http://www.pcgamer.com/2011/10/31/meet-mechwarrior-online-piranhas-free-to-play-tactical-mech-sim/

-and-
http://mwomercs.com/


An excellent Birthday Gift

The deets: Lands second half of '12, Will be Free-to-Play, but according to the article:

"MechWarrior Online (MWO) might be free-to-play, but MWO Creative Director Bryan Ekman and Piranha President Russ Bullock insist this is going to be a proper MechWarrior game in the tradition of MechWarrior 2 through 4, not a successor to the Xbox action game Mech Assault. Ekman says joystick support is a strong probability, and both call this a Mech sim."

it's looking like a MW MMO (MMOMW?) title. I'm down for it. Also, while there will be items available for purchase, evidently, none of those items will provide a tactical advantage.

One last thing, if you go to the second link, you can register a pilot name now. I just snagged "Aggressor". Sweet!

Holy Friggin Crap... YES.

Thanks for the heads up.

Smosh has now been registered

uh-oh, I'm seeing some real nasty turbulence ahead...May have spoke too soon



Taken from dev blog Zero:
http://mwomercs.com/news/2011/10/2-dev-blog-0

One of the goals of the team with the mech warrior series was to:

-See, There weren't any game play issues. The game play was fun...unless you were too stupid/impatient to follow half a dozen tutorial missions.



-Ok, I'm seeing the problem. You guys are clueless. The series did just fine for itself on the PC, and only the PC for a long time. You didn't want to make Mech Warrior. You wanted to make Mech Assault. Go have a chat with Sid Myers over at Fraxis, he'll riddle you a bit on the PC market. Sounds like you guys need it...

Now I'm worried, as MWO is the Plan B to a MechAssault reboot on the consoles. Still don't believe me?




I'm sure the company who's mission statement boils down to developing flavor-of-the-week-fast-cash action games has the chops and staff skill-set to make an in-depth thought provoking online sim based on one of the most cherished IP's in PC gaming history. Right...guys...anyone?

I'm gonna go weep in a corner now.

I think you're over reacting a bit. They stated in the interviews on PCGamer this will NOT be a Mechassault reboot.



"I think that’s the number one question a lot of fans have. They want to know if the game we’re making is going to be a MechWarrior product, or if it’s going to be some new evolution, or similar to, say, the past Mech Assault products.

Very simply, I think we can just say, we are making a Mechwarrior game."

And just because they were shopping it to consoles doesn't mean anything. Mechwarrior 2 was on consoles, did that make it any less a Mechwarrior game? Steel Batallion was on a Console, does that make it any less of a Mech Sim? The console is not a limitation if it's done right. And just cause it was shopped to consoles, doesn't mean it'll be garbage.

http://www.pcgamer.com/2011/10/31/mechwa...ves-the-series/

http://www.pcgamer.com/2011/10/31/exclus...ng-mechwarrior/

The last great Mechwarrior was Mechwarrior 2: Mercenaries. After that one, it was downhill. 3 was a total joke online with the ersmall boating in Owens and Shadowcats and well... 4 was a snipe fest.

Both MW2 games were and still are the best ones ever to be made. Sure, Mercs had the mplas problem, but whatever, it was balanced with the missile boating and jj bug--but all of these made it so great.

+1 to what Aladar said.

From reading the interviews, it seems that the guys behind the game are true fans of the series. Just because they originally aimed it at the console market doesn't mean they're bad devs, it just means that they were trying to be smart business wise. But since they've changed their focus in the past two years, it seems like they've got a good focus on what they want to achieve, and I for one will definitely be playing it. Well as long as it doesn't become a Pay-2-Win title like some of the F2P games out there.

Callsign "Socket" has already been reserved. I'm looking forward to seeing what they do with it all.

Also, when they say:


From reading the interviews, it seems like they are talking about the endless circle strafing "dogfights" that you would doubtlessly end up in, or the "snipefests" that were referred to earlier in this thread. The more tactical type gameplay that they are talking about, especially in city areas, seems promising. IF they can pull it off.

But overall, I have a very positive feeling as to where they're going with Mechwarrior.

And they mentioned numerous times they don't want it to be a race to get to the biggest mech, which I love. In the tabletop games, assault mechs have their uses, but can get totally screwed by light guys if done right. I'm hoping they cna translate that into the game properly. I'm noticing this problem in World of Tanks, where everyone seems to play the heaviest tanks, and I'm one of only two or three light tanks in a game of 30 players.

"Ekman says joystick support is a strong probability, and both call this a Mech sim."

Say what? It is not a sim in my book unless it has TrackIR support and mouse clickable cockpits.

Copy that, Xarbat. The fact that joystick support is a "strong probability" and not a certainty makes it difficult for me to be optimistic about this game as a sim -- not to mention that the developers suggested it would have similarities to Call of Duty. TrackIR support, allowing the arms to aim separately from the torso rotation like a HMCS, has long been something I've wished for.

That said, I'm cautiously optimistic at this time, and am reserving judgment -- and a pilot name! It's been too long.

Very excited about this, I am.

I would love to see that too.

But if the consol market is a main contender, then we won't see it in game.

As an earlier poster inferenced that "making it for consoles is not limiting"..... Well unfortunately, you are wrong there.

[edit]

What we really need to see in a mechwarrior game is a propper reason for having lighter mechs. This would include the following.

1) better and more varied/indepth resource requirements for mechs and vehicles and troops with a better money system (Larger mechs take more resources / money / running costs)
2) More accurate repair and load-out time frame for mechs and vehicles and restocking of supplies/troops. (the more damage or the bigger the part, the longer it takes to repair. The more systems you refit, the longer it takes to re-fit)
3) If you haven't guessed it already - its troops. Mechwarrior suffered as troops and fast vehicles were either garbage or non existant in game. Mechanised infatry are a curse to a heavy mech and that is why we need smaller scout mechs. Not only to scout but to be fast enough and effective enough to keep the small things away from the big mechs with their big guns to shoot big things.
4) Troops need to be able to camp out in buildings.
5) Necessity of propper systems and Electronic warfare. We need a reason to have command mechs / scout mechs assault mechs etc.
The list could go on.

But if we could implement these things, then we could see propper lances comming into effect with varied weaponries / sizes and skills to do a job

But one thing i do know is.

If its going MMO, i don't think systems and the "SIM" side of things will be heavy. I am guessing it will be "SIM-LITE" to enable it to go MMO/console.

If this came out like Chromehounds, but added cockpit view and balance and heat issues, I'd be happy for years.
Chromehounds had it's limitations, but it was an incredible gaming experience, with the best MP out there IMO.
"Console" is not a limitation.

Fixed that for you, no charge ;-)

There hasn't been a decent MW game yet. They are all set in tiny 'box' maps when they should be on ARMA2 like maps. Also, you should be able to get out of your mech and run around. I have registered for this but I bet it will be CoD with mechs.

Mace, you are in a bad mood aren´t you?
The last 10 comments you left where of this dark gloomy tone.

Man, can I give you a hug? C´mon, pick up the pieces!

Well Mace, There may be no change to this one either. Though we will have to see.

I have signed up and red up on what i can and here is the culmination of what i have learned.

1) Its going to be an MMO
2) Its supposed to be more sim like
3) Its supposed to be free to play
4) There is supposed to be real money payable items in game (wether that is real money for in game money or real money for items or both, i am not sure)
5) These payable items are supposed to not create imbalance.
6) There will be a download client.
7) Said client will automatically update with new content including new maps
8) There is no mention of what map size will be, what dynamics they posses, if they tie into each other.
9) Its supposed to have more systems modelling and Elec warfare stuff to give need/purpose to smaller mechs and take away from the race to assualt heavies.
10) There will be some sort of RPG style leveling or skill set to your character.
11) Was mention of the ability for better urban warfare (this was a comment so no idea if this translates into game)
12) No correlation i have seen so far between the MMO and features seen in the MW5:reboot trailers.

Feel free to add to this list.

Say what you like, but CH had hundreds of maps, in all conditions, including urban, night, snow, rain, mountainous, desert...anything. Huge maps, no respawns, and more than one way to win the battle---take out the main base (of 3-5, changed at random) or take out the opposing force. The game was built on a persistent war between 3 nations with the front being the area of conflict, which moved according to wins/losses in each region. If you got beaten back, you had to win back the capital to move the fight. You built a squad of up to 12 players as a clan and had a clan meeting area for chatting and building/testing mechs that also served as the launch point for rounds in the war. You could pick the mechs so you had a player running the roles you needed. Comms were limited to your commander's area, unless you took comm towers to increase the area--which the enemy could take from you to cut off your comms. If there were no human players, AI bots took over.
Best MP I've ever seen, basically an MMO. And it was on a console.

You are correct. Not in the best place ATM.

I am glad you enjoyed chrome hounds. I have nothing against it.

Though i am going to go back many many years to name a PC only title MMO. Planetside.
3 nations as well, Massive online map with hundreds and hundreds of players on at once that was way too large to walk accross. The map was so large it was divided up into smaller planets with the lore change which included the caverns and bringing of the BFR's. This game you chose your faction RPG'd your character, included troop warfare with a wide array or troop weapons from pistols to ati-vehicle weapons and various armour configs up to a walking battlesuit, you then had vehicles which were a necessity to cross the vast expanse of territory (from ATV's to tanks to support vehicles) then you had flying vehicles from scouts, to fighters to bombers, to troop/vehicle transport ships.

You also have moving front lines with capture of bases and continents and a 24hour constant dynamic war that moved backward and forward endlessly....

Basically what you have written above, but with RPG character progression, Not only vehicle battles, but personel warfare and airwarfare included as well with the amount of people able to play online together as a multiplyer of what you could get in chrome hounds.

To be quite honest. Consoles can achieve a lot. I have nothing against them. But you can't compare a console to a PC. PC's can out perform and have far better peripherals than a console. The only thing a console has over a PC (which can be a huge bonus) is that all games will play the same as they all have the same hardware. None of the PC tweak dance.

Yes, that is my view. But i have yet to see a game as indepth as Planetside (very old), Arma, DCS, Steel beasts on a console. (I don't have anything against them)

As someone who games on both, I can tell you they both have advantages.

So.... only 3 sims have ever come out? Poor Rise of Flight.

TrackIR yes... clickable cockpits is a fetish.

Which I enjoy.

Mechwarrior is my game. As an Avid Battletech player, league MW4 player, someone who flew across the states to meet their Clan, I can say I have been monitoring this since the Twittered getgo, and since the 2009 teaser.

I'm very optimistic that they will take the BattleTech route. I think they know that league game play is where its at. This has a big chance to be the Mechwarrior that Simmers will love. They could totally blow it. But the way they speak, if you're a BT or MWarrior lover, you hear it going in the right direction.

Think RoF, with buyable chassis. I'm hoping that's what we get.

This is PC only I believe.

Let's hope that they learn the lesson from the Mechwarrior 5 and keep the disputed Mechs out until the game is up and running. I would love to operate the Warhammer and others but there's a lot of models available so that we can get them the money required to get those disputed models in.

I've always wanted a mechwarrior Arma2 mod. Unfortunately, I don't have the skills or time to make one myself. The game engine just screams for big mech tactical mayhem.

As for the MWO, I'm thinking that it may possibly be the worst thing to ever happen to the franchise. If this flops, I probably will not see a mechwarrior simulator again in my life time. Let's hope that they do a good job of it.