Comments on: Old-style destruction- the return of MechWarrior http://www.kgadams.net/2009/07/11/old-style-destruction-the-return-of-mechwarrior Technology, computer games, MMOGs, science...and other nerdy stuff Wed, 08 Feb 2012 19:26:29 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Kelly Adams http://www.kgadams.net/2009/07/11/old-style-destruction-the-return-of-mechwarrior/comment-page-1#comment-25461 Kelly Adams Sat, 11 Jul 2009 23:40:31 +0000 http://www.kgadams.net/2009/07/11/old-style-destruction-the-return-of-mechwarrior#comment-25461 I like the stately speed of the old MechWarrior games. That doesn't mean you can't go "toe to toe" or run around and jump, but it reduces a first person shooter approach to a barely viable option. An example of what I mean by "stately": if you fire a missile at a foe, they have enough time to possibly use those jets/rockets in their legs, or maybe fire some chaff. If you stand there and fire your weapons non-stop, you'll overheat and shut down, turning you into a sitting duck for several seconds. You can use that as a strategy in itself: pretend to shut down and lure a faster moving foe in closer, then power up and dump all your weapons on them at once. I recall hiding in valleys and shutting down to make my mech harder to find, then popping up unexpectedly when my opponent least expected it. And you can build your mech specifically to support your particular strategy. The fact that there *can* be strategy, while still having the boom-bash-bang action, is what made MechWarrior fun for me back in the day. It seems to me that there aren't many games of this kind any more. The efforts of game makers to hone their products down to an essential core, all action, or all strategy, seems to have worked against my preferences. I suspect this game, assuming it becomes a reality, is at least a couple of years in the future. But it would be nice to see it happen, with enough funding to make it good. Your thoughts about an infantry versus Mech game are interesting: give the infantry guys some missile launchers, or tanks or something, and it could be fun to try out. I like the stately speed of the old MechWarrior games. That doesn’t mean you can’t go “toe to toe” or run around and jump, but it reduces a first person shooter approach to a barely viable option.

An example of what I mean by “stately”: if you fire a missile at a foe, they have enough time to possibly use those jets/rockets in their legs, or maybe fire some chaff. If you stand there and fire your weapons non-stop, you’ll overheat and shut down, turning you into a sitting duck for several seconds. You can use that as a strategy in itself: pretend to shut down and lure a faster moving foe in closer, then power up and dump all your weapons on them at once. I recall hiding in valleys and shutting down to make my mech harder to find, then popping up unexpectedly when my opponent least expected it. And you can build your mech specifically to support your particular strategy.

The fact that there *can* be strategy, while still having the boom-bash-bang action, is what made MechWarrior fun for me back in the day. It seems to me that there aren’t many games of this kind any more. The efforts of game makers to hone their products down to an essential core, all action, or all strategy, seems to have worked against my preferences.

I suspect this game, assuming it becomes a reality, is at least a couple of years in the future. But it would be nice to see it happen, with enough funding to make it good. Your thoughts about an infantry versus Mech game are interesting: give the infantry guys some missile launchers, or tanks or something, and it could be fun to try out.

]]> By: Chris http://www.kgadams.net/2009/07/11/old-style-destruction-the-return-of-mechwarrior/comment-page-1#comment-25459 Chris Sat, 11 Jul 2009 21:48:40 +0000 http://www.kgadams.net/2009/07/11/old-style-destruction-the-return-of-mechwarrior#comment-25459 I hope they come out with that and it conveys the proper sense of momentum as well. Like you I think Mechs should be like tanks, or even battleships, where most of the time is spent maneuvering before forces are engaged, and then it's a slugging match. ( In fact I wouldn't mind a good old fashioned fleet battle game, but all the "serious gamers" that live by fast reflexes and complex keyboard shortcuts wouldn't like anything that leveled the playing field for us dexterity challenged ;) ) What I think could be an interesting game would be something that combined proper mechs with small unit combat ala Battlefield 2. As long as the 'infantry' could with great difficulty of course, take out a mech it could be fun. Sure, the guys playing infantry will die a lot, but I'm used to that already :D I hope they come out with that and it conveys the proper sense of momentum as well. Like you I think Mechs should be like tanks, or even battleships, where most of the time is spent maneuvering before forces are engaged, and then it’s a slugging match.

( In fact I wouldn’t mind a good old fashioned fleet battle game, but all the “serious gamers” that live by fast reflexes and complex keyboard shortcuts wouldn’t like anything that leveled the playing field for us dexterity challenged ;) )

What I think could be an interesting game would be something that combined proper mechs with small unit combat ala Battlefield 2. As long as the ‘infantry’ could with great difficulty of course, take out a mech it could be fun.

Sure, the guys playing infantry will die a lot, but I’m used to that already :D

]]>