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[Neonivek]

My big worry is that they will mess with the formula to the extent that it being Battletech will just flat out not matter.

Their shadowrun games, for example, are fun and all... but they don't exactly grab the feeling of the actual tabletop most of the time. Though in all fairness we already knew that coming into it because the game, as printed, couldn't be directly translated to a videogame format.

Battletech doesn't exactly have that problem.

I mean some stuff can be smoothed over. For example the "Ammo explosion of death" that Non-clans have can be flat out removed (heck ALL the videogames pretty much ignore that rule and do their own thing... usually by making ammo explosions bad news). The lucky shot wins and loses COULD be smoothed out (though IMO that weakens a LOT of weapons to uselessness).

I just don't know what the heck they are going to do and I kind of dread it.

[Furtuka]

If you're curious, they've apparently done some livestreams over the past month talking about their plans for the gameplay that you can check out.

[Neonivek]

If you're curious, they've apparently done some livestreams over the past month talking about their plans for the gameplay that you can check out.

I should. I actually really like the tabletop but found it a bit too labor intensive to play... in fact I'd say this is about one of the best tabletop games ever made. Yet the games have always deviated so far from the source material or were flat out different games.

[Anvilfolk]

So the problem for me is almost the same as Blood Bowl's: it is really interesting and super geekily complex, which is awesome, but creates so much work in trying to figure out where you can go, what you can do, and what bonuses/maluses each possibility gives you that it just grinds down to a halt.

A computer version with a good interface can really, really help here. For instance, showing critical bonuses/maluses on top of every tile you can move to this turn, checking the to-hit changes of every weapon at a glance, etc etc.

In a game this complex, it will take a lot of good design work to make it accessible and faster, but if they manage it, it will be glorious.


And really, in my personal opinion the game is only really going to be worth it if it reaches $1.85m. I hate linear campaigns (and yes, campaigns that branch are still linear) since everything is preprogrammed. I want to have a real effect on a credible, dynamic, realistic world. $1.85m will give us that.

And my mind will be blown if it gets to $2.5m, because honestly The Banner Saga: Factions with mechs is the best thing ever. Customization, persistence, PvP... please, please make it get to $2.5m!

[RedKing]

I'll pass. As an old-school fan of BattleTech (I think I have almost every printed sourcebook they made), I was not thrilled with MechCommander. Felt like too much had been abstracted to plug the game into a generic RTS engine.

Turn-based would be a nice start, but since the mech loadouts seem to be modular, it looks like they're going more the BTech-lite approach.

[Neonivek]

I'll pass. As an old-school fan of BattleTech (I think I have almost every printed sourcebook they made), I was not thrilled with MechCommander. Felt like too much had been abstracted to plug the game into a generic RTS engine.

Turn-based would be a nice start, but since the mech loadouts seem to be modular, it looks like they're going more the BTech-lite approach.

Yeah I am going to hold out. My faith in the this game has been shattered.

[Sharp]

Looks very cool but doubt I will back it, will just buy when there is a finished product and it will be more clear in how the game will pan out.

[Neonivek]

I'll pass. As an old-school fan of BattleTech (I think I have almost every printed sourcebook they made), I was not thrilled with MechCommander. Felt like too much had been abstracted to plug the game into a generic RTS engine.

Turn-based would be a nice start, but since the mech loadouts seem to be modular, it looks like they're going more the BTech-lite approach.

In partial fairness... They were modular in BattleTech as well. To... an extent. They had hard points and weight.

I might go back to this if I see SOMETHING that tells me how the game is going to be.

[RedKing]

Looking back at the OP, the fact that they're setting it in 3025 (No frakkin' Clans!) is a definite plus for me. But that means there's even less canon justification for modular weapons. Yes, custom loadouts are potentially a thing, but in-universe you'd need to find a skilled Mech engineer to tweak a standard Mech, and then there's a pretty good chance they'd just fuck it up and you'd end up with a Mech with "quirks". Or find one of the rare House variants, which typically changed out a couple of weapons and maybe a slight difference in the armor levels.

Modularization didn't really occur in Battletech until the Clans, and even then the Inner Sphere didn't start producing IS Omnis until 3060.

Back in the good old days, if you had a lance built around long-range firepower, well then you damn well better be mobile enough to stay at range. You couldn't just convert to short-range bruisers from one battle to the next. If you wanted a variety of tactical options, then you had to have a bigger variety of Mechs.

[Sensei]

From their FAQ:

Is this going to be a port of the BT tabletop rules?

Our goal is to craft a combat system for BATTLETECH that’s the perfect blend of tactical depth, speed of play, and meaningful unit customization. As we did with our Shadowrun games, we intend to capture the *spirit* of the original tabletop rules, while designing the best PC game we can. That said, Shadowrun and BattleTech are very different games! For one thing, Shadowrunners like to hide behind cover, while ‘Mechs… squash cover. Expect turn-based combat in BattleTech to feel very different than a more cover-based combat system like Shadowrun’s.

Will there be infantry in the game?

We’d love to have infantry in addition to the vehicular forces that have already been unlocked - but until we've prototyped it and proven it's fun in the game, we don't want to commit to it.

Yes, it is going to be a streamlined version of the rules. Granted, the original rules were many hundreds of pages, including rules for designing new mechs from scratch and space combat, which obviously won't be in this game. In my opinion, there is a lot of streamlining they can afford to do and still have it feel like Battletech. For instance, I'd bet skidding will be one of the first rules to get cut, and they'll probably do some more traditional system in lieu of critical hit slots. Evidently they won't be getting rid of height on the battlefield though:

Will there be melee combat? Death from above?

Oh yeahhhh!!!!

So, I guess we'll find out just how much it gets simplified, exactly, but I'd like you to bear in mind that the tabletop game was ludicrously complex and it's too early to start panicking.  I haven't watched it yet, but the stream was recorded, in two videos here and here. That may elucidate more.

Edit: It starts out with some scripted videos pitching the kickstarter. Actual interview starts at about 40 minutes.

[Kanil]

I'd bet skidding will be one of the first rules to get cut.

How am I supposed to imbed my Locust into the side of a building if they remove skidding?

I mean, it's a pretty needlessly complicated rule, but you never forget the first time you bowling pin another 'mech.

[Neonivek]

The thing is that the rules for RoboTech weren't all that complicated. They were just complicated in keeping track and referring to charts to see what happens.

Having a CPU doing all the facing, hit box, heat, critical, and what have you cuts down on what you need to know Significantly

Add in that this game SEEMS like it is ignoring the quad-mechs, fly-mechs, proto-mechs, artillery-mechs, and what have you... That is an alright amount of simplification. Heck I am not against some simplification...

Yet, this game might be significantly simplified.

[Sensei]

Add in that this game SEEMS like it is ignoring the quad-mechs

Like infantry, they said they are interested in having quad-mechs but not committed yet.

[My Name is Immaterial]

Frankly, it sounds like it's too early to tell one way or the other.

[Neonivek]

Add in that this game SEEMS like it is ignoring the quad-mechs

Like infantry, they said they are interested in having quad-mechs but not committed yet.

Such a shame, Quad Mechs were my favorite and people frequently underestimate them until they find out what they are good at (retreating and certain surfaces)

I don't really even understand the issue. They just have different movement and facing rules but otherwise function exactly the same as normal mechs. HECK they are less complicated then Vehicles (then again I think they are HIGHLY extrapolating vehicles and are going to "Front Mission" them up. In that they will be single HP blocks). Then again my favorite mechs are vehicles and Quads

Frankly, it sounds like it's too early to tell one way or the other.

Well to answer this...

they said they are [] not committed yet.

Which is kind of how I feel (though I keep flip flopping). This could be cool but they are not committing to a vision yet. They just have a vague understanding that they are going to do this tactical battletech game that MAY be true to the game but MAY not be. Which is probably why I am flip flopping because I see two visions, I see this being a justifiably simplified but amazing game true to the source material... and I can see this being a stupefied just another tactical Mech game that could have called itself any name it wanted.