23 replies to this topic

[Koniving]

MeiSooHaityu, on 01 May 2019 - 06:20 AM, said:

I finally got around to watching some live footage of the Sharp X68000 port of MechWarrior 1 and I have to say, the presentation is very good. Being a Japanese only computer, the version of MechWarrior for it has been converted to an anime aesthetic.

The only down side is the actual in game combat engine is still just as clunky as the PC version.

SNES has "Mechwarrior."

Its an upgraded port / different game.
The story is similar, but it follows a different guy, has a Wing Commander-esque setup between missions... and due to most of the original mechs being unseen, you wouldn't recognize anything in the game as it all has completely new art.

When the original developers of Mechwarrior were struggling with Mechwarrior 2 (what later became MetalTech Battledrome (1994) and MetalTech Earthsiege (1995) and evolved into Starsiege), the SNES "port/new story" got Activision (which Activision itself then was already developing a 3D polygonal engine to re-release it for the PC) a chance to show their work off... And then FASA said "You're making MW2.". So some mech changes to the designs given to them (the famous Omnimech scale image) plus a few others to hide in there (including the only quad to have ever been in a mechwarrior game the Tarantula) and poof, space magic! MW2 Mercs was kind of easy to make because some of those IS mechs were originally in the prototype.

It also helped that another developer for Activision was working on a faster paced action oriented game titled Mechwarrior 3050... which is like Strike + Mech Assault...long before Mech Assault.

So here when Jordan says "They were struggling" and then talks about handing it over to Activision.

That's what he's referring to.

[Koniving]

Side note in Mw5 videos, the buildings being made out of paper maché is because they default their assets to "0" health and as of the last trailer, had still not yet got to the stage of tweaking structure health to give a good 'feel' for resistance to impacts, slowdowns, etc. Supposedly buildings have multiple states of destruction, not just "there" and "gone".

Supposedly.

Side note, just realized that by scale, the turrets in MW5 are unmanned.
(Am now sad. BT/Megamek, watching meat flood out of the turret or the wreckage of a turret is kinda satisfying. Also ammo trucks resupplying turrets, generators powering energy turrets, etc.. I know every "Mech" game did automated turrets from Mechwarrior to MechCommander, but... meh. Gonna add that to my list.)

Edited by Koniving, 01 May 2019 - 10:43 AM.

[CFC Conky]

MW2

Best. Soundtrack. Ever.

[MeiSooHaityu]

I played the SNES version as well through an emulator. It's mech designs were an...odd choice, but I'm going to chalk it up to system or cartridge limitations in some way. It was ok to play in an oddity type of way, but I didn't stick with it too long.

I also had Earthsiege 1 and Battledrome. Earthseige was fun, but I remember it being pretty difficult. I struggled with that one a bit. Battledrome was amusing, but it clearly was designed as a multiplayer game. I played it mostly against bots, which got boring after a while.