KickStarter BattleTech Pre-Release Thread

[Cyberarmy]

TACTICAL ‘MECH COMBAT RETURNS TO THE PC.

I already came after reading this, not sure how I'll feel after seeing the game.

 

[imweasel]

I can hardly wait to back this.

 

[gestalt11]

The two Crescent Hawk games were funny because there were quite different from each other.

Inception was really a full on RPG and the in-person combat was very similar to the mech combat.

Revenge was much more a Tactical Game than a full on RPG.

I liked em both but I would like a game more like Inception than Revenge. Although I think Revenge was more faithful to the source material and it had a TON more mech types

 

[mindx2]

I have a feeling this will do very well on Kickstarter... 1) proven KS studio w/ 3 games under their belt, 2) widely known IP, 3) not fantasy, 4) BIG freakin' robots =

I'm not even a fanboy to this series (played MechWarrior a little ages ago) but I believe they'll get ALL the fanboys plus those like myself which is a perfect setup for them raking in some big KS numbers.

 

[Abu Antar]

Put out of my misery if old:

http://www.alistdaily.com/news/harebrained-schemes-plans-the-return-of-battletech

Q: What Is Harebrained Schemes up to now, and why are you announcing it at GenCon?

We're announcing that we're going to be producing a modern turn-based tactical mech game, but we're being real tight-lipped about too much of the game itself because that will be coming out as we do the Kickstarter this fall. We wanted to announce the Battletech game here at GenCon. It's a little premature, but this is the audience where that game got started. These are the fans that helped build up Battletech from the beginning. This convention itself has been the hub of so many milestones for Battletech. We've been doing Battletech stuff here for a lot of years, and as soon as we were able to secure the rights to the game we knew this was the audience we needed to tell about it first.

Q: What can you tell me about the game?

It's PC and Mac, and it's an open-ended mercenary campaign. Where you're going to be building your own mercenary unit. It's mixing a lot of turn-based tactical with a lot of RPG elements, because you'll not only be managing a lance of 'Mechs but also Mechwarriors as well. You have all their careers and their skill trees, doing the depth of story like we did in Shadowrun that we want to bring to Battletech. As we say, the feudal Machiavellian politics that was at the core of the Battletech universe.

Q: Will you have fiction to go along with the game?

Fiction is an important part, both in the game and accompanying the game. We're working with the Catalyst guys so we coordinate with their fiction line. We're putting the game back in the original setting in 3025, because I think it played up the geopolitics really well and it lost some of the feudal nature later on. We want to sell the whole sweep of the story and sell the platform to do that.

Q: What are you doing at GenCon for the game?

We have a teaser, just a paragraph about the game and a couple of pieces of concept art. For people that want to get involved early, we're going to have a Vanguard backing opportunity. They drop by the booth and we've made up dog tags from different mercenary units. They can pick those up and if they back later on, they'll get a variant of one of those 'Mechs. There are ten different types of mercenary units, and if someone wants to pick up all of them it's a $50 backing and then they get a free copy of the game when it comes out, the dog tags and the variant 'Mechs.

Q: The benefit of crowdfunding is that you not only get financial backing for the game, but you also get guidance on the design of the game, as well as a tremendous marketing benefit, wouldn't you agree?

Part of the reason to announce now is that you have to make people aware that you're doing a Kickstarter, you can't just show up and hope people appear.

This will be our fourth game that we've brought to market with support from fans. The third Shadowrun title will ship August 20th, and all of those were funded by fans. The Golem Arcana game shipped last year at Gencon. We've really enjoyed that kind of cooperative, co-development relationship with our backers. Obviously the financial support has allowed us to grow and we wouldn't have done the games wthout that, but just as importantly the kind of emotional support and sounding board that they provide during development we've found to be a very energizing experience.

If we've done our job right and kept them happy during development, they're a great amnplifier for when the game launches. That marketing opportunity is really twice – once when you're doing the crowdfunding and making a lot of noise, but then a year and a half later or whenever you're shipping the title. If you've really worked collaboratively with your audience all the way through, they're a great help in getting the word out when the product comes out.

Key points:

• Set in 3025
• Turn-based tactical with a lot of RPG elements, because you'll not only be managing a lance of 'Mechs but also Mechwarriors as well
• PC & Mac
• Open-ended mercenary campaign
• Careers and skill trees
• Build your own mercenary unit
• Vanguard (Founders) early bird pack - seemingly GenCon only (booooo!)
• Apparently working with both PGI and Catalyst Game Labs, PGI for 'Mech art and CGL to coordinate with their fiction line
• Kickstarter will start in Autumn

 

[undecaf]

it's an open-ended mercenary campaign. Where you're going to be building your own mercenary unit. It's mixing a lot of turn-based tactical with a lot of RPG elements, because you'll not only be managing a lance of 'Mechs but also Mechwarriors as well. You have all their careers and their skill trees, doing the depth of story like we did in Shadowrun that we want to bring to Battletech. As we say, the feudal Machiavellian politics that was at the core of the Battletech universe.

Getting better and better by every bit.

Not expecting them to bring the sun down here, but this does sound extremely promising.

 

[Sothpaw]

I don't know what Battletech is but Dragonfall was pretty damn good so I will follow this one.

 

[hoverdog]

Time for Harebrained Schemes subforum?

god no. please

 

[Darkzone]

Key points:

• Set in 3025
• Turn-based tactical with a lot of RPG elements, because you'll not only be managing a lance of 'Mechs but also Mechwarriors as well
• Open-ended mercenary campaign
• Careers and skill trees
• Build your own mercenary unit

Hmm my opinion.

• Very nice short before the 4th succession war in 3028-3030.
• Not as good as i hoped. I have hoped for a company of mechs (3 mech lances) with air lance (a lance with attached two aerospace fighters) possibilities and armor and artillery. Also with the possibility to own DropShips, like the the Leopard or the Union or even the Overlord.
• This seem to have a deep story campaign. So this will be interesting.
• Careers ??? in an merc. unit... lance leader and company commander and ....?
• Yes!

 

[Abu Antar]

Gencon poster. Castrate Infinitron if old.

 

[Infinitron]

Vanguard, Vanguard Elite. I wonder if the game ends up being called "BattleTech: Vanguard".

 

[khavi]

I could see this kickstarter absolutely exploding because Btech and MW fans. Mechwarrior Online founder's program pulled in over 5 million. Course, subtract a bit for tactical TB cRPG stigma.

 

[Perkel]

never liked mechwarrior or battletech.

Earthsiege 2 on other hand was fucking amazing:

 

[Tigranes]

Alright. Don't know battletech, never played any mech games, but count me in. They've done enough with SR, show us that you can do even better now and keep growing into a great RPG company.

 

[Nikolaj]

Battletech! Let's hope this becomes a big enough success for them to make Mechwarrior next.

 

[Agesilaus]

Battletech: Crescent Hawk's Inception is one of the best RPG games ever, please tell me this game is going to carry on its legacy!

 

[Darkzone]

Battletech! Let's hope this becomes a big enough success for them to make Mechwarrior next.

Now it is called BattleTech RPG.
http://bg.battletech.com/download/QSR_ATimeOfWar.pdf?bdd337

 

[Infinitron]

New engine confirmed: http://www.mmorpg.com/showFeature.c...New-Kickstarter-from-Harebrained-Schemes.html

BATTLETECH: New Kickstarter from Harebrained Schemes
Interviews By Robert Lashley on July 30, 2015
Battletech is getting ready for a reboot with a Kickstarter initiative planned for later this year. We had the opportunity to interview the staff about the forthcoming project. See what they had to say.

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.

 

[Taka-Haradin puolipeikko]

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.

Pragmatic still. Good.

Unlike Shadowrun: Hong Kong, BattleTech will be starting from a completely new code-base, so it requires a much larger initial budget.

Necessary in this case. but it is good that they are not trying to build this on top of Shadowrun engine.

redacted

 

[almondblight]

Necessary in this case. but it is good that they are not trying to build this on top of Shadowrun engine.

During the SR:HK kickstarter, they were talking about how they needed to switch to another engine before too long. I wonder if they're building this engine with the eventual intention of moving the SR series over to it.

 

[m_s0]

It'd be pretty dumb of them not to.

 

[Jedi Exile]

Makes sense, if it is going to be MMO

 

[laclongquan]

Remind me: what is the last Mech tactical game and what was the last GREAT Mech tactical game?

Cause my mind draw a blank outside of mechcom2.

And Front Mission 3 :fuckyeah:

inbe4 "Japanese devs will save us all!!!"

 

[m_s0]

There's this:
http://www.matrixgames.com/products/237/news/Titans.of.Steel:.Warring.Suns

Much older game than I'd remembered.

 

[GarfunkeL]

Mech Commander is the last good Mech game that wasn't a "simulation", that I can think of.