Hawken Open Beta is Live!

[RooksBailey]

Hot off the presses:

It's official, mech pilots! The HAWKEN Open Beta is live!

http://www.playhawken.com/download/

Get out there and tear 'em up!

Downloading now.... ;)

About:

WHAT IS HAWKEN?

HAWKEN is a free-to-play, online, multiplayer, mech-based first-person shooter that puts you in the pilot seat of a giant robotic war machine.

Customize and upgrade your mechs the way you want, then join your friends on the battlefield to rain destruction across HAWKEN's beautiful and immersive alien landscapes. Best of all, HAWKEN is FREE!

"Mech Warrior meets Counter Strike ... what more could you ask for?"

- ShogunGamer.com

BEST OF PC, PAX Prime 2012

[MetalDog]

Impressions when you have them, please :-)

[RooksBailey]

Will do.  Unfortunately, it looks like there are server problems tonight, so it won't be anytime soon.   :-\

[GDS_Starfury]

I know he spells his name differently but when I read the title I thought of being a world renowed astro physicist with chain guns bolted to his wheel chair saving the world from aliens when hes assigned to Black Mesa.

[Jarhead0331]

Still feels pretty buggy to me.  The tutorial is nerfed.  After going through the basic garage options and launching the tutorial walk-through mission, your mech disappears and you are unable to load the mission due to a "mech synch error."  This is a major bug, but its not exactly a show stopper because there are two free mechs that come with the game and you are able to load and play the walk-through mission with them.  I've run through it once and liked what I saw.  I think a big element that will determine whether this game succeeds or fails will be the maps and the manner in which they are designed.  If they are big, and well thought out, the game has potential to be a lot of fun.

Otherwise, I really need to explore more to get a feel for the game. The mechs seem to be pretty much exactly what you would expect...scouts that are light and fast, mechs that excel at long-range engagement (ie. snipers), medium sized jack of all trades, close in brawlers, heavy rocket platforms (ie. artillery), etc.  These mechs can all be upgraded with weapons, and components which essentially seem to add "perks," if you will.  Everything needs to be purchased with points.  Points can be earned in online matches or bought outright with money.  You'll need to upgrade to be competitive, that much is obvious from the get-go.

Anyway,  I'll post more impressions as they come.  I do love the aesthetic and the graphics are very good, so this will at least hold my interest for awhile... 

[MetalDog]

Thanks for the impressions, Jarhead.  I've never played any of the mech simulators on PC, but I have played Battletech on the tabletop.  I've always loved the universe and the mechs and I'm itching to get in with a good, dedicated group of guys and raise some hell!  Hawken or Inner Sphere makes no difference .

[Gusington]

I'm hoping the bugs get ironed out and then we have enough interested guys here to get something going. I too have never played a PC mech game but I would like to cut my teeth on something like Hawken.

[Nefaro]

This one caught my eye with some beta previews before, but wasn't there something pretty screwy about it having a nasty Pay-To-Win scheme?

[Martok]

Thanks for the impressions, Jarhead.  I've never played any of the mech simulators on PC, but I have played Battletech on the tabletop.  I've always loved the universe and the mechs and I'm itching to get in with a good, dedicated group of guys and raise some hell!  Hawken or Inner Sphere makes no difference .

I'm hoping the bugs get ironed out and then we have enough interested guys here to get something going. I too have never played a PC mech game but I would like to cut my teeth on something like Hawken.

^  What they said!  Thanks for the feedback Jarhead. 

[Jarhead0331]

I played a little more last night, and while it was enjoyable, it did start to feel like an FPS with a hud and cockpit.  Very fast paced. You take damage and explode.  Gear, weapons, systems....nothing ever gets disabled.  You just go from fighting to dead in a heartbeat.  Its pretty much just a run and gun game.  Its going to turn a lot of you guys off. 

[Martok]

Aw.  Yeah, that is disappointing to hear. 

One of my favorite things in BattleTech was seeing my Mech doggedly continue fighting despite missing an arm (from where his PPC/AutoCannon exploded)...and sometimes winning.  ;D 

[RooksBailey]

I played a little more last night, and while it was enjoyable, it did start to feel like an FPS with a hud and cockpit.  Very fast paced. You take damage and explode.  Gear, weapons, systems....nothing ever gets disabled.  You just go from fighting to dead in a heartbeat.  Its pretty much just a run and gun game.  Its going to turn a lot of you guys off.

I finally got a chance to give the game a try last night and I have to concur with the above opinion.  If Hawken was a FPS, it would be Call of Duty.  Now, that does not necessarily have to be a BAD thing.   :D  I played a bunch of games yesterday and had a blast.  If you are looking for a light, mech-based combat game, Hawken is a lot of fun.  Even better, it is F2P so what have you got to lose?

If, however, you insist on more depth, then I also can recommend Mechwarrior Online.  After enjoying my time with Hawken, I decided to give this F2P game a go too and have also had a lot of fun.  However, MWO is tough!  Unlike the simplistic customization options in Hawken, MWO allows you to customize your mech with a degree of latitude that is similar to what you find in games like Eve Online.  The combat is also much more challenging as, unlike Hawken, you only get one mech per battle.  Lose that, and you are out.  Battles are also less run and gun and much more tactical with careful maneuvering and team play being essential. 

All in all, I can see myself playing both games as they both have their charms, but I am leaning towards MWO because it is striking me as far more immersive with all the customization options and potential tactics on big battlefields.

I wish someone would give us a SP mech game next.  :(  But in the mean time, both these two titles are quite nice - and they are only in beta at the moment.  Things are only going to get better.  I can even see myself dropping some real money on MWO once it goes v1.0.

[MetalDog]

Good too hear about MWO.  Seriously thinking about getting involved in that.

[RooksBailey]

Good too hear about MWO.  Seriously thinking about getting involved in that.

It's also F2P, so I would recommend giving it a try.  It has a steep learning curve, though, so be prepared.   :)  And all the issues of a real beta are present, such as bugs, balancing issues galore, and limited maps/game modes.

The last few days I've been swinging back and forth between both Hawken and MWO.  I really like both equally - again, that Call of Duty & Battlefield comparison is appropriate in that both are fun games that just approach the same genre differently.  Contrary to what I said earlier, I think I will probably wind up spending money on both once they go V1.0 (seeing all the possible changes coming down the pike, I don't recommend investing in either game just yet  - well, not beyond merely cosmetic stuff).  When it comes to F2P games, the only title I ever dropped money on was Blacklight: Retribution, so saying I will spend money on these two titles is quite the milestone.   :D

Getting back to Hawken, I am looking for this web series to kick off in 2013:

http://youtu.be/tFQ7Pg07edc

I would love to see HBO tackle a big budget sci-fi series like that some day.  So much sci-fi out there awaiting its chance, but all we get are Star Wars / Star Trek / Battlestar Galactica rip-offs.   ::)

[RooksBailey]

A new patch has been released:

http://community.playhawken.com/news/_/game-info/open-beta-patch-notes-010313

OPEN BETA PATCH NOTES: 1/3/13

OVERVIEW

Happy new year, mech pilots! This small update addresses some interface issues and improves map rotation.

GAMEPLAY

    Maps cycle more evenly, appearing once every rotation.
    Deathmatch mode limited to a maximum of 10 players.

INTERFACE

    Test Drive mechs now clearly display the expiration date in the description.
    Expired Test Drive mech icons now display a red background and ribbon.
    FR0S-T1000 Repair Drone and Flurry Fury Thruster can now be previewed.
    FR0S-T1000 Repair Drone and Flurry Fury Thruster banner text changed to "Rent" to clearly denote that they are rental items.

BUGS FIXED

    FR0ST-T1000 ice trail and snowball effect tweaked.
    Heat Cannon snow burst effect tweaked.

Nothing major, but any step towards full release is a good step.   :D  I think Hawken is going to be hugely popular when it gets out of beta.