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The Future Of Battletech.


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#1 GuardDogg

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Posted 28 July 2019 - 09:21 AM

I am a huge Battletech fan, and nothing else, since it hit the market in the 80s. The story line was really difficult to grasp at the start, but made sense after. The battlemechs design is what really got me. Over the years, a battletech video game was made feeling like simulators with story lines to help with the story lines. Never played the first, but played the second, third, and forth (Mechwarrior 4). Mechcommander and Mechcommander gold. Now MWO, and their is a battlech strategy game out now, others are playing, and I watch. But it is turned based, not real time. Their is a cartoon made in the 80s, and if you watch the series (1-13) from start to end. You will get it. At the time, I was watching it on the tv, the series was scattered, and I was like, wtf is going on? But I didn't care at the time, but the enjoyment of Battletech and their is a quad mech in the show (Bonus). But now, watching it in order, story line makes sense and it could be a movie, if only redone in DVD/HD, I would run out and get the box in a heart beat. Now, It is sad that Battletech doesn't get that noticeable or attention than any other franchise. Like for example: Transformers, and other. Myself not a Transformer fan, due to giant robots, they fold into vehicles, and unfold with weapons and talk. but they get more attention. The toys, shows, movies, and goes on for decades. Battlech is a place of War machines controlled by a human. Sitting in the cockpit, and the size of them. You are in control. over 15 years and waiting for an improvement in Battletech simulator/game, since MW4. And now the feeling, battlech will never get its attention. It will be there, but small. I dreamed of a Movie like they did with Transformers and toys, cups, t-shirts. Battletech will be alive again (maybe), but I will be in my 70s by the time it happens. MW5 is only a co-op, not looking for a server like MW4. MWO had battletech features, and story. But was tremendously fast paced (and the salty, wow. People have angry issues) will be remembered. Like one round done in two minutes without thinking, just to ball up, run to center, and all about points or else. But battletech was there. One thing I have noticed. You will never get people under 20 years old or kids playing battletech/Mechwarrior, with all the anger, old man/woman (female pilots) personalities. The anger on the headphones. Myself been there. Age group I think has a role into Battletech. I like it, and the though of playing with a 12 year old in the same sandbox, doesn't look, sound so comfortable. Want to be with people in the same age. Well, I hope Battletech rises up way better than it is now, gets highly noticed, than die off.

Edited by GuardDogg, 28 July 2019 - 09:33 AM.


#2 Dr Hobo

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Posted 28 July 2019 - 10:45 AM

Battletech wont ever recover until all the licences are under the same roof again.

Its simply too difficult to actually build a coherent world again. HBS is doing stuff with the 3rd Succession War,and that's cool and all. So maybe HBS can keep it going,but i doubt it if they keep using that godawful Unity engine.

But for Mechwarrior? I doubt well see a gem as Mechwarrior 4 and it's expansions again. Sure it had it's problems,and I replayed it again recently. But man,those mechs feel like mechs.

#3 Prototelis

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Posted 28 July 2019 - 10:53 AM

Battletech won't recover until it gets rebooted into something that makes sense, isn't primarily informed by arbitrary board game mechanics, and isn't borderline racist in places.

#4 Teenage Mutant Ninja Urbie

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Posted 28 July 2019 - 12:44 PM

View PostPrototelis, on 28 July 2019 - 10:53 AM, said:

.. and isn't borderline racist in places.


sorry, but... wtf? Posted Image

#5 Prototelis

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Posted 28 July 2019 - 12:54 PM

Some of the ways in which other cultures are represented aren't exactly appropriate.

#6 Void Angel

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Posted 28 July 2019 - 01:02 PM

Because nobody can have cultural problems or build a dystopia unless they're white.

#7 Bombast

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Posted 28 July 2019 - 01:19 PM

As others have said, Battletech will continue to limp along until the licenses are unified, and thus it can be exploited to the maximum.

There's also some merit to the idea of a reboot, from a business perspective (I loath the idea personally). I'd like to say that the same effect could be accomplished by just "restarting" the series and retelling it through other media while kind of nudging (Retconning) a thing or two here, but lets face it - There's way too many vile clanners in the fanbase to do that for long. Battletech got away with it for one game and MWO for a year or so, but you aren't going to be able to manage holding back on the Invasion for enough games/shows/whatever-media to do the lore any justice.

View PostVoid Angel, on 28 July 2019 - 01:02 PM, said:

Because nobody can have cultural problems or build a dystopia unless they're white.


To be fair, the "Good Guys" of the series are sorta based on France/Germany, while the "Bad Guys" are some sort of Asian. But that's most a perspective issue from the novels, since the lore makes it clear everyone's a jerk in some way. The problems easily sorted by just writing more stories from the perspective of the other factions.

And as for any cultural inaccuracies, luckily, Battletech has an internal safety net - None of the factions are really related to the philosophies or countries they're emulating. The Successor States were basically started by people who read way too many comic books/mangas.

#8 Prototelis

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Posted 28 July 2019 - 01:28 PM

Just the simple fact that so much of the technology and lore is informed by or written around board game rules is really off putting. Some of that **** just doesn't make any sense.

Theres also the battletech version of the "Expanded universe" which rarely agrees with itself, except for important plot points.

The clans are also, IMO, a really interesting subject and a poor implementation of a second tech base. Instead of being a built up version of the available tech base it would have been much cooler if SLDF technology was a divergent point the two tech bases shared.

IE; I think it would have been cooler if IS tech was "heavy is good" barely humanoid, slow, armored gun boats; and clans had gone damn near gundam with articulated human mechs and more close range weapons.

Edited by Prototelis, 28 July 2019 - 01:28 PM.


#9 Bombast

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Posted 28 July 2019 - 04:25 PM

View PostPrototelis, on 28 July 2019 - 01:28 PM, said:

IE; I think it would have been cooler if IS tech was "heavy is good" barely humanoid, slow, armored gun boats; and clans had gone damn near gundam with articulated human mechs and more close range weapons.


I really liked how the faction divide turned out - The IS has a blocky, tanky, industrial look with a lot of variation due to economic freedom, while early clantech was all uniform and mix-and-match reflecting their unified, conservative approach.

Personally, I think going gundam would be a horrendous, outputting choice, but its aesthetics. To each their own.

Unless someone wants to do away with 80s future tech, in which case I will fight you.

EDIT: Though yah, Clanners probably should have had more close range brawler tech than the uber-range stuff they ended up with. It was weird how the lore had the clans fighting honor duels in relatively close combat, yet their mechs all came equipped with super sniper tech.

Edited by Bombast, 28 July 2019 - 04:27 PM.


#10 Prototelis

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Posted 28 July 2019 - 04:27 PM

Thats kind of the problem tho, the clans are literally the same thing except power creeped.

#11 Thorqemada

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Posted 28 July 2019 - 04:36 PM

View PostVoid Angel, on 28 July 2019 - 01:02 PM, said:

Because nobody can have cultural problems or build a dystopia unless they're white.


Yeah, the many not white high civilizations that have ceased to exist leaving mysterious but few and far traces of existence and their survivors with a stone age like nomadic or tribal lifestyle long b4 europeans made trans and internkontinental exploration attempts totally never have happened...

Edited by Thorqemada, 28 July 2019 - 04:39 PM.


#12 Teenage Mutant Ninja Urbie

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Posted 28 July 2019 - 04:52 PM

View PostPrototelis, on 28 July 2019 - 04:27 PM, said:

Thats kind of the problem tho, the clans are literally the same thing except power creeped.


dude, no offense. you're a good pilot, no arguments there.
in terms of lore however.. first the racist-nonsense, as ALL the houses are freely made up with all the racial, cultural and whatever background one could think or care about..

then the clanner-powercreep..
which it is, by tech. but balanced by their ritualistic approach to battle, that shoots themselves in the foot when fighting IS-forces who simply don't adhere to clan code-of-honor.
*except for wolves ofc, as they have all the plotarmor they need, plus act like filthy freebirths themselves ;)


if interested, read some of the novels and sourcebooks. I don't know if they could hold up to todays standards (as in: they where great to the "15y old me", not sure the "40y old me" still likes them), but they bring in a lot of background and story.

battletech has a lot of lore, and it breathes life into the game(s). does it all make sense? hellno.
does it have to, though? I enjoy a good story, and BT has a very broad, long and complicated one.
there is no simple good and evil, there is also no racism and stuff.
just powermongering, backstabbing politicians and their pawns ;)

#13 Prototelis

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Posted 28 July 2019 - 05:01 PM

View PostTeenage Mutant Ninja Urbie, on 28 July 2019 - 04:52 PM, said:


in terms of lore however.. first the racist-nonsense


I am not the only person to draw similiar conclusions.

Quote

then the clanner-powercreep..
which it is, by tech. but balanced by their ritualistic approach to battle, that shoots themselves in the foot when fighting IS-forces who simply don't adhere to clan code-of-honor.


Doesn't translate well, especially for an IP ostensibly based around a game.

Quote

if interested, read some of the novels and sourcebooks. I don't know if they could hold up to todays standards (as in: they where great to the "15y old me", not sure the "40y old me" still likes them), but they bring in a lot of background and story.


I've read some of the books, they weren't that good.

Quote

battletech has a lot of lore, and it breathes life into the game(s). does it all make sense? hellno.


Canonicity is very important in expansive IPs with a lot of lore. Thats one of the core issues with battletech.

Quote

does it have to, though? I enjoy a good story, and BT has a very broad, long and complicated one.


So do I, but we're talking about the whole IP as a whole. It isn't one self contained story.

#14 Bombast

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Posted 28 July 2019 - 05:01 PM

View PostTeenage Mutant Ninja Urbie, on 28 July 2019 - 04:52 PM, said:

then the clanner-powercreep..
which it is, by tech. but balanced by their ritualistic approach to battle, that shoots themselves in the foot when fighting IS-forces who simply don't adhere to clan code-of-honor.


Too bad the people actually playing as clanners didn't seem to get that memo...

#15 Prototelis

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Posted 28 July 2019 - 05:05 PM

Yeah I dunno about you; but I'm not going to role play to my own detriment in a video game. Thats dumb IMO.

Although I don't like a lot of the balance decisions PGI has made, I do like the dynamic between IS and clans in this game.

#16 The pessimistic optimist

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Posted 28 July 2019 - 05:06 PM

View PostBombast, on 28 July 2019 - 05:01 PM, said:


Too bad the people actually playing as clanners didn't seem to get that memo...


Yea not much clan roll playing going on.

#17 Bombast

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Posted 28 July 2019 - 05:10 PM

View PostPrototelis, on 28 July 2019 - 05:05 PM, said:

Yeah I dunno about you; but I'm not going to role play to my own detriment in a video game. Thats dumb IMO.


Oh, this predates the video games. When Clan was released on TT, fights between IS and Clan were encouraged, and the rules encouraged people to actually put themselves in the place of Clans and have some fun.

And wouldn't you know it, even when matches were done between friends and pre-set-up in advance, Clanners still decided to throw the roleplay out in favor of squashing IS opponents. And the didn't even need a leaderboard to do it!

#18 The pessimistic optimist

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Posted 28 July 2019 - 05:22 PM

View PostBombast, on 28 July 2019 - 05:10 PM, said:


Oh, this predates the video games. When Clan was released on TT, fights between IS and Clan were encouraged, and the rules encouraged people to actually put themselves in the place of Clans and have some fun.

And wouldn't you know it, even when matches were done between friends and pre-set-up in advance, Clanners still decided to throw the roleplay out in favor of squashing IS opponents. And the didn't even need a leaderboard to do it!


Yup it's hard to make people roll play if there advantage in not roll playing.

#19 colt

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Posted 28 July 2019 - 05:26 PM

Problem is Battletech's core genre needs new developers. I am still active fan of the original game itself, along with it's electronic children. Problem nowadays is the original game too slow for people, it's quick paper version "Alpha Strike" is too simplistic, losing the things that made playing game fun as well interesting. Losing components, like your arms, leg, death by head etc. I find many of the people who would potentially be interested in playing the game for first time are turned off by it's crunchy-ness that can end up being 4 hour affair.

HBS's Battletech is good. Perhaps better in some cases depending on what you want out your game. MWO's MW5 is big question mark, given it's murky situation its in by it's developers and Epic Game Store's bad management.

Hopefully Topps and Microsoft (electronic rights owners) will do something with it once our current licenced companies fade off.

#20 Bombast

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Posted 28 July 2019 - 05:29 PM

View PostSirSmokes, on 28 July 2019 - 05:22 PM, said:

Yup it's hard to make people roll play if there advantage in not roll playing.


This was one of the fundamental flaws with Mechwarrior as an arena shooter. As a primarily single player video game, Clan tech advantage actually makes sense. But if TT players can't stick to a pre-arranged scenario with people who are physically close enough to actually punch each other in the face, what hope do a bunch of randos on the internet with anonymity have?





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