KickStarter BattleTech Pre-Release Thread

[Vaarna_Aarne]

Yea HBS has a good track record when it comes to sequels (or pseudo-sequels, if one wants to define Dragonfall and Hong Kong as such), I generally expect BattleTech to be a good time (definately better than SRR anyway, SRR was in many ways a practise run) with better sequels.

Bigger question then is really if they take to feedback better with hindsight rather than kill-your-darlings approach.

 

[Bohr]

Having said all that, I have a feeling that these changes are actually going to make the game more successful, as they probably calculated - much as we may hate that idea or spam decline smileys. Early feedback from the press seems positive, new players are interested, I think sales could be decent. And there's still (at least at first) seemingly enough complexity for the XCOM gang:

It seems like that's the idea behind it (and the excuse that gets used a lot on the forums) but I'm not sure how true it actually is. We're not talking about them following the trend of changing difficulty modes from very easy/easy/normal to normal/hard/OMFG YOU MUST BE SUPERBADASS ELITE TO PLAY THIS, we're talking about them only including the super easy mode. Would NuXCOM have sold better if it only came with the lowest difficulty level? At the very least, this is probably going to make better players bored of the game and weaken the hardcore nucleus of superfans and modders which help a game thrive.

HBS at one point thought that making mobile ports of the Shadowrun games was a good idea, but it turns out the movile market wasn't that interested in it and it only cause the engine to be limited and the UI to suck. I'm hoping this doesn't hurt them too much, but HBS does have a history of scoring own goals (lack of save system in SRR, getting rid of all but one class in Necropolis, etc.). HBS would probably be a lot better off if their fanbase vocally pointed these out, but they're usually too busy cheerleading.

Completely agree that the lack of difficulty levels is ridiculous (and obviously linked to those gamedev theories of Kiva I posted earlier, that seem rather detached from the reality of the BT franchise). I guess my point was more that some of the things I dislike and would want to mod out as soon as possible (eg getting 3 chassis pieces and they instantly turn into a new mech with full weapons loadout at no cost) don't seem to bother new players at all and mean they can dive in and start using their salvaged mechs without even mastering the mechlab to the point of building a stock mech. And there does seem to be more widespread interest in the game than I would have guessed back in the days of the KS.

Not how I would have done it - how hard would it be to add a couple of difficulty options and toggles for stuff like this? - and it does seem to be taking the hardcore fanbase for granted. The forums may have a bunch of cheerleaders but there have been a lot of threads on stuff like this and difficulty in general. Perhaps they assume that this segment will just mod the game to fully challenge themselves, but imo they should implement those difficulty toggles and ironman mode Tyler was talking about, ASAP.

 

[Cael]

Completely agree that the lack of difficulty levels is ridiculous (and obviously linked to those gamedev theories of Kiva I posted earlier, that seem rather detached from the reality of the BT franchise).

My dear fellow. The twits of this Kevin fellow indicates that he is detached from reality PERIOD. The guy is a professional victim hooked up on some extremely strong hallucinogen who should be locked up in a mental asylum somewhere before he goes out and start shooting males out of some misbegotten anger he accumulated from having a pull in front of his monitor.

 

[Vaarna_Aarne]

Having said all that, I have a feeling that these changes are actually going to make the game more successful, as they probably calculated - much as we may hate that idea or spam decline smileys. Early feedback from the press seems positive, new players are interested, I think sales could be decent. And there's still (at least at first) seemingly enough complexity for the XCOM gang:

It seems like that's the idea behind it (and the excuse that gets used a lot on the forums) but I'm not sure how true it actually is. We're not talking about them following the trend of changing difficulty modes from very easy/easy/normal to normal/hard/OMFG YOU MUST BE SUPERBADASS ELITE TO PLAY THIS, we're talking about them only including the super easy mode. Would NuXCOM have sold better if it only came with the lowest difficulty level? At the very least, this is probably going to make better players bored of the game and weaken the hardcore nucleus of superfans and modders which help a game thrive.

HBS at one point thought that making mobile ports of the Shadowrun games was a good idea, but it turns out the movile market wasn't that interested in it and it only cause the engine to be limited and the UI to suck. I'm hoping this doesn't hurt them too much, but HBS does have a history of scoring own goals (lack of save system in SRR, getting rid of all but one class in Necropolis, etc.). HBS would probably be a lot better off if their fanbase vocally pointed these out, but they're usually too busy cheerleading.

Completely agree that the lack of difficulty levels is ridiculous (and obviously linked to those gamedev theories of Kiva I posted earlier, that seem rather detached from the reality of the BT franchise). I guess my point was more that some of the things I dislike and would want to mod out as soon as possible (eg getting 3 chassis pieces and they instantly turn into a new mech with full weapons loadout at no cost) don't seem to bother new players at all and mean they can dive in and start using their salvaged mechs without even mastering the mechlab to the point of building a stock mech. And there does seem to be more widespread interest in the game than I would have guessed back in the days of the KS.

Not how I would have done it - how hard would it be to add a couple of difficulty options and toggles for stuff like this? - and it does seem to be taking the hardcore fanbase for granted. The forums may have a bunch of cheerleaders but there have been a lot of threads on stuff like this and difficulty in general. Perhaps they assume that this segment will just mod the game to fully challenge themselves, but imo they should implement those difficulty toggles and ironman mode Tyler was talking about, ASAP.

It is quite of a curious thing. You'd think you really wouldn't even need anything besides just modifiers, which shouldn't be difficult at all. It's sort of like how it's strange Stellaris doesn't have difficulty settings, even if it's possible to mod these in yourself rather easily, which again raises the question of why not when it's so easy to do (easily moddable difficulty settings is the way of the future anyway tho, IMO; that's the only way to really let the player personalize their experience to their utmost enjoyment). Ideally I think difficulty level shouldn't affect the AI, it should skew the way the variables swing.

 

[Junmarko]

 

[Cael]

... I can so see "Attack Turkey" as a callsign or a 'mech name in BTech...

 

[Bohr]

Beaglerush

 

[Alpharius]

It is quite of a curious thing. You'd think you really wouldn't even need anything besides just modifiers, which shouldn't be difficult at all. It's sort of like how it's strange Stellaris doesn't have difficulty settings, even if it's possible to mod these in yourself rather easily, which again raises the question of why not when it's so easy to do (easily moddable difficulty settings is the way of the future anyway tho, IMO; that's the only way to really let the player personalize their experience to their utmost enjoyment). Ideally I think difficulty level shouldn't affect the AI, it should skew the way the variables swing.

Stellaris does have difficulty settings though, and much more besides.

 

[Bohr]

Dat moment when Beaglerush tries to make his "Chad" character and discovers he can have blue or purple hair, but no blonde options

 

[fantadomat]

Here is a gameplay video from the game,if anyone cares.

 

[Ezeekiel]

Here is a gameplay video from the game,if anyone cares.

Combat looks rather anemic imo.

 

[Country_Gravy]

Here is a gameplay video from the game,if anyone cares.

Who the fuck calls missiles Smurms and Lurms?

 

[veevoir]

MWO addicts do.

 

[fantadomat]

Here is a gameplay video from the game,if anyone cares.

Combat looks rather anemic imo.

I was scratching my head at the non-destroyed destroyed leg. Lets hope that the campaign is decent and there is not like 5 radiant missions. I am sooo past the mmo style of side activities.

 

[Infinitron]

sser wants to do a review of this but it looks like we're not going to get a review key (no reply from Paradox). If anybody has a spare key they're willing to donate for the glory of the Codex, shoot me a PM.

 

[Mustawd]

I'll give you my backer key when I get it.

EDIT: Jew

 

[Infinitron]

after 3 codex fundraisers still lower priority than twitch streamers, truly this be the prestigious tier 1 life

Not Harebrained's fault. I talked to them too, they forwarded my request to Paradox. No dice.

 

[Viata]

Not Harebrained's fault

they forwarded my request to Paradox

Well, it seems like it's their fault.

 

[Grotesque]

Not Harebrained's fault

It's Kevin's fault.

 

[Infinitron]

Not Harebrained's fault

they forwarded my request to Paradox

Well, it seems like it's their fault.

....after I tried contacting Paradox directly first. Harebrained tried to help, it didn't work.

 

[Grotesque]

Harebrained tried to help

Oh, man. You're dumber than you look.
Get out more, hone those social skills, learn on how the world really works.

 

[fantadomat]

Not Harebrained's fault

they forwarded my request to Paradox

Well, it seems like it's their fault.

....after I tried contacting Paradox directly first. Harebrained tried to help, it didn't work.

Are you surprised? Paradox are bunch of spineless swedish cucks,while the codex have a reputation of intolerance toward idiots like them and high tolerance toward freedom of opinions. Also their pr is terrible at best. Still,nice try mate.

 

[Cael]

Harebrained tried to help

Oh, man. You're dumber than you look.
Get out more, hone those social skills, learn on how the world really works.

Why would he want to do that when he can be the biggest bully and top dog in his own basement? Respeckt his authorataaaaa!

 

[Cael]

Who the fuck calls missiles Smurms and Lurms?

People who don't know what LRM and SRM mean. Or the number at the end. I've met a few in my time. The lightbulb moment when they suddenly realise that SRM6 means it firsts a salvo of 6 rockets and a LRM20 fires a salvo of 20 makes me want to give them a Darwin Award. Violently.

 

[agris]

oh man, thanks. i thought it meant 6 slurms.