FrontalMonk
Banned
Dat Atlas. Also I know it's before the Clan Invasion but it's just nice to see a Battletech game in the days before Mad Cats.
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Battletech |KS| Turn-based tactical mech combat, Harebrained Schemes, Summer 2017
- Thread starter Lime
- Start date
BrokenFiction
Member
Battlemaster me baby.
I wonder how they will make light and medium mechs relevant in the later game. There's not much you can do with a couple of Locusts against an Atlas.
In Mechcommander it was mostly just for sensor range, jamming, capturing turrets/gates, and extra available drop tonnage. It was pretty cool, but in straight up combat scenarios they weren't particularly useful.
Come to think of it, capturing and jump jets were really cool in Mechcommander. It made for some really interesting gameplay scenarios that allowed for different strategies. I wonder how they will implement different gameplay features or if it will just be turnbased combat and nothing else.
In Mechcommander it was mostly just for sensor range, jamming, capturing turrets/gates, and extra available drop tonnage. It was pretty cool, but in straight up combat scenarios they weren't particularly useful.
Come to think of it, capturing and jump jets were really cool in Mechcommander. It made for some really interesting gameplay scenarios that allowed for different strategies. I wonder how they will implement different gameplay features or if it will just be turnbased combat and nothing else.
Poodlestrike
Banned
Well, like you said, having stuff like a Raven around loaded with a full Sensor/ECM suite could be crazy useful. Other than that, I'd say that altering objectives could make 'em viable; like, if you've got an urban scenario with a maximum allowable amount of collateral damage, the big stompers might be more trouble than they're worth.
Damn, I was looking at the #myBTstuff hashtag and some of the stuff is crazy.
3 feet Mad Cat from Virtual Worlds
Same thing
Temporary Tattoos from MW2 and GBL in 1996
Paper models from Mechcommander 2
MW3 poster
Tattoo of the Madcat blueprint
This guy's dad made this for him:
3D printed Mad Cat from MW:O
Battletech fans are dedicated!
3 feet Mad Cat from Virtual Worlds
Same thing
Temporary Tattoos from MW2 and GBL in 1996
Paper models from Mechcommander 2
MW3 poster
Tattoo of the Madcat blueprint
This guy's dad made this for him:
3D printed Mad Cat from MW:O
Battletech fans are dedicated!
I imagine mercenary contracts in the later game might involve things other than straight combat. Abducting a VIP and then escaping is easier accomplished in a scout Lance than in an assault lance. Especially if the local mech garrison is 3 lances of heavies or something insurmountable.
The same with fast faced guerilla warfare and harassing actions.
0.1.1.2.3.5.8.13.21.34.55
Banned
Nice finds Lime.
MW2 & GBL were epic.
I've still got my original MW2 manual (which has specs for all the mechs/weapons/etc)
A relic of the days when games came with legit printed manuals.
MW2 & GBL were epic.
I've still got my original MW2 manual (which has specs for all the mechs/weapons/etc)
A relic of the days when games came with legit printed manuals.
That's actually another good point too, from tabletop.
You don't want to take an Atlas into swamp lands.
I kept looking at these pictures, and wondering to myself, "These mechs are ugly, where is the Madcat?" Guess that they don't exist yet canonically? I don't know the lore, or timeline as I only played Mechwarrior 2 for the PC, and Battletech (is there a difference between Mechwarrior, and Battletech?) for the Sega Genesis which both heavily featured the Madcat. I've backed the Kickstarter, and am looking forward to the game.
The King Crab is a good looking design, though.
Poodlestrike
Banned
Ooh, y'know what'd be a really fun possibility for the next one? Have it take place during the Clan invasion, with the option to save import. You can bring your old mercenary company to bear against the Clans.
They exist, but since these aren't the clans nobody has them. The clans are still biding their time before their invasion in about 25 years.
afternoon delight
Member
As excited as I am for the potential PvP material, I am really fucking psyched we'll (in all likelihood) reach Stage 3's extended SP campaign. I AM ECSTATIC at the thought of that gameset, so glad it appears to be in the cards- it's what I primarily backed for.
BrokenFiction
Member
We're officially past $1.6M. Quick, someone go throw in $250K so we can move into Stage 3.
Let me check my couch cushions.
MWO bringing back the Unseen is great, but I feel that there's a bit too much sameness in their designs. I think that it's a combination of having lots of angular panels in lieu of curves and the fact that it seems as if none of the 'Mechs can move their heads. That said, they still look a lot better than the Project Phoenix 'Mechs.
As for the rest, here's a brief timeline of the Battletech universe:
http://www.battletech.com/eras/
Star League Era: 2005 - 2780 CE
Succession Wars Era: 2780 - 3050 CE
Clan Invasion Era: 3050 - 3061 CE
Civil War Era: 3061 - 3068 CE
Jihad Era: 3068 - 3081 CE
Dark Age Era: 3081 CE onwards
Most of the video games so far have taken place in the Clan Invasion Era. This game takes place in 3025, and based on the developer interviews, probably won't get much farther than 3029 or so. The Clans and the Clan 'Mechs are still around during this period, but they aren't active in the main setting of the Inner Sphere. In 3025, the Inner Sphere is near the end of the Third Succession War, and it's dominated by the five Great Houses:
Davion - Federated Suns
Kurita - Draconis Combine
Steiner - Lyran Commonwealth
Marik - Free Worlds League
Liao - Capellan Confederation
The other big player is Comstar, who technically only control Earth and the Solar System.
Battletech is the name of the original tabletop game, and the overall name of the universe. Mechwarrior is the name of the roleplaying game and of the 'Mech pilots. Most of the video games used the latter name because the player gets to play the role of a Mechwarrior and because the name "'Mech" is evocative enough to be worth using in a title. This game intends to go back to the tabletop game roots so it goes back to the original game.
As for the rest, here's a brief timeline of the Battletech universe:
http://www.battletech.com/eras/
Star League Era: 2005 - 2780 CE
Succession Wars Era: 2780 - 3050 CE
Clan Invasion Era: 3050 - 3061 CE
Civil War Era: 3061 - 3068 CE
Jihad Era: 3068 - 3081 CE
Dark Age Era: 3081 CE onwards
Most of the video games so far have taken place in the Clan Invasion Era. This game takes place in 3025, and based on the developer interviews, probably won't get much farther than 3029 or so. The Clans and the Clan 'Mechs are still around during this period, but they aren't active in the main setting of the Inner Sphere. In 3025, the Inner Sphere is near the end of the Third Succession War, and it's dominated by the five Great Houses:
Davion - Federated Suns
Kurita - Draconis Combine
Steiner - Lyran Commonwealth
Marik - Free Worlds League
Liao - Capellan Confederation
The other big player is Comstar, who technically only control Earth and the Solar System.
I'm waiting to see what they can do with the Macross derived designs to make them not so evident (if they do end up using them)
Stuff like Stinger, Phoenix Hawk, and Crusader.
Megalosaro
Banned
Poodlestrike
Banned
"Best."
Um... clan invasion gets a lot of hype, of course, but everybody loves a good Succession War.
3025-3057 is the classic btech period.
pre 3025 is just fluff and post 3057 the best clans have taken out each other.
Both the Warhammer and Marauder are also Macross designs.
One mech that I haven't heard anyone say a lick of anything about is the Archer. Damn thing was a classic. D:
Nikodemos
Member
Aren't Comstar the only people during the Succession Wars era who can still reliably build dropships? I remember reading how the limiting factor for military campaigns was the number of dropships a House had at its disposal. And Comstar was creating an artificial scarcity (while also keeping conflicts limited in scale) by refusing to build more.
Poodlestrike
Banned
They also control interstellar communications (thus, "com" star). They've got very little direct military might, but a ton of soft power.
They even go one-step higher, they still have active warships, something nobody in the IS had circa 3025.
3025, Com Guards were no laughing matter, even if they didn't have any direct military might (and weren't actively known to exist).
3050 tho? Com Guards took on the clans and won, albeit barely, and with some smart manipulation of Clan warfare doctrine. Star-League era tech really helps to lessen the gap tho.
There isn't any one best Era per se, but all of the iconic Battlemech designs come from TRO: 3025 and 3050, so those are considered the default time frames. The later eras don't have all the fan favorite factions, so they are probably less popular. I don't have any definitive data, but I think that people tend to not play with some of the post-3057 technologies.
Both Morgan Kell and Jaime Wolf piloted Archers so it gets some recognition. The one Unseen that nobody ever talks about is the poor Longbow. I think that it's mostly because it didn't show up in the original 3025 and 3050 TROs.
In the original Battletech background, the entire Inner Sphere had regressed to the point where none of the Houses could build any modern technology any more so they had to rely on salvage. When they fleshed the background more, it turned into a universe where modern factories and the like were rare but still existed and had the ability to build new designs. And then it became a universe in the midst of a technological Renaissance where the only technology that was still unavailable was Warship construction.
What's common to all these settings was that Comstar, and only Comstar had full access to all of the lost technologies.
Comstar stayed out of the direct fighting, but they always maintained a lot of military strength - both visibly through the Com Guards and secretly through the Five. They also maintained a secret fleet of the only Warships in the Inner Sphere.
FrontalMonk
Banned
Madcat is a really iconic design, but if I remember right, it was just the designation IS mechwarriors gave to the Timberwolf, which is a clan design. It was answered earlier, but yes, the Madcat "exists", but isn't part of the main story, since the clan's hadn't invaded at that point in time.
Personally, my favorite designs are the Catapult, Atlas, and Jenner.
I figure most would regard 3025 to 3067 (rather than '57) as the Classic BT period, since the game stopped at '67 for quite some time, before the Jihad was introduced.
Pre-3025 has a ton of stuff nowadays, and more coming. It isn't "just fluff".
Campaigns, scenarios, events, details... At least the Age of War era and Star League eras, the first and second Succession Wars are coming.
As for post 3057 Clan stuff, the War of Reaving is one of the greatest Clan-related things. Such a bloody event.
I feel getting rid of most of the Clans is a good thing, makes things easier to manage and allows the remaining Clans to be more different from each other (while getting rid of the (in-universe) stupid ones.
Robottiimu2000
Member
All the different era's are really solid. The universe of battletech is really layered as there has been more or less 30 years of development and content/fluff creation, so it's more of a matter of taste and being most familiar with something more than others, than some era being "better" than others.
A spesific era might be better suited for a game you are just about to start ofc
hemtae
Member
New update: You Have Some Nice Stuff, A Peek Behind the Curtain at our Lead Engineer, and If It Aint Broke, You Didnt Try Hard Enough
If It Aint Broke, You Didnt Try Hard Enough
Even during the midst of battle, the back of every mercenary commanders mind is running a constant tabulation of the return on investment for that mission. Things may be looking good, but in the instant it takes for a PPC to arc across the battlefield, those projected profits can turn to guaranteed losses based upon the damage inflicted on the commanders BattleMechs.
One of the design goals of the Stage 3 Extended Mercenary Campaign that were most excited about is the players balancing act between reputation and economic reality - and the fulcrum of that balance is often the damage taken on the battlefield.
Every ton of armor and every internal component of a Mech can be damaged or destroyed and that damage will persist until repaired (or until the entire component is replaced.)
So although your mercenary contract fee is established before a mission begins, the cost of executing that mission is variable largely based upon the amount of damage your Mechs and MechWarriors took in accomplishing it.
Returning from a mission, you now face a choice - how do you want to address the damage your Mechs have received? While the diverse skills of your MechWarriors have a large impact on your battlefield success, it is your MechTechs that will determine the cost and time of repairs, and the options you may have in refitting your 'Mechs.
Below are some of the options wed like you to have, depending on your MechTechs, reputation, and your financial situation. (As always - keep in mind that this is our current thinking, and that over the course of development we will explore the fun of these design concepts and determine how deep each of these systems should be.)
Sometimes, it may even be wisest to withdraw from the field entirely before a mission is complete. Its a tough choice to make - whether to cut your loses and preserve your Lance in better fighting shape for the next mission at the expense of your Mercenary Outfits reputation. Or you stick it out till the end, claiming payment and the reputation boost accompanying it - regardless of the larger financial fallout it may cause the Outfit.
- Do Nothing: Sometimes, it just doesnt make financial sense to repair a component right away, or at all. You can always choose to send Mechs into battle with damaged or even broken components.
- Repair it: The number and experience level of the MechTechs in your outfit will determine the cost and duration of component repairs.
- Jury-Rig it: You may be able to have your Mech-Techs jury-rig a component, getting it back in working order quickly and less-expensively, but at the cost of some reliability.
- Replace it with a New Component: Just as most current automobiles are constructed from parts manufactured around the world, most Mechs are constructed with components manufactured across the Inner Sphere. Not all parts may be available in all areas of the Inner Sphere, but if you can find a new part, your MechTechs can install it.
- Replace it with a Salvaged Component: Since you may not always have access to new components, salvage may sometimes be your only source for working parts. But salvage may also be your best source - because if a salvaged component is sufficiently old enough, its technology and manufacturing methodologies mean that it may outperform current day new components.
One of our design goals for the game is that a successful Mercenary campaign doesnt have to be an unbroken string of victories - its possible to abandon or lose missions as well as complete them. Well be striving to balance the game appropriately and ensure that losses can be bounced back from if youre able to adapt your approach. (This will be particularly engaging for Ironman mode, which is something were all very excited about allowing as an option for this game.)
Our goal is for you to face a variety of complex Mercenary outfit management choices like this - where theres not always a right answer - over the course of the Stage 3 extended campaign. After all, heavy is the head that wears the crown - and as the leader of your own Mercenary outfit, that crowns on your head.
Robottiimu2000
Member
Much hype for ironman mode!
And all the things implied by it... Oh yeah!! <3
Kind of makes you wish that they could implement a "rogue-like" open world campaing besides the "story line campaing" for maximum replay value!
And all the things implied by it... Oh yeah!! <3
Kind of makes you wish that they could implement a "rogue-like" open world campaing besides the "story line campaing" for maximum replay value!
Not sure if you guys and girls have heard this interview yet, http://zerofortitude.com/pod/interview-with-mitch-gitelman-from-battletech/ .
The most exciting thing is that they really want to add co-op but they don't want to delay the game or commit to it just yet. Seems like it has a very good chance of being added post launch if the max funding goal is met.
The most exciting thing is that they really want to add co-op but they don't want to delay the game or commit to it just yet. Seems like it has a very good chance of being added post launch if the max funding goal is met.
Poodlestrike
Banned
On the flipside, I hope we have the chance to respond to clients who screw us over (of whom I assume there'll be at least a few). Optional revenge missions would be sweet.
afternoon delight
Member
Had not, thanks for the link! Loving the answers about ze hallow'd Stage 3.
More_Badass
Member
The Kicktraq projections have narrowed to a low/high estimate of $2.1 million and $2.7 million.
That seems pretty doable, especially given the final boost Kickstarters typically get in the final days
That seems pretty doable, especially given the final boost Kickstarters typically get in the final days
Hendrick's
If only my penis was as big as my GamerScore!
3025-3049 is real BT imo. The clans are interesting, but the tech they bring ruins the core gameplay.
PoweredByHentai
Member
I just pledged 125 bucks to the kickstarter. I'm hoping they flesh out the singleplayer campaign to its utmost potential.
Seems fine by me. PvP is a-okay and I wouldn't mind if it was part of a later update à la Netmech for MW2 back in 95.
That also means that HBI is able to allocate the most resources to the campaign up to its release and then afterwards finish the PvP aspect. That will also make the ones who don't want PvP to detract from the campaign happy.
afternoon delight
Member
I feel like I'd like PvP more as an option if there were hard systems in place for online matches. Server lists? Matchmaking? I wonder how it would be done. But straight up one on one battles seem to me like a really exciting feature. But Stage 3 honestly excites me more.
Poodlestrike
Banned
I think that 1v1 would be the least interesting PvP possibility, actually. Multiple players on each side + AI controlled non-mech forces would be amazing (albeit somewhat unwieldy due to the turn based combat).
afternoon delight
Member
Well multiple person teams would be incredible, I agree. I just wonder if that'd be too complicated to implement.
Is clan tech over-powered? Under-powered? Different? Since it is all that I am familiar with, I am baffled.
Poodlestrike
Banned
Clan tech > Inner Sphere tech in like +90% of cases. I'm not sure how it's "gamebreaking," but I only ever played the video games. It evens out later, but the Clans only got beaten because they fell into infighting and the Inner Sphere playing dirty.