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KickStarter BattleTech Pre-Release Thread

veevoir

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Good. Expeditions:Viking is a perfect example what happens when a smaller studio doesnt do user testing. And the qa people actually pay for this, win-win

? Viking didn't do Steam Early Access either...though it also didn't have Paradox QA teams at its disposal.

EA = QA that participants pay for
 
Weasel
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There were a few questions on weapons clipping through rocks etc, this answer sheds some light on what's under the hood

https://community.battletechgame.com/forums/threads/6705/comments/132829
Hi everyone! I think I can answer a bit about what's going on with weapons fire, having coded a good portion of it.

As several of you have guessed, a large part of how the weapon visuals shake out is a result of grid-based positioning, dice rolls determining to-hit, and realistic terrain all acting together in occasionally weird ways.

Whether or not a shot is considered a hit is entirely driven by those dice rolls. Facing and line of sight determine what hit table is used, and the various factors that go into a shot determine the final hit percentage. But once the dice are rolled and it says it's a hit, then it's a hit. Those stubborn rocks in the way had their chance when they provided that partial cover bonus

When a shot hits, the target point for the shot depends on the location on the hit table. So a shot to the leg targets the mech's knee, arm hits target the forearm, torso hits target the appropriate side, etc. The shot then traces from the barrel of the weapon to that target point (plus a little bit of randomness) to get the path of the actual visual projectile.

When a shot misses, however, what we do is a little more complicated. We start by taking the side of the mech the original shot is closest to, then aiming just a bit away from the mech. We next add a little randomization up or down, and then trace a path from the barrel of the weapon through that miss point. This miss path then strikes, well, whatever happens to be in the way. Sometimes this can be a rock between you and the target. Sometimes this can be the ground near the target. Sometimes they'll target nothing and fly off into space. And sometimes the miss can wind up targeting an errant building way off in the distance that your stray missile will then blow up.

So whether or not a shot is a hit, we take that path and that becomes the path the projectile will follow. And as several of those screenshots point out, while the center torso-to-center torso line of sight may be clear, the line from an Awesome's PPC in the right arm to a Vindicator's left leg may not be. If at the end of all this there still happens to be terrain in the way, then that's where visual accuracy takes a back seat over depicting the shot itself.

We'll squash as many bugs as we can, and there are undoubtedly cases where the line of sight may not be correct. But the reality of a dice-driven combat system is that the visuals are trying to depict something that's abstract, and it's not something that can ever be 100% perfect.

(Here's XCOM 2 showing how sometimes, animations and hit percentages may not always make sense)
---
Red line all the way to target = unobstructed path.
Red line that hits something and continues faded out towards target = target has cover. This affects your shot negatively, but you can still shoot at it.
Arc'ed line means you can shoot LRMs at that target.
 

Taka-Haradin puolipeikko

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When a shot misses, however, what we do is a little more complicated. We start by taking the side of the mech the original shot is closest to, then aiming just a bit away from the mech. We next add a little randomization up or down, and then trace a path from the barrel of the weapon through that miss point. This miss path then strikes, well, whatever happens to be in the way. Sometimes this can be a rock between you and the target. Sometimes this can be the ground near the target. Sometimes they'll target nothing and fly off into space. And sometimes the miss can wind up targeting an errant building way off in the distance that your stray missile will then blow up.

There is nothing about stray shot hitting friend or foe that happens to be in line of fire.:|
 

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When a shot misses, however, what we do is a little more complicated. We start by taking the side of the mech the original shot is closest to, then aiming just a bit away from the mech. We next add a little randomization up or down, and then trace a path from the barrel of the weapon through that miss point. This miss path then strikes, well, whatever happens to be in the way. Sometimes this can be a rock between you and the target. Sometimes this can be the ground near the target. Sometimes they'll target nothing and fly off into space. And sometimes the miss can wind up targeting an errant building way off in the distance that your stray missile will then blow up.

There is nothing about stray shot hitting friend or foe that happens to be in line of fire.:|

Even Shadowrun had friendly fire. Perhaps he didn't mention it because the context of the discussion is projectiles clipping through the environment.
 

Taka-Haradin puolipeikko

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When a shot misses, however, what we do is a little more complicated. We start by taking the side of the mech the original shot is closest to, then aiming just a bit away from the mech. We next add a little randomization up or down, and then trace a path from the barrel of the weapon through that miss point. This miss path then strikes, well, whatever happens to be in the way. Sometimes this can be a rock between you and the target. Sometimes this can be the ground near the target. Sometimes they'll target nothing and fly off into space. And sometimes the miss can wind up targeting an errant building way off in the distance that your stray missile will then blow up.

There is nothing about stray shot hitting friend or foe that happens to be in line of fire.:|

Even Shadowrun had friendly fire. Perhaps he didn't mention it because the context of the discussion is projectiles clipping through the environment.
Never noticed that.
Probably because I used close combat builds.
 
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I think in the last video (Mike vs AI) he mentioned they have no friendly fire in this game. Will see if I can find something more on it.
 

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Maybe they avoid Lines of Fire and Friendly Fire, as they seem to confuse certain people as noted in a recent review in a second/third tier RPG forum...
:troll:
 

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I didn't know about this until the Paradox newsletter notified me. HBS made some good games, but I hope Paradox makes the game more complicated than XCOM's "2 actions per turn."
 

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Good. Expeditions:Viking is a perfect example what happens when a smaller studio doesnt do user testing. And the qa people actually pay for this, win-win

? Viking didn't do Steam Early Access either...though it also didn't have Paradox QA teams at its disposal.

EA = QA that participants pay for
Early access = Paying to enter alpha/beta but without any player limit. IMO there's not much difference.

However I would love to have demos back. Now that's a significant benefit right there.
 

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I didn't know about this until the Paradox newsletter notified me. HBS made some good games, but I hope Paradox makes the game more complicated than XCOM's "2 actions per turn."
Paradox is only a publisher, they go no say on the game design. And we already know game will be using 2 action system.
 

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There were a few questions on weapons clipping through rocks etc, this answer sheds some light on what's under the hood

While that answer makes perfect sense, I'll predict that a whole bunch of people will waste no time to complain about this big time in Steam reviews once this is released (and to be fair, while perfectly logical, it does look a bit odd).
 

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There were a few questions on weapons clipping through rocks etc, this answer sheds some light on what's under the hood

While that answer makes perfect sense, I'll predict that a whole bunch of people will waste no time to complain about this big time in Steam reviews once this is released (and to be fair, while perfectly logical, it does look a bit odd).
No doubt. But maybe they will have a neat FAQ to point to by then ;)
 

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https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/webeharebrained/battletech/posts/1895012

Important Backer Beta Info

Hey everyone,

Thanks for all the kind words about our last Kickstarter Update and gameplay video - seeing your reactions and excitement means the world to us, especially when we're in the thick of things.

The whole team here is really excited to get the Backer Beta into your hands on June 1st. Unfortunately, in the last few weeks, we've been working through some significant multiplayer connectivity issues and as of yesterday, we don't believe multiplayer will be stable enough for release by June 1st. Therefore, the June 1st release will contain single-player Skirmish mode ONLY, and we will update the Beta with PvP multiplayer as soon as it's ready. No time estimate on that yet but we'll keep you posted.

We're bummed that we’re not releasing multiplayer simultaneously with single-player Skirmish (especially since we've been having so much fun competing with each other at the office, and telling you guys all about it!) but sometimes the soup just needs a little more time on the stove. As always, we’ll continue to keep you informed, and we still can't wait for you to be able to go hands-on against the AI in Skirmish mode on the 1st.

Expect another Kickstarter update next week with more specific information about how to get your Beta key. In the meantime, since we’re getting down to the wire, we thought we’d proactively answer a bunch of your questions in advance of the Backer Beta release with this FAQ.

Thanks and happy hunting!
Mitch

Backer Beta FAQ
What’s in the Backer Beta at launch?
The Backer Beta contains Single Player Skirmish versus the AI. You’ll be able to choose one of five deathmatch maps, set weather conditions, select your lance of ‘Mechs from 32 avaialable ‘Mech variants, assign MechWarriors to each, and choose the enemy forces you’ll fight.

What will be in the Backer Beta when it’s updated?
In addition to bugfixes, the update to the Backer Beta will add 1v1 multiplayer with all of the same content (maps, ‘Mechs, MechWarriors) that's available in single-player Skirmish. Hosts will be able to set the C-bills level of the match, choose the time limit for each turn, and more.

Can we expect more updates for the Backer Beta after that?
We’ll update the Beta as needed to fix high-impact and game-breaking bugs but we have no plans to update the Backer Beta with additional features or content beyond the scope of the Beta Kickstarter reward. This is a targeted Beta to get data on BattleTech combat with our Backers, not an Early Access game release.

How long will the Beta last?
At least a month after the multiplayer update is released. You should expect the Beta to “go dark” at some point during the run up to the launch of the game so we focus on the shipping version without the need to maintain the beta version.

Can I customize my ‘Mechs in the beta?
No. MechLab and the ability to choose colors, paintschemes, etc. are not part of the beta.

I heard you were doing a livestreamed “Backer Beta Bash” on 6/2. Is that still on? The livestreamed Backer Beta Bash on twitch.tv/hyperrpg has been postponed to coincide with the release of the Second Backer Beta Release containing multiplayer. We’re disappointed we won’t be able to celebrate with you but we’ve got work to do and need to stay focused.

What platforms is the Beta on? What about the final release?
The Kickstarter Backer Beta will be downloadable from Steam for Windows and Mac. The full version of the final game will be available on Steam, GOG, and Humble for Windows, Mac, and Linux.

Can I pre-download the Beta the day before so I’m ready to go on June 1st?
No, you will not be able to pre-load the Beta, but the download isn’t massive so you’ll be up and running pretty quickly!

How do I give you feedback?
Each time you finish playing, you’ll be prompted to fill out a short survey. The survey is different each time, so please check it out after each game you complete. In addition, we’re setting up a series of Beta sub-forums on battletechgame.com for folks to discuss what they like and could use improvements. The team regularly reads the forums and the discussions players have there are very helpful to us.

How do I report bugs?
If you encounter an uncommon bug (one you think won’t be found with standard testing), consult the Backer Beta Manual (available on June 1) for further instructions.

Can we stream and share our Beta experience?
You bet! Feel free to stream your gameplay, post on Youtube, share screenshots, blog about your experience, etc.

I backed below the Reward Level containing beta access. Can I still get into the Beta?
Yes! If you are already a Backer and would like to upgrade your pledge, email us. Since this is a manual process, we’ll need to send you specific instructions.

Can my friends still get in the beta?
Yes, just tell them to go here: https://battletech.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders

Will BATTLETECH be released on Steam Early Access after the Beta but before Release?
No. The only thing between Beta and final release is a lot of hard work.

Can I get into the Beta after it launches?
Yes, but we will stop taking Backer Beta Tier pledges and upgrades two weeks prior to the close of Beta (which we’ll announce ahead of time.)

What are the system requirements for the Beta?
We’ve done our best to ensure a wide audience can play the Backer Beta but won’t have final system specs until much closer to the release of the full game.

Here are the minimum and recommended specs for this Beta release.

WINDOWS MINIMUM:

OS: Windows 7 or Higher
Processor: Intel Pentium Core i3 3210 3.20GHz or AMD FX 4300 3.8GHz
Memory: 8 GB RAM Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 630 GT or AMD Radeon HD 6670 DirectX: Version 11
Network: Broadband Internet connection Storage: 11 GB available space
Sound Card: DirectX 9 sound device


WINDOWS RECOMMENDED:

OS: Windows 7 or Higher
Processor: Intel Pentium Core i5 3450 3.10GHz or AMD FX 6300 3.5GHz
Memory: 16 GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750ti or AMD Radeon HD 7900 Series
DirectX: Version 11
Network: Broadband Internet connection
Storage: 15 GB available space
Sound Card: DirectX 9 sound device

MAC MINIMUM:
OS: OS X Mavericks
Processor: Intel 2.5 Ghz Mid 2011
Graphics: Radeon HD 6970M
Memory: 8 GB RAM
Network: Broadband Internet connection
Storage: 11 GB available space
Sound Card: On Board Audio

MAC RECOMMENDED:
OS: OS X El Capitan
Processor: Intel 2.9GHz Late 2013
Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 775M
Memory: 16 GB RAM
Network: Broadband Internet connection
Storage: 15 GB available space
Sound Card: On Board Audio
 
Last edited:
Weasel
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Some of the mods and regulars on the BT forums have set up a Discord server ahead of the Beta. Will obviously get more use once multiplayer is going, but there are already some useful links and resources for the older games.

If anyone is interested, use the invite in this post:
https://community.battletechgame.com/forums/threads/6963/comments/137616

Once you've joined, the mods will notice you (under "online" users) and give you proper access to the channels ("acolyte" users) without you having to pm them or anything.
 

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Here we gooooooooooo https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/webeharebrained/battletech/posts/1900199

Backer Beta Incoming!

With swirling heads, sweaty palms, and soaring hearts, we are pleased to announce that the BATTLETECH Kickstarter Backer Beta is ready, and keys will start arriving later today!

bb18eafdb587a8bae4ff033cbc48dfca_original.png



Distributing 25,000 Steam keys into BackerKit accounts will take hours, so please be patient! WHEN YOUR BETA KEY LANDS IN YOUR ACCOUNT, YOU WILL GET A NOTIFICATION EMAIL DIRECTLY FROM BACKERKIT.

As noted in our last update (which included a Beta FAQ), today’s release contains single-player Skirmish mode ONLY. We will automatically update the Beta with PvP multiplayer as soon as it's ready and let you know with another Kickstarter update.

So How Do I Get Started?!
Instructions for getting your Steam Key from your BackerKit account, downloading the game, and how to play the game are located in your Backer Beta PDF Manual (which you can start studying up on while you’re waiting for your notification email from BackerKit to arrive!) Since this isn’t the finished game, our Backer Beta does not include an in-game tutorial. You’ll likely have way more fun and be able to give us better feedback if you understand how things work, so it’s highly recommended that you review the PDF Manual before your first game.

BTW, you can also view the manual in-game at any time by clicking the “Help” button on the Main Menu.

What We Need From You
We hope you enjoy this first taste of our BATTLETECH game and we want to learn from your experiences playing it. So what do we need? MEASURABLE DATA! After EACH battle, you’ll get the opportunity to give us your feedback in a short 1-page survey on a variety of topics - controls, audio, AI, maps, tactics, and more - so be sure to take as many surveys as possible.

And plan to fill out the same survey more than once! We fully expect your answers to change over time (that’s an important part of the feedback process) so don’t skip a survey because you’ve seen the questions before. This is the best, most helpful way to positively impact the project and help us make the game better for everyone. (Yes, it’s even more helpful than reporting bugs.)

The other way to get us your feedback is to join the BATTLETECH Forum. The Backer Beta Discussion sub-forum is the place where you can expand on your experiences playing the game and share your constructive criticism with others. While the dev team won’t respond to feedback or engage in debates, we’ll definitely be reading and learning from your conversations.

Have fun! Melt armor! Kick myomer!
--Klimecky

People who pledged for the beta, post here when you get your key.
 

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Got an email from HBS. I didn't pledge for the beta but they're delivering other digital goodies as well.
 

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https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2017/06/01/battletech-preview-skirmish/

BattleTech is the mech game I’ve always wanted
Adam Smith on June 1st, 2017 at 6:00 pm.

btech2.jpg


BattleTech [official site] finally brings mechs and mercs back to their turn-based tactical roots, and if the combat is backed by a worthy campaign mode, it’s likely to be one of my favourite games of 2017. I’ve only played the skirmish mode, against AI opponents, so I can’t assess the quality of the campaign. But the actual mech clashes are absolutely glorious, and as spectacular as any turn-based battles I’ve ever seen.

The moment BattleTech’s creator, Jordan Weisman, told me I could punch a mech I knew that I’d be punching a lot of mechs. Melee combat can be useful from a tactical perspective, closing distance on mechs with dangerous ranged weapons, but I’ll be honest; I just wanted to see robots beating the crap out of each other. In that respect, and several others, BattleTech overshot my expectations.

When I landed my first blow, on a mech already staggered and scorched by lasers and missiles, its arm flew clean off and rolled down a hill. Winding up for a second slug, I crossed all of my fingers hoping I’d be able to go full Black Knight and land another flesh wound.

BOOM

Off went the other arm. The mech swayed and for a brief moment, I thought it was going to topple, but it managed to stay upright, armless but not harmless. Its turn was next and rather than fleeing, it headbutted me.

Seeing an armless mech resort to a headbutt is very funny. BattleTech is a serious game about serious business, but this particular situation was pure farce.

A volley of missiles and heavy cannon fire from an ally finally toppled the poor mech and, having already punched its arms off, I felt it was only right to finish it off at close quarters. The killing blow was a stomp to the face, with a grinding of the heel into the junked remains for good measure.

btech1.jpg


Now, this is a turn-based tactical game, not a reboot of nineties beat ’em up duffer Rise of the Robots, so the bot-punching isn’t all that important in the grand scheme of things. But it sort of is. The most surprising thing about BattleTech is how beautiful the damage models are, and how much weight there is to the combat and movement. Lasers scorch and singe the metal, missiles leave steaming gouges in armour, and flames encase overheating mechs, cooking the poor pilot.

They’re super-weapons, yes, but they’re also giant, heavy, precarious, vertical tanks. Formidable for sure, but when they clash against others of their kind they can suddenly seem terrifyingly vulnerable.

A lot of that comes down to the ways in which they can suffer. Mechs can be adversely affected in three ways. There’s damage, the most direct way to destroy or dismember an opponent. When you fire on a target, you’ll unleash every applicable weapon by default. There are more than thirty mech builds in the game and some are equipped to be effective at short, mid or long range, while others have a more measured spread of weaponry. The point is, you’ll want to keep your distance with certain mechs, in order to ensure your best weapons are functional, while others will want to close in for the kill.

btech3.jpg


Before letting a salvo loose, you can switch off specific weapons. The main reason to toggle weapons off is to avoid overheating. Every armament creates a certain amount of heat when fired, and a certain amount to the target that it hits. A firebug mech devotes itself to dousing enemies in flames, forcing systems to shut down as they become too hot to operate, but even non-specialist machines can cook their enemies with laser fire and missile bursts. You’re just as likely to overclock your own mechs as an opponents’ though if you don’t keep an eye on their heat. Firing a single weapon might tip them over the edge and cause them to malfunction temporarily.

The third and final trait to keep an eye on is stability. Take too much damage without bracing to steady and your mech might end up flat on its back. Once down, individual components can be targeted by opponents, meaning they can aim for the head to injure or kill the pilot, or take out weapons systems located on the arms and shoulders.

Shots can’t be called and targeted at specific ‘body’ parts in general play, but the game models and tracks projectiles, and they will strike and cause damage to different areas. That brings the terrain into play; hide behind a ridge and your mech can be struck in its visible upper half but not in the legs. There are advantage to being up high as well, in terms of line of sight and accuracy, but you’re also leaving mechs exposed by planting them on hillsides. Adding to this, one mech can act as a spotter for others, and any weapon that fires in an arc can be lobbed toward spotted enemies even if no direct line of sight exists.

btech4.jpg


There are other uses for terrain, such as letting a mech go for a paddle in a river to cool off, or stomping through woods for a small protective boost. Behind the scenes, BattleTech is undoubtedly rolling lots of digital dice to figure out the results of actions, but on the screen you see everything play out in beautiful detail, right down to the individual missiles in a volley, which might ping off a hill or dent a mech’s chest armour.

In the skirmish mode, there’s no need to conserve energy or protect mechs, which made charging in fists flailing seem like a fine option. There are two keys to the battlefield; managing your mechs heat and stability, and moving them into strong tactical positions. Flanking and attacks from the rear are vital for breaking through enemy armour without having to chip away in a face-to-face war of attrition, and knowing the strengths and weaknesses of your squad is vital.

And that’s why I’m craving the campaign. There’s a story, about a deposed ruler who is trying to regain power and Harebrained have shown their storytelling chops in the Shadowrun games. But that ruler doesn’t take centre stage. She’s important but she can also be ignored, because, Weisman tells me, the real star of the show is your mercenary company. You’re free to take jobs from the various factions inhabiting and fighting over the various planets and systems that the sandbox-y campaign covers, and as you become better known and more well-trusted, you’ll be able to take on bigger tasks for bigger paychecks.

btech5.jpg


Weisman says there’s a fully functioning merc company management sim in the campaign, where you’ll need to balance the books, hiring employees (including the Mechwarriors themselves, but also engineers and other techy sorts), promoting and levelling up those employees, and kitting out your mechs. That last part involves scavenging parts from fallen enemies as well as buying new bits from marketplaces, and that feeds back into the tactical battles; don’t destroy the parts you might want to steal and stick on your own mechs.

It’s the campaign that I really want to get my mitts on, but it wouldn’t be worth a bean if the actual combat sections weren’t worthwhile. They’re more than that – the skirmish mode is fantastic, both as an exquisite visual depiction of the tabletop game that Weisman created decades ago, but as a game of tricksy tactics.

If sales are strong enough to support sequels or expansions, Weisman says he’d love to explore other eras of BattleTech, this game being intentionally set early in the history of the fictional future. From my perspective, if the campaign comes together, this will be the BattleTech game I’ve always wanted, so the idea it might eventually span several eras sounds fantastic.
 

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http://www.pcgamer.com/wrecking-mechs-on-battletechs-tactical-battlefields/

Wrecking mechs on BattleTech's tactical battlefields
"We’ve never been able to have a mech throw a punch before. Now we can."

In BattleTech, a band of mercenaries travel the galaxy, fighting for the highest-bidding noble house. More importantly, these fights are full of mechs battering each other with oversized fists and missile barrages.

Between the tabletop original, MechWarrior and other spin-offs, the BattleTech universe has kept us watching mechs fight for 35 years. Digital adaptations have run the gamut from roleplaying games to real-time strategy romps, and most recently a free-to-play shooter. “What we haven’t done is really return to the roots of the franchise,” says Jordan Weisman, Harebrained Schemes co-founder and BattleTech creator. “So we’re very excited to do that.”

Two steel brutes, chassis glowing red from the heat, duke it out on a mountainside. Both are missing limbs, damage inflicted from earlier brawls, but that doesn’t seem to slow them down. Aside from a single fist each, they’ve lost almost all of their weapons. Sparks and smoke spew out of them, and then one goes for the killing blow. Another limb explodes, then a laser blast to the head finishes the mech off.

Despite a victory worthy of song, things start off less than auspiciously. There’s a lot going on in BattleTech’s turn-based, tactical fights, and that means a lot of ways to mess up. There’s the environment itself, like trees that slow mechs down while providing cover and hills that offer superior firing positions; a heat system to worry about, where mechs shut down when their pilots start getting roasted alive; and a separate stability system, determining how close they are to comically falling over.

I consider myself more of a chef than a commander, slowly cooking my pilots inside their mechs. I lose two of my group early on thanks to this recklessness. There are, however, ways to manage the heat—spending a turn bracing for an attack instead of unleashing laser blast after laser blast, for instance. Selecting only low-heat weapons when attacking is a good call, too. Even the planet’s temperature factors into it. Overheating can sometimes be worth the risk, if it means taking out an enemy mech. Shutting down just means you have to waste a turn rebooting—it’s not the end.

The mechs are also highly customisable. “You have a chassis,” explains Weisman. “And each chassis has been wired for different types of weaponry, but you can customise any of the weapons. And you can customise the heatsinks, the armour, the jump jets, all those kinda things, to get different performance out of your mechs.” Expect at least 30 chassis, ranging from ones perfect for light scouts, to behemoths designed for walking weapons platforms.

With all these tactical considerations and customisation options, BattleTech seems pretty clever, but nothing is as satisfying as the simple pleasure of watching two mechs box. “In the 25 years we’ve been doing computer versions of BattleTech and MechWarrior, we’ve never been able to have a mech throw a punch before,” says Weisman, grinning. “Now we can.”

I look over at another skirmish playing out next to me. A mech with no arms does the only thing it can, headbutting its opponent, which then explodes. Most of the game is spent looking at these machines from a distance, but occasionally the camera zooms in with a bit of cinematic flair during an attack, capturing the explosions and machines locked in deadly duels. It’s striking and appropriately over-the-top.
 

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https://www.pcgamesn.com/battletech/battletech-jordan-weisman-interview

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.

30 years ago, you would have found Weisman setting up BattleTech Centers around the world - physical venues where mech fans could go to play multiplayer in enclosed cockpits fitted with multiple screens, joysticks, and rudder pedals.

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“We did a lot of pioneering work,” he muses. “It’s because I was ignorant. If I was smart, I would have realised that was fucking impossible, and we wouldn’t have tried it. Ever since then I’ve gone back and forth between computer games and tabletop.”

The new BattleTech is, unlike the Centers he set up back in 1987, designed for a platform that already exists: the PC. But it has a boldness that belongs to Weisman’s younger years. Harebrained could have built on the turn-based combat engine they’d made for the Shadowrun series. Instead, they’ve put together an ambitious new one in Unity. With complete freedom of movement in 3D, it plays nothing like the cyber-wizard’s chess of Shadowrun: Dragonfall and Hong Kong.

In taking their tactics off the grid, Harebrained have fulfilled the fantasy of mechs as heavy machinery: they’re soldiers, yes, but they’re also vehicles. Sometimes you get them in a tight spot, and they need reversing. Sometimes you’ll be in the perfect position to pummel an enemy with a barrage of rockets - but facing exactly the wrong way. These suits are powerful, but my goodness they’re clumsy. You’ll need to plan ahead if you don’t want to be pulling three-point turns under fire.

In going full 3D, too, the studio have stepped away from the realm of abstract rules and percentages that defined Shadowrun. To navigate BattleTech’s outdoor maps is to wrestle with a simulation. At one stage, I wondered why one of my squad’s artillery wasn’t landing the way I’d hoped - only to notice that half its salvo was hammering impotently against a crag close enough to halt the trajectory of my missiles.

Most palpably, though, the engine switch has given BattleTech some much-needed heft. Where Shadowrun combat felt weightless - like a papercraft reworking of XCOM - BattleTech throws its weight around. When mechs take damage they shudder horribly under the onslaught. If they lose both their arms to laser fire - a very real possibility as the fight wears on - they close the distance to melee and nut their enemies square in the cockpit. It’s like they’re fighting the most expensive bar brawl ever.

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There’s even a system designed specifically to account for the weight of these lumbering walkers. It’s a valid tactic to focus your fire on a specific mech until their Stability meter fills and they keel over, becoming an easy, stationary target. On their backs, mechs are ripe for limb and headshots like those seen in the first Fallout - until it’s their turn to pull themselves back to their feet.

Just as important is heat: all actions generate the stuff, and once your mechs get too hot they start taking internal damage. Eventually, they’ll shut down, again becoming sitting ducks for the rockets of enemy pilots. To keep your machines cool and upright, you’ll have to pick your moments to sit still and turn off the engines (perhaps cracking open a window, although that isn’t visually represented in Harebrained’s battles) before flicking all of your weapon switches back to ‘bang’.

If BattleTech scraps are all about careful management of the systems under your control, the same is true for its metagame. As you’d hope from storytellers as accomplished as Harebrained, the game will come with a proper single-player component - in which your mercenary company is hired by a deposed queen. You’re paid to help take back her throne, but that’s not where the campaign ends.

“Her story is a big part of your story, but it’s not the totality of it,” explains Weisman. “It will continue whether she succeeds or fails. It’s about your company, and growing your company within the geopolitical landscape.”

Harebrained have blocked out an area of MechWarrior space called The Periphery, made up of about 2,000 planets. As the manager of a mercenary unit, you’ll choose which planets to land on, which governments to negotiate with, and which contracts to take. The notoriety you gain among the factions of The Periphery becomes the determining factor in who’s going to hire you - and consequently keep your whole operation running.

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“A mercenary company is more than just machines,” points out creative director Mike McCain. “It’s all about the men and women who pilot the Warriors themselves, the mech-techs that prepare them, the medical teams that keep them alive, and the engineers and navigators that run the ship. All the people behind the scenes. Unfortunately, you have to pay all of them.”

It takes a village of squires, shoers, and armourers to support a knight, and apparently mechs are no different.

The higher level strategy in single-player BattleTech will lie in choosing where to invest your earnings. Beyond your people, there's also your ship to worry about: the Argos, a found relic you renovate over the course of the campaign. And then there are the parts you bolt onto your mechs. These are customisable weapons of various classes that complement the developing skills of your pilots.

Back on the battlefield, I eventually lost that mech I was relying on for artillery support. I'd been using a smaller, nimbler mech as a spotter, while raining down rockets from over the hills that shaped the map. Sadly, that rain took the form of a gentle drizzle.

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In my after-battle report with Harebrained, I learned my squad wasn't kitted out for long-range bombardment - but it could be, if I chose to steer my unit that way. That potential to clamp geopolitics, management, and low-level tactics onto the same chassis is where BattleTech’s rather grand campaign plans promise to deliver some 1987 magic.

Downstairs in Gamla Riksarkivet, past the slide where archivists would have hurled their most precious books should the building have ever succumbed to fire, Weisman is telling another group of journalists about his history.

“Battletech is old, as I am,” he says, before correcting himself. “Not quite as old as I am. Just a little younger. It’s gone on to be about 15 videogames over the years: from the MechWarrior series, to real-time strategy MechCommander, to MechAssault’s cartoon action.

“But what we haven’t done is return to the roots of the franchise: tactical turn-based combat. We’re very excited to bring that vision to life - that vision from 35 years ago.”
 

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