stjobe, on 19 February 2014 - 07:13 AM, said:
Is anyone OTHER than Thomas D writing from an in-game perspective though?
Not to the same degree, and not as much any more - though, Destined has touched in it when making announcements (see
here) and the ISN account did so with
the original Project Phoenix announcement.
Though, yes, Thomas D. seems to be the only one currently/recently making much of a point of it, and plastering the in-universe time/date on things seems to have largely died out.
stjobe, on 19 February 2014 - 07:13 AM, said:
Sure, there's all kinds of ways to try to fix it; they could say "May 3050 was just the start of the invasion, not when you'll get to fight the Clans; that's not until September", or something like that.
Actually, that's pretty much exactly what I think they'll probably do (and
theorized about in late 2012).
Quote
According to the BT/MW canon, the Clans attack and establish staging areas in the Periphery in August of 3049 (corresponding to August of 2012 - this month, with the in-universe character Phelan Kell being captured some days ago).
However, the Clan Invasion - called "Operation Revival" by the Clanners - doesn't reach the Inner Sphere proper until March of 3050 (corresponding to March of 2013).
Personally, what I would prefer to see (and, given the recent interview with Mr. Bullock and his statement that PVE content "it is probably one of the very first things we will explore once our core game is complete and we go Open Beta", a variation of which seems to stand a good chance of actually happening) is that the Clans hit the Inner Sphere as wholly AI-controlled entities (or Dev directed/controlled with AI assistance) to provide PVE content, and then are opened up to the players to join at some later (and "thematically-appropriate") time, specifically any of:
- November of 3050 (corresponding to November of 2013 in reality): Tyra Miraborg (from the FRR) slays ilKhan (the supreme leader of the Clans' actions) Leo Showers (of Clan Smoke Jaguar) on October 31, 3050, prompting the Clans to halt their advance until November of 3051 (corresponding to November of 2014).
- November of 3051 (corresponding to November of 2014 in reality): The Clans select a new ilKhan (Ulric Kerensky of Clan Wolf) and renew their assault on the Inner Sphere in November of 3051, while also adding the forces of Clan Steel Viper, Clan Nova Cat, and Clan Diamond Shark (later re-renamed to Clan Sea Fox) to assist Clan Jade Falcon, Clan Wolf, Clan Ghost Bear, and Clan Smoke Jaguar in the Invasion.
- Late-May/June of 3052 (corresponding to June of 2015 in reality): The Battle of Tukayyid (a proxy battle fought for control of Terra between the Clans led by ilKhan Ulric Kerensky and ComStar's Com Guard led by Precentor Martial Anastasius Focht) is fought from May 01, 3052 through May 20, 3052, and results in ComStar's victory and the Clans being forbidden from advancing any further into the Inner Sphere.
If "sooner rather than later" is a must, I would personally like to see the Nov. 3050/2013 timeframe used for a potential "Clan Injection" option since:
- It allows for several months of PVE action to complement the PVP action of the game.
- It allows for several additional months for the Devs to tweak/evaluate/perfect the performance of Clan 'Mechs, weapons, and equipment (relative to IS 'Mechs, weapons, and equipment) prior to handing it over to players (thus fitting with and addressing Mr. Bullock's July 30 comment about having "design and balance issues to figure out").
- The one-year break in the Invasion would allow Clan-oriented players time to join/establish/organize Clan units, learn the capabilities and limits of Clan tech, build up experience and XP for Clan characters, and so on.
- The one-year break in the Invasion would allow IS-oriented players time to build up additional experience and XP before hordes of human-controlled Clanners are unleashed against us.
Granted, the PVE elements seem to have fallen by the wayside, but the idea that meaningful inter-faction interactions (e.g. Planetary Conquest, and CW as a whole) might not really get going until a period in MWO development corresponding (roughly) to the end of the Year of Peace seems like it may play out after all.
stjobe, on 19 February 2014 - 07:13 AM, said:
In the end though, the 1:1 timeline was abandoned over a year ago when the Clans failed to show up in what was then May 3050. After that, all bets are off as to what the actual in-game time is.
One thing is for sure though, it can't be February 19th, 3051, because there's not a single Clan 'mech around.
The Clans evidently did show up - just not in a way that allows us as players to shoot at them.
However, we do know that as recently as ATD #50, the BT/MW timeline was pointed to by PGI (specifically, by Bryan Ekman) as one of the elements governing when certain 'Mechs and equipment might be considered for availability in MWO - that is a rather clear indication that the timeline has not been wholly abandoned.
And Clan 'Mechs would not have been too common in early 3051 - the vast majority of those captured early-on would have necessarily been confiscated by the House governments for research and reverse-engineering (leading to the IS OmniMechs, and 'Mechs like the
Rakshasa).
Once the various R&D departments got their fill, though, IS Mechwarriors would have begun to keep fallen/salvaged Clan 'Mechs with greater frequency (which, recall, is
how they're spinning IS players in Clan 'Mechs).