KickStarter BATTLETECH - turn-based mech combat from Harebrained Schemes

[ArchAngel]

When I used uninstall.exe it also was very friendly.

 

[GarfunkeL]

The game is a perfect proof of 2 things:

1. UNITY is complete shit. I will never ever buy a game that uses UNITY.

2. Trying to marry 3 goals into a single game is doomed to fail.

 

[Nutria]

What I find appalling is that it doesn't really look that much better than MechCommander 2 did 17 years ago with 64mb of RAM even though that was real-time. And there's a lot of other unfavorable comparisons I could make between them. It's kind of apples and oranges because BattleTech is trying to do some things that MC2 didn't, but still, back then I assumed we would be doing better than this in 2018.

Where they really unconscionably fucked up is in putting 3D graphics into all the goddamn menus of the game. Want to refit your mechs? First you gotta wait for it to load up a 3D model of some fatass guy who you're supposed to have an emotional connection with, I guess, every single fucking time. It's totally unnecessary and it means that you don't have just have long loading times before missions, you have long loading times to get back from missions. It's really self-indulgent of the designers to think I would care so much about their retarded characters that I need to see them modeled in 3D between every mission. They got a metrosexual who wears a scarf like he's a particularly effeminate character in an early 2000s k-drama and a woman who wears hijab but doesn't ever give any hint about her religion. These people think they're inclusive, but to them Islam is just a fashion and they never no respect for women who actually believe in it. Also, lol, she's wearing some ugly-ass Erdogan's wife suit. Imagine being this superficial and then picking the ugliest, dumpiest, hijab to celebrate.

Also it's unconscionable that you can't save a certain layout for how you want your mech to be. Like I should be able to make a variant and call it the Jenner-Nutria-1 or something and then for the rest of the game, it should take me no more than 1 click to order one of my mechs to be brought up to that specification. I can't fucking fathom how they decided to deal with mech loadouts in any other way. There have been lots of BattleTech games in lots of genres, that's was how it was always done. I think that sheds some light on the shit code they have. Either the programmers are totally incompetent and don't think things through in a logical way or there's meddling by people upstairs forcing them to do things in an illogical way.

Having said all that, it is a pretty good game, worth playing and even buying. I just mourn for all my dreams of what could have been. It seems like in the last decade or so, I can count on one hand the number of ambitious games that didn't shoot themselves in the foot in really stupid ways.

 

[lightbane]

1. UNITY is complete shit. I will never ever buy a game that uses UNITY.

Unity is bad but it can be worked around if you have talent, skill and common sense (you know what you want to do and don't go overboard). Hiring diversity minorities didn't help with that one.
Games like Teslagrad use Unity and they work fine.

 

[Citizen]

What I find appalling is that it doesn't really look that much better than MechCommander 2 did 17 years ago with 64mb of RAM even though that was real-time. And there's a lot of other unfavorable comparisons I could make between them. It's kind of apples and oranges because BattleTech is trying to do some things that MC2 didn't, but still, back then I assumed we would be doing better than this in 2018.

Well, mechcommander2 was never good looking, unless you have a hard on for lowpoly 3d models and emty blurry 3d landmasses. Mechcommander1 - now that was a sexy looking game

 

[santino27]

LIVE - BATTLETECH 1.6.2 Update Release Notes
Thank you for playing BATTLETECH! Release 1.6.2 is now available for users on Steam and GoG. Other platforms will release as soon as possible. The main areas of improvement are: issues identified by the community, AI, localization, performance improvements and options, and map graphics. We have also added a way to re-access the Raven tutorial in the Mech Bay, updated flashpoint rewards, and addressed many minor glitches.

Release 1.6.2 Notes, 6/20/2019

From the Community

• Fixed an enemy spawning issue that could prevent the story campaign mission ‘Liberation: Tyrlon’ from being completed
  
• The AI no longer freezes when trying to target units with seven or more evasion pips
  
• Fixed an issue where you couldn't accept a contract even though you were honored in the stated faction
  
• Reloading a combat save no longer causes enemy ‘Mechs to ignore active stealth charges
  
• The Raven ‘Mech cannot be encountered in combat before completing the ‘Prototype’ flashpoint
  
• XML Audio files have been removed, this may address the AKSoundEngine crash for some players
  
• Fixed a DLC unlock issue that prevented players using the PDX Launcher from successfully accessing all DLC content

AI

• Pathfinding for AI going to a zone has been improved.
  
• When fleeing during Assassination contracts the AI is now less likely to become stuck
  
• The AI will now be more aggressive when it has a ‘Mech with ECM capabilities
  
• When in an enemy ECM field the AI now makes better decisions regarding firing while cloaked
  
• Active probe now targets units that were revealed in the current round by the AI

Localization

• Fixed UI issues with some German and Russian strings overrunning text boxes
  
• Updated translations for improved accuracy
  
• Added more translations

Performance

• A new option has been added to reduce the number of props and visual effects in Urban biomes. You can find it in the ‘Settings Menu’ Video: Advanced tab
  
• Smoke VFX now dissipates properly after buildings collapse. This was affecting performance for some users

Map Graphics

• Resolved several instances of textures flickering
  
• Fixed ground plates swapping on save/load on urban maps
  
• Removed several instances of buildings hiding within other buildings
  
• Fixed many issues of urban props penetrating buildings or other props
  
• Grounded several urban props that were floating in mid-air
  
• Replaced a number of missing urban textures

Other

• 'ECM Missile Defense' now applies to units that enter an ECM field in which a hostile is positioned
  
• The player is now correctly shown when an ECM carrier will lose stealth charges while plotting a move of the ECM field over multiple enemies
  
• The 'Missile Defense' icon no longer displays on the movement flag when units leave an ECM field
  
• ECM blurring effects now follow a ‘Mech during melee
  
• Multiple toast messages no longer appear over units that migrate between an ECM field with no hostile units and an ECM field in which at least one hostile unit is positioned
  
• ECM cloaking VFX now conform better around non-assault ‘Mechs
  
• Electrical field effects are no longer obstructed by Non-DLC ‘Mech ECM bubbles
  
• Coolant field game effects should now better match visual pool locations
  
• Small dots no longer appear on part of the coolant splash pool
  
• Added more environmental sounds to urban biomes
  
• Building collapse sounds now play over pilot barks
  
• Flowing water sound effects are now more prevalent in Urban biomes
  
• You can now review the Raven tutorial in the Mech Bay once unlocked in the ‘Prototype’ flashpoint
  
• In the flashpoint ‘Double Agent’ ally ‘Mechs no longer spawn on the same grid node
  
• Removed a redundant payment increase prompt from The ‘Tournament of Champions’ flashpoint
  
• A character is no longer present in the mission report after being eliminated during the ‘Tournament of Champions’ flashpoint
  
• In the flashpoint ‘Siegebreaker’ the 'Destroy reinforcement wave' objectives are no longer doubled on the after action report
  
• One of the objectives In the flashpoint ‘Double Agent’ is no longer swapped
  
• Darius now gives a warning prompt when starting missions with a weak lance in the flashpoint ‘Siegebreaker’
  
• Employer mission debriefs in the flashpoint ‘One Man’s Trash’ now correctly correspond to the right events
  
• Enemy transport vehicles no longer lose their objective marker after loading a save file in 'Liberation: Smithon'
  
• Moving a ‘Mech into the transport vehicles destination objective no longer fails the related objectives in the campaign mission: 'Liberation: Smithon'
  
• Destroying all enemies in a contract now triggers an ending dialogue in several of the new contract types
  
• Withdrawing from the ‘Test Drive’ mission no longer displays an “Error” name or blank portrait
  
• Future evac zones are now visible in more contract types
  Several rooftops in the Capitol Hill map can now be landed on that were previously unreachable
  
• The side objective of 'Protect all Condo Complex Buildings' now fails when the first building gets destroyed
  
• When completing the second mission of ‘SiegeBreaker’ destroying both forces no longer causes an error
  
• The player can no longer target a hostile if the unit that was spotting them is destroyed and then the opposing force attacks any of the player's ‘Mechs while in the ‘untargetable' state
  
• ‘Sensors Impaired’ flags now only display in the status panel
  
• Armor bars now properly display when right-clicking cloaked units
  
• Coolant pools no longer apply '+1 to hit from' and '+1 to hit into' difficulty modifiers
  
• The Gallant Urban Assault Tank now has headlights
  
• The 'Meeting Archangel' event's outcome no longer displays an error in lieu of the pilot's callsign
  
• Two placeholder dialogues at the end of ‘The Gauntlet’ contract have been removed
  
• Region flags are now displayed during procedural contracts played on the 'Barter Town' map
  
• ‘Restore Defaults' no longer automatically saves changes made in ‘Difficulty Settings’
  
• Tooltips describing the injury mechanic are now properly evoked
  
• Enemy units no longer get stuck when spawning during 'Target Acquisition' contracts on certain map
  
• Electrical transformer field effects no longer hang in the air after a building is destroyed
  
• Morale tooltips now appear when hovering over highlighted 'Morale' information
  
• Color swatches are no longer set to red when the player re-enters a MechWarrior's
• Customization Menu after reloading a combat save file
  
• Beacons for allied forces now highlight the correct position during ‘Capture Escort’ contracts on the Power Structure map
  
• Destroyed ‘Mechs no longer periodically revert back to their default state after loading a combat save
  
• In Career Mode, the total score multiplier has more tooltip information regarding its minimum value

Known Issues

• Small amounts of text remain untranslated
  
• ‘Mechs location destruction SFX are audible only at certain camera positions when an ECM field is active during their destruction

IMPORTANT: Additional note for players who mod various game files…Reminder that modding is not officially supported. If you have saved a game with any mod active, that saved game will not work after an update has been applied unless you replace all modded files exactly as they were when the save game file was created. Saved games require the exact same data state in order to function properly.

Roll Back
It is possible to revert to past versions of our game in case you have trouble with this update. For more platform specific information go to our forums at: https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/index.php?threads/how-to-rollback-to-a-previous-patch-version.1112335/

As always, if you experience further issues please contact Customer Support at: https://support.paradoxplaza.com

 

[razvedchiki]

is rogue tech any fun?
i want autistic difficulty lvl experience.

 

[MadMaxHellfire]

its main problem is a too slow advance through the mechs (and some other issue here and there). by the time i get to reach max standing with two factions and build all the ship improvements, i've been able to put together ONE new mech of bigger tonnage than those you start with.

 

[Cael]

Where they really unconscionably fucked up is in putting 3D graphics

You could just keep it like that. Turn-based games have no reason to not be 2D with 3D unit models, Infinity Engine style, it looks better and performs better. For example, in this game, the mech models are sexy as fuck but the environment looks like complete arse, obviously to help with performance, except it didn't help, the game looks badly and runs badly at the same time.
I remember when the game just came out, someone on /v/ quipped that the game came out in 2018, looks like from 2008 and runs like 2028, only for someone to post a screenshot of SupCom, an actual 2008 game, which unironically looked better than this. What an embarrassment.

Oh, and it appears that they somehow fucked up performance at some point close to the release, because backer beta ran way, way smoother. Btw it's still on TPB, feel free to check it out.

Mechwarrior 2 - Mercs had better looking 'mechs. XCom Apoc had a better physics engine. And half the 2D arcade 8-bit stuff back in the 1990s had better looking backgrounds. And let us not even talk about BG's painted backgrounds. As for the talking heads, Dragon Age Origins did better decades ago. I won't even go into the dialog, which is basically different variations of "Go, pretty princess!"

There is literally nothing that makes this game superior to any game that came before. Except the opening music. That is good for the genre.

 

[razvedchiki]

Is the main campaign enjoyable with extended mod?

 

[Cael]

Is the main campaign enjoyable with extended mod?

Do you want to play the NWN OC for another 2 Acts?

 

[Tytus]

Can someone please answer a question about the new expansion?
I played both the base game and the Flashpoint expansion. I thought Flashpoint was an actual incline and made the game more playable. But I heard that Urban Warfare expansion adds missions involing unending waves of enemies to force player to finally move. Turtling up was the best move imho in the previous incarnations. When I hear about waves of enemies my teeth hurt. Fighting limited forces seemed more realistic and this change seems so video gamey it is actively scaring me off from the new expansion. Can someone tell me how those missions impact the game, how frequent they are, and can they be skipped entierely?

 

[Cael]

Can someone please answer a question about the new expansion?
I played both the base game and the Flashpoint expansion. I thought Flashpoint was an actual incline and made the game more playable. But I heard that Urban Warfare expansion adds missions involing unending waves of enemies to force player to finally move. Turtling up was the best move imho in the previous incarnations. When I hear about waves of enemies my teeth hurt. Fighting limited forces seemed more realistic and this change seems so video gamey it is actively scaring me off from the new expansion. Can someone tell me how those missions impact the game, how frequent they are, and can they be skipped entierely?

Lol! BTech coined the term "Combat Loss Grouping". The HBS fucktards decide to put in an unending waves challenge. Bwahahahahahahaha!!!!

 

[lightbane]

Unending waves of enemies when your team have very limited resources is lazy or terrible design... Oh wait.

Extra fun because it makes little else in the setting, seeing how lost tech is a thing and the mecha have massive maintenance fees. Hell, even if the enemy hordes are mostly made of vehicles, it doesn't make too much sense.

 

[santino27]

Can someone please answer a question about the new expansion?
I played both the base game and the Flashpoint expansion. I thought Flashpoint was an actual incline and made the game more playable. But I heard that Urban Warfare expansion adds missions involing unending waves of enemies to force player to finally move. Turtling up was the best move imho in the previous incarnations. When I hear about waves of enemies my teeth hurt. Fighting limited forces seemed more realistic and this change seems so video gamey it is actively scaring me off from the new expansion. Can someone tell me how those missions impact the game, how frequent they are, and can they be skipped entierely?

There were unending waves of enemies scenarios pre-urban warfare, namely some of the missions where you need to target a base for orbital strike will endlessly spawn vehicles/tanks (and tell you they're doing so) unless/until you fulfill your objective.

 

[razvedchiki]

Is the battletech universe a predecessor to warhammer 40k? Just read about lostech engineers saying prayers to the machine spirits.

 

[Cael]

Is the battletech universe a predecessor to warhammer 40k? Just read about lostech engineers saying prayers to the machine spirits.

In short, no.

You are probably reading about ComStar, and yes, they do do stupid things like that in 3025. It is a long story, but basically ComStar has degenerated into a quasi-religious order who venerates their founder and quote his words like Christians quote the Bible. The original engineering procedures required to run the HPG arrays have, likewise, degenerated into prayers and rituals. That was what you were reading about.

 

[Vaarna_Aarne]

Is the battletech universe a predecessor to warhammer 40k? Just read about lostech engineers saying prayers to the machine spirits.

Not exactly, more like they're cribbing from the same literary canon. Ie both rip off a LOT from Dune (40k steals a SHITLOAD from Dune, down to terminology), the lost technology concept is taken first and foremost from Isaac Asimov and Larry Niven, and the secret order dedicated to the preservation of knowledge and/or seeking to control human future takes after Asimov's Foundation and Bene Gesserit of Dune.

 

[razvedchiki]

so is the base campaign playable with extended mod Vaarna_Aarne ?

 

[Vaarna_Aarne]

I haven't played the game since beating it after the release, so I can't really say how the mods and such would work.

 

[Irenaeus' Vagina]

I am just starting the game now. What has changed about the game due to the various patches since this review was written?

 

[Nutria]

They actually responded well to criticism. They took a lot of steps to speed up the game, which iirc was the main complaint back then. There are still some serious issues, like loading time between missions, but a lot of improvements have been made. I've complained a lot about things that annoy me in this game, but the developer really has worked hard to make it a better experience for players since release.

 

[Vaarna_Aarne]

My primary complaint is kind of impossible to address, since I wanted a tightly structured linear campaign in the vein of HBS' Shadowrun games instead of a procgen merc mode.

 

[Lexx]

Bought the season pass a couple days ago and continued with my post-campaign savegame. It's still lots fun for me. I like the changes, balance tweaks and all that jazz. Also the flashpoints are a nice additions, because they are varied, they appear in all difficulty levels no matter what - that means, no sudden "everything is max difficulty from now on!", and occasionally they give out some nice items. Playing for at least 20 or so hours again, just with the flashpoints.

However.
One thing I noticed a lot is... There are so many women. Now I don't really care about all this gender crap and whatever. It doesn't bother me, it has no influence on me, I just don't give a shit about it.
But seriously, every one of the last 10 missions I did were either contracts given out by a woman or they had me kill some woman. Feels like half the mech companies existing in the universe are led by women. Just right now I've started another mission and guess what... The pirate lance I'm fighting is commanded by a woman. The mission before that had me fight a Steiner group over two missions and in both missions the friendly lance was led by a woman (who both didn't liked each other, btw). Oh yeah, and in the mission before that, a woman contracted me to escort a female prisoner. Then there was that mission where an older woman wanted me to kill the (female) friend of her daughter.

Not sure if it's just the missions I remember most, or if HBS actually really has a female boner. It feels so weird. Guess it would make sense to start a check list to rule out any potential bias on my side.

/Edit: Just started the next mission and guess what, I have to kill yet another woman.

 

[Swigen]