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This was a Beta released in 2001 by Kesmai. It was an MMORPG, and later in December of that year this poor game was shut down with no explanation whatsoever. The shutdown in 2001 also affected previous Multiplayer BT game: Multiplayer BattleTech Solaris also by Kesmai. BT3025 featured almost the same level of Community Warfare that we have now. It also incorporated many more BT:TT rules than MW.
The explanation is that EA had previously been in an assembly line mode with games, obtaining rights to games then slowly stripping the help away. People were working 70/80hrs weeks, burning out people. In 2001 EA shut down 99% of the game development for non-inhouse games, so EA's MPBT 3025 was one of many games canned by them.
The CW interface was actually a quickly thrown together product when the 3rd party that was contracted to do that part failed to produce.
Just fyi Kesmai started MPBT 3025, aka EGA MPBT in 1991ish on the GEnie network and it ran until 1997. It used the combat engine for the original Mechwarrior with heavy modifications such as prop up the mech with one arm to fire weapons located on the other arm if legged/double legged. For the few mechs with no arms, they could also fire from alternate views with arm mounted weapons with limited range. It did not have as many planets that MWO has, but it also took time for planets to be flipped, even against NPC. NPC pilots ranged from green to elites, depending on what grade of units were garrisoned or traveled to said planet. PVP happened on Solaris though. Actual play time for MOST players were from 6pm-8am, local time. That was called non-prime time and was $6/hr. Prime time (business hours for businesses on GEnie) it was $18/hr. Talk about credit card burn out
SVGA MPBT 3025, aka MPBT Solaris, began development in 1994-1995, and went live on AOL gaming network in 1996. New combat engine and starting point at first was just Solaris. Unfortunately the 3rd party developer responsible for Succession Wars part took the money, did not deliver and closed up shop. At the same time AOL was also making changes from an hourly rate to a flat rate for their service while tagging on an hourly rate for the game service, and creating their own game network. From there Kesmai created their own gaming network, Gamestorm. It had Air Warrior, Mythic, Legends of Kesmai, Stellar Emperor, Starship Troopers, Aliens Online, Godzilla Online, Darkness Falls, etc.
https://en.wikipedia.../wiki/GameStorm
MPBT Solaris may not have had its Succession Wars, but it did have chain of command, with House Leaders becoming Kesmai employees during their tenure with NDAs. We developed our own SSW using the Solaris arenas as planets, each dropzone a stepping stage to capturing a planet, every weekend. We were the primary contact as community managers and our job was to keep the community going. We did not always agree on some things, such as changing from no leg/heading to full range combat and we had a House majority sit out the first SSW with that rule change, hosted by House Kurita!!! But that did not keep some of their units from going merc so they could participate.
We had external VOIP but generally we chat by typing SSW ended, iirc 1am CST, UNLESS an opponent was on the Capitol (arena 1 of the respective House). Each arena had 4 drop zones. If the enemy was in 4th droproom at the end of the event, they had to win in order for the assaulting House to move forward. Win, a lance drops into 3rd droproom while lance drops again in 4th droproom. If either lance loses, the event is over with. If 3rd lance win but the 4th lance has not completed/ended their game, combat begins in 2nd droproom.
As you can see, in those type of games, delaying the end of the game could be very crucial on what happens next. During the entire time of the SSW, we had a handful of games that went pass the end time. One session did not see the game end until almost 3am CST one morning. And just fyi, that was with only 1 mech per player.
And there were a few times that my girlfriend did some very evil things to let me know what I was missing... other times she made sure I was extremely distracted... how can one really concentrate at a time like that!?!?!?
Edited by Tarl Cabot, 03 June 2016 - 04:12 PM.