simple Battletech story is the first two Grey Death Legion books... pretty simple story of ethical mercenaries versus completely corrupt house noble and helping oppressed people with guerilla warfare. Hell, the GDL even gets to be Big Damn Heroes by finding an ancient invaluable memory core and donating it to civilization to do the right thing.

Which perhaps makes it grimly ironic how, by the end of the classic era Battletech fiction, the GDL gets shafted so hard. Nice guys finish last.

For those who care about the fiction, it does make picking a faction for MWO a bit of an interesting experience. Even house Marik isn't that bad and has some positive points, it's just that some bad things happen in their territory. I think only Liao is largely presented as a house full of lunatics in most eras.

Federated Suns were always an interesting twist to me on the people who would ordinarily be the 'white knights'. They're constructed and set up to be the lead 'good guys' in some ways, but they sure do start a lot of wars and invasions, and their power elite always convince themselves that gunboat diplomacy is the best option.

On the other hand they do have Buckaroo Fucking Banzai on their side, that has to count for something.

[Woorloog]

On the other hand they do have Buckaroo Fucking Banzai on their side, that has to count for something.

A merc unit?
I remember a merc unit named Fighting Uruk-Hai but not sure who employs them.

My faction of choice is probably the Capellan Confederation. It just has many things that appeal to me, for some reason. Also kinda ironic, they have the strongest nationalism, something i detest in real life.
Alternatively, i'm a merc.

[Woorloog]

New video: Caustic Valley

Official site news: http://mwomercs.com/news/2012/07/346...caustic-valley

[Vulcano's assistant]

New video: Caustic Valley Official site news: http://mwomercs.com/news/2012/07/346...caustic-valley

Looks like and interesting way to balance small mechs against heavy ones.
Also, I don't like to sound like a graphics whore (not true), but yay POM!

[Woorloog]

Looks like and interesting way to balance small mechs against heavy ones.

In cold maps, heavies will have some advantage (though they cannot change their direction or speed on frozen ground as fast).
I'd say the map advantages and disadvantages end up evening out in the end, some things always work better in certain maps.
So it ain't real balancing method.

[dancrane212]

I wish there was a way to get this bad boy hooked up to a modern machine. MW won't be the same without it.

[Woorloog]

I wish there was a way to get this bad boy hooked up to a modern machine. MW won't be the same without it.

Serial port? Or what connector is that?
Maybe there is an adapter for it... wouldn't be surprised if there were...

[dancrane212]

Serial port? Or what is that? Maybe there is an adapter for it... wouldn't be surprised if there were...

Gameport if I remember correctly. There are USB converters out there but from what I've found it doesn't seem compatible with modern editions of Windows.

[Woorloog]

Gameport if I remember correctly. There are USB converters out there but from what I've found it doesn't seem compatible with modern editions of Windows.

Find custom drivers?
To me, it seems that you can find anything from the internet if you look hard enough.

Oh, yeah, now i remember what i had to do... I was going to look for affordable, small laptop that can run MWO comfortably (medium settings? Gameplay trumps the graphics anyway so don't really care). What were the recommended specs for MWO again...

[Lime]

A new round of closed beta invites has apparently just been sent out.

[Woorloog]

Jenner Video

Link to MWO


Mech Madness
Apparently some sort event

EDIT anyone notice how nearly every second post is mine? I like Battletech way too much.
EDIT 2 okay, not quite. Just for the last couple of pages.

EDIT 3 Mechwarrior 4 Vengeance soundtract is awesome. Been listening to it.
Also noticed that Alexander Kerensky liked 100 ton assault mechs, he comissioned at least King Crab and Atlas... wonder if he comissioned others.

[Zaptruder]

Haha... ah man, I suck so bad at this game.

I guess I should look at the controls setup before I start jumping in.

Definetly appreciate the need for team work in this game. You're totally toast without any sort of coordination.

[Dice]

I wish the site would actually remember me like I tell it to.

[Woorloog]

Made a list of equipment, technology and weapons available for the Inner Sphere by 3049.
MWO probably won't include everything from the list, specifically experimental tech will be probably excluded. But it gives a nice overall view of potential customization.
Leaving out melee weapons since melee attacks are not in MWO as of now. Also leaving out any system not having alternatives as of '49, like gyros.
Notes after :

Weapons
Energy
-Small/Medium/Large Laser
-Small/Medium/Large Pulse Laser : fires rapid pulses, increasing odds of hitting the target. Less range, more damage, more weight.
-ER Large Laser : ER means Extended Range, useful for snipers.
-PPC : Particle Projector Cannon.
-ER PPC : also good sniper weapon.
-Flamer : heats enemies in addition to dealing damage.

Ballistic
-Autocannon 2/5/10/20 : higher rating means more damage at the expense of ammo per ton and range.
-Ultra Autocannon 5 : similar to AC5, fires two shots in succession, doubling damage potential, has chance to jam.
-LB-X Autocannon 10 : shotgun version of AC10, has ability to fire both cluster rounds and standard rounds, though this is not implement in MWO yet IIRC.
-Gauss Rifle : high damage, low heat, weights a lot.
-Machine Gun : weak, lightweight, ammo efficient (one ton of ammunition gives 100 firings in tabletop game).
-Thumper, Sniper and Long Tom Artillery Cannons : artillery weapons mountable on mechs. Weight a lot, long range, high heat. Probably not in-game.

Missile
-LRM 5/10/15/20 : Long Range Missile, rate=missiles per salvo. Less damaging than SRMs.
-SRM 2/4/6 : Short Range Missile, rate=Missiles per salvo.
-Streak SRM 2 : "Streak" version of SRM 2, can only be fired with proper lock-on, more accurate than standard SRM. Costs more. How exactly these will work in game is unknown.
-Arrow IV Artillery : missile artillery, extremly long range. Powerful but heavy. As with -Artillery Cannons, might not be in-game.
-Mech mortar 1/2/4/8 : considered a missile weapon. Not as good as LRM for all intents and purposes but immune to AMS. Has variety of alternate ammunition.

Ammunition
-Inferno ammunition for LRMs and SRMs. Less damage, increases targets heat. Unknown if in-game.
Others? Most alternate ammunitions for missiles and autocannons are developed after the Clan Invasion.

Equipment
-Anti-Missile System : AMS for short, when activated, tries to shoot down apporaching missiles but not mortar rounds nor ballistic weapons.
-Beagle Active Probe : can detect shutdown units. Practically enchaned sensors.
-Guardina ECM Suite : disrupts lock-ons and various equipment. Beagle can detect jamming but no the unit itself.
-Narc Missile Beacon : fires a pod on the target that attracts all Narc-comptible missiles to it. Narc-enable missiles cost more.
-Target Acquisition Gear : TAG for short. For lazing targets. Guides missiles to target.
-Artemis IV Fire Control System : increases accuracy of LRMs and SRMs. Line of sight only. If one launcher has Artemis, all other launhcers of the same type must have it equipped too. Artemis compatible missiles cost more.

Mech parts
-CASE : protects from ammunition explosion. Ammo is still lost and rear armor is damaged but at least you won't blow up completly. Mountable on torso sections only. Some additional weight.
-Heat Sink : cools mech.
-Doble Heat Sink : improved version. Slightly more bulky but weights as much as standard heat sink. Cannot be used with standard heat sinks, a mech must mount either these or the standard ones.
-Fusion Engine : this is what powers your mech.
-Extra-Light Fusion Engine : larger engine, taking space in side torso as well. Weights only 50% as much as standard engine.
-Standard Armor
-Ferro-Fibrous Armor : takes some critical space but weights less than standard armor. Slightly more expensive.
-Standard chassis : essentially the mech's skeleton.
-Endo-Steel chassis : lighter than standard chassis but takes some critical space. Expensive.

Note sure when following were introduced:
-Triple Strength Myomer : TSM for short, when running suitably hot, increases strength for melee attacks and speed. Cannot be used with MASC.
-Myomer Accelerator Signal Circuitry : MASC for short, when engaged, increases movement speed. Prolonged use can lock up mechs joints, leaving the mech immobile. Cannot be used with TSM
-Supercharger : increases speed but risks engine damage. Can be used with TSM or MASC.

Experimental
-Binary Laser Cannon : nicknamed Blazer, it is made from two combined Large Lasers. High heat, high damage. Could be viable weapon with double heat sinks like ER PPC (indeed could be an alternative to ER PPC if expected engagement range is shorter than ER PPC's range and one wants to save weight).
-Hardened Armor : half the armor points of standard armor, absorbs 2 points of damage per armor point. Harder to score a crit against hardened armor. Very expensive.

Other
-"Rifle" series, predecessors to Battletech autocannons, comparable to World War 2-era tank guns.
-LRT/SRT series, Long Range Torpedoes and Short Range Torpedoes respectively. Meant for underwater combat. Very, very likely not in-game. Same stats as their Missile counterparts. These are not Artemis IV Fire Control System compatible nor there are Narc missile beacon compatible torpedoes.
-Cockpit Command Console. Adds additional equipment for another person in a mech's cockpit. Likely not in game as it requires two people (the other one is usually a field commander).

Please say if you noticed i missed something. Do note i left out all post-'49 tech.

I wish the site would actually remember me like I tell it to.

Indeed. What browser are you using? Firefox here.

[Dice]

Yeah, Firefox, but I don't think that's it.

[Llyranor]

Chrome does that too.

Guys, remember the NDA!

[Lime]

What would happen if someone who just got a beta invite would break the NDA by posting screenshots or impressions (keeping in mind that it is a beta)?

[Woorloog]

What would happen if someone who just got a beta invite would break the NDA by posting screenshots or impressions (keeping in mind that it is a beta)?

If they'd catch that one, he'd be booted from the beta for sure. Probably no other repercussions...

[Lime]

I wish there was a way to get this bad boy hooked up to a modern machine. MW won't be the same without it.

I bought the USB version and it works wonders in W7. I've seen ones with Gameport->USB adapters bein sold on ebay, so you should probably check out some adapters for your gameport.

[Slermy]

Gameport if I remember correctly. There are USB converters out there but from what I've found it doesn't seem compatible with modern editions of Windows.

I bought the USB version and it works wonders in W7. I've seen ones with Gameport->USB adapters bein sold on ebay, so you should probably check out some adapters for your gameport.

dancrane212 is right, this awesome stick doesn't work with Gameport/USB adapters.

I forgot there was a USB version out there, I think that one is pretty hard to find?

[Woorloog]

dancrane212 is right, this awesome stick doesn't work with Gameport/USB adapters. I forgot there was a USB version out there, I think that one is pretty hard to find?

Are you sure there are not drivers or some tricks to make it work with an adapter?

[dancrane212]

After doing some more research it looks like I had my facts wrong. It turns out the Sidewinder 3d pro is compatible with Windows 7 the problem stems from Windows 7 having a difficult time recognizing the gameport itself.

There are gameport to USB converters out there but they are incompatible with a small number of devices which, unfortunately, include the 3D pro.

*EDIT* Turns out someone came out with a workaround/conversion project to get the joystiq running through USB, someone on the MWO forum put up a pretty good tutorial on it.

http://mwomercs.com/forums/topic/476...sb-conversion/

[Slermy]

Ooh, nice. I knew there were ways around it, but this one goes into nice detail. I might try this out. Thanks!

[ochobit]

Okay good news. Yes we switched to the full production hardware on Tuesday and things seem to be going well. Therefore by 4pm Pacific we will be inviting all the remaining founders into Beta. We are also working to automate the system so that anyone who buys a founders pack will get immediate access to the beta. This auto system I hope will come online today. Keep in mind though that the injection of your Founders mechs and other rewards will happen on Aug 7th still. Thanks for your support once again. Update: The auto add system will be in place today. By 4pm everyone who has purchased a founders pack will be in beta and anyone who purchases one from here on out will be added immediately.

link

[Nickiepoo]

Yes I think it is safe to say we can assume one aspect of the NDA no longer applies. If you have a Founders Tag next to your name it is okay to say you are in the beta

If any other gaffers want to form a lance, lets get one going.

[Llyranor]

Sweet.

Also:

Yes I think it is safe to say we can assume one aspect of the NDA no longer applies. If you have a Founders Tag next to your name it is okay to say you are in the beta But that's it Sorry but we need to keep up the tight lips act for a few more weeks at least.

<---- beta ^_^

[Kai Dracon]

Wait so if I get a founders pack right now I can get into the beta?

Damn it

[Woorloog]

Wait so if I get a founders pack right now I can get into the beta? Damn it

If i had a computer capable of running MWO...
I have enough money for one but i really shouldn't do that...

[Divvy]

Awesome, I can say I'm in the beta. Can't wait for the NDA to lift so I can talk about the game.

[Llyranor]

Wait so if I get a founders pack right now I can get into the beta? Damn it

Yes.

Update: The auto add system will be in place today. By 4pm everyone who has purchased a founders pack will be in beta and anyone who purchases one from here on out will be added immediately.

[Lime]

Yes, now I can say that I'm also in the beta. It's too bad that we can't talk about it, as I have several things I want to discuss in relation to the game and its pros & cons.

[ochobit]

I'm also anxiously waiting for the nda to lift. I'd like to play with fellow gaffer in beta.

[Dice]

Well you can talk about it privately with others here who are in. Is there no system to play with friends in the game yet? Ah, but you can't answer that question... just a suggestion for you guys if you want to discuss it with someone.

*continues dicking around on the MO forum*

[Zaptruder]

So if we can say we're in the beta, can we say what our player handles are?

Mine is just my GAF handle. Friend me?

[Divvy]

Mine is the same as my name here. Invites!

[kagete]

My handle is the same as well. But... not that it matters since you can't seem to group yet in the beta right?

I know it's a closed beta but realistically opening it up to ALL founders is going to ensure that leaks will happen anyway and I'd rather clarify things rather than having others rely on hearsay or misinformation. If anyone has any specific questions I'll be glad to answer to the best of my knowledge.

From the games i've played the hands down single best player I've seen is Serpent who played an atlas with only a torso mounted Gauss with 40 ammo, and 2 SRM6's. That's all he had and he would win matches singlehandedly by racking up 4-7 kills each map i've seen him in while my noob self gets 1 kill probably every 3 matches.

[Woorloog]

From the games i've played the hands down single best player I've seen is Serpent who played an atlas with only a torso mounted Gauss with 40 ammo, and 2 SRM6's. That's all he had and he would win matches singlehandedly by racking up 4-7 kills each map i've seen him in while my noob self gets 1 kill probably every 3 matches.

Team up on him. Jenners circling him, Catapults raining fire.

[Bizazedo]

Would those in the Beta say it's worthwhile to buy a Founder's pack?

And it's funny, I used to be hardcore into Battletech. The Stackpole series was the best. I was a bit gutted with how Victor eventually dealt with the Clan Invasion (it always seemed like the authors / people controlling the storyline didn't really deal with the #'s the Clans needed or would logically have properly among ALL the Clans), but I was always a Kurita and Goliath Scorpion fanboy.

Admittedly because in a Kali league where we "conquered" territory I was in Clan Goliath Scorpion til it ended and people found out how to cheat in Mech2: Mercs. You bastard Clan Widowmakers, we caught you..

[kagete]

Team up on him. Jenners circling him, Catapults raining fire.

This guy is really good though. I loved the few times I got to spectate his cockpit view after dying and watching a real expert in action.

As for the game being worth the Founder's Pack? Hmm that's hard to say because the only people that would be interested in the game this early before release will be those that already love the franchise and have had past experience with the earlier games. It's just Mechwarrior, with modern free2play trappings and there is nothing innovative about it. There are 4 free to-use mech variants (one each from light to assault) that you don't need to repair or pay for and can use to earn money at a reduced rate. There's an XP system that's tied to each specific mech/variant that is intriguing at first glance but maddening once you realize how much time you'd have to grind to hit the cap. I grew up watching my dad play the first MW and I was really hardcore into every other game that came after that so I was buying this product regardless, sight unseen and without the safety of having read reviews or impressions beforehand. Not everyone will be like me though, and in fact the more passionate you are about the series, the more critical you can be about the game. The beta is closed for a reason because all the features definitely aren't there yet but if everything they promised is actually delivered it will be a hell of a great game.

P.S. if you're like me and get motion sickness easily you will hate playing in a light mech since the cockpit looks like you're being dribbled inside a basketball with how fast and constant things bob up and down.

[Woorloog]

P.S. if you're like me and get motion sickness easily you will hate playing in a light mech since the cockpit looks like you're being dribbled inside a basketball with how fast and constant things bob up and down.

GODDAMMIT

FFS

Was looking to pilot a light mech.
Fuck.

[Llyranor]

Handle: Llyranor

Adding a bunch of GAFers.

[Woorloog]

Just a quick question, how close is my list of equipment above to reality?