129 replies to this topic

[Barantor]

Ed Steele, on 06 August 2015 - 01:52 AM, said:

Different genres. MWO is a quasi-sim / FPS and Battletech will probably be a Tactical turn-based game with RPG elements.

More FPS than even "quasi-sim" IMO and it isn't tied enough to the lore for my tastes even for an FPS. I wanted more Battletech in my Mechwarrior and MWO doesn't do it. Stock mode almost does, but it is kinda an 'off shoot' not the main game where I would like it.

I'll keep an eye on this Battletech game, might be a slower pace but I actually didn't mind MWT that much beyond the bugginess.

[NocturnalBeast]

Barantor, on 06 August 2015 - 07:51 AM, said:

More FPS than even "quasi-sim" IMO and it isn't tied enough to the lore for my tastes even for an FPS. I wanted more Battletech in my Mechwarrior and MWO doesn't do it. Stock mode almost does, but it is kinda an 'off shoot' not the main game where I would like it.

I'll keep an eye on this Battletech game, might be a slower pace but I actually didn't mind MWT that much beyond the bugginess.

True, in MWO you kind of have to make your own lore. I hope Battlech is everything we want it to be, I know some of my old gaming buddies who hate FPS games will love the turn-based combat.

[Kyone Akashi]

Barantor, on 06 August 2015 - 07:51 AM, said:

More FPS than even "quasi-sim" IMO and it isn't tied enough to the lore for my tastes even for an FPS. I wanted more Battletech in my Mechwarrior and MWO doesn't do it. Stock mode almost does, but it is kinda an 'off shoot' not the main game where I would like it.

"People come for the 'mechs, but they stay for the story."
-- Jordan Weisman, creator of Battletech, lead designer at Harebrained Schemes

It may not be true for everyone, but I know this is how I felt, too.

Edited by Kyone Akashi, 10 August 2015 - 11:40 AM.

[Hans Von Lohman]

The story elements I liked best are still the original setting, 3025, or better known as the 3rd Succession War.

That war was a constant, medium grade war between nobles as they raise armies, prepare for years, then take a very small part of enemy territory, and then retire as their children move onto the next incremental attack, or defend what they have just taken.

The Clans were sort of the BattleTech equivalent of the Mongols or Golden Horde. Complete outsiders who swoop in from beyond the borders of "civilized" nations we all know and love and take all kinds of territory in record time using fewer numbers. I don't know if they were a good idea or not.

For me they were not a good addition. They complicated the game even more, and game balance was thrown out the window and we're still dealing with the problems that imbalance caused to this day.

No, I still prefer the original setting of the 3rd Succession War, which lasted from 2866 to 3025, a full 159 years. You could be born in the beginning around January 1, 2987, live a full life, have kids, grandchildren, and die of old age and the war would still be waged for decades and decades longer. The 30th century alone provides plenty of time for all kinds of stories, ones that span generations of family members, and isn't as well developed for characters and lore. It is ripe territory for telling a new story with a cast of new characters.

[Kyone Akashi]

Personally, I think each of the eras of Battletech has its own charm. Kind of like real world history, when you think about it!

I'm fairly new to the IP (fun fact: MWO got me into Battletech) and so consider myself unbiased in this regard, but I do understand how it can be frustrating if a setting you like in its "current" iteration can get turned upside down by something changing. After all, any new addition to the universe runs the risk of making it no longer look and feel like how you grew to enjoy it.

Thus, many of the really oldschool grognards who were around in Battletech's infancy got grumpy when the Clans appeared, but the irony is that many of those that joined at the time of the Clans have now become grumpy themselves as it came to the Jihad and the Dark Age. And so the wheels will keep on turning, and the people who joined Battletech in its current iteration (like me) may get grumpy once the designers unveil the next era.

In the end, I think we'll just have to keep in mind that it doesn't really change anything about the setting. Fortunately, this isn't about retcons, but rather time moving forward. The Succession Wars era will continue to exist (and even gets new products, as is the case with the game Weisman is making now), just like the Clan Invasion will continue to exist, and the Dark Age will continue to exist. Battletech will just keep adding eras -- it's up to you to choose one (or more) you consider favorites.

Hans Von Lohman, on 10 August 2015 - 10:59 PM, said:

The 30th century alone provides plenty of time for all kinds of stories, ones that span generations of family members, and isn't as well developed for characters and lore. It is ripe territory for telling a new story with a cast of new characters.

To be fair, this goes for all the ages of Battletech history. It's funny how some of the characters in different eras are related, actually. Katana Tormark is a relative of Minobu Tetsuhara, and has inherited both his blade as well as his 'mech. Talk about ancient heirlooms!

[NullZeal]

[Mazzyplz]

NullZeal, on 04 September 2015 - 08:26 AM, said:

seems like it has rpg elements to it and lore is very much a part of gameplay

[topgun505]

I just hope they don't include any sort of mechlab so you can't min max mechs like they are in MWO. If they do most mechs will lose all flavor as to the roles they were supposed to fulfill. In which case I'll drop this like a hot potato.

[S3dition]

Marack Drock, on 10 September 2015 - 07:59 PM, said:

So your idea is:

Being able to make your own original mech loadouts ruined the game?

For the most part, yes. Battletech lore doesn't support the massive customization present in current games. Mech refits are supposed to be difficult and expensive, with mechs being more than just a method of killing other mechs. What the modern mechwarrior game has become is essentially a gigantic solaris 7 match. Removed are aircraft (and the need for AA) vehicles, infantry, battle armor, naval units, logistics, supply, complex radar/ecm mechanics, and everything else that would require taking more than high alpha strike loadouts. In effect, what people call "meta" is the side effect of watering down the game to the point that it's just casual.

If you want to play a game that makes you understand why a diverse loadout is important, play Mechwarrior 3.

[NocturnalBeast]

S3dition, on 11 September 2015 - 02:35 PM, said:

For the most part, yes. Battletech lore doesn't support the massive customization present in current games. Mech refits are supposed to be difficult and expensive, with mechs being more than just a method of killing other mechs. What the modern mechwarrior game has become is essentially a gigantic solaris 7 match. Removed are aircraft (and the need for AA) vehicles, infantry, battle armor, naval units, logistics, supply, complex radar/ecm mechanics, and everything else that would require taking more than high alpha strike loadouts. In effect, what people call "meta" is the side effect of watering down the game to the point that it's just casual.

If you want to play a game that makes you understand why a diverse loadout is important, play Mechwarrior 3.

I agree, I think that being able to customize a mech (other than swapping omni-pods) should have been something special that you would have to earn. Making customization mostly inaccessible would make the different mech variants much more significant. Unfortunately, it seems like the most vocal players just want all mechs and weapons to be exactly the same with the only difference in mechs being the skin.

[CyclonerM]

Ed Steele, on 11 September 2015 - 05:01 PM, said:

Unfortunately, it seems like the most vocal players just want all mechs and weapons to be exactly the same with the only difference in mechs being the skin.

Not me

[Rebas Kradd]

S3dition, on 11 September 2015 - 02:35 PM, said:

Battletech lore doesn't support the massive customization present in current games. Mech refits are supposed to be difficult and expensive

Not something you can do in a F2P video game.

[NocturnalBeast]

Doh, end of September, I need to find money for the Btech kickstarter and the Marauder?

[Kyone Akashi]

Interesting interview: http://www.mmorpg.co...he-Horizon.html

Highlights:

• multiplayer PvP will be a stretchgoal
  
• the game will have a mechlab
  
• merc campaign is open -- you choose which Houses to take contracts from!
  
• they're trying to add support vehicles like tanks and aircraft, too!

[Juodas Varnas]

Kyone Akashi, on 16 September 2015 - 04:51 AM, said:

• they're trying to add support vehicles like tanks and aircraft, too!

I'd rather get Quadrupedal mechs.

[GonaDie]

Juodas Varnas, on 16 September 2015 - 05:20 AM, said:

I'd rather get Quadrupedal mechs.

I knew you would say this.

[NocturnalBeast]

Kyone Akashi, on 16 September 2015 - 04:51 AM, said:

Interesting interview: http://www.mmorpg.co...he-Horizon.html

Highlights:

• multiplayer PvP will be a stretchgoal
  
• the game will have a mechlab
  
• merc campaign is open -- you choose which Houses to take contracts from!
  
• they're trying to add support vehicles like tanks and aircraft, too!

Everything I want to hear from them...wait a minute, wasn't there another game that promised the world and is now scaling back features so they can actually finish it (ehm...Star Citizen)?

[Kyone Akashi]

Ed Steele, on 16 September 2015 - 12:59 PM, said:

Everything I want to hear from them...wait a minute, wasn't there another game that promised the world and is now scaling back features so they can actually finish it (ehm...Star Citizen)?

Now, now .. no reason to stir up that sort of debate here as well.

Besides, I'd say Harebrained has been pretty good about making up on their promises in Shadowrun so far. They even retroactively added the (unpromised) save feature developed for Dragonfall to their first game, after it was originally cut for budget reasons.

gh0s7m3rc, on 17 September 2015 - 03:44 AM, said:

Ah well. A single lance of mechs with "consumables" will do, I suppose...

I'm hoping for armor and infantry units where you can preset orders before the battle -- basically, letting the AI handle the micro-management of these units whilst you can focus on your 'mechs, with the added challenge of adapting to the battlefield situation by keeping these auxiliaries in mind (advancing together, helping them out, using them as a distraction etc).

[Hex Pallett]

Look at that big ******.

[Lorian Sunrider]

Ed Steele, on 16 September 2015 - 12:59 PM, said:

Everything I want to hear from them...wait a minute, wasn't there another game that promised the world and is now scaling back features so they can actually finish it (ehm...Star Citizen)?

HBS actually has a track record of delivering though.