Game News BattleTech Kickstarter Update #2: Story Campaign Unlocked, New Stretch Goals

[ArchAngel]

Divinity: Original Sin.

(I concur that we have to expect they will do a better job of combat with a combat focused game, but all people are saying is that we have skepticism they can pull it off. I think we're all basically in agreement here over the premise, the only disagreement is how optimistic people are about their ability to deliver on non-shit combat. Also I suspect "non-shit combat" means different things to different people. I am worried to HBS good combat does not include a challenge to test yourself against. For myself, the best combat system in the world can't deliver the goods if all encounters are designed to be trivial.)

It was OK but nothing really cool. The element stuff was too big of a gimmick and all battles revolved around that instead of cool battles of BG2. Xcom and Xcom Long War are way better than D:OS. Old Xcom and Xenonauts even better.

 

[Gozma]

I like hearing about the turning radius thing. It seems like it would be a good core geometrical concern for the game that's not generic TBT that people that have played this shit for years can disassemble blindfolded. I can't remember how important it was for the tabletop game, but it definitely wasn't enough to make it not be 90% loadout-driven attrition and dice luck over tactics.

 

[Copper]

I'd be more concerned about having tons of customization options throwing out the balance (by which I mean some builds are better in every situation than any alternative) and the impact that will have on difficulty. But i think there's a reason they're focussing on a skirmish mode beta, and they should get some solid data out of it to refine their systems.

 

[Destroid]

It's quite surprising to me that they are going with a turn based game when all the previous Battletech tactical games like Crescent Hawk's Revenge and MechCommander were real time.

 

[Kem0sabe]

OK, so here's an argument for all the people going "But their games have bad combat!"

That argument is - what Kickstarted RPG doesn't have "bad combat"? Do you have anybody left to support here?

Maybe "good combat" just isn't something you can reasonably expect from any Kickstarted game (any game, period?) until the developer makes a concerted effort to create it in a game that's entirely or almost entirely about combat. Like this one, for instance.

Recently Xenonauts has great TB combat...

Spoiler

for $154,715

 

[Infinitron]

That doesn't contradict my point!

 

[Zetor]

Telepath Tactics was KS'd, and it has pretty good combat (and encounter design) IMO. But then, that's pretty much the focus of the entire game!

 

[Kem0sabe]

That doesn't contradict my point!

What was your point?

 

[undecaf]

I've found the combat in these recent "better" games to be passable. They all have their clear shortcomings, but I'd say that usually only becomes a distracting element due to over exposure in the long run - the sameyness and longwindedness of it all becomes a burden - and the stuff outside combat not really having the sort of intrigue to compensate.

 

[Burning Bridges]

They should add a stretch goal that is McKain getting fired. Once the hipster opened his mouth it was over for me.