171 replies to this topic

[Deathlike]

Mcgral18, on 20 October 2016 - 09:17 PM, said:

Within the Decade


Sean Tracy (of Cloud Imperium Games) has expressed interest in a BattleTech game using the Star Engine
But, as above, probably a decade away before work would even start

Would buy. Where and when do I throw my money?

Edited by Deathlike, 21 October 2016 - 09:23 AM.

[TLBFestus]

Johnny Z, on 21 October 2016 - 09:01 AM, said:

It could change hands but the price tag would be crazy. I don't mind guessing about almost anything, but I wouldn't hazard a guess about how much trying to buy MechWarrior Online would cost.

Its in the realm of the Star Wars title. Not equal value of course, but its in that realm. In my opinion the Battletech/Mechwarrior title is worth more than the Star Trek title for example, not even close. I always think of Battletech as having Aerotech though.

Star Wars has mechs in every one of its trailers lately. Heres the newest one.

I think you are dreaming, or smoking some really awesome weed, if you think it's anywhere near the cachet or value of a franchise like Star Trek.

[Johnny Z]

TLBFestus, on 21 October 2016 - 09:46 AM, said:

I think you are dreaming, or smoking some really awesome weed, if you think it's anywhere near the cachet or value of a franchise like Star Trek.

Star Trek and even Star Wars have bad capital ships for starters. MechWarrior/Battletech could beat them both out right there. I could go on like this.

Star Trek has already been all over the map and failed to go epic. I would even say its day is done. Star Wars can go places still, so it has lots of staying power left.

Battletech has not even begun.

Don't even get me started on comparing Star Wars mechs and MechWarrior mechs.

Edited by Johnny Z, 21 October 2016 - 09:57 AM.

[MadcatX]

Could get picked up by the fan community fairly quickly I suppose, but they won't make a single-player campaign. Can't really see a larger company picking it up, too niche so it would stay in the Indie / Small dev scene.

I wouldn't back it via kickstarter again though and know enough founders who wouldn't either, no guarantee that another dev team wouldn't do the same as PGI.

[Bombast]

Johnny Z, on 21 October 2016 - 09:50 AM, said:

Star Trek and even Star Wars have bad capital ships for starters. MechWarrior/Battletech could beat them both out right there. I could on like this.

Star Trek has already been all over the map and failed to go epic. I would even say its day is done. Star Wars can go places still, so it has lots of staying power left.

Battletech has not even begun.

That's not really how value is judged in entertainment franchises.

Both Star Trek and Star Wars are massive, multi-billion dollar names, and any product that is launched using those names is essentially guaranteed a financial success.

Battletech/Mechwarrior is a minor, lower million dollar IP with a small built in fanbase. It's been 'abandoned' three times already (Mechwarrior Clix, Mechwarrior (Non-MWO) and MechAssault).

It also has an inherit problem - The fan base is heavily fractured. While the same can be said of any of the Star series, their sub-fandoms are bigger then the entire Battletech/Mechwarrior fandom combined, let alone the sub groups.

I love Battletech/Mechwarrior. I really do. But it's a low value IP.

[Johnny Z]

I have to correct myself a bit, the Clone Wars capital ships are really good, could be better.

[Dr Wubs]

Is it conceivable that PGI could pick up limited right to MWLL? As in, allow it to exist but not "help" with development?

I guess it would be some kind of merger?

[Johnny Z]

Bombast, on 21 October 2016 - 09:58 AM, said:

That's not really how value is judged in entertainment franchises.

Both Star Trek and Star Wars are massive, multi-billion dollar names, and any product that is launched using those names is essentially guaranteed a financial success.

Battletech/Mechwarrior is a minor, lower million dollar IP with a small built in fanbase. It's been 'abandoned' three times already (Mechwarrior Clix, Mechwarrior (Non-MWO) and MechAssault).

It also has an inherit problem - The fan base is heavily fractured. While the same can be said of any of the Star series, their sub-fandoms are bigger then the entire Battletech/Mechwarrior fandom combined, let alone the sub groups.

I love Battletech/Mechwarrior. I really do. But it's a low value IP.

Not true. At all. Even Star Wars had a long wait between episode 6 and episode 1. Star Trek has seen its best days without any doubt after William Shatner. One could argue no movie will beat out episode IV of Star Wars even, but that was so good they have room to spare.

If the movie/entertainment/game industries want to make money they can if they can get past sucking so much. They are actually stepping up really well in some cases.

Battletech/MechWarrior could be awesome. Epic capital ships would do that as a prime example. The Millenium Falcon shows this kind of thing. Star Destroyers are cool but not that cool. Starship Enterprise? Not so cool. Bird of Prey, cool, but Klingons are hard to identify with. And so on.

Edited by Johnny Z, 21 October 2016 - 10:24 AM.

[Dukov Nook]

Green Mamba, on 20 October 2016 - 09:15 PM, said:

How long do you think before a another developer could pick it up and start working on a new MW Sim title?

If VR takes off, not long at all. Bad press or not, a well written, well playing campaign based mech sim, even if it was only a SP game with no multi (like a continuously refreshing mercnet) that looked and played fantastic in vr rigs, would go a long way. If VR becomes what it could, companies will be clamoring for IP to stick into vr. The Battletech IP is the best, ready to go, fully fleshed out IP for a robot battle sim.

If VR fails, then God have mercy on our children for the pleasures they will never know.

[Ghogiel]

Bombast, on 21 October 2016 - 09:58 AM, said:

That's not really how value is judged in entertainment franchises.

Both Star Trek and Star Wars are massive, multi-billion dollar names, and any product that is launched using those names is essentially guaranteed a financial success.

Battletech/Mechwarrior is a minor, lower million dollar IP with a small built in fanbase. It's been 'abandoned' three times already (Mechwarrior Clix, Mechwarrior (Non-MWO) and MechAssault).

It also has an inherit problem - The fan base is heavily fractured. While the same can be said of any of the Star series, their sub-fandoms are bigger then the entire Battletech/Mechwarrior fandom combined, let alone the sub groups.

I love Battletech/Mechwarrior. I really do. But it's a low value IP.

All you need to look at how much money Trek or Star Wars have generated in it's life. Hell the 2 most recent movies of either of those generated more money at the box office in profits than BT or MW has ever done in it's entire history.

Star wars toy sales from about 1979-1985 has probably dwarfed the entire BT/MW combined net profits.

[Bombast]

Johnny Z, on 21 October 2016 - 10:04 AM, said:

Not true. At all. Even Star Wars had a long wait between episode 6 and episode 1. Star Trek has seen its best days without any doubt after William Shatner. One could argue no movie will beat out episode IV of Star Wars even, but that was so good they have room to spare.

If the movie industry/entertainment/game wants to make money they can if they can get past sucking so much. They are actually stepping up really well in some cases.

Batteletech/MechWarrior could be awesome. Epic capital ships would do that as a prime example. The Millenium Falcon shows this kind of thing. Star Destroyers are cool but not that cool. Star Ship Enterprise? Not so cool. Bird of Prey, cool but Klingons are hard to identify with. And so on.

I'd appreciate it if you only quoted me when you were interested in discussing any of the things I said. If you just want to talk about random crap that has nothing to do with the subject, I'd like it if you just left me out of it.

[Lyoto Machida]

Green Mamba, on 20 October 2016 - 09:22 PM, said:

I think much quicker than a decade due to a solid nostalgic fanbase that would come back.There are people I gamed with in early 2013 that just dropped this game like a hot potato early on and never came back

Would love the LL guys to get a hold of it

Maybe, maybe not...the BT audience is older and many could be dead by the time the next game comes around. Or reflexes severely degraded by that point.

[Davers]

Star Wars and Star Trek are universes compared to BT's star. They are not just ips, they are a cultural phenomenon. There simply is no comparison between them.

[Bombast]

Lyoto Machida, on 21 October 2016 - 10:13 AM, said:

Maybe, maybe not...the BT audience is older and many could be dead by the time the next game comes around. Or reflexes severely degraded by that point.

That would be another problem.

Unlike, say, Star Wars, where the fanbase's average age is still fairly low due to constantly 'recruiting' the next generation with multiple age tiered content (Clone Wars/Rebels and adult fiction, graphic novels and coloring books, 10 dollar plastic toys and thousand dollar desk statues), 'mechwarriors' (The people playing) just keep getting older. While new people are constantly introduced, they aren't done so in mass.

Just go check, say, the pictures of people who bought HBS reward swag. The youngest end up being in their upper 20s, and most are in their mid 30s, or even later. We're starting to get to the 'Dark Tower' point, where even if a new Mechwarrior/Battletech series is successful, a lot of the people who were playing the original games are going to be dead before the new run ends.

[Felicitatem Parco]

As the core TT base gets older, their overall market presence gets diluted by kids these days who expect BattleMechs to engage at realistic ranges and do not worship the Lore because they don't have experience with it. So, as long as TT mechanics are held high and the game based on Lore that isn't placed Front Stage from a theatrical/cinematic perspective, then the game will stagnate.

Let's put it this way:. I am a Mechwarrior fan, but I would not be playing MWO if AC/20 shells did 20 damage at 270m, but zero damage at 271m. PGI's decision to break from TT rules in that regard keeps me here...

So F the rules, man! Just make it fun and VALID to today's gaming audience.

Edited by Prosperity Park, 21 October 2016 - 10:29 AM.

[Johnny Z]

Bombast, on 21 October 2016 - 10:23 AM, said:

That would be another problem.

Unlike, say, Star Wars, where the fanbase's average age is still fairly low due to constantly 'recruiting' the next generation with multiple age tiered content (Clone Wars/Rebels and adult fiction, graphic novels and coloring books, 10 dollar plastic toys and thousand dollar desk statues), 'mechwarriors' (The people playing) just keep getting older. While new people are constantly introduced, they aren't done so in mass.

Just go check, say, the pictures of people who bought HBS reward swag. The youngest end up being in their upper 20s, and most are in their mid 30s, or even later. We're starting to get to the 'Dark Tower' point, where even if a new Mechwarrior/Battletech series is successful, a lot of the people who were playing the original games are going to be dead before the new run ends.

Overly negative but a good point.

They keep kneecapping online/offline games in hopes of limiting their popularity. MechWarrior online is a prime example of potentially the best online game having very limited game play. Its a market sharing thing.

Very large subject. Who knows what the future brings.

Davers, on 21 October 2016 - 10:23 AM, said:

Star Wars and Star Trek are universes compared to BT's star. They are not just ips, they are a cultural phenomenon. There simply is no comparison between them.

Easy to say now but Star Wars was all but forgotten for many years.

Lyoto Machida, on 21 October 2016 - 10:13 AM, said:

Maybe, maybe not...the BT audience is older and many could be dead by the time the next game comes around. Or reflexes severely degraded by that point.

Funny some people talking about others deaths ROFL, yet don't believe another title can make it big in the same breath.

BTW better to be a has been, than a never was. I look forward to being a has been in about 30 years

Edited by Johnny Z, 21 October 2016 - 10:41 AM.

[LordNothing]

getting developers to give up their rights is damn near impossible. how many franchises died because their rights were stuck in limbo? the answer is more than is sane.

[Johnny Z]

LordNothing, on 21 October 2016 - 10:38 AM, said:

getting developers to give up their rights is damn near impossible. how many franchises died because their rights were stuck in limbo? the answer is more than is sane.

Yep its a lot cheaper just to make a new one. Interesting subject. Easier said than done.

Edited by Johnny Z, 21 October 2016 - 10:40 AM.

[Mystere]

PGI to relinquish the rights to MWO? LOL! The only way it can happen is via a buyout. Do you have 50 million USD as down payment?

And that is only if Microsoft agrees to extend the license.

[Davers]

Johnny Z, on 21 October 2016 - 10:32 AM, said:

Easy to say now but Star Wars was all but forgotten for many years.

Maybe in a galaxy far, far away but not in this one.

Are we just going to forget all the best selling novels, and the number of highly successful video games? Star Wars fans didn't disappear, they just travelled single file to hide their numbers.