Quick Look: MechWarrior Online

This game could have been super cool, but as expected (and I totally called) when they first announced it as a f2p game, it's ruined by the usual P2W garbage.

Actual mech battle taking place this year.. Japanese company "Suidobashi Heavy Industries" built theirs a few years ago as more of a functional art peice but americans MegaBot built theirs for combat and challenged Japan to a duel and now theyre both making modifications for melee combat. It could either be really cool or a real let down, interesting nonetheless

Aw man, I can't believe it's cockpit items that makes me want to play this game

Hmm, played this some in beta and was less than impressed. It looks a lot better now, but it's clear from a number of different games that I'm just not in the price bracket that they're aiming for. I'm quite happy to pay $5 for a new mech/character/class/etc, maybe 10 if I really like a game, but even the mid-range Mechs are $20 and up? Crazy.

Forced 12 vs 12 matchmaking ruined the game for me, but that is mainly because back in 8 vs 8 matchmaking it fealt like you could make a more substantive personal contribution to the team. (I also think sans chat 8 vs 8 worked better)

@tennmuerti: It feels like they did. I don't run scared whenever I see clan mechs and I do pretty well.

Someone was saying jack-of-all trades builds are garbage but that just hasn't been my exprience. I run thunderbolts and orions with fairly balanced weapon loadouts and I'm loving it.

Austin made me want to try this again. I have no real fondness for mechs but I like the idea of them. I tried this in beta a long time ago and it seemed impenetrable at the time but maybe that has changed some.

Yo that third-person drone thing is blowing my mind.

@malrock: I'm a big fan of Votoms! It's blend of military mecha and hardboiled atmosphere was a big inspiration on the current season of my tabletop podcast!

I think with all that F2P nonsense I'd rather sit and wait for another Armored Core.

Hunchback with the AC20 replaced with an MG looks funny though.

Didn't Austin say he's a fan of Mellowlink, the soldier-vs-mech spinoff?

This game is heartbreaking. The sound, mech, and combat design are all superb. But the grind is insane and you could literally pay thousands of dollars and not see everything in this game. Put a couple dozen hours into it and still have a bad taste in my mouth from the free to play stuff.

This looks pretty awesome honestly, but I still don't know if I want to even try it because of the F2P shit and grind.

Having to buy all the variants of one Mech to be able to level it is not only dumb but seems like such a grind, that I really don't get how anyone ever thought that was a good idea.

Personally I love this game. I've ben playing for about... two years now, I guess? I'm not on it all the time (due to work I have to ration my gaming time, and I'm still playing Fallout 4 instead right now), but I have spent a lot (way too much) real money on this game. Some on pre-order packs, some just to buy more c-bills (in-game currency) to help me customize my mechs.

That last part is what I really love: trying to create really effective mech builds. I can spend hours, poking, and tweeking, and looking up effective builds online, and adjusting them for my preference, and buying new equipment, and reseting the mech to nothing and starting over, etc. I LOVE it. Redesigning a mech into a new build that is way deadlier than before is tons of fun. And, of course, so is going out and playing with those builds.

Ha! The developers office is down the block from where I work. They have screens running a demo of this in their display window.

So did the developers get a deal with Harmony Gold, or all the legacy designs just-different-enough to not infringe on those copyrights?

@austin_walker: @kdr_11k: Ah awesome! Glad to see that universe getting love. People need to check this out if they like their mechs dirty as hell

edit: I bet Alan Rickman would have made a great hardboiled mech pilot :(

I have been playing the Armored Warfare beta (think World of Tanks but modern tanks), and I have to say that the PvE addition to that game is great. So, instead of having the only way to play the game is having to get into a 12v12 match, you have the option to get into a smaller PvE group, say 4 (since that is a lance) go out together and take on some challenge together. Having multiple play styles would go a long way for me.

MW:O was not the Mechwarrior game I asked for or wanted. While i have enjoyed Mechwarrior Multiplayer in the past (specifically MW:4 Mercs) the game ultimately wasn't for me. I actually felt the Living Legends mod for Crysis was far better than the MW:O had been.

I am looking forward to Harebrained SchemesBattleTech when it comes out especially since Jordan Weisman is heading this up.

This game would have been so much better if they let you try different loadouts BEFORE having to purchase the equipment. My favorite part of Mechwarrior is the Mechlab so having to only buy things I knew other people used took out all the experimentation and fun for me.

Granted I stopped playing a while ago but I think this is still true.

There's something neat going on here, but paying for colours.. That just triggers something within me.

FREE THE COLOURS.

Tell me about it , i would love a single player mechwarrior with crazy DCS level technical features.

I was installing this until I got to that part of the video and went "nope"

@convox: Oh definitely, seeing the return of the Unseen in fairly identifiable forms (though I've liked the modern takes on the Marauder/Zentraedi Officer Pods) is a bash. I wish I could just buy a game for 60 bucks (or heck, putting my money where my mouth is, $100 dollars for expansions or DLC) and just play an indepth Mechwarrior game. Even better would be a Star Citizen type game where I could be a mech pilot, astro fighter jock, super spy, etc. for any faction. Ah to one day have a handy couple billion dollars I guess.

@dewar: Fact is, you earn enough in game currency to buy all your mechs. And mech bays at normal price are $5 real money (on sale semi-frequently for $2.50).

The only mechs that are money only forever are the Hero mechs that get you extra Cbills and XP when you play in them, but very few of those are better than the cbill available ones. And there are some "champion" mechs for money that are just upgraded versions of the same chassis that give you extra XP.

Everything else is available with in game currency. And I earn enough real money currency in events to buy a few mech bays when they're on sale.

Or, just buy one of the big mech packs if you insist on spending money. Those mechs will eventually be available for in game currency, but you get an early start, some other perks like warhorns, colors, or premium time. They include mech bays, too. For instance, a 9 mech pack will cost around $60, include the mech bay, and include some modules, warhorns, paint colors, etc.

So don't let the mech prices scare you off. You don't have to buy them. Your starter (cadet) period of 25 rounds will earn you enough cbills to buy a mech and equip it, then you can continue earning money to buy more.

@r3dt1d3: I do wish they'd allow at least "renting" equipment before purchase, ala Blacklight Retribution.

Love me some mech on mech fights.

damnit i didn't want to get this but i hear "heat sinks" and i'm in

Using my full HOTAS seems imprecise for this game but throttle + mouse (HOTAM?) works well enough. Of course its the X-55 with a ton of buttons for other mappings.

top 10 hot and heavy heat sinks

I could listen to Austin and Vinny chat about mechs for hours.

I wanted to play Mechwarrior Online but could never get over the grind just to get elite skills by mastering all variants of a given mech. I usually end up playing Mechwarrior 4 Mercenaries again if I want my mech fix, but I really want a new mech game that I can really sink my teeth into.

So, slightly unrelated here, but wasn't there a strategy game in this universe on the horizon somewhere? I seem to recall Jeff mentioning it on a Bombcast but I can't be sure... Something in the vein of (or an outright sequel to) Mech Commander maybe?

I was all aboard on this game but that store just looked like a train wreck: Pictures upon pictures, random text just crossing over menu displays. Ick, just ick. I know the game is older so a graphics update may be out of the question, but at least try and smooth out the UI a bit.

It's a pity too because I saw both "Nova" and "Warhammer" in there and it made me smile. Here's hoping they at least have the "Supernova" variant...that would explode if you fired all of it's Heavy Lasers at once!

This took me back to 1998 when I was building my first computer in order to play Mech Warrior 3 with my friends in the barracks. It was the game that I bought a Sidewinder Pro for, and that same joystick still sits next to my desk to this day.

Those micro transactions are rough.

Austin im disappointed of course there's mechs with swords. And yes hatchetman has a hatchet and special rules for it. Kickdamage on the punch table ;).

Additional note you can put weapons in the back, at least in the table top and you can shoot flamers to overheat someone.