89 replies to this topic

[Joe Mallad]

Cerlin, on 01 June 2012 - 04:27 PM, said:

Did anyone else notice the annoncement about the Foundation package coming out in June? the 19th? Sooner makes me happy.

sorry to burst your bubble friend. BUT... the Founders pack are on sale June 19th but you will not get to use them until July 17th for early access to the game.

Edited by Yoseful Mallad, 01 June 2012 - 06:13 PM.

[Blaze32]

cant wait for my birthday in july within that week the open beta will start!!!! cant wait!

[Joe Mallad]

Blaze32, on 01 June 2012 - 06:28 PM, said:

cant wait for my birthday in july within that week the open beta will start!!!! cant wait!

never know... maybe youll get in earlier than that. As more invites will be sent out some time around the 5th-7th.

[Arnold Carns]

Humm... Artemis is the greek goddes of hunting, of the forest and custodian of women and children.
Than it could be...

- Paul will hunt us all down with his "ForumUserKilla"...
- Canada is the country of lumber, so we may get some trees... or have to fell some to get into the Beta...
- someone is tired of their peeving children, and we'll have to babysit them... (sorry no, already have some my own... )
- PGI will treat us some women... (...but then PGI will have to sign a NDA...)

[V8i Gunner]

InnerSphereNews, on 23 October 2011 - 07:32 PM, said:

Welcome to Dev Blog 0!

Why is it called Dev Blog 0? Well, a lot has happened in the two years since we first announced MechWarrior back in 2009, and we felt a quick recap would help bring everyone up to speed on the events of the last 2 years. In order to make this blog a little more personal, we have referred to many people by first name.
The usage of we generally refers to:

• Jordan Weisman founded FASA and co-created BattleTech. Jordan has also been responsible for numerous other ventures including WizKids, and Smith & Tinker.
  
• Russ Bullock, Owner/President of Piranha Games Inc.
  
• Bryan Ekman, Owner/Creative Director of Piranha Games Inc.
  
• And sometimes the entire team at PGI, some 50+ awesome developers!

So let’s go back to the beginning before the 2009 announcement, when Piranha Games first began working with the MechWarrior license.
Rebooting Piranha Games

Three years ago, during the summer 2008, we put in motion a new strategy for Piranha, one that would focus our efforts on building killer original action games. With this ultimate goal in mind, we focused on three key areas.

• Only take on action based work-for-hire games, such as Transformers 2 and Duke Nukem Forever.
  
• Build an experienced development team, capable of creating fun and engaging products.
  
• Develop a game by acquiring or licensing an existing intellectual property (IP).

With these goals in mind, we began identifying properties that fit the bill. In October 2008, while looking into the MechWarrior rights, Russ, learned that Jordan was working on a new venture at Smith & Tinker. Jordan, through S&T had licensed some of the digital FASA rights back from Microsoft. Not long after the initial call, we began working with Jordan on a new concept, a major update to the MechWarrior franchise.
Rebooting MechWarrior

The initial ideas revolved around revitalizing or rebooting the series by focusing on two areas:

• Increasing the overall graphical fidelity of the entire game, especially the BattlMechs.
  
• Solve some of the long standing gameplay issues from previous MechWarrior games.

From these two key areas, early design pillars emerged in the form of:

• Urban Combat to address circle strafing and long range sniping.
  
• Dynamic Battlefield further expanded on the concepts of Urban Combat and mechs having roles.
  
• Dynamic pacing, introduced an early version of one of the final pillars, Information Warfare.

It would be designed for the Xbox 360 and PC. The game would take place on the planet Deshler, in the year 3015. Single player would revolve around Adrian Kohl and his exploits during an invasion by Kuritan forces. A gritty series of missions, designed to draw people deep into the rich vibrant and treacherous world of BattleTech. Multiplayer was a blend of features from previous MechWarrior games and modern FPS experiences. The package as a whole was the first step in making MechWarior cool again.
We continued to iterate on the design for several weeks, then started developing a plan of action.
Early on we decided to produce a marketing video that would demonstrate many of the core features and rebooted art style. We had three goals:

• Announce the project and generate a major buzz within the gaming community.
  
• Generate publisher interest.
  
• Increase Piranha’s profile as a quality developer with publishers and the community.

The marketing campaign contained 3 teaser videos , the final full length trailer, and a feature interview on IGN. We rolled out the plan during the second week of July, 2009.
The reaction was overwhelming. We anticipated the announcement would generate a lot of buzz, however the end result outperformed even our highest expectations.
Oh Yeah, Harmony Gold

Contrary to all the press and speculation that Harmony Gold was getting in the way of a deal or development, this had no impact whatsoever on development or signing a deal for MechWarrior.
Closing a Deal

The hard work began in earnest after the video release. We had an aggressive schedule to visit publishers and gauge interest. In the month of August we met with all of the major publishers, pitched the MechWarrior game to a captive audience and waited. The answers rolled in slowly, starting with the smaller publishers. Then word showed up from the big five. The answer was no.
We knew going in, there were two major risks. No PS3 version due to a Microsoft restriction, and the epic market collapse and major recession. In the end, it was mostly the lack of a PS3 option that did us in. The scope and budget required to develop a console reboot needed the support of a PS3 SKU and we just couldn’t convince publishers to take a risk. By late fall 2009, our dreams of making a MechWarrior game, began slowly drifting away.
Through the end of 2009 and into 2010 we rallied numerous times, reducing scope and budget, re-pitching the concept as a LIVE only title, etc. etc. In the end, nothing stuck.
To be honest, 2008/09 were some of the hardest times this company has ever seen. We spent a lot of time, resources, money and energy on MechWarrior, and it wasn’t looking good.
Then, in the spring of 2010, we secured the Duke Nukem Forever contract. This was a huge achievement and a cornerstone in our development history. MechWarrior played a large role in helping us secure the deal. A few key hires filled out our incredibly talented multiplayer AAA team.
MechWarrior took a back seat, as we focused on a very challenging and time compressed project.
2010 ended, and we rolled into 2011 without much fanfare as Duke Nukem Forever entered the final phases of development.
The Birth of MechWarrior Online

In the winter months of 2011 we assessed the state of MechWarrior. We came to the realization that any further work on MechWarrior would come at great risk to PGI. If we planned to take on significant risk, we needed to control the IP. After several sessions of deliberation, we decided to plunge in head first. Russ approached Smith & Tinker with regards to licensing the MechWarrior rights and within a few weeks, we signed a deal.
Not long after signing, we quickly realized licensing the rights was one of the most important and future sighted decisions made by us in the last 12 years. Offers were coming in from all over the planet, especially to make or license a free-to-play MechWarrior game.
Because of the overwhelming interest, we decided to spend some time researching what a free-to-play (F2P) MechWarrior game would look like. We spent some design cycles adapting our previous concepts and quickly realized a synergy between F2P and the BattleTech universe. We worked hard through spring, negotiating, designing, and rejecting a few potential partners. As it turns out, we didn’t have to look very far.
During much of the past 12 months there was a local group that also had a large amount of interest in developing and publishing a MechWarrior title. Once Piranha had become the license holder they came over immediately and met with us. From this point onward we decided to combine our efforts with Piranha as the rights holder and with them as the Publisher. After about 6 months of hard work together, funding had been secured, Infinity Game Publishing was born and development could begin.
The most positive thing that can be said about the relationship between Piranha and IGP is that both companies wanted to make the same game and Piranha was free to execute upon our vision.
The road to this Blog was an adventure filled with many hurtles and momentous occasions. We are excited and proud of the direction MechWarrior is taking as a PC F2P game. It offers us the ability to make a successor worthy of the MechWarrior name, and one that fans will enjoy for years to come!
Welcome to MechWarrior Online.

Today I turned 44. I'll get my gift when I get my hands on my Founders Pack!

[Maverick Howell]

TAKE MY MONEY!!!!!

http://leviathyn.com...oney.jpg?9d7bd4

[Schtirlitz]

Harvester fights on Solaris?

[Love Tap]

Guess I can kiss my WoT time goodbye! I'll take a 100 ton fusion powered BattleMech over a WWII diesel clanker anyday!

[Trenticon]

Zukov, on 01 June 2012 - 09:35 AM, said:

Thank you,

Here I was trying to think of a reason to stay out of the 100 degree Louisiana heat. Goodbye sun.

I know exactly how you feel, this Louisiana heat sucks. Three days out in a row, I look like a boiled crawfish.

[Trenticon]

Dev Blog 0. Read the last line on it. It gets me all chocked up I'm so happy.

[Mister Dubis]

What is Artemis?

the more interesting question i have had for the past couple of days

[Aegis Kleais]

Blaze32, on 01 June 2012 - 06:28 PM, said:

cant wait for my birthday in july within that week the open beta will start!!!! cant wait!

The July 17th date is not an Open Beta. Open Beta means "Anyone is welcome" and are often not under a NDA.

The 17th will more likely be a Closed Beta, indicated by the fact that only select people can participate in it. (Those who were randomly given Beta keys and those who purchased Founders Packages).

If PGI does an Open Beta (where all are welcome), it would probably be at a date later than that.

[PropagandaWar]

Just saw the newsletter. Cool now your up to par with tactics! I thought it was a beta key at first. That woot turned into oh this is still cool.

Edited by PropagandaWar, 02 June 2012 - 08:46 AM.

[Suicidal Idiot]

Tice Daurus, on 01 June 2012 - 11:09 AM, said:

I'll be ready for this in about another 10 days. I just ordered a brand new Alienware desktop with the I7-3960k six core overclocked to 4.0 ghz specifically for this game alone. In about 7-10 days...I'll be ready!

Last Alienware desktop I saw had a wireless mouse and keyboard. I strongly recommend getting a USB keyboard and mouse, plugging them in and letting the system recognize them. Then you can put them away until you have a boot problem. The kind of problem where the system won't recognize the wireless stuff.

Trust me on this. I spent a little time on the other end of that phone support line you'll be calling. A cheap used $5 keyboard and $3 mouse at the right time can save you from losing your vocal cords screaming at an innocent Phillipino named 'Betty' at Dell Tech Support.

Better yet, cancel your Alienware order and call a CAD sales place that builds and services workstations. If they're good, they'll build a system with bullet proof parts so they won't have to waste time and money fixing your system. The cad systems they build are just high end gamer systems.

My favorite place is CNC Prose. The head guy, Greg, is about 50, and he runs about 20 guys on his own Battlefield 3 team. I just told him I had a grand to spend, and would he use it in the smartest way to build me a kickass, rock solid system? I've been very, very happy. I'm guessing a Dell would have been about 1.5 - 2 times the cost. Alienware? probably 3x.

You an also ask them about all the Dell systems they've replaced. Last I checked, Dell had bought Alienware. Dell has gone downhill hard.

Good luck with whatever you end up with!

[Luke78]

Yes, yes, yes. Can wait to play this game.

[ReconDoc]

Got 18 members ready to game! Stamp a founders pack with my name on it...lol. I am so ready to get back to my favorite game!

[Vengeance1]

B Billy, on 01 June 2012 - 10:12 AM, said:

I'm starting to think, that like so many Battletech promises in the past. This game will to never come out to the plubic just like EA's Battletech 3025 or Mechwarrior 5. They had these great write ups and momentium too and then poof were gone. I hope this dosen't happen but this whole situation on this game sence being anouced is reminding of all those other boken promise.

This man needs to be taken to the center of the village, and burnt at the stake. How care you curse and jinx us in such a manner.... KILL HIM

[Vengeance1]

ReconDoc, on 02 June 2012 - 12:25 PM, said:

Got 18 members ready to game! Stamp a founders pack with my name on it...lol. I am so ready to get back to my favorite game!

I have a guild with over 80 members screaming at me to let them loose in mechs to decimate the enemy..... well, most of them. Some of them suck and are staying in STO and SWTOR..... the rest of us.... yeah... I want my Atlas.... until I can get my Daishi and Madcat, and Thor, and Vulture, and Shadowcat, and.... and.... and..... ALLLLLL of my clan mechs

[MetaMythril]

Zukov, on 01 June 2012 - 09:35 AM, said:

Thank you,

Here I was trying to think of a reason to stay out of the 100 degree Louisiana heat. Goodbye sun.

Yes, I'm right there with you. I'll stay in my cool home in Baton Rouge. Can't wait for this to launch!

[V8i Gunner]

Suicidal *****, on 02 June 2012 - 10:10 AM, said:

Last Alienware desktop I saw had a wireless mouse and keyboard. I strongly recommend getting a USB keyboard and mouse, plugging them in and letting the system recognize them. Then you can put them away until you have a boot problem. The kind of problem where the system won't recognize the wireless stuff.

Trust me on this. I spent a little time on the other end of that phone support line you'll be calling. A cheap used $5 keyboard and $3 mouse at the right time can save you from losing your vocal cords screaming at an innocent Phillipino named 'Betty' at Dell Tech Support.

Better yet, cancel your Alienware order and call a CAD sales place that builds and services workstations. If they're good, they'll build a system with bullet proof parts so they won't have to waste time and money fixing your system. The cad systems they build are just high end gamer systems.

My favorite place is CNC Prose. The head guy, Greg, is about 50, and he runs about 20 guys on his own Battlefield 3 team. I just told him I had a grand to spend, and would he use it in the smartest way to build me a kickass, rock solid system? I've been very, very happy. I'm guessing a Dell would have been about 1.5 - 2 times the cost. Alienware? probably 3x.

You an also ask them about all the Dell systems they've replaced. Last I checked, Dell had bought Alienware. Dell has gone downhill hard.

Good luck with whatever you end up with!

Just what are the system requirements for MWO???