38 replies to this topic

[Noob Weapons]

Alright, I know most people on these forums are hardened veterans of BattleTech and the Mechwarrior franchise. I know this because I have read these forums that people are arguing Med 'mechs vs Assault 'mechs, the value of an AC20, AC10, LRM 10 or LRM15. Also people are wearing the colors of their given faction proudly whether it is House Davion or Steiner. Through all this loyalty to the series and weapon customization I have one thing that I have truly absorbed..

All of this is going way over my head...

Now to explain why this game initially caught my attention I will have to backtrack, and if you are sick of people mentioning chromehounds then close this post immediately before my comparisons drive you into an uncontrollable rage. I played the CRAP out of chromehounds when its servers were up, and I found it to be an extremely fun game, when the servers closed, I was upset as anyone else who played the game, and I was unable to find something that felt the same.

I HATED armored core.. I just don't like the idea that a Mech should fly through the air and swing laser swords at the enemy. I am stuck on the idea that different mechs should be suited to different roles, and outfitted according to what they are made for, which gets me to MechWarrior online. When I started researching the game it seemed to have everything I wanted. Mechs are outfitted to their own roles, there are not 'laser swords' and the closest thing to flying are jump jets that (as I understand) cost you in terms of weight and heat generated.

The biggest problem for myself is that I feel hopelessly lost when I look at mechs, speed ratings, weight classes, and factions is that I just don't know where to start. I don't know what factions stand for what, I haven't a clue what an AC20 is, I looked for BattleTech mechs and came up with a list of at least 50, and I do not have a clue what even the term 'hardpoints' means.

This seems like a community that I would love to be a part of, but whenever I try to learn about the game I feel like a five year old that has been handed a textbook on the basics of programming a computer. I feel as though when I enter this game I will have to create a mech, and will forget to add in a part that keeps the mech from exploding spontaneously.

So basically, I would really like a starting point. Somewhere I can go to learn the small intervals instead of everything hitting me at once when the game is released.

TLDR version:

I am a complete noob who needs a 'starting guide' of sorts that will immerse me into the game world bit by bit so I am not completely overwhelmed by information once the game does release.

[Woodstock]

For immersion I'd read the books.



The Books

\BattleTech - 2011\07 The Books\ 001 - Decision at Thunder Rift - William H. Keith Jr..rtf
\BattleTech - 2011\07 The Books\ 002 - The Sword and the Dagger - Ardath Mayhar.rtf
\BattleTech - 2011\07 The Books\ 003 - Mercenary's Star - William H. Keith, Jr..rtf
\BattleTech - 2011\07 The Books\ 004 - The Price of Glory - William H. Keith, Jr..rtf
\BattleTech - 2011\07 The Books\ 005 - Warrior; En Garde - Michael A. Stackpole.rtf
\BattleTech - 2011\07 The Books\ 006 - Warrior; Riposte - Michael A. Stackpole.rtf
\BattleTech - 2011\07 The Books\ 007 - Warrior; Coup - Michael A. Stackpole.rtf
\BattleTech - 2011\07 The Books\ 008 - Wolves On The Border - Robert N. Charrette.rtf
\BattleTech - 2011\07 The Books\ 009 - Heir To The Dragon - Robert N. Charrette.rtf
\BattleTech - 2011\07 The Books\ 010 - Lethal Heritage - Michael A. Stackpole.rtf
\BattleTech - 2011\07 The Books\ 011 - Blood Legacy - Michael A. Stackpole.rtf
\BattleTech - 2011\07 The Books\ 012 - Lost Destiny - Michael A. Stackpole.rtf

While doing that ... use http://www.sarna.net/ as a reference source.

Watch all the videos a million times.

[Gendou]

The quickest starting off point would be the Battletech wiki.

It's a lot of information to take in because it's a franchise with over 25 years of material, ranging from RPG sourcebooks to a Saturday morning cartoon to comic books to novels to video games. Unlike other major sci-fi franchises, there's no central starting point ("If you like Star Wars, watch the original trilogy.") - it all sort of evolved organically via the multi-medium output of FASA and other IP holders over the years.

So if I were starting someone off, I would point them to the Battletech wiki, and go from there. It can be overwhelming, but the best place to be is right here, because you can peruse the information at your leisure and then ask questions as they arise.

Sure, if you like what you see and hear and read, you can pick up some novels and sourcebooks, but for fast and free, the wiki is your best bet.

[Soviet Alex]

OK, here's a few links for your perusal.

Mechwarrior 3 intro:

Tons of official Battletech universe background: http://bg.battletech.com/?page_id=23

The Battletech Wiki (you'll see people quoting it constantly): http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Main_Page

Welcome to a world of Big Stompy Robots ™.

[Cerlin]

Hey!

It is always fun to see someone who is a new convert to mechs/mecha.

There is a lot of good advice here, but I would also recommend downloading some of the free older games. Mechwarrior 4 Mercenaries is now free (however it does not run on my windows 7 rig .) Also there are the REALLY old mechwarrior/battletech games from the early 90s and most can be found free and run through dos box. If you look at the sarna.net links above and scroll down the sidebar it will tell you which games have been made and have links to sites with more info.

I am currently playing my way through Battletech: The Crescent Hawks Inception because Im bored, it is a fun low resolution experience. I also played through mechwarrior 2 mercs, still my favorite battletech pc game to date.

I would point out that Mechwarrior 2 mercenaries is probably the best to prepare for mechwarrior online thematically because the technology and mechs start out very similar.

Edited by Cerlin, 05 June 2012 - 02:27 PM.

[GuntherK]

As Soviet Alex said.

The battletech wiki. It has everything about battletech lore and equipment. With great search functions.

http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Main_Page

[Noob Weapons]

Awesome replies here! I did not know about Mechwarrior 4 being free, so I'll probably check that out so I'm not so lost during release. I am an avid reader, and would like to read the books, so I'll probably try to pick some of those up so I can better understand the factions.

As for the wiki, that was where I got lost the last time, but I'll read through it again after I've played some of the previous game and maybe I will understand its contents a little better.

Thanks to everyone who replied, and if there is more info I'm still happy to hear it.

[Elrodvoss]

Woodstock, on 05 June 2012 - 02:14 PM, said:

For immersion I'd read the books.



The Books

BattleTech - 20117 The Books 001 - Decision at Thunder Rift - William H. Keith Jr..rtf
BattleTech - 20117 The Books 002 - The Sword and the Dagger - Ardath Mayhar.rtf
BattleTech - 20117 The Books 003 - Mercenary's Star - William H. Keith, Jr..rtf
BattleTech - 20117 The Books 004 - The Price of Glory - William H. Keith, Jr..rtf
BattleTech - 20117 The Books 005 - Warrior; En Garde - Michael A. Stackpole.rtf
BattleTech - 20117 The Books 006 - Warrior; Riposte - Michael A. Stackpole.rtf
BattleTech - 20117 The Books 007 - Warrior; Coup - Michael A. Stackpole.rtf
BattleTech - 20117 The Books 008 - Wolves On The Border - Robert N. Charrette.rtf
BattleTech - 20117 The Books 009 - Heir To The Dragon - Robert N. Charrette.rtf
BattleTech - 20117 The Books 010 - Lethal Heritage - Michael A. Stackpole.rtf
BattleTech - 20117 The Books 011 - Blood Legacy - Michael A. Stackpole.rtf
BattleTech - 20117 The Books 012 - Lost Destiny - Michael A. Stackpole.rtf

While doing that ... use http://www.sarna.net/ as a reference source.

Watch all the videos a million times.

Personaly, if you wanted to get into the battletech univerise, I would look for the Blood of Kerensky trilogy. which is the last 3 books in that list. The books start in 3049 during the clan invasion, so its ahead of the MMO timeline for now. But still an excellent jump start to Battletech.

[Kobold]

I love the MW2 and MW3 intros.

"Alpha Assault, what is your situation? Alpha Assault, what is your situation? Please comply."

[Ashla Mason]

Generally speaking, the best place to try and get yourself oriented with battletech's story is oddly enough by starting in the middle of the story: 3025. This is pretty much where the games started and everything was fleshed out going both forwards and backwards from that point.

A while back A guy on Youtube put together this video to act as a general guide to the history of the Inner Sphere.



Also: Sarna is a frikkin god send. Just about everything you could want to know about the time line or the terminology or the Common configurations of mechs.

http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Main_Page

[Roland]

If you liked chrome hounds, you will like mechwarrior. Chrome hounds was a brilliant game, and probably the best Mech game available for years, while I was waiting for the next mechwarrior title.

[Valron]

Honestly the best bit of advice i can give you is to keep the wiki open when browsing the forums, that way when someone references a event, mech, or bit of tech you can search for it and know what they are talking about.

[Rahn]

One of the greatest things about any Battletech/Mechwarrior game is the community. If you have questions, all you have to do is ask. The vast majority of us are more than willing to help out. In addition to the virtual mountain of source materials, there are literally years and decades of knowledge within the community.

[Waladil]

Noob Weapons, on 05 June 2012 - 02:03 PM, said:

The biggest problem for myself is that I feel hopelessly lost when I look at mechs, speed ratings, weight classes, and factions is that I just don't know where to start. I don't know what factions stand for what, I haven't a clue what an AC20 is, I looked for BattleTech mechs and came up with a list of at least 50, and I do not have a clue what even the term 'hardpoints' means.

I feel as though when I enter this game I will have to create a mech, and will forget to add in a part that keeps the mech from exploding spontaneously.


TLDR version:

I am a complete noob who needs a 'starting guide' of sorts that will immerse me into the game world bit by bit so I am not completely overwhelmed by information once the game does release.

To answer your specific questions: An AC/20 is the largest breed of AutoCannon. Autocannons are basically giant tank guns like you'd see today. They are classified into four groups: AC/2, AC/5, AC/10, and AC/20. As you progress from 2 to 20, the caliber of the gun grows: the weapon is larger, heavier and runs hotter than the smaller variants, the range DEcreases (slightly counter-intuitively) but the damage goes up pretty dramatically.

It is mentioned in the fluff that there is no such gun as an "AC/2" or something per se, there's actually a whole lot of guns that have similar stats and are classified collectively as "AC/2." However, in every game all AC/2's are the same.

There are other variants of ACs as well. There's the ever-popular LBX-AC (which I think we'll only see as an LBX-AC/10) which is lighter, smaller, but dramatically more expensive than the AC/10. Also, it can fire shotgun shells, but there's not much info on how the different ammo types are going to work in MW:O.

There are several other kinds, but I'm not sure how many we'll see. There's the Rotary Autocannon, which is basically a chaingun that fires shells, and the Ultra Autocannons which fire bursts.

Autocannons are the mainstay of the "ballistic" category, the other major player in ballistics is the Gauss Rifle... AKA the 'Mech 50cal sniper rifle.

There are two other categories: Lasers and missiles.

Missiles will be coming in two breeds, LRMs and SRMs. SRMs (Short-Range Missiles) tend to be relatively light and small, and do good damage reasonably quickly. LRMs (Long-Range Missiles) have lock-on capabilities but they take a while to lock. They do more damage at longer range, and it looks like we'll be able to work indirect fire, probably through a NARC beacon (which is a weapon that makes all missiles home to it). There are variants of SRMs that lock on, but I don't think we'll see them for a bit.

Lasers (my personal favorite category) have a major advantage over Ballistics and Missiles: they don't run out of ammo. And they tend to be lighter-weight. Also, unlike autocannons, bigger lasers do MORE damage at LONGER ranges. However, they generate a lot of heat, while missiles and autocannons generate very little. That thing about "forget to add in a part that keeps the mech from exploding spontaneously" you mentioned? You're going to need heat sinks. Those take up weight and space and, well, sink out heat. So you have to mount a lot of heat sinks to fire a lot of lasers, simply enough. In some games you can actually overheat your 'Mech so much it explodes. So don't skimp!

When it comes to actually designing a 'Mech, there's three things to consider: weight, criticals, and hardpoints. Hardpoints were first used in MW4, to community hatred because they also removed critical slots. Here's how the three work: Weight is based on what size 'Mech you're designing, where bigger ones have more room to play with (duh), and that's a cap across everything on the 'Mech. Critical slots are specific to each location, and you're capped to 12, but only 6 on the legs. Finally, hardpoints (as they seem to be used in MW:O) limit how many weapons of a given type you can use in a given location, so you might be limited to 3 beams, 6 ballistic, and 4 missile in your right arm. Generally, small 'Mechs run out of weight and large 'Mechs run out of criticals. Also, they're called "criticals" because if someone gets a critical hit on you, (in the tabletop, or TT), dice are rolled and whatever's in that slot is destroyed.

That's a bit of a wall of text, but I hope I explained some basic stuff well.
Here's a link to play with: http://quickmech.wordpress.com/
It's pretty much a 'Mechlab, but it's not exactly what MW:O will have, so don't be surprised if things are different when you get game access. For one thing, that link has no hardpoint stuff.

[shadin]

you could also get yourself a copy of the table top starter box set. Playing the table top game a few would help you understand alot what some of these guys are talking about. I just bought one to give to my nephew. Im gonna teach him how to play the table top game in a few weeks.

[Slyck]

On the wiki I say start here, and read up to the Clan Invasion. Pay particular attention to the Succession wars and the houses involved there.

Then read the entries for the Mech's already announced as part of the game, but only those. Check out their weapons and equipment and if you have anymore question come on back here and ask them.

[Draelren]

I second the notion of starting from the Blood of Kerensky series. It shows you what the clans are about, and takes place about the same time that we'll be playing MWO later this year. Plus I really like the authors work.

[Ashla Mason]

2 other things come to mind:

Mech commander 1 and 2 are both free. These aren't sims, but they do offer a different perspective on the setting and emphasize one of the most important aspects of the setting: salvage.

And by all means: If you got questions don't be afraid to ask.

[KBone]

Go slow, take your time and read the material. Bear in mind the the Battletech/Mechwarrior universe has been around for almost 30 years, has a deep and involved lore and history spanning tablet top, paper, role playing, card, computer and video games, magazines/comics, novels and numerous technical readouts/source books. You are entering a deeply passionate crowd of fans who are one, yet broken based on the particular era of Battletech they prefer.

Bone up on the history to get a basic understanding of how the overall universe works, then you can move into the technical aspects of how the mechs actually work. The major appeal to Battletech to most fans is that there is a plausible reality to the way that mech are built and are operated. The basic structrue you will find is that all mech have the same basic layout, with an internal structure, engine, gyro, cockpit,narmor, weapons and ammo. The main difference from other gaming systems is balance. Eveything in a mech HAS tho fit within the weight of the mech, and is subject the heat generated by the engine and weapons used (you will understand what I am talking about once you start to learn about this universe).

Do not be afraid to ask questions. You will find that the majority of the people here are ardent fans of the universe and are more than willing to answer your questions (despite the few trolls you will inadvertently come across). If you have spefic question that you feel embarrased to ask, PM me or another member and we can help you out.

Good luck and have fun!

[Gendou]

KBone, on 05 June 2012 - 03:12 PM, said:

If you have spefic question that you feel embarrased to ask,

"Well, son, when an Assault 'Mech and a Heavy 'Mech love each other very much..."