36 replies to this topic

[Hawkeye 72]

Not to spam the message board but as an introductory post I thought I would elaborate on my joy at this game happening and some thoughts on it.

I started playing Mechwarrior 2: 31st Century Combat when it was first released at the wonderfully young age of six. Thus began the obsession that spanned almost all the novels (only a few I haven't gotten my hands on), two of the tabletop games (tho I want The Dark Age series stricken from canon), and all the video games. I even went on to wear a mech Halloween costume in elementary school and write my own background on TRO's on the old website dropshipcommand.com.

I had my worries with the series direction after MW4: Vengeance, and my fears became realized when the sole reason I bought an xbox, or Mechassault, turned into a colossal piece of garbage and betrayed what Mechwarrior was meant to be. Combine that with the Dark Age series and the increasingly bad outlook for Mechwarrior 5 ever happening and I was eventually forced to abandon hope for the series to be restored and left for the Halo universe.

Now that actual game footage is online, I am finally letting myself believe again and feel Mechwarrior Online is capturing everything that makes the franchise great. I absolutely love what I am seeing and cannot wait to jump back into the cockpit (hopefully of a Battlemaster or Summoner).

Quick wish-list for the game

1. Sound--hearing the start-up sequence in the trailer was beautiful, and the in-game sound is solid. However if the game decides to put in a soundtrack I pray it goes back to the roots of MW2 and ditches the junk music of recent entries. When I jump in the cockpit, I want the music to sound inspiring and powerful, not a generic one-track set that sounds like a high school rock band. Best option would be to allow custom music, but I have faith this game will get this right regardless of my wishes.

2. Customization--from what I've read, it seems as though customization will go back to its roots and also have a visual impact on the mech. Awesome. While customization may not have been completely accurate in MW 2 and 3, it allowed for a lot of depth and possibilities. Mechwarrior 4 and beyond felt dumbed down and too simple. I hope this goes back to the old days or finds a new healthy balance

3. This is a sim, not an fps--this was clearly stated in some of the previews much to my relief. I am tired of hanging out with the Call of Duty crowd and want to go back to intellectual gaming. Roles, balance, strategy-these are all staples of the franchise.

4. Treat the game with respect--as I have seen on the message boards, a lot of players from the 80's and 90's are flocking back to this game. For good reason too. I just hope the game not only rewards those who were there in the beginning, but also respects the years put into making this franchise one of the best.

5. Lot's of mechs--and I mean lots. I know its a task, but we all have our favorites and allowing players to use the ones they love-even if its just an aesthetic difference-will really make this game. While I understand there will be a set number at the release of the game, I don't see why we can't approach 60+ mechs with today's technology.

6. Money--I would easily shell out 80 bucks for this game if its done right. Free is even better and no doubt I will make micro-transactions-but don't abuse this feature like other games. I've read threads on here that have settled my worries, but this should always be stressed.

7. Functionality over graphics--I love a good looking game, but I don't stare at framed pictures all day for entertainment. Depth and functionality keeps players coming back, not how pretty it looks. Just look at minecraft.

That's it. The Q&A articles are comforting-the developers seem to know exactly what to do. I am psyched to see this franchise get back on its feet and even more excited because for the first time in a long time I feel like the series is getting the attention it deserves. Feels good to get back into the universe.

[spoiler] my first post...seems too easy...because it is [\spoiler]

Edited by Hawkeye 72, 09 April 2012 - 06:56 AM.

[SnowDragon]

Welcome to the forums. THis is shaping up to be an excellent game, no?

[stabwest]

I'm afraid the wait is not quite over, still some waiting left to do. The waiting is the hardest part.

[pcunite]

It is looking like the game we've dreamed of that's for sure. I want to really customize the HUD: colors, flat not 3D, and object placements.

[Mason Ventris]

Quote

[color=#959595]I had my worries with the series direction after MW4: Vengeance, and my fears became realized when the sole reason I bought an xbox, or Mechassault, turned into a colossal piece of garbage and betrayed what Mechwarrior was meant to be. Combine that with the Dark Age series and the increasingly bad [/color]outlook[color=#959595] for Mechwarrior 5 ever happening and I was eventually forced to abandon hope for the series to be restored and left for the Halo universe. [/color]

Ya know I get tired of seeing this. For one Mechassault was made on the Xbox. A system that is available to the masses. It has 8 buttons not counting joystick clicks and the d-pad. How in the world do people get mad when it is "nothing like my mechwarrior that I know". There is no possible way for them to have made a similar Mechwarrior title from the PC on the xbox, unless they made you buy a ridiculous controller set up a la Steel Battalion. Most console gamers wouldn't have forked the cash to buy it. As a game goes the Mechassault games were pretty good.

Secondly, the Dark Age series novels are as good as any before them. Heck Stackpole even wrote some of 'em.

I love Mechwarrior just as much as the next person, but some of you hold on to that older stuff like a toddler does to a security blanket, to worried to let go and experience something new.

[Thomas Hogarth]

Mason Ventris, on 14 March 2012 - 07:46 PM, said:

Ya know I get tired of seeing this. For one Mechassault was made on the Xbox. A system that is available to the masses. It has 8 buttons not counting joystick clicks and the d-pad. How in the world do people get mad when it is "nothing like my mechwarrior that I know". There is no possible way for them to have made a similar Mechwarrior title from the PC on the xbox, unless they made you buy a ridiculous controller set up a la Steel Battalion. Most console gamers wouldn't have forked the cash to buy it. As a game goes the Mechassault games were pretty good.

Secondly, the Dark Age series novels are as good as any before them. Heck Stackpole even wrote some of 'em.

I love Mechwarrior just as much as the next person, but some of you hold on to that older stuff like a toddler does to a security blanket, to worried to let go and experience something new.

Let's be fair. MechAssault could have been a lot better and used the same button count. The whole jacking into mechs thing was not at all influenced by the small number of controls. I gave the game an honest try, and found it lacking. I gave the sequel an honest try, and found it lacking.

Also, the first few Dark Age novels weren't the best examples of writing in this setting. True, later novels became much better and worthy reads in their own right, but those first few novels were terrible. It's not uncommon for people to form opinions based on a few bad eggs, especially when those bad eggs are the first you eat.

[Shai tan]

Tired of seeing peeps down on MechAssault? Imho the bad feelings aimed at that title are totally understood. MA literally heralded the demise/end of Mech games on PC. After MAs release, we saw no more PC Mechwarrior games. And this will probably be still held onto until we start to see reason to let go. And so far, there is no reason to move on. And no, MWO being released sometime in the next 8 months is hardly reason enough.

And as for too worried to experience something new? I call B/S on that 1 too. Cause the Mech community as a whole has been literally screaming for an actual REAL Next Gen PC Mech experience, for almost 11 years. These screams fell on deaf ears. The industry on a whole seemed more interested in releasing mostly crap .... with the downhill hill slide into console fodder territory.

As always time will tell. If MWO actually delivers, it will be the 1st time a dev actually delivered on promises, and the hype was was deserved.

Edited by shai`tan, 14 March 2012 - 07:58 PM.

[Hawkeye 72]

Mechassault had its strengths and was fun, but compared to the previous entries and games like chromehounds it didn't quite live up to expectations. I logged a lot of hours on it but couldn't muster up the motivation to purchase the sequel. And I gave an honest effort towards Dark Age. I probably purchased 200 figurines and half the novels, but it just wasn't the same quality. I blame the 50 year jump in the timeline. It's not so much I am afraid of change or something new, but the way it was handled was poor. They tried to introduce too many new factions/people/Mechs while abandoning the old. It's hard to start from scratched on something you invested so much into.

New is good when handled properly. It was just too much too soon. For now let's just be happy the franchise is back!

[Randal Waide]

Wait you're that kid in the Mad Cat (Timber Wolf-Sorry I'm Inner Sphere) costume on you tube?

[Mason Ventris]

The thing about something "new" was not based on the release of a new next gen Mechwarrior game. I meant that it seems that people want to cling to the Mechwarrior past - the novels, tabletop games, and PC games. It seems that for many Mechwarriors out there time ends right before the Word of Blake Jihad and MW4. It seems a little closed-minded and also could account for the end of Mechwarrior games. You never know. Developers could have heard this same rhetoric after MW4:Mercs and decided "hey lets go make another game". I don't know I wasn't to involved at that time with the whole online community thing.

I'm not saying that MWO should totally scrap the Mechwarrior recipe, but adding a few ingredients wouldn't hurt. Which already it sounds like they have, cause honestly if this was just the same game with a shiny new coating I wouldn't have wasted my time. If I wanted that I'd go play CoD.

[Tryg]

You're going to get rough sentiment like this anytime a game or franchise is altered drastically to appeal to a new market. Because in doing so, it almost always tramples on what the existing fanbase enjoys most about the game or franchise. Now while this can be true of anything, it is especially so for titles that move from PC to console. I can see the advantages to console gaming, it minimizes hardware problems by keeping everyone on approximately the same hardware. However, in doing so, it drastically reduces the life-expectancy of any title made for it. What is 'top of the line' when a console is new, is old tech long before the next variant of that console hits the market. Whereas with PC gaming, tech is constantly evolving and improving and users can upgrade as they go, allowing games to progress further and further.

In regards to Dark Ages, I've read the first nineteen of em. And they're not bad. But they just lack the feel that the books set around the fourth succession war and the clan invasion had. And yes, for some folks, classic is better. A good example of having 'selective interests' in something that is part of the same franchise is in cars. Classic Mustangs are a good example. Look at a first or second gen mustang, or even really a fourth of fifth gen, then look at the third generation. Its a perfect example of something popular done wrong with the best intent simply because of the trends of the time.

[FireNova]

Mason Ventris, on 14 March 2012 - 08:13 PM, said:

I meant that it seems that people want to cling to the Mechwarrior past - the novels, tabletop games, and PC games. It seems that for many Mechwarriors out there time ends right before the Word of Blake Jihad and MW4. It seems a little closed-minded and also could account for the end of Mechwarrior games.

[PewPew]

I have to re-emphasize the importance of sound. I have a strong feeling this will get the least attention while it's incredibly important.

BF3 may be a piece of crap game, but I sometimes play it just to hear the incredible sound design.

Also, I hope they just minimize the amount of music they use. I'd be perfectly happy with generic music during menus and load screens. One group or another is going to have problems with whatever genre of music it is unless Piranha's paying some legitimate composers.

[Hawkeye 72]

Randal Waide, on 14 March 2012 - 08:12 PM, said:

Wait you're that kid in the Mad Cat (Timber Wolf-Sorry I'm Inner Sphere) costume on you tube?

Nope I was a Summoner (Thor) and this was years before

In regards to Dark Age, I can accept that the timeline must progress, but what was great about Battletech was that the players felt a part of the game and history. The problem was the timeline jump left out the fans. Instead of seeing what happened during the Jihad and what happened to all the characters we loved, we were left guessing and stuck in a universe that felt more like an alternate reality rather than canon.

But in order to avoid a flame war on my first post and my post was more a celebration of a new Mechwarrior game than a debate of history, let's just all be happy we have a new game to debate on forums

[Mason Ventris]

Go on....

[Name140704]

Mason Ventris, on 14 March 2012 - 07:46 PM, said:

Ya know I get tired of seeing this. For one Mechassault was made on the Xbox. A system that is available to the masses. It has 8 buttons not counting joystick clicks and the d-pad. How in the world do people get mad when it is "nothing like my mechwarrior that I know". There is no possible way for them to have made a similar Mechwarrior title from the PC on the xbox, unless they made you buy a ridiculous controller set up a la Steel Battalion. Most console gamers wouldn't have forked the cash to buy it. As a game goes the Mechassault games were pretty good.

Secondly, the Dark Age series novels are as good as any before them. Heck Stackpole even wrote some of 'em.

I love Mechwarrior just as much as the next person, but some of you hold on to that older stuff like a toddler does to a security blanket, to worried to let go and experience something new.

Oh...

I see we disagree here. I beat Mechassault the day I bought it. Mechassault online play was laughable at best, with rarely any more thought given to strategy or manouvering than a fat kid does running for a cupcake.

I wasn't afraid to try it, I was sad that I bought it.

As to Mechwarrior Dark Age, the 'mechs took third place after vehicles and infantry. Mechless armies took the championships. The developers turned it in to a self-gratifying load of garbage after the first expansion. Trovic Nilloba, JES Tank ( Jenna Elaine Silversomething, another developer), Kelly Bonilla putting herself in to the game, and stupid anime looking 'mechs with giant poles or wings on them. The power-creep was insane; the overpowered figures were king with mixed armies taking the day. There was a 30+ page rules correction handbook for a game you were supossed to play with minimal setup. Do I need to go on?

The idea of the Dark Age wasn't the problem. The execution of it was.


I'm finished now I need to go find my blue blanket.

[Hawkeye 72]

NARCoMAN great to see a fellow Hoosier on here

[Tannhauser Gate]

I agree with everything Hawkeye said in the original post except mech customization being like MW2 and 3. It should be variant driven with some customization based on switching similar weapon types etc.. Pretty much what PGI has planned for MWO.

I played MA. Its a decent arcade game but I agree that it represented the confirmation of people's fears that BT and MW were starting to become fps/arcde games since MW4. I have to laugh until I soil myself though when some mental vagrant argues that MA was the best MW game ever and all future games should be more like MA.

Dark Age? meh..

[FinnMcKool]

hey I love the Old ,but Im open to the new, but lets face it MS. dumbed everything they touched down,and mostly
so they could pretend the xbox wasnt a computer, problem is if they would just have incorporated a mouse and
keyboard it would really have killed PC games , but they wanted their cake and eat it to, and so they got it and
PC gamers suffered.
This wasnt just Mechwarrior , look at Halo it was in Beta for the PC and MS. got it , just to sell their Xbox , and look
at Privater after MS got it , it was just a shell of what it was before and then Mechwarrior 4 , the Graphics didnt
even match Mechwarrior 3 , Im sorry for going down on MS. , but they arnt good for games and I blame them mostly
for this long wait.

its so Ironic that the best games have been for the PC , yet MS. is so bad for games,where s the justice.????

anyway this seems to be a chance for new and old to come together in a wonderful way ???
Ill be first in line even if it fails most of my expectations ....after all it is Mechwarrior.

[Ian Hall]

Nice post Hawkeye! I have much the same history, my cousin introduced me to Mechwarrior 2 back in '95 (I remember, 'cause he had a 3d graphics card... woooooooow!) and I've played the games and read the books since. For me, I first saw the series start to slide with MW3. Don't get me wrong, Microsoft saved their butts with MW4, but I'm still a little mad. Seriously... who listened to the guy who said "You know what? Let's just take out most of the Mechs and just repeat the same 4 music tracks over and over again. The fans totally won't notice!"

Anyway, this project looks awesome and I can't wait!