162 replies to this topic

[Gray Wolf 6]

I have no idea what is going on in the Battle Tech / Mech Warrior world. Or are they the same thing? (you see what I mean) But I love big robots, customization, and shooting strategy build games. I played several old mech games growing up, but have ZERO idea where to even start reading to understand the large battletech/mechwarrior world. I am really interested, and I'm sure I'll learn with time. But I do hate being new and scoffed at by experts.

Where should I go to read more? I assume there are links from this website I just overlooked them.

[GrayPanther]

Interesting though. You know as a merc you don't have to know anything about what house does what. Your really only wanting to know if your mech is going to provide the capabilities needed for the mission at hand granted it doesn't hurt to learn about the universe as it is.

So i'm guessing its going to get heated as to whos load out is the most powerful or "correct" to play.

As for miss spoken words about BT lore well that's pretty simple i'm sure there are enough of us out here to quote which source book and page the correct information is at. Most of us seem to be pretty level headed when it comes too it.

[Wo0m3rA]

I've been a Battletech/Mechwarrior fan for a long time now, but I don't get pedantic about the games canon and I can't think of many who do.

Think of Trekkie v Trekker and you'd be pretty close. I've known some diehard fans in my time but not any who'd berate or criticize a newcomer or a fringe runner for lack of knowledge concerning what is nothing more than a game (albeit an awesome one ) .

And ultimately that's all it is - a game. What's more important is how we respect each other, both in these forums and on the playing field - that attitude can only serve to make MWO an enduring experience.

[GrizzlyViking]

Braedin, on 23 June 2012 - 07:41 AM, said:

there are alot of people who played mw4 and liked it. me personally i thought it sucked. i loved mw 1,2,3. hated 4, just my preference. i dont hold it against anyone who liked 4. that is what makes this game a great game. not everyone will agree on everything.

Eveyone is entitled to an opinion. Thanks for sharing.

[GrayPanther]

Nathaniel Hawkins, on 23 June 2012 - 07:41 AM, said:

I have no idea what is going on in the Battle Tech / Mech Warrior world. Or are they the same thing? (you see what I mean) But I love big robots, customization, and shooting strategy build games. I played several old mech games growing up, but have ZERO idea where to even start reading to understand the large battletech/mechwarrior world. I am really interested, and I'm sure I'll learn with time. But I do hate being new and scoffed at by experts.

Where should I go to read more? I assume there are links from this website I just overlooked them.

Google is your friend.

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

That site i would have to say is the de facto place to start.

[Gray Wolf 6]

GrayPanther, on 23 June 2012 - 07:46 AM, said:

Google is your friend.

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

That site i would have to say is the de facto place to start.

THANKS!!! Hooray google!

[BushFire]

i just wonder , are we talking about lore expert or skill expert. I just wonder will there be restriction on fully Elite trained mech vs a totally new mech.

its totally sucks when your first encounter after you installed the game is an enemy mech with fully trained skills pounding down on you.

[GrayPanther]

BushFire, on 23 June 2012 - 07:50 AM, said:

i just wonder , are we talking about lore expert or skill expert. I just wonder will there be restriction on fully Elite trained mech vs a totally new mech.

its totally sucks when your first encounter after you installed the game is an enemy mech with fully trained skills pounding down on you.

While i would agree with you. Lets look at the next big even thats going to happen in game.
The CLANS.
They are the elite of the elite but are very rigid in how they operate. Its going to SUCK the first time any of us in IS mechs comes up on them. If they don't follow there rules we will be totally screwed. So how do you balance against players that know why they are doing and are working as a team... I would say carry a bigger BOOM Stick. They have that covered all ready. So you will have to work as a team if you want to live. But even so there is no guarantee that you will survive.

As for IS VS IS well even if they are decked out all it takes is a lucky cockpit hit and your done.

[Rixx]

Being introduced to the tabletop game and early (now ancient, but still fun) video games got me interested in the BT universe. Honestly, for the first several years I only cared about the games, and not a bit about the lore. It wasn't until after MW2 (a good 10 years after I was introduced to the universe) that I started getting into the universe. Since then I've continued to follow the TT game, the dark age TT game, play all the video games, and even read dozens of the novels.
It really opened my eyes to a rich detailed universe that is about far more than just big robots with guns.

I doubt anyone would get too worked up about the lore honestly. Most of the lore fans are going to be older folks that grew up with it. 30+ I'd assume. The last MW title to come out was like 10 years ago. On top of that, BT/MW fans tend to be rather mature compared to fanatics of other franchises.

All I've seen on the forum here are polite corrections of mistakes and helpful suggestions for learning the lore.

If you are interested in reading, the Battletech Warrior Trilogy is a great place to start. It basically leads into this game's timeline. It does a great job of explaining all the major players and factions.
The Blood of Kerensky Trilogy follows closely after the Warrior Trilogy and explains the Clans and the Clan invasion.

Sarna is great, but can be overwhelming as there is a TON of info.

[Gray Wolf 6]

Sarna was a load of info, good old wikipedia provided a brief summary that was ok to start with I suppose.

[mekabuser]

I dont know didly about battletech and I dont need to. All you need to know is how to pilot a mech, shoot straight and have battlefield situational awareness.

[Castian]

Ive played the tabletop and all the games since DOS, read alot of the books, and there are things people post about that I dont know about. Its a VERY large universe that is constantly growing and changing. I hope people just entering the game dont feel too overwhelmed or are scared off by old vets. The BT community, imho, is one of the more welcoming to new comers and willing to help people out with backstory than some other genres Ive seen.

[Buddah]

Think of what a great opportunity they have to indroduce and re-introduce so many players to thier worlds! Hopefully a lot of this will come out in and with the game so new people can love it as much as many of us here already do.

[CCC Dober]

Yeah, sarna can overwhelm you. It works a bit like a dictionary in that sense. You are probably better off looking for something specific, like weapons or Mechs and go from there. Sometimes you stumble upon interesting cross references that can easily eat up hours if you follow through. The socalled Star League is usually referred to when Lostech comes into play. Next up would be Factions, where the universe spreads out and becomes what it is today. Mercenaries deserve special attention and last but not least Comstar, an organization of tremendous power and influence. That's a handful of links to keep you going for quite a while. Have fun =)

[Lipot]

Given that the franchise has been through multiple companies and even been split into different divisions, there is no true "master" out there. I was playing back in the original FASA days after the name change from Battledroids to Battletech. I also played its stablemate Shadowrun. When FASA fell to Microsoft and Wizkids, I was not sure what to think. In the end, I never got any of the non-FASA sourcebooks/sets which leaves me in the dark about some of the changes. And even FASA had different editions that changed some of the rules. Sarna is good for some basic overall lore but it is not the be all, end all. In science fiction/fantasy universes where only the base story is outlined, the writer/developer can and will take us for a short ride on what they see is happening. We just need to sit back and enjoy the ride. And maybe game a few rounds of old school FASA tabletop in. Now where did I put my Rifleman......

[CaptainZot]

Sheldon from the Big Bang Theory or that guy from the movie Wargames who didn't want the fat one to give Matthew Broderick their secrets, do not evoke fear from me. It's more like curiosity and wonder. Likewise, you should not be afraid of BT Nerds.

[IronGoat]

hey, first off, WELCOME

the MW4 rant in a nutshell is they removed the space restrictuions to a large degree so you could make mechs with gear that in the original rulesets youd never have space for ( most notably no space needed for ammo or heat sinks)

however new players who come looking for fun and to get into something new are totally welcome
like a drug pimp we are always ready to hook a new mark LOL

only newbies ill have no time for, are those that dont want to at least learn the rulesets ( what ever ones the game uses) but instead whine and cry about everything is too hard or unfair.

if your making a statement or asking a Q dont be ashamed to ( as you did) say your new.
there are WAY more closet teachers here then haters im sure

Edited by IronGoat, 23 June 2012 - 10:16 AM.

[MechMagnus Tsunami]

I could careless about the lore and such. I'm here to shoot and blow up stuff....and most importantly have fun.
I respect all the hardcore members that know everything but in real life I have better things to do than reading about BattleTech lore.
I've played MW2 through MW4, EarthSiege2, StarSiege, MPBT on AOL and I had fun with them all.... even the hated MW4.
I think a lot of the TT guys talk like they know everything but frankly I've kicked their behinds many times on the Battlefield and you will too.
Just have fun and don't worry about the rest. I plan on getting destroyed in the game but I'll dish a little pain out too !!
It's going to be a freakin riot !!

[Skadi]

yngvef, on 09 June 2012 - 04:22 AM, said:

My point is: I hope we casual Battletech-fans, or even just "big-robot"-fans are welcome, despite not being able to recite the entire line of succesion in House Steiner.

The only thing you need to know about Steiner is this, Atlas.

[Hikaru]

I love the lore. I love the canon. I love the games. I'm not an "Expert," but I'm much closer to that than "Newbie."

That being said, I believe the #1 rule for MWO's gameplay that should trump all other rules should be:

• Easy to play, hard to master.

Really, that's all that matters. You should not have to know X, Y, or Z about Battletech: the game. If you think giant robots fighting giant robots is cool, you'll take a look at MWO and give it a try. But you shouldn't have to know anything about those giant robots at all. You should just be able to jump in and play, and from playing, learn more about Battletech: the world.