187 replies to this topic

[AWOL 01]

That's pretty cool. When do you think it will be available by?

The only reason I mentioned treads and wheels was to allow for more customization. Players would be able to make tanks or armored vehicles and see how they compete against mechs.

Maybe something like this?

[extraammo]

Here is a video of an IK test.

[AWOL 01]

That is too cool! Is that the general size of the mechs or will you be able to make them pretty much any size as long as it has the necessary equipment (cockpit, power system, etc)?

[extraammo]

AWOL 01, on 27 March 2015 - 06:02 AM, said:

That is too cool! Is that the general size of the mechs or will you be able to make them pretty much any size as long as it has the necessary equipment (cockpit, power system, etc)?

Pretty much any size. This mech wasn't created with the Mech Builder system since it is just testing ideas in movement. I have nothing against people making Pacific Rim sized mechs if they can.

[AWOL 01]

extraammo, on 27 March 2015 - 07:33 AM, said:

Pretty much any size. This mech wasn't created with the Mech Builder system since it is just testing ideas in movement. I have nothing against people making Pacific Rim sized mechs if they can.

So would the player be able to scale the size of weapons up to fit those mechs or would they rely more on mass amounts of smaller weapons?

Also, are you planning on putting this on Steam or something similar to allow people to play together? Will it be strictly deathmatch or various game modes?

[girl on fire]

Hawken was recently bought up by Gamers1st (they bought All Points Bulletin after RTW folded), so they can pretty much expect eternal maintenance mode with only the in-game store ever being updated. it will probably limp on a few more years but it lacks the essential qualities that make APB (comparatively) popular.

How's Mektek doing with Heavy Gear?

Titan fall is so frustratingly boring I CAN'T EVEN!

Edited by girl on fire, 27 March 2015 - 09:37 AM.

[StompingOnTanks]

Anjian, on 24 March 2015 - 07:09 PM, said:

And that is what killed all these mech games --- the lack of a sustainable ecosystem.

I really, REALLY hope Armored Core isn't dead - it's a long-running franchise and one of my favorites ever.

For now I have my fingers crossed that FROM has a next-gen Armored Core game in the works. I suspect they would implement the "single player/multiplayer hybrid" formula for Armored Core into a next gen game and I can see it working beautifully. Imagine:

The ability to hire (with your ingame credits of course) other players over the internet to co-op those really tough Single Player missions with you.

An Arena mode like the older Armored Core games had, where you face off in one-on-one battles against other in-game characters to improve your rank - except you can fight real players as well, with all the benefits that brings.

Have single player missions be interrupted by drop-in players who hinder/help you.

It'd be brutal, fun, fresh, it'd keep you on your toes, and it would fit into the mech-piloting-mercenaries backstory of Armored Core flawlessly. Because every Raven is a lone wolf, and you never know who will or won't be on your side.

Dammit, FROM, hire me already!

[extraammo]

AWOL 01, on 27 March 2015 - 08:13 AM, said:

So would the player be able to scale the size of weapons up to fit those mechs or would they rely more on mass amounts of smaller weapons?

Also, are you planning on putting this on Steam or something similar to allow people to play together? Will it be strictly deathmatch or various game modes?

I'm actually going to use procedurally generated weapons and devices based on size and brand. So if you want a cannon, you specify how big and what company you want it from and it is generated for you. Certain companies will be known for their products having certain trends. Such as Company A's weapons tend to be lower heat and Company B's jets last longer and so on.

[AWOL 01]

StompingOnTanks, on 27 March 2015 - 11:25 AM, said:

I really, REALLY hope Armored Core isn't dead - it's a long-running franchise and one of my favorites ever.

For now I have my fingers crossed that FROM has a next-gen Armored Core game in the works. I suspect they would implement the "single player/multiplayer hybrid" formula for Armored Core into a next gen game and I can see it working beautifully. Imagine:

The ability to hire (with your ingame credits of course) other players over the internet to co-op those really tough Single Player missions with you.

An Arena mode like the older Armored Core games had, where you face off in one-on-one battles against other in-game characters to improve your rank - except you can fight real players as well, with all the benefits that brings.

Have single player missions be interrupted by drop-in players who hinder/help you.

It'd be brutal, fun, fresh, it'd keep you on your toes, and it would fit into the mech-piloting-mercenaries backstory of Armored Core flawlessly. Because every Raven is a lone wolf, and you never know who will or won't be on your side.

Dammit, FROM, hire me already!

Which game is your favorite? Mine is probably Project Phantasma or one of the AC2s. I'm kind of worried about the future of the series because they don't seem to have been doing very well and the company that makes them is more interested in other games. Co-op is a great idea and it'd be really cool to have a random player drop into your mission. It happens all the time in the other games but it's always AI, so it'd be much more interesting. It'd be cool to see everyone playing in the same time frame and have a single-player storyline that everyone can go through followed by extra missions that are released every so often and an Arena that is entirely composed of real players that could be separated into different categories like Master of Arena.

They definitely need to bring something new and fresh to the franchise because they aren't attracting new players and people who have been with the series for years get tired of the same old game.

extraammo, on 27 March 2015 - 12:31 PM, said:

I'm actually going to use procedurally generated weapons and devices based on size and brand. So if you want a cannon, you specify how big and what company you want it from and it is generated for you. Certain companies will be known for their products having certain trends. Such as Company A's weapons tend to be lower heat and Company B's jets last longer and so on.

Will you be able to duplicate weapons you already have so that they still look/act the same? Are you just going with basic weapons like machine guns, cannons, missiles, etc, or will lasers/energy weapons be included? When you choose a weapon will it just be a general category or will it be more specific, similar to how you can have ER, Pulse, and Standard lasers of different sizes/powers?

[Anjian]

StompingOnTanks, on 27 March 2015 - 11:25 AM, said:

I really, REALLY hope Armored Core isn't dead - it's a long-running franchise and one of my favorites ever.

For now I have my fingers crossed that FROM has a next-gen Armored Core game in the works. I suspect they would implement the "single player/multiplayer hybrid" formula for Armored Core into a next gen game and I can see it working beautifully. Imagine:

The ability to hire (with your ingame credits of course) other players over the internet to co-op those really tough Single Player missions with you.

An Arena mode like the older Armored Core games had, where you face off in one-on-one battles against other in-game characters to improve your rank - except you can fight real players as well, with all the benefits that brings.

Have single player missions be interrupted by drop-in players who hinder/help you.

It'd be brutal, fun, fresh, it'd keep you on your toes, and it would fit into the mech-piloting-mercenaries backstory of Armored Core flawlessly. Because every Raven is a lone wolf, and you never know who will or won't be on your side.

Dammit, FROM, hire me already!

Armored Core is something that is dear in the hearts of FROM Software. I won't be surprised if they have like an outline for an Armored Core 6 for next generation consoles. The problem is their corporate overlords, especially after the company was sold to Kadokawa Games. The bigger problem is the sheer success of the Dark Souls franchise and FROM going deeper into the genre like Bloodbourne, which seems to be a hit. I think there is a lot more people wanting that FROM do yet another Dark Souls game. Heck there are still (a few) people who want them to do another Chromehounds. I can see no way out for Kadokawa unless they hire another developer to do Armored Core, which I think is one of the reasons why Kadokawa bought FROM, aka multiple franchise acquisition.

I think they already implemented that single player/multiplayer coop hybrid with Armored Core V, Verdict Day and on to Dark Souls.

[StompingOnTanks]

Anjian, on 27 March 2015 - 06:31 PM, said:

I think they already implemented that single player/multiplayer coop hybrid with Armored Core V, Verdict Day and on to Dark Souls.

Dark Souls, yes. Armored Core V and VD, not really.

AWOL 01, on 27 March 2015 - 01:42 PM, said:

Which game is your favorite?

Armored Core 3. I grew up with that game.

[Anjian]

I did a lot of story coops in ACV and ACVD, at first to help me finish my mission and then in helping others.

You can hire mercs to join you for your story coop.

And then there is the special four player vs. special online boss coop. That one is my favorite particularly the one with the skyscraper sized mech you have to fight against. The one fighting Aegis ships gets me killed frequently.

Edited by Anjian, 28 March 2015 - 10:46 AM.

[extraammo]

AWOL 01, on 27 March 2015 - 01:42 PM, said:

Will you be able to duplicate weapons you already have so that they still look/act the same? Are you just going with basic weapons like machine guns, cannons, missiles, etc, or will lasers/energy weapons be included? When you choose a weapon will it just be a general category or will it be more specific, similar to how you can have ER, Pulse, and Standard lasers of different sizes/powers?

Weapons will be reproducable if that is what you are asking. Company A's 2x0.5x0.5 meter cannon will always be the same. I still have to decide all the weapon categories but I don't want them too specific. I want to avoid too much overlap in company products. Rather than cannons, machine guns, and rifles, I might just have ballistics and one company will have a cannon for a certain size while another has a machine gun array.

I'll have to update my blog with the planned and possible features because it varies a lot! The general idea is as much simulation and flexibility as possible while making the complex parts easier to use.

[Kh0rn]

For those who want too return too MWLL it is now a free stand alone game and no longer requires crysis. There has been a large spike in the player base with even a full dedicated map development team. I have all the details of it on na1.mech-connect.net all details can be found including the Chaos march event taking place now battling for planets. If you want too play it can you can find me down in the MWLL recruitment channel I will help you out.

[AWOL 01]

StompingOnTanks, on 27 March 2015 - 06:36 PM, said:

Armored Core 3. I grew up with that game.

That one is probably my second favorite. It had a great variety of parts without being redundant. The only problem I had with it was that it took away Human Plus and it changed the way being overweight worked. In the previous games if you finished the game with a 100% completion rate it would let you create overweight mechs, allowing you to have heavily armored, high-speed mechs with tons of weaponry. In AC3 they let you be overweight at any time and just gave you a speed penalty. It made it more realistic but it took away one of the things that made the game unique. And without Human Plus you had to kneel down or use quad legs to fire a cannon, which was a little frustrating. Still a great game.

extraammo, on 28 March 2015 - 03:10 PM, said:

Weapons will be reproducable if that is what you are asking. Company A's 2x0.5x0.5 meter cannon will always be the same. I still have to decide all the weapon categories but I don't want them too specific. I want to avoid too much overlap in company products. Rather than cannons, machine guns, and rifles, I might just have ballistics and one company will have a cannon for a certain size while another has a machine gun array.

I'll have to update my blog with the planned and possible features because it varies a lot! The general idea is as much simulation and flexibility as possible while making the complex parts easier to use.

That makes sense. To give more variety without being specific maybe you could pick a barrel for the bullet's size and then an action for what kind of fire rate it would have? For example, you pick a 30mm, 90mm, or 125mm barrel that is short, medium, or long for different bonuses, and then pick an automatic, burst, semi-automatic, or single-shot action. Just an idea.

Would you be able to post a link to your blog? I'd really like to follow this project; it's very interesting!

[extraammo]

AWOL 01, on 29 March 2015 - 12:39 PM, said:

That one is probably my second favorite. It had a great variety of parts without being redundant. The only problem I had with it was that it took away Human Plus and it changed the way being overweight worked. In the previous games if you finished the game with a 100% completion rate it would let you create overweight mechs, allowing you to have heavily armored, high-speed mechs with tons of weaponry. In AC3 they let you be overweight at any time and just gave you a speed penalty. It made it more realistic but it took away one of the things that made the game unique. And without Human Plus you had to kneel down or use quad legs to fire a cannon, which was a little frustrating. Still a great game.



That makes sense. To give more variety without being specific maybe you could pick a barrel for the bullet's size and then an action for what kind of fire rate it would have? For example, you pick a 30mm, 90mm, or 125mm barrel that is short, medium, or long for different bonuses, and then pick an automatic, burst, semi-automatic, or single-shot action. Just an idea.

Would you be able to post a link to your blog? I'd really like to follow this project; it's very interesting!

It's rough so don't expect popular indie tier writing or direction. I'll try to update it more frequently but I do have a full-time job and family.

extradevelopment.blogspot.com

Edited by extraammo, 30 March 2015 - 05:13 AM.

[AWOL 01]

So what is everyone's problem with Titanfall? I haven't played it since I don't have a next-gen console or Xbox. There was all this hype about it before it came out and then when it was released it seemed to die out pretty quickly. Even if it was just COD with mechs it didn't make sense to me that people would lose interest that quickly.

I'm pretty sure Hawken is doomed. I have mixed feelings about that because it did give some attention to the mech genre and it did have pretty great maps and mech designs. They just made it too much like a first-person shooter.

[Anjian]

I never played it but it appears from the criticism that its pretty shallow and doesn't have much content. Much like most console games nowadays --- pretty looks, content you can finish in mere days.

[AWOL 01]

That's disappointing. Honestly having a console is getting to be pretty pointless. The only real pro to it is that it is convenient. Have you played Advanced Warfare? I noticed they had a walking tank in the trailers so that was interesting.

[Peter201943]

MechWarrior Online is currently the sole contender of mech-based gameplay. Mech, according to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary <http://www.merriam-webster.com/>, is an abbreviation of mechanical, which, if applied to the M.W.O. title, encompasses a broad spectrum of interpretations. Since the M.W.O. game is based in the BattleTech universe, all references to it should be perceived from that perspective. With the above statements made manifest, there are a plethora of mech-based strategy and first person shooters being developed. Due to the titles of said games having been previously mentioned within this discussion, they are not reiterated here. However, not mentioned in this discussion, are two mech-based games which implement virtual reality head gear including, "HEAVY WALKER," in development by, 'Kubold,' <http://www.kubold.com/> and, "Vox Machinae," by, 'Space Bullet Dynamics Corporation,' <http://www.voxmachinae.com/>. Also noteworthy, are past games. Several previous BattleTech and MetalTech franchise computer games exist, downlodable from sites including Abandonia <http://www.abandonia.com/> and MyAbandonware <http://www.myabandonware.com>, and run on a Disk Operating System Emulator similar to DOSBox <http://www.dosbox.com/>. Other historical mech-based games exist not related to the aforementioned franchises including UltraBots, designed by NovaLogic for E.A. involving an unprecedented gameplay of multitasking and piloting a squadron of Mechs, and Terra Nova: Strike Force Centauri, which, despite often being categorized as a non-mech-based game, included several elements of a mech-based game. Terra Nova: S.F.C. was developed by the short-lived Looking Glass Studios, more famous for their creation of the System Shock line of games. Terra Nova utilized several revolutionary designs, including its environment simulator, squad design, and gameplay. The player donned mechanized armor that contained a weapons platform, jetpack, mapper, squad communicator, and various other abilities. The gameplay reflected mech-based games with its focus on lasers, rockets, and the ever-common computerized female vocalizing your actions.

Due to the author's inexperience with the utilization of this posting program, no video of any Terra Nova gameplay was embedded.

Despite the exceedingly lengthiness of this post, it is hopeful it should provide assistance in the furtherance of this debate.

-Peter Mangelsdorf