6 replies to this topic

[Hohiro Kurita]

1) FIrst, why is the game now set in 3049 instead of the previous 3015?

Is it because people will cry about Tech Level 1 and not having pulse lasers, ER PPCs, ER lasers, SSRMs, ferro fibrous armor, endo-steel, etc.? (Even though some of these things existed in small quantities due to the Star League cache discovered by the GDL?)

2) Where did you find this information? Nothing I have read indicates the time period changed in the last 2 years.

Edited by Hohiro Kurita, 22 November 2011 - 02:58 PM.

[Orzorn]

Hohiro Kurita, on 22 November 2011 - 02:55 PM, said:

1) FIrst, why is the game now set in 3049 instead of the previous 3015?

Is it because people will cry about Tech Level 1 and not having pulse lasers, ER PPCs, ER lasers, SSRMs, ferro fibrous armor, endo-steel, etc.? (Even though some of these things existed in small quantities due to the Star League cache discovered by the GDL?)

Because the game will be a free-to-play game that constantly updates, it makes more sense to put the game in a time era where new technology is constantly coming into the world.

In addition, the developer answered it themselves:
http://mwomercs.com/...-developer-qa-1

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In rebooting the MechWarrior® game what was the game designers’ rationale for the year 3049 being chosen?


[DAVID] I think that starting just before the Clan invasion allows us the greatest opportunity to really dive into BattleTech setting. We get to start with just the Inner Sphere, who are experiencing a surge of newly (re)discovered technology, and their inter-House politics, and then we get to shake things up when the Clans arrive. Running the game through the Clan Invasion allows the players to experience for themselves what is arguably the best known period in BattleTech history.

[PAUL] We want the player base to be able to experience Inner Sphere tech combat and really to get used to how ‘Mech technology works. We want players to really get into this game and create builds that they can share with friends and allow the community to share strategies in combat and creating/customizing BattleMechs. We figured that the exciting time following the Succession Wars just prior to the Clan Invasion would allow us to really create some intense House vs. House tensions. We also want to introduce other aspects of instability that happened during the introduction and subsequent invasion of the Clans. Starting the game in 3049 made the most sense as we will be able to front load the experience of MechWarrior® Online™ to the first two years of the game being live. Who knows what kind of interesting bits and pieces might appear in the game as time progresses?

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2) Where did you find this information? Nothing I have read indicates the time period changed in the last 2 years.

http://mwomercs.com/support#faq

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Q. What year is MechWarrior® Online™ taking place?

A. MechWarrior® Online™ is running an offset timeline of the BattleTech® Universe. As of this writing it is 2011 and the year is 3048 within the game. In 2012, when the game is launched, it will be 3049.

[Kudzu]

1) More options both toy-wise and lore wise-- especially since they're using a one real world day equals one in-game day system.
Helm memory core wasn't recovered until 3028.

2) see above for links

[Aaron DeChavilier]

as much as I'd want my mad max with mechs; I can see where a lot of other player's would find 3015 far too dull
especially the casual gamers or new people

[juxstapo]

Yea, I'd have to put the start of the Invasion as some of the most Iconic and fertile storytelling in the BT universe.

Imagine trying to explain battletech lore to a non-fan or new fan, it almost invariably wends its way around to
"And then! And then these guys started invading! Called the clans! Only they were the descendents of the Star League Defense Force! And thats soo cool! Cuz they like developed a warrior culture!"

New players need to know all this.. and its cool nostalgia wise because of The Crescent Hawk's Inception and all the novels and junk... wee

[Corsair114]

Plus, it gets them MUCH, MUCH, MUCH closer to being able to use the MechWarrior poster-child for advertising. Even people I've talked to who don't know what it is exactly recognize a Mad Cat when they see one.

[ice trey]

I'm pretty sure it's because 3015 would mean dependence on the unseen to pull the franchise, as it used to do. Personally, I think the redesigns are nice enough on their own that they could afford to do with the unseen outright and just stick to the in-house artwork, but S&T felt they needed those unseen in the trial video.

3049 is really the first point in the game where star-player designs that are in-house start appearing. That, and since S&T/Piranha had difficulty finding a publisher, they probably had to take some concessions, not the least of which being shoehorned into including the Madcat as a cash cow.

...and it'd be really dumb to have Madcats showing up in 3015. Anyone who knew anything about the universe would be crying "bullshyt"

Edited by ice trey, 22 November 2011 - 06:01 PM.