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No longer are we denied! New Mechwarrior game!

Jul 2, 2009#1

Frankie Williamson

Seriously, it's been on my mind lately how badly I want a good, old fashioned mech piloting sim like old school Mechwarrior games. Ones that require a full-on joystick and a keyboard full of commands. I don't want any of this new-fangled X-Box Mechassault horseshit either. Most mech games now are terrible, horrible shadows of past glory (such as the God awful Chrome Hounds.). I want the plodding realism feel, like I could actually be piloting one of these bad boys (such as the exquisite Steel Battalion).

Is there anyone else out there that misses this amazing and seemingly extinct genre?

PAC-CHURES!

Jul 2, 2009#2

elph

Why does the world deny us more Mechwarrior/Battletech?

I agree 100%.

Other things I've been looking for was a PC based Battletech game. Give me a map generator, a bunch of stock minis that I can 'paint' and all the turn based action someone can handle.

Some kick ass features would include...
Choose premade designs or create your own color patterns (as in the Dawn of War series) complete with all house / clan insignias.
Expansions (yes, I would support expansions on this) to bring aerospace other non-mech ground vehicles.
Map designer.
Support up to 6 people playing in free for all, or team based combat.
Match recording to replay the battle in some form of 'movie sequence'.
Skipable movies for extreme events (Death From Above & lucky headshots to name a few).

There is so much that can be done to make it a profitable and fun game. Micro transactions to access new mech models like in some of the trading card games.

I've found http://www.battletechonline.com/ but I don't know exactly what the beta was for. If it was for what I'm describing, I'm there!

Jul 2, 2009#3

sixpackshaker

Why does the world deny us more Mechwarrior/Battletech?

I just wish they could have come to an understanding with the Robotech franchise to use the original designs. The ones they came up with on their own just don't hold up to the ones they stole.

Jul 2, 2009#4

Frankie Williamson

Why does the world deny us more Mechwarrior/Battletech?

sixpackshaker said:
I just wish they could have come to an understanding with the Robotech franchise to use the original designs. The ones they came up with on their own just don't hold up to the ones they stole.

Now sir, FASA did not steal anything. The person who designed the mechs in question sold his designs to both the Macross folks and to FASA at roughly the same time.

Jul 2, 2009#5

elph

Why does the world deny us more Mechwarrior/Battletech?

One (some) of the guys from FASA are doing http://www.nanovor.com/ now. I was going to check it out, but then I realized it's a digital CCG/Pokemon kind of game... Ugh.

Jul 2, 2009#6

Shannow

Why does the world deny us more Mechwarrior/Battletech?

Frankie said:
I want the plodding realism feel

I always love when folks say this about giant war robots moving around on other planets.

Jul 2, 2009#7

AshburnerX

Why does the world deny us more Mechwarrior/Battletech?

Why hasn't the genre kept going? Probably because it's a genre the requires people to both be able to think AND shoot. Most people can only do one or the other.

Jul 2, 2009#8

Gared

Why does the world deny us more Mechwarrior/Battletech?

Man, have I missed mech-piloting games. My computer was never good enough to run MechWarrior the way it should have been run back in the day, so I could plod around just fine but when it came to battle I just lagged until the mission failed screen came back up.

One thing I never understood about several of the tabletop offerings for Mechs was that whole "You're not sitting in a pilot's seat piloting with joysticks, etc.; you're in a VR suit and the Mech can only move as well as your human pilot can." That really killed it for me.

Jul 2, 2009#9

elph

Why does the world deny us more Mechwarrior/Battletech?

Gared said:
One thing I never understood about several of the tabletop offerings for Mechs was that whole "You're not sitting in a pilot's seat piloting with joysticks, etc.; you're in a VR suit and the Mech can only move as well as your human pilot can." That really killed it for me.

I'm not sure how that would kill it for you exactly.

It always seemed a logical step for technology progression of something so large / advanced. You've got a humanoid form armed to the teeth, it just seems 'natural' that it would be controlled in an immerse environment for the pilot.

But even beyond that thinking of the details, the player was really only controlling an elaborate metal/plastic chess piece.

Jul 2, 2009#10

Shakey

Why does the world deny us more Mechwarrior/Battletech?

I was looking through my old CD's and Mech Warrior 2 caught my eye., I almost reinstalled it. I think I might have to do it now.

Jul 2, 2009#11

Shannow

Why does the world deny us more Mechwarrior/Battletech?

Played Mechwarrior 2: Mercenaries way too much when it was out. Man, I loved that game, and Mechwarrior 3.

Jul 2, 2009#12

Frankie Williamson

Why does the world deny us more Mechwarrior/Battletech?

Shannow said:
Frankie said:

I want the plodding realism feel

Click to expand...

I always love when folks say this about giant war robots moving around on other planets.

Yeah, yeah.

Alright.

I want the plodding, wholly unfeasible way to wage war, completely unrealistic in a more realistic way feel.

Jul 2, 2009#13

sixpackshaker

Why does the world deny us more Mechwarrior/Battletech?

I played Mechwarrior 1 way too much on my old PC-XT.

Jul 2, 2009#14

GasBandit

Why does the world deny us more Mechwarrior/Battletech?

Mechwarrior 3 and 4 both still work in XP if you run them in compatibility mode. I still play them on my laptop.

Jul 2, 2009#15

Espy

Why does the world deny us more Mechwarrior/Battletech?

elph said:
I agree 100%.

Other things I've been looking for was a PC based Battletech game. Give me a map generator, a bunch of stock minis that I can 'paint' and all the turn based action someone can handle.

AGREED!!!!

I used to be the biggest pen/paper battletech guy in the world. I had everything... I still do actually. I loved creating games that lasted weeks... it was so much fun.

Jul 2, 2009#16

Frankie Williamson

Why does the world deny us more Mechwarrior/Battletech?

GasBandit said:
Mechwarrior 3 and 4 both still work in XP if you run them in compatibility mode. I still play them on my laptop.

Yeah, I still throw in 4 every now and then but man, I long for a current gen version with updated visuals, new story, etc...

Man, I can just imagine an actual lush jungle battle.

Jul 2, 2009#17

KCWM

Why does the world deny us more Mechwarrior/Battletech?

I liked Chromehounds.

Jul 2, 2009#18

Sldghmr

Why does the world deny us more Mechwarrior/Battletech?

As I recall, the Mechwarrior video game rights were purchased by Microsoft, right before the Xbox came out. They did make a Mechwarrior game for the Xbox (which was decent. I liked the PC games better, but the Xbox one wasn't too bad).

Then, HALO came out, and Microsoft didn't make any more Mechwarrior sequels. i always wondered if they had planned to help Xbox sales by having the Mechwarrior series exclusive to it, but after HALO, they had the exclusive title they needed, so they shelved it.

So um, I guess I blame Bill Gates. :whistling:

Jul 2, 2009#19

Frankie Williamson

Why does the world deny us more Mechwarrior/Battletech?

They made a sequel, it was riddled with Korn music and giant hopping spidermechs. It was God awful.

However, Microsoft shut down FASA studios and FASA founder Jordan Weisman regained the rights to Crimson Skies and Mechwarrior. Since then he has done nothing.

Jul 2, 2009#20

elph

Why does the world deny us more Mechwarrior/Battletech?

Frankie said:
They made a sequel, it was riddled with Korn music and giant hopping spidermechs. It was God awful.

However, Microsoft shut down FASA studios and FASA founder Jordan Weisman regained the rights to Crimson Skies and Mechwarrior. Since then he has done nothing.

Microsoft owns the rights still, Weisman is just licensing them. His company (Smith & Tinker) is currently working on their first game Nanovor. Seeing as how that's going, I don't expect much to be done with the old FASA properties anytime soon.

Jul 2, 2009#21

Shazam

Why does the world deny us more Mechwarrior/Battletech?

The only Mech game I played was Earthsiege 2.
That game was the shit.

Jul 2, 2009#22

Heavan

Why does the world deny us more Mechwarrior/Battletech?

I never much liked Mech Warrior

Now, Mech Commander... aah, memories

Jul 2, 2009#23

AshburnerX

Why does the world deny us more Mechwarrior/Battletech?

Fuck Mechwarrior... I want more Crimson Skies.

Jul 2, 2009#24

Chibibar

Why does the world deny us more Mechwarrior/Battletech?

I still have my Steel Battalion controller and Disk, but no Xbox to hook it up to.

Jul 2, 2009#25

sixpackshaker

Why does the world deny us more Mechwarrior/Battletech?

I want to know why we don't have these yet. They are about 9 years late so far.

Jul 2, 2009#26

GasBandit

Why does the world deny us more Mechwarrior/Battletech?

The answer is licensing/IP law. Nobody wants to tangle with figuring out who "owns" it, so it languishes.

I say we should go back to the original copyright law... where you have exclusive rights to your IP for 7 years, and then after that it's public domain.

Jul 2, 2009#27

AshburnerX

Why does the world deny us more Mechwarrior/Battletech?

GasBandit said:
The answer is licensing/IP law. Nobody wants to tangle with figuring out who "owns" it, so it languishes.

I say we should go back to the original copyright law... where you have exclusive rights to your IP for 7 years, and then after that it's public domain.

Unfortunately, Disney has been fighting tooth and nail to get Copyright Law extended in the US for many years now. It's currently around 50-100 years, so they still have a few decades of control over most of the Disney Characters. This is of course assuming that they don't bribe a few more congressmen and get it pushed back even further.

Jul 2, 2009#28

GasBandit

Why does the world deny us more Mechwarrior/Battletech?

Disney is one of the main villains in this area, yes. They need to get kicked to the curb so hard they lose teeth and have to put the "princesses" out on the street corner.

Jul 2, 2009#29

@Li3n

Why does the world deny us more Mechwarrior/Battletech?

Are any of those princesses original anyhow?!

But 7 is too little... make it 15-20 max and it's enough.

Oh, and the way i understood it FASA got the rights to the designs but then discovered that the rights for the US where already owned by someone else...

But i preferred the less organic looking mech designs myself... give me a Summoner, a Dire Wolf or a Timber Wolf any time...

Jul 2, 2009#30

sixpackshaker

Why does the world deny us more Mechwarrior/Battletech?

But those were freakin' awesome...

Just too bad that in that game when you finally found the Phoeniz Hawk LAM... the game was over.

http://www.fortunecity.com/tatooine/aldiss/95/chi8.jpg

meh, sorry.

Jul 2, 2009#31

Shakey

Why does the world deny us more Mechwarrior/Battletech?

Picture no workey

Jul 2, 2009#32

Rob King

Why does the world deny us more Mechwarrior/Battletech?

Man, I remember playing MW4 so much ... I might actually kill for a more current gen version of the game.

I also really want to get into the miniatures game, but I'm not that great at breaking into new social groups, and I'm having trouble finding strangers that play it anyhow.

Jul 2, 2009#33

@Li3n

Why does the world deny us more Mechwarrior/Battletech?

IMG FAIL.

Also, MW3 > MW4... if only because in 4 they looked like they where made of plastic...

Jul 2, 2009#34

sixpackshaker

Why does the world deny us more Mechwarrior/Battletech?

And with most of these types of games, It is hard to find strangers that you would want to come into your house.

Jul 2, 2009#35

elph

Why does the world deny us more Mechwarrior/Battletech?

Rob King said:
Man, I remember playing MW4 so much ... I might actually kill for a more current gen version of the game.

I also really want to get into the miniatures game, but I'm not that great at breaking into new social groups, and I'm having trouble finding strangers that play it anyhow.

sixpackshaker said:
And with most of these types of games, It is hard to find strangers that you would want to come into your house.

All the more reason that they really just need to develop an online version of the board game with micro translations to buy different mech models, expansions to add in other features (Aerospace, tanks and such) and a map editor.

Jul 2, 2009#36

@Li3n

Why does the world deny us more Mechwarrior/Battletech?

@Li3n said:
Also, MW3 > MW4... if only because in 4 they looked like they where made of plastic...

Oh, and also 4 decided that realistic pulse lasers weren't cool enough...

All the more reason that they really just need to develop an online version of the board game with micro translations to buy different mech models, expansions to add in other features (Aerospace, tanks and such) and a map editor.

Micro-transactions haven't panned out as i recall...

A monthly subscription like DDi would be better...

Jul 2, 2009#37

sixpackshaker

Why does the world deny us more Mechwarrior/Battletech?

I think a Mechwarrior MMO would be friggen awesome. Even have mild loss of equipment after losing a battle/ scavenging parts from your fallen enemies. Each expansion would be a new dropzone...

Jul 2, 2009#38

elph

Why does the world deny us more Mechwarrior/Battletech?

@Li3n said:
[quote="@Li3n":qzscet79] Also, MW3 > MW4... if only because in 4 they looked like they where made of plastic...

Oh, and also 4 decided that realistic pulse lasers weren't cool enough...

All the more reason that they really just need to develop an online version of the board game with micro translations to buy different mech models, expansions to add in other features (Aerospace, tanks and such) and a map editor.

Micro-transactions haven't panned out as i recall...

A monthly subscription like DDi would be better...[/quote:qzscet79]

See, I agree that micro transactions haven't really panned out exactly. But I look at it as if I were to buy the physical mecha mini. Granted, I'm getting away at a much cheaper cost because if I need 5 Timber wolf mechs for my star, I don't have to spend $5x25, I'd just spen $5 for the access to the one mech model. The base game would come with some stock mechs, not exactly one of every weight class, but a lot like the starter box set for Battletech had the plastic minis.

I'm not so sure I'd be willing to pay for a monthly game that really, once it was out, wouldn't require any kind of full upkeep or content. Maps can be made with exclusive designs and features and sold through micro transactions (where each player would need to pay for access to the map), but there would also be a map creator that was fairly basic in it's means to spur player creativity in custom scenarios.

Jul 2, 2009#39

@Li3n

Why does the world deny us more Mechwarrior/Battletech?

I don't know... paying for stuff that influences gameplay and separates players isn't all that great. Maybe the guild wars model would work better, you'd get the full game, but expansions (Start at IS mechs and then have a Clan exp) and some extras (more room for mechs in ur garage etc.) would cost money... and one can always add more areas (it's like a big chunk of the galaxy).

See what WotC is doing with D&D...

Jul 2, 2009#40

elph

Why does the world deny us more Mechwarrior/Battletech?

@Li3n said:
I don't know... paying for stuff that influences gameplay and separates players isn't all that great. Maybe the guild wars model would work better, you'd get the full game, but expansions (Start at IS mechs and then have a Clan exp) and some extras (more room for mechs in ur garage etc.) would cost money... and one can always add more areas (it's like a big chunk of the galaxy).

See what WotC is doing with D&D...

True.. I was going with the thought something like the old RTS Total Annihilation. They would release a new unit every week or so for download. I think it would replace something already in game though. Obviously that wouldn't be part of the model.

There are a few pricing models that can make the project really work, but really it's all just pipe dreams I think.

Jul 2, 2009#41

Alucard

Why does the world deny us more Mechwarrior/Battletech?

An MMO would sound interesting but I would rather have a solid RPG instead.
I think I have a copy of MechWarrior still laying about.

Dang I miss the good old days of Mechwarrior

Jul 2, 2009#42

Alucard

Why does the world deny us more Mechwarrior/Battletech?

And sorry for double posting but I keep lamenting why we haven't gotten a second Freelancer game while they're at it

Jul 2, 2009#43

Frankie Williamson

Why does the world deny us more Mechwarrior/Battletech?

@Li3n said:
[quote="@Li3n":3uho3cw4] Also, MW3 > MW4... if only because in 4 they looked like they where made of plastic...

Oh, and also 4 decided that realistic pulse lasers weren't cool enough...

All the more reason that they really just need to develop an online version of the board game with micro translations to buy different mech models, expansions to add in other features (Aerospace, tanks and such) and a map editor.

Micro-transactions haven't panned out as i recall...

A monthly subscription like DDi would be better...[/quote:3uho3cw4]

You can guys can shit on 4 all you want, but Mech 4 Mercenaries is 100 times as fun as anything Mechwarrior 3 or any of the previous Mech 4 games did. It was easily the best game since....Mech 2 Mercenaries.

Jul 2, 2009#44

elph

Why does the world deny us more Mechwarrior/Battletech?

I wasn't shitting on MW4 at all. I hadn't been able to play any MW since 2. My computer couldn't handle them at the time well enough for me to really get into them. I wanted to get into MW4, but by the time I did, everyone was done with it.

Jul 2, 2009#45

Espy

Why does the world deny us more Mechwarrior/Battletech?

screw RPG's, i just want a digital version of the tabletop game. I would give my left nut for that.

Jul 3, 2009#46

Siska

Why does the world deny us more Mechwarrior/Battletech?

PhantomShadow said:
And sorry for double posting but I keep lamenting why we haven't gotten a second Freelancer game while they're at it

Oh me too! And don't say Eve, I want something less high maintenance.

Might have been mentioned, but NCSoft has a free to play PvP game where you play as a robot. Never tried it, so no idea what it is like. Or what it's even called, having trouble loading the NCSoft main page at the moment.

Jul 3, 2009#47

@Li3n

Why does the world deny us more Mechwarrior/Battletech?

Frankie said:
@Li3n said:

[quote="@Li3n":3o2rdym8] Also, MW3 > MW4... if only because in 4 they looked like they where made of plastic...

Click to expand...

Oh, and also 4 decided that realistic pulse lasers weren't cool enough...

You can guys can shit on 4 all you want, but Mech 4 Mercenaries is 100 times as fun as anything Mechwarrior 3 or any of the previous Mech 4 games did. It was easily the best game since....Mech 2 Mercenaries.[/quote:3o2rdym8]

Hurray for taking a good idea and applying it to a lesser game...

C'mon, i wasn't complaining about the gameplay even... just some stupid design choices when it comes to the mech's looks and weapons. I liked MW4, if only because it was a new MW game... and extra mechs and game modes are always a good thing...

And of course any future MW game needs a Mercenaries expansion...

Jul 3, 2009#48

Scarlet Varlet

Why does the world deny us more Mechwarrior/Battletech?

I always imagined a BattleTech MMO being a good idea. Get a bunch of mates online and invade the inner sphere, form a merc company or sommat. Ah, it would have been great. You'd need to bid contracts, transport your kit, 'conduct business' and get home or on to the next job without having a major reset to your game. You could join one of the major Houses for tours or boring Garrison Duty (until some other team moved on your world) Could have been fun.

-- Fri Jul 03, 2009 7:24 am --

Espy said:
screw RPG's, i just want a digital version of the tabletop game. I would give my left nut for that.

There's a fair one by Ralph Reed (not the politician) if you can fire up an Amiga Emulator.

Jul 3, 2009#49

Dusty668

Why does the world deny us more Mechwarrior/Battletech?

I miss my Ultrabots.

Jul 8, 2009#50

AshburnerX

Why does the world deny us more Mechwarrior/Battletech?

Mechwarrior 5 may be getting announced in the next 24 hours.

Jul 8, 2009#51

Espy

Why does the world deny us more Mechwarrior/Battletech?

HOT DAMN that looked sweet.

It did look suspiciously present day though.

Why the hell don't they just make a nice digital version of the tabletop game that you can play online... I think I'd waste so much time on that...

-- Wed Jul 08, 2009 12:19 pm --

A link to all 3 teasers: http://media.pc.ign.com/media/018/018954/vids_1.html

Jul 9, 2009#52

Far

Why does the world deny us more Mechwarrior/Battletech?

No longer just a maybe:

http://kotaku.com/5310586/new-mechwarri ... oot-series

Jul 9, 2009#53

Frankie Williamson

Why does the world deny us more Mechwarrior/Battletech?

Surprise, Mechwarrior fans! That teaser from yesterday was indeed for a new Mechwarrior title,

YES!

which is in development at Piranha Games, who worked on the latest Transformers title.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So at least you know they have experience with giant robots! Then again, it also means they have experience with making crummy games based on giant robots.

Though, let's give them the benefit of the doubt on this one. They only helped develop Revenge of the Fallen. And being a movie tie-in, it had a deadline to meet. Something they won't have to worry about with Mechwarrior, what with Battletech being 25 years old and all.

This new game is called simply MechWarrior, and will serve as a reboot of sorts for the franchise. You'll still be piloting mechs, but the developers reckon that current console technology will for the first time let you feel like you're really behind the sticks of a giant fighting robot.

They're also shooting for a "dynamic battlefield", and rather than feature a food chain of mechs, instead want to let players choose a style of mech and then upgrade that to suit their tastes as they progress through the game.

MechWarrior is coming to the PC and Xbox 360, with no details yet on either a publisher or a release timeframe.

To see the full debut trailer, click below. Looks like GRAW with giant robots. Which is a real good place to start.

Alright, I'm a LITTLE less worried about it.

Jul 9, 2009#54

edzepp

Why does the world deny us more Mechwarrior/Battletech?

http://au.pc.ign.com/articles/100/1002164p1.html

Interview with the developers.

Jul 9, 2009#55

Frankie Williamson

Why does the world deny us more Mechwarrior/Battletech?

Man, that Atlas pilot needs a punch in the titty for being so terrible in that teaser. Also. I'm going to credit this thread. Made mere days before these announcements were made for the existence of this game. The Gods were like, this kid is right, we DO need more Mechwarrior games and changed the past so that this game would be in development. True story.

Some terrible, terrible choice cuts from the interview.

Russ and I have spent a lot of time talking about how this is not your father's MechWarrior

UGH.

One thing that you did say that I really want to touch on, because I think you hit it there, is that the mechs are the stars.

Well, at least we know hours of the game won't be devoted to the pilot's parents, his first days of college and his retard girlfriend.

First and foremost, in this day and age and this time, we've all played the PC games in the past and absolutely loved them. But certainly going forward, just out of necessity and because we think we can, we're definitely very focused also on the Xbox 360. So we're very focused on the console standpoint moving forward. Now, we still need to work out a lot with our chosen publishing partner, so some of these questions will become answered, but I think that Jordan and I are in agreement that we want to make a MechWarrior game.

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK...........

I blame you pirates. This shit is squarely your fucking fault.

IGN: Okay, that's good to know in for people that might have been afraid of a Steel Battalion-like controller that they have to find a large coffee table to place the entire thing upon.

Jordan Weisman: No, I already did that – it was called the BattleTech centers. They were cool, but I don't need to do that again! (Laughs)

If they had said, Guys, we're going to make a special controller just for this game. I probably would have lost my shit and cum thrice. I'm probably alone there, but I would have. I liked Steel Battalion. I still have a box with the controller in my gaming past closet.

Jul 9, 2009#56

GasBandit

Why does the world deny us more Mechwarrior/Battletech?

Frankie said:
I blame you pirates. This shit is squarely your fucking fault.

Blame outdated business models, overinflated price points, and ridiculous expectations on ROI. It costs nothing to press a CD. If the price point of a PC game was 25 dollars PC piracy would evaporate.

Jul 9, 2009#57

Frankie Williamson

Why does the world deny us more Mechwarrior/Battletech?

I don't know if most companies have ridiculous ROI expectations. Otherwise game developers wouldn't be going under left, right and center.

Jul 9, 2009#58

Espy

Why does the world deny us more Mechwarrior/Battletech?

No PS3? Grrrrrrrr... at least no mention of it yet... but they did do the PS3 and XBOX ports for TFers2 so maybe there is hope... I don't play many games but I would play this...

Jul 9, 2009#59

Espy

Why does the world deny us more Mechwarrior/Battletech?

They're also shooting for a "dynamic battlefield", and rather than feature a food chain of mechs, instead want to let players choose a style of mech and then upgrade that to suit their tastes as they progress through the game.

wat.

Thats not how it works you idiots. You pick a CLASS of mech. You don't start with a 20 tonner and build it up to 80 or 100. That defeats the purpose and concept of the war machine. Ugh.

That being said, the trailer looks amazing.

Jul 9, 2009#60

GasBandit

Why does the world deny us more Mechwarrior/Battletech?

Frankie said:
I don't know if most companies have ridiculous ROI expectations. Otherwise game developers wouldn't be going under left, right and center.

I think they are going under BECAUSE they had ridiculous ROI expectations. "Sure, we can budget X million dollars for that, once release hits we'll be swimming in dough."

-- Thu Jul 09, 2009 2:32 pm --

Espy said:
They're also shooting for a "dynamic battlefield", and rather than feature a food chain of mechs, instead want to let players choose a style of mech and then upgrade that to suit their tastes as they progress through the game.

Click to expand...

wat.

Thats not how it works you idiots. You pick a CLASS of mech. You don't start with a 20 tonner and build it up to 80 or 100. That defeats the purpose and concept of the war machine. Ugh.

That being said, the trailer looks amazing.

That made me scratch my head too.. what, I can choose an atlas right at the start, but can't put anything but small pulse lasers on it until later in the game?

Jul 9, 2009#61

sixpackshaker

Why does the world deny us more Mechwarrior/Battletech?

To me it sounds like they want to start you in any size Mech... :blue: Battlemasters for everybody...

I always liked learning how to play the game in a Jenner or similar small Mech.

Jul 9, 2009#62

Espy

Why does the world deny us more Mechwarrior/Battletech?

They do keep using the term "classes" and they talk about someone piloting a light mech and getting so good at it they become a real force on the battlefield...
As long as they mean more how adept the pilot is I'm cool.
I don't think it's clear enough right now.

Jul 9, 2009#63

Shakey

Why does the world deny us more Mechwarrior/Battletech?

Espy said:
They're also shooting for a "dynamic battlefield", and rather than feature a food chain of mechs, instead want to let players choose a style of mech and then upgrade that to suit their tastes as they progress through the game.

Click to expand...

wat.

Thats not how it works you idiots. You pick a CLASS of mech. You don't start with a 20 tonner and build it up to 80 or 100. That defeats the purpose and concept of the war machine. Ugh.

That being said, the trailer looks amazing.

I think that's what they meant. You pick a class, and in that class it doesn't matter what "Look" you choose. Every style of mech in a class can do the same thing.

Here they talk about the classes.

So, in your lance, you're going to want a light scout mech, and he'll go out there and find out where they are and tag them. With the buildings, you can take cover and if you lose your enemies in the buildings, they'll lose you as a target. All those things that you couldn't do before – once you were a target in the past, you could never really escape; they could keep that red box around you no matter how many hills you ran behind. You can just see how now, between the buildings, getting on top of them, hiding, finding the information – we're going to make every class valuable again. So you have your scout mechs, have your medium class mechs, and then you want to have your assault class mechs when everything's all primed for the trap [to] take things out. That's going to really play into the single-player campaign, and it's hard to go into a lot of details because we don't know what might change through some discussions with the publisher.

But there's some great dynamics there for single-player there that we've discussed, and we've also talked about how great that would fall in line with co-op. Co-op campaigns are so popular nowadays, and some games have really great ones. We can't imagine hardly a better property for it: when you think of a lance as four mechs, we have an opportunity here to have a four-player lance, all with player controlled mechs and utilizing all four classes of the mechs in the universe from light, medium, heavy, and assault. So, it really does play out really well for the universe to, for the first time, take advantage of some of these big features like co-op, etc. Then again, for multiplayer, too – it's hard to imagine a better environment to create a progressive experience based system of multiplayer that really lasts and prolongs the playtime for the game.

-- Thu Jul 09, 2009 2:55 pm --

Here's some more on classes.

have a really intense single-player storyline and have the player have a reason to go through that single-player storyline four different times because they might want to experience it from a scout mech because the play style is so rewarding and unique on its own, to the medium, heavy, or an assault. They could go through it four times and then, that would open up co-op where you and three of your buddies could go through taking turns playing the different classes with the dynamics and strategies that would bring to your lance as you take turns playing with different roles with different classes of mechs, finding success by using all the different classes of mechs. I think that we're aiming to have the ability to have the full lance be player controlled.

-- Thu Jul 09, 2009 2:57 pm --

Espy, you might like this.

Things like the tagging beacons or the jamming radars – there've always been quite a few items in the pen-and-paper version for enhancing the information warfare but really haven't been utilized fully in a game before, so I think playing off of that, you'll see some of those things actually working in the game for the first time.

Jul 9, 2009#64

GasBandit

Why does the world deny us more Mechwarrior/Battletech?

I'm also a little leery of this "rebooting" the series thing. Does that mean they're going to play hell with battetech canon? Or merely start over from the kerensky exodus or something?

Jul 9, 2009#65

Shakey

Why does the world deny us more Mechwarrior/Battletech?

So it is a story of a planet called Deshler which is a Davion planet on the Kurita frontier, which, like many planets on the frontier, have changed hands back and forth. Kurita is making a play all along the frontier, reclaiming a bunch of territory, and our planet is one of those.

Again, we wanted to create an accessible entry point for the property, so our point-of-view character in the single-player game that you play is the fourth son of the noble house that rules this little planet for House Davion.

IGN: So just as a quick question related to the planet, the attacks within the single-player game are just like the strikes from House Kurita against House Davion during the first Succession Wars?

Jordan Weisman: Exactly. This planet was a Kurita planet a hundred years ago.

Jul 9, 2009#66

sixpackshaker

Why does the world deny us more Mechwarrior/Battletech?

It sounds like the plot from the first Mechwarrior.

That will be cool to do again. I always played that final battle in a Medium Mech instead of and Assault. I sent my 3 lance mates in a frontal attack, and I'd run to the edge of the game board and charge the flanks... shooting out legs as fast as I could go with 4 .50's... :twisted:

Jul 9, 2009#67

Shakey

Damn I loved shooting out legs.

-- Thu Jul 09, 2009 3:31 pm --

This would kick ass.

IGN: The last FASA Interactive title, Shadowrun, featured multiplayer support across the 360 and PC. Will you be looking to do the same within MechWarrior?

Russ Bullock: Absolutely. I mean, we don't have a lot of details at this point, but we've talked about it; we've talked about it very lightly. I don't see any reason at this point why that wouldn't be possible. So it would definitely be a large goal of ours to make that work for both co-op and multiplayer. That would be great. It'd be fabulous.

Jul 9, 2009#68

Chibibar

It would be interesting to see Mechwarrior MMO, but there has to be advantage toward light mech vs heavy mech. Balance for MMO gameplay would be tough to pull off (IMO) it is possible, but a lot of stuff have to be consider.

Jul 9, 2009#69

sixpackshaker

In pen and and paper Mechwarrior was the RPG end of the game. So hopefully they will add classes to the game. Pilot, driver, medic, aerospace, mechanic, infantry... I'd love to see that game in depth. It would even make a decent MMO.

I miss the original story line for Mechwarrior: PCDOS
From Moby Games

You are Gideon Braver Vandenburg, heir to the planet. While you were away, unknown attackers destroyed your home, killed your entire family, and stole the Chalice that you need to win the throne. When you are implicated in your own family's death, you are forced into exile. With a help of an old friend who contributed an old Jenner and some credits, you must become a mercenary. You must travel the Inner Sphere in search of clues to who set you up, and eventually avenge your family and recover the Chalice. You have five years. Good luck and good hunting.

Mechwarrior was the first 3D BattleTech game developed. Dynamix (who later developed the Starsiege series) created it for Activision. You go to a planet and in search of "fixers" who will set up some contracts with the local authorities. The terms are a flat payment and some salvage payments. Some houses are very stingy but they tell you a lot about the mission. Others pay well but may not tell you everything. You can buy/sell/repair 'Mechs, hire/fire pilots, decide which planet to move to, as you try to maintain decent relationships with all five houses of the Inner Sphere, while trying to uncover clues about where you need to go. This ground-breaking game is very replayable, as each mission is randomly generated. There's even some extended campaigns where you run 2-3 missions in a row.

Jul 9, 2009#70

bigcountry23

Why does the world deny us more Mechwarrior/Battletech?

GasBandit said:
Frankie said:

I blame you pirates. This shit is squarely your fucking fault.

Click to expand...

Blame outdated business models, overinflated price points, and ridiculous expectations on ROI. It costs nothing to press a CD. If the price point of a PC game was 25 dollars PC piracy would evaporate.

There is even less cost involved in digital downloads. So why are we paying as much to get a pure "soft" copy of a game as people who had to have it printed, pressed, packaged, shipped, stored, and sheved.

Jul 9, 2009#71

Frankie Williamson

Why does the world deny us more Mechwarrior/Battletech?

bigcountry23 said:
GasBandit said:

Frankie said:

I blame you pirates. This shit is squarely your fucking fault.

Click to expand...

Blame outdated business models, overinflated price points, and ridiculous expectations on ROI. It costs nothing to press a CD. If the price point of a PC game was 25 dollars PC piracy would evaporate.

Click to expand...

There is even less cost involved in digital downloads. So why are we paying as much to get a pure "soft" copy of a game as people who had to have it printed, pressed, packaged, shipped, stored, and sheved.

Because, despite all this, stores such as Wal-Mart and Gamestop are still where the most games are sold and game publishers go out of their way to avoid pissing them off. This includes gouging us for digital downloads (and like they wouldn't even if they didn't have to deal with the B&M's of the world).

Jul 10, 2009#72

@Li3n

Why does the world deny us more Mechwarrior/Battletech?

Wooohooo... coming to the PC...

Frankie said:
First and foremost, in this day and age and this time, we've all played the PC games in the past and absolutely loved them. But certainly going forward, just out of necessity and because we think we can, we're definitely very focused also on the Xbox 360. So we're very focused on the console standpoint moving forward. Now, we still need to work out a lot with our chosen publishing partner, so some of these questions will become answered, but I think that Jordan and I are in agreement that we want to make a MechWarrior game.

Click to expand...

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK...........

I blame you pirates. This shit is squarely your fucking fault.

Dude, 360 games get pirated all the time... Gears of War 2 came out weeks before the official release even...

Blame the fact that PC devs feel the need to make you buy new hardware each year to get 100% out of their graphics...

Jul 10, 2009#73

Gurpel

Why does the world deny us more Mechwarrior/Battletech?

@Li3n said:
Dude, 360 games get pirated all the time... Gears of War 2 came out weeks before the official release even...

uh. no.

not nearly as much as pc games.

Jul 10, 2009#74

@Li3n

Why does the world deny us more Mechwarrior/Battletech?

Gurpel said:
@Li3n said:

Dude, 360 games get pirated all the time... Gears of War 2 came out weeks before the official release even...

Click to expand...

uh. no.

not nearly as much as pc games.

Jul 10, 2009#75

Far

Not sure if this has been posted yet but apparently M4 will be released soon for free:

http://kotaku.com/5311399/pay-nothing-get-mechwarrior-4

Jul 10, 2009#76

Frankie Williamson

Why does the world deny us more Mechwarrior/Battletech?

@Li3n said:
Gurpel said:

[quote="@Li3n":2kaiew15]Dude, 360 games get pirated all the time... Gears of War 2 came out weeks before the official release even...

Click to expand...

uh. no.

not nearly as much as pc games.

That has to do with the number of PC out there and the fact that someone who payed 500$ for a rig that can only play videogames is more likely to just buy the games too... but the torrents are full of 360 games...[/quote:2kaiew15]

That's bullshit, the reason people pirate more on PC is because it's easy, it's incredibly easy. In order to pirate on 360 you have to modify the console itself, then you can never go online (unless that's changed, I know before you couldn't). It's much. much, much more difficult to pirate on 360 than it is on PC. To say otherwise is fucking madness.

Jul 10, 2009#77

@Li3n

Didn't they put HDDs in them already?!

Also, i didn't say it was easier... just that the whole there is plenty of piracy on consoles too (except the PS3, because apparently it costs more to make a Blu-Ray DVD copy then to buy the game, might be old info though).

As for online... i think it was CoD 4 that had like 50% more player accounts then copies sold... but that might have just been multiple accounts...

Jul 10, 2009#78

AshburnerX

@Li3n said:
Didn't they put HDDs in them already?!

Also, i didn't say it was easier... just that the whole there is plenty of piracy on consoles too (except the PS3, because apparently it costs more to make a Blu-Ray DVD copy then to buy the game, might be old info though).

As for online... i think it was CoD 4 that had like 50% more player accounts then copies sold... but that might have just been multiple accounts...

It's still more cost effective to buy a stack of blu-ray dvds and a Blu-Ray Burner in the long run, but it has a huge setup cost compared to normal DVDs that most people aren't willing to pay for the stuff to do it.

Jul 10, 2009#79

SpecialKO

I, too, am skeptical given the dev studio's recent efforts, but as someone noted before, big difference when you're developing a game that must come out on a certain date, come hell or high water.

I love the idea that they're going to make the classes of mechs viable across the board. I hated the food chain of mechs approach in previous games. There was simply no way, particularly in multi-player, for a lance of light/mediums to take a lance of heavies/assault mechs regardless of whatever tactical advantages they should have had. Granted, the two forces are not supposed to be at parity, but it was basically impossible because counter-intelligence and ECM and high-speed (and pulse lasers) didn't do dick in the games.

Also, taking place in the pre-Clan era Draconis March? :thumbsup:

Jul 10, 2009#80

sixpackshaker

I never liked the clan invasion era of Battletech. Especially the early dates before the inner sphere caught up in technology.

Jul 10, 2009#81

SpecialKO

I liked the clan-era storylines, but the game itself (in all forms, IMHO) became pretty lame once it became basically required to have an OmniMech to kick ass.

Jul 10, 2009#82

Espy

TeKeo said:
I liked the clan-era storylines, but the game itself (in all forms, IMHO) became pretty lame once it became basically required to have an OmniMech to kick a**.

Well I can only speak to the battletech board game but in no way did it require an Omnimech to kick ass. Yes they had the advantage technologically speaking but the game is all about tactics not who has the bigger PPC.

Jul 10, 2009#83

Alex B.

sixpackshaker said:
In pen and and paper Mechwarrior was the RPG end of the game. So hopefully they will add classes to the game. Pilot, driver, medic, aerospace, mechanic, infantry... I'd love to see that game in depth. It would even make a decent MMO.

Ooh, it would be awesome to have non-mech pilot classes. Imagine being a special ops operative, sent in to kill the enemy pilots before they can get to their mechs, clearing the way for your own mechs to wreak havoc. Or part of a squad of infantry or tanks, forced to face off against an enemy light mech in a street battle. Or a fighter pilot defending drop ships as they make their landings.

Definitely way too much, but it would be cool. It's a great setting even outside the cockpit of a 'mech.

Jul 10, 2009#84

@Li3n

Espy said:
TeKeo said:

I liked the clan-era storylines, but the game itself (in all forms, IMHO) became pretty lame once it became basically required to have an OmniMech to kick a**.

Click to expand...

Well I can only speak to the battletech board game but in no way did it require an Omnimech to kick ass. Yes they had the advantage technologically speaking but the game is all about tactics not who has the bigger PPC.

Also, aren't Omnimechs just mechs with Omni slots, where you could put any weapon type in?! There's no reason why you can't put clan weapons on a normal Battlemech...

Jul 10, 2009#85

sixpackshaker

I just remember going from the original games to the Clan Stuff, that the MadCats and other Mechs basically had the armor, heatsinks, and weapons of the next class up of normal mechs. If you and your opponent were equal in tactics, you got wiped out.

Jul 10, 2009#86

Espy

@Li3n said:
Espy said:

TeKeo said:

I liked the clan-era storylines, but the game itself (in all forms, IMHO) became pretty lame once it became basically required to have an OmniMech to kick a**.

Click to expand...

Well I can only speak to the battletech board game but in no way did it require an Omnimech to kick a**. Yes they had the advantage technologically speaking but the game is all about tactics not who has the bigger PPC.

Click to expand...

Also, aren't Omnimechs just mechs with Omni slots, where you could put any weapon type in?! There's no reason why you can't put clan weapons on a normal Battlemech...

I don't remember how that worked, I think you "could" but clan parts were super rare and SUPER expensive so it wasn't realistic that any inner sphere mechs would have any.
Omni-mechs, or clan mechs in general just had BETTER tech. Better heat-sinks, lighter weight components, they were just plain better.
But the mech is only as good as it's pilot. :slywink:

Jul 10, 2009#87

sixpackshaker

Not to mention their basic unit was 5 and not 4, even more of a disadvantage.

Jul 10, 2009#88

Espy

sixpackshaker said:
Not to mention their basic unit was 5 and not 4, even more of a disadvantage.

Kind of.
A lance has 4 mechs, but a company has 4 lances so= 16 mechs.
A clan star has 5 mechs, anda Trinary has 3 stars in it so= 15 mechs.

The basic idea was 2 lances= 1 Star. So 8-5. If you went with your lance against a Star you better be good.

Jul 10, 2009#89

@Li3n

The idea was that they where better because they had access to better weapons and armour from the get-go... but you can equip them on any mechs if you have the money... so you don't need an Omnimech per se, just the weapons.

And the IS started making it's own Omnimechs soon after the clans came... i think the Bushwacker was one of the first attempts...

Jul 10, 2009#90

elph

Omnimechs were just simply mechs that could be refitted between missions quickly. They were modular in design and their weapons were able to be figured specifically to the pilots liking as well as each situation/role. Non-Omnimechs were mechs without options. You were piloting this mech and it's layout no matter what. You could, in theory, redesign the mech, but in effect you are making a different mech in the same body type out of it (typically it didn't happen).

Wolf's Dragoons was/is one of the first IS merc units to get a hold of Clan tech by salvaging and retrofitting it onto their IS mechs. Also (if my memory serves me right) they started recruiting some dishonored Clan mech pilots and other Clan tech.

In Battletech, the weapons were a slight step above the IS counterparts.

Clan stars also aren't always combined of the same type. A Star could easily be 1 light mech, 2 medium mechs, 1 pack of elementals, and 2 aerospace fighters (not just 5 medium mechs). Granted, most player based games are traditionally kept to mechs alone since having all these different kinds of vehicles can be confusing to manage quickly.

Clans also fight one on one (I'm trying to find the full list of clan rules of engagement) and to get help on a kill is dishonorable.

Clans also bid before taking action with the least amount of forces getting the rights to first attempt.

Going deeper, Clan pilots were generally breed for their role. Clans have a caste system for the most part and Mech Pilots were 'on the top'.

Jul 10, 2009#91

elph

Espy!

Something I've had on my system for a while but haven't played around with it until just now.

http://megamek.sourceforge.net/idx.php?pg=main

It's an open source classic battletech game. It's sorta complex and I haven't really played with it a lot, but maybe some night we can try it out. I'm rusty as hell (seeing as I haven't played Battletech in probably 15+ years).

Jul 10, 2009#92

Espy

elph said:
Espy!

Something I've had on my system for a while but haven't played around with it until just now.

http://megamek.sourceforge.net/idx.php?pg=main

It's an open source classic battletech game. It's sorta complex and I haven't really played with it a lot, but maybe some night we can try it out. I'm rusty as * (seeing as I haven't played Battletech in probably 15+ years).

DOWNLOADING NOW!!!!!!!!!!!! OMG!!!!!!!!!! It's for OSX!!!!!

Jul 11, 2009#93

@Li3n

elph said:
Omnimechs were just simply mechs that could be refitted between missions quickly. They were modular in design and their weapons were able to be figured specifically to the pilots liking as well as each situation/role. Non-Omnimechs were mechs without options. You were piloting this mech and it's layout no matter what. You could, in theory, redesign the mech, but in effect you are making a different mech in the same body type out of it (typically it didn't happen).

In MW4 they had the slots be weapon type specific, so if you could put in a L.Laser you could also replace it with 2 M.Lasers of S.Lasers... but not any AC etc. with Omnimechs having Omni slots where you could put in anything as long as it fit in the space.... that way they keep the Omni's versatility but keep them balanced with Battlemechs...

I'm guessing that in the lore one actually had to redesign the inside of the mech where the weapon was stored instead of just putting another weapon in without any other modifications...

Wolf's Dragoons was/is one of the first IS merc units to get a hold of Clan tech by salvaging and retrofitting it onto their IS mechs. Also (if my memory serves me right) they started recruiting some dishonored Clan mech pilots and other Clan tech.

Wolf's Dragoons where lead by clan freebirth spies, except for Natasha Kerensky, who was truebirth! The reason they didn't use clan tech before was because it would have given them away... but as i recall they did have plenty of lostech because they had a map of caches the SLDF set up when it started the exodus.

Going deeper, Clan pilots were generally breed for their role. Clans have a caste system for the most part and Mech Pilots were 'on the top'.

Most Clan-ers where genetically engineered... with freebirths being ostracized even...

Jul 11, 2009#94

Frankie Williamson

In the tabletop stuff does it work like the games?

As in Clan ER PPC/Lasers have longer range, do more damage and weigh less but produce significantly more heat and have a longer recharge time.

Jul 11, 2009#95

Rob King

Espy said:
elph said:

Espy!

Something I've had on my system for a while but haven't played around with it until just now.

http://megamek.sourceforge.net/idx.php?pg=main

It's an open source classic battletech game. It's sorta complex and I haven't really played with it a lot, but maybe some night we can try it out. I'm rusty as * (seeing as I haven't played Battletech in probably 15+ years).

Click to expand...

DOWNLOADING NOW!!!!!!!!!!!! OMG!!!!!!!!!! It's for OSX!!!!!

I would be interested in checking this out also, but I can't find the OSX version you mention. Am I looking in the wrong spot?

Jul 11, 2009#96

elph

Rob King said:
Espy said:

elph said:

Espy!

Something I've had on my system for a while but haven't played around with it until just now.

http://megamek.sourceforge.net/idx.php?pg=main

It's an open source classic battletech game. It's sorta complex and I haven't really played with it a lot, but maybe some night we can try it out. I'm rusty as * (seeing as I haven't played Battletech in probably 15+ years).

Click to expand...

DOWNLOADING NOW!!!!!!!!!!!! OMG!!!!!!!!!! It's for OSX!!!!!

Click to expand...

I would be interested in checking this out also, but I can't find the OSX version you mention. Am I looking in the wrong spot?

It's a java based program, so it's not a matter of version I don't believe. Although, I've never messed with OSX, the way I understand it is that Java works on any platform or something.

Jul 11, 2009#97

elph

Frankie said:
In the tabletop stuff does it work like the games?

As in Clan ER PPC/Lasers have longer range, do more damage and weigh less but produce significantly more heat and have a longer recharge time.

The best way to explain it is this...

You should notice that the major differences in available tech are:
IS has small, medium, & large lasers Clan does not.
IS has only the ER Laser Clan has ER Small, medium, & Large

IS has AC/2/5/10/20 Clans have Ultra AC/2/5/10/20

Clan has all versions of the SRM available. Streak SRMs are systems that simply do not launch unless you are guaranteed at least some missiles to hit.

The rest, just compare the 2 techs as far as weapons.

One major thing of note, is that a mech (IS/Clan) always has at most 12 points of armor in the head (9 outside, 3 internal). The IS only has 5 weapons (excluding missle systems) that do at least 10 points of damage while the Clan have 8. This is important because, generally speaking, if you are to get a head shot with a clan weapon, you are more likely to get a critical hit on a major system (the mech has 6 systems: Life Supportx2, Sensorsx2, Cockpit, and 1 empty). Yes, it's fairly difficult to get head shots, and I don't think the dev team really centered the mechanics to concentrate so much on them like this, but I have had a few games where I was playing clan, under manned, with honor rules, where I took out a force twice as strong with all head shots on the opposing team.

Jul 11, 2009#98

Espy

elph said:
Rob King said:

Espy said:

elph said:

Espy!

Something I've had on my system for a while but haven't played around with it until just now.

http://megamek.sourceforge.net/idx.php?pg=main

It's an open source classic battletech game. It's sorta complex and I haven't really played with it a lot, but maybe some night we can try it out. I'm rusty as * (seeing as I haven't played Battletech in probably 15+ years).

Click to expand...

DOWNLOADING NOW!!!!!!!!!!!! OMG!!!!!!!!!! It's for OSX!!!!!

Click to expand...

I would be interested in checking this out also, but I can't find the OSX version you mention. Am I looking in the wrong spot?

Click to expand...

It's a java based program, so it's not a matter of version I don't believe. Although, I've never messed with OSX, the way I understand it is that Java works on any platform or something.

Yeah, I just downloaded it and ran the Java program. I have no idea how to use it yet but... POTENTIAL!

Jul 11, 2009#99

HCGLNS

I played Megamek years ago, it plays very much like the classic game. The only drawback I ever had was in dealing with players. If you leave a game, you are judged the loser, so people who were often losing badly would sit on their hands and wait for you to quit to save the victory

Jul 11, 2009#100

Rob King

Espy said:
elph said:

Rob King said:

Espy said:

DOWNLOADING NOW!!!!!!!!!!!! OMG!!!!!!!!!! It's for OSX!!!!!

Click to expand...

I would be interested in checking this out also, but I can't find the OSX version you mention. Am I looking in the wrong spot?

Click to expand...

It's a java based program, so it's not a matter of version I don't believe. Although, I've never messed with OSX, the way I understand it is that Java works on any platform or something.

Click to expand...

Yeah, I just downloaded it and ran the Java program. I have no idea how to use it yet but... POTENTIAL!

Sweet. It's on my computer, and it's working, but I haven't had a chance to play with it yet.

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