3126

Let me say by contrast that i love Hairbrained Scheme games and yet… the only one i’ve finished was Necropolis (worst end boss in a game in years btw). And yet I have nothing but nice things to say about the games.

Eventually i get back around to playing them, enjoy them when i do.

We spoilt for choice right now as gamers, and Hairbrained / FASA style old 80s games seem to lack that … extra addictive something.

They’re like games that come in 7th in the race. You can’t really fault them for “only” being 7th best… but you’re probably playing something else.

3127

New Features & Content

New Prologue Skip Option. Added the ability to skip the opening missions and cinematics of the campaign and skip to your first mission as a mercenary commander, helping a group of miners.

Combat Morale replaced with Resolve. Players now gain a consistent amount of Resolve every round of combat, and can use it to activate Precision Strike and Vigilance. The amount of Resolve gained each round is determined by the Morale on board your ship.

New Memorial Wall added in the Argo. Players can now access a list of fallen MechWarriors and view a variety of statistics they logged during their mercenary careers.

New Events. A number of new mercenary events have been added to the game.

Improvements to save game management.

  • Added ability to create custom names for manual saves

  • Permanent saves are marked with gold triangle icons and tooltips

  • Added percent progress to save game refresh

  • Added the ability for users to disable warning when deleting saves

  • Deleting a save game no longer scrolls back to the top of the list each time

Quality-of-Life Improvements.

  • Added the ability to restart in any combat mission without loading a save game (excludes iron man)

  • Added initiative status icon overlays for MechWarrior portraits in combat

  • Added more sorting options for inventory items

  • Components are now sorted logically in the Store and MechBay

  • Added more color swatches for mercenary outfit color schemes

  • Added new floating text for Precision Strikes

  • Added popup message when ‘Mech with invalid configuration is detected

  • Added new popup for selling multiple items in the store

  • Added ultrawide version of main menu cinematic for 21:9 aspect ratios

  • ‘Mech selection weight class filters changed from individual toggles to exclusive subsets, including new “All” button added to show all weight classes.

UI

  • We now show the proper number of health boxes and Xs on the After Action Review screen when someone with low guts is incapacitated or killed

  • Fixed the mechbay storage list so that we don’t clear the filters when you scrap a ‘Mech part.

  • The Timeline now reflects modified MechWarrior names and portraits

  • Pressing ESC now closes “Delete Campaign” prompts in the Load Campaign menu

  • Fixed an issue with a “Discard Changes” prompt displaying in certain circumstances after exiting Video Settings with no changes made

  • Fixed an issue with using square bracket characters in save game search field

  • The ENTER key now works on Mission Success / Mission Failure screens

  • Tooltips no longer displayed for planets behind planet summary panel in navigation

  • Added a default firing arc when no weapons are available (or when an Ace Pilot moves after shooting)

  • Removed the Back button during heraldry creation when a new account is registered

  • Fixed a warning prompt message in the MechBay

  • Fixed a visual-only issue with Heat Efficiency rating after equipping Heat Exchangers

  • Fixed an issue in which items purchased from the store via the Mech Lab (“Check Store” button) disappeared until a refit is reloaded after reverting changes

  • The Mech Lab underweight warning now only displays if at least 0.5 tons are free

  • Removed the empty month option when registering a new account

  • Fixed a tooltip on incomplete Mechs in MechBay

  • Fixed game options menu opening when using Esc to close the withdraw confirmation popup opened via button in upper-right corner

  • Fixed Heat Exchanger icons sometimes not loading

  • Fixed empty available weapons and equipment sections when customizing ‘Mechs

  • Fixed several layout and fill issues in MechBay

  • Fixed save game slot hitbox area so rapid deletes won’t double click and load saves

  • Fixed text overflow in Welcome Commander message popup

  • Hardpoint icons are now consistent with Weapon icons

  • Fixed scroll position of event descriptions persisting between events in some cases

  • Fixed an issue where the ‘Mech paperdoll was mirroring the structure displayed for the rear view

  • Fixed overheat warning not always showing for melee or DFA attacks

  • Updated MechBay tutorial information

  • Fixed some orange buttons being transparent

  • Updated Game Tips to reflect new morale mechanic

  • Fixed display of overheat/shutdown warnings overlapping when Called Shot is active

  • Fixed bug where canceling the commander’s customization without changes could still cause the confirmation popup to come up

  • Fixed disabled ability tooltips being displayed in tutorial under specific circumstances

  • MechWarriors killed in action no longer display injury text in the ARR

  • Disabled zoom camera during multi-target attacks

  • Fixed cases where melee camera would spin around rapidly prior to attack

  • Fixed camera taking too long to focus on player ‘Mech when attacked, sometimes missing the beginning of impacts

  • Prevent the “Follow Cam” from moving up over the top of the unit it’s following

AI

  • Mountain Hold map bug fix, widening a specific path to prevent inefficient AI movement.

  • Fixed convoy escape zone on Escarpment Valley map to prevent units from blocking mission completion

  • Escarpment Valley map bug fix to tweak the road area to remove rocks that were bottlenecking and blocking convoy units.

  • Expanded play bounds on Alpine Cathedral Destroy base map to include spawners to prevent pathing issues for reinforcements.

  • Bleak Ridge map update to fix broken spawns.

  • Sunken Hills map bug fix. Moving some spawners and shifting the terrain slightly to improve play and stop units from being blocked.

  • Fixed the possibility that the AI would take paths that would get it stranded

  • Fixed a bug in jump selection state where it was looking through the wrong list of enemies, which included dead ones, and was causing DFA selection to not work sometimes

  • Fixed a bad spawn location on Toxic Mire map with a movement of a spawner.

  • Fixed enemy vehicles spawning in Assassinate contracts on Split Range map sometimes not being able to reach the player

  • Bleak Ridge map bug fix moving rocks to prevent movement blocker

  • Improved patrol route pathing

  • Fixed case where AI would look at player’s morale instead of its own when deciding whether to use Precision Strike

  • Fixed instance where an enemy ‘Mech takes no action when deciding whether to make a melee attack based on its target’s unsteady state

  • Fixed case where AI would brace instead of performing opportunistic DFA attacks

  • Fixed multiplying support weapon damage by melee/DFA multipliers

Accounts

  • Updates and adjustments for GDPR compliance.

Modding

  • MetaDataDatabase switched over to using Natural Keys instead of Guids where possible

Launcher

  • New “Force Focus” option in Launcher to skip the disabling of ghosting in Windows to address potential crashing issues on some systems

Audio

  • Footsteps VFX now differentiate between biomes

Bugfixes

  • Fixed a case in the skirmish MechBay where copying a ‘Mech, then canceling, would leave that phantom copy as the active ‘Mech.

  • Fixed a Timeline freeze and planet arrival saves not being generated.

  • Fix for game not progressing after loading specific auto saves

  • Fixed an issue where adding illegal characters to the search filter would cause saves to not appear after text is cleaned up.

  • Removed old clear achievement debug hotkey

  • Fix to make the negotiation sliders reset properly after backing out of the lance configuration screen

  • DFA can now produce a pilot injury if you take both your own legs off with it

  • On Capture Base missions, the player can no longer target the friendly dropship

  • Updated portrait manager with new beard skinning

  • Fixed cases where Ultra and High quality settings could be reversed after changing quality settings and restarting

  • Fixed Highlander animation when transitioning from idle to brace

  • Fixed some background textures in Mech Bay

  • Fixed visual issue with MRB rating stars disappearing after reaching max rank

  • Fixed Ace Pilots getting stability reduced twice if they fired and then moved

  • Fixed MechWarrior training prompt for pilots with already maxed out skills

  • Fixed some text that could show through the finance widget

  • Fixed weapon hit effects sometimes applying when weapon misses

  • Fixed background shadow in Lance deployment menu

  • Fixed facility decals in Sandy Mesa map

  • Fixed galactic background showing during Navigation menu transition in ultrawide resolutions

  • Fixed rare cases where Forest buff didn’t apply on tiles with trees in some maps

  • Fixed missing tooltip in Mech Bay for right leg armor bar

  • Fixed tooltip hit box in Mech Bay when multiple icons are present in the selected lance configuration

  • Fixed building in Raw Cliffsides missing collisions

  • Fixed cases where objective success sound would play unnecessarily

  • Fixed display of some Rough Terrain movement pips on Hidden Lagoon

  • Fixed redundant VO barks when selecting “Done” to end turn prior to contact with OpFor

  • Added collision to tunnel on Highway map

  • Equipment/Weapons sold while in the Refit screen are removed from the refit interface to prevent work orders that include sold parts from being created

  • Fixed potential soft lock if ejecting last MechWarrior and withdrawing at the same time while confirming both prompts with Enter key

  • Fixed cranes not falling when lower strut is destroyed by ‘Mech impact

  • Fixed parts of destroyed buildings reappearing after loading combat save

  • Fixed some Assassination contracts completing early after loading combat save (not retroactive)

  • Fixed case of camera clipping through pirate base

  • Capturing all three silos during Itrom Attack now auto-completes the mission (no longer requires moving ‘Mechs to the Evac Zone)

  • Fixed ice regions missing from map after loading a combat save

  • Fixed incorrect max head armor on Commando and Spider in Mech Lab (was 30, now 45)

  • Fixed possibility of sprinting ‘Mechs onto same position as OpFor Mech in specific circumstances

  • Fixed some missing/incorrect movement pips in Hidden Lagoon

  • Fixed case where losing silo Bravo could cause explosion of silo Charlie in Itrom Attack

  • Fixed flickering shadows when ‘Mechs are idle

  • Fixed some hair styles in character creation being too reflective

  • Fixed incorrect shadows displaying in Barracks when switching between rooms

  • Fixed potential soft-lock state after loading a combat save created by pressing Enter to confirm save dialog

  • Fixed missing rain effect in Medium and High graphic settings

  • Fixed lightning issue in character creation with specific hairstyles and light combinations

  • Fixed scars in portraits getting more intense after each save game load (until game restarted)

  • Fixed display of rings around planets on loading screen

  • Fixed enemy reinforcements being unable to reach the player’s ‘Mechs during simple battle contracts on The Mine map

  • Fixed last applied portrait changes being applied to both Commander and hired MechWarrior

  • Fixed deleted saves showing again after entering and removing text in the search field

  • Fixed buff icon for destroyed buildings

  • Fixed item selection not clearing in the Store when switching to an empty tab

  • Fixed overheat audio alarms, VO, and VFX from not playing in certain circumstances

  • Fixed several cases where enemy units could spawn in stuck positions (unable to engage player)

  • Fixed a spammy warning about melee weapons that “can’t technically fire” (but actually can)

  • Fixed enemy contact being reported multiple times

  • Fixed bug where standing in an Evac Zone area prior to its appearance as an objective could block progression in specific missions

  • Fixed bug that put player in combat during Itrom Attack prior to enemy unit contact

  • Removed mid-air floating rocks in Smithon

  • Fixed path in BarterTown to be walkable as expected

  • Fixed cases where ‘Mechs would turn in place prior to attacking a target already in melee range

  • Fixed a bug with entering combat where neutral tab target buildings weren’t starting combat (including some turret generators)

  • Fixed Ace Pilots getting stability reduced twice if they fire and then move

  • Fixed Ace Pilots using “done” not getting the appropriate stability reduction applied

  • When Reserving an entire lance only one pilot’s VO bark is played instead of the entire team

  • Fixed issue where wrong the ‘Mech shadow was cast in the MechBay

  • Fixed typos in some pilot bios

  • Fixed Restore Defaults in video settings not impacting resolution when in fullscreen mode (PC only)

  • Fixed potential item duplication issue

  • Fixed incorrect lighting when loading a save game where ship is docked to JumpShip

  • Fixed stuck Panther on Smithon map

  • Many additional small improvements and bug fixes

Known Issues (to be fixed before setting live)

  • A few campaign cinematic scenes have a grainy filter applied

  • Some causes of death on the Memorial Wall don’t fit the UI layout

Still can’t rearrange mechs in the lab.

3128

I seem to recall someone, somewhere said this would require significantly more work than common sense would dictate and therefore may never get implemented.

3129

Shame, that.

BTW that list is live in the beta branch on Steam. Not sure about GOG.

3130

Yes, this is what I was hoping people got from my postings as well. As I mentioned it’s great, except for those issues for those of us that hoard.

3131

Yes, truly excellent game, with some slowdown issues late in the game. Also, the reason the slowdown issue was noticed by players was that we were loving the game and wanted to play, play, play, and the slowdowns started getting annoying. You can reduce this somewhat by keeping your inventory small and deleting excess save games. But slowdowns notwithstanding, it’s one of the best turn based strategy games of recent years.

There was a second, separate slowness issue in that on default combat was paced to give the player a strong sense of the ponderous Mechs moving about and fighting. After getting hooked by the game and crunching through numerous missions, this got painful. However, this issue was fixed in a patch and now there are options to speed up combat once you tire of the awesomeness of looking at Mechs fighting in a stately fashion.

There is a new patch in beta, I haven’t heard if it features any noticeable improvement to the first slowdown issue.

Bottom line, excellent game despite some flaws, and the devs have been working pretty hard at fixing/improving.

So,yes, buy it, if you like turn-based games.

Last note: it stores its data in text files so it’s also highly moddable if you are into editing the stats of your Mechs and what-not.

3132

Depends on your machine. I had essentially no trouble at all running the game and no real delays at any point. As usual, some users always have trouble with games due to their unique rigs and configurations.

3133

https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/index.php?threads/developer-diaries-1-mechwarrior-ability-revision.1116566/

This intrigues me. I am not sure I am in favor of the juggernaut replacement.

3134

Wont the changes to Bulwark just make the AIs ignore the target and focus fire on weaker teammates. Meaning, it’s near useless?

3135

Sure, but if all three of your other mechs are behind a hill, hitting everything with LRMs, then there will only ever be one target to begin with.

And it’s not like you will want to use it often. It will drain all your points very quickly.

3136

It was fun tonight diving back into this one to see what’s changed after not playing it for awhile.

3137

I like Coolant Vent. I’ve often wished I could do this.

3138

What worries me is it might be very unbalanced in MP games, were you don’t care about the pilots after the fight.
Got to look out for whats best for our future tournament.

3139

Having never actually played MP, how does it handle the mechwarriors? Do you choose them from a preformatted list or design your own for each?

3140

There is a pre made list. All of them are the same level, and have just enough points for the 2 minor skills and the major skill.

3141

Later in the game, there’s no real money pressure at all, so just letting the clock spin to heal your preferred pilots or cycling a couple bench pilots in heat overloaded beasts doesn’t have much downside. By increasing your damage potential in the middle of combat rounds you probably offset a decent amount of pilot damage by reducing the amount of rounds in the battle.

I mean, it might end up balanced well and all, but I feel like it’s the kind of thing that encourages abusing the fact that time has no real downside in the game past maybe the midpoint. Doesn’t matter if you add a couple decades of healing time because no one ages or deteriorates.

3142

Except, in my case, the player. :)

3143

Is it stupid that when I played tonight, it bugged me that my memorial wall showed my dead warriors but no history on any of them? Actually, looking at the screen shot, it seems that a Dekker’s ghost came back after day 238 and started doing weird stuff on the ship, so maybe I have something to look forward to…

3144

Today I keep getting this bug where I issue an order to use jumpjets, the camera shifts to “cinematic” mode, but the mech never jumpjets or moves. This effectively locks up the mission and I have to quit out.

It’s happened three times now, all in the same random contract. Has anyone else had this problem?

3145

Man, that sounds weird, I’ve not run into it, but then I’ve only played like 2 missions in my new campaign I started with the update. But I did use jumpjets on all 4 mechs repeatedly on the missions w/ no issue?!