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- Mech Warfare – The embodiment of Mech to Mech combat.
- Role Warfare – The ability for player’s to customize their experience to suit their own style of gameplay.
- Community Warfare – The ability to let the players take part in epic combat for territorial control.
- Information Warfare – Bring a new element to the battlefield that incorporates information technology to help control the fight.
We want to make sure we bring the roots of the MechWarrior® titles back to the surface and also incorporate the basic rules from the BattleTech® Universe. Players will be able to customize their BattleMechs with weapon and armor upgrades as well as customize their cosmetic appearance in the MechLab. This means players can look unique or fall in line with their Merc Corp colors and truly represent themselves in combat. The next part of Mech Warfare is controls/piloting a BattleMech. Since our key platform is the PC, it only makes sense to really bring the simulation control system back for seasoned players, with the option to have easy access configurations for newer players. When dealing with controls, we really want to bring skill back into combat rather than heavily assisted combat as seen in most modern day first person shooters. The interface between the MechWarrior® and the BattleMech is being revisited as well. A new 3D HUD system is being designed for the neurohelmet pilot information display. The view point of the game is from the pilot (MechWarrior®’s) point of view. Players will be able to look around their cockpit and even customize the interior to suit their tastes.
Role Warfare:
When it comes down to play style for any given player, we want to make sure that we have as many options as possible to cater to as many player types as possible. This is where things get really interesting. Everything from choosing a BattleMech to how a MechWarrior® is trained, will allow a player to truly customize their own personal game experience. What is a player’s preferred role when playing MechWarrior®? Scout? Attacker? Defender? Commander? Whatever it is, a player will be able to train their MechWarrior to specialize in their style of gameplay. Players are highly encouraged to participate in team based gameplay. The fast manoeuvrable scouts will be able to relay information back to the commander units who in turn relay that information to the attacker and defender units. As players advance their MechWarrior in a role, more skills and abilities related to their role will become available. Remember, a team who plays together will always win together.
Community Warfare:
MechWarrior® in all of its incarnations has always had a loyal following of players in one of the strongest on-line communities in gaming history. Piranha-Games hopes to bring this community together in a friendly conflict of universal control. This may sound a little odd, but it is the fun competitiveness that will keep the game alive and kicking for years to come. Utilizing the BattleTech® Inner Sphere, we plan to have skirmishes amongst the Great Houses in BattleTech® lore. Allowing the player to have an active part in this conflict is one of our key directives in designing this game. Players will be able to create, manage and customize their Merc Corp’s player base and appearance, while banding together to really delve into the Inner Sphere conflict where House alignment reigns supreme. Merc Corp leaders will bid and fight for occupation rights to some of the most valuable planets across the Inner Sphere and challenge other Merc Corps for control of planets reaping large rewards.
Information Warfare:
Evolving the MechWarrior® experience required a new layer of gameplay. Instead of large open expanses and circle strafing parties, we wanted to examine the core play experience of the previous MechWarrior® titles and see if we could bring a more tactical/strategic experience to MechWarrior® Online™. Relying more on line-of-sight and incorporating information technologies, we feel that information warfare will bring a new level of realism to the fight and help enforce the idea of team based multiplayer even more. Another aspect of Mech Warfare, something that we can do with new technology, is urban combat. The battlefield is no longer open areas with mile long sightlines. . Tactical manoeuvres will be required now more than ever and the key to success is using InfoTech alongside great team play. The newly implemented Battle Grid will give commanding units a bird’s eye view of the battlefield and scouts will be able to feed real time recon information to them. The battlefield commander will be able to call in air strikes, artillery strikes and other support unit requests.
Right now, many of us are VERY focused on the subject of Loyalty Points, and what they mean for us all. I think we all can agree on at least one fact, and that is that we all want to know more.
I am exciting by the prospect of having, not just winning matter, but HOW I win, whether it be with a sense of honor toward my faction, or with a cold hard, uncaring sense of self achievement. LP are a new and very intriguing way of making this possible.
As I write this, I am mainly concerned with this week's topic, community warfare, and I will therefore focus on that pillar. Most of the above paragraphs are self-explanatory. That said, I take special note of one portion...
"...House alignment reigns supreme..."
Isn't that at the very heart of this whole universe. Loyalties and alignment. I have read some posts that ask, "What if I want to switch sides?", or "What if I want to have a pilot in two Houses?", or any number of questions of that manner. My thoughts are thus:
This is Mechwarrior! Choose your side and get busy! Some of us will want to dabble in multiple mech classes, and that can be beneficial if played well. But the devs are building this game around the very essence of the BT universe, the Inner Sphere, the Houses that make them up. No one single mech pilot can simply go hopping around the galaxy, from one House to another, making buddies where ever he goes. Actions of that nature, in this game, will not go un-noticed, nor unpunished. That's life in this galaxy, and I for one, am beginning to gain a deep appreciation for the developers greater vision.
My parting thoughts regarding the LP system. Keep in mind that you gain LP in battle only for winning. Just playing the game does not automatically mean you gain LP. You can also LOSE LP, and we don't know how yet. If a person chooses to play for long stretches at a time, good, let them. Their money is welcome here as it will only serve the greater good of the MW universe. Just because they play that long does not mean they are playing with honor, and that is where LP can play to the advantage of folks like us, who have a built in sense of what this universe is all about. And truly, if a person plays 6 days a week and succeeds in gaining a higher rank, than that means they gained those LPs the RIGHT WAY. I can imagine that playing honorably for long periods will not be as easy as some folks have made it seem. Grinding for 12 hours and not actually losing some LPs along the way may be tougher than we think.
Thanks Metro! I re-read five times to catch my thoughts.
we could make it a reality. 
I am not saying that MWO should be like that, but it really is part of canon. None of us want to serve under an incompetent commander. And it will happen no matter what system the devs come up with. Some people are going to be great mech jocks...but wont be able to lead others to any sort of victory once their on-field prowess gets them promoted. just saying
