THE MECHS
- In Hawken, the mechs feel small, but they also feel really heavy. Momentum and falls really communicate a feel of weight.
- In MW:O, the mechs feel bigger, but they feel more like rolling tanks than walking mechs. Momentum really isn't felt at all; you just have accelleration and decelleration. The falls are kinda nice, but the landings don't make much of a thump.
- In Hawken, the cockpit, HUD, and environment feel gritty. The film grain and the textures add to a very dystopian outlook. Everything looks and feels battered. Also, the little things like concrete kicking up when you land or sparks flying when you grind against a wall add to the overall atmosphere.
- In MW:O, the cockpit is pretty clean, and the hud is very technical. This fits with the complexity of previous BattleTech games, which I like. However, it doesn't feel very visceral. Neither does the environment. There are lots of little things that bother me. For instance, there are forests of trees that you simply walk through. I mean that you literally walk THROUGH the trees. There's no clipping or knocking over the tree models... just walking as if they aren't even there. And we're talking trees that are taller than the mechs. It just feels a lot like plastic models tramping around a plastic arena.
- In Hawken, the gameplay is fast and chaotic once the firing begins. I love/hate the fact that I lose track of other mechs during a firefight, because everything is happening too fast. With the Siege and Missile maps, there is a clear feeling of team coordination, although deathmatch and team deathmatch just feel like a mess.
- In MW:O, no matter what the map type, it still feels like team deathmatch. You tromp around and fire more methodically, since it takes so long to take down a single mech. Small groups isolate players on the other team to take them down, and if you're the one isolated, you're toast.
- Hawken, I love you. I have said so with my alpha and beta participation despite the fact that I couldn't join a server while you ironed out issues, and I have bought a Vanguard pack. Hawken feels a lot like Counter Strike with mechs and with respawn. Respawn is important when you want players to feel free to experiment with tactics, and tactics is what I like.
- MW:O, I'm currently feeling a little down about you. I wanted fast-paced action from Hawken, but from MW:O, I wanted an intimate relationship with my mech. I wanted something that felt heavier, bigger, and much more like a realistic simulation. Instead, I got a 3D BattleTech game that just feels like playing with toys. Where's the sim feel of the old games? There's no need to compete with Hawken; there's plenty of room for two, different mech games. Still, can't we get a more simulator-style mech game from the MechWarrior label?
Anyone have comments, disagreements, or other experiences?