KickStarter BattleTech Pre-Release Thread

[Zorba the Hutt]

Yes, they have the paypal figure on the main KS page (currently $45,390)

 

[khavi]

PayPal?

Indeed, PayPal, which isn't included in the total on the kickstarter, but is listed in the campaign information. It is only updated when they hit a new stretch goal, and I'm fairly certain it's current 45k tally is out of date.

 

[Rhapsody'n Blue]

Thank guys. I never noticed the Paypal stuff. Good to know (fingers crossed for customizable dropships).

Beyond the DropShip stretch goal, the game is pretty complete for me. I couldn't give much of a toss about PVP or even legendary mechs/mechwarriors.

That said, the Mission Reward tier to get a Natasha Kerensky cameo in the game would be nice, but then again I'm not sure I'd want to go up against the Black Widows, or have her know we exist. I like the idea of us being a small, relatively innocuous blip on the events of the Inner Sphere -- not brushing shoulders with the legendary and notable through the campaign.

 

[anus_pounder]

Thank guys. I never noticed the Paypal stuff. Good to know (fingers crossed for customizable dropships).

Beyond the DropShip stretch goal, the game is pretty complete for me. I couldn't give much of a toss about PVP or even legendary mechs/mechwarriors.

That said, the Mission Reward tier to get a Natasha Kerensky cameo in the game would be nice, but then again I'm not sure I'd want to go up against the Black Widows, or have her know we exist. I like the idea of us being a small, relatively innocuous blip on the events of the Inner Sphere -- not brushing shoulders with the legendary and notable through the campaign.

 

[Infinitron]

Update: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/webeharebrained/battletech/posts/1387576

That's the last of the in-game units.

 

[khavi]

Will likely do commentary again.

 

[Ulminati]

Enjoying the work you did so far. Battletech is eagerly awaited 75% off bundle fodder for me when they fail to meet the pvp stretchgoal

 

[KoolNoodles]

I wish somebody would make THIS game:

We've done turn based, in some fashion. We've done first person, third person, real-time. Where's the big picture strategic?

 

[Grotesque]

Battletech is eagerly awaited 75% off bundle fodder for me when they fail to meet the pvp stretchgoal

are you some self centered/egocentric cunt?
it's weird, because it's not the first time you jump to the occasion in this thread to educate us regarding your kickstarter funding philosophy for this game.

 

[Infinitron]

There are 14.5 days left on the BattleTech Kickstarter. Let's assume that for 11.5 of those, it makes an average of $22.5K a day as a worst case scenario, which doesn't seem far-fetched:

22.5 * 11.5 = 258.75

1863.5 + 258.75 = 2112.25

That means the campaign will require ~2455 - 2112 = 343 thousand dollars in its last three days to make the PVP stretch goal. Impossible? Perhaps, or perhaps not - D:OS 2 made $300k in its last three days.

If they can introduce something cool in the last week and get the funding rate up to $30k per day or more, they can make this far more likely.

 

[Zorba the Hutt]

I'm guessing they'll make the $2.5m, as you point out they wouldn't need a massive spike at the end. And every time I check the comments there are more old tabletop Battletech fans coming out the woodwork, not just the usual KS/gaming backers. Didn't realise how popular the IP still is. $343k doesn't seem unreasonable for a final rush, particularly if pvp is in sight and it starts attracting the pvp crowd.

 

[Taka-Haradin puolipeikko]

How long are they going to keep Paypal backing open after kickstarter?

 

[ArchAngel]

I am pretty sure that if they miss PvP by a little they will fund it themselves from sales of their other games. Investing some more for PvP will bring in many more sales from MP crowd.

 

[Ulminati]

are you some self centered/egocentric cunt?
it's weird, because it's not the first time you jump to the occasion in this thread to educate us regarding your kickstarter funding philosophy for this game.

Awww, show us on the $2500 scam citizen spaceship where the bad men made you butthurt.

My philosophy is that they had their stretchgoals ass backwards and the thing peopel who played the board game deserve (being able to play against each other) is increasingly unlikely to be included. Yours - judging by your posts here and in the scam citizen thread - seems to be you must make everyone else spend their money so your dream can come true.

 

[noisenerd]

My philosophy is that they had their stretchgoals ass backwards and the thing peopel who played the board game deserve (being able to play against each other) is increasingly unlikely to be included.

As an enthusiast of the board game, I respectfully disagree. I couldn't possibly care less about MP, I need the SP campaign to scratch the itch when I can't get the bros together for a TT session.

 

[khavi]

Where's the big picture strategic?

Total War: Battletech. I'd buy it.

 

[Rhapsody'n Blue]

I'm kind of sick of the big picture -- it goes hand in hand with my annoyance with the Chosen One trope. I'm perfectly fine just being an innocuous blip on the radar of the larger events, and kind of like imagining the "world" is big enough that even the tremendous success of my mercenary outfit being little more than just a small ripple in a much larger pond.

Take Doctor Who as an example -- in classic Who, nobody would know who in the hell the Doctor was, he was just a tramp traveling in a sea far larger than anything he could ever hope to really influence. Time Lord? Just one of many (and not even a particularly book smart one). In modern Who, he "burns with fire and ice" and is a legend of a thousand people across a thousand worlds. Meh.

Tangental rant aside, PVP would distract from the development of a solid SP experience too much. I kind of hope they don't get the money to do it (unless that money is intended to hire a separate team to focus on just the PVP alone). I feel dirty saying that -- it honestly comes less form not caring about PVP (which I don't), and more from not wanting to see development time and money get filtered into this. It will either extend development time (assuming SP, Skirmish and PVP are intended to launch simultaneously) or steal focus from SP/Extended Merc, provided they aren't going to hire a dedicated team.

No rants beyond these, however. If it happens, it happens.

 

[Infinitron]

There's already going to be a Skirmish Mode. Just letting somebody control the other side in such a battle doesn't sound like it should be a huge investment or require a separate team.

 

[Rhapsody'n Blue]

There's already going to be a Skirmish Mode. Just letting somebody control the other side in such a battle doesn't sound like it should be a huge investment or require a separate team.

Fair play, but solid network code for low latency play can be a real pain in the ass. Thankfully, the non-realtime nature of play gives a larger margin of error for latency than otherwise would be the case.

I guess it all depends on how they intend to approach it (chat? leaderboards? clans?).

 

[khavi]

How long are they going to keep Paypal backing open after kickstarter?

Not sure about the Btech campaign, but if it is similar to Hong Kong they will leave the Paypal '2nd chance' campaign going for three months.

 

[Rhapsody'n Blue]

So, in light of any news today, maybe somebody around here can enlighten me:

I stopped playing Battletech before FASA collapsed, not long after the 3050 technical read-out arrived (about a year later). When I exited, the clans were still quite mysterious, and their technology both eye opening and powerful.

1) Was the 3050 technical readout the last one FASA produced?

2) When they were acquired by WhizKids (or whatever), were the changes .. umm.. interesting at all? Any good ideas brought to the game? What little I've read implied they tried giving "powers" to the specific factions.

3) Anybody else think the graphic design of the modern game books is atrocious? Glad the concept art for this game is about 1,000x less garish, at the least.

4) Would you want to see sequels to this title venture beyond 3050 (into the Wizkids era)?

 

[Vaarna_Aarne]

1) FASA continued operating until 2001. TR3050 was published in 1990. TR3060 was the last published by FASA.

2) I said before that personally I find the original boxed set to be the best version of the game due to feeling the least cluttered and best balanced. I haven't paid much attention to the stuff beyond TR3050 since I felt that was the utmost limit.

3) I'm not going to lightly call anything atrocious compared to old inhouse BTech art. However, TR3085 cover is quite hideous.

4) Personally I doubt they'd go beyond Operation Bulldog in the timeline.

Vaarna_Aarne

So how's the word on those backer Atlas' for our fundraiser coming along?

 

[Bubbles]

So how's the word on those backer Atlas' for our fundraiser coming along?

Ruled out definitively. Too much work for HBS.

 

[noisenerd]

My $0.02 (if you couldn't tell from my avatar, I'm a fan, so take that into consideration):

2) When they were acquired by WhizKids (or whatever), were the changes .. umm.. interesting at all? Any good ideas brought to the game? What little I've read implied they tried giving "powers" to the specific factions.

The WizKids era gets a bad rap for the HeroClix stuff (deservedly imo, this would be the game that had "powers" if I understand your meaning, and was the source of much decline), but there were still things happening with the more "serious" board game and the universe at large that weren't all bad. The classic version of the game is still essentially the same, though they've added new tech and tweaked a few things (you don't have to use any of that though). From what I gather, some of the same people are still involved at Catalyst Game Labs (the current license holder to the board game/pnp part of the IP). Even among Battletech fans, there are those that would disagree with me, but I think they've done more good than bad.

3) Anybody else think the graphic design of the modern game books is atrocious? Glad the concept art for this game is about 1,000x less garish, at the least.

It's kinda hit-and-miss for me, always has been though I guess. There was a tendency for a while to do silly things like overly-large barrels on weapons and that sort of thing, but I think it's getting better. The art definitely suffered during the ClickyTech days also, and some of it bled into the "real" game.

4) Would you want to see sequels to this title venture beyond 3050 (into the Wizkids era)?

Yes. Word of Blake ftw.

 

[J_C]

Battletech is eagerly awaited 75% off bundle fodder for me when they fail to meet the pvp stretchgoal

You are beyond the edge! Keep cool, they will reach the pvp goal.

Spoiler

In the expansion/sequel.