KickStarter BATTLETECH - turn-based mech combat from Harebrained Schemes

[Riso]

You could also put it this way: It's a Paradox game.

 

[veevoir]

Except it is not. Paradox is the publisher.

 

[Bohr]

 

[Bohr]

Starts around 42.55 in this:

 

[Althorion]

Any talk about Linux version?

 

[Cael]

I'm trying to find a config for a Thunderbolt 5ss or a Grasshopper 5h. I filled the SS with lasers and a SRM 6, but even so it performs worse than the Thunderbolt 5SE which has an extra STM 6, 2 less M lasers and about 100 points more of armor. Same shit for the Grasshopper which only has hardpoints for lasers and support weapons, so I filled it with S and M lasers.

The problem is that, until now, can't find a use for L Lasers or PPCs. They weigh too much, damage output is nothing to write home about (1 L Laser for example weighs 5 tons and has 40 damage, for that I can fix 2 M lasers at a ton each with 25 damage per piece, same shit for the PPC with 50 damage but 7 fucking tons!), are extremely heat inefficient requiring metric fucktons of heat sinks and I still have to cool them down every 3rd turn and only have range on their side, but even so for long range I found a LRM boat with some ACCs to perform better. ACC 20 is another thing that I'm not sold on. It weighs just 2 tons more than the ACC 10 (and the ACC 10 weighs 12 tons on its own) for considerably more damage, but it has 3 less shots (5 to 8) for every ton of ammo, though I hope it gets useful later when I grab some more Assault Mechs so they don't have to be paper thin to accommodate the 20.

Whatever these weapons could win due to their long range I found so far to be unimpressive since the best tactic seems to run straight up to them and shoot them at point blank range until you overheat, then smash them in melee to cool down. With this config - 3 mechs specc'd for medium and close combat with support from an LRM boat for stability damage - I only reloaded twice in 50 + missions and I'm at the point where I'm getting 4 skull contracts.

That is because HBS fucked it up again, as usual. AC10 has 10 shots per ton, and 66% more range than the AC20 (max range 15 vs 9). The downside is that it is harder to open holes in heavier 'mechs for crit seekers to exploit with an AC10 than an AC20.

Most ballistic weapons follow a formula when it comes to ammo count.
For AC, it is 100 damage a ton (except AC2, for some bizarre reason). So, 5 shots for AC20, 10 for AC10 and 20 for AC5. 45 for AC2, though, which is the outlier.
For SRM, it is 100 missiles. Therefore, 50 shots for SRM2, 25 shots for SRM4 and 15 for SRM6 (highest multiple of 5 without going over the 100 missile limit).
For LRM, it is 120 missiles. 6 for LRM20, 8 for LRM15, 12 for LRM10, 24 for LRM5.

For energy weapons, large lasers and PPCs are the only way you can get more range than 270m. The no ammo aspect is huge in TT, especially if you are playing as a merc where you have to pay for every shot you fire with ballistic weapons. Of course, if you are playing short engagements all the time and where you have cash coming out the wazoo and get free ammo, then there is really no advantage to energy weapons. Try playing a 4 month raiding campaign with no resupply and see what happens to your LRM boat, or where you have to pay 5000 C-Bills every time you fire your LRM20 :D

 

[Kalarion]

I'm trying to find a config for a Thunderbolt 5ss or a Grasshopper 5h. I filled the SS with lasers and a SRM 6, but even so it performs worse than the Thunderbolt 5SE which has an extra STM 6, 2 less M lasers and about 100 points more of armor. Same shit for the Grasshopper which only has hardpoints for lasers and support weapons, so I filled it with S and M lasers.

The problem is that, until now, can't find a use for L Lasers or PPCs. They weigh too much, damage output is nothing to write home about (1 L Laser for example weighs 5 tons and has 40 damage, for that I can fix 2 M lasers at a ton each with 25 damage per piece, same shit for the PPC with 50 damage but 7 fucking tons!), are extremely heat inefficient requiring metric fucktons of heat sinks and I still have to cool them down every 3rd turn and only have range on their side, but even so for long range I found a LRM boat with some ACCs to perform better. ACC 20 is another thing that I'm not sold on. It weighs just 2 tons more than the ACC 10 (and the ACC 10 weighs 12 tons on its own) for considerably more damage, but it has 3 less shots (5 to 8) for every ton of ammo, though I hope it gets useful later when I grab some more Assault Mechs so they don't have to be paper thin to accommodate the 20.

Agreed. My primary use for the heavier energy weapons is to stick one or two (no more) on a 'mech, and use them (1) to engage at long range while moving up to smash with MLasers and SRMs, (2) for use as very efficient breaching shot weapons at medium-to-long range (A PPC or Large Laser with +10 dmg is pretty sweet for that), and (3) to use for long-range Called Shots to the head (be warned, you will need at least one more shot even with a +10 dmg PPC to blow it off). PPCs are also nice to finish off a knockdown on an Unsteady 'mech (I really hate the knockdown system in this game). As a practical matter PPCs and LLs are almost never included when I go all-out on a 'mech at close range... I've got your aforementioned 6 MLs/2 SRM6s etc for that.

For example, my LRM-boat pilot has max Tactics, so I popped a PPC on her. Occasionally another 'mech will score a headshot on her target. I'll then use her to go for a PPC head shot at super long range and still have a respectable 17% chance. On one occasion it netted me a full salvage set for an Atlas :D

As a side note, this is what makes the Highlander so freaking dangerous/OP when you get it. It packs far more power then it should be able to for its weight, and the combination of Gauss Rifle/PPC makes it a monster at extreme range. We already know it comes kitted out with 7 Double Heat Sinks (!!), meaning it can handle the PPC's heat output with ease, even when alpha striking. But I suspect that HBS "cheated" by adding an XL engine (without the usual XL drawbacks) and Ferro-Fibrous armor (again without the usual drawback) without letting us see them (other than the resulting weight efficiency). I put the quotes around cheating because I can't remember right now whether the SLDF-era Highlander (which is what you're given) had the Big Three or just one or two of them (Double Heat Sinks, Ferro-Fibrous armor and an XL engine).

I've gotten through 7 or 8 story missions (I'm on the one where I have to rescue Lord Madeira right now), have several assaults and am currently trying to blast through what remains of the story since I heard that opens up more space for traveling. I'll post my final opinions after 40+ hours soon for those interested.

 

[Bohr]

Any talk about Linux version?

Yep, they mentioned that at the same time as the localisations in terms of 'coming soon' but nothing definite.

This is actually a better, meatier video than those few minutes above, discussion on making the game with Mike, Mitch, Chris Klimecky (producer), Chris Aardappel (lead engineer) - they also show some early combat/map prototypes. Then Q&A.

 

[agris]

D_X that mission was a huge disappointment for me as well. Even if the cadence of the dropships didn't change, it needed heavier mechs (at least some mediums with PPCs), AI that targets the (edit: fuel) tanks and you less than the turrets, and a rear flank contingent to attack the last dropship's position.

 

[PanteraNera]

D_X that mission was a huge disappointment for me as well. Even if the cadence of the dropships didn't change, it needed heavier mechs (at least some mediums with PPCs), AI that targets the (edit: fuel) tanks and you less than the turrets, and a rear flank contingent to attack the last dropship's position.

I remember the mission, someone said (in-game; in-mission) that you should shoot the enemies so they focus on you and not on the fuel tanks.
So, works as intended.

 

[agris]

The mission, as intended and as implemented, is bad. It's too easy.

 

[agris]

Bohr if you catch it, will you drop the mod talk their engineer is going to give (gave already?).

 

[Another_Round]

So fags, what's the verdict for now? Should I wait for the gay space deluxe communism version or is it enjoyable as of now?

 

[Bohr]

Weird, they seem to have taken the Day 2 video down. Perhaps there will be edited versions coming out (that mod talk wasn't on the main streaming schedule but he was asking beforehand what everyone wanted to see, so I assume it will come out sometime)

 

[Stavrophore]

People who want to play this -wait a year, bugs will be ironed, maybe even some dlc released. Or wait for BT2, because i can sense that this will be coming ASAP, if they dont plan to release DLCs. I hope this time the game will deliver a true mercenary band experience.

 

[Cael]

People who want to play this -wait a year, bugs will be ironed, maybe even some dlc released. Or wait for BT2, because i can sense that this will be coming ASAP, if they dont plan to release DLCs. I hope this time the game will deliver a true mercenary band experience.

You've got to have rocks in your head to want to buy another game from HBS. It is like people who keep buying Bioware crap after DA2.

 

[Kalarion]

Thanks, sounds interesting so once I get another assault mech I'll give it a try. A sniper build was what I tried before with a heavy mech, but unfortunately it seemed to be less efficient for long range than a 2xLRM+ACC config. With this I can ditch all heat sinks, slap tons of armor and it gives me the advantage of being able to shot a guy without a direct line of sight and LRMs seem better at inflicting stability damage than PPCs.

Quite right, a decent gunner with 2 racks of LRM20s (that's what my LRM-boater is using right now) can easily take a non-entrenched 'mech from no stability damage to max stability damage in one salvo. The problem, and the reason I say PPCs are good to "finish" a knockdown, is the way the knockdown system works. You can't just one-shot knockdown a 'mech. Even taking it to a full bar won't do it. You have to first get it into the "Unsteady" state, and then fill up the rest of the stability damage bar. If yall didn't know (it took me the first 8 hours or so to figure this out), the little white pip on the stability meter represents the point past which the 'mech will go into unsteady state. At that point, you can knock the 'mech down by filling up the remainder of the stability bar.

So basically, I take a 'mech to full stability damage (which makes it unsteady), and then tap it with a low stability damage weapon (like a PPC) to "finish" the knockdown. It's incredibly frustrating as a system but I guess it makes for one more kinda-sorta advantage to a long-range energy weapon?

Hahaha, what the hell? I'm not familiar with BT outside of this game, MechCommander and Mechwarrior 3 so I have no idea if they actually cheated with it but the damn thing does indeed feel extremely powerful. I left it with only the Gauss Rifle and slapped tons of lasers on it. I have it at 1720 total points of armor and I've seen it destroy the center torso of a Heavy in just one targeted hit.

Speaking of targeted hits, they seem to be quite OP. Once you slap upgrades on your ship, morale bonus starts coming out your ass without even needing to increase salaries. My current tactic is to get my heavy hitters with M lasers and SRMs into range and do a targeted shot on a leg. In about 8 out of 10 cases, it knocks the leg clear off, knocking down the opponent and letting you take more targeted shots at its other leg. Or simply go for center mass, even way earlier when I only had medium mechs, the Centurion that the game gives you with 2 M lasers and 3 SMRs 6 one shot things left and right.

In case anyone is curious, FF armor, XL Engines and Double Heat Sinks are all Star League-Era technologies that are lost during the time this game is set. Later in the BT Universe's timeline (3024?), a merc company will discover a sort of Rosetta Stone of Star League technology called a Memory Core. Decoding the core provides this tech to the Inner Sphere. The rundown is (Cael fact check please):
Double Heat Sink- double heat dissipation, but takes up two critical slots instead of one (maybe weighs an extra ton too?). The fantastic thing about Double Heat Sinks is you either have them or you don't... and that means that, when you switch over to them, you get the first ten for free! In terms of this game, all normal 'mechs can automatically dissipate 30 heat per round. Because the Highlander has DHS, it can instead automatically dissipate 60 heat, plus the additional 42 from the DHS on its frame, for a whopping 102 heat per round.
Ferro-Fibrous armor- provides 20% more armor per ton spent on armor points. I think it also takes up one critical slot in each 'mech location?
XL Engine- weighs 20% less than a normal engine of the same rating (speed), takes up 3 critical slots on each side torso, the engine can be destroyed from three hits in ANY of the engine locations. If you guys didn't know, the reason the CT seems so space-restricted is because several slots are automatically reserved for your engine and Gyro.

So basically I suspect we got all the bonuses associated with FF armor and an XL engine with none of the penalties. This is huge in particular for the engine if true, because that shaves off almost 10 tons of weight that would normally be devoted to the engine. It also explains why my Highlander has exactly the same amount of armor as my Atlas :D

 

[Cael]

In case anyone is curious, FF armor, XL Engines and Double Heat Sinks are all Star League-Era technologies that are lost during the time this game is set. Later in the BT Universe's timeline (3024?), a merc company will discover a sort of Rosetta Stone of Star League technology called a Memory Core. Decoding the core provides this tech to the Inner Sphere. The rundown is (Cael fact check please):
Double Heat Sink- double heat dissipation, but takes up two critical slots instead of one (maybe weighs an extra ton too?). The fantastic thing about Double Heat Sinks is you either have them or you don't... and that means that, when you switch over to them, you get the first ten for free! In terms of this game, all normal 'mechs can automatically dissipate 30 heat per round. Because the Highlander has DHS, it can instead automatically dissipate 60 heat, plus the additional 42 from the DHS on its frame, for a whopping 102 heat per round.
Ferro-Fibrous armor- provides 20% more armor per ton spent on armor points. I think it also takes up one critical slot in each 'mech location?
XL Engine- weighs 20% less than a normal engine of the same rating (speed), takes up 3 critical slots on each side torso, the engine can be destroyed from three hits in ANY of the engine locations. If you guys didn't know, the reason the CT seems so space-restricted is because several slots are automatically reserved for your engine and Gyro.

So basically I suspect we got all the bonuses associated with FF armor and an XL engine with none of the penalties. This is huge in particular for the engine if true, because that shaves off almost 10 tons of weight that would normally be devoted to the engine. It also explains why my Highlander has exactly the same amount of armor as my Atlas :D

No.

SL-era Double Heat Sinks are 1 ton, 3 crits and dissipate 2 heat. The engine carries rating/25 heat sinks for free in terms of crits. You always get 10 heat sinks for free in terms of weight. A Highlander has a 270 rated engine, which means it can carry 10 free heat sinks in the engine. 20 points of heat dissipated for free. Every additional heat sink should cost you 3 crits. 30 points is bullshit. 60 points even more so.

SL-era XL engines take up 3 crit slots in each side torso for half the weight. The drawback is that if either side torso is cored, you have basically automatically taken 3 engine hits, which kills the 'mech, and what you said about the 3 engine hits anywhere will also kill the 'mech. This is more a factor in TT where you cannot make called shots.

SL-era FF armour is 12% extra (you are thinking Clan FF, which is 20%) and takes up 14 crits which can be allocated anywhere (for Pete's sake do NOT put FF crits in the head or CT; they are rerolled on a crit roll, so one of your other things in that location WILL be hit). However, and this is important: you are still limited by the 'mech's maximum armour, which is restricted by tonnage. It is impossible for any 'mech to exceed the Atlas' armour (without some later era splattiness) even with FF simply because the Atlas is a 100 ton 'mech with max armour for that tonnage (19 tons, 304 points total). FF armour is basically weight saving for 'mechs with max armour (e.g., Atlas and Panther, IIRC) or extra armour if the 'mech had less than the max armour for its tonnage (most of the stock 'mechs, hilariously enough). Your Highlander shouldn't be able to match the Atlas' armour even with FF. That is complete bullshit.

One thing you didn't mention is Endo-Steel internal structure. SL-era ES is 14 crits for half the internal structure weight, which is a straight 5% saving on your 'mech's tonnage (internal structure normally being 10% of your 'mech's weight). This makes it a more efficient use of 14 crits than FF armour, as FF armour is based on your armour's weight and is only 12%.

For a 'mech like the Highlander, you have a max of 48 crit slots (1 head, 2 CT, 12 each side torso, 8 one arm, 9 the other (no hand), 2 each leg). Putting in an additional 21 DHS (for 42 heat dissipated) would take up 63 crit slots, which is impossible, and that is before we factor in FF armour, ES internal structure and XL engine, and the weapons, jump jets, etc.

In short, HBS made a special snowflake 'mech that has no place in the rules in any way, shape or form. All because they want to give their Mary Sue something spehsual and yeah, you as well because it won't be "fair" otherwise. The HBS game is nothing but a badly written fanfic with a Mary Sue as the protagonist and the player as the cheerleading squad leader. Not surprising, given Kevin's mentality, twits and the way he acts.

 

[Spark Mandriller]

So basically I suspect we got all the bonuses associated with FF armor and an XL engine with none of the penalties. This is huge in particular for the engine if true, because that shaves off almost 10 tons of weight that would normally be devoted to the engine.

Royal Highlander doesn't have an XL engine, so there's no lacking penalty there. You do get an extra 5 tons free compared to a normal Highlander though, which is weird. I'm fairly certain it has the same base heat dissipation as any other mech instead of having double like you'd expect from DHS, so it might just be to make up for that. Or maybe it's just meant to represent FF armour, though that'd be really stupid because it'd be impossible to repair and shouldn't be saving you 5 tons anyway. And they'd just be skipping the drawback too, like you said. Or probably they just gave you extra tonnage because they felt like it and I'm overthinking things. That's definitely what they did for the Atlas II.

 

[Cael]

So basically I suspect we got all the bonuses associated with FF armor and an XL engine with none of the penalties. This is huge in particular for the engine if true, because that shaves off almost 10 tons of weight that would normally be devoted to the engine.

Royal Highlander doesn't have an XL engine, so there's no lacking penalty there. You do get an extra 5 tons free compared to a normal Highlander though, which is weird. I'm fairly certain it has the same base heat dissipation as any other mech instead of having double like you'd expect from DHS, so it might just be to make up for that. Or maybe it's just meant to represent FF armour, though that'd be really stupid because it'd be impossible to repair and shouldn't be saving you 5 tons anyway. And they'd just be skipping the drawback too, like you said. Or probably they just gave you extra tonnage because they felt like it and I'm overthinking things. That's definitely what they did for the Atlas II.

Royal unit Highlanders have DHS:

HGN-732b
The 732b model is a upgrade of the classic 732 built exclusively for SLDF Royal units. This variant drops two heat sinks and a ton of SRM ammo. Artemis IV FCS is added to the LRM and SRM launcher, while the heat sinks are upgraded to doubles. Additional short-range firepower comes in the form of a medium laser added to the right torso. BV (2.0) = 2,335[10][11]
- Sarna.net

All SL-era Highlanders don't have ES or XL engine.

 

[Kalarion]

Then they fucked with its standard loadout, but I don't know exactly how. Maybe ES and XL without internal crit slots?

The DHS issue that you're talking about is a little off-base. In HBS' game, all heat generation and heat dissipation was tripled. They did that for the same stated reason that they quintupled both damage and armor... to give themselves room to play with the numbers more finely.

So 102 heat dissipated per round in this game would be equivalent to 34 heat dissipated in TT. Which sounds about right for what the Highlander should be doing with 7 DHS, no?

As to armor, I'm not saying it can max out with higher armor than an Atlas, I should have been more clear. I'm saying, right now my Highlander and my Atlas both have the same amount of armor points (after tweaking both of them in the 'mechlab). Even though I'm almost positive I poured more tonnage into the Atlas' armor than the Highlander's. Idk I'll do the math tonight when I get back from work. I realize this isn't really much of something to get worked up about but now I'm really curious what the numbers are on that thing.

 

[Cael]

Spoiler

edit: As fate would have it, I also started replaying MechCommander after some 18 years. Just before I finished the above mission, I completed another defend the base in MC.

What MC does is that you have to defend 2 fucking barns. Yes, barns as in fucking wooden structures that a guy with a gasoline can and some matches can fuck up. And you have to do it against waves of vehicles including 2 SMR Launchers and 2 LRM Launchers, about 3 or 4 light mechs (I may have counted one of them twice) and a Hunchback. And what you have to do it with? Five or six light mechs piloted by guys who literally couldn't hit the broadside of a barn.

So recap. The enemy comes at you from several different directions, including from behind the base. You have 2 very vulnerable buildings to protect which are in quite distant positions from one another and are there, hopefully for you, for the entire missions not just appearing and disappearing. And you have no allies, no turrets, nothing.

The trick behind the whole mission is to lay out entire fields of mines to weaken the incoming AIs. But to do that you need to consider that 1) The mine layer eats up drop tonnage and requires a whole drop slot so one less mech for you. 2) It moves slow as shit when it lays mines so you can't just paint the map. 3) You need to scout the map to see from which direction the enemy is coming all while having to fend off the first assault which starts almost as soon as you load the mission.

And in MC, the enemy doesn't give a shit. It goes straight for the target, it doesn't waste time when it can attack and sure as hell doesn't turn around and let you take free shots at it.

So, if you don't scout the map you're fucked. If you don't properly lay the mines you're fucked. If you lose the mine layer you're fucked. If you fail to move fast enough at the start, you're fucked. And even if you do all this, God help you if you didn't bring something bigger than a light mech, preferably the extremely hard to get Mad Cat, because MC throws a goddamned 75 ton heavy mech at you in mission 3!

And all this not in some mid-to-end-game mission but in the 5th bloody mission of the game!

Spoiler

5th of 30 missions, I might add. And I thought the Madcat-A was in the second mission?

And no, the MadCat is a BAD idea in this mission. You want more 'mechs to cover the various flanks, not fewer bigger ones.

You also missed out one important "do or you're fucked": Use the slots in the third lance. That is your forward scouting lance. It simplifies scouting by a lot, plus it is easier to reach the loot from there than the barn area.

2 minelayers for that mission. One to mine the area around the barns and your positions nearby and another to mine further out.

HINT:

Spoiler

The train tracks is a good place to put mines

 

[Cael]

Then they fucked with its standard loadout, but I don't know exactly how. Maybe ES and XL without internal crit slots?

The DHS issue that you're talking about is a little off-base. In HBS' game, all heat generation and heat dissipation was tripled. They did that for the same stated reason that they quintupled both damage and armor... to give themselves room to play with the numbers more finely.

So 102 heat dissipated per round in this game would be equivalent to 34 heat dissipated in TT. Which sounds about right for what the Highlander should be doing with 7 DHS, no?

As to armor, I'm not saying it can max out with higher armor than an Atlas, I should have been more clear. I'm saying, right now my Highlander and my Atlas both have the same amount of armor points (after tweaking both of them in the 'mechlab). Even though I'm almost positive I poured more tonnage into the Atlas' armor than the Highlander's. Idk I'll do the math tonight when I get back from work. I realize this isn't really much of something to get worked up about but now I'm really curious what the numbers are on that thing.

"...play with numbers more finely" is bad fanfic code for "I am going to make up shit that was never in the original in order to make my special snowflakes even moar spehsual".

The Royal version of the Highlander has exactly 10 DHS sitting in the engine. The extra 7 doesn't exist, which means you will have to account for them in your calculations as well.

All SL-era Highlanders have FF armour, so it would be lighter for the same armour points on the Highlander than on the Atlas. That said, if you quintuple the armour, the max armour possible for a 100 tonner would be 307 x 5 = 1535 (and the Atlas has 304 x 5 = 1520). I see D_X's Highlander with 1720 armour points. Seems like there is some sort of bullshit happening.

From what I can see, the crit slots of the HBS game has zero correlation with TT crit slots. I saw a Hunchback with 6 medium lasers sitting in the CT somewhere in this thread. That is impossible in TT due to having only 2 free slots in the CT at best (until things like compact gyros came into the game post-3067). So, they could have put anything they want into the Highlander without any regard for the rules in the slightest. That is the whole problem with the HBS game, and one that I knew was going to rear its head early on. That was why I was so vocally against it right from the start. Barring names of the 'mechs, there is really nothing in the HBS game that says that it is a BTech game. It doesn't follow the rules, it doesn't follow the lore, it has precisely nothing in it that says "Battletech" other than the names of the 'mechs. Even the 'mech models are shit compared to the originals, which is very evident when you compare the MechCommander Centurion with the HBS Centurion.

The HBS game is a mecha game. It is not a BTech game.

 

[Cael]

Spoiler

The Mad Cat is indeed in the 3rd mission. The 2nd mission has another pain in the ass in the form of the Hollander with the Gauss Rifle which unfortunately I just busted to pieces and failed to salvage it.

Yes, it's quite necessary to have a fast mech in the 3rd lance slot, but it wasn't my intention to write a comprehensive guide just to try and draw a sort of comparisson between how MechCommander handled Defend missions and the way Battle Tech does it.

I kind of agree with your point about the Mad Cat, but remember that I'm not exactly a noob. I finished the damn thing 4 or 5 times so even though it was a long time ago, I tend to remember the missions as I go through them.

It took me 2 tries to finish this because I fucked up in the beginning and more mechs wouldn't have helped simply because I remembered wrong where the first wave goes and calmly waited for them near the other barn.

Otherwise, I used the Mad Cat, one mine layer and 5 light mechs, 4 in the 1st lance, one in the 3rd which I used to scout the 2 hilltops and grab the depots in the north then I packed all of them near the western barn, the one closer to the Hunchback's path, mined the shit out of every possible approach towards the eastern barn and used artillery strikes to soften up things before they even reached the base.
Of course, this tactic requires just a tiny bit of luck (especially to aim the damned artillery strikes) but fortune favors the bold.

I think 2 mine layers are required only if you're really struggling or if you have a hard time jumping in the middle of the battle from your mechs to your layer so you can fight and mine at the same time.

Spoiler

Oh, I remember the Hollander now. The easy way to get rid of it is to run to the western bridge and wait for it to turn up, timing an arty strike to blow up the bridge just as it crosses. No salvage if you do it that way, though. Using the environment to take out 'mechs usually reduce them to unsalvagable rubble

I used 2 minelayers to increase the minefields. IIRC, none of my 'mechs needed to fire a single shot when I was done with it :D Mine the southern farm while your 'mechs run for the northern one. Use the second minelayer to mine the northern approaches where the Hunchback will turn up. Then, use the first to mine the train tracks all the way to the opening in the trees. Second one should start mining the northwest. Then, the first to mine the town area next to the train tracks. Sit back and watch the fireworks.

Man, this brings back memories. I haven't played the game in such a long time. Might be time to start another campaign :D

 

[LESS T_T]

https://www.pcgamesn.com/battletech/battletech-story-dlc

BattleTech’s DLC “will always involve story”

Jordan Weisman, Harebrained Schemes CEO and creator of BattleTech and Shadowrun, has laid out the team’s plans for the future of BattleTech. He told us that any DLC, expansions or sequels they do “will always involve story,” and may not follow Paradox Interactive’s traditional DLC route.

Weisman compared their previous Shadowrun games to how Paradox handles post-launch content. “The only way to do more Shadowrun is to do expensive hand-created content”, he says, whereas Paradox usually focuses on improving systems and gameplay, “which then generates a whole bunch of different kinds of gameplay.” He says that “BattleTech is this interesting hybrid between the two.”

“Shadowrun games, you play the story that we wrote. Paradox games, the game tells the story of your play. BattleTech is a mix of those two, it's our first stab at our mix between those two.”

The team have apparently not yet decided what the right release model is for BattleTech, “whether it's expansions, sequels, or some combination ‘thereof. That we haven't worked out yet but we've given ourselves the ability to approach this in a lot more ways than we did with Shadowrun."

No matter what DLC or sequels come to BattleTech, according to Weisman they will always be story-based. “They will always involve story because, for us, blowing shit up is fun but it's a lot more fun in the context of other story. Why are you doing this? What does it mean? What's the impact of it? What's the human conditions that surrounds it?”

He says the developers aim to “find the right alchemy that mixes high player agency and replayability with characters and story that have that emotional core”, and adds, “this is true of where we want to go overall as a studio, not just for BattleTech but our future games as well.”

Harebrained Schemes are planning a big update for BattleTech around June/July, although this will entirely consist of improvements to the current game and will not feature any new content, other than the option to customise MechWarriors. At the time the developers said that they were looking at releasing “a larger paid content expansion or two” - but going by what Weisman told us, they may not have fully decided yet.

We’ll have the full interview with HBS CEO and BattleTech creator Jordan Weisman up soon.