Battletech is back!!!

[undercovergeek]

you can pull an enemys arm off and beat them with it - sold

[JasonPratt]

So there is a distant, early relationship between RT and BT...so weird and Japanese and stuff.

All of these properties are Japanese in origin, aren't they?

Heh. No, BT isn't really, just... borrowing some inspiration from "real robot" genre works (vs "super robot" genre works. The two genres are mostly distinct in Japan, with the "real robot" genre having started with Gundam. Which has occasionally slid into "super robot" more or less.)

[JasonPratt]

you can pull an enemys arm off and beat them with it - sold

And see, I didn't even realize until recently that melee combat had ever been a 'thing' in BTech. But I'm sure not gonna complain if it's back! (Finally those vestigal hands can get some use.)

[SirAndrewD]

So there is a distant, early relationship between RT and BT...so weird and Japanese and stuff.

All of these properties are Japanese in origin, aren't they?

There's no in universe connection between Robotech and Battletech at all, no.  As Jason above said, it's only giant robots.  The connection was purely born of the attempt to save art design time and money at the early stages of Battletech's creation.

Battletech was created by Chicago based FASA Corporation, and designed by Jordan Weisman (who is on this game's team) and Ross Babcock.   Robotech was originally a Japanese anime called Macross, that was dubbed, recut and imported to the us by Harmony Gold.

When FASA created Battletech, they bought the licence to use Robotech/Macross Mech designs from a company called Twentieth Century Imports, who represented themselves as the visual rights holders for the US.   Unfortunately, TCI misrepresented their status as rights holders on the designs, and the true rights holders, Harmony Hold and Playmates sued FASA.   This was after the Robotech designs had become firmly entrenched in the Battletech universe, so both sides had it out until the late 90's, when FASA finally relented and removed all the Mechs they'd taken from Robotech from the game. 

From what I understand Battletech's current rights holder, Catalyist finally hammered out a deal to use slightly reworked designs of the original unseen Mechs, hence their appearance in Mechwarrior Online. 

[Gusington]

Wow you guys are really deep into this universe. Which gives me more reason to buy, since everyone is so psyched for it. And use this gif once again  \m/

[undercovergeek]

You don't do warhammer

You don't do mech

Wtf are you doing here?

[mirth]

Seriously. How it Gus knows nothing about Battletech or Robotech?  L:-)

[Gusington]

I'm gonna buy the frikkin' thing! Better late than never and all that. God you nerds are insufferable. Not like us chill dorks.

[jomni]

Seriously. How it Gus knows nothing about Battletech or Robotech?  L:-)

He's 'low tech'.

[Gusington]

^Jomni gets me.

[SirAndrewD]

Wow you guys are really deep into this universe. Which gives me more reason to buy, since everyone is so psyched for it. And use this gif once again  \m/

I absolutely love the Battletech universe, even if it didn't have giant battling robots, and funnily enough the giant 'bots of Battletech are only one part of the game and story's use of combined arms.

The politics, science and a lot of the characters of Battletech are every bit as interesting as the concept of giant robots pummeling each other.  No knock on Japanese properties, but I think the western influences on Battletech makes it, at least for me, more interesting than some of the more fantastical and out there stories that we get from Eastern sci-fi big 'bot universes.  Battletech is more grounded, a bit more cynical and absolutely more Machiavellian.  It's worth getting into almost just for the story. 

So yeah, I'm all in on this game.

[Gusington]

To should work for Battletech marketing!

[Nefaro]

The politics, science and a lot of the characters of Battletech are every bit as interesting as the concept of giant robots pummeling each other.  No knock on Japanese properties, but I think the western influences on Battletech makes it, at least for me, more interesting than some of the more fantastical and out there stories that we get from Eastern sci-fi big 'bot universes.  Battletech is more grounded, a bit more cynical and absolutely more Machiavellian.  It's worth getting into almost just for the story. 

This.

Battletech is a sci-fi wargame, and the gritty background lore supports that.

It's not cheesy anime.  So if you instantly think of anime, when you see big robots, don't be worried about that being the case with Battletech.  Not a weeb thing.

[SirAndrewD]

To should work for Battletech marketing!

It'd pay more than teaching 6th graders, though I do admit I'm enjoying my three months off.

[Gusington]

Working for Battletech marketing and you'd feel like you were off for the rest of your life.