Interview Jordan Weisman talks BattleTech at alistdaily

[Gozma]

Isn't Battletech still a mildly valuable IP owned by someone else than HBS? More than Wasteland was, right? I wonder what deal they had to make.

Otherwise... what they've said is pretty much what I'd have asked for in a Battletech game. I don't think the old rules are that great (they lead to highly random outcomes - fun for tabletop wargaming with other people over beers, but maybe not in a SP video game) but I dunno if new ones would be better.

 

[m_s0]

Isn't Battletech still a mildly valuable IP owned by someone else than HBS? More than Wasteland was, right? I wonder what deal they had to make.

I think Microsoft owns the video game rights, so probably same or similar deal they made for Shadowrun.

It probably helps a lot of those guys used to work for Microsoft.

 

[Jaesun]

The trademark for "Battletech" video games is owned currently my Microsoft.

Interestingly, the trademark to do a Battletech Movie is owned by TOPPS.

 

[Darkzone]

I don't think the old rules are that great (they lead to highly random outcomes - fun for tabletop wargaming with other people over beers, but maybe not in a SP video game) but I dunno if new ones would be better.

The critical torso hit on a 2 was awful and the head hit that could also hurt the pilot, and especially it was good for many mechs with many weapons. With this i have killed 100T with little effort, by making simple fast machine gun Mechs. Like i always used to say: fuck the 7T PPK, make 12 machine guns and you have a 100T in 4-5 round down without any heat, and also many SRM-2 was also very evil.

 

[Crescent Hawk]

Its funny I choose my nick here in the codex because it sounded cool, but I never actually played Crescent Hawks Inception. My first Mech game was , well Mechwarrior 2.

I know I should be ashamed.

 

[Stompa]

I'm somewhat wary, since they've dumbed down Shadowrun's system quite a bit, and battles in DF, while fun, weren't all that tactical either. Depends on how much customization will be available I guess, and whether or not they decide to reuse SR's mechanics. At least they can't fuck up as hard as PGI.

 

[Excidium II]

I'm somewhat wary, since they've dumbed down Shadowrun's system quite a bit

Understatement of the century

I mean it doesn't even resemble the actual game systems in any way (apart from some common terms).

 

[Infinitron]

Here's another interview, that confirms that the game will be using a new engine: http://www.mmorpg.com/showFeature.c...New-Kickstarter-from-Harebrained-Schemes.html

 

[Kem0sabe]

For me the combat rules themselves weren't one of the big attractions of the battletech / mechwarrior games. It was the customization of the mechs, the exploration of the universe. It helps that what brought the franchise to my attention were the novels.

 

[Zeriel]

Here's another interview, that confirms that the game will be using a new engine: http://www.mmorpg.com/showFeature.c...New-Kickstarter-from-Harebrained-Schemes.html

They don't say anything about a new engine, only that it will involve a "new codebase", that doesn't mean it can't still be in Unity.

 

[Infinitron]

They don't say anything about a new engine, only that it will involve a "new codebase", that doesn't mean it can't still be in Unity.

Yeah, that's what I meant.

 

[Grotesque]

All I want is a mech game with the artistic direction of Mechwarrior's 3 campaign intro with the aesthetics of Mechcommander 1 and an improved version of it's game mechanics and customization and the main/loadout menus designs and chromatic of Shattered Steel.

 

[Black_Willow]

The trademark for "Battletech" video games is owned currently my Microsoft.

WAT?
I mean, I knew they had the rights for Battletech games since the 90s and early 2000s but I thought they lost them. They must've held the rights this entire time and they made jack shit with it. And to think Microsoft made some great games in the past...

 

[Gozma]

If they go by, I dunno, "traditional design" there should be almost no customization possible in a 3025 campaign because every machine is supposed to be a poorly-understood heirloom that your junkyard engineer tries to keep running with cannibalized parts, not a modular platform. If they have a good ruleset it should be fun to get fluff mech designs with fixed weapons to work for you with tactics instead of turning everything into a big bank of medium lasers or whatever.

 

[m_s0]

They must've held the rights this entire time and they made jack shit with it.

Be thankful.

I still remember that 1up podcast with Mitch doing his best to defend this, uh, product. Genuinely interesting listen.

 

[Kem0sabe]

I loved the shadowrun aesthetic, the backgrounds were gorgeous and in good taste, but they failed miserably with the 3d models.

I really hope that it was an engine limitation because of the mobile nature of the game, and not indicative of their 3d modelers and animators quality of work.

A battletech game needs to have very detailed and visually striking mech designs to be apealing, because that's why we are playing it... For the mech porn.

 

[Darkzone]

If they go by, I dunno, "traditional design" there should be almost no customization possible in a 3025 campaign because every machine is supposed to be a poorly-understood heirloom that your junkyard engineer tries to keep running with cannibalized parts, not a modular platform. If they have a good ruleset it should be fun to get fluff mech designs with fixed weapons to work for you with tactics instead of turning everything into a big bank of medium lasers or whatever.

That is not correct. In the innersphere the productions of Mechs is still running and even new types are developed constantly and even new technologies like the C3 or Triplestrength Myomer, the raven is one example that has been developed by Liau or Kurita (too tired) short before the 4th succession war. They are even producing jumpships in the innersphere, but not many per year and therefore attack and destruction of jumpships is forbidden. There are many many different variants of each Mech Type especially in the unconventional forces in the periphery and even in the merc. regiments and naturally on Solaris. Not every faciiltiy can produce all the things, like the Free Worlds League is lacking PPK production, and therefore they have some types that uses Large Lasers or AC10 instead of PPKs, but they can even produce LAMs. Lyran Commonwealth and the Federated Suns have the biggest economic power and therefore they have the strongest military. Overall mechs are extremely expensive and not always are all replacement parts available, therefore most mechs in merc units are patch works from different parts. Exceptions are the Wolf Dragoner, which have due to their clan connection even mechs that are not produced in the innersphere and naturally the most prestigious merc units like Kell Hounds and etc. And the standard regiments of the Houses are also very good supplied.

 

[Gozma]

I'm really hoping they ditch the clan shit completely and use a different/no metaplot. My main Battletech memory is the original boxed set, which was very much in the "everything is a backwards shadow of a stronger past" feudal mercenary thing that I'm getting the junkyard mech idea from. I played a little Mechwarrior but I missed out on most of the splat stuff.

Something about the Clans just seems really datedly '90s silly now.

 

[Darkzone]

The Clan story arc is pretty stupid, despite that i like the clans as a unstoppable adversary and normally they should obliterate the inner sphere with their superior forces ( WarShips, Elementals, Protomechs and etc). And what it makes it stupid is that they sacrifice the clan idea, to have the five houses form a second Starleague. It would have been much better, if the five houses would fight each other entire fragmentation and to the stone age. Or if the Clans would have destroyed all the houses and then destroyed them self over the rulership of earth. I was interested in BattleTech and it's story till the clan invasion and then i stopped to follow it after the jihad.
Every good story has an end, and this end should illustrate a certain point or moral conclusion. But BattleTech has become a neverending boring story. And that is why i also think that the best BattleTech part or time, is the time from 2900 to 3030 and after that, it becomes ridiculous. Or too many cooks have spoiled the mash.

 

[Awor Szurkrarz]

Needs full rules.

 

[Crescent Hawk]

I'm really hoping they ditch the clan shit completely and use a different/no metaplot. My main Battletech memory is the original boxed set, which was very much in the "everything is a backwards shadow of a stronger past" feudal mercenary thing that I'm getting the junkyard mech idea from. I played a little Mechwarrior but I missed out on most of the splat stuff.

Something about the Clans just seems really datedly '90s silly now.

I think the clan idea was pretty amazing but handed poorly. Its basically the Mongol invasion, better yet its the bronze dark ages, where lights start to go out in old civilizations and nobody knows why, it creates pretty great situations.
Its the post clan stuff that was meh. The great houses recuperate too fast.

 

[SerratedBiz]

The MW2: Mercenaries campaign has a pretty nice climax after all the house v house dynamics with the clan invasion. Feels pretty epic to engage them especially as you feel like you're getting fucked by their superior tech.

 

[Kiste]

The Clan story arc is pretty stupid, despite that i like the clans as a unstoppable adversary and normally they should obliterate the inner sphere with their superior forces ( WarShips, Elementals, Protomechs and etc). And what it makes it stupid is that they sacrifice the clan idea, to have the five houses form a second Starleague. It would have been much better, if the five houses would fight each other entire fragmentation and to the stone age. Or if the Clans would have destroyed all the houses and then destroyed them self over the rulership of earth.

Didn't they do something like that with the Dark Age / Age of Destruction stuff?

 

[Darkzone]

Didn't they do something like that with the Dark Age / Age of Destruction stuff?

Sadly no. The Dark Age is simply the Comstar network down, so that information is only transferred by JumpShips. But all houses retain their power etc.. And even House Marik is back, after the 3080 decline.
http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Dark_Age

 

[Elwro]

I just checked and holy shit, there are over 100 full-length Battletech novels. So is there really a big tabletop community for this thing (hey, I took part in two tournaments in the 90's ), or are some of the novels actually good? Anybody here read any of them?