Hey everyone, long time! Mitch here. I just wanted to let you know about two big releases today.
The first is free Update 1.8, which contains two beloved BattleMechs: the Warhammer and the Marauder! These classic ‘Mech chassis are equipped with unique components that reflect their place in BT lore:
- WARHAMMER (70 Tons) - Its Optimized Capacitor Feeds increase the damage of all equipped Energy weapons.
- MARAUDER (75 Tons) - Its Lance Command Module decreases the damage taken by it and its allies and gives a boost to Called Shots.
In addition to the two free ‘Mechs, there’s a bunch more cool additions in 1.8:
- Official Mod Support - With this release of BATTLETECH, we are introducing official mod support to the game and now support the ModTek format that the modding community are currently using. We’ve also added new mod management UI to the main menu to streamline mod use. As usual, use mods at your own risk. In-game modding tools are not included.
- New Maps - Two new maps bring even more variety to your contracts: Jumbled Karst (an iconic rock formation set between two valleys), and Boulder Field (rolling hills and rocks dot this battle scarred landscape)
- New contracts - Over 40 new contracts, including new persistent allied and enemy NPCs, and new contract variants that mix up the gameplay you’ve seen in new and unexpected ways. Battle a dangerous solo mercenary, train a group of overly enthusiastic rookies, and serve as the personal bodyguard of an arrogant noble.
- New Events - We’ve added a slew of new mercenary travel Events to “enhance” your mercenary life.
- Rebalanced Stores & LosTech - We’ve completely overhauled how weapons and equipment appear in our stores. Finding items is now more straightforward. We’ve also given LosTech items a boost in power to fit their legendary status.
- New Star Map Weapon Store Filters - We’ve added a new filter dropdown to the star map that lets you view planetary industry by type and a tooltip that tells you what you can find in each star system.
- Mech Viewer - Get a close-up view, rotate and customize your ‘Mech paint pattern directly in the MechLab!
- New Merc Company Crests - Scads of new emblems to choose from for your mercenary company, drawn from notable factions throughout the Inner Sphere. Roleplay your heart out!
And there's more! Our second release today is our third expansion for BATTLETECH, closing out our Season Pass.
[...]
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BattleTech - All News
Friday - November 22, 2019
Wednesday - November 13, 2019
Sunday - October 27, 2019
Sunday - October 20, 2019
Wednesday - April 24, 2019
Tuesday - March 12, 2019
22:16
BattleTech - Update 1.5
Monday - February 11, 2019
Thursday - January 31, 2019
20:39
BattleTech - Update 1.4
Wednesday - January 02, 2019
Saturday - December 01, 2018
Tuesday - November 27, 2018
Friday - October 19, 2018
Wednesday - September 12, 2018
Tuesday - August 28, 2018
20:20
BattleTech - Update 1.2
Wednesday - August 22, 2018
Monday - June 25, 2018
Tuesday - June 19, 2018
Monday - June 18, 2018
Saturday - May 12, 2018
Friday - May 11, 2018
Monday - May 07, 2018
Sunday - May 06, 2018
Friday - May 04, 2018
Thursday - May 03, 2018
Saturday - April 28, 2018
Thursday - April 26, 2018
Wednesday - April 25, 2018
21:55
BattleTech - Reviews
Tuesday - April 24, 2018
Monday - April 23, 2018
Thursday - April 19, 2018
Sunday - April 08, 2018
Friday - April 06, 2018
Tuesday - March 27, 2018
Saturday - March 24, 2018
Thursday - March 15, 2018
Wednesday - February 28, 2018
Tuesday - February 20, 2018
09:06
BattleTech - Dev Q&A
Tuesday - January 16, 2018
Monday - December 04, 2017
Tuesday - November 28, 2017
Thursday - November 16, 2017
Wednesday - November 15, 2017
22:47
BattleTech - Preview
Sunday - October 15, 2017
Tuesday - September 12, 2017
Friday - September 08, 2017
Thursday - August 24, 2017
Monday - August 21, 2017
Monday - August 14, 2017
Tuesday - July 18, 2017
Tuesday - July 04, 2017
Tuesday - June 13, 2017
Friday - June 02, 2017
Friday - May 12, 2017
Wednesday - March 29, 2017
Tuesday - March 07, 2017
Friday - February 10, 2017
04:44
BattleTech - Q&A Video
Tuesday - February 07, 2017
Thursday - January 19, 2017
Tuesday - December 20, 2016
Friday - December 02, 2016
Friday - September 30, 2016
Wednesday - September 07, 2016
Wednesday - June 29, 2016
Wednesday - May 25, 2016
Saturday - May 21, 2016
02:06
BattleTech - Q&A Video
Saturday - April 09, 2016
Friday - April 08, 2016
Tuesday - March 08, 2016
Saturday - January 16, 2016
09:24
BattleTech - Update #23
Wednesday - December 23, 2015
Monday - December 07, 2015
Saturday - November 28, 2015
Wednesday - November 11, 2015
Wednesday - November 04, 2015
22:10
BattleTech - Funded
Monday - November 02, 2015
Wednesday - October 28, 2015
Tuesday - October 27, 2015
Saturday - October 24, 2015
Tuesday - October 20, 2015
Sunday - October 18, 2015
Thursday - October 15, 2015
Tuesday - October 13, 2015
Saturday - October 10, 2015
Wednesday - October 07, 2015
Tuesday - October 06, 2015
Sunday - October 04, 2015
Wednesday - September 30, 2015
22:08
BattleTech - Interviews
Tuesday - September 29, 2015
Friday - September 18, 2015
Wednesday - September 16, 2015
12:44
BattleTech - Interviews
Saturday - September 05, 2015
Saturday - August 01, 2015
Thursday - July 30, 2015
Friday - November 22, 2019
BattleTech - Season Pass Complete
by Silver, 19:13
A new BattleTech update announces that the Season Pass is now complete.
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED - Season Pass Complete!
Wednesday - November 13, 2019
BattleTech - Heavy Metal Interview
by Silver, 20:55
Wccftech interviewed the developers of BattleTech about their new expansion Heavy Metal.
Was it a difficult decision to add in an Area of Effect attack into the game?
Absolutely not, no. First of all, it exists in BATTLETECH lore already, we didn’t create the Thumper Cannon. So no worries there. But also, when you think about what happens in the game, you’ve got four mechs taking on sometimes up to 12 at the same time, you can see the utility of this thing. It's not like rock, paper, scissors, dynamite or something. It helps to level the playing field but it is not a win button or anything like that. Plus it's only got two shots so we can fit it in.
Also, every game out there that’s a modernish tactical game has a hand grenade which is an AoE attack, so there’s no design risk there for me at all.
You’ve also introduced unique abilities, integrated equipment, into the new mechs, will they be coming to the old mechs as well?
Yes so all ten of the new mechs are coming with these unique bonuses, the eight in Heavy Metal and the two free ones in 1.8, they’ll all have unique pieces of equipment. But again with the modding, we figure that everyone will go back and add what they think is best for the previous mods.
This is the wrong word for it, but we hope we inspire people to do that so that every mech gets a unique battlefield role based on its lore that works for everyone. That was a big part of what it was about for us. If you read the novels it sounds really cool but mechanically it's not there, so that’s what we wanted to reinforce.
There’s over two hundred novels, plus technical readouts and sourcebooks and that’s one of the coolest things about BATTLETECH, it's got this thirty-five-year history and this massive shared universe. Many many many people have contributed to it and this is just our contribution. And we want to pay homage to them, the people and work that came before.
[...]
Thanks Farflame!
Sunday - October 27, 2019
BattleTech - Urban Warfare Review
by Silver, 19:53
Christ Centered Gaming reviewed the BattleTech expansion Urban Warfare.
Honestly, outside of the poor performance, I love the new Urban Warfare setting. Missions are more interesting there, as there are so many tactical options. I find battle there quite captivating. Additional tech and mechs were added also, with the most game-changing addition being the Electronic Countermeasures (ECM) components. I ended up slapping my X-1 ECM Equipment on my Atlas II, and went to town. Now, most of my team can't be targeted by LRMs (Long-Range Missiles), unless they decloak through combat, get spotted via a sensor lock, or the enemy is close enough where it doesn't matter.
The other new component, the Active Probe, is much more interesting in theory than in practice. What it allows is for you to place the probe on a unit, and once activated, it performs what is equivalent to a Sensor Lock on every unit within a 250 meter radius. That sounds great, until you realize that mechs have a 300 meter visual range, and that even well-known short-ranged weapons, like SRMs (Short-Range Missiles) can be used within that range. So, this technology, which costs 50 heat to use, lasts for only one round, has a four-turn cooldown, takes up quite a few tons, is extremely expensive, and prevents the mech using it from attacking that turn, is supposed to be worth all that just to increase the chance to hit for your other team members? No, in practical terms, it's arguably more of a hindrance than a help at all. You could have upgraded tons of other components in that same space. Even adding a few more heatsinks is a massively better use of tonnage than this failed attempt. Hopefully, they massively increase the range or increase effectiveness in other ways to make the Active Probe worthwhile in the future.
[...]
Thanks Farflame!
Sunday - October 20, 2019
BattleTech - Heavy Metal Announced
by Silver, 05:38
An expansion for BattleTech has been announced which is called Heavy Metal.
loading...On November 21st Heavy Metal will add tons of new gameplay options to the world of BATTLETECH, including eight new ‘Mechs, one of which is designed exclusively for this expansion. https://store.steampowered.com/app/11...
Players can also look forward to eight new weapons systems to destroy their foes in unique ways, along with a brand new Flashpoint mini-campaign.
Key Features:
One Original and Seven Classic BattleMechs: Seven classic ‘Mechs from BATTLETECH’s 35-year legacy make their triumphant return along with the first completely new ‘Mech designed exclusively for this expansion.
Each classic ‘Mech comes with unique equipment that reflects the flavor and lore of the original board game.
Eight Game-changing New Weapon Systems:
Eight all-new weapon systems can be utilized to destroy even the most formidable opponents in a wide variety of unique ways. New Flashpoint Mini-Campaign: Come face-to-face with two legendary characters from BATTLETECH lore - the Bounty Hunter and the Black Widow of Wolf’s Dragoons. A derelict cargo ship has drifted into the Periphery from deep space; what secrets does it contain, and who will ultimately control its mysterious payload?
Wednesday - April 24, 2019
BattleTech - Urban Warfare Announced
by Silver, 03:54
An expansion for BattleTech has been announced called 'Urban Warfare'.
loading...GEAR UP FOR A NIGHT ON THE TOWN! The second expansion for BATTLETECH is coming to a city near you on June 4. Learn more:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1047180/BATTLETECH_Urban_Warfare/
KEY FEATURES
-City Fights - Urban Warfare introduces destructible buildings, changes to line of sight, and ‘Mechs that can now affect the battlefield around them using explosive fuel tankers, water lines and broken electrical transformers to their advantage.
-Electronic Warfare - ‘Mechs equipped with Electronic Countermeasures (ECM) and nearby friendly units are obscured from enemy targeting systems and immune to indirect fire. Meanwhile, ‘Mechs equipped with Active Probe can reveal, locate, and target enemy units that would otherwise be hidden.
-Two New BattleMechs - The experimental Raven 1X sports an advanced electronic warfare package combining ECM and Active Probe systems into a single lightweight component. The new Javelin BattleMech is a compromise between speed and firepower, with close-range knockout power.
Tuesday - March 12, 2019
BattleTech - Update 1.5
by Hiddenx, 22:16
Henriquejr spotted update 1.5 for BattleTech:
LIVE - BATTLETECH 1.5.0 Release Notes
Welcome to BATTLETECH 1.5! This release is focused on delivering more quality-of-life improvements and bug fixes. We have resolved several stability issues as well as some nasty bugs that, under certain circumstances, could cause file corruption.
For more behind-the-scenes information check out the Dev Diary from Mitch Gitelman, our Game Director and co-founder here.
Please enjoy our latest BATTLETECH update!
-- HBS
IMPORTANT: As an ongoing note for players who mod various game files… modding is not officially supported. If you have saved a game with any mod active, that saved game will not work after an update has been applied unless you replace all modded files exactly as they were when the save game file was created. Saved games require the exact same data state in order to function properly.
If you experience further issues please contact Customer Support here.
Highlights
File corruption issues have been addressed and force quitting during shutdown will no longer potentially cause multiple issues, including the loss of contracts in the command center.
Mac users should now be unblocked if their volume of save files becomes large.
We've reduced some delays for MechWarrior combat VOs and camera moves to speed the pace of combat.
Bugfixes
- Fixed an issue where the user could become stuck if none of the user’s remaining ‘Mechs were operational or all of the user’s MechWarriors were injured. The issue occurred in Flashpoints with consecutive deployment missions and in consecutive deployment late in the story campaign playthrough.
- Fixed an issue where some missions could not be completed when an enemy 'Mech failed to load.
- Unit Flags are now properly deleted on unit destruction.
- Multiplayer no longer desyncs each round if the host and guest use different decimal separators based on language.
- Enemy 'Mechs no longer get shut down after using JumpJets when being deployed in specific Capture Base contracts.
- COMMUNITY REPORTED: LRM variants stability damage has been corrected.
- COMMUNITY REPORTED: Trebuchet TBT-5N now has correct max armor for the Center Torso.
- COMMUNITY REPORTED: Zeus ZEU-6S now has the correct number of max Jump Jets.
- COMMUNITY REPORTED: Atlas AS7-D AC/20 ammo is now correctly located in the right torso instead of in the legs. It should now be more difficult to get a knockdown or incapacitate the Atlas.
- COMMUNITY REPORTED: ER-PPC's now properly have sensor degradation effects.
- COMMUNITY REPORTED: Crab CRB-27 is no longer slower than intended.
- COMMUNITY REPORTED: The BL-6-KNT's PPC no longer appears in the wrong location on its right arm.
- COMMUNITY REPORTED: Atlas AS7-D and AS7-D-HT Center Torso internal structure and max armor values are no longer off by 5.
- COMMUNITY REPORTED: Several PVP MechWarriors are no longer missing traits.
- COMMUNITY REPORTED: The weapon mounts for the head location on the Crab no longer appear incorrectly.
- Destroyed enemy units no longer become targetable after loading a combat save.
- The store icon on the star map now displays properly after becoming an ally with Magistracy Of Canopus or Taurian Concordat.
- Store prices in the Black Market are now affected by your reputation with the Pirates faction. The System owner's reputation price modifier is no longer applied.
- Achievement - "I Thought You Were Dead" can now be obtained, however it is not granted retroactively.
- Achievement - "Professional Scavenger" can now be obtained, however it is not granted retroactively.
- Vehicle nameplates no longer remain visible if destroyed with a single attack.
- Fixed two issues that might cause a softlock to occur during the story campaign.
- Many issues relating to the Big Steel Claw have been resolved.
- An event involving antivirals now works properly.
- Numerous localization issues have been cleaned up or resolved.
Known Issues
- An audio related crash is being heavily investigated. The fix for this will be shared with the community as soon as it is ready.
- On rare occasions, a small amount of partly unlocalized mission objective text may appear in localized versions of the game.
- Custom Mechwarrior callsigns and ‘Mech names may appear localized if the custom name is a word that is already used elsewhere in the game.
Monday - February 11, 2019
BattleTech - BattleTech Extended Mod
by Silver, 10:20
PC Gamer reports on the BattleTech Extended 3025 mod that adds new mechs, vehicles and variants, that keep within the lore.
Battletech Extended 3025 adds plenty of lore-friendly mechs and variants to Battletech, and looks like a good excuse to jump back into one of the best PC games you can play right now.
"This mod mostly adds a ton of mechs, vehicles and variants, including new mechs you haven't seen elsewhere that are all Lore compliant for 3025," reads the Nexus Mods description. Factions will use the mechs that make sense to them, but occasionally they'll use another faction's gear—but again, only if it makes sense in the lore.
[...]
Thursday - January 31, 2019
BattleTech - Update 1.4
by Hiddenx, 20:39
Henriquejr spotted update 1.4 for BattleTech:
LIVE - BATTLETECH 1.4.0 Release Notes: The One with Localization!
Welcome to BATTLETECH 1.4! This release contains a number of quality-of-life improvements and bug fixes, as well as the official localized releases of BATTLETECH in French, German, and Russian. We have also improved performance for saving and loading games.
A few things to note about localization:
- If you switch to a different language and it isn’t showing up on screen, back out to the main menu so that the language pack can refresh.
- There is no noun declension in procedurally generated contracts.
- BattleMech names are consistently not translated, as consistent with other BATTLETECH translations.
We hope you enjoy our latest BATTLETECH update!
-- HBS
IMPORTANT: Additional note for players who mod various game files… Reminder that modding is not officially supported. If you have saved a game with any mod active, that saved game will not work after an update has been applied unless you replace all modded files exactly as they were when the save game file was created. Saved games require the exact same data state in order to function properly.
As always, if you experience further issues please contact Customer Support at: https://support.paradoxplaza.com
Highlights
- Localized versions of BATTLETECH - French, German, and Russian players, rejoice! BATTLETECH has now officially moved out of the localization beta and into a full release! We’ve implemented an increased number of translations, and improved translation accuracy.
- UI improvements - We’ve removed excess symbols and fixed many occurances of text truncation/bleeding and incorrect line breaks for text in all languages.
Improvements
- Fixed the splash screen delay that some users experienced and reported.
- Some conversation and narrative text was updated for clarity.
- Updated tree placement around hexes so that players can navigate to forest positions more easily.
- The player is now notified about reputation requirements for events.
Bugfixes
- Fixed an issue with video settings not saving in fullscreen or windowed modes.
- Player ‘Mechs are no longer submerged in deep water.
- Fixed store issues that prevented some players from selling items in Ironman career mode.
- Fixed functionality with the Big Steel Claw that prevented players from selling and storing it.
- Corrected an issue that could cause the wrong follow-up event to trigger after completing
- Operation: Flattened Earth.
- Flashpoint owners can now play multiplayer games against non-Flashpoint owners.
- Fixed issues with enemy ‘Mechs getting stuck in geometry when spawning outside the map in some combat missions.
- Fixed an audio issue with turret generator destruction in Target Acquisition missions.
- “Spore Cloud” debuff icon is now present in the jungle biome.
- Dropships that fly in at the end of the Steel Beast flashpoint land correctly and no longer float above the map.
- Fixed issues with UI card on the star map for the Kurita Alliance Flashpoint.
- Fixed the Mechwarrior VO played after successfully damaging an enemy structure.
- Fixed UI issues with reputation icons and tooltips.
Known Issues
- On rare occasions, a small amount of partly unlocalized mission objective text may appear in French, German, and Russian versions of the game.
- Custom Mechwarrior callsigns and ‘Mech names may appear localized if the custom name is a word that is already used elsewhere in the game.
- A desync notification may appear during rounds in Multiplayer if the Host and Guest use different decimal separators (e.g. English vs Russian, French, or German). However, clicking “Continue” will clear the notification, and the match can be finished.
Wednesday - January 02, 2019
RPGWatch Feature - Battletech Review
by Myrthos, 11:51
You can learn what Forgottenlor thinks about Battletech in this first review of the year.
When I was studying at the university, I played a lot of tabletop games. One of those was Battletech. There was nothing more fun than playing giant robots with a variety of weapons and blowing the heck out of your opponent. Of course, the game wouldn't have been any fun if Battletech wasn't a well-designed tactics game, where not only the experience of your mechwarrior, but the speed, armaments, size, and durability of each individual robot (or battlemech) played a role. Having a classic tactics game as the basis of a computer game is a good thing, but it doesn't ensure a good game. Even implementing great mechanics isn't alone a game, especially not for single players, who aren't playing to have fun with their friends, but who want an interesting variable campaign. Battletech is actually two interwoven games. On the one hand you play a story campaign. On the other there is a sandbox game, where you travel and take procedurally generated missions. The two games are interwoven, but sadly not equally good.
Saturday - December 01, 2018
BattleTech - Flashpoint Review @ PC Gamer
by Hiddenx, 10:42
PC Gamer checked out BattleTech Flashpoint:
Flashpoint is a brilliant addition to BattleTech's late game
But really it's all about that axe.
There are a lot of different ways to build a lance in BattleTech, especially now that the Flashpoint expansion has introduced three new types of mech. You might want a bunch of gunners that can take out the opposing team from afar, or you could throw in some light mechs to outmanoeuvre them, but I keep going for the classic Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots tactic: punch everything until it explodes. I feel very well catered for, then, because now I can fling a mech with a giant axe into these heavy metal brawls.
My big, sweet Hatchetman is the most beloved of all my mechs. He's large, of course (though technically he's medium, according to his classification), and he's rather deft at hitting things, specifically with a big robo-axe. Look at him go!
[...]
While the stories that play out during the flashpoints are self-contained, they contribute to a more cohesive galaxy. There’s more going on now, with more meaningful conflicts between factions. Rather than just being the weapon they use to win, you get to have a say in the outcome, nudging the story down one path or another. And they contribute to a tone—that free-wheeling mercenary life—that just fits so well with the BattleTech universe. Each is a full adventure that you can enjoy in one sitting, and then you’re off to the next one, or maybe some other kind of job. It’s almost episodic, not in the style of an episodic game, per se, but at least evocative of interstellar sci-fi TV like Battlestar Galactica or Firefly.
There are a lot of ways to get into Flashpoint, but with its biggest features being geared more towards the end-game and second playthroughs, it’s not quite essential if you’re just starting out as a first-time mech commander. It should still absolutely be on your radar, and if you've been considering another round of robot brawling, Flashpoint is a great excuse.
Tuesday - November 27, 2018
BattleTech - Flashpoint Expansion released
by Hiddenx, 19:15
The Flashpoint expansion for BattleTech is now available:
BATTLETECH: Flashpoint - Release Trailer
loading...Flashpoints embroil players in the feuds and machinations of the various Great Houses of the Inner Sphere, and are designed to keep even the most hardened mercenary commanders on their toes. In addition to narrative twists and turns, some Flashpoint stories include consecutive deployments in which players can’t repair or heal between missions, while others feature infiltration contracts that restrict the tonnage of deployable BattleMechs.
Beyond adding over 30 hours of exciting Flashpoints to BATTLETECH, this expansion comes complete with three new ‘Mechs (including the highly anticipated Hatchetman), a challenging new mission type, and a new tropical biome for the biggest and most challenging BATTLETECH experience yet.
Alongside Flashpoint, the game also received a free update today, adding a slew of new content to expand the base game. Update 1.3 features an all new Career Mode, which challenges players to begin the game with the Argo in a random system where they will attempt to survive and thrive without the big payout from story missions. Update 1.3 also features revamped MechWarrior-abilities based on fan feedback, a revision of the reputation system that lets the player really feel the effects of their actions, new events with cameos from legendary MechWarriors, new Mercenary contracts (with pirates!), and more. For all the details on the added content, please see the full 1.3 update notes HERE.
Thanks Darkheart!
Friday - October 19, 2018
BattleTech - Season Pass Roadmap
by Silver, 13:03
HBS has announced the season pass roadmap for BattleTech which will be discounted 20 % until October 25th. Additionally the first expansion release date was announced for Flashpoint of November 27th.
Start your engines and grasp your hatchets as we're thrilled to tell you that BATTLETECH - Flashpoint will arrive to Mechwarriors all over on November 27th!
Pre-order TODAY!
If that's not enough with got a brand new video for you in which Mitch gives you four pretty compelling reasons not to miss it!loading...
[...]
The BATTLETECH Season Pass includes all future BATTLETECH expansions at a discounted price. In addition to all the current game content, Season Pass holders will have access to three upcoming expansions.
Flashpoint
BATTLETECH's first-ever expansion adds new gameplay, depth, and over 30 hours of new content to your mercenary experience. Introducing Flashpoints: high-stakes, branching short stories that link together mercenary missions, crew conversations, special events, critical choices, and rare bonus rewards to take BATTLETECH's endgame and Career-Mode gameplay to the next level.
Urban Warfare
Combat drops into metropolitan territory, with explosive results. Fight through urban sprawl with new ‘Mechs and mechanics.
Third Expansion
To be confirmed.
Thanks Darkheart!
Wednesday - September 12, 2018
BattleTech - Dev Diary #2
by Silver, 06:54
Dev Diary #2 covers the Arano Restoration campaign for BattleTech.
Internally we’ve been describing the Arano Restoration campaign as “the BATTLETECH movie”, with the idea that we’d then be able to do “the BATTLETECH original series”.
To make this happen, we needed to add some additional infrastructure to our content systems -- a framework to manage the various contracts and conversations and events. In the original Kamea campaign, we used a mechanism called “milestones” to manage the flow of gameplay through the content. For our new infrastructure, we needed to expand, polish, and make generic the milestone system.
We call the new system "Flashpoints", and it’s kind of like a Swiss army knife for creating longer-form content than our single encounter model. Flashpoints represent a sort of "campaign construction kit", with all the parts needed to build small, bite-sized episodes of story, and then tie those episodes together into longer narratives.
When we talk about how the game is procedural, that’s a misnomer; we don’t actually randomly generate our content. The maps are hand-sculpted; the encounters are placed on them by hand, and the contracts that layer story over the encounters are authored one at a time. The apparent randomness comes from the way these parts work together to make an actual game experience. We call it "curated procedural content": content assembled from carefully designed components.
The Flashpoint mechanism is an extension of the "curated procedural" idea into longer-form stories. We have encounters and their contracts, which are the basic building blocks of a story - you fight a patrolling lance of ‘Mechs; you assault a base; you escort a caravan of rescued prisoners to a pickup location. Within the Flashpoint structure, we connect those into a single, continuous story - you fight a patrol to clear a path to a base where your employer’s people are being held prisoner; you assault and capture the base, neutralizing its defenses and the lance guarding it; the prisoners are loaded into vehicles and you escort them to a pre-arranged extraction point, defending their convoy from the enemies that had captured them in the first place.
In addition to the sequenced contracts and encounters, we’re also adding branching conversations to the Flashpoint infrastructure, to provide both story context -- a briefing from your employer, or a conversation with your crew -- and moments of choice. The Kamea campaign was necessarily linear, because we were building highly-specific content, bespoke encounters on bespoke maps, and that doesn’t leave a lot of room for variation beyond minor cosmetic things. By assembling these short episodes from the curated building blocks of encounters and contracts, we streamline the fiddly technical work of putting a story together, and we’re able to focus on the storytelling. Maybe your employer has a side job she’d like you to look into on the way. Maybe there’s an ethical line your employers are crossing that you’re uncomfortable with. Maybe you can choose a larger strategic goal -- destroy a logistical base, or capture a communications station -- with different repercussions to the overall campaign.
Flashpoints have two other exciting aspects as well. The first is that we’re introducing the idea of rare rewards for completing Flashpoints, in addition to the normal rewards and salvage, because they’re longer and more complex and more difficult than one-off contracts. In some cases, we’ll be asking you to do multiple missions back-to-back, with no chance to repair or heal up your pilots, so you’ll need a much deeper bench of both ‘Mechs and MechWarriors to handle them. But you’ll have the chance to find rare weapons, ‘Mech upgrades, and even LosTech items as possible rewards, on top of the usual c-bills and salvage. So branching choices and cool bonus rewards are what make Flashpoints something you’ll want to play.
The other really exciting part of this new structure is that Flashpoints are all data-driven. They’re built in human-readable JSON in the exposed and easy-to-access asset directory. That means it would be pretty simple for someone to use the structure to create their own Flashpoints. Or even a longer campaign. Which we don’t officially support, of course! But… just saying.
Tuesday - August 28, 2018
BattleTech - Update 1.2
by Silver, 20:20
A new update for BattleTech talks about the 1.2 Release, MechWarrior Abilities, Re-Spec Beta, and more!
Welcome to BATTLETECH 1.2! This release contains a number of quality-of-life improvements and bug fixes, as well as some cool new features. We have also released an overhaul of MechWarrior special abilities to Beta (see details below), and have updates on Linux and Localized version of the game.
HIGHLIGHTS: Players using the Custom Campaign options introduced in 1.1 can now take advantage of a new "Prologue Skip" setting to fast-track new campaigns (this is definitely not recommended for first-time players, though!). The combat Morale system in the campaign has received a significant overhaul (and is now called Resolve - more on that below). We've added a Memorial Wall in the Argo so that you can honor Dekker's sacrifice whenever you want. We've made several improvements to our save game management systems (and you can now name Manual Saves when creating them). And lastly, we added new events for you to discover during your mercenary adventures.See further details below.
[...]
Thanks Couchpotato!
Wednesday - August 22, 2018
BattleTech - Flashpoint Expansion Revealed
by Silver, 08:42
@PCGamesN A new expansion for BattleTech called 'Flashpoint'.
A significant feature is a new kind of mission. Flashpoint missions aren’t single contracts, but a string of consecutive missions, and ones that you won’t be able to repair your mechs in between. Think of a Black Hawk Down style rolling conflict, where you aren’t able to extract and the objectives keep changing. In the original game it was already hard to keep your mechs intact on a single mission so these Flashpoint missions are going to be a real challenge.
[...]
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Monday - June 25, 2018
BattleTech - Update 1.1 Now Live
by Silver, 15:30
@PCGamesN BattleTech has now been updated to version 1.1 which allows you to speed up combat.
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There are also more granular difficulty settings, available for adjustment at any time during the game via the settings menu. You can customize how much experience your squad needs to level up, how much money and salvage you make from random missions, the strength of enemy forces, or even limit the number of rare drops you get from salvage.
There’s also loads more, ranging from general quality of life improvements to new events, ultrawide monitor support, and full MechWarrior customization. You can see all the details in the full 1.1 patch notes.
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Thanks Farflame!
Tuesday - June 19, 2018
BattleTech - Update 1.1 Beta Branch
by Silver, 07:37
Update 1.1 Beta for BattleTech is now available.
Last month we talked about what's next for BATTLETECH, and outlined some key items we were working on for our first larger free Update to the game. Well - we've just pushed that Update 1.1.0 to the public_beta branch on Steam and GOG. This Update is all about giving you more ways to customize your experience, as well as reacting to common pieces of feedback that we've heard from you about the game. It also includes a healthy dose of optimizations and general bugfixes across all areas of BATTLETECH.
We're pleased to report that most of the items we mentioned last month made it into this 1.1.0 release. One thing that didn't is the "Tutorial Skip" feature, but that's still on the roadmap for our next Update. Many more things DID make it in beyond what we mentioned last month, though, like ultrawide monitor support and some additional quality-of-life improvements. The full release notes are below.
We would like to encourage interested players to switch to public_beta right away and start playing BATTLETECH 1.1.0. Instructions for switching to public_beta can be found below. And if you do try this release, we'd really appreciate it if you could also take a few minutes to report back directly in this thread with your impressions, and to let us know if you encounter any issues. This will help us test at a broader scale before pushing this Update to the live branch. Thank you in advance!
-- HBS
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New Features & Content
MechWarrior customization. Players can now customize the appearance, callsign, name, pronoun, and voice of all non-Ronin MechWarriors in their mercenary company. The starting MechWarriors (Behemoth, Dekker, Glitch, and Medusa) are now considered Ronin.
Granular difficulty settings. Added a wide variety of Granular Difficulty Settings that can be adjusted at any time from the Settings menu.
- Lethality - when enabled, MechWarriors that are disabled in combat will always be killed.
- 'Mech Destruction - when enabled, 'Mechs disabled from Center Torso destruction are permanently lost. This setting is intended for veterans and those seeking a significant challenge.
- No Rare Salvage - when enabled, + and ++ items are no longer generated as salvage results (but remain purchasable in stores).
- MechWarrior Progression - adjust the amount of experience that MechWarriors gain after each mission.
- Advanced MechWarriors - increase or decrease the frequency of more powerful MechWarriors appearing in Hiring Halls in later parts of the game.
- Enemy Force Strength - increase or decrease the baseline strength of the enemy forces you'll face in procedural contracts.
- Contract Payment - increase or decrease the amount of C-Bills paid by procedural contracts across the game.
- Salvage - increase or decrease the amount of salvage you may obtain from negotiation on procedural contracts.
New custom campaign mode. The following added Difficulty Settings can only be adjusted when starting a new campaign (Select "Custom Campaign" when starting a New Game from the Main Menu.)
- Ironman Mode. Your campaign is limited to a single save game slot that automatically updates as you progress. Run out of funds or fail a Priority Mission and it's game over!
- Unequipped 'Mechs - enable this to make 'Mechs completed out of 'Mech parts start empty instead of with a stock loadout.
- Parts for 'Mech Assembly - increase the number of 'Mech parts that must be salvaged to assemble a new 'Mech. This setting is intended for veterans and those seeking a significant challenge.
Accelerate the current action with SPACEBAR. Players can now press SPACEBAR to greatly accelerate the current action. Game speed will return to normal after the action completes.
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Monday - June 18, 2018
BattleTech - Review @RPG Codex
by Silver, 06:34
BattleTech has been reviewed by the RPG Codex.
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Mechs & Potatoes
The core of BATTLETECH are the battles and the tech. Go figure.
[Disclaimer: I’m not familiar with the source material here so I can only judge BATTLETECH the PC game by what it is – though I will state that the misgivings of some of its more ardent players makes it seem as though the tabletop and digital experience are fairly different.]
BATTLEBECH’s battles are split between “freelance” randomized missions and story-missions. It’s similar to Emperor: Battle for Dune in its staccato timing but lacks usage of ‘controlling the strategic layer’ of games like Dawn of War: Dark Crusade. Despite that, both story and random missions are pinned to the larger star map and must be traveled to. Although it’s littered with places to go, the lack of player influence on the map does make it feel a bit barren. And you will make use of its plentiful space as each story-mission is often gated behind a bit of a time limit. During this downtime – or anytime, really – the player can manage a side hustle of pretending to be a mercenary.
On the mercenary missions the players discuss contracts with factions and decide whether to take more cash or a better haul of scrap. You can also give up on either to improve relations with the faction offering the job. I did not once give a damn about faction relations. You get awashed in cash real fast and there is no real fear of being a wanted criminal in a faction’s territories as the gameplay firmly sequesters itself in the mech battles. The lack of care for the factions further sapped the star map of any life (which is mostly unfortunate because it seems absolutely ripe with potential).
Each mission starts with a setup stage where you prep four mechs (a Lance) to take the field. This is the core of where you can alter your BATTLEMECH experience. For example, you can go all medium/heavy/assault mechs and just can-opener your way into the enemy lines, though you risk bearing the full brunt of their attacks hitting your fat, juicy ass. Or you can take a light mech or two with you to dive into enemy ranks, drawing fire which your dwarven machines duck with ease.
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Saturday - May 12, 2018
BattleTech - Best Mods @Gamewatcher
by Silver, 23:57
Gamewatcher has compiled a list of the best mods for BattleTech.
Harebrained Schemes recently released Battletech a new take on translating the legendary tabletop game to PC. A critical and commercial success, Battletech's sizeable fan community immediately set to work taking advantage of how conducive to modding the game is, and already a good number of essential, convenient and useful mods have been whipped up. Here are the best of them.
Battletech Mods - Battletech Enhanced - More Gear More Options
Download From Nexus Mods
Created by: Mharius
A huge collection of additional gear to be used for BattleMech customization, this mod is a collection of many other, smaller individual mods. Bringing entirely new gear and upgrades, alongside revamped and overclocked version of existing gear in the game, this mod vastly expands your options when it comes to 'mech customization.
Battletech Mods - Battletech Enhanced - Real Hit Chance
Download From Nexus Mods
Created by: casualmods
A relatively simple mod, but hugely useful nonetheless. Battletech's coding has this quirk where hit chance percentages that the game displays to players is calculated without factoring in to-hit rolls, thus the actual hit chance differs from what is displayed by the game. This discrepancy usually results in easy hits being marked as harder and hard hits marked as easier than they actually are. This mod does not affect hit chances, it simply uses the correct calculation to display percentages.
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Thanks Farflame!
Friday - May 11, 2018
BattleTech - Review @ PC World
by Hiddenx, 17:51
PC World has reviewed BattleTech:
BattleTech review: Heavy metal
The Pitch
In past reviews, I’ve made no secret of both my love for giant robots and my enthusiasm for turn-based tactics and grand strategy games, no matter how overwhelmingly complex they are nor how much of my free time they tend to obliterate. With that criteria in mind, it shouldn’t really surprise you to learn that BattleTech - a game which ticks both of these boxes - is a game that I am pretty-much going to endorse right from the outset. Regardless, given my own mixed-experiences with previous efforts by developer Harebrained Schemes, it ended up being a bit of a surprise to me just how deep down the rabbit hole I ended up falling with BattleTech.
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The Bottom Line
If you, like me, are a fan of a) giant robots and b) borderline-incoherently complex turn-based tactics and grand strategy games, you’re probably going to like BattleTech. Doubly so if you’re an old-school fan of the source material. Even with the occasional bugs and sometimes-frustrating lack of explanation around crucial mechanics, it stands tall as both a strategic and narrative-rich tactics game and Harebrained Schemes’ best release to date.
Monday - May 07, 2018
BattleTech - Review @ COG
by Hiddenx, 19:52
COG has reviewed the strategy title BattleTech:
Battletech Review
Battletech is based on a classic tabletop game of the same name. I’ve never played it, but you can feel the conversion everywhere. The strategy is deep, well-balanced, and granular. It’s a turn-based affair, where giant mechs switch off at blasting and pummeling each others body parts until the explode. It’s superficially similar to XCOM, in that it combines turn-based combat, a management meta-game, and perma-death to create a high stakes tactical campaign.
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Play Battletech. There are a few flaws, however, they can certainly be fixed, and at the core, it is a good, no a great strategy game. The tactics, the management game, the mech building angle are all as great as you would hope. The story, the characters and the writing are better than you could hope for. If you are willing to overcome a few technical hiccups, and if you are an unrepentant sci-fi nerd, Battletech can be your new favorite game.
Score: 88/100
Sunday - May 06, 2018
BattleTech - Review @ Techquila
by Hiddenx, 09:37
Techquila checked out the turn based strategy game BattleTech:
Battletech Review: The Holy Union of XCOM and Startrek
Battletech is a turn based strategy involving the core fundamentals of Sci-Fi adventure, space and mechs. Developed by Harebrained Schemes, the team behind Shadowrun, the hit series from the same genre, and published by Paradox interative, players familiar to the series should find themselves at home
At it’s heart, Battletech offers tactical warfare with an incredible amount of customization. Add an atmospheric soundtrack and a space sci-fi setting, and you’ve got yourself the recipe to a successful sci-fi strategy game. At first glance, Battletech gave me the XCOM feels but then it begins to distance itself from the classic alien infested TBS.
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SUMMARY
As long as you even mildly like tactical or turn based strategy games, you need to buy Battletech ASAP. It borrows the UI and combat mechanics of XCOM and Shadowrun and molds it into a much better form. A form purely inspired by tactics and strategy. The customization of the battlemechs is phenomenal and the combat more than just backs it up. There are a few technical issues, but nothing game-breaking and we expect them to be fixed soon enough.
Score: 4.5/5
Friday - May 04, 2018
BattleTech - Harmony Gold Dismissed
by Silver, 08:32
@Dualshockers Harmony Golds claim against BattleTech has been dismissed in court.
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A few days ago, the first half of the case has been resolved, with the court dismissing Harmony Gold’s case against Harebrained Schemes with prejudice, which means that it cannot be brought up again. Below you can see an extract of the ruling.
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Thanks Farflame!
Thursday - May 03, 2018
BattleTech - Post Launch Roadmap
by Silver, 08:49
A new BattleTech update talks about the post-launch roadmap.
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BATTLETECH Post-Launch Roadmap
1. Compatibility / Performance Investigations
Our launch last week wasn't perfect. A subset of players are experiencing hardware/system compatibility and performance issues that our team is working hard to investigate. Solutions for critical issues are always our top priority, and will be released as soon as they're available and tested. Typically, we will release patches to our public_beta branch on Steam for a few days for testing before we push them to the default branch.On that note - last Friday we released our first patch to the public_beta branch for testing. Today, that 1.0.1 Patch went live - you can read the full changelog here. We expect to release more patches to public_beta in the coming days and weeks.
2. General BugFix (Late May)
We expect to release at least one general bugfix/improvements patch later in May.3. Localization (French, German, Russian) and Linux Support
These are both Kickstarter commitments and high priorities for our post-launch roadmap. (Along with a couple other Kickstarter commitments that didn't make it in for launch.) We don't have a more precise ETA yet for these items but will update you as soon as we do.4. Update #1: Customization & Player Options (June/July)
We're already beginning work on our first larger free Update to BATTLETECH. This Update is all about customization and reacting to common pieces of feedback that we've received from you on the game. Here's a list of items we're currently looking at for Update 1 this summer--Accelerated Combat Options - We're working on options for players who would like to accelerate the pace of combat missions.
--MechWarrior Customization - We know that many players would like to change the appearance, callsign, name, and voice of all their MechWarriors, not just their Commander. This didn't make it in for launch but we'll be adding it in Update 1
--Granular difficulty settings - A set of discrete options for players to customize the challenge level of the game in different areas.
--MechLab / Store / Salvage Quality-of-Life Improvements - Interface additions to reduce friction when buying and salvaging new items.
--Tutorial-skip Option - Allowing players who have already played the prologue missions to skip those missions when starting a new campaign, and get right to the Leopard.
--Addressing Difficulty Spikes - We'll be working on smoothing out some issues with unexpectedly hard (or easy) content. Not to remove all difficulty variance, but to address clear outliers.
--Live-streaming Quality-of-Life Improvements - Audio persisting when alt-tabbed, for example.
It's important to note that the exact contents of Update 1 may shift during development. Please consider these general directions and priorities. We'll post a more detailed and updated list of what's in the Update closer to its release.
5. More BATTLETECH!!
The above is just the beginning! We'll be continuing with more free Updates after Update 1, and we'd also love to release a larger paid content Expansion or two - but right now we're staying focused on bugfixes and immediate reactions to launch feedback.With your support, we could not be more excited to continue making BATTLETECH even bigger and better.
Thank you.
HBS
Saturday - April 28, 2018
BattleTech - Lore Interview with Jordan Weisman
by Silver, 11:01
PC Gamer interviewed Jordan Weisman about the lore of BattleTech.
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So the Star League represents a sort of peaceful golden age?
Well, BattleTech is a world of grays. What looks like a great and shining empire from the inside of it looks like a conquering colonial government from the outside. Those who didn’t sign up to become part of the Star League soon find themselves being subjected to or forced to become members of Star League. This starts a series of battles along the edges of known space. That center space has become known as the Inner Sphere, which is roughly centered on Earth, the capital of the Star League. But out on the Periphery, these smaller governments, who had moved out and tried to not be part of the warring states and their politics to begin with, now find themselves faced with this colonial empire. It becomes a long series of battles along the Periphery, the front.
Eventually those Periphery battles start to seed the elements that will eventually tear the Star League apart. After several hundred years. The Star League lasts for several hundred years, and then it falls apart with a combination of insurrection and battles and betrayal. So the Star League—House Cameron is basically wiped out. As part of the insurrection, these operators from the Periphery start to inspire the Houses to become more suspicious of each other, to start to build up their own arms again, as opposed to only trusting the Star League army itself.
This reminds me a lot of Game of Thrones and The Expanse—politics, division between insiders and outsiders. Do these factions have their own militaries?
The Star League army is, to a large extent, based in a feudal system where you would have a knight who would then provide forces to a liege lord, who then owes them to the king. The Star League army is built on that principle. There’s a standing army that’s the Star League’s only, but the majority are House units that are then tributed to the Star League.
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Thursday - April 26, 2018
BattleTech - A Beginners Guide to BattleTech
by Silver, 14:38
Paradox Interactive have submitted a guide to PCGamesN to help players new to BattleTech.
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Assembling your lance
The group of mechs you take into battle is called a lance, and while you can take up to four mechs with you, there is nothing stopping you from taking fewer. The main restriction is the carry capacity of your dropship - it having a limit to the sheer tonnage of mechs it can hold. This is to stop you from taking four towering assault class mechs into battle. If you want to take in an assault mech you’re going to have to fill out the rest of your lance with lighter classes.
There are four mech classes in all: light, medium, heavy, and assault. Though, it’s not as simple as light mechs being recon units and assault mechs being heavy hitters. You can kit a light mech out with a suite of flamers so it can dance around heavier mechs torching their pilots. You could also have a heavy mech that’s low on armour but heavy on support weapons that you have to keep behind the battle lines.
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Wednesday - April 25, 2018
BattleTech - Reviews
by Hiddenx, 21:55
Farflame spotted some BattleTech reviews and an interview:
Reviews:
PC Invasion: BATTLETECH Review - Score: 9/10
Gamegrin: BattleTech Review - Score: 10/10
Game Watcher: Battletech Review - Score: 9/10
MMO Games: BattleTech Review: Back in the Command Couch - Score: 8/10
Eurogamer: BattleTech review - long overdue turn-based spin on a strategy great
TSA: BattleTech Review - Score: 7/10
Interview:
Gamingbolt: BattleTech Interview: The Biggest BattleTech Game Yet
Tuesday - April 24, 2018
BattleTech - Review @PC Gamer
by Hiddenx, 19:36
Henriquejr spotted a BattleTech review on PC Gamer:
BattleTech review
If, as Sid Meier likes to say, good strategy game design boils down to providing a series of interesting decisions, then what comes next should be a series of interesting consequences. This is where BattleTech excels. Harebrained Schemes has taken the hard sci-fi tabletop game (best known to PC players as the basis of the MechWarrior series) and married it to the XCOM formula in a way that brings out the best qualities of both.
You field a lance of up to four bipedal battlemechs in open-ended, turn-based combat encounters that cover swathes of open terrain. Unlike many of its tactical peers, BattleTech doesn't use a grid—this is a far more granular wargame than most, asking you to pay attention to not just the position of each mech but also its degree of rotation, its speed, and its relationship with its environment.
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These are inconsistencies in what is otherwise an accomplished and fundamentally sound strategy game. BattleTech's success at making you feel—and want to live with—the interesting consequences of each mission is its greatest achievement, and will hopefully have an influence on other developers working in this genre. Where it fails, it fails because it doesn't fully implement all of its best ideas. Given the quality of what it accomplishes elsewhere, however, that's a good-faith sort of failure.
Score: 85/100
BattleTech - Review @PCGamesN
by Silver, 13:10
PCGamesN reviewed BattleTech giving it a 9/10. BattleTech will be releasing in a matter of hours on GOG and Steam.
The BattleTech board game has been around for decades but this is the first videogame that can be considered a true adaptation. Previous games, like MechCommander, have approximated parts of the ruleset, while others, such as MechWarrior and MechAssault, have been spin-offs set in the same universe.
What Harebrained Schemes have achieved, however, is to capture the nuances and unique flavour of the original BattleTech. It brings in weight-class initiative-dictated movement phases, stability stats, and Called Shots. It’s very exciting for people who, like me, enjoy stats, but those that don’t can get away with just knowing the game is richer for it.
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Monday - April 23, 2018
BattleTech - An Introduction to BattleTech
by Silver, 04:06
If you are interested in learning more about the BattleTech universe being translated to video games, Techraptor went over it in some detail.
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Where It All Began
BattleTech was released in 1984 by the FASA Corporation, who at the time had some huge IPs under their banner, like Star Trek and Dr Who. They also later on released the Shadowrun roleplaying game, which is still seeing video game releases and adaptations.
BattleTech was originally called BattleDroids, but after some legal issues with the Droid term being owned by Lucasfilm, changed its name to BattleTech.
It first started as a board/war game played on a hex marked map with miniatures, which was re-released as a 25 Anniversary Boxed Edition and can still be purchased. This boxed set is a perfect example of what BattleTech is, and if you’re interested in the BattleTech universe, this is where you should start.
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Thursday - April 19, 2018
RPGWatch Feature - Battletech Key Giveaway
by Myrthos, 13:01
Update: This giveaway has been closed
We have two Battletech Steam keys that we want to give away. The keys are from the standard pre-order, which includes the alternate Shadowhawk skin. These keys have been made available by Darkheart.
Here are the rules for participation in this giveaway:
- You have registered an acount at RPGWatch before March 1, 2018
- You have a minimum of 10 posts
- You have added a comment to this post, of which the contents makes clear that you want to participate
- You have added your comment before this giveaway closes, which is on the 24th of April
Sunday - April 08, 2018
BattleTech - Let's Play Pre-Release
by Silver, 08:19
ChristoperOdd played the first 66 minutes of Battletech.
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Let's Play BattleTech [Pre-Release] Part 1 Gameplay! BattleTech is about a war fought by noble houses through the use of giant Mechs! This is the campaign mode! Thanks to Harebrained Schemes and GOG for early access! 👇🏻 MORE INFO DOWN BELOW 👇🏻[...]
Thanks Pladio!
Friday - April 06, 2018
BattleTech - Shadowrun Returns with Preorder
by Silver, 09:07
If you preorder Battletech on GOG you can get Shadowrun Returns for free.
Those mechs sure cast some nice shadows.
Hear those thundering footsteps? That's right, it's BATTLETECH, coming from around the corner! Oh and the light-footed fella by its side? That's Shadowrun Returns, the acclaimed cyberpunk turn-based RPG, now FREE when you pre-order BATTLETECH, exclusively on GOG.com.This offer works retroactively, so anyone who already pre-ordered the game will also receive Shadowrun Returns. Don't forget that pre-ordering also gets you the Shadowhawk Pack, a bonus skin for the titular mech.Recently, our good friend CohhCarnage streamed a big chunk of the game, so check his videos below if you want an early look. Be warned, however, that he covers part of the campaign there, so if you're averse to SPOILERS, better turn back now.The Shadowrun Returns bonus offer lasts until May 8, 2018.
Tuesday - March 27, 2018
BattleTech - Story Trailer and April 24th Release
by Silver, 16:53
A new trailer for Battletech focuses on the story and announces a release date of April 24th.
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BATTLETECH, the first turn-based tactical ‘Mech combat PC game in over 20 years, will be available on April 24, 2018.
Saturday - March 24, 2018
BattleTech - Combat Strategy Video
by Silver, 12:03
A recent Battletech stream focused on combat strategy.
loading...Cknoor, Jordan, and Connor go through some of the essentials of BattleTech combat. Warning: There is a lot of talking about basics in this video!
Learn more and Pre-Order: store.steampowered.com/app/637090/BATTLETECH/
Take command of your own mercenary outfit of `Mechs and the MechWarriors that pilot them, struggling to stay afloat as you find yourself drawn into a brutal interstellar civil war.
Upgrade your starfaring base of operations, negotiate mercenary contracts with feudal lords, repair and maintain your stable of aging BattleMechs, and execute devastating combat tactics to defeat your enemies on the battlefield.
Thursday - March 15, 2018
BattleTech - Mercenary Life
by Silver, 06:54
There is a new trailer for Battletech called Battletech Basics: Mercenary Life.
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Learn how to manage your crew, upgrade your 'Mechs, make money and more!
Wednesday - February 28, 2018
BattleTech - Releasing April
by Silver, 06:55
Battletech will release April according to the latest update.
Enjoy our new BATTLETECH Basics: Combat video! Game will be released in April, Pre-order TODAY
We're thrilled to tell you that the first modern turn-based, tactical combat game set within the MechWarrior universe will launch this April for Windows PC and Mac.
In the first of a three-part video series, Jordan Weisman (creator of BattleTech), Mitch Gitelman (Studio Manager) and Mike McCain (Game Director) detail BATTLETECH’s unique combat system and the tactical challenges players will face commanding building-sized war machines on the battlefield. There’s also a fair amount of ‘Mech-punching, naturally.
loading...YouTube™ Video: BATTLETECH Basics: Combat | Pre-order available TODAYViews: 25,095BATTLETECH, the first modern turn-based, tactical combat game set within the MechWarrior universe will launch this April on Steam for Windows PC. Pre-Order TODAY!
“BATTLETECH has been a passion project for our team and for the fans who helped to make it a reality. We have done our very best to deliver a tactical `Mech experience that will delight long-time fans and excite new players who have yet to enter the MechWarrior universe.” said Jordan Weisman, CEO of Harebrained Schemes and creator of the original board game and BATTLETECH universe.”We know players are anxious to get their hands on the final game, and HBS joins Paradox in our excitement to deliver this April.”
The year is 3025 and the galaxy is trapped in a cycle of perpetual war, fought by noble houses with enormous, mechanized combat vehicles called BattleMechs. From their starfaring base of operations the player commands a mercenary outfit of `Mechs and the MechWarriors who pilot them, struggling to stay afloat as they are drawn into a brutal interstellar civil war.
PSA: All Backers at the Recruit level and above will ALSO receive this special edition Shadow Hawk skin upon deployment. High Command thanks you for your continued support of the cause.
Tuesday - February 20, 2018
BattleTech - Dev Q&A
by Silver, 09:06
Harebrained Schemes did a Developer led Q&A livestream for Battletech.
loading...BattleTech Dev Q&A Feb. 14, 2018
Tuesday - January 16, 2018
BattleTech - State of the Game Update
by Silver, 21:11
A new update for Battletech discusses the state of the game.
State-of-the-Game Update
Happy New Year Everyone!
We’re excited to report that the team hit their end-of-the-year goals and are on track for a great launch this year. While we don’t have a release date to announce yet, we definitely feel good about the state the game is in.
It’s an amazing feeling to have all the pieces in place and to finally play the game we imagined over two years ago! During the week between Christmas and New Years, we took a step back to review our progress and look for areas that need more attention and now we’re back in the thick of it, fixing bugs, balancing the game, PLAYING the game, and taking action to improve the experience day-by-day.
By and large, BATTLETECH is surprisingly close to the vision we originally pitched in the Kickstarter in September 2015. As anyone who’s made a video game can tell you, it’s incredibly rare to finish a game with all the features you envisioned when you start making it. So while we’re surprisingly close, we’re not perfect.
With release in sight in the next few months, we want to tell you about a few features that were part of our Kickstarter Campaign, but need to be delivered post-launch in order to focus development and testing as we move towards release.
- Linux support
- Legendary 'Mechs and MechWarriors
- Ability to play different types of missions in Skirmish mode (The campaign itself still has plenty of mission types though.)
- Some Valhalla-tier reward items (specifics TBD)
- Famous character cameos in the campaign (a Social Mission Bonus from the Kickstarter Campaign.)
- Famous AI Lances in Skirmish mode (another Social Mission Bonus from the Kickstarter Campaign.)
Rest assured that we are still committed to delivering these features after the game’s initial launch and at no additional charge to Backers.
One other change - instead of a multiplayer experience focused around competitive tournaments & leagues, we've opted for a more friend-focused model of multiplayer functionality. Players can invite each other to matches via Steam/GoG, create private games, and browse public games from the lobby.
Because of this change in direction, we also won’t be delivering a Solaris-themed multiplayer experience at launch. Instead, the game will ship with a diverse set of multiplayer maps across all the game’s biomes to battle on. We recognize that Solaris VII is a great setting for BattleTech experiences, and in success, we still hope to explore different ways to bring Solaris VII to life.
And finally, a feature that wasn’t a Kickstarter commitment but that we talked about online a bunch is Ironman Mode. Unfortunately, that won’t make it in for launch but we’d love to add it later.
Mech_Con 2017
Before we go, we want to thank everyone who came out to Mech_Con 2017 last month. We had a blast hanging out with everyone and hope you did, too. There’s really nothing more invigorating for us than meeting you face-to-face and sharing our mutual excitement for BATTLETECH.
The highlight of the evening for us was watching Jordan & Mitch go head-to-head in an epic (though tactically challenged) Battle of the Gray Beards™ with McCain doing color commentary. The two combatants fought a Trial of Honor with the loser kneeling before the winner and pledging to be his Bondsman for one horrible week. You can check out the duel between Jordan and Mitch at this link around the 5:56 mark.
Okay, back to the grindstone. We’re starting back up our Livestreaming Dev Q&As on Wednesday, February 14th hosted by our friends at No Guts No Galaxy. See you then!
See you then! -- HBS
Monday - December 04, 2017
BattleTech - Mike McCain Interview
by Silver, 13:47
Gamasutra chats with Battletech game director Mike McCain on Twitch.
Tuesday - November 28, 2017
BattleTech - Multiplayer Backer Beta Live
by Silver, 13:27
The latest update from Battletech announces that the multiplayer backer beta is now live.
Official Multiplayer Backer Beta Is LIVE!
After weeks of gathering data from our Double-Secret Multiplayer Beta and more weeks of revising our network architecture to allow the Global BattleTech Community to easily play together, we are happy (and relieved) to announce that the Official Multiplayer Backer Beta Is LIVE on Steam. We hope you enjoy your multiplayer matches as much as we enjoy ours.
If you are at the MECHWARRIOR Backer level or above and have already downloaded the game, Steam will automatically update the Beta to include the multiplayer mode. No password is needed and no action is required to start playing against others right away.
We’d like to extend a HUGE THANK YOU to the brave Double-Secret Multiplayer Beta testers who provided invaluable data and feedback during this early testing period. Your support has benefitted your fellow Backers, our community, and all the folks who are about to find out how cool the BattleTech universe is.
This final beta release is intended to test our multiplayer code with a larger sample of players around the world. You won't find any new combat features, very many balance changes (beyond those we've already done), or additional content in the update, much as we would love it. It was simply too much for our small team to keep the Beta and Production versions of the game in synch for months - or to attempt to update the Beta now after months of adding new code and content.
The Skirmish & Multiplayer Backer Beta will remain open through the end of the year. After that, the Beta will be shut down in preparation for the upcoming launch of the full game. Folks can still purchase Beta Access (and Backers can still upgrade their reward level) until Friday, December 1st.
If you’re looking for a match, head over to the Beta matchmaking sub-forum to find other MechCommanders ready for some Heavy Metal Mayhem! And if you’re eligible for the beta and haven’t downloaded it yet, this is your last call - head over to the Backer Beta PDF Manual to get instructions for getting your Steam Key from your BackerKit account, downloading the game, and how to play the game.
Have fun! Melt cockpits!
--HBS
P.S. Oh, and if you missed our last update, check out all the new campaign screenshots we shared!
Thursday - November 16, 2017
BattleTech - Campaign Gameplay
by Silver, 09:00
DSOGaming reports that Harebrained Schemes have released a gameplay video showing off the single player campaign for Battletech.
Harebrained Schemes has released a new video, showing 25 minutes of gameplay footage from BATTLETECH’s single player campaign. The game currently targets a 2018 release and this video will give you an idea of what you can expect from it.
[...]
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Wednesday - November 15, 2017
BattleTech - Preview
by Hiddenx, 22:47
Game Watcher checked out BattleTech:
Firefly meets XCOM, with Mechs
Battletech is one of our most eagerly anticipated games. Developer Harebrained Schemes have already done stellar work with the Shadowrun series of RPGs, now they’re turning their attention to making a proper XCOM-like Battletech strategy game, something more in tune with the original tabletop game rather than a simulator/action game like MechWarrior. We’ve already tried out the Skirmish mode, and now HBS and publisher Paradox invited us to take a look and play a mission of the Single-Player Campaign. And boy, does it look great. We were excited before – now it’s a potential Game of the Year 2018 contender.
[...]
Thanks Farflame!
BattleTech - Campaign is a Dark Age
by Silver, 22:07
RockPaperShotgun wrote an interesting article on what to expect from Battletechs campaign mode.
It’s odd to think of Mickey Mouse while ordering a giant robot to rip another robot’s arms off, but in the words of its creator Jordan Weisman, Battletech is kind of like Walt Disney’s Tomorrowland. Opened in 1955, the park was an homage to the march of science that inevitably struggled to keep up. Its present-day incarnations are a bizarre mishmash of the vintage, the cutting edge and the merely obsolete, Flash Gordon-brand retro colliding with touchscreens and VR. Similarly, Battletech is a vision of human history up to the 31st century that began life as a table-top strategy game in 1984, made up of once-outlandish concepts such as artificial muscles that now seem positively quaint.
The series wears its age more gracefully than Tomorrowland, however, because its campaign is as much about obsolescence and forgetfulness as the far future – a re-imagining of the fall of the Roman Empire and ensuing “dark age” that rebuts the concept of history as a steady, linear advance. It’s a solid footing for a strategy sim in the vein of Total War, comparable to Warhammer 40K’s Imperium but less, well, preposterous, though I still think the turn-based battle system Adam sampled in June is Battletech’s strongest asset.
[...]
Sunday - October 15, 2017
BattleTech - History of the Lawsuit
by Hiddenx, 08:56
Farflame spotted an article about the BattleTech lawsuit on PCGamesN:
How anime landed BattleTech and the MechWarrior games in legal trouble
The real-world story of the BattleTech series is more confusing and impenetrable than the space politics of its fictional universe. It’s seen several partial buyouts, more than three decades of intellectual property changing hands, and a confusing and largely confidential legal struggle over two countries' copyright and trademark laws. And it all started with anime.
There's no sign of BattleTech's legal trouble ending soon: there are two BattleTech games due out in 2018 and both of them are being sued for copyright infringement, despite the fact that one of them is being made by BattleTech’s original creator.[...]
Tuesday - September 12, 2017
BattleTech - Adapting the Rules
by Silver, 11:34
PCGamesN talked to Jordan Weisman about the challenge of adapting the tabletop rules for Battletech.
...
“The difference between a twitch-based game and a tactical game is pretty big,” Weisman says. The reward for players is skill-based, not tactical. “You're trying to hit something that's physically moving as you're physically moving. It becomes a real skill you have to develop,” he adds. With that in mind, MechWarrior recognised the change in perspective, from looking down on the table to being in the cockpit, and rewarded players for focusing their fire on individual limbs. “In the twitch-based game, being able to target specific areas of the body becomes a rewarding skill you build as a player,” Weisman explains.
In the BattleTech board game, you can only single out limbs or the cockpit of an enemy mech after it’s been knocked to the floor, because, as Weisman points out, “there is no skill that has to be developed on the part of the player to successfully shoot at legs.”
Weisman goes further, explaining that if you put limb shots into the tactical take on the game “we end up with one of two things. Either: a) the odds to hit were so low that you missed a bunch of times and it became frustrating, or b) the percentage chance to hit let you hit a number of times, in which case mechs were destroyable much too quickly.
“You're just clicking on a headshot and rolling for your lucky headshot number. Or you'll take their legs out really quickly,” Weisman summarises.
[...]
Friday - September 08, 2017
RPGWatch @ Gamescom - Battletech
by Myrthos, 21:43
Battletech was one of those games I looked forward to seeing at Gamescom. This article, about Battletech, is also the last article covering the games I saw at Gamescom, so here it is:
I was looking forward to checking out Battletech at Gamescom, even if it was the only game I would check out that wasn't really an RPG. The presentation of Battletech started with Mitch Gitelman from Harebrained Schemes providing us with some information on the history of Battletech and what Harebraines Schemes is making. He discovered that many of the journalists he spoke to never heard of Battletech before. As it has such a very rich history, he wanted to share some of it by means of a few slides.
The Battletech franchise is over 30 years old and was created by his partner Jordan Weismann as a tabletop wargame. From there it went on to be all sorts of things. There have been hundreds of additional game supplements all about the game settings, different factions and its history. The Battletech setting goes on for hundreds of years, so there are different eras of Battletech. Over 200 novels have been written and they are still being written today. There is an animated cartoon and several derived video games, from the MechWarrior, where you were inside the cockpit, to the MechCommander series, an RTS game Mitch worked. MechAssault was the very first multiplayer game on Xbox Live. The last turn-based Battletech game was released in 1990, 27 years ago and Harebrained Schemes is now working on the next one, going back to the roots of that tabletop wargame.
The game was funded in an hour on Kickstarter in 2015 and raised over 2.7 million dollars and is still getting money to this date by late backers.
Thursday - August 24, 2017
BattleTech - Gamescom Gameplay
by Silver, 14:46
Paradox showed off some Battletech gameplay at Gamescom from the latest update.
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Cknoor and Mitch sit down to take a look at the latest update to Battletech.
From original BattleTech/MechWarrior creator Jordan Weisman and the developers of the award-winning Shadowrun Returns series comes the next-generation of turn-based tactical ‘Mech combat.
Learn more: http://www.paradoxplaza.com/battletec...
ParadoxExtra is the streaming archive of Paradox Interactive. Nearly all of the videos on this channel are recorded live on http://twitch.tv/paradoxinteractive.
Monday - August 21, 2017
BattleTech - Evasion Change
by Silver, 10:18
PCGamesN reports on a change to the Evasion mechanic for Battletech.
Player feedback made Harebrained redesign Battletech's 35-year-old evasion mechanic
An update to BattleTech has dramatically changed the way evasion works in the game. Alongside several other changes to the single-player Skirmish beta, the Evasion, Sensor Lock, and Evasive Move mechanics have "all received major revisions."
In a forum post, social media and community manager Robin Gitelman details some highlights of the update. The largest of these is to the the way evasion works in the game, which has been substantially changed. This is something that Jordan Weisman, the CEO of developers Harebrained Schemes, talked about in a recent interview we did with him.
Weisman tells us that due to the tabletop version of BattleTech being such a complex game, his team are attempting to make the digital version more accessible, especially as it's reaching a new audience. Evasion, however, is an example of "where we actually made it a little more complicated than the tabletop," Weisman says.
[...]
Monday - August 14, 2017
BattleTech - Delayed to 2018
by Hiddenx, 20:02
Rock Paper Shotgun reports that BattleTech has been delayed to 2018:
BattleTech delayed into 2018
[...]
Weisman said in today’s announcement:
“We’d previously been projecting a late 2017 release but now that we’ve revised our AI & combat mechanics in reaction to your feedback, completed a thorough review of the work remaining on the game, and are poised to release the Multiplayer Backer Beta update, all indications are that Paradox & HBS will release BattleTech in early 2018.
“Throughout development, the message we’ve received has been clear, ‘Don’t rush it, just make it great.’ and we have taken that to heart.”
[...]
Thanks henriquejr!
Tuesday - July 18, 2017
BattleTech - Dev Q&A July
by Hiddenx, 19:23
Farflame spotted this interesting BattleTech Dev Q&A with lots of info from the animation team:
BattleTech Dev Q&A July 12, 2017
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BattleTech - Revisiting the Franchise
by Myrthos, 09:16
Jordan Weisman, the co-creator of the Battletech and Shdowrun tabletop franchises and currently working on the Battletech game at Harbrained Schemes, talks about the franchise and how they are moving it to a playable game.
Weisman says the current gaming landscape provides a unique window for a return to BattleTech’s origin. “It’s been over 25 years since we have done turn based tactical game, but in recent years there’s been a renaissance of tactical turn-based games, and we were excited to think about how BattleTech could build upon what has gone before and even push the genre forward a little bit," says Weisman.
"BattleTech producer Mitch Gitelman and I have contributed to several of the MechWarriors,” he adds. “and led the creation of the MechCommander series, so we really have an appreciation of what the real-time versions of BattleTech are. But we also understand their limitations."
Weisman insists that going back to something that more closely approximates the play of the original 1980s tabletop wargames will allow for far more nuance in the game design.
"BattleTech has always been a squad (or as we call it, a Lance) based game," he says. "While we were able to reflect this in the MechCommander games, we could not model the mechs, their interactions, and their MechWarrior pilots in as great a depth as we can in this turn based game.”
Thanks Couchpotato.
Tuesday - July 04, 2017
BattleTech - Kickstarter Update
by Hiddenx, 18:45
BattleTech gets a lot of praise for the single player skirmish mode release:
Beta & E3 Reactions, Beta HotFix Incoming, and More!
Thanks to all our Backer Beta participants for the overwhelmingly positive reaction to the BATTLETECH single player skirmish mode release! We really appreciate all the great feedback you’ve given in your after-action surveys and on the BATTLETECH Beta Discussion forum - useful stuff. It’s been an absolute pleasure for us to read your comments, see your amazing screenshots, and watch your livestreams and YouTube videos.
[...]
Thanks Farflame!
Tuesday - June 13, 2017
BattleTech - Gameplay Presentation
by Silver, 03:27
@PCGamer Harebrained Schemes showed off Battletech at the PC Gaming Show.
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During E3 2017's PC Gaming Show, BattleTech developer Harebrained Schemes ran us through some gameplay of the turn-based mech warfare game.
Friday - June 02, 2017
BattleTech - About the Development
by Hiddenx, 19:57
Farflame spotted an arcticle about the development of BattleTech on PCGamesN:
Behind BattleTech, the hefty mech tactics game from the creators of Shadowrun
Shams Jorjani is no stranger to signing big projects. As Paradox’s vice president of business development, he’s been intimately involved in the deals that birthed Cities: Skylines and Pillars of Eternity. But, for the first time, he was starting to feel the pressure.
“Shams,” his colleagues told him. “You can’t fuck this up.”
Due to what Jorjani was working on, a name was spreading around Paradox’s Stockholm offices, murmured in reverence: Jordan Weisman. In the ‘80s, when many of Jorjani’s workmates cut their teeth, Weisman had created the Shadowrun and MechWarrior tabletop RPGs. And in recent years, he’d founded Harebrained Schemes: the studio behind Shadowrun Returns and its excellent, literary sequels. Now he was on the phone talking to Jorjani about publishing a wonderfully chunky turn-based tactics MechWarrior adaptation, named BattleTech.
If you trace many of the PC’s most beloved games back to the beginning, you’ll find roots and rulesets in pen and paper gaming. But it’s highly unusual for a tabletop designer to be so involved in ushering their creations into the digital realm. “My career, unlike a lot of tabletop guys, has been pretty split,” says Weisman, by way of explanation. “Half of tabletop, half of digital.”
He’s reflecting on his history among the Romanesque rafters of Gamla Riksarkivet, the Swedish national archives. Jorjani, who didn’t fuck it up, sits in an adjacent room giving another interview.
[...]
Friday - May 12, 2017
BattleTech - PDXCON Trailer
by Silver, 10:34
There is a new trailer for Battletech and it looks like Paradox will be publisher.
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Learn more about BattleTech here: http://pdxint.at/2pCwtgA
Paradox Interactive and Harebrained Schemes Partner to Publish BATTLETECH.
The year is 3025 and the galaxy is trapped in a cycle of perpetual war, fought by noble houses with enormous, mechanized combat vehicles called BattleMechs. Take command of your own mercenary outfit of `Mechs and the MechWarriors that pilot them, struggling to stay afloat as you find yourself drawn into a brutal interstellar civil war.
BATTLETECH was successfully Kickstarted in November 2016, and now Paradox is providing a full loadout of publishing support in BATTLETECH’s march to launch.
[...]
Some multiplayer gameplay
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Game Director Mike McCain and Studio Manager, Mitch Gitelman, recorded a friendly multiplayer match to give you a peek at what to expect in the Beta. You can find a Beta Gameplay Video List of Annotations here: http://community.battletechgame.com/f...
Full disclosure here - Mike is one of the better players in the studio and Mitch… is not. Nevertheless, Mitch puts up a pretty good fight as you’ll see in the video.
Wednesday - March 29, 2017
BattleTech - New Screenshots & Novella 2#
by Silver, 05:45
The latest Battletech update tells us that novella 2# has been delivered and shows us some new screenshots from the latest build.
Hey y'all, Mitch here!
On behalf of the whole team, thank you for the overwhelming show of support and positive energy we received after our last update. We deeply appreciate it. When you're flying full-throttle down the Death Star trench with turbo-lasers blazing past your cockpit and the exhaust port coming up fast, it's nice to know that "The Backers are with you."
No update on our Backer Beta timing yet - we're stepping back to make sure our plan is solid, our team is working at a healthy pace, and we have the right level of internal testing before releasing it into the wilds of Backerdom. As many of you have speculated, it's unlikely we'll announce a new date until we're very confident we will hit it.
In the interim, we thought we'd show some new screenshots of the game in action to help tide everyone over. These are unedited shots - though we did turn off the interface and use a debug camera in-game to get the pretty we wanted. You can click on the images to get a hi-res version for each. Hope you enjoy!
[...]
Tuesday - March 07, 2017
BattleTech - Backer Beta Pushed Back
by Silver, 23:48
The Battletech backer beta has been pushed back due to trouble with third party software and a Unity upgrade according to the latest kickstarter update.
Backer Beta Delayed
Greetings MechWarriors! Klimecky back again with important news about our Backer Beta. A series of unfortunate events prevents us from hitting our target release date and, as promised in our last update, we're letting you know as far in advance as we can. This change may come as a surprise, given it's only a few weeks after announcing the target release date but sometimes game development throws us curve balls at just the wrong moment. As a wise man once said, "Shit happens."
Developers are constantly weighing risks vs rewards during a project, often with incomplete information. In this case we made two big decisions in the leadup to Beta and both turned out to have a bigger impact on the project than we planned for. Here's what happened:
Our development infrastructure desperately needed an upgrade but the fixes caused lots of short-term headaches. HBS has a history of "toughing it out" and working with sub-optimal back-end tools because we want as much development time as possible to be spent on game features and fun. Eventually however, a system becomes too painful to use and we bite the bullet and pay the development price. In this case, we had two vital systems that required improvement for the Backer Beta, so we decided to "tear off the bandage", hire a professional IT contractor, and get all the work done at once so our engineers could stay focused on the game.
Unfortunately, the infrastructure upgrade process caused several issues including delays in getting new versions of the game built. This consumed time from our Lead Engineer, our Test Lead, and myself. Without the ability to test our work in new "builds" of the game, progress slowed. It has taken the better part of 3 weeks to get back on track, but we finally feel like we've cleared the hurdle.
An upgrade to the latest version of Unity brought the game editor to its knees. Unity is the game engine we build BATTLETECH on top of and when the company updates its software, game developers need to take a hard look before deciding to take the plunge and install it. In this case, we determined that the update was required for beta because it contained performance optimizations that would greatly improve the gameplay experience for nearly all our participants and for some, make the game playable at all on their machines.
Now, we know from experience that whenever you update major software in the middle of development things WILL break, so we diligently planned time for integration and bug fixing. Unfortunately, while the upgrade succeeded in improving the game's performance, the changes in Unity broke a lot more of our systems than anticipated - with these consequences proving more time-consuming to troubleshoot and address than any other Unity upgrade we've done in the past (including on previous projects). We were relieved to learn that at 2:30am this morning, our engineering and technical art team removed the final productivity sink and were able to start our Monday with a solid infrastructure and performant game editor.
As you can imagine, it's been a frustrating few weeks in the studio. The entire project slowed dramatically just as we were attempting to hit the gas for the final weeks until Beta launch. The team continued to push as hard as they could, refusing to give up on our March 15th target date, but the slowdowns and instability were punishing. The leadership group decided to step back and take a good, hard look at the situation. We decided it was best to stop the crunch and focus on finishing the infrastructure and editor work before reviewing our quality level and reassessing the target date for the Backer Beta.
Now that our technical issues are behind us, the team is focused on quality and on delivering an experience that shows the world why HBS loves BattleTech and why everyone else should, too. As soon as we have a new target date that we can confidently announce, we'll send out another update. We are dedicated to delivering a great Backer Beta, even if that means taking a little longer with it.
Regarding the final release date for BATTLETECH: As noted during our livestreamed dev Q&As and on our forums, once we unlocked all of our Kickstarter stretch goals, our estimated release date of May was no longer valid. Way back then we said things like "Summer 2017." Now that we're further along, we're targeting a Late Summer / Fall release of the game - but we won't be announcing a more exact release date until we're much closer in!
Again, we deeply appreciate your support for the project.
-- Chris Klimecky, Sr. Producer
Friday - February 10, 2017
BattleTech - Q&A Video
by Silver, 04:44
HBS did a live video Q&A recently with the designers behind Battletech.
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Tuesday - February 07, 2017
BattleTech - Backer Beta Launch March 15th
by Silver, 23:00
Battletech will have a backer beta launch targeting March 15th according to the latest update on kickstarter.
Greetings MechWarriors!
Klimecky here. We have good news for you - we're targeting March 15th as our Beta launch date. (As you'll recall, Beta access was a Kickstarter Reward for all Backers at the $50 MechWarrior Tier and above). The team has been hard at work getting the game in shape and we're almost ready for you to take a test drive.
Now, I bet you have a few questions... well, your friendly, neighborhood BATTLETECH Producer is here to fill you in with a FAQ that should answer your most pressing questions right away. As we get closer to our target date, I'll update you with any final details you may need to be an effective Beta participant.
After you get caught up on the Beta news, scroll down to learn about our latest digital reward delivery for Backers at the $50 MechWarrior reward level - the first in a series of four novellas by the legendary Michael A. Stackpole. Then keep scrolling to see the sweet new merch AVAILABLE NOW at battletechgear.com!
[...]
Our Next Livestreamed Dev Q&A
If you're not aware, we've resumed our monthly livestreamed development Q&As and the next one will be TOMORROW Wednesday, February 8th from 12pm-1pm Pacific Time.
Due to scheduling contraints, twitch.com/HyperRPG (the station that brings you DEATH FROM ABOVE) will no longer be hosting our Q&As but we're happy to report that our friends at No Guts No Galaxy are ready and willing to take up the cause. We'll also post a recording of the Q&A on the HBS YouTube channel as soon as we can in case you can't tune in live.
This month's topic is the Single-Player Story Campaign. As always, we'll spend the first half-hour taking questions that you post on the BATTLETECH forums before opening up the questions to our live audience on any topic.
Thursday - January 19, 2017
BattleTech - Last Song Done
by Silver, 21:55
Jon Everist has tweeted that the last song has been written for Battletech and is being taken to Orchestra. After will come analog synths and 'digital madness'.
Last song written. Mock-up done. Off to record these with orchestra. Then back home to add analog synths and digital madness. 🍾 #BattleTech pic.twitter.com/wLe7DGYonU
— Jon Everist (@JonEverist) January 19, 2017
Tuesday - December 20, 2016
BattleTech - All About Melee
by Silver, 09:47
A new update for Battletech has a bit to say about melee.
Melee! Melee! Melee!
Hello! This is your friendly neighborhood Design Lead, Kiva Maginn, with some new information about how we've approached one of our most-anticipated game features: giant robots punching other giant robots in the face!
When we started working on melee, I proposed a single overarching goal: once you're close enough to punch someone, punching should usually be the right thing to do (or at the very least, it shouldn't ever be the wrong thing to do). There are a few reasons for this, mostly having to do with the speed and intensity of battles. When battles get in close, it's not all that much fun to spin in circles around each other, trying to get a good back-shot but otherwise standing mostly in one place. I wanted the final stage of a battle, when ‘Mechs are in spitting distance of each other, to be brutal and decisive. Once you're that close, the fight's about to be over one way or another.
One of the first decisions we had to make was: how many different melee attacks are there? On one hand, offering a wide variety of options makes the experience more involved; when you choose to "kick" and your results clearly reflect your choice, it feels like your decisions mattered. But on the other hand, the risk of offering a variety of choices is that some of those choices are always sub-optimal, and thus act as a trap, encouraging less-experienced players to make the wrong choice.
As well, the more time we spent on the weapons UI, the less we wanted to force a similar level of complexity into other parts of the game. It's really important that you be able to pick and choose which weapons will fire and at which target, so we can't really avoid that level of complexity. But melee attacks seemed to come down to a simple choice: do you punch, hoping for a head hit, or do you kick, hoping for a leg hit?
This dovetailed with another issue I wanted to address, which is the frequency of head hits. Generally, head hits are fun and interesting and provide an element of chaos and sudden reversals to battles, and I approve of that (Mitch says, "Watching McCain lose his Atlas in the Super-Pre-Alpha video was one of the great joys of my life.") but it's a lot different when the victim of the head shot is your prize MechWarrior, whom you've carefully guided through dozens of hours of gameplay. It's interesting when a veteran MechWarrior dies; it's less interesting when it happens abruptly, through no fault of yours, at the whim of a single random die-roll from a lucky punch.
Friday - December 02, 2016
BattleTech - Beta Plans and Character Bio's
by Silver, 12:50
The latest kickstarter update for Battletech tells us about Harebrained Schemes Beta plans and lets us know about some of the characters we will meet during the campaign.
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!
[...]
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.
Friday - September 30, 2016
BattleTech - Development Update
by Silver, 06:10
Harebrained Schemes released a new kickstarter update which outlined where in development Battletech is right now and showcased classic Battletech artist Duane Loose and what he is bringing to the project.
Development Update
So, what's the team been up to since GenCon? In a word, EVERYTHING. Seriously. Not only did we get right back to work on the combat experience - finishing up features like melee, MechWarrior abilities, airstrikes, and more - but we've been busy spinning up on ‘Mech production, environment art production, map design, multiplayer, story development, and last but not least, breaking ground on development on the "simulation game" (which is our internal term to describe all the fun aspects of managing your Mercenary outfit in-between combat missions).Whew!
Our spring and summer summer were all about two things: 1) Turning our early combat prototype into a complete, fun, and robust combat experience, and 2) Getting all of our systems, pipelines and architecture in place for full content production on the game. Objective #1 was proven out by the #SuperPreAlpha (thanks again to everyone who watched the Backer video or was able to play it at GenCon and PAX!) Objective #2 has taken a little bit longer to solidify, but I'm pleased to report that we're also turning that corner this month into content production in all areas of the game. This is one of the great challenges of game development - sometimes one team is furiously trying to finish building the car while other teams are simultaneously trying to paint and test drive it.
To continue with the weird car analogy, I really couldn't be more proud of this team and feel like everyone is really firing on all cylinders. Jordan and Mitch and I would like to give a particular shoutout here to our engineering team though, they have been absolutely crushing it in their efforts to get a huge amount of features into the game quickly while maintaining a quality, scalable codebase.
We expect to be back with one more Kickstarter update towards the end of 2016 including another progress update and some Kickstarter Beta details. After that, expect our KS updates to slow down a bit as production ramps WAY up.
Until then!
Mike
[...]
When Mike asked me to write about what it's like to be able to rework some of the units I'd designed so long ago, my initial answer and feeling was "It's Awesome and very gratifying!" Especially being a part of Mike's team and making another contribution to a universe worthy of devotion.
As designers we live with our work forever. What we create, especially in the internet age, lives on, often unexpectedly, to our credit and our critique. To have my name associated with Battletech has always been a blessing for which I am grateful. This association has created many opportunities to connect with designers and artists who grew up playing Battletech and enjoying the art from so many of my amazing Battletech artist colleagues. They inspired me then, as they do today.
I often tell my students that drawing 100 ‘mechs and machines, in three months, for the first technical readout, is where I really learned how to draw. The experience working in the Battletech universe paved the way for my career as an art director and production designer in game development and animated film production. I still look at many of the drawings of mechs I've done and think of them as some of the best work in my career. The Atlas for example and definitely the Hatchetman my first ‘Mech.
Wednesday - September 07, 2016
BattleTech - Interview @PCGamer
by Silver, 01:16
PC Gamer chat with Harebrained Schemes about Battletech and why they are showing it off so early.
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Also a 30 minute super pre-alpha demo from PAX West.
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Wednesday - June 29, 2016
BattleTech - Campaign Setting Details
by Silver, 04:05
The latest kickstarter update for Battletech has details on the campaign setting. This is a large update with a lot of details so head to the link for more.
History of the Aurigan Reach
The Inner Sphere, Circa 3025At the edges of the Inner Sphere lies the Periphery. The systems there were far from the protective embrace of Earth, and were thus colonized by outcasts, misfits, renegades, and those who simply valued freedom and independence more than they valued comfort and safety. As a consequence, the Periphery has always been a somewhat lawless fringe, a haven for misfits and refugees, the Wild West to the civilized Inner Sphere.
In a very real way, though, it was the marginal nature of the Periphery that directly led to the chaos of the current era; the traitor Amaris was a product of the Periphery and was radicalized by two centuries of the Inner Sphere's iron-fisted occupation of his homeland. His resentment and hate led to civil war, the catastrophic collapse of the Terran Hegemony, and with it the fall of the Star League.
In the wake of that fall, the Succession Wars have crippled all of humanity, and the Periphery is no exception. With the chaos of constant war, economies have shrunk, non-essential projects have been curtailed, and planets that might have once been worth colonizing have been abandoned, their colonists evacuated or left to starve in isolation.
The rimward area of the Periphery (what looks like ‘south' on a map) includes a lightly-settled region that's known as the Aurigan Reach. While once divided between the Magistracy of Canopus, the Taurian Concordat, and the Capellan Confederation, all three withdrew from the region during the wars, preferring to hold more secure borders and less marginal systems. The distant, poorly-developed worlds of the Reach weren't worth the danger of overextending one's power, given the sudden brutality of the Succession Wars.
The Capellans, hard-pressed by their rivals in the Inner Sphere, were first to abandon the Aurigan Reach, and by 2798 they'd withdrawn to a new, more defensible line, from Repulse to Rollis, leaving over a dozen systems to their own devices. The Taurians, in the wake of the disastrous and humiliating Taurian-Canopian War in 2813, turned away from expansionism, and likewise abandoned their Reach holdings. The Magistracy was the last to hold on to any Reach systems, but their claim was always more of a line drawn in the sand against the Taurians than any real colonial ambition; by 2840, their military forces were withdrawn to their own borders, leaving a vast and lawless region behind.
Power cannot tolerate a vacuum, though, and many of the abandoned systems had significant populations, industry, and commerce. Four of those systems were particularly well-suited to continue on as though still part of an interstellar civilization: Coromodir, Itrom, Tyrlon and Guldra. Trade between them continued, and the network of JumpShips continued to serve them, and through them some of the nearby, more marginal systems.
Of the four, Coromodir was the wealthiest and retained the most infrastructure and technology from the Taurian colonization. Two major mercantile houses, the Arano family and the Espinosa family, dominated the remains of the Taurian-led economy, and were natural leaders for the newly independent world. In 2820, the Arano family displaced the figurehead governor the Taurians had left behind, and with the support of the Espinosa family, Wiremu Arano ascended to the governorship.
This independence and leadership was needed as the Taurians withdrew from the remainder of the Reach over the next 20 years. By the time the withdrawal was complete, the Aurigan Reach was a haven for pirates and renegades, warlords setting up their own petty kingdoms, and worse.
Wednesday - May 25, 2016
BattleTech - Update #27 - Rewards Update
by Aubrielle, 06:36
In their latest update, Harebrained Schemes gives us some more details on how backer rewards are coming for BattleTech.
Hey All! This is Brian, Ops Director here at Harebrained Schemes. I’ve taken on the task of manufacturing the Noble House Heraldry Sets and MechWarrior Flight Jackets but, before we get to that, here’s a quick update on how things are going with the game as well as a few other things of note.
- Game Development: Mike asked me to let you all know that game production continues on schedule - the engineering team is currently heads-down and focused on building out all the core systems that make combat possible - essentially taking the game from a rough, bare-bones prototype to a fully-fledged, scalable Combat Game. Meanwhile, the design team is making maps and thinking ahead to plan out a lot of the game’s campaign and mercenary career “simulation” aspects, and the art team is busy making lots of terrain features, animations, effects - I’ve even spied a few classic BattleTech vehicles starting to roll out of the art factory here...
- Novellas: Mike Stackpole has had consultations with all the Backers that will appear in the novellas and we’re hoping to be able to deliver the first in the series with Backers in the next couple months.
- Our next Dev Q&A will be on June 8 at 2pm PDT on Hyper RPG’s Twitch channel. If you can’t watch live, you can watch them any time if you subscribe to HyperRPG or check them out when they’re posted on the Hyper RPG Youtube channel. Q&As from March and April and May are available now so you can watch them.
- BattleTech Forum: There continues to be some great conversation about the game and with the Devs over in our Forum. Here’s a thread about Vehicles included in the game.
- Death From Above: Our mercenary team, led by the Lord Commander (our own Mitch Gitelman) continues to play on the battlefield with our custom 3D printed ’Mechs every Friday at 6pm PDT on Hyper RPG. You can read more in this Forum post about how the game intersects with BattleTech lore from Aristocra and catch up on previous episodes on Hyper RPG’s Youtube channel.
Now, on to the main topic of the post...
HERALDRY SETS & FLIGHT JACKETS
We’re really pleased with how all these items came out - everyone here at the office has been trying to swipe the pre-production samples, especially the hats and the jackets. It might be a bit warm when you get your jackets (here in the U.S. at least), but go ahead and show them off at GenCon and PAX West -- we’ll understand. :)
Source: Harebrained Schemes
Saturday - May 21, 2016
BattleTech - Q&A Video
by Silver, 02:06
Harebrained Schemes conducted a live Q&A on all things BattleTech recently courtesy of HyperRPG.
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Saturday - April 09, 2016
BattleTech - Kickstarter Update #26
by Hiddenx, 21:44
This Kickstarter update is about turn-based combat mechanics:
Prototyping Turn Order
Hey Everyone! Jordan here!
In this update I’d like to talk about our turn order design for the game - how we handle turn-based moving and shooting. We’ve been following your discussions on the BattleTech forums and as game developers, they’re always really exciting to see. We learn a ton by reading your different points-of-view, so thanks!
We were originally going to wait a little longer to talk about Turn Order so we could actually show it to you in-game and in-action - but we can see how passionate you guys are about this topic and we don’t want to leave you hanging. As your forum threads reflect, we all understand that tabletop and computer games are two very different animals, even when they are trying to simulate the same fictional reality.
Translating Tabletop
Whenever I’m at a game convention, I’m always asked, “Why don’t you just port the BattleTech tabletop rules to the computer? They’ve worked great for 30 years!” For the answer, let’s start with the obvious - tabletop games have the enormous benefit of in-person social interaction. Being around the table with your friends is entertaining all by itself and taking more time to resolve game results is not necessarily a negative. On the other hand, waiting for a remote opponent in an online game can be frustrating at worst and boring at best. Even if your opponent is your best friend, it’s just not the same as being the table together.
Beyond social interaction, another key difference between tabletop and computer games is how you absorb information. For example, during a tabletop game, every move and every die roll you make (along with all the moves and die rolls of your opponents) happen at a speed that allows you to process that information. And don’t underestimate the tactile and social fun of rolling dice or the visceral feeling of filling in armor boxes on a ‘Mech’s record sheet. It is the tactile power of those experiences that helps us understand and retain the game information conveyed during the event.
BattleTech’s turn order is a good example of a tabletop design element that doesn’t port well to the computer. The tabletop design attempts to reflect the fictional reality of 'Mechs and vehicles moving and shooting simultaneously by splitting movement and combat into two different phases. Movement order is based on initiative, and then alternated between players. Combat is resolved simultaneously - players take turns rolling damage, and then that damage all takes effect at the same time. This works great for tabletop, where it’s easy to accept the nonlinear abstraction. Even though my attack may have destroyed your ‘Mech, I know you’ll still get to roll for its damage to mine. This is much harder to present on screen, where a certain linearity of events is expected!
So, now that you understand the basic design challenge, we’ll start where HBS always starts - at the goal level.
Design Goals
Our design process starts with explicitly stating the goals for every system, so that we have a way of evaluating if the system design is not just “cool” but most importantly achieves its design criteria. The design goals that impact the turn order system are:
- Fluid play in both singleplayer and multiplayer game modes - This is actually a bigger deal than you would think because our emotional reactions to a turn order system are quite different with a computer opponent that takes zero time to make a decision and a human who takes considerably more than zero time.
- Make Light 'Mechs useful and versatile - Light 'Mechs were included in the game to be used as scouts, flankers, and forward observers. Historically, these roles have appeared in BT fiction more than in game play, so one of our major goals is to make Light 'Mechs really useful.
- Don’t overwhelm me with information - BattleTech is a very information heavy game. Previous computer / video games have handled this in one of two ways: greatly simplify the game, or overwhelm the player with too much information. We want to find a balance that allows us to maintain the depth of the simulation while making sure that the information provided is digestible and actionable.
- Provide me visceral feedback on my actions - When you perform an action you should see a satisfying result to that action, and most importantly you should understand the results of the action.
- It’s gotta feel like BattleTech! - This one might seem obvious, but it’s important to make it explicit - the results of the turn order system should feel like BattleTech.
[...]
Friday - April 08, 2016
BattleTech - Prototyping Turn Order
by Silver, 07:50
In this update Jordan Wisemen talks about turn order design for Battletech and how Harebrained will handle turn-based moving and shooting. Theres a bit to digest but Jordan breaks down why the computer experience can't be exactly the same as the tabletop.
[...]
So - Where Did We End Up?
Here's the basics:
- Each weight class of ‘Mech has an Initiative value. Light ‘Mechs are the fastest, with an Initiative of 4 and assaults are the slowest, with an Initiative of 1.
- Combat rounds are divided into 5 Phases, counting down from 5 to 1. ‘Mechs are allowed to act during the Phase that matches their Initiative. (That 5th Phase is the province of extremely skilled MechWarriors piloting Light ‘Mechs.)
- Each Phase, each side takes turns choosing a ‘Mech to Activate. When a Mech is Activated, it can both move and then fire its weapons. However, once the ‘Mech fires, its turn is over and it can't act again until the next Round of combat.
- After you Activate a ‘Mech and take a turn, the game attempts to give the next action to the other side. If the enemy has units available to use in the current Phase, they get the opportunity to activate one of them. If, on the other hand, they have no more units they can activate in the phase, and you do, you'll get to go again.
- This means that if you and your opponent are both using full lances of assault ‘Mechs, every Round will be pretty predictable: You'll go, then your opponent will go, and so forth until all eight ‘Mechs have been Activated and have taken a turn.
- When the game finishes counting down Initiative values and Phase 1 units have taken their turn, the Round ends. The Phase counter resets to 5, and every ‘Mech is ready to act again.
And now the really cool part:
We think this is a neat system because it reinforces and distinguishes between the different weight classes of ‘Mechs - but the place where it really becomes really interesting is when you start reserving ‘Mechs' Phases for use later in the Round.
Any ‘Mech that isn't an assault can be held in reserve when its turn to act comes up. That temporarily sets its Initiative Value one lower. So a Light ‘Mech that normally acts in Phase 4 will instead act in Phase 3.
With this system, you can keep reserving your ‘Mechs' actions, holding an entire lance of ‘Mechs until Phase 1, if you wanted to.
What's so interesting about reserving actions? First of all, consider the case of a whole lance of Light and medium ‘Mechs being reserved until Phase 1, where they'll get to act right at the end of a Round. Then, when the round ends and a new Round starts, they'll immediately get to act again in Phases 4 and 3! (This tactic isn't theoretical - in a recent battle, I snuck up behind our Lead Designer Kevin's Centurion with a Jenner I'd reserved to Phase 1. Then, on Phase 4 of the next Round I got to make a full alpha strike right into his back armor.)
Tuesday - March 08, 2016
BattleTech - Dropship Home Base
by Silver, 22:15
In Kickstarter update #25 Harebrained Schemes goes into detail on the Argos-Class Dropship lore and areas of the ship which will function as a customisable home-base for the player. Lots of details here which I recommend you to check out and a video.
COMMAND CENTER - This is where you and your command staff operate the ship. It's a combination of a communications center, briefing room, and CIC. It's located amidships, along the spine of the ship, where it's quickly and easily accessed from anywhere on the ship while also being protected by the bulk of the Main Hold. In the Command Center, you'll talk to your Executive Officer, review and negotiate contracts, and determine lance deployments.
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Harebrained will also be doing a livestreamed Q&A session from here on out once a month.
BATTLETECH Q&A This Wednesday, March 9!
As we mentioned in the last update, we really enjoyed doing the BATTLETECH Q&A's during the Kickstarter so we're going to continue this tradition with a monthly livestream.
Beginning tomorrow, Wednesday, March 9 at 2pm PST, and then regularly on the 2nd Wednesday of the month, Hyper RPG will host us during their regularly scheduled show, Rabbit Stew.
Each month, we'll solicit your burning questions on a specific topic over on the BATTLETECH Forum in a thread like this one. In the Q&A session, we'll split our time between answering questions from the forum thread and questions from the livestream chat. We know not everyone will be able to be there live so they'll also be archived and available afterwards on Hyper RPGs profile page.
Saturday - January 16, 2016
BattleTech - Update #23
by Aubrielle, 09:24
The BattleTech team have locked down their backer rewards program, meaning that if you haven't gotten in (like me), it's too late. You can also grab your sourcebooks and mech schematics, if you got them. There's more in the latest update.
We’ve been back from our holiday break for a couple weeks, welcomed some new team members, and are prototyping like the wind! We’ll have some meaty information about the game in our next update but this one is all about BackerKit accounts and Add-Ons!
BackerKit accounts “Lock Down” TONIGHT at 10pm PST January 15th.
There are still about 1800 Backers who haven’t answered their survey yet. If you haven’t done that yet, please go do it now so you get all your rewards in a timely fashion when they're ready.
When we “click the button” and Lock Down accounts, a few things will happen:
1. You will no longer be able to upgrade your Backer level or purchase additional Add-Ons although you will be able to update/change your shipping address.
2. All outstanding balances will be charged
3. A code for a special “Kickstarter Backer” and an “Order of Valhalla” Forum Badge (if you backed at that level) will be available in your BackerKit account. Step by step directions for entering the code are below.
4. Digital Add-Ons of Sourcebook PDFs and ‘Mech Blueprints will become available for download from your BackerKit account. To get them, you’ll go to your BATTLETECH BackerKit account, click the “Get Your Digital Rewards” button and download your rewards.
Please Note: It will take some time for BackerKit to charge and update accounts for all of our 40,000 backers. If your Add-Ons are not available when you go to your account, please give it 24 hours and then check back again. If your items are still missing, please contact us through our website.
Source: Harebrained Schemes
Wednesday - December 23, 2015
BattleTech - Kickstarter Update #22
by Aubrielle, 01:35
Harebrained Schemes has just published the latest Kickstarter update for BattleTech, hot off the presses! Mike tells us all about development of the core campaign, and more...
In a nutshell - we’re a few months into pre-production now, and we’ve been busy prototyping and iterating on the core combat experience. As awesome and fulfilling as the Kickstarter experience was for us, it’s also been nice to focus entirely on game development for the past month!
With the scope of the game now clearly established by the funding goals we reached on Kickstarter, Jordan and I along with the rest of the design team have been able to really hone in on the core of what we’re making, and to start planning out the experience as a whole. We’ve established a strong set of design criteria for the game - for example: “I feel like all types and tonnages of ‘Mechs can be useful in combat.” And: “I rarely feel like concentrated fire is the only strategic solution.” It may sound obvious, but writing these goals down and referring back to them each step of the way really helps focus our prototyping efforts and ensure that the end result accomplishes everything we’d like it to.
The Merc Campaign
On the Mercenary campaign front, Kevin Maginn, our Design Lead, has been busy consulting BattleTech sourcebooks and furiously generating document after document like a mad-document-scientist, laying out some of the initial design foundations to implement those pillars and design goals.
The purpose of these documents is not to write a definitive spec for the game; the campaign game is just too big and complex to definitively document every possible outcome. Instead, we’re using them as a starting point to build prototypes that we’ll iterate on over the course of the next year of development. I strongly believe in rapid prototyping, team-wide feedback, and frequent iteration leading to the best possible product, and look forward to working with Kevin and the rest of the team to bring these designs to life next year.
Story
We’ve also been making good progress on our story for the game, the core of which will be set in a small region of the Periphery on the Rimward side of the Inner Sphere. We’re not ready to talk about story specifics yet, but I’m excited about where we’re heading with various plot points and characters. I’ve been re-reading Dune and it’s been a great source of inspiration here - not for individual plot points necessarily, but for the overall tone of court intrigue, machinations and suspicions that we’re trying to achieve with the various factions involved in our narrative.
Art
At the other end of the BATTLETECH team’s corner of the HBS offices, our concept art team has switched gears from concept illustrations to actually spec’ing out how a variety of systems in the game will work. We’re prototyping the 3D portrait creation system and have found some great ways to get attitude and expression out of our MechWarriors so that we don’t end up with the “blank-stare-at-the-camera” style of 3d avatars that some games end up with. We’re also cooking up an Emblem Creator for your Mercenary outfit, and a flexible framework for the cosmetic customization of your ‘Mechs - so that you can select individual paint schemes and colors, as well as add details like additional emblems and nose art. We’re also starting in on terrain pipeline and development - essentially, how do we achieve this look, but with a full map that satisfies both gameplay and performance constraints.
Source: Kickstarter
Monday - December 07, 2015
BattleTech - Kickstarter Update #21
by Hiddenx, 20:06
The BATTLETECH BackerKit invitations are on their way:
We are excited to announce that we have transferred all Backer pledges to our pledge management tool, BackerKit. We know that we have a lot of Backers who have not used Kickstarter or BackerKit before so we’ve included a thorough set of instructions and FAQ items below.
How do I get my invitation?You should receive an email from BackerKit this week with a link to your account that includes all your Backer information in it. Due to the large number of Backers, it will take a few days for ALL the emails to go out. Please be patient. (And don’t forget to check your spam folder.)
- If you do not receive your BackerKit email by December 8, just go to this link, enter your Kickstarter (or Paypal) email address, and click on the "Get My Survey" button. You will be sent a new email with a link to your account.
- If you use your Facebook login for your Kickstarter account, the BackerKit survey will be sent to the email address you use for your Facebook account.
- If you have another email address that you would prefer to use, please contact BackerKit support at support@backerkit.com and they'll get you sorted out.
Do I *Really* Need to Go to BackerKit?
Yes! All Backers must go to their BackerKit account to let us know the type of game key to deliver (Steam, GoG, or Humble).This account is also where you will return for all your digital rewards (most importantly, your game key when the game releases) so when you’re done, we suggest you make a BackerKit login and password so you can easily return to your account at a later date.
In addition, if you backed at a reward level with physical rewards, this is where you'll tell us which Heraldry set you’d like, what size and color jacket you want, and what your shipping address is.
What If I Included Extra Funds for Add-Ons?
If you pledged extra funds for Add-Ons, you will find a credit in your BackerKit account. As you go through the survey process, you will choose your Add-On items.Can I Upgrade My Pledge Level or Purchase Add-Ons?
Yes, you can upgrade your pledge level, purchase Add-Ons (and even send some extra support to the studio in the form of bagels!). If you upgrade or purchase Add-Ons, you will need to input payment information in BackerKit - but you will not be charged until we “Lockdown” accounts on January 15.BackerKit Lockdown and Distribution of Digital Rewards
We will “Lockdown” all BackerKit accounts at 10pm PST on Friday, January 15th. When we hit the button to lockdown accounts, the following will happen:
- You will no longer be able to make changes or additions to your account (except to update/change your shipping address.)
- All outstanding balances will be charged
- Digital Add-Ons of Sourcebook PDFs and ‘Mech Blueprints will become available in your BackerKit account. You will need to return to your BATTLETECH BackerKit account, click the “Get Your Digital Rewards” button and download your rewards
Customized Rewards
For those of you at the Mercenary MechWarrior pledge level ($1000 or above), we’ll be in touch by email in the coming months for more information on your customized rewards. We’ll also make arrangements for you to connect with Michael Stackpole about your E-novel character and visit to HBS.[...]
Saturday - November 28, 2015
BattleTech - Preview and Interview @ Redbull
by Hiddenx, 23:09
Redbull has previewed BattleTech and interviewed executive producer Mitch Gitelman:
BattleTech: Robots in the skies
After two Shadowrun successes, Harebrained Schemes turns its targeting computer on huge mech combat.
You know what we hate when we’re stomping around in our giant war robot? Sunday drivers. You know the sort: you’ll be plodding around some distant planet with your buddies looking for a juicy cache of old tech, when over the hill comes some have-a-go hero who can’t tell his targeting module from his sensor module, overheating his lasers and then falling over behind some crumbling building because his power-to-weight ratios aren’t properly calibrated. ‘It’s like they let just anyone pilot ‘Mechs these days,’ you think, as you pulverise the tiresome interloper with a rocket barrage.
That’s the potted promise of BattleTech, the latest successful Kickstarter project from Shadowrun creators Harebrained Schemes (and how: the funding drive pulled down $2,785,537 with just a mere $250,000 goal). Now in pre-production, it is (or rather, it will be) a tactical-squad-combat-meets-RPG set in the old BattleTech universe – the far future stomping ground of the late-'80s and '90s MechWarrior and MechCommander series.
As the head of a team of opportunistic, space-faring mercenaries, your job is to build up your squad (or ‘Lance’) of ‘Mechs, kit them out with technology bought, scavenged or stolen, train up your MechWarrior pilots and then set off in the ignoble pursuit of cash and plunder.
Succeed, and you’ll earn not just loot, but also the trust and patronage of the universe’s Great Houses. The BattleTech universe is a network of galactic fiefdoms – powerful families each vying for greater degrees of control over systems and planets, while scheming over the best way to stab one another in the back. “It’s Game of Thrones in space,” executive producer Mitch Gitelman tells us. [...]
Wednesday - November 11, 2015
BattleTech - Video Interview
by Myrthos, 12:31
SideStrafe has interviewed Mitch Gitelman about Battletech in an interview of about 80 minutes.
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And if you missed the Kickstarter you can still become a second chance backer.
Thanks Eye.
Wednesday - November 04, 2015
BattleTech - Funded
by Myrthos, 22:10
Not a surprise, but Battletech has been funded, raising a total of $2,865,422.
Including PayPal, our final Kickstarter total is a whopping $2,865,422 and you’ve unlocked ALL FOUR FUNDING STAGES. Incredible!
What an amazing month of excitement around BattleTech.We are deeply appreciative of the outpouring of support that the Global BattleTech Community has shown for our Kickstarter project. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
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Yesterday Mike, Mitch, and Jordan did an Alcohol-Fueled (read: drunk) Livestream Q&A which you can watch here: http://www.twitch.tv/ngngtv/v/23674097
Thanks Eye.
BattleTech - Interview @ Rock, Paper, Shotgun
by Myrthos, 13:00
RPS talked to Jordan Weisman about Battletech.
“The tabletop design, it amazes me, it’s the same 31 years later. And 31 years ago, that game was considered a modern design,” Weisman said. “It was less finicky than the games that preceded it. But by modern standards it’s not at all a modern tabletop game.”
This is sad, but true. I own the reissued edition from Catalyst Game Labs and discovered, to my horror, that the game involved a lot more math, resolution tables, and record-keeping than the BattleTech I remembered. I once tried to bust it out at a Christmas party and, an hour of setup and rule-explanations later, just gave up and joined everyone else in playing Mario Party. Even among a boardgaming crowd, its day was done.
“So why does it feature so prominently in people’s memories?” Weisman asked. “The same reason we look back favorably on a film we saw that meant a lot to us when we were a kid. …So I think it’s a matter of kind of what the emotional residue of the experience was. About the role the game and the universe played in our gaming and socializing while we were growing up. That’s is what we’re remembering. Our hope with the computer game is to take those memories, and that universe that we have that emotional connection to, and bring it into the modern world.”
As they’ve considered how to do that, Harebrained have naturally looked hard at games like XCOM for inspiration, even if most of its tactical level wouldn’t really work for mech combat.
“What we’re taking away from it isn’t the mechanics, but the gameplay loop,” said Mike McCain, creative director. “Most missions take 30 minutes, give or take, and you’re always having that nice loop between being on the battlefield and going back and managing.”
Thanks Eye.
Monday - November 02, 2015
BattleTech - Kickstarter: 24 hours to go
by Hiddenx, 20:06
BattleTech has reached stage 4 - PVP multiplayer - already with 24 hours to go:
Our LAST Bonus Backer Mission!
Okay, MechWarriors, listen up! We’ve got only hours left to go, and we want you to unlock as many Backer Mission Rewards as possible. With that in mind, we’ve got a final Backer Mission for you: The Final 48 Push.
We made a quick little video recapping our Kickstarter campaign for BATTLETECH and we want to get it out far and wide to reach folks who either haven’t heard about it yet or don’t know it’s almost over.
So your final mission is all about liking, sharing, and retweeting it!
Twitter link - https://twitter.com/WeBeHarebrained/status/660903403439034368
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/HarebrainedSchemes/posts/902894599778708
[...]
Here's a SideStrife interview with Mitch Gitelman, Studio Manager at Harebrained Schemes:
loading...I discuss a variety of game development topics with Mitch Gitelman, Studio Manager at Harebrained Schemes! Creators of the new turn based Battletech strategy game!
Wednesday - October 28, 2015
BattleTech - Kickstarter Update #14
by Hiddenx, 21:12
BattleTech Kickstarter update #14: Twitch Session with Weisman, McCain and Gitelman in final 24 hours annouced:
Alcohol-Fueled Live Stream Unlocked! And a Peek Behind the Curtain at The Sartorial Designer!
The BATTLETECH Kickstarter campaign had a strong weekend. We added over 500 new Backers bringing our total number above thirty thousand! And so far, we have over 500 folks talking about their favorite ‘Mech using #favBTmech!
And that means our studio’s collective nightmare has come true. The Global BattleTech Community has unlocked an Alcohol-Fueled Live Stream Twitch Session with Jordan Weisman, Mike McCain, and Mitch Gitelman to kick off the final 24 hours of the campaign.
Now don’t just show up with #BATTLETECH questions for this one. You can ask “da boys” anything from how games are made, to their best game convention experience, to how the studio really works…
Tell your friends! Make it a date! Drink along!
We are now thisclose to $2,150,000 and unlocking Legendary 'Mech & MechWarriors in the Stage 3 Extended Mercenary Campaign! Um... tell your friends about that, too!
Go, go, go! [...]
Tuesday - October 27, 2015
Matt Chat - #313: Jordan Weisman talks Battletech
by Silver, 01:14
Matt Chat interviews Jordan Weisman about Battletech
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This week, I chat with Jordan Weisman of Harebrained Schemes about their plans for a new Battletech tactical game currently being Kickstarted.
Saturday - October 24, 2015
BattleTech - Kickstarter Update #13: Home Base Unlocked
by Hiddenx, 14:34
The customizable homebase stretchgoal is reached - Kickstarter upadate #13:
Customizable Home Base Unlocked! It Might Be Humble - But It's Home! And… Another Backer Mission Reward Unlocked!
Well, that was fast! Thanks to your generous support (and our new INITIATE OF THE ORDER reward level), we’ve unlocked the Customizable Home Base funding goal. HUZZAH!
The Order of Valhalla rallied our forces to make a Customizable Home Base a reality. As we discussed before, our current idea is that you're refitting a derelict ship one module at a time, expanding its functionality based on the needs of your mercenary outfit as you go. (We know many of you are interested to know what sort of ship to expect and we are exploring the possibilities. That will be a topic for a future Kickstarter update some time during production.)
Just like construction in the real world, refitting will take money, time, and judgment as you figure out how you want to allocate the space available for the modules you want to add.
We are just starting to work out the different types of modules, but here are some that we think will be available:
- ’Mech Bays are the heart and soul of your operation. We see having two types of 'Mech Bays - repair bays and refit bays. One Repair Bay is required for each ‘Mech in your outfit’s inventory where your MechTechs can perform repairs to the internal structure, components, weapons, and armor of the resident ‘Mech. Refit Bays are required for the much more intensive work needed to change a 'Mech’s weapon systems and/or internal components.
- Space can be dedicated to 'Mech Simulators instead of housing more real 'Mechs or vehicles. During travel, and/or instead of being deployed to the battlefield, MechWarriors can be assigned to the training bay in order to improve specific skills.
- Adding a MechTech Fabrication Bay will increase your technical teams’ ability to jury-rig, repair, and even improve your 'Mechs.
- A Sick Bay will treat MechWarriors’ minor wounds, but a Ship’s Hospital will be required to stitch a seriously wounded MechWarrior back together and then convalesce enough to return to battle ready condition.
- Among others!
We want the design and construction of your home base to be fun, to provide interesting choices, and ultimately to provide long-term benefits to your mercenary outfit. [...]
Tuesday - October 20, 2015
BattleTech - Kickstarter Update #11
by Hiddenx, 19:17
Farflame spotted the BattleTech Kickstarter update #11:
Bonus Backer Mission Goal Hit! Backer Mission Reward This Friday! And a Peek Behind the Curtain at Our Friend From Catalyst!
In case you missed our last update on Saturday, the Global BattleTech Community has unlocked the Stage 3 Expanded Mercenary Campaign! Woo hoo! We’re excited that you’ll be able to play an open-ended BATTLETECH single-player campaign! Heck, we’re excited that WE’LL be able to play an open-ended BATTLETECH single-player campaign!
Backer Mission Update
The community continues to knock down those Backer Missions! You’ve earned 32 points so far, which means you’ll be able to fight the Black Widows in the Skirmish game!
Last week’s Weekly Backer Mission was #myBTart and we’ve seen some great stuff being shared around the interwebs this week. Here’s some of our favs:
[...]
We’ll have a new challenge for you on Wednesday but there are still two more points to be earned this week. So if you haven’t already shared your favorite BTart, don’t delay! The next reward is a “Cameo In-Game Appearance for Morgan Kell in the Story Campaign”.
Here are the other social media links to help us get there, too:
Like and Share this Facebook Announcement
Retweet this Announcement Tweet
Like our Facebook Page
Follow our Twitter Feed[...]
And remember, our previous Live Streams are on YouTube, so just in case you missed the fun, you can catch up on all the Qs and all the As.
Operation Alpha Strike: https://youtu.be/spA06QaoQZA
Live Stream #1: https://youtu.be/Ug1xHUWlCx0The studio is really hoping the GBC will come through with 40 points in Backer Missions so they can witness the guys do an epic, Alcohol-Fueled Live Stream Twitch Q&A before the Kickstarter ends!
[...]
Sunday - October 18, 2015
BattleTech - Kickstarter Update #10
by Hiddenx, 11:48
The BattleTech Kickstarter is going well - the expanded Mercenary Campaign has been unlocked:
Another Victory for the Global Battletech Community - Stage 3 Expanded Mercenary Campaign Unlocked!
Once again MechWarriors, Harebrained Schemes High Command salutes you!
Today marks the next stage of our campaign to deliver an authentic turn-based BattleTech experience to the PC - the unlocking of our Stage 3 Extended Mercenary Campaign.
The STAGE 3 EXPANDED MERCENARY CAMPAIGN puts you in full control of your life as a mercenary.
- The single-player story campaign is now open-ended - charter JumpShip transport for your mercenary outfit to travel to various hot-zones across the Periphery and Inner Sphere, and continue your career even after the game's main story arc is resolved.
- You’ll be able to choose your contracts and alliances, with both the 5 Great Houses and other sub-factions within the Inner Sphere.
- A procedural contract-generation system will ensure that you always have fresh contracts available, wherever your Mercenary career may take you.
- The missions you choose to accept and the objectives competed in those missions will determine your reputation as a mercenary, affecting the contracts and contract terms you may be offered in the future.
Funding Goals Update
Now, MechWarriors, it’s ONWARD towards our next major objective: STAGE 4 - PVP Multiplayer!
HBS Command has identified two high-value targets on our march to STAGE 4.
- $2,000,000 - Customizable Home Base: As part of the ongoing campaign, you'll acquire a home base (likely in the form of a derelict DropShip) for your mercenary outfit to call home. At this funding level we'll also allow you to adjust its appearance, repair and upgrade its functionality, and grow and evolve your base as your outfit grows and evolves.
- $2,150,000 - Legendary 'Mech & MechWarriors: In addition to the game's standard 'Mechs and customizable, procedurally-generated MechWarriors, we'll include rare legendary 'Mechs to find, and rare hero MechWarriors to hire - including some famous characters from BattleTech history. Such legends may not stick around for long, but will be well worth hiring if you can afford them.
Again, congratulations on this great victory. The Global BattleTech Community has once again come together to change the course of BattleTech history! We thank you.
Thursday - October 15, 2015
BattleTech - Kickstarter Update #8
by Hiddenx, 19:45
Kickstarter update #8 for BattleTech:
New Digital Add-Ons, Jordan’s Next Bonus Backer Mission, and Another Peek Behind the Curtain
Hey everyone!
Thanks to our friends at Catalyst Game Labs, we’re adding a big ol’ pile of BattleTech tabletop game supplements as digital add-ons. Even if you don’t play the tabletop game, these PDF sourcebooks, technical read outs, field manuals, and handbooks are a great way to explore the BattleTech Universe and help fund BATTLETECH.
This Week’s Bonus Backer Mission
Last week you shared your BattleTech collections with us using the hashtag #myBTstuff, and we have to say, you have some incredibly cool stuff. It was so fun to see you all share your stuff and the stories and memories that go along with it.
We’re really excited about this next Weekly Backer Mission-- #myBTart. Art is what brings the BattleTech universe to life! So share your favorite BattleTech art with us- covers of novels, framed prints you’ve got on your walls, and especially the art you’ve made yourself. Use the hashtags #myBTart and #BATTLETECH.
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To kick us off, here's some amazing papercraft by Daniel Chmielewski who shared his work during #myBTstuff. If you think that's cool, you can see more here.For those of you who haven't checked the front page in awhile, Backers have already unlocked two Twitch Q&A sessions, a 2nd and 3rd Michael Stackpole e-novella, and the addition of the Eridani Light Horse, the Kurita Sword of Light and House Davion's Fox's Teeth as enemy units your can fight in the Stage 1 Skirmish game.
We're now heading toward the addition of the Black Widows in the Stage 1 Skirmish game. We hope to see tons of art this week so we can unlock that as well!
Tuesday - October 13, 2015
BattleTech - Is it a Good Investment?
by Myrthos, 23:37
MMORPG have analyzed a few days ago if participating in the Battletech Kickstarter is a good investment and answers this question i nthis way:
Regardless of any concerns, the game is funded and it’s going to happen, but if you asked me whether you should fund it? I’d say, “I did in the first half-hour.” My concerns about the marketability of the game and design decisions aside, I’m stoked to see this game made.
I’ve been a rabid fan of the MechWarrior and BattleTech games for decades and I am incredibly excited to see what Harebrained Schemes can do with it. They treated Shadowrun with a great deal of respect and were very true to the spirit of the game I loved in my youth. I’m particularly excited to see what they do with BATTLETECH. I’m even more excited when I think about how this first campaign is probably just the introduction for another installment down the road.
If your first MechWarrior game was on a computer, I’d suggest you watch a few videos and maybe read one or two of the books featuring this time period before jumping in. I think you’ll still like the game, but you want to make sure you understand that it’s not the same as the MechWarrior you’re probably more accustomed to playing.
If you played BattleTech on a table with models, then… well, I suspect you’ve already backed. I sure did, and I haven’t stopped smiling since.
Thanks Eye.
Saturday - October 10, 2015
BattleTech - Kickstarter Update: Repair Mechanics
by Hiddenx, 20:52
BattleTech Kickstarter update #7 explains the repair mechanics:
If It Ain’t Broke, You Didn’t Try Hard Enough
Even during the midst of battle, the back of every mercenary commander’s mind is running a constant tabulation of the return on investment for that mission. Things may be looking good, but in the instant it takes for a PPC to arc across the battlefield, those projected profits can turn to guaranteed losses based upon the damage inflicted on the commander’s BattleMechs.One of the design goals of the Stage 3 Extended Mercenary Campaign that we’re most excited about is the player’s balancing act between reputation and economic reality - and the fulcrum of that balance is often the damage taken on the battlefield.Every ton of armor and every internal component of a ‘Mech can be damaged or destroyed and that damage will persist until repaired (or until the entire component is replaced.)So although your mercenary contract fee is established before a mission begins, the cost of executing that mission is variable largely based upon the amount of damage your ‘Mechs and MechWarriors took in accomplishing it.Returning from a mission, you now face a choice - how do you want to address the damage your ‘Mechs have received? While the diverse skills of your MechWarriors have a large impact on your battlefield success, it is your MechTechs that will determine the cost and time of repairs, and the options you may have in refitting your 'Mechs.
Below are some of the options we’d like you to have, depending on your MechTechs, reputation, and your financial situation. (As always - keep in mind that this is our current thinking, and that over the course of development we will explore the fun of these design concepts and determine how deep each of these systems should be.)
- Do Nothing: Sometimes, it just doesn’t make financial sense to repair a component right away, or at all. You can always choose to send ‘Mechs into battle with damaged or even broken components.
- Repair it: The number and experience level of the MechTechs in your outfit will determine the cost and duration of component repairs.
- Jury-Rig it: You may be able to have your Mech-Techs jury-rig a component, getting it back in working order quickly and less-expensively, but at the cost of some reliability.
- Replace it with a New Component: Just as most current automobiles are constructed from parts manufactured around the world, most ‘Mechs are constructed with components manufactured across the Inner Sphere. Not all parts may be available in all areas of the Inner Sphere, but if you can find a new part, your MechTechs can install it.
- Replace it with a Salvaged Component: Since you may not always have access to new components, salvage may sometimes be your only source for working parts. But salvage may also be your best source - because if a salvaged component is sufficiently old enough, its technology and manufacturing methodologies mean that it may outperform current day new components.
Sometimes, it may even be wisest to withdraw from the field entirely before a mission is complete. It’s a tough choice to make - whether to cut your loses and preserve your Lance in better fighting shape for the next mission at the expense of your Mercenary Outfit’s reputation. Or you stick it out till the end, claiming payment and the reputation boost accompanying it - regardless of the larger financial fallout it may cause the Outfit.One of our design goals for the game is that a successful Mercenary campaign doesn’t have to be an unbroken string of victories - it’s possible to abandon or lose missions as well as complete them. We’ll be striving to balance the game appropriately and ensure that losses can be bounced back from if you’re able to adapt your approach. (This will be particularly engaging for Ironman mode, which is something we’re all very excited about allowing as an option for this game.)Our goal is for you to face a variety of complex Mercenary outfit management choices like this - where there’s not always a right answer - over the course of the Stage 3 extended campaign. After all, “heavy is the head that wears the crown” - and as the leader of your own Mercenary outfit, that crown’s on your head.
Wednesday - October 07, 2015
BattleTech - Kickstarter Update#5
by Hiddenx, 08:19
Stage 2 of BattleTechs funding goals is completed:
Funding Goal Unlocked! A Reward Level Gets a New Option! Flight Jacket Update!
The march towards our next major objective: STAGE 3 - The Extended Mercenary Campaign, continues! Today, our valiant heroes unlocked our next Funding Goal: 3D MechWarrior Portrait Customization!
Thanks to your funding, we'll build a complete 3D portrait customization system so you can tailor the look of your MechWarriors and your own Mercenary commander.
Each new recruit you hire will have a procedurally generated name, stats, and 3d portrait - but when you customize your crew, we'll never have to "cycle" MechWarrior appearances in your game.
You’ll have access to a range of customization options you can use to create a merc crew that looks just the way you want them (you can name and model the likeness of all your mercs after your friends, for example).
New Option for the Noble House Scion Level
We’ve received feedback that some folks want to support the project and wear some cool swag, but don’t want to show allegiance to one of the Great Houses. So, we’ve added a 6th Option to the Collection of Noble House Heraldry you can choose from at the $125 Level - in addition to Davion, Kurita, Liao, Marik, or Steiner, you can now choose BATTLETECH.
[...]
Flight Jacket Update
We had a couple requests regarding the Flight Jacket and, after looking into it, have decided to offer a few more options than we did initially.
- We will now offer the jacket in Gun-Metal Gray OR Black.
- We've added additional sizes so jackets will now be available in sizes S - 5XL. A measurement chart will be available when you choose your size.
(Note: You will designate both the color you want and the size in our pledge management tool after the Kickstarter ends.)
We think the outside of the jacket is incredibly cool, but it's the inside that makes it really special! When you open the jacket, you'll find a COMSTAR "BLOOD-CHIT" declaration promising the capturer or assister of the MechWarrior wearing this jacket a reward for safe delivery to the nearest ComStar facility.
[...]
Thanks Eye!
Tuesday - October 06, 2015
BattleTech - Interview @ Polygon
by Myrthos, 23:01
Polygon talked to Jordan Weisman, Mitch Gitelman and Mike McCain about Battletech, of which the results can be found in this article of last week.
Turn-based strategy games, such as XCOM and Shadowrun Returns task players with efficient movement, positioning and firing of units. Use of cover is generally an essential element in keeping units alive. However, the use of giant machines means that cover is a far less important tactical device in this game.
"A lot of other turn-based games, like our Shadowrun series, are very cover-focused," says co-director Mike McCain. "But mechs stomp on cover. They don't hide behind it. Philosophically our goal is to take the same approach to BattleTech as we did with Shadowrun, which is to adopt the spirit of the source material experience, but not the literal rule set."
Necessarily, all BattleTech games need to demonstrate scale. Mechs are larger than life. They tower above their surroundings. Thus, hiding behind crumbling walls or neatly placed trucks is not really an option. Also, in a top-down isometric view, it can be difficult to impress the player with large objects.
"One of the key things in art directing any BattleTech game is to constantly reinforce the scale of the mechs," says Weisman. "We have this top down-ish perspective. It can be hard to reinforce the scale of the mechs when you're in that perspective. But I'm excited about some of the things Mike and the team have been doing in pre-production that still manage to demonstrate the size and strength of the mechs."
Thanks Eye.
BattleTech - Questions and Answers
by Hiddenx, 19:53
The BattleTech Kickstarter campaign is going well. A compiled list of questions and answers can be found here.
Thanks Eye!
Sunday - October 04, 2015
BattleTech - Kickstarter Update #4
by Hiddenx, 09:10
After a few days BattleTech has reached several stretch goals already:
Another Funding Goal Hit!
Two New Backer Mission Rewards Unlocked!
Update About Add-Ons!
And Some Stage 3: Expanded Mercenary Campaign Talk!Wow! Our Kickstarter is only 3 days old and you’ve already hit our next Funding Goal. Thanks to your generous support, we’re able to add voice acting to the game! Hell yes!
GBC Mission Report #2
Since our Alpha Strike Mission Results, the Global BattleTech Community has managed to unlock THREE more Rewards:
- We're adding the Eridani Light Horse, including MechWarriors, as an enemy unit you can fight in the Stage 1 Skirmish Game
- We're adding the Kurita Sword of Light , including MechWarriors, as an enemy unit you can fight in the Stage 1 Skirmish Game
- And we're adding a SECOND Live Streaming Twitch Q&A session with Jordan, Mitch, and Mike
We should also point out that thanks to the Global BattleTech Community, a SECOND Michael A. Stackpole e-novella has been added to the $50 Reward Level. And if more Backer Missions are completed, a third and fourth e-novella can be added, too!
And remember - if the GBC is able to earn 60 pts, Mr. Stackpole has agreed to drop the e-novellas and commit himself to a FULL LENGTH 3025 SUCCESSION WARS ERA NOVEL.
Add-Ons
We’ve gotten a lot of feedback on our Comments page about Backer’s desire to purchase Add-Ons and support the project. We would LOVE to be able to offer all sorts of cool BattleTech physical goodies for you to purchase but unfortunately, right now we can’t.
While we are able to offer some sweet physical rewards as a THANK YOU to Backers, we don’t have the rights to SELL physical goods to you in the form of Add-Ons. We’re working on it, though, and hope to be able to offer some cool physical Add-Ons before our Kickstarter campaign is over. If and when it happens, we’ll send you an Update ASAP!
But we did hear that you also want DIGITAL ADD-ONS, so that you can buy copies of BATTLETECH for friends and family. So we're very happy to add that!
Always Read the Fine Print
One of the more treacherous elements that we’d like to include in the Stage 3 Expanded Mercenary Campaign is negotiating contracts with potential employers - who can be anyone from the leader of a local farming cooperative, to the crown prince of a Great House.
We are currently thinking that mercenary contracts will contain a variety of clauses or terms that can be negotiated. For example, you might trade a higher initial downpayment for increased salvage rights on a given mission. Or, insist that the client provide some of their own military support for a particularly dicey operation, in exchange for a reduction in fees for completing a mission objective.
[...]
Wednesday - September 30, 2015
BattleTech - Interviews
by Myrthos, 22:08
Eye found two interviews for Battletech, which is currently on Kickstarter.
US Gamer come with 7 things they think you should know about the game.
Mechs and MechWarriors Will be Deep and Complex
BattleTech will be a turn-based title for modern PCs. This means Weisman and company have the chance to render the game's mechs in far greater detail than was previously possible. This isn't just from a graphics standpoint though. Instead, Harebrained wants your mech design choices to directly affect your gameplay.
"Those mechs are going to be rendered in great detail from a system standpoint," said Weisman. "One of the things I want to do is make sure that Mech Lab/Mech Design components have a stronger causal link between the design and the performance of the mechs. Obviously, you've got weapons and armor, but I want to dive deeper than that."
"The gyro and actuators you put in should have an impact on your performance," he explained. "I want to get into things like turning radiuses; the sharper your turning radius, the more the mech has a chance of falling over. Having your gyro have an impact on not just your turning radius, but also your chances of falling over when you take hits, which depends on your gyro-to-mass ratio. With a turn-based game, we can really express more axes of performance than we could in MechWarrior as a real-time sim. We can get to that kind of depth without it being cumbersome."
Gameinformer has talked with Harebrained Schemes’ Jordan Weisman, Mitch Gitelman and Mike McCain.
“It’s a new set of mechanics, but the goal is to model it heavily on the spirit of the tabletop,” Weisman explains. Feel is more important than strict adherence to what already exists. “I designed those mechanics 31 years and not for use by computer. In some respect, we can get closer to the spirit of the tabletop without using those mechanics.”
“It’s gotta feel like Battletech,” Gitelman says. While the team is still prototyping systems, they are pushing towards movement and risk/reward that mirrors what players experience while gathered around the tabletop with friends. Part of that is allowing a more methodical approach to combat.
Unlike MechCommander, which was a real-time game, Harebrained Schemes is taking advantage of the more thoughtful pace of turn-based play. “The biggest thing to me is the discreet understanding of risk and reward,” Weisman says. “In a real-time game, you can’t be shooting all these numbers at a player and expect them to make intelligent decisions. In a turn-based game, we can tell you what your chances of falling over are if you plot a really tight turn for a mech that’s moving fast. We can tell you what your chances of success are for a weapon group when you’re targeting a mech through intervening terrain.”
Tuesday - September 29, 2015
BattleTech - New Kickstarter Launched and Funded
by Myrthos, 22:58
The Kickstarter campaign for Battletech has just started today and already almost doubled it's campaign goal of $250K (it was funded in 53 minutes). From the looks of it, this campaign is going for the high numbers.
Jordan Weisman, the creator of BattleTech and MechWarrior, is back with the first turn-based BattleTech game for PC in over two decades.
>>> WHAT
BATTLETECH is a single-player, turn-based, tactical 'Mech combat game for PC. (And Mac and Linux!) The game may also include PVP multiplayer if enough funding is reached - more on that below.
>>> WHERE
The BattleTech Universe is one of near-constant warfare and feudal political intrigue, where great noble houses vie for dominance of a vast region of space known as the Inner Sphere. It's a universe of flawed heroes, fallen empires and grey moral realities. Great families vie for supremacy, with alliances and betrayals constantly shifting the balance of power.
>>> WHEN
Our BATTLETECH game is set in the popular 3025 Succession Wars Era of the BattleTech Universe - often referred to as "Classic BattleTech".
BattleTech - Twitch Stream Today
by Myrthos, 00:45
There will be a Twitch Q&A stream this Monday at 6 PM PST, about the Battletech game, for which the Kickstarter starts tomorrow.
Eye found this on Tumblr.
Friday - September 18, 2015
BattleTech - Kickstarter launches on September 29
by Hiddenx, 10:02
Battletech Kickstarter Announcement:
KICKSTARTER INVASION IMMINENT!
SEPTEMBER 29, 2015
Harebrained Schemes is pleased to announce their return to Kickstarter this Fall to partner with Backers in co-funding the creation of BATTLETECH. Jordan Weisman, the creator of BattleTech and MechWarrior, is back with the first turn-based BattleTech game for PC in over two decades. Steeped in the feudal political intrigue of the BattleTech universe, the game will feature an open-ended Mercenaries-style campaign that blends RPG ‘Mech and MechWarrior management with modern turn-based tactics.
Many questions about Shadowrun and BattleTech are answered by Jordan Weisman on the wiselike site.
Wednesday - September 16, 2015
BattleTech - Interviews
by Myrthos, 12:44
Eye spotted two Battletech interviews.The first is with Mike McCain on MMORPG.
MMORPG: What can you tell us about Battletech? What’s new since GenCon and the announcement?
Mike McCain: We are bringing classic Battletech back to the PC. There hasn’t been a turn based Battletech game on the PC and we want to change that. We were successful in reviving Shadowrun on the PC so we are hoping to do the same thing here.
MMORPG: Is it going to play a lot like Shadowrun?
MM: Actually no. Mechs are very different. A human scale game such as Shadowrun or XCom is very cover dependent. Mechs tend to stomp on cover more than hide behind it. I think the feel of our turn based combat will be fairly different. We want to make sure the weightiness and scale of the mechs come across in our game.
The second is at PC Gamer with Jordan Weisman.
"I'm really psyched. I made mech games for a long time, starting with the original BattleTech board game, and the BattleTech Centers, and then the MechWarrior series, the MechCommander series. But it's been, I'm embarrassed to say, 19 years since I've made a mech game," said Weisman. "I'm really excited to make another one now, I really want to dive back in and go back to the real roots of the game."
"The ability to take that universe and now do that in a modern tactical game where we can get into even more depth than we did in the old days as a pen-and-paper but make it fluid and fast playing so you're focusing on the strategy, not on the mechanics. But the mechanics are really deep there, great differentiation of the mechs and of the mechwarriors, deep skill trees for them."
Saturday - September 05, 2015
BattleTech - Interview @ Tek Syndicate
by Hiddenx, 07:24
Tek Syndicate has interviewed Harebrained Schemes about BattleTech and Necropolis.
The single player turn-based tactical RPG BattleTech Kickstarter will start at the end of September:
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Saturday - August 01, 2015
BattleTech - Interview @ MMO RPG
by Hiddenx, 16:07
Robert Lashley has interviewed the staff of Harebrained Schemes about their upcoming Kickstarter BattleTech:
MMORPG: It’s been over 20 years since we last saw a PC game based on the BATTLETECH brand. You are in the position to introduce an entirely new generation to the series. Can you give a quick rundown on what BATTLETECH is?
HAREBRAINED SCHEMES: BattleTech is the story of warring noble houses fighting for hundreds of years to claim the throne of the Star League, an interstellar empire covering most of human-colonized space.
This all-consuming interstellar war is waged by MechWarriors, elite knights and nobles who pilot mankind’s most powerful and versatile fighting machine - the BattleMech - adaptable to every planetary environment and armed with enough firepower to level a small city. With technology in decline after a thousand years of war, ‘Mechs are precious, rare, and prized possessions, handed down from generation to generation.
MMORPG: What is your favorite thing about BATTLETECH?
HBS: It’s the contrasts of the BattleTech Universe - the stories of MechWarriors fighting for control of a single battlefield, while the nobles manipulate court politics for control of hundreds of worlds.
(We also love the idea that the older the tech, the more advanced it is. After centuries of war, a lot has been lost.)
MMORPG: In the past there has been some controversy over the use of images. What kind of impact does that have on your art team? Are we going to see the original Mechs or do you plan to go in an entirely new direction?
HBS: Whatever controversy there was regarding images from Southern Cross and Macross was settled over a decade ago, so there will be no impact on our art team.
MMORPG: There have been board games, pen and paper RPG’s, and collectable card games based on BATTLETECH. What style of game will this be?
HBS: Harebrained Schemes’ BATTLETECH features an open-ended Mercenaries-style campaign that blends RPG ‘Mech and MechWarrior management with modern turn-based tactics. These two elements, solid storytelling and turn-based tactics, are at the core of our Shadowrun series and we are excited to bring them to BattleTech.
MMORPG: Other than the obvious answer, giant robots, what is so compelling for you about BATTLETECH?
HBS: The thing that we love most about BattleTech is that the ‘Mechs are essentially the armored warhorses of feudal warriors vying for an interstellar throne. Although most people come to BattleTech for the ‘Mechs, they stay for the story. The Machiavellian conflicts of the BattleTech Universe have kept players engaged for over 30 years now.
MMORPG: What lessons did you learn from the Shadowrun and Golem Arcana kickstarters that you will apply towards the development of BATTLETECH?
HBS: The “6 P Principal” - Proper Prep Prevents Piss Poor Performance. The key is not biting off more than you can chew or overcommitting your studio. Kickstarters can be extremely exciting and it’s easy to get swept up in the joy of co-funding a game with a passionate audience. This can lead to scope creep as well as rewards and stretch goals that prove challenging to deliver.
Our relationship to our Backers is a critical component of the process and we believe that being up-front with them about what we can and cannot do is vital to a maintaining a healthy relationship. Kickstarter is more than just funding for us. It’s a way to stay close to the people who play our games throughout development, not just after we ship.
MMORPG: The Shadowrun: Hong Kong Kickstarter was to help add features to the final product. Is that going to be the case for this Kickstarter or is development entirely dependent upon its success?
HBS: Like Shadowrun: Hong Kong, we’re going to co-fund development of BattleTech with our Backers. Unlike Shadowrun: Hong Kong, BattleTech will be starting from a completely new code-base, so it requires a much larger initial budget. We're asking Backers to help co-fund the initial creation of the title with us, much like a traditional publisher might. We will also be presenting a variety of stretch goals which Backers can help fund to expand the game.
MMORPG: Is there any other thing that we haven’t talked about yet that you would like our readers to know?
HBS: Yes. When we told the studio we got the rights to make a turn-based BattleTech game, everyone broke out in loud spontaneous applause. Just like Shadowrun, Harebrained Schemes is filled with people who are super-passionate about BattleTech and many of us grew up playing it. We are thrilled that we have an opportunity to to make it.
MMORPG: Makes sure you check out HBS’s new website for future details: http://battletechgame.com/
Thursday - July 30, 2015
BattleTech - New Kickstarter coming this Fall
by Hiddenx, 08:13
A BattleTech Kickstarter is planned:
TACTICAL ‘MECH COMBAT RETURNS TO THE PC.
Harebrained Schemes is pleased to announce their return to Kickstarter this Fall to partner with Backers in co-funding the creation of BATTLETECH. Jordan Weisman, the creator of BattleTech and MechWarrior, is back with the first turn-based BattleTech game for PC in over two decades. Steeped in the feudal political intrigue of the BattleTech universe, the game will feature an open-ended Mercenaries-style campaign that blends RPG ‘Mech and MechWarrior management with modern turn-based tactics.
Information about
BattleTechDeveloper: Harebrained Schemes
SP/MP: Single-player
Setting: Sci-Fi
Genre: Tactical RPG
Combat: Turn-based
Play-time: Unknown
Voice-acting: Unknown
Regions & platforms
World
· Platform: PC
· Released: 2018-04-24
· Publisher: Harebrained Schemes