The new forums will be named Coin Return (based on the most recent vote)! You can check on the status and timeline of the transition to the new forums here.
The Guiding Principles and New Rules document is now in effect.
[MechWarrior/BATTLETECH] THREAD DESIGNATED FOR DISASSEMBLY, SEE NEW THREAD
Nips
He/HimLuxuriating in existential crisis.Registered User regular
He/HimLuxuriating in existential crisis.Registered User regular
See the most amazing announcement in Oosik Irregulars history here, by the lead developer of CGL! The Oosiks are canon!
Reactor...online. Sensors...online. Weapons...online. All systems nominal.
Greetings potential pilot, and welcome to the Mark 4.2 Mechwarrior Online OP, now with 200% more WubWub and 5000% more hyphens and commas!
It has been reorganized, and in some spots rewritten, to provide more relevant and concise information for our growing roster of pilots.
If you have anything you would like to see added to the OP, or notice any errors, please contact @Nips and I'll do my best to update the post.
Remember pilots, this is Battletech. Around these parts, common sense is Lostech.
http://youtu.be/ea3spOtjLmI
What is Mechwarrior Online?
Mechwarrior Online is a free-to-play, PC-based, online shooter produced by Piranha Games Interactive. MWO places you in the command seat of a heavily armed and armored walking battle machine that you pilot in team-based matches against other Mechwarriors. Your mech is very customizable and able to field a huge assortment of energy, ballistic, and missile weapons along with an array of modules and other utility items. At the end of each match you earn C-Bills, the in-game currency used to buy more items and mechs, and experience that is used to enhance the piloting abilities of your war machines. Between matches, you can customize your mech with a variety of engines, weapons, subsystem modules, and chassis enhancements until you have your chosen chassis tailored to your liking.
There are currently six game modes:
- In Skirmish, your team is pitted directly against the enemy team in a battle to the death! The team with the last mech standing wins.
- In Assault, you and your team attempt to capture the enemy team's base without losing your own, or eliminate the enemy team.
- For Incursion, which is similar to Assault, each team controls a base with fixed and destructible defenses (turrets, walls, etc.). Three command vehicles in each team's base must be destroyed for total victory.
- Conquest is a traditional domination mode where you and your team are attempting to control resource nodes that generate victory points. The first team to reach 750 victory points, or that eliminates the opposing force, wins.
- Domination focuses on controlling a central zone on a map, with tertiary objectives to destroy. If a team is uncontested in the zone, their timer decrements until victory; destroying the tertiary objectives adds time back to the timer.
- Escort pits one team as the Defenders, escorting a (hilariously over-armored) VIP Atlas across the map. Meanwhile, the opposing Attackers attempt to destroy the VIP.
Sounds good, where do I start?
1.) Download the client at http://www.mwomercs.com, or download it from Steam and install it.
2.) Once logged into the game, go through the Training Academy tutorials. This game has a bit of a learning curve to it and while it's not super-steep, it's definitely not just a jump-in-and-click-things-until-you-win sort of game. Be sure to watch the Weapon Grouping video as it'll do the most to help keep you alive. Chain fire is your friend, learn to use it.
2a.) Penny Arcade also did some Pilot Safety Posters and while they're humorous, they do have some good information in them.
3.) When you start the game you will have access to a number of trial mechs that rotate out for new mechs every month or so. These are non-customizable mechs, designed by PGI and the community for ease-of-entry into learning the game (except for the Stalker; that thing's a newbie death trap). Select a mech, and use the in-game Tutorial and Training Grounds to get a feel for how the game controls. Move around. Shoot your guns. Try overheating, then remember that overheating is bad.
4.) Jump into real matches! After each match you will earn some C-Bills, Mech XP, and General XP. C-Bills are the in-game currency used to buy everything except cosmetic items. At the end of each of your first twenty-five matches, you'll earn a Cadet C-bill bonus that you can save up to purchase your first mech. You'll also earn Mech XP, which is specific to the mech you earned it on and is used to buy piloting enhancements like faster torso rotation or better heat mitigation. You'll also also earn General XP that can be used on any mech, and can also be used to unlock modules and module improvements.
5.) Mech Credits (MC) are the in-game currency that you purchase with real money in order to shortcut your way to a new mechs and equipment. MC is also used to purchase premium account status and cosmetic items for your mech like new paint jobs, and items to put in your cockpit like bobblehead dolls.
6.) Need more advice? There's a solid Reddit thread here for new or returning players.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheOosiks
Our anthem.
We play on the Penny Arcade Ventrilo server; it's dangerous to go alone, so be sure to take this!
http://www.ventrilo.com/download.php
Host: vent15.gameservers.com
Port: 4384
Password: Ask one of the thread regulars!
Our man @Gnome-Interruptus has also set us up with a MWO/BT specific Discord channel, for those so inclined:
https://discord.gg/dpbeXd2
Thanks Gnome!
Interested in other Voice Comms/Team-Up Opportunities? Check the next post about Community Warfare!
The Origins of the Oosik Irregulars
CycloneRanger wrote:The Oosik Irregulars formed when the 2nd Oosik Regulars, while deploying to protect a critical steelworks on Twycross, "mis-calculated" a set of jump coordinates and arrived instead in orbit of Talisker IV. Apparently not realizing the mistake, the Oosiks took up defensive positions--which would later prove fortunate, as the planet was subject to a surprise attack by a combined-arms force of 'mechs and infantry in an attempt to take control of its HPG uplink. In the ensuing battle, the HPG uplink was swiftly destroyed (allegedly due to friendly fire), but the Oosiks--now out of contact with their command structure--elected to remain on Talisker IV. They dug in around the capital city--incidentally home of the sector's only Class 3 brewery--and prepared to fight an extended siege. In the following weeks, the Oosiks earned a reputation as one of the most obdurate and immovable companies in the Inner Sphere. According to contemporary accounts, they could be dislodged neither by any quantity of enemy fire nor by the direct, angrily-shouted orders of their superiors.
In the aftermath of the conflict, the Oosik Irregulars became a mercenary unit, claiming Talisker IV as their base of operations henceforth.
Who are the Oosik Irregulars?
We are a very loosely organized (and by loosely we mean not at all) mercenary corp that is open to anyone who wants to join. The Penny Arcade community frequently makes loose groups for new games just to make it easier to find people to play with, and while this started out as just another one of those it has grown into so much more. We formed under the banner of The Oosik Irregulars as a way to honor the great forumer @A Flock Of Walrus who brought us closed beta footage at the expense of his access to the game, and have since become a tightly-knit group of very active players.
We don't care about player skill levels or general MWO experience. Our primary goal is to have fun and help each other out, including brand new players. If this is your first time launching the game we'll happily drop alongside you. We have a lot of experienced community members more than willing to help you out and I can't think of a single person that would refuse to let you roll in a lance with them. If you're an experienced pilot already then you'll also find players looking to push themselves as hard as possible in this game, and who are constantly working to improve their game. There is something for everyone in the Oosiks Irregulars!
How do I join the Oosik Irregulars?
The good news is you already have! There is no application, no interview, no skill level check, or anything else involved. Just show up, start playing, and don't be shy in the thread. We mostly don't bite.
Do you guys stream matches at all?
Several fine gentlemen in the Oosiks have thrown a stream party or two. Keep your eyes and ears on the thread! You just never know when.
Where can I get a sig from!?
PM @Nips, @TOGSolid, or @Kashaar
What's this I hear about Oosik swag? I'm an Oosik now, and I'm woefully swag-free.
Check out @Nips sig! He likes giving away freebies to underserved, swag-less Oosiks. Be sure to send him a PM, or he might not see your request!
What the hell is a Targeting Computer? Or a Command Console? Why should I care?
You generally shouldn't care, but if you're interested (and not in-game, when you're doing your theorycrafting, follow this link to an image that details what these pieces of equipment do!
Command Console and Target Computer Stats
1.) Flanking is god.
If there is a primary battle line and you're not in a mech that needs to be holding that line then circle around and pounce the stragglers/high value targets like LRM boats. Jumping the LRM boats is an especially game-changing thing to do because once those LRMs stop flying PUG players get really emboldened and ballsy. Even if you die you will still be the big god-damn hero. Learning the maps is a huge part of this; use the terrain to your advantage to successfully jump and annihilate packs of targets.
2.) Learn your range bands and proper positioning.
If you are a brawler then that doesn't necessarily mean you need to get in ASAP. Allow the fight to evolve a bit and wait for targets of opportunity. Go off to the sides and see if you have open lines to approach on to catch your enemies unaware. Conversely, if you are sniper and can still freely shoot things then why move in if you don't have to? Obviously, if you need to reposition to take advantage of the changing battle lines then do so but moving in just to move in? Nah, don't do this. This also kinda applies to brawlers since this is how you end up with a giant clusterfuck of people all at 10 meters trying to get hits in.
3.) Learn your mech.
Trying to get into a hill humping contest with a Stalker while you're in an Atlas? Bad idea. Your guns are low slung and you have to expose yourself a lot to use them. Doing it in a Jager? Brilliant. That mech's hardpoints are tailor-made for this sort of thing. This also means using these hardpoints to your advantage and putting appropriate weaponry in them. For instance, don't put your big guns in the lowest slung points on your mech. Keep em high and you'll be able to take advantage of any hills. Of course, this depends on your mech but this goes back to playing your chosen variant correctly. Don't use the Cataphract CTF-4X as a hill-humper because all the big guns are super low slung. DO use it to keep people suppressed when you can and as a heavy fire support mech. Similarly, don't try to use a Victor as a frontline mech. You hit hard but don't have Atlas grade armor to absorb hits with. DO use an Atlas for that because it's a purpose-built party crasher.
4.) Play medium mechs a lot, even though the meta would make you think they're bad.
Yes, really. The better armor and firepower of a heavy or assault Mech is no replacement for good situational awareness and positioning. Pick a mech with a specific role to flesh out your skills in that area, i.e. if you want to be a better brawler then run a HBK-4G. You will die a lot, you will get your ass kicked, and it will make you a better pilot.
5.) Patience can help a lot.
There are just as many times when hanging back and waiting for the right moment is just as advantageous as crashing the gates and going nuts. This is especially true in the current meta where a lot of stuff out there that can vaporize you if you get too ballsy.
That said, there is a time and a place for coordinated, balls-out gate crashing. Going in with your buddies all at once can do amazing things to break the enemy's lines but it has to be done carefully and at the right time, which goes back to that whole fickle patience thing.
6.) Let the pubbies go first.
They tend to follow anyone that looks even remotely competent. Seeing as how we tend to love flanking maneuvers and speed we end up with a tendency to have the pubbies follow us when we're counting on them to blob to their usual locations. Wait a little bit at the start of the match before you strike out to do horrible things to the enemy's butts.
7.) Want some great fundamentals training? Don't be shy about taking your mech onto the training grounds and just cruising around checking out the maps to learn it.
While you're doing that keep moving at high speeds as you shoot up the dummy mechs to learn to move and shoot fluidly. Circle around them while keeping your crosshair on the target via torso twisting until you don't have to think about it. Practice popping up behind a hill, acquiring your target, firing, and hiding as fast as possible until it becomes second nature. The more skills you commit to muscle memory, the better a pilot you'll be. Remember, you fight like you train so train like you fight.
8.) Want some great aim training?
Pick up a copy of Unreal Tournament 2004 and setup a bot deathmatch with lightning guns only and the game speed mutator set to 150% speed. From here, practice getting headshots on the move in the training grounds. It's a hard target to hit in most mechs and it will help you fine tune your aim with MWO's weapons.
9.) Call your targets to aid in focus firing and for Kerensky's sake, press R to lock on to your targets!
With 12 vs 12 and the recent UI upgrades, we have more phonetic alphabet letters to learn to aid in target calling! For your reference here's the full list:
10.) Skill Trees and YOU, the Prospective MechWarrior
With PGI's launch of the new Skill Tree system in June 2017, many pilots have been left wondering "WTF do I do with this thing?" Fortunately, your friend and mine @Gnome-Interruptus has provided a great shortcut to give you a jumpstart to your skill tree selections:
Gnome-Interruptus wrote: »Here is a pretty good all purpose Skill Tree build:
https://tarogato-mwo.github.io/mwo_skill_planner/?4e0857e8-57c6-11e7-ae4c-ed0750ce1880
This maxes out your:
Weapons - Cooldown, Range, Heat Generation
Operations - Cool Running, Heat Containment, Hill Climbing, Screen Shake Reduction
Survival - Focused on armor & structure quirks, wasting as few points as possible on the rest
Mobility - focused on Acceleration / Deceleration and Turning
Tweak your remaining Weapons / Mobility / Survival trees to taste.
Thanks Gnome!
0.) When in doubt, use Steam to install/load MWO. This way, you don't need to monkey around with the stand-alone launcher PGI originally released, that is rapidly approaching end-of-life.
1.) A lot of times when emailing support they will have you run the official MWO repair tool. The repair tool is built into the launcher, select the gear icon in the upper right corner of the window, then select "Start the MWO repair tool". Try this before going any more in depth with trying to fix things!
2.) A reinstall can do wonders if you're having problems with the bootstrap launcher (the patcher thing that pops up before you get the login window). Sometimes the uninstall goes wrong (because of course), so go here if it won't reinstall.
3.) Try manually deleting the shader cache (MWO should do this automatically, but sometimes fails and it gets corrupted). The post in the link also gives steps to set up a batch script to force the deletion each time MWO loads.
4.) This is a weird fix, but some people found that moving the install directory to another physical drive solves crashes. Literally cut/paste the directory and update shortcuts manually. Not sure if moving to another partition on the same drive helps.
5.) Force your video card to stop power-save throttling and disable ambient occlusion.
6.) Force multi-threading, in case the game isn't using all available cores.
Tips from @Cabezone!
7.) I recommend people run the repair tool even with a new installation. I've had crashing after a fresh install fixed by the tool.
8.) Setting my PC to high performance also fixed an issue I was having where Mechwarrior was set to some low powered mode and the video card wasn't able to run full out.
GOOD HUNTING, MECHWARRIORS.
Last thread: https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/209468/mechwarrior-battletech-the-oosik-irregulars-are-going-to-become-canon-evacuate-thread
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Posts
With the close of 2014, the Faction Play (Community Warfare) game mode launched in MWO. CW (as we colloquially call it) has a unique set of rules from the pub games you are accustomed to, and you should be aware of the following things before getting in.
1. Faction Play is a faction-on-faction battle for control of planetary territories.
Once logged into the game, click on the Faction tab. You will see the ongoing struggle of the player-supported factions in MWO, represented by a map of the Inner Sphere.
(Image taken during Invasion Era, Year 3057 (Dec-2017). Note the total Clan domination.)[/center]
2. You must be associated with a Faction to participate in Faction Play matches.
Play a lot of MWO, but not aligned to a Faction? Reading this post? Congratulations, you're an Oosik! This entitles you to admittance to our entirely-undiscriminating Units in MWO, which will align you with one of the great Factions on offer! We have two Units for your Stompy Robot convenience:
The Oosik Irregulars (Inner Sphere side - Free Rasalhague Republic aligned)
The original bastion of stompy bot goodness, you'll want to join this Unit if you enjoy carousing, alcoholism, Space Vikings, and old-school Inner Sphere Mechs. Simply ask any current member for a Unit invite, and you'll be in on the ground floor of our one-story operation.
Note that you will need to have a proper complement of Inner Sphere Mechs to participate in CW with the Irregulars; see more below!
The Iron Oosiks (Clan side - Clan Ghost Bear aligned)
The newest hotness in the Inner Sphere, you'll want to join this unit if you enjoy whales, alcoholism, tribal ceremonies, and the newest and sleekest Clan 'Mech rides.
Note that you will need to have a proper complement of Clan Mechs to participate in CW with the Iron Oosiks; see more below!
You don't need to be in a Unit to participate in CW, but it's one of the most expedient ways to accomplish getting drops.
3. You must have a proper drop deck of Mechs ready to participate in CW matches.
A drop deck is a set of four valid mechs (no more, no less), weighing between 160 and 250 (Clan) or 265 (IS) total tons (NOTE: This changes with some regularity). Each 'Mech in your drop deck must be faction appropriate; at this time, this means IS 'Mechs for an IS faction, and Clan 'Mechs for a Clan faction.
To reiterate: There is NO cross-faction availability of chassis for the initial launch of CW. If you are in an IS unit, you may only use IS 'Mechs. If you are in a Clan unit, you may only use Clan 'Mechs. This is why the Oosiks are offering two different units to join, to fit your desired playstyle.
4. The Queueing system for CW matches is, bluntly put, hard to grok.
To help players understand how the matchmaker works in CW, and to detail recent (Jan-2015) changes to the system, PGI has posted an infographic-studded explanation on their forums. Read through it, and group up for great justice!
To help this a bit though....
5. The Looking For Group Window
At the bottom of the Client UI, you'll see a small button labeled LFG. When you click this button, a small prompt will open up saying "Looking for Public Queue Matches" or "Looking for Community Warfare Matches"; select the latter. This will signal to drop commanders that are forming teams in-game that you are available. It also allows you to see if a team has sent you an invite.
How in the heck are the maps determined for a Faction Warfare match?
Courtesy of my friend and yours, @Gnome-Interruptus:
For the image-inclined:
Want to play some CW, but can't find enough Oosiks to properly group? The Free Rasalhague Republic faction maintains a public Teamspeak server through which to coordinate team-ups! You can find more info at https://www.reddit.com/r/OutreachHPG/comments/6efbs6/frrkurita_hub_teamspeak_address_change_to/
Teamspeak Server Address: frrhub.isengrim.org
Teamspeak Server Password: Dragon
Several Oosik Irregulars have vetted this team-up and voice option, and found it to be valuable!
Want to see a super-cool time-lapse image of the state of holdings in the Inner Sphere during Beta 1? Click Here! (OP is old, but check later in the thread for more fun images.
Helpful Tips from your Oosik Buddies
Thanks to @Kaboodles_The_Assassin?, @Gnome-Interruptus?, and @Konphujun? for some of these helpful tips!
"In the brutal conflict of the Succession Wars, the only thing that matters is getting paid."
BATTLETECH (www.battletechgame.com) is a new, upcoming entry into the long line of BattleTech and MechWarrior products. Bringing the PC game line back to its roots, BATTLETECH is a tactical and strategic simulator, where your decisions on the battlefield and on the dropship will determine if your mercenary unit makes out like bandits, or dies bleeding out on some backwater planet.
In BATTLETECH you command a mercenary unit embarked upon the Argo, a lost-to-the-ages Jumpship design. Outfit with all of the essentials required to run a mercenary unit, you chart the course for the Argo across the Aurigan Reach, right between the Magistracy of Canopus, the Capellan Confederation and the Taurian Concordat.
Using a full roster of 'Mechs, pilots, and equipment, you will command your units across a vast number of star systems and planets, making bank and taking names, to achieve glory and notoriety beyond the Reach.
'Mechs Confirmed for the launch product:
Locust
Commando
Spider
Firestarter
Jenner
Panther
UrbanMech
Raven
Medium:
Cicada
Blackjack
Vindicator
Centurion
Enforcer
Hunchback
Trebuchet
Griffin
Kintaro
Shadowhawk
Wolverine
Heavy:
Dragon
Quickdraw
Catapult
JagerMech
Thunderbolt
Grasshopper
Orion
Marauder
Warhammer
Cataphract
Assault:
Awesome
Victor
Zeus
Battlemaster
Stalker
Highlander
Banshee
King Crab
Atlas
The game is currently in paid Beta, having originally been Kickstarted in 2016. The game is expected to launch in 2017 early 2018.
@Nips is doing a daily BATTLETECH playthrough on his YouTube channel. Here's the first (good) video in the series! He's got a playlist on his channel for more videos!
They go wubwubwubwubVWWWWWOOOOOAAAAARRWWWWwubwubwub
3DS FCode: 1993-7512-8991
On another note, maybe we can add in the info about scouting for FW since that could be helpful (and maybe a photo of an intel beacon if I can find you one).
Hmm, on another note, maybe I'll go write up something about it for our fellow Oosiks.
Steam: betsuni7
@Buttcleft This one's for you, buddy!
I just hope we get a campaign as good as Dragonfall.
// Switch: SW-5306-0651-6424 //
Critical Failures - Havenhold Campaign • August St. Cloud (Human Ranger)
Reporting @Nips for posting hardcore pornography.
edit
Nips we need one last bash before Battletech drops. Summon oosiks from far and wide and have glorious battle in the name of Rasalhague and Odin.
edit2
Goddamnit every time I go to nips youtube page I end up watching the 2015 bash videos..
Why does the AI always leave 1 mech behind? That's just the weirdest thing, and it makes it so easy to win.
Spoiler alert!
That was as busted as I suspected it would be. The SL buff combined with being able to melee with them is pretty fierce. Then all the knockdowns and that the AI is too stupid to know what to do.
Mind, I'm not 100% sure what to do as a player because terrain may sometimes just contrive to let them close without being able to do much. They're always going to be Evasive or Guarded on the way in. Maybe you have one light shadow them with sensor lock to take off evasive and rain LRMs or PPC shots and try to disable one before it closes. Perhaps have one melee optimized mech of your own so you're not completely hosed.
The solution is to have all your mechs assemble into the mighty morphin battlemechzord then suplex the enemy mechs into defeat.
It’s not a very important country most of the time
http://steamcommunity.com/id/mortious
Quite a bit of weapon changes in there
They hit SPLs quite hard.
And the HBK-4SP.
It’s not a very important country most of the time
http://steamcommunity.com/id/mortious
IS small laser buff is not even remotely enough to make it viable.
I don't think the new guy knows what he's doing.
Sooooo he's at exactly the correct company?
I am slightly amused at how they tried to hide their balance fuckery by providing those incomplete charts.
They ignored things like range and beam duration in the chart, but included useless info like HPS.
There was no reason to lower the damage on the IS Small Pulse or Large Pulse, but otherwise I agree with most of the balance directions (pretty big caveat with not lowering pulse damage though).
The hardest hit for the quirk changes has to be BL-7-KNT losing its weapon quirks in exchange for converting structure quirks to armor quirks. (Especially considering how skill points buff structure more than armor by like a 3:1 margin)
MWO: Adamski
Yeah, I noticed they included HPS as a thing for some reason when looking at the cERSML. They reduced the CD so HPS got "buffed". Just a very weird thing to include
It’s not a very important country most of the time
http://steamcommunity.com/id/mortious
between quirks and skill tree, it makes it near impossible to use the same weapon on multiple platforms because one might fling it like a gimp throws a baseball, and the other will launch it like a freaking railgun at mach 9.
if PPCs are so fucking slow that every thing that could mount it needs velocity quirks, JUST INCREASE THE FUCKING VELOCITY OF THE WEAPON ITSELF FOR FUCKS SAKE.
That concept of PPC's being slow always seemed kind of bizarre to me, even going back to Activision's MW2. I mean, in the fluff they're routinely described as man-made lightning, which I think few would call slow. But also, aren't they supposed to be firing ionized particles accelerated to sufficiently high velocities to rival conventional kinetic and explosive weapons? They'd have to be moving crazy fast to accomplish that kind of impact with so little matter per discharge.
Like they think HPS is real important, on think energy cool down quirks are super valuable, and have one ridiculous laser duration mech every balance patch and then are surprised when everyone uses it
that's why we call it the struggle, you're supposed to sweat
Me too, although one important thing to bear in mind is (and maybe you know this, but it's worth repeating since I have run into a lot of dudes who aren't clear and are going to be disappointed as a result) that Battletech is not an RPG. You won't get dialogue options or big story-affecting choices; it's free-form only in the sense that Freelancer or Wing Commander Privateer were, where you're free to step off the main story track but that track only goes one way.
I was listening to the Three Moves Ahead podcast on my run today, and thinking about BT, and I really really hope the strategic and logistical layer is fully fledged.
I want to have to make tough choices about 'Mech repairs and refits, while going through potential contracts, plotting jumpship routes, all while trying to manage the timing of everything.
I'd probably wet myself with joy if we got all that.
MW4 mercs had you picking contracts to complete and while many were neutral in the beginning, many started to be aligned with Davion or Steiner since the overarching plot revolved around the FedCom Civil War in the late 3060s. Pick too many missions for one or the other and you aligned the story that way as the other side withdrew contracts for you to take. You could also go middle route (very hard to do) and fuck everyone over and have to deal with both getting revenge on you, but then you'd get your own Merc Planet like the merc faction that trained you at the start of the game.
Each planet you took contracts on had its own self contained story, and depending on their allegiance affected your alignment.
Steam - NotoriusBEN | Uplay - notoriusben | Xbox,Windows Live - ThatBEN
it sounds at the very least like it will be reasonably-fledged
stuff they have confirmed will be in:
- hirable pilots of different skill levels
- persistent pilot morale affected by both battle outcomes and salary
- salaries for techs, medics, etc
- jumpship rental, fuel expenses, general ship upkeep
- time for pilots to recuperate from wounds (mechwarrior jones needs 3 weeks of bed rest, etc)
- time to complete repairs/refits on mechs (the warhammer will take a week to refit assuming you have the parts)
- travel times (so pick a long enough route and maybe mechwarrior jones and her warhammer are both fixed up by the time you get there - but maybe you need money now so you go somehwere close and have to make do without them for a mission)
- upgrades for the Argo
- hireable artillery or aerofighter support on a per-mission basis
- a line of credit (running out of money doesn't end the game; you can get a loan with the Argo as collateral and have one quarter to pay it back and get into the black)
- salvage rights negotiation with clients so you can take less cash upfront for more salvage on the back end
- shitty, broke enemies in the campaign may field damaged or retrofitted units
- you can withdraw from a mission and get paid for partial completion if the client thinks you put in a good faith effort (so if you got bad intel and went up against 4 atlases you can book it and still maybe keep your half upfront or whatever)
- your merc reputation (based on completions/good faith efforts vs failures) affects the price and salvage terms you can demand
stuff they have said might be in but don't want to confirm yet:
- a simulator pod upgrade for the Argo to train up pilots in your downtime
- techs/medics/other noncombat staff gain experience and perks like pilots do
- persistent, salaried artillery/aerofighter support units that come with you on the Argo
- stores on different planets with different stock and prices so maybe you want to go to planet X for the best deal on AC/10 rounds or whatever
- faction-specific reputations; apparently if this goes in it won't be a "take too many missions against the Capellans and they'll stop hiring you" thing, but more that certain mission types are dirty jobs (kidnapping, etc) that will earn you the disfavor of the target
stuff that will definitely not be in:
- all of the Inner Sphere (the gameplay area is basically equivalent to the Rimward Periphery map in the OP)
- multi-mission contracts
- storylines outside of the main storyline (procedural missions are, as far as they've said, entirely procedural, it's not a galaxy full of side-stories with little ongoing plots)
- working for the bad guys in the story (the Directorate)
- altering the galaxy map (no growing the Free Worlds League by conquering Capellan planets or whatever)
- dialogue interactions with your pilots or relationships between pilots/techs/etc
- running your own merc planet, turning pirate, etc
it definitely seems like once this game is done they will have the framework in place to do basically an endless string of expansions or DLC stories. like they will almost certainly make the galaxy bigger and add more content for your single player mercenary faction but they could also add other stories off to the side, like this Wolf's Dragoons idea, or one where you play as a House military officer, or managing a Solaris gladiator stable or whatever
@Nips WE NEED A BASH! BASH BASH BASH BASH BASH BASH!
That MG buff a while back was his doing. It was a promising start.
Stop. I can only get so erect!
I'm one of those "Kickstarts and forgets" types, so hearing all this just gets my hype overworked.
Seriously though, that's all awesome.
Very much the same way myself.
And they are so honest and upfront about everything - especially about what they can't do, what's too expensive, etc - which is just wild to me. Nobody ever does that!
Yeah, I mean, I like the idea that we will have random mechwarriors that we can customize their appearance and voices like in XCOM and I am definitely looking forward to remaking all my friends in the game but I would probably trade that functionality to have pre-written dudes that were up to the standard of your companions in the Shadowrun games. They probably couldn't be killable if that were the case (otherwise HBS would need to write like 50 of them) and I guess some hardcore TT people would gripe but I'd be fine with that, honestly.
Like, I am 100% on board for this game as is, assuming the finished product is as promising as it seems, but I definitely hope that if it's successful that maybe they'd do a full-on Mechwarrior RPG. The possibilities in the setting are insane. You could go on little Shadowrun-style commando raids on foot with your team to sabotage an enemy installation or whatever and then attack it in your Battlemechs, and then maybe afterward you attend a fancy noble ball and dance with a princess and try to spy on the evil count etc etc.