Battletech is back!!!

[vyshka]

I think the one enemy unit that gives me more trouble than anything else is that damned SRM carrier truck.  Seems like a guaranteed injured pilot with every volley it fires at it can take a fair amount of punishment from the front.

I just finished the 2nd major story mission in the campaign on Panzyr.  Once again, those SRMs were the bane of my existence.  Once they were taken care of, the mission wasn't too difficult although things did get right down to the wire, time wise.

First time I met those bastards was a convoy attack mission. We cleaned up the escorting lance pretty easily, and half the convoy. My Shadow Hawk went around the bend the engage the rest of the convoy and it turned out to be 2 srm carriers. She proceeded to eat salvos from both, and went from pristine condition to missing an arm and down to internal damage everywhere else. Had to run with her tail between her legs and got out of the los.

Really enjoying the game. Had my first mission failure tonight on an assassination contract. Wiped out the escorting lance easily enough, but the target decided to retreat and the extraction zone was right behind her about 2 turns of movement away, and I wasn't close enough to take her out. I was able to engage with lrms, but couldn't get direct fire on her. I'm wondering if she would have bugged out if I left 1 of the escorts alive while dealing with her. The only reason I didn't engage that mech was it was just walking back and forth behind a building. Good lesson to remember to sensor lock and find the primary mission target next time. Was a good faith failure though so wasn't too painful, and I wasn't really damaged so I didn't lose money on it.

Have HBS said whether or not reinforcements showing up at the beginning of missions is a bug or feature? Had a mission where I was facing off against a lance with 2 Wolverines and 1 Firestarter, and another with a Wolverine, a Griffin, and a Kintaro. Facing all of that at once was not fun.

[bboyer66]

I think the one enemy unit that gives me more trouble than anything else is that damned SRM carrier truck.  Seems like a guaranteed injured pilot with every volley it fires at it can take a fair amount of punishment from the front.

I just finished the 2nd major story mission in the campaign on Panzyr.  Once again, those SRMs were the bane of my existence.  Once they were taken care of, the mission wasn't too difficult although things did get right down to the wire, time wise.

First time I met those bastards was a convoy attack mission. We cleaned up the escorting lance pretty easily, and half the convoy. My Shadow Hawk went around the bend the engage the rest of the convoy and it turned out to be 2 srm carriers. She proceeded to eat salvos from both, and went from pristine condition to missing an arm and down to internal damage everywhere else. Had to run with her tail between her legs and got out of the los.

Really enjoying the game. Had my first mission failure tonight on an assassination contract. Wiped out the escorting lance easily enough, but the target decided to retreat and the extraction zone was right behind her about 2 turns of movement away, and I wasn't close enough to take her out. I was able to engage with lrms, but couldn't get direct fire on her. I'm wondering if she would have bugged out if I left 1 of the escorts alive while dealing with her. The only reason I didn't engage that mech was it was just walking back and forth behind a building. Good lesson to remember to sensor lock and find the primary mission target next time. Was a good faith failure though so wasn't too painful, and I wasn't really damaged so I didn't lose money on it.

Have HBS said whether or not reinforcements showing up at the beginning of missions is a bug or feature? Had a mission where I was facing off against a lance with 2 Wolverines and 1 Firestarter, and another with a Wolverine, a Griffin, and a Kintaro. Facing all of that at once was not fun.

The game is really in need of some type of ECM, or point defense, to defend against missiles. LRMs are just way too OP currently. Get a sensor lock, and just use a Trebuchet. Absolutely nothing you or the AI player can really do, to defend against it.  I'm pretty sure that ECM is part of the tabletop version, and it really needs to make an appearance in the PC version.

[Tpek]

Wow Paradox... wow.......
Over a week and still they have their server issues that prevent MP or even resetting the password.

Harebrained Schemes should really have gone with Matrix-Slitherine instead of those greedy Paradox guys.  >:(

[DennisS]

Well, after playing nothing but this game all weekend, I think I'm going to hang the cleats up until the devs tweak down the difficulty a bit. It's gotten ridiculous. My last mission, against 1 lance of mechs supported by 4 missile vehicles, resulted in:  one MW KIA, two ejected, last had to withdraw 'in good faith.'  My entire company is now wrecked for months.


EDIT -- there really needs to be an unlock to increase your lance size, the way you can increase squad size in XCOM from starting 4 to eventual 6.

I faced a Panther and SEVEN vehicles. Four vehicles were an enemy convoy, racing to their objective. I had to totally sprint to get in front of them, and concentrate them down. The other four, their convoy guard, were a big time pain in the ass.

Four vs. eight sucks. Even if I get the first kill, the other seven get shots. Then I get another kill, and six gets shots. Then ANOTHER kill, and five get shots. I've received 21 shots, and still not at even strength.

I ended up in vehicle stomp mode, stomped two in one turn, and two in another. I had to use my light mechs to do this, and it took two stomps to kill one of them. Both my locust and spider were damaged severely, and I had to cycle them completely out of combat. The just did get away. My two mediums then faced the enemy four, and it was a little more manageable. I was able to sneak them back in for medium range attacks a little later.

Of the seven vehicles I faced, two were LRM only, one had a PPC, which HURT. My locust took a PPC shot, which almost killed him.

I lost way more money than I earned for this mission. Any more "victories" like this one, and I will lose the campaign. King Phyrrus of Epirus would be proud! (not a bad Grognard ref!)   

[Jarhead0331]

Wow Paradox... wow.......
Over a week and still they have their server issues that prevent MP or even resetting the password.

Harebrained Schemes should really have gone with Matrix-Slitherine instead of those greedy Paradox guys.  >:(

Dude...if there is a problem, I suspect it is one that is being worked on. I'm sure its frustrating for you, but finally, we have a game that offers a fully featured, functional engrossing and polished single player experience. Why don't you actually try it, rather than just complaining about the Paradox MP issue every few posts in the thread. You might actually enjoy your time in campaign and skirmish mode, and who knows, maybe by the time you're finished, you'll know how to play so you do well against live players once the MP issues get ironed out.

Honestly, the single player game is so fantastic and we who prefer a SP experience are so often ignored these days, that I'm really having trouble being sympathetic to your complaint...although, as mentioned, I'm sure it is no doubt frustrating.

[SirAndrewD]

The game is really in need of some type of ECM, or point defense, to defend against missiles. LRMs are just way too OP currently. Get a sensor lock, and just use a Trebuchet. Absolutely nothing you or the AI player can really do, to defend against it.  I'm pretty sure that ECM is part of the tabletop version, and it really needs to make an appearance in the PC version.

As was said earlier, the game's setting is 3025, so by lore, there should be no ECM, ECCM, or Anti-Missile systems outside of hyper rare loot or the Clans (who aren't in the scope of this game).   

It does show up in the tabletop, but only in modules involving the Star Leauge era, or eras after the recovery of the Helm Memory Core in the 3028 and its dissemination in the 3040's.  The primary ECM Mech of the Inner Sphere, the Raven, isn't built until 3048.

There is LosTech in the game, at the least a Gauss Rifle, Atlas II and some advanced Comms have been seen as loot or expensive purchases.  I don't think they've put any ECM or missile defense in though.  If they have no one has looted any.

A few have talked on the Paradox forums on whether or not they should be added for balance over lore, but this is Battletech we're talking about.  From day one of the tabletop lore has trumped balance at every step, see the Clans.

But yes, I agree, missiles are OP, for both sides.  However, yeah, they were in early Tabletop as well.  Once they did introduce ECM to the battlefield in Tabletop, it was followed pretty fast with the Clans and their Beagle Active Probes that just got right around it.   

[Cyrano]

As one of the registered grumpy old guys here, I find the incomprehension with which so much of this is being met delightful.

This is a well thought through implementation of a beloved TTG franchise where everyone, from the lead designer (the original dude) on down, seems to have been committed to doing BATTLETECH on the PC.  That means something to a lot of people -- just reading Sir Andrew's discourses on the various timelines and constituent technologies makes me smile.  I have a very dear friend who was the GenCon BATTLETECH champion for several years running and knew the crit tables from memory -- as did everyone in that competition.  It was never my main thing -- I was painting French marines or some such -- but I certainly knew the love  It can, however, puzzle the living jeebus out of those disconnected from the Quelle who don't seem to understand what's going on.  The RPS article is just one example.

Or, as Doug put it more succinctly, "I forgot how much I've missed BATTLETECH".

[Yskonyn]

If you can get to vehicles fast enough, one step on them will be enough to destroy one. Rush in and splat the son-of-gun!

[SirAndrewD]

^This.  When you see vehicles, sound that bugle call and charge.  Get evasive pips and get on top of them quickly.  One stomp is enough to wreck most tanks and all the missile carriers.

[SirAndrewD]

There's a Reddit AMA with an HBS dev going on right now. 

https://www.reddit.com/r/Battletechgame/comments/8g2e8j/im_tyler_carpenter_one_of_the_hbs_devs_on/

Seems that the Reinforcement "bug" is working as intended.  So get used to those eight on four slug-fests. 

Good news, they're re-balancing Energy weapons.

[JudgeDredd]

I'm really loving this game. The mercenary aspect of it is great and is giving me what I always wanted - a new (ok - different take) Strike Commander. A Mercenary game where you get missions, manage money, parts, equipment, pilots and weapons and ammo.

In fact, it's gone better than Strike Commander because it seems to be random where SC was not dynamic and followed a line with a couple of branches.

[Gusington]

^Hey remember when you returned it and got all angry?

[SirAndrewD]

^Hey remember when you returned it and got all angry?

I did that with Hearts of Iron IV. 

300 hours later...

And to be fair, there are serious technical issues with Battletech.  I haven't had any, but there are some deep problems. 

One I did run across was my GPU, a was running at 100%.  Now, that didn't bother me too much, even though I have a hefty card, but some people had some meltdowns on their machines. 

If you are having that issue, bizarrely turning V-Sync on helped me and some others (it's off by default).

[CptHowdy]

There's a Reddit AMA with an HBS dev going on right now. 

https://www.reddit.com/r/Battletechgame/comments/8g2e8j/im_tyler_carpenter_one_of_the_hbs_devs_on/

Seems that the Reinforcement "bug" is working as intended.  So get used to those eight on four slug-fests. 

Good news, they're re-balancing Energy weapons.

what about the energy weapons are they changing?

[vyshka]

I'm really loving this game. The mercenary aspect of it is great and is giving me what I always wanted - a new (ok - different take) Strike Commander. A Mercenary game where you get missions, manage money, parts, equipment, pilots and weapons and ammo.

In fact, it's gone better than Strike Commander because it seems to be random where SC was not dynamic and followed a line with a couple of branches.

My idea a few years ago for a game someone should make was a game in the Hammer's Slammers universe where you manage merc unit. I said think Strike Commander meets panzer general. Still think someone should do it.