Hi,

Big, stomping machines that is manned, maybe even designed and built
(but not necessary) that walk around and shoot stuff? :-)

I probably already have one.

Not sure what made me think of them, but any way... Something fun
that looks good.

-pw

PW <iamnotusingonewithAgent@notinuse.com> writes:

> Hi,
>
> Big, stomping machines that is manned, maybe even designed and built
> (but not necessary) that walk around and shoot stuff? :-)
>
> I probably already have one.
>
> Not sure what made me think of them, but any way... Something fun
> that looks good.

Wasn't there a Battletech game recently? Yep, imaginatively named
Battletech, from 2018. See
https://store.steampowered.com/app/637090/BATTLETECH/

I don't know if it's a god mech game but at least the reviews seem
positive. I think it's been a while since the last Mechwarrior game.

On Thursday, September 15, 2022 at 9:08:33 AM UTC-7, Anssi Saari wrote:
> PW <iamnotusing...@notinuse.com> writes:
>
> > Hi,
> >
> > Big, stomping machines that is manned, maybe even designed and built
> > (but not necessary) that walk around and shoot stuff? :-)
> >
> > I probably already have one.
> >
> > Not sure what made me think of them, but any way... Something fun
> > that looks good.
> Wasn't there a Battletech game recently? Yep, imaginatively named
> Battletech, from 2018. See
> https://store.steampowered.com/app/637090/BATTLETECH/
>
> I don't know if it's a god mech game but at least the reviews seem
> positive. I think it's been a while since the last Mechwarrior game.

I was curious about this too as I just played Titanfall 2, which needed
a lot more time in the mech, and got the itch going for it. It's very good,
but pretty short, steam said it was 22 hours for me, but I think I left it on
one night, so at most 14 hours, with no reason I can see to replay it.
If you haven't played it, I'd give it a go, though the wallrunning does
turn me off, I suffered through as I otherwise loved the game.

Apparently Apex Legends is the sequel, although it's got 80% on Steam
it looks like a crappy cartoony copy of Borderlands, and I don't see any
mechs.

MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries is from 2019, so slightly newer than that
Battletech game. I haven't tried either, both have the same 83% among
recent reviews, so about the same I guess.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/784080/MechWarrior_5_Mercenaries/

There was also Brigador which was given away free on GoG awhile ago,
It's isometric, I found it fun for a little bit, but don't think I finished it. Ratings
on Steam are about the same as the other two recent 84%. If you have it
and don't mind isometric try it out.

https://www.gog.com/game/brigador_deluxe_edition

I did play one that's also available moblie that I liked for a little while a few
years ago too, War Robots. It's 6v6 PVP only and originally from 2014, I found
that fine though. Bonus points it's free, with the usual mobile microtransactions,
I played it a while before it got grindy/pay-to-win. Ratings are mixed now though.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/767560/War_Robots/

It appears there a bunch of other mobile mech/robot games too. No idea if
any of them are any good.

Looking through 'mech' games on steam this comes up, at 92% recent
Looks fun, though more of an action Mech vs. giant monsters.
The graphics look a bit dated so it's probably an indy game since it's from
2021. I might just buy this one and try it now.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1163870/Mecha_Knights_Nightmare/

That also reminds me of one of my favorites - EDF 5. It's not exactly a mech
game, but you can summon and enter a mech with the Air Raider class (one of
4 classes) once you get some levels under your belt, and the mechs are great
there. Near the end of the game you even get a giant one to fight a godzilla like
monster. Some can also be found and used on missions by any of the classes.
92% recent. Great cheesy 'alien invasion' vs. sci-fi tech soldiers Japanese game
Also tempted to go back to this as I never finished on Inferno difficulty, nor
did I get the DLC, which I really should.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1007040/EARTH_DEFENSE_FORCE_5/

- Justisaur

On Thu, 15 Sep 2022 09:45:19 -0600, PW
<iamnotusingonewithAgent@notinuse.com> wrote:

>Hi,
>
>Big, stomping machines that is manned, maybe even designed and built
>(but not necessary) that walk around and shoot stuff? :-)

(I call 'em "rompin' stompin' robot games" ;-)

>I probably already have one.
>Not sure what made me think of them, but any way... Something fun
>that looks good.

Well, the Battletech franchise is the big one, of course. "Mechwarrior
5" is a pretty good continuation of the classic series (although I
think it peaked with "Mechwarrior 3". Sadly, that game doesn't run
well on modern hardware / operating systems).

(Also, "Mechwarrior Online", which is a slightly older version of the
game more focused on multiplayer)

There's also "Battletech", which is basically the same game except
from a top-down view and with a slightly more strategic element. Still
enjoyable (although its DLC is overpriced for what you get).
"Brigador" is another similar strategic mech-game (I didnt' find that
one as engaging, however).

If you want something a bit more action-oriented, "Titanfall 2" is a
solid FPS where you also ride around in a mech (it's a roughly 50/50
split). The mech-combat is a lot more fluid in its controls than the
bulky BattleTech robots, which may or may not appeal. Similarly (but
not as well done, IMHO) are the "Lost Planet" games, which are equal
parts FPS and mech-rider.

It's a bit different, but the Transformers games ("War for Cybertron"
/ "Fall of Cybertron") feature giant stompy robots. The games are
mostly fan-service so if you don't love the franchise the gameplay
definitely isn't going to win you over... but massive warbots, they
got!

"War Robots" and "Mecha Knights" are two other fairly new games in the
genre. I don't have experience with either of those though.

Is "Hawken" still a thing? That was a multiplayer-focused (but I think
there was solo-against-bots too) free-to-play game where you piloted
fast-moving giant robots. It was fairly heavy on microtransactions,
though. I remember being quite impressed with the art style, though.

There are also a lot of classics: the older "MechWarrior" games, of
course, and the "Mech Commander" series. The "Front Mission" and
"Armored Core" games started on consoles but more recent versions have
migrated over to PC. Other older classics include the "Heavy Gear"
games, the Earthsiege series (and the spin-off "Tribes" games), and -
a personal favorite - Looking Glass' "Terra Nova Strike Force
Centari".

Of course, the latter are more 'powered armor' than proper mech... and
if we start including those this list will get abysmally long
(although then I'd get to include "The Surge" games, which are 'Dark
Souls except you wear a powered exoskeleton' ;-)

Which one would I recommend? That's hard. Of the above, I /personally/
would go with "Mechwarrior 5", but if you want faster, more fluid
combat then maybe "Titanfall 2"... or "The Surge" if you're okay with
merely being a mech-agumented human (and not riding a 50'
battle-behemoth) and enjoyed "Elden Ring".

Or just "Terra Nova". Sure it's extremely dated (from 1995!) but I
love that game ;-)

On Thu, 15 Sep 2022 15:34:20 -0400, Spalls Hurgenson
<spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:

>On Thu, 15 Sep 2022 09:45:19 -0600, PW
><iamnotusingonewithAgent@notinuse.com> wrote:
>
>>Hi,
>>
>>Big, stomping machines that is manned, maybe even designed and built
>>(but not necessary) that walk around and shoot stuff? :-)
>
>(I call 'em "rompin' stompin' robot games" ;-)
>
>>I probably already have one.
>>Not sure what made me think of them, but any way... Something fun
>>that looks good.
>
>Well, the Battletech franchise is the big one, of course. "Mechwarrior
>5" is a pretty good continuation of the classic series (although I
>think it peaked with "Mechwarrior 3". Sadly, that game doesn't run
>well on modern hardware / operating systems).
>
>(Also, "Mechwarrior Online", which is a slightly older version of the
>game more focused on multiplayer)
>
>There's also "Battletech", which is basically the same game except
>from a top-down view and with a slightly more strategic element. Still
>enjoyable (although its DLC is overpriced for what you get).
>"Brigador" is another similar strategic mech-game (I didnt' find that
>one as engaging, however).
>
>If you want something a bit more action-oriented, "Titanfall 2" is a
>solid FPS where you also ride around in a mech (it's a roughly 50/50
>split). The mech-combat is a lot more fluid in its controls than the
>bulky BattleTech robots, which may or may not appeal. Similarly (but
>not as well done, IMHO) are the "Lost Planet" games, which are equal
>parts FPS and mech-rider.
>
>It's a bit different, but the Transformers games ("War for Cybertron"
>/ "Fall of Cybertron") feature giant stompy robots. The games are
>mostly fan-service so if you don't love the franchise the gameplay
>definitely isn't going to win you over... but massive warbots, they
>got!
>
>"War Robots" and "Mecha Knights" are two other fairly new games in the
>genre. I don't have experience with either of those though.
>
>Is "Hawken" still a thing? That was a multiplayer-focused (but I think
>there was solo-against-bots too) free-to-play game where you piloted
>fast-moving giant robots. It was fairly heavy on microtransactions,
>though. I remember being quite impressed with the art style, though.
>
>There are also a lot of classics: the older "MechWarrior" games, of
>course, and the "Mech Commander" series. The "Front Mission" and
>"Armored Core" games started on consoles but more recent versions have
>migrated over to PC. Other older classics include the "Heavy Gear"
>games, the Earthsiege series (and the spin-off "Tribes" games), and -
>a personal favorite - Looking Glass' "Terra Nova Strike Force
>Centari".
>
>Of course, the latter are more 'powered armor' than proper mech... and
>if we start including those this list will get abysmally long
>(although then I'd get to include "The Surge" games, which are 'Dark
>Souls except you wear a powered exoskeleton' ;-)
>
>
>Which one would I recommend? That's hard. Of the above, I /personally/
>would go with "Mechwarrior 5", but if you want faster, more fluid
>combat then maybe "Titanfall 2"... or "The Surge" if you're okay with
>merely being a mech-agumented human (and not riding a 50'
>battle-behemoth) and enjoyed "Elden Ring".
>
>Or just "Terra Nova". Sure it's extremely dated (from 1995!) but I
>love that game ;-)
>

*--

Thanks everyone. I do have Titanfall 2 but I didn't get as far as the
mechs. Probably not further along than the training which, as far as
I got, had nothing to do with Mechs.

Okay, thanks again!

-pw

On Thu, 15 Sep 2022 19:08:31 +0300, Anssi Saari <as@sci.fi> wrote:

>PW <iamnotusingonewithAgent@notinuse.com> writes:
>
>> Hi,
>>
>> Big, stomping machines that is manned, maybe even designed and built
>> (but not necessary) that walk around and shoot stuff? :-)
>>
>> I probably already have one.
>>
>> Not sure what made me think of them, but any way... Something fun
>> that looks good.
>
>Wasn't there a Battletech game recently? Yep, imaginatively named
>Battletech, from 2018. See
>https://store.steampowered.com/app/637090/BATTLETECH/
>
>I don't know if it's a god mech game but at least the reviews seem
>positive. I think it's been a while since the last Mechwarrior game.

*--

Oh boy Annsi! This looks pretty serious! A reviewer says he has 281
hours into it with all the DLCs. Another "A deep tactial wargame..."/

I think I am afraid of getting into this one. And it is $40.

Thanks!

-pw

On 16/09/2022 00:06, PW wrote:
> On Thu, 15 Sep 2022 19:08:31 +0300, Anssi Saari <as@sci.fi> wrote:
>
>> PW <iamnotusingonewithAgent@notinuse.com> writes:
>>
>>> Hi,
>>>
>>> Big, stomping machines that is manned, maybe even designed and built
>>> (but not necessary) that walk around and shoot stuff? :-)
>>>
>>> I probably already have one.
>>>
>>> Not sure what made me think of them, but any way... Something fun
>>> that looks good.
>>
>> Wasn't there a Battletech game recently? Yep, imaginatively named
>> Battletech, from 2018. See
>> https://store.steampowered.com/app/637090/BATTLETECH/
>>
>> I don't know if it's a god mech game but at least the reviews seem
>> positive. I think it's been a while since the last Mechwarrior game.
>
> *--
>
> Oh boy Annsi! This looks pretty serious! A reviewer says he has 281
> hours into it with all the DLCs. Another "A deep tactial wargame..."/
>
> I think I am afraid of getting into this one. And it is $40.
>
> Thanks!
>

That's what Steam sales are for. I think I got it for £7 or so.

>Thanks everyone. I do have Titanfall 2 but I didn't get as far as the
>mechs. Probably not further along than the training which, as far as
>I got, had nothing to do with Mechs.

Yeah, finish the TF2 campaign first!

rms

On Thursday, September 15, 2022 at 3:44:11 PM UTC-7, PW wrote:
> On Thu, 15 Sep 2022 15:34:20 -0400, Spalls Hurgenson
> <spallsh...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> >On Thu, 15 Sep 2022 09:45:19 -0600, PW
> ><iamnotusing...@notinuse.com> wrote:
> >
> >>Hi,
> >>
> >>Big, stomping machines that is manned, maybe even designed and built
> >>(but not necessary) that walk around and shoot stuff? :-)
> >
> >(I call 'em "rompin' stompin' robot games" ;-)
> >
> >>I probably already have one.
> >>Not sure what made me think of them, but any way... Something fun
> >>that looks good.

That leaves out MechaKnights, as it looks like you're flying around the
whole time, well really hovering just above the ground, no stomping in the
video. I'd have to say after a second look while it looks fun, yeah that's
more like a heavily armed hovercraft.

EDF 5 does fit that bill (though not often) as the big mech you get at the
end of the game can stomp on the smaller giant alien monsters like the
bugs they are.

> >Well, the Battletech franchise is the big one, of course. "Mechwarrior
> >5" is a pretty good continuation of the classic series (although I
> >think it peaked with "Mechwarrior 3". Sadly, that game doesn't run
> >well on modern hardware / operating systems).

I remember playing one of the Mechwarrior games decades ago,
might have been 3, whichever it was, was the best PC mech game
I played - only outdone by the arcade (see below.)

> >There's also "Battletech", which is basically the same game except
> >from a top-down view and with a slightly more strategic element. Still
> >enjoyable (although its DLC is overpriced for what you get).

Blech, didn't realize Battletech was turn based until I looked at the
Steam page again. I remember playing the pen and paper game
once, but everyone else was more familiar, and the GM gave me some
crappy tiny mech that was more like a flying powersuit that couldn't
do anything useful besides scout, which wasn't useful, and being
bored out of my mind.

I also remember playing live action BattleTech in the arcade, that was
quite the experience. It was I think a full dollar to play and didn't
last long, but I remember the game was awesome and way beyond
it's time. So much so I don't think any mech game has ever come
close. It almost felt like crawling into a mech.

> >If you want something a bit more action-oriented, "Titanfall 2" is a
> >solid FPS where you also ride around in a mech (it's a roughly 50/50
> >split). The mech-combat is a lot more fluid in its controls than the
> >bulky BattleTech robots, which may or may not appeal. Similarly (but
> >not as well done, IMHO) are the "Lost Planet" games, which are equal
> >parts FPS and mech-rider.
> >

It was more like 3 to 1 FPS platformer (blech) to Mech for me, but
maybe because I hate and suck at FPS platforming. That might
also explain the much longer time it took me to finish than I've
seen others say (like 7 hours.)

> Thanks everyone. I do have Titanfall 2 but I didn't get as far as the
> mechs. Probably not further along than the training which, as far as
> I got, had nothing to do with Mechs.

I spent way too much time in the training room trying to perfect my
times, I got somewhere around 50 seconds I think, top scores
listed there were around 30, which boggles to me.

I was a bit miffed that they cut the mech training and dumped you
into the FPS platforming bit... which lasted a good while until
you were finally able to get in the mech the first time. It would've
been nice to have roomto play around with all the mech stuff.
Maybe there was another mode you could do that but I didn't check.

I felt like there wasn't even enough time to get familiar with each
mech weapon/loadout in the campaign before it was back to
FPS platforming, until the next one was available.

That one also doesn't fit the 'stompin'' moniker as the mech isn't
quite big enough to do that, though you do eventually get a giant
sword setup which is satisfying to use on the enemy humans
that are a little under half as tall.

- Justisaur

On Fri, 16 Sep 2022 09:29:11 +0100, JAB <noway@nochance.com> wrote:

>On 16/09/2022 00:06, PW wrote:
>> On Thu, 15 Sep 2022 19:08:31 +0300, Anssi Saari <as@sci.fi> wrote:
>>
>>> PW <iamnotusingonewithAgent@notinuse.com> writes:
>>>
>>>> Hi,
>>>>
>>>> Big, stomping machines that is manned, maybe even designed and built
>>>> (but not necessary) that walk around and shoot stuff? :-)
>>>>
>>>> I probably already have one.
>>>>
>>>> Not sure what made me think of them, but any way... Something fun
>>>> that looks good.
>>>
>>> Wasn't there a Battletech game recently? Yep, imaginatively named
>>> Battletech, from 2018. See
>>> https://store.steampowered.com/app/637090/BATTLETECH/
>>>
>>> I don't know if it's a god mech game but at least the reviews seem
>>> positive. I think it's been a while since the last Mechwarrior game.
>>
>> *--
>>
>> Oh boy Annsi! This looks pretty serious! A reviewer says he has 281
>> hours into it with all the DLCs. Another "A deep tactial wargame..."/
>>
>> I think I am afraid of getting into this one. And it is $40.
>>
>> Thanks!
>>
>
>That's what Steam sales are for. I think I got it for £7 or so.
>

*--

Wow! I added it to my wishlist. Thanks!

-pw

>
>Blech, didn't realize Battletech was turn based until I looked at the
>Steam page again. I remember playing the pen and paper game
>once, but everyone else was more familiar, and the GM gave me some
>crappy tiny mech that was more like a flying powersuit that couldn't
>do anything useful besides scout, which wasn't useful, and being
>bored out of my mind.

*--

I didn't realize that. I just put it on my wishlist and now I am
going to take it off. But, JAB said he got it cheap 7 pounds is
probably around 15 dollars so if it goes down that cheap maybe I will
buy it any way.

Thanks!

-pw

On Fri, 16 Sep 2022 11:51:22 -0600, PW
<iamnotusingonewithAgent@notinuse.com> wrote:

>>Blech, didn't realize Battletech was turn based until I looked at the
>>Steam page again. I remember playing the pen and paper game
>>once, but everyone else was more familiar, and the GM gave me some
>>crappy tiny mech that was more like a flying powersuit that couldn't
>>do anything useful besides scout, which wasn't useful, and being
>>bored out of my mind.

Sounds like he stuck you with a Clan elemental (a 1-ton battlesuit
armed with a laser and two missiles). That's a lousy thing to give to
a player new to the game, largely for the reasons you mentioned. A
better starting place would have been a medium mech, which would have
allowed you live out the fantasy of being in a giant robot and given
you some survivability for your early mistakes (and also give you
something to work up to, like a heavier assault mech).

Light mechs (and Elemental power suits) can actually be quite fun but
require some skill and are either dependent on teammates to do the
brunt of the fighting, or are limited in their roles. They are rarely
jack-of-all-trades and make for (IMHO) lousy starting mechs.

>I didn't realize that. I just put it on my wishlist and now I am
>going to take it off. But, JAB said he got it cheap 7 pounds is
>probably around 15 dollars so if it goes down that cheap maybe I will
>buy it any way.

"Battletech" - the strategy game - is intentionally designed to play
like the tabletop game, so yes, it's turn-based (although IIRC only
during combat; if there are no enemies around you - and the rest of
your squad* - move real-time). It gives you a good idea of the mass
and destructive capability of these hundred-ton behemoths, and even
just plowing through woods and forests (much less rocket-jumping onto
the cockpit of some unfortunate 30-ton scout-mech) is a lot of fun.

Being a tabletop gamer myself (although only a dabbler in Battletech;
I didn't have the patience to buy, assemble and paint all those tiny
miniatures) I quite enjoyed the video game adaptation. Despite its
turn-based limitations, the combat moved fairly quickly. Arguably a
bit /too/ quickly; I think the learning curve - while not steep -
could have been a bit shallower. There are a lot of things to keep
track of in the game and how everything works together could have used
a little better explanation. I /knew/ most of the stuff already and
even I felt a little overwhelmed by it all in actual practice; for
somebody coming into the game blind, it might be a bit much.

The game is a mix between procedural missions and scripted main-quest
missions. The former suffered from a lack of variety (there's only
like a half-dozen maps that get reused) and the later could get a bit
overwhelming at times, especially since the game never allows you more
than a single squad** while expecting you to take out ten or more
times that many enemies in some of the later missions. Apparently the
DLC helps a bit with the first problem, but that's paying extra to fix
a problem that shouldn't have been there in the base game.

Still, I generally enjoyed my time with "Battletech". It wasn't
perfect (aside from the aforementioned issues, there was a lot of
unnecessarily slow transitory animations and the AI lacked tactical
savvy) but it's a good translation of the miniatures game, and the
production values are well done (if the game doesn't share the same
engine as Mechwarrior 5, it almost certainly seems to share a lot of
the art assets).

But, yeah; "Battletech (2018)" might not be the best place for a
newcomer to the franchise (or genre) to start. I'm not sure
"Mechwarrior 5" is more accessible (it's not quite as complex as the
earlier games in the franchise, but still weighs more heavily on the
'sim' scale than a lot of other giant-robot games) but it's
faster-paced action is probably more approachable.

=======================
* "lance", in Battletech lingo
** still called a "lance" ;-)

On 16/09/2022 18:45, PW wrote:

>> That's what Steam sales are for. I think I got it for £7 or so.
>>
>
> *--
>
> Wow! I added it to my wishlist. Thanks!
>

The nice thing about it you should then get an e-mail when it goes on sale.

On Thu, 15 Sep 2022 09:45:19 -0600, PW
<iamnotusingonewithAgent@notinuse.com> wrote:

>Hi,
>
>Big, stomping machines that is manned, maybe even designed and built
>(but not necessary) that walk around and shoot stuff? :-)
>
>I probably already have one.
>
>Not sure what made me think of them, but any way... Something fun
>that looks good.
>
>-pw

*-

Just added Battletech: Mercenary Collection to my GOG library for
$13.49.

Probably not what I am looking for but it didn't cost much.

-pw

On 16/09/2022 15:53, Justisaur wrote:
> I remember playing one of the Mechwarrior games decades ago,
> might have been 3, whichever it was, was the best PC mech game
> I played - only outdone by the arcade (see below.)

I did play Mechcommander many years ago and I enjoyed except for one
slight problem, it had a habit of crashing quite often. SO much so, that
I ended up taking it back and getting a different game. I was pleasantly
surprised that the shop had no quibbles about doing it.

On 17/09/2022 01:49, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
> "Battletech" - the strategy game - is intentionally designed to play
> like the tabletop game, so yes, it's turn-based (although IIRC only
> during combat; if there are no enemies around you - and the rest of
> your squad* - move real-time). It gives you a good idea of the mass
> and destructive capability of these hundred-ton behemoths, and even
> just plowing through woods and forests (much less rocket-jumping onto
> the cockpit of some unfortunate 30-ton scout-mech) is a lot of fun.
>
> Being a tabletop gamer myself (although only a dabbler in Battletech;
> I didn't have the patience to buy, assemble and paint all those tiny
> miniatures) I quite enjoyed the video game adaptation. Despite its
> turn-based limitations, the combat moved fairly quickly. Arguably a
> bit/too/ quickly; I think the learning curve - while not steep -
> could have been a bit shallower. There are a lot of things to keep
> track of in the game and how everything works together could have used
> a little better explanation. I/knew/ most of the stuff already and
> even I felt a little overwhelmed by it all in actual practice; for
> somebody coming into the game blind, it might be a bit much.

I've always thought it was one of both the strength and weaknesses of TT
ports to a digital form. The PC knows all the rules so you don't have to
read them but in TT games you do generally need to understand the rules
to 'properly' play the game. That concept is fine if you have a TT
background but it's kinda an alien concept now if the PC gaming world of
the manual is either non-existence or it contains almost no information
at all.

On Sun, 18 Sep 2022 10:58:56 +0100, JAB <noway@nochance.com> wrote:

>On 16/09/2022 15:53, Justisaur wrote:
>> I remember playing one of the Mechwarrior games decades ago,
>> might have been 3, whichever it was, was the best PC mech game
>> I played - only outdone by the arcade (see below.)

>I did play Mechcommander many years ago and I enjoyed except for one
>slight problem, it had a habit of crashing quite often. SO much so, that
>I ended up taking it back and getting a different game. I was pleasantly
>surprised that the shop had no quibbles about doing it.

I always preferred the second Mech Commander game. The first's
pseudo-3D was rough around the edges visually, and felt like it was
uncertain whether it wanted to be action or strategy oriented. The
second game generally felt more sure of itself, with more polished
gameplay and visuals. It's mission design was a bit lackluster but
overall the second game was far more enjoyable.

But both don't fare too well on modern hardware/operating systems, and
instability seems to be the rule. Sadly, due to licensing issues there
have never been updated versions sold digitally that might have fixed
these problems.

For all its other faults, "Battletech (2018)" knew what it wanted to
be - a digital representation of the tabletop miniature game - and did
a pretty good job of achieving its vision, even if it resulted in the
game being a bit niche.

But - truth be told - I think I enjoyed "Mech Commander 2" more. It's
arguably not a 'better' game - it's less sophisticated, less true to
the license - but it better suited my tastes, which was to have quick
battles of rompy-stompy-robots smashing everything. "Battletech
(2018)" does tend to get a bit involved, with you second-guessing
every move you make. "Do I do an alpha-strike now, and go into
heat-shutdown but maybe kill them, or should I flank them and chip
away at their rear armor, or... or..." Meanwhile, in "MechCommander"
it's "shoot shoot shoot till their fusion plants explode!"

I dunno, maybe that says more about me than the games ;-)

On 18/09/2022 17:22, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
> On Sun, 18 Sep 2022 10:58:56 +0100, JAB <noway@nochance.com> wrote:
>
>> On 16/09/2022 15:53, Justisaur wrote:
>>> I remember playing one of the Mechwarrior games decades ago,
>>> might have been 3, whichever it was, was the best PC mech game
>>> I played - only outdone by the arcade (see below.)
>
>> I did play Mechcommander many years ago and I enjoyed except for one
>> slight problem, it had a habit of crashing quite often. SO much so, that
>> I ended up taking it back and getting a different game. I was pleasantly
>> surprised that the shop had no quibbles about doing it.
>
> I always preferred the second Mech Commander game. The first's
> pseudo-3D was rough around the edges visually, and felt like it was
> uncertain whether it wanted to be action or strategy oriented. The
> second game generally felt more sure of itself, with more polished
> gameplay and visuals. It's mission design was a bit lackluster but
> overall the second game was far more enjoyable.
>
> But both don't fare too well on modern hardware/operating systems, and
> instability seems to be the rule. Sadly, due to licensing issues there
> have never been updated versions sold digitally that might have fixed
> these problems.
>
> For all its other faults, "Battletech (2018)" knew what it wanted to
> be - a digital representation of the tabletop miniature game - and did
> a pretty good job of achieving its vision, even if it resulted in the
> game being a bit niche.
>
> But - truth be told - I think I enjoyed "Mech Commander 2" more. It's
> arguably not a 'better' game - it's less sophisticated, less true to
> the license - but it better suited my tastes, which was to have quick
> battles of rompy-stompy-robots smashing everything. "Battletech
> (2018)" does tend to get a bit involved, with you second-guessing
> every move you make. "Do I do an alpha-strike now, and go into
> heat-shutdown but maybe kill them, or should I flank them and chip
> away at their rear armor, or... or..." Meanwhile, in "MechCommander"
> it's "shoot shoot shoot till their fusion plants explode!"
>
> I dunno, maybe that says more about me than the games ;-)
>

I really don't remember much about Mechcommander beyond I liked it
enough that I was annoyed that it didn't work on my PC very well. 2018 I
rather liked but again it's one of those games I was enjoying but then
got distracted by something else - that's why I have my New Year's
Resolution on buying games!

On Mon, 19 Sep 2022 11:12:55 +0100, JAB <noway@nochance.com> wrote:

>I really don't remember much about Mechcommander beyond I liked it
>enough that I was annoyed that it didn't work on my PC very well. 2018 I
>rather liked but again it's one of those games I was enjoying but then
>got distracted by something else - that's why I have my New Year's
>Resolution on buying games!
>
It's a good resolution; work through the backlog and save some money
doing it!

I really should do the same... except I think that sooner or later
it's going to be forced on me rather than something I do out of
choice. Modern games are increasingly not becoming worth buying - or
even playing - and I can see a time five or ten years in the future
when I finally say, "no thank you, I'm good" to new releases. At which
point I'll just rely on my overly-large library of games to keep me
entertained... probably for decades.

(I'm really not that far off from that now, as you can probably tell
by looking at my monthly playlists. And most of the 'new' games I
purchase tend to be digital versions of games I already own, purchased
simply for the convenience of not having to use a CD-ROM).

On Monday, September 19, 2022 at 10:34:34 AM UTC-7, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
> On Mon, 19 Sep 2022 11:12:55 +0100, JAB <no...@nochance.com> wrote:
>
>
> >I really don't remember much about Mechcommander beyond I liked it
> >enough that I was annoyed that it didn't work on my PC very well. 2018 I
> >rather liked but again it's one of those games I was enjoying but then
> >got distracted by something else - that's why I have my New Year's
> >Resolution on buying games!
> >
> It's a good resolution; work through the backlog and save some money
> doing it!
>
> I really should do the same... except I think that sooner or later
> it's going to be forced on me rather than something I do out of
> choice. Modern games are increasingly not becoming worth buying - or
> even playing - and I can see a time five or ten years in the future
> when I finally say, "no thank you, I'm good" to new releases. At which
> point I'll just rely on my overly-large library of games to keep me
> entertained... probably for decades.
>
> (I'm really not that far off from that now, as you can probably tell
> by looking at my monthly playlists. And most of the 'new' games I
> purchase tend to be digital versions of games I already own, purchased
> simply for the convenience of not having to use a CD-ROM).

I try to do that and check what I haven't played, but most of that is free
from epic, prime, etc. and most of it I'm not the least bit interested in.
When I do give them a chance anyway my batting average of something
I actually found fun is pretty darn low, somewhere between 5-20%

I've got quite a lot of "give this game I never finished another try" games
too, but typically an even worse average than the ones that don't look
interesting. I've had maybe 2 or 3 ever that I tried again that I actully
got into.

There are games I know I loved, but they're worn out. I used to break
those out every so often, like Fallout 2, but these days there's so many
other new games to try, and my recent attempts (last 10 years?)
have turned out rather short and meh, just ruining my nostalgia for
them. On the other hand I really loved DS3 when I went back to it
the first time (second time not so much, but that's because they
broke a mod that makes it so you can kick cheaters in PVP.)

I do have a few games I bought on deep discount, like Witcher 3,
with the intention to play them but I shouldn't have bought. I look at
that and think, well I didn't really like either of the previous
two, but people say it's good. I'm not in the mood to try it right now
though. (Don't get me wrong, I love a lot about the first two, except
you know, the actual gameplay/combat. I find it a lot better as a
TV show, and I'd probably enjoy the books.)

- Justisaur

On 19/09/2022 18:34, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
> On Mon, 19 Sep 2022 11:12:55 +0100, JAB <noway@nochance.com> wrote:
>
>
>> I really don't remember much about Mechcommander beyond I liked it
>> enough that I was annoyed that it didn't work on my PC very well. 2018 I
>> rather liked but again it's one of those games I was enjoying but then
>> got distracted by something else - that's why I have my New Year's
>> Resolution on buying games!
>>
> It's a good resolution; work through the backlog and save some money
> doing it!
>
> I really should do the same... except I think that sooner or later
> it's going to be forced on me rather than something I do out of
> choice. Modern games are increasingly not becoming worth buying - or
> even playing - and I can see a time five or ten years in the future
> when I finally say, "no thank you, I'm good" to new releases. At which
> point I'll just rely on my overly-large library of games to keep me
> entertained... probably for decades.
>
> (I'm really not that far off from that now, as you can probably tell
> by looking at my monthly playlists. And most of the 'new' games I
> purchase tend to be digital versions of games I already own, purchased
> simply for the convenience of not having to use a CD-ROM).
>

I see it slightly differently. The output of the big publishers I pretty
much ignored for several years as I just don't feel they're doing
anything particularly new or interesting. Almost all my new games now
come from small to medium size houses but the problem is trying to find
the gems amongst the absolute dross.

The number one thing I miss about physical stores is that you could just
pop in and easily browse the admittedly small, by today's standard,
selection of games and probably find something that I like and just as
importantly a type of game that I might not have tried before.

There's also possibly an element of having a physical copy and the lack
of the ability for another game to be just a few clicks away giving a
'better' connection to the game plus not buying a game just because you
could.