PC Gamer: Why mechs are the most fun thing to shoot in a video game

[RooksBailey]

I confess to never being much of a fan of mech warfare.  I have no experience with the Battletech boardgame, and while I did purchase Mechwarrior 4 back in the day, I never really got into it.  However, after spending a bunch of time in both Hawken and MWO, I think I have done a 180.  I am really enjoying this genre (I even find myself reading my first mech novel:  Standing Alone (Shotgun Mike) - it is really good, so far.  Reminds me of Hammer's Slammers, but with meks). 

PC Gamer recently published an article on why others are rediscovering this forgotten video game genre via MWO (and I would add Hawken, but for different reasons from those expressed in this article) and why they are enjoying it as much as I am:

Why mechs are the most fun thing to shoot in a video game

A suite of interconnected mechanics are at work under mechs' skin. As enemies, they're as expressive objects as you'll find in gaming, and their design presents problems that are inherently fun to solve.

How did gaming ever let this genre slip from our grasp?  Screw zombies, I want more mech games!

[Gusington]

Cool article, thanks for posting. I also have never played any mech games....a WH40K themed game would rock.

[Shelldrake]

I also have never played any mech games....a WH40K themed game would rock.

<sadly shakes head>

MWO is now in open beta so jump in and give it a try. http://mwomercs.com/

You can also download a free version of MW4 Mercenaries for some classic mech action
http://jadefalconclan.com/main/index.php?page=page2372

[besilarius]

The original writer for BattleTech, back in the 80s (and whose name I cannot recall), told my gaming group that he had thought the concept would go nowhere.  It was inspired by Japanese cartoons, and he was instructed to make the original set up similar to the Japanese.
As a result, he came up with the Five Families that ran the Five different domains in the universe, with all kinds of subplots and family infighting.  (He hinted that much of the family fighting was inspired by the hot TV show Dallas of the time.)  So, in his original conception, we were playing the Ewing clan, versus the other companies/clans in the oil business.
A lot of gamers were enthralled right off the bat by the concept of the mechs, but a lot of others were left cold.
My feeling is that the game has evolved way past the original concept of basing it on Japanese cartoons.  This may have made it more acceptable to a wider range of folks.  Although, the thought of JR Ewing chasing Bobby in a mech has a certain charm?  Don't you think?

[mikeck]

I wish I could get a Mech game that was single player and not this MMO crap...hate mmo

[RooksBailey]

The original writer for BattleTech, back in the 80s (and whose name I cannot recall), told my gaming group that he had thought the concept would go nowhere.  It was inspired by Japanese cartoons, and he was instructed to make the original set up similar to the Japanese.
As a result, he came up with the Five Families that ran the Five different domains in the universe, with all kinds of subplots and family infighting.  (He hinted that much of the family fighting was inspired by the hot TV show Dallas of the time.)  So, in his original conception, we were playing the Ewing clan, versus the other companies/clans in the oil business.
A lot of gamers were enthralled right off the bat by the concept of the mechs, but a lot of others were left cold.
My feeling is that the game has evolved way past the original concept of basing it on Japanese cartoons.  This may have made it more acceptable to a wider range of folks.  Although, the thought of JR Ewing chasing Bobby in a mech has a certain charm?  Don't you think?

Hmm, never knew any of that.  Thanks for the history lesson!

[Achilles]

I played the original Battletech board game back in the 80's.  You had scoresheets with all your mech capabilites and a hexagon battlefield.  I also remember the different clans. 

[MetalDog]

The Mechwarrior universe is rich in detail and history.  It was one of the factors, along with the five story robots, that hooked me on the game. 

Can anyone tell me if MWO will have the ability to build mechs from scratch?  One of the old FASA rulebooks had rules for designing mechs from the inside out.  You chose your tonnage and then fleshed out the details, from how much armor in each area to where the heat sinks go to where and how many weapons you carrried.  I have a yellow legal pa with nothing but designs.  Of course, none of them are sketched, but the numbers all work.

[RooksBailey]

The Mechwarrior universe is rich in detail and history.  It was one of the factors, along with the five story robots, that hooked me on the game. 

Can anyone tell me if MWO will have the ability to build mechs from scratch?  One of the old FASA rulebooks had rules for designing mechs from the inside out.  You chose your tonnage and then fleshed out the details, from how much armor in each area to where the heat sinks go to where and how many weapons you carrried.  I have a yellow legal pa with nothing but designs.  Of course, none of them are sketched, but the numbers all work.

I've only tinkered with customization so far, but from what I can tell is that while you cannot scratch build a new mech, but you can modify pre-existing design.  So, for example, you can buy a Stalker mech, which comes pre-configured with equipment, and then you can start to tinker with it.  There does seem to be some latitude with this - each mech is broken down into eight or so sections that each have their own slots into which you can put weapons, armor, heatsinks, etc.  From what I am reading on the forums, old MechWarrior fans seem happy with the level of customization.  I think I read somewhere that the devs hope to expand customization options going forward, too.