3166

Thanks for the feedback everyone :-)

3167

Just to clarify a couple days before Flashpoint is due to release, there’s no cheap way to upgrade to Mercenary Edition, right?

3168

I just got this game on sale but I have very little experience with mechs and the game looks intimidating. What would you guys recommend me to read/watch so that I understand what’s going on? :)

3169
3170

That video is good on tactical details.

For a more general approach, the tutorial (which becomes annoying to repeat later) is actually not a bad intro. Play the two quick tutorial scenarios, and then the first game scenario (which is basically a 3rd tutorial). By the time you finish those 3 you should have a handle on fighting your mechs.

For the strategy part of the game, early on, keep a reserve of cash, and don’t worry about customizing your mech builds - pay attention to the descriptions of the standard builds and decide which mechs to field based on that. Early on, mix up a couple of short range mechs with a couple of longer range mechs, to learn the basics and figure out your playstyle.

In terms of battles, don’t overextend or rush into enemy ambushes. Try to keep your mechs together and focus fire on enemies to bring them down.

There’s tons of more detailed strategies later that will get you going.

3171

Time to play some Flashpoint.

3172

Let us know!

3173

Uh-oh. Posted reviews generally lukewarm to not good.

3174

Here’s content from a post in the steam forum that has me concerned about flashpoint difficulty that I’m watching to see what gets said in reply.

title: Flashpoint missions LITERALLY impossible

wall of text describing problem: So I bought flashpoint today and loaded it up. Did the Steiner Mission set with no problem. The escort missions still suck because the APCs are driven by idiots with a death wish, but babysitting APCs is nothing new or even all that challenging. Next I allied with the Federated suns and tried their flashpoint as an ally. (not sure if being allied to a faction changes the missions). On the final level, you have 8 turns to place 3 beacons at 3 widely seperated points. To place a beacon your mech must sit in the designated zone for 2 turns. Seems easy enough right? Hell No. The beacon zones are protected by 12 assault and heavy mechs. Thats right, you have 8 turns to kill your way through 12 meaty mechs and take and hold 3 points that cannot mutually suport each other. I had the two star league reward mechs, an Atlas, and an LRM boat Stalker, normally one of the strongest, Highest DPS, toughest lances you can possibly deploy. It isnt possible to win. if your mechs stick together, you cant get the beacons. if your mechs split up, they cant kill thier way through the enemy fast enough to survive, if you run a lighter lance of mediums or fast heavies, the asault mechs make you thier ♥♥♥♥♥, it is strait up impossible. Im not super upset about the money I spent on the DLC as it adds a lot of cool stuff and flushes out the endgame quite a bit, but I am curious. DID ANYONE PLAY TEST THESE LEVELS BEFORE THEY LAUNCHED?

3175

Sounds like a bad RNG roll on the mission difficultly scale maybe. I don’t know though.

If it is anything like vanilla Battletech, you could maybe restart the mission to re-roll the RNG? I’ve had a couple impossible missions before where there is nothing I could do to win so I just had to abort after killing some mechs. I’ve also restarted a mission and went up against 1 medium mech and 1 light mech instead of the 2 lances of 4 mediums prior…

3176

We need your opinion :)

3177

Hmm. I recall something from the description saying light or medium mechs were needed (perhaps to beat the heavy mechs there). Ah, here we go:

NEW ENCOUNTER

Target Acquisition is an exciting new mission type that challenges you to put your light and medium 'Mechs to the test. Take control of three locations to triangulate fire on an enemy installation before time runs out.

Or … not this:

3178

I suspect if you go light which is what the mission likely wants you to do, you just get dead trying to push thru what’s in front of you in 8 turns.

If this is a common difficulty spike on the new mission sets I’ve no interest in this.

Because when coupled with what they characterized as “re-balancing of mechawarrior abilities” which reads to me as nerfing of abilities like bulwark that I needed in order to survive 4 on 12 encounters the last run through I grow concerned.

Net: unless I hear from the hive mind here a chorus of thumbs up on this DLC I’m going to assume this update based changes off a vocal hardcore minority (no doubt the very same people who screamed for making it harder and beta’d the update) making the game play not more interesting for the decision complexity increasing but instead simply harder.

3179

Came back to this for the expansion, picked up my mid-campaign save, and discovered that I’ve gotten hilariously rusty in the intervening months. Also, wow, some dramatic changes to mechwarrior skills since last I played. I appreciate the reset but am scared to death of re-assigning points - what’s the current wisdom on good builds for your mechwarriors?

3180

They’ve been very good in the past about balance passes so if you’re concerned now I would suggest at least checking back in. I plan on playing again sometime in the next few weeks and will report back.

3181

I can wait. Pathfinder has me busy.

3182

The Merc career mode has a host of options you can set in terms of difficulty, ramping up payouts and salvage and ramping down difficulty if you want to, or vice versa for the masochists. Ironman is on by default in this mode but you can turn that off at the start if you like. For me, the merc career mode is the real draw of this DLC, as I’ve done the campaign twice already.

3183

I started a new campaign to try the DLC and it seems fine to me. I get the sense the folks who are complaining jumped straight into a late game save, and then after a major revamp and skill reset felt the balance was off.

I’m going to reserve judgement until I’ve leveled up from within the new skill system. Thus far I get what they intended and it seems fine by me.

3184

This is true for me too, despite not having finished the main campaign yet.

For those who’ve tried it, how does the merc career start you out, in terms of starting mechs and crew/pilots, compared to the original campaign mode?

3185

Someone needs to start a blog where they pick apart the logical inconsistencies and stupidity of steam reviews. I feel for the developers who work crazy hours to release a game and then they read:

"I am still confused on exactly what I got for $20. There are no new missions or none outside the campaign I already played. I guess there are new mechs somewhere in there. The new mode is a tweekable version of an already bland and nonexistant endgame.
I am going to draw you a picture of why people liked Battletech. You had a great story with good art/cinematics and a playable battletech game. It wasn’t a great game; it was a great story.
Why are you trying to sell me an expansion with no more story comprised of bolt ons for a game nobody really plays? Know your strengths and sell those."