63 replies to this topic

[Nik Reaper]

Yeah, the 4 man squad is a bit of an too old throwback , 2 or 3 lances really is where it's at, also if you only have 4 mechs to work with do you feel that it will be an MW3~4 arms race where if you only need to take care of 4 mechs ( repair, reload and drop weight ) the will end up as 4 assaults in the 2/3 part of the game?

Also the level of mission complexity can influance that , if you need to be very moble and all, but most of those games at later stages focus on destroy protect rethar than scout , steal , sabotage, so rearly will one need lighter mechs , as a single light is not that much of a back stabber ( with 3025 tech ) and you wil be hard pressed to lose out on an assault to have 2 lights.

Edited by Nik Reaper, 13 August 2015 - 01:06 PM.

[stjobe]

Alistair Winter, on 13 August 2015 - 12:05 PM, said:

So many references to Shadowrun. I've never played it, I have no idea what he's talking about. Is it the best game evar?

"Shadowrun is a science fantasy tabletop role-playing game set in a near-future fictional universe in which cybernetics, magic and fantasy creatures co-exist. It combines genres of cyberpunk, urban fantasy and crime, with occasional elements of conspiracy fiction, horror and detective fiction. From its inception in 1989, Shadowrun has remained among the most popular role-playing games. It has spawned a vast franchise that includes a series of novels, a collectible card game, two miniature-based tabletop wargames, and multiple video games."
- https://en.wikipedia.../wiki/Shadowrun

Two of the designers behind Shadowrun should be familiar to any BattleTech/MechWarrior fan: Jordan Weisman and L. Ross Babcock III (collectively known as FASA...)

Jordan Weisman's current company is called Harebrained Schemes, and has made two critically acclaimed Shadowrun turn-based tactical games, Shadowrun Returns (76/7.4 on metacritic) and Shadowrun Dragonfall (81/8.3). A third game, Shadowrun: Hong Kong is due out next week, August 20th.

The first two are €14.99 on Steam, Hong Kong is €18.75, so they won't consume your whole gaming budget in one go.

I've played both, and to me they're very good games, play style in combat is reminiscent of the XCOM series but there's a lot (and I do mean a lot) of RPG elements; there's much to read in between fighting. Totally worth it though, because the stories are rather good - if you like cyberpunk, that is. I do, so I enjoyed both games thoroughly (but then again I did play the original pen-and-paper RPG back in the 80s-90s).

To say that I'm stoked about HBS making a BT game, and set in 3025 (my favourite BT era) might be the understatement of the year

[Serpieri]

A battletech game should start at 3025 and grow from there.

[process]

I've never really been into turn-based RPGs, but I'm actually kind of happy about this latest bit of news. As much as I adore Mechcommander, I didn't feel like there was a lot of actual strategy or tactics, in part due to the RTS nature of the game. I might split my forces to cover two areas, or run a scout off to capture a control tower, but that was about it; otherwise I was just deathballing my way through.

A turn-based RPG should give the title the level of complexity and depth that I think most of us would want to have.

[ScreamingSkull]

Alistair Winter, on 13 August 2015 - 12:05 PM, said:

So many references to Shadowrun. I've never played it, I have no idea what he's talking about. Is it the best game evar?

It's a tabletop roleplaying game published formerly by FASA and now Catalyst Labs, who also make Battletech. Shadowrun has a cyberpunk setting with some magic elements mixed in. Harebrained Schemes made a couple Shadowrun games recently (Shadowrun Returns, Shadowrun Dragonfall, and soon i.e. next week Shadowrun Hong Kong). The games are very good, and I highly recommend them if you enjoy turn based games like XCOM and good storytelling.




I personally love the 3025 setting. The tech is easy to balance in this era, and because the player will be leading a mercenary group the developers always have the option of throwing in super rare Lostech mechs and weaponry, as mercs get around the galaxy more than most house/periphery mechjocks.

Edited by ScreamingSkull, 13 August 2015 - 02:42 PM.

[Novakaine]

Gimme!

[J0anna]

The only problem with 3025 for me is it is 3 years before the discovery of the Helm Memory Core and thus purely level 1 battletech. While this might sound exciting for some people, those battles tend to have a lot of physical combat, as you can often do more damage with a good kick than you can with your weapons while under the effects of elevated heat. So if we're talking pre-clans, I found the 4th succession war battles were a bit more fun.

Nonetheless, it is great news that Jordan is returning to Battletech, you can count me in when this starts.

[Pathos]

An officia megamek basically. If it is anything like Megamek with a persistent community warfare element, this will be awesome.

[TLBFestus]

Wow, MechWarrior Tactics is back?

[Impyrium]

I think a lot of people are assuming this is going to be a MechCommander or MegaMek style game, which might lead to a bit of disappointment. Given the developer history and the information released on the game so far, I'd wager this game will have a lot more in common with games like The Crescent Hawks Inception and Revenge and will be largely story driven, rather than being a sandbox TBS 'mech simulator like MegaMek.

[Xetelian]

I don't know what people are hoping for but this will definitely not be Mechwarrior Tactics.

PvP is a stretch goal...so not the main focus of the game.

What I'm expecting is a linear campaign between houses, hex and/or grid movement with action points per turn.

I think this because I've played Golem Arcana and Shadowrun which HBS recently published.

[Spr1ggan]

Alistair Winter, on 13 August 2015 - 12:54 PM, said:

Oh, thank you! That looks great, except for the cheesy fantasy stuff. I would have played that game if it was pure sci fi, probably. I guess I'll stick to X-com.

Anyway, in regards to the interview in the OP, is anyone else slightly disappointed that the Battletech game will only focus on a single lance of mechs? I guess it's pretty standard for Mechwarrior games (+1 Aerospace pilot in MW2:Mercs, right?) but I was just hoping that this game would really have some epic showdown with a full 12-man company of mechs.

Maybe the action will be way too slow and detailed for such large forces.

Don't worry about the fantasy stuff. It's a very unique setting. Returns was a good game but Dragonfall was brilliant. And it looks like Hong Kong is going to be even better.

[Malleus011]

Looking forward to it. 3025 is the best possible choice.

Hopefully things like company level combat and level 2 tech can come with later expansions.

[James Nostra]

MeiSooHaityu, on 13 August 2015 - 11:50 AM, said:

3025...hmm. Well, hope no one is too upset about no clan mechs and tech.

Is that about when MechWarrior 1 took place?

Anyway, sounds really cool. I wonder if it will play close to how the Front Mission series played out (mechanics wise). Those are one of my favorite RPG series of games.

Clan or not. As long as this Hell's Horseman gets his BattleTech fix on, and I will pretty happy nonetheless.

[SnagaDance]

Alistair Winter, on 13 August 2015 - 12:54 PM, said:

Oh, thank you! That looks great, except for the cheesy fantasy stuff. I would have played that game if it was pure sci fi, probably. I guess I'll stick to X-com.

I think the fantasy element is a nice touch (though for the actual RPG there's nothing stopping a GM for running a completely human setting and kicking magic to the curb). It turned out all those people from long ago with their superstitious talk of dwarves, elves and dragons were actually right! But the gradual disappearance of magic caused all humanoids to revert to a basic human genome. Only with the return of magic as an actual force in the world did people all of a sudden start to mutate/revert to other races.

With short and stocky people tending to become dwarves, big people were inclined to become trolls, violent people Orcs, and probably whole ballet ensembles of lithe people became elves. Though all in all humans continued to be the vast majority.

A nice way for such an element to exist in a sci-fi (near future) world IMO. And it allows for some wonderful satire, like the leader of the Humanis Poli-club (think KKK) being black. And racial stereotypes and discrimination getting a different meaning (while also presenting a mirror showing how idiotic such things are).

But, this will be a Shadowrun game, so I'm afraid there will be fantasy elements.

If you're ever inclined to try out the RPG though I'd say give it a spin. One of the greatest aspects of it IMO is how your character's health is really only based on his/her Toughness stat. Sure, body armour might reduce incoming damage but there's only so much damage you can take, and you'll start taking penalties when wounded. And even when improving your character (leveling up), you won't become any tougher unless you actually improve that Toughness.
No bucketload of hitpoints gained so that after playing for a good while your character is somehow able to laugh at the sword hews by those Goblins that were so frightening at 1st level.

So weapons will always stay deadly. Which is one of the things that always bothers me about many other RPG's. A sword is a sword, how is it possible that it will no longer be able to kill you in one or two chops at higher level. Sure there's skill at parrying/avoiding, but sometimes something gets through your defense, and it should HURT.

Reminds me of my very first Shadowrun gaming session, being run by my youngest brother. The newly introduced to each other group was investigating some shady business at the docks. We get spotted and a firefight breaks out.
When trying to move closer to a suspect freighter some bad guys run up to the bow and pull the tarp of a frickin' mounted machine gun!! (clear GM sign, this is not the direction you should be going in).
But one of the players had seen too many action movies or something so he charges towards the walk plank, Desert Eagles blazing akimbo, even cooly dropping the mags (which he thought were empty, they weren't, and he hadn't thought about how he would be able to get news mags in them while running or holding 2 guns either).
Machine gun takes aim, fires, and completely riddles the Elven street punk.

We take the effort to draw his body into cover and beat a hasty retreat, making our way to a hospital (nobody had any kind of healing skill/equipment). We inquire how much treating him would cost. HOW MUCH??!!

Ok, never mind, you may keep the body (we took the guns of course). What? Oh no, we don't know him at all. Just good Samaritan citizens that encountered the poor sod after he was attacked by a gang. He should have had a Doc Wagon membership to cover those medical costs eh?

*walk away whistling*

Damn...now I want to play Shadowrun again...

[Mechteric]

Very stoked, will very likely back this kickstarter. Only other kickstarter project I've backed was Planetary Annihiliation, which was meh (but only $20 so no big deal).

But since I've enjoyed the Shadowrun games I think they have a good enough team to pull something good off.

[Lily from animove]

MeiSooHaityu, on 13 August 2015 - 11:50 AM, said:

3025...hmm. Well, hope no one is too upset about no clan mechs and tech.

Why upset? more like, disinterest because the quota of chicken legs will be too damn low. I just prefer playing mechs I visually like, which means chickenlegs + hanging arms. Which in the IS only was the CFT for a long time in MWO, until KGC appeared.

So maybe if they make some dlc's and expansions of further campaigns in later timelines, yeah then maybe.

[Triordinant]

Alistair Winter, on 13 August 2015 - 12:05 PM, said:

So many references to Shadowrun. I've never played it, I have no idea what he's talking about. Is it the best game evar?

Shadowrun tabletop RPG. Played it before and it's good. There's a great PC version made by Harebrained Schemes and that's what they're referencing.

[Triordinant]

Mystere, on 13 August 2015 - 12:23 PM, said:

Why make it purely turn-based instead of like Mechcommander or ... drum roll please ... the Total War series?

Mechanics-wise, HBS's target audience is Turn-Based Tactical instead of Real-Time Strategy.

[Triordinant]

Johnny Z, on 13 August 2015 - 12:36 PM, said:

The cool thing about all these games and Battletech is they are all heavy in atmosphere and story. I expect the company that made Shadowrun will do a good job of bringing these aspects to the new Battletech turn based game. Now if only Mechwarrior Online would get on it. I think they will eventually once the features they have started on get more complete.

Maybe PGI will cut and paste the story and atmosphere from BattleTech in return for HBS using MWO's 'mechs instead of having to make their own.