Battletech (PC Strategy Game)

Hollister · Sep 30, 2016

Here you two are complaining about the wrong amount of LRM tubes while the thing blatantly has a rocket launcher on it, that doesnt follow any of the current tube amounts while also being from the incorrect time.

i wonder if they are throwing timelined weapons out the door because that could be a MML-7 and rocket 40?

Tuonela · Sep 30, 2016

Well, personally, while having exact fidelity of the missiles coming out of hte proper number of tubes is cool, I don't care that much, especially at the scale the perspective will be in. As long as the gameplay is fun.

MagnusEffect · Sep 30, 2016

Hollister said: ↑

Here you two are complaining about the wrong amount of LRM tubes while the thing blatantly has a rocket launcher on it, that doesnt follow any of the current tube amounts while also being from the incorrect time.

i wonder if they are throwing timelined weapons out the door because that could be a MML-7 and rocket 40?
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are you talking about the "cheese grater" or thing that looks like a shower drain? i dont think that's a rocket launcher. I'm pretty certain that's an IR/radar/whatchamacallit sensor thing. It's in the same location on the concept art.

i would not be overly concerned.

Hollister · Sep 30, 2016

MagnusEffect said: ↑

are you talking about the "cheese grater" or thing that looks like a shower drain? i dont think that's a rocket launcher. I'm pretty certain that's an IR/radar/whatchamacallit sensor thing. It's in the same location on the concept art.

i would not be overly concerned.
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The drawing looks more like a sensor unit, while the model looks more like a rocket pod from a helicopter.

MagnusEffect · Sep 30, 2016

Hollister said: ↑

The drawing looks more like a sensor unit, while the model looks more like a rocket pod from a helicopter.

Click to expand...

I get that, but it makes not even remote sense for it to be the latter.... especially considering the unit and the same placement as the former. This is the first battletech game where the creators know at least as much about the franchise as the fans do. I would not be worried... at least in terms of the game being acceptably canonical.

LagCat · Sep 30, 2016

*Cough Cough* The original lore for the striker had each LRM "tube" having the rack in it. So each of those Large LRM tubes is a volley of LRM missiles ala the modeler system for MLRS systems in the USA. As for the light on the right side of the tank it's modeled on night fighting equipment from modern vehicles, ala this....

Hollister · Oct 1, 2016

MagnusEffect said: ↑

I get that, but it makes not even remote sense for it to be the latter.... especially considering the unit and the same placement as the former. This is the first battletech game where the creators know at least as much about the franchise as the fans do. I would not be worried... at least in terms of the game being acceptably canonical.
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Thought we are battletech fans... that means we must scrutinize every last detail and make sure it is correct.

MagnusEffect · Oct 1, 2016

Tuonela said: ↑

Well, personally, while having exact fidelity of the missiles coming out of hte proper number of tubes is cool, I don't care that much, especially at the scale the perspective will be in. As long as the gameplay is fun.
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Agreed. Also keep in mind that individual units will be relatively small in the players view. The number of missile tubes and other minute details on units will not be very noticeable in any practical view during gameplay. I would expect some minor exaggeration of features to make units distinguishable

Hakija · Oct 1, 2016

MagnusEffect said: ↑

Agreed. Also keep in mind that individual units will be relatively small in the players view. The number of missile tubes and other minute details on units will not be very noticeable in any practical view during gameplay. I would expect some minor exaggeration of features to make units distinguishable
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IT MATTERS

Lardaltef · Oct 1, 2016

Hakija said: ↑

IT MATTERS
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I think trev is saying he will never zoom in to look at how pretty stuff is when there is a lull in the battle. So it does matter.

LagCat · Dec 2, 2016

Introducing the Main Characters of our Mercenary Story + Merch, MechCon, & More...
Hey everyone, Mitch here!

Wow, it’s December already! It’s shocking how time flies when you throw yourself into making video games and I think I can speak for the whole studio when I ask, “Where did the time go?” (BTW the answer is, “In the game!”) It’s been awhile since our last update because (as we mentioned last time) we’ve had our heads-down on a major milestone and this is our first chance to come up for air. I know that last time we said you should expect one more Kickstarter update before the end of the year but the team’s been making so much progress in so many areas simultaneously that we decided that we had to write two.

Along with all the great stuff we’ve been working on, the team has been refining our BattleTech story (similar to our process on the Shadowrun series) and we’re itching to share our cast of characters with you. So today’s update is focused on introducing you to some of the main characters and factions of our single-player campaign, as well as some info about the Backer Beta and a couple of announcements. In our final (and I mean it) update of the year, we’ll give you a nice overview of our production progress and maybe a few little surprises.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

For the purpose of making introductions, we're taking you three years beyond the point where our June Campaign Setting Details update left off, into the thick of a conflict that threatens to tear the Aurigan Reach apart. The bios and descriptions below could all be considered MILD SPOILERS - they occur after the inciting events of the game's Prologue chapter - so if you'd like to remain completely spoiler-free, you may want to skip reading this section. For everyone else: let's meet the main cast of BATTLETECH!

The Restoration

In late 3022, control of the Aurigan Coalition was forcefully seized by the old regime's longtime ally, House Espinosa. The rightful High Lady, Kamea Arano, managed to escape the coup and disappear into the Rimward Frontier. Working in secret, she began sowing the seeds for her own return to power: the Arano Restoration, a liberating army with the clandestine support of the Magistracy of Canopus.

The Directorate

When House Espinosa seized control of the Aurigan Coalition, they subjugated the Founding Houses and conscripted their House militias into a standing army. Under Espinosa leadership, the realm has been reformed into the Directorate, an authoritarian power with strong ties to the Taurian Concordat.

Mercenaries

The flight and command crew of your own mercenary outfit, these hardened veterans work behind the scenes to keep your MechWarriors fighting and the C-Bills rolling in.

In our story, you’ll interact with your mercenary crew on the Argo, along with various major personages from the Aurigan Reach. Over the course of the single-player campaign, you'll get to know these characters via personal conversations, crew briefings, and story cinematics. And of course, they'll also be communicating with you in-mission while your lance is deployed as seen in our Super-Pre-Alpha gameplay video.

MERCH! MERCH! MERCH!

That’s right, merch baby! Negotiations have concluded and we’re extremely pleased to announce that HBS has secured a license from The Topps Company (who own the intellectual property rights for physical goods) to create and sell a limited amount of BattleTech merchandise. We are also excited to say that we will be working with Piranha Games on this effort, so the merchandise line will support both the video games and the complete BattleTech timeline (yup, including the Clans).

Since we will be offering a limited amount of merchandise, we want each item to be as special as it can be. Therefore, we’re focusing on high quality items which are either artifacts from the BattleTech/MechWarrior universe or sophisticated celebrations of the franchise. The Kickstarter Backers heraldry kit and flight jacket rewards represent the level of detail and quality you can expect from all the items we offer.

In order to ensure that none of the funding you put towards developing BATTLETECH is at risk, we’ll set a minimum order quantity for each item and only manufacture exactly what y’all order. Think of it kind of like crowdfunding - until we have enough committed orders, we won’t make the item or complete your credit card payment, and then we’ll onlymanufacture what is ordered. That way, we don’t “waste” one of our limited offerings on something only a few of you want or make a ton of stuff that sits in a warehouse gathering dust.

It took us a long time to get this together but now that we’re here, it's gonna happen fast. So start squirreling away some C-bills and look for more info in our next update.

Huzzah for merch!!!

HOW ABOUT THAT BETA?
Whether it’s at GenCon, PAX, or on http://battletechgame.com/, the biggest questions we get these days is, “When’s the Backer Beta start?” The answer we’ve been giving is “Winter”. Well, Winter starts December 21st so it’s time to spill some (limited) info.

Now in case you didn’t know, HBS has never done an external beta before, so we’re entering new ground here. Obviously, we’ll do our best but as you well know, “No plan survives contact...” and all that. Therefore, in order to prepare for the Backer Beta, we’re currently working towards a dry-run of the beta experience for our family members to “blow out the pipes”, test our process, and make sure everything’s ready for you.

Until we complete our dry-run and make any necessary adjustments to our plans, we won’t be able to give you a firmer date for the Backer Beta, but we can tell you that it’s targeted to begin sometime in the late January - early March timeframe and will run for at least a month. Once that beta is up and running, we’ll start things off with SKIRMISH MODE and then add PVP MULTIPLAYER after a period of time. The goal of the beta is to test our core combat system and will only be a slice of the shipping game’s total content, so it won’t include ALL the ‘Mechs, MechWarriors, maps, and environments that will come in the finished game. (Also remember, the open-ended mercenary campaign and single-player story will NOT be part of our Backer Beta.)

As noted in our Kickstarter rewards, only Backers at the $50 MECHWARRIOR reward level and above will have access to the Backer Beta, but there will be no restrictions on participants sharing their impressions, screenshots, etc. so that everyone can stay in the loop.

More Beta logistics and details will be forthcoming closer to the Beta launch announcement.
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Shocked this wasn't posted yet

Edit tl;dr: some character info for main factions/your company as well as merchandising deal with topps/pgi. Beta tentative for end of January to early March

Lardaltef · Dec 2, 2016

LagCat said: ↑

Shocked this wasn't posted yet

Edit tl;dr: some character info for main factions/your company as well as merchandising deal with topps/pgi. Beta tentative for end of January to early March
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Ain't nobody got time for that.

Dihm · Dec 2, 2016

I hadn't even seen it yet.

Much excite. Many boner

Skwisgaar · Dec 20, 2016

Dihm · Dec 20, 2016

Prepare for sploosh

Skwisgaar · Dec 20, 2016

This turned out to be an excellent opportunity to address a part of the game I wasn’t satisfied with: the small weapons. Machine guns, small lasers and flamers are woefully underpowered, underused, and generally a poor choice when you’re customizing. Especially when melee is so powerful relative to other weapons, why would you ever fire your small laser at all?

So the small weapons are simply incorporated into your melee attack. If you have them, and you punch, you also fire any small weapons you have. For a good time, get in close with a Firestarter and punch the enemy. You’ll also blast them with four flamers worth of damage and heat, on top of the punch itself. It’s pretty great, and gives ‘Mechs with high tonnage and small weapons (looking at you, Battlemaster) a reason to have the small weapons: the punch rips off the target’s armor, and the MGs spew possible criticals into the structure.
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Dihm · Dec 20, 2016

So the small weapons are simply incorporated into your melee attack. If you have them, and you punch, you also fire any small weapons you have. For a good time, get in close with a Firestarter and punch the enemy. You’ll also blast them with four flamers worth of damage and heat, on top of the punch itself. It’s pretty great, and gives ‘Mechs with high tonnage and small weapons (looking at you, Battlemaster) a reason to have the small weapons: the punch rips off the target’s armor, and the MGs spew possible criticals into the structure.
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Moro Ibex · Dec 20, 2016

Skwisgaar · Dec 20, 2016

That would be an awesome rule to change to standard BT or Megamek - any weapons with damage potential of 3 or less can be fired once per turn, in either the Shooting Phase or immediately after making a Melee attack (must use same target as melee attack).

Trevnor · Dec 20, 2016

Yeah, this update made me hard

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Battletech (PC Strategy Game)

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