The kick starter I would really LOVE to see (Barcia/Simtex)

I need a towel and a nap now.

The Battletech universe is so rich in backstory and lore that there could be a huge series of games that have the same engine but different “bits”: from Star League, the exile of Kerensky, the dark ages, then the various “contemporary” eras: 3025, the Clan invasion, and the post-invasion clusterfuck Inner Sphere war. That’s six games right there with different mechs, different weapons, planets owned by different Houses, not to mention the independent worlds and worlds at the periphery.

And don’t forget about the DLC: imagine taking Wolf’s Dragoons from the periphery into the Inner Sphere, or the Grey Death Legion’s humble beginnings on whatever that rock’s called, through to the defense of Verlanthi, and onwards; the Kell Hounds… historical battles including the greatest Solaris matches, taking Aiden Pryde from disgraced outcast through the Grand Melee and winning his Bloodname, culminating in his glorious death in battle…

With the amount of lore in the universe, I’m surprised that no game has attempted to make it a part of their stories. I mean, most Battletech/Mechwarrior games have been isolated one-offs on this world or that world, or so generic as to not even really need to be part of the universe (MW2 and MW2: Mercs come to mind). The ONLY game that, in my opinion, gave a taste of the universe was Battletech: The Crescent Hawk’s Inception.

I’ve given this a lot of thought, apparently. Well, this is my “I just won the lottery and now I’m going to be a patron for a kick-ass video game” situation, I suppose. And yes, I’m fully aware of how nerdish this post is, and I’m good with that.

Well it is nerd post on a very nerdy thread :>)

Now you have me wishing for this type of game!

Actually, maybe in part because I thought the premise was insane and had low expectations, I greatly enjoyed Def Jam:Fight For New York. Perhaps Barcia’s innate awesomeness was part of the reason it worked so much better than “let’s make a fighting/wrestling game based on rap stars” sounded on paper.

I’d also note how I don’t see his name tied to the miserable sequel DJ: Icon… is he still really tied to that franchise? Based on mobygames.com it looks like he’s moved on to Need For Speed (which I haven’t paid attention to for years now).

Anyway, this doesn’t mean I wouldn’t want another MOM (or even more, the wonderful-sounding thing Alan Friesen is going on about). But if Barcia puts his name on another Def Jam game, I’d be optimistic.

All that sounds good but what about all of us who don’t know the lore? Changing locations, factions, and mechs doesn’t really make it a different game for those of us who have no idea about the lore. It’s still giant robots fighting each other even if they are different giant robots set in a different time period in the Battletech lore.

I suppose it’d be the same a strategy game set in WWII: don’t know a lot about the battle for Stalingrad? It’s cool – there’s tanks.

That, and I’d imagine that it’d be easy to put an in-game encyclopaedia with descriptions of the houses, Mech units, allegiances, weapons, etc. I’d be thrilled with a Battletech setting, but really, a game where the designers created a backstory (or a procedurally-generated galaxy each time) would be great so long as it has, in my opinion:

-tactical strategy with dynamic missions
-salvage: destroy an enemy mech? Maybe there’s enough left over to scrape off the floor and take home
-merc company with a mobile base (mobile X-Com)
-strategic overmap with changing allegiances
-different rewards for fighting for different sides: militant Houses reward you with mechs, capitalist Houses reward you with cash, technologically-savvy Houses reward you with cutting edge technology, etc.

I hear what you’re saying about the difference between Battletech/GenericTech being lost for those who know nothing about BT, but there isn’t anything like this on the market. (Well, in the past fifteen years, anyway… there are TBS/strategy games that are mission-based, but nothing with a X-Com-type overmap…) BT makes sense because they’re the granddaddy of this particular type of gameplay.

Yeah, I’m not arguing against exploiting the BT lore, just wondering if it has legs enough for multiple games. I’d love to see a good turn-based tactical mech game ala Missionforce: Cyberstorm in the BT world, and a good RT game like Chromehounds. And why not a good 4X game too? I could see a few different ways they could go.

Who owns the videogame rights to the BT stuff? Microsoft? They won’t do anything that doesn’t project to sell in big numbers.

Mechlords sounds a lot like the Hammer’s Slammers game that I dream about.

Here’s an old wound I don’t mind reopening:
“New” demo footage of Mech Lords/Metal Lords, the lost masterpiece from Simtex…

Now I just need to find the damn playable demo. I know you’re out there!

Goddamn it–I forgot that this thread existed and I was all ready to come in here and salivate over the possibility of Mechlords, but been there, done that.

I don’t think I’d get into a Barcia KS until it hit version 1.3 …

<ducks>

Just Kidding!! Mechlords, Agents Of Justice, MOM remake, MOO II remake …

I’d just have to have my paychecks sent straight to him.