Mechwarrior for an MMO? yes/no?

Maybe it is just me, but I am sick of all these vanilla, run-of-the-mill, repeated fantasy themes for MMO's. I think it is time for a new MMO. A lot of designers are reusing old games and turning them into MMO's, so lets take one of the best series of all time and make it into one. I am talking about Mechwarriors. No, not the mechassault game for the Xbox, but the real deal. The old style mech fighting goodness. Rather than looking to outfit your armor or weapons for your fighter/druid hybrid, you would instead be gathering up resources for those clan LRM20's for your Mad Cat (Timberwolf, for the old vets of the game).

As for races, it would be easy. Your character would belong to one of the families or groups of the Inner sphere or one of the clans. You could even choose to belong to one of the mercenary guilds. Add to it, this would provide so much backstory. There is a lot of literature already written about the series. As for combat, you could have PvP between Innersphere and clanners, but also between the individual factions. There could be full fledged wars that exist on the servers as planets are fought over by the different groups.

The combat should probably stay the same so in that way it would be more like an fps, with enough firepower to level a city block, but an fps none the less. With that, you could form groups to have as your lancemates. With online headphone links, you could actually formulate real strategies about how to handle each mission.

It still would need to be fleshed out a lot more and obviously some very daring company would have to pick it up because it would be quite the undertaking, but I think it could be a really good series and would help break up the monotony of the same old fantasy MMOrpgs. So, what do you think?

I'm all for a new Mechwarrior game, but not an MMO...

The material is definately sufficient enough to fuel a full-on, MMO mechwarrior game.  A lot of history, factions, and story to warrant a game, for sure!

The question is, whether or not it should be an RPG.  I could swing both ways here.

If it were an RPG, I imagine you would start on your "backwater" home planet, doing jobs for your clan.  You start with a basic chassis with maybe a laser gun.  As you gain prowess and honor among your clan, you are asked to join the clan's army and this grants you access to different planets.  As you battle, you gain levels and then gain access to new and more powerful weapons.

If it were not an RPG, I imagine all you would have to do is earn money to buy upgrades.

Still, this definately sounds like a great idea.  Unfortunately, I dont see it happening...didnt microsfot and that other company get in a huuuuuuuuuuge fight over the Mech licensing and basically killed it?

I say that it sounds intresting.  If you could scavenge a battle field and get new stuff and then swap parts from your mech that would be intresting.  Artifacts could be found either by raiding a science facility of some group and getting a new piece of gear, or you might stumble on one of those old star league stashes and get better equipment that way.

Either way there is potential.

As for RPG/ Leveling up would that basically translate to how well the pilot handled the mech and its systems?  Such as heat management, targeting, etc...

We definitely need a new MW game. It should be an FPS (like MW3 or MW4). I see a little bit difficult the RPG part. I mean, you are the one behind the controls and aiming reticle, so there wont be a point in putting stats like "Accuracy", "Sensors", "Situational Awareness" or something like that...

But besides that, I think that it would be an experience like MW2 Mercenaries and MW4 Mercenaries: planet hopping, looking for contracts and things like that.

It would be awesome (as someone mentioned) to come across Star League stashes.

This idea looks very interesting

Boy did I love that game - came with AOL and you could even play it on dial-up with virtually no lag.

You even had unions within the armies. It was pretty cool and even though it was not the most graphically advanced game, the gameplay was pretty awesome and some of the concepts were pretty cool.

Always did wonder why AOL/Whoever pulled the plug on it - it was a pretty thriving community.

No, mechwarrior imo wasn't even very good.. There were better series out there with large robots, such as Heavy Gear..sSubZerOo

???? HEavy Gear was Activitions responce to losing the Mechwarrior deal. It holds nothing to the Mechwarrior franchise.Besides the robots HELD their weapons(and i don't want to hear anyone say Battlemaster...i know).......WTF is that :-p

OMG. This would be the best MMO ever....IF it was done right. Unfortunately the Mechwarrior franchise has been riddled with political and licencing BS for years. I hate to say it but I doubt it would ever come to be. Even if the project started, the shear depth and scope would crush the final outcome, as I can guarantee infighting and vision conflict would ensue.

Oh how I can picture what the game could be. Imagine a fully 3D environment, much like WOW. You would be your character but have the option to be whatever you want.A ground unit, a tank commander, air support, and eventually, once you can afford it a mechwarrior. Imagine your in a ground skirmish. Tanks and hover vehicles are everywhere. The odd firefox or bushwacker run around but no big deal. Then suddenly out of the smoke emerges a Atlas. Keep in mind everything would be a to-scale fully 3D environment. Imagine being you, a little soldier...looking up at an atlas! Its insane! The Mechwarrior/Battletech universe has every element of a good MMO; A polished economy system, political,ratial & religious factions. Plus the most bad ass weapons and equipment ever. Plus a proven RP system. Unfortunatley no one could do it justice. Well I hope one day someone does but I won't be holding my breath...

Having said that, even if the concept taken from the original Battletech RPG could be translated into an online format, that would be incredible. Take the framework of the original, let your dude run around the bases etc, talk to people, take on missions, and then jump in your mech and run around the planet, or fly to another planet.

I think we need to start lobbying the right people here!8)

Then suddenly out of the smoke emerges a Atlas. Keep in mind everything would be a to-scale fully 3D environment. Imagine being you, a little soldier...looking up at an atlas!

greed_1983

O M G ! ! ! ! !

You can bet that in that situation, I wont stand around to get my poor little tiny butt KICKED by an enormous Atlas. Now, If I were piloting a Timberwolf, well thats another story

[QUOTE="sSubZerOo"] No, mechwarrior imo wasn't even very good.. There were better series out there with large robots, such as Heavy Gear..greed_1983

???? HEavy Gear was Activitions responce to losing the Mechwarrior deal. It holds nothing to the Mechwarrior franchise.Besides the robots HELD their weapons(and i don't want to hear anyone say Battlemaster...i know).......WTF is that :-p

Heavy Gear 2 got rated a AAA which no Mechwarrior has gotten :roll:, and they both held their weapons and had it mounted.. Regardless with the inclusion of Heavy Gear 2 it has beaten out every mechwarrior game imo, and gamespot tends to agree too with the higher rating.

AAA? Isn't that a beef rating?

Since I have never played the HG titles I can't comment on their game play. My point was that Heavy Gear borrows all of its game cues and theme from the Mechwarrior games. Essentially HG is what the new Mechwarrior games would have been if Activision would have kept the license. The Mechwarrior universe is so broad and has so much history and depth that i doubt anyone could argue that HG could come close to this.

Also, the user rating for Vengeance and HG2 are both 8.7 I tend to take the user rating over the critic rating. Is it really that much better?

Mechwarrior.....singleplayer....mmofps....rpg...hell ill take anything. MW2 was so wicked and ive been hanging for another MW game (on the pc) for some time now....

so yes.

Interesting idea - I don't know if it would work. What happens when your mech gets totaled, you just respawn? Maybe a large-scale war multiplayer, like an improved Battlefield or TRIBES would be a better idea?

However, since we are talking about Sci-Fi MMOs, I'm looking forward to Tabula Rasa. Watching the gameplay footage, it looks like a nice change of pace for Tactical combat where your position in the game world matters. Taking cover, using terrain to give yourself a dice roll bonus, etc. It's lead game designer is Lord British himself (Richard Garriot, creator of the Ultima series and Ultima Online, which many of us long-time MMOers played for a number of years)/

www.Playtr.com, sign up for the Beta, maybe it will scratch your itch for Sci-fi.

Back on topic now...

Mechwarrior was innovative in its day as a PC game. It's cool to run around in a giant mech, customize your weapon systems, and use rudder on your joystick to rotate your upper torso while running in another direction. Sometimes I install mechwarrior 4 for kicks and giggles - gotta use that joystick for something other than choppers in BF2/2142. The gameplay seems a bit dated, however, considering that people are so used to mouse & keyboard combo that trying to do torso-twists and aim accurately with a joystick would be silly.

I guess what I'm saying is, the Joystick-centric gameplay was good in its time since it was much better than using a keyboard, but I don't know if this is what people want.

Also, I think video game developers (or publishers, more likely) are weary of making Sci-fi Simulators. I.E., the space sims like Freespace 2 have died off. The last TRIBES game was cool, but sales were abysmal (I think less than 50,000 copies sold in first several months). They stopped support for the game before 1.1 was ever finished, and the player base is mostly into modding and open-source development projects now, not playing TRIBES.

Not to mention a simulator-based MMO just seems silly. Still, fun to think about!

hell yes!!!

mechwarrior is an awesome series of games! even by today's standards!

a mechwarrior MMO would be freakin' awesome!

Ya a new Mechwarrior games is WAY over due :( And the MMO setting would be great BUT imo it would need to be a hardcore MMO with severe consequences for losing battles otherwise what what would be the point?

Ade.

I figured most of you would be intersted in this.

http://www.iswars.com

Looks pretty cool. Ads a tabletop planetary battle aspec to Mech4 Mercs. Check it out.

Mechwarrior for a MMO I would say no, as I would feel it would just turn into some thing like planetside, which in the whole was not a bad game overall but did get stale after while. I do think we need a new Mechwarrior single-player/mulptiplayer game though for the PC that would be great :)

Hello all my fellow Mechwarrior brethren.

Mechwarrior remains to be, imho, one of the most over looked and under appreciated games in gaming today, not to mention the best of the best. It saddens me to no end that noone has even explored the potential of developing an MMO or heck, any new Mech games across the genre as a whole. Transformers, Battletech, Robotech, and Mechwarrior are some very very successful names and have very hard core and deep followings around the world. The new generation of programmers and devs are talented enough and bright enough to develope and produce the next world renouned series of games using any of the afore mentioned names.

I would like to send out a challenge to some of them if they read this to consider it, put feelers out there for ideas, create some "think tanks" on the internet and I'm quite confident you as developers could create the most unprecedented "environment" of a game and/or reality type game that the world has never seen before. The technology is here..the generation is now..have they got what it takes to make something that could change the way the world views or acknowledges a "game" as something so earth shattering that it would no longer be just a "game" for people to play any longer, but rather a virtual world with unprecedented interactions that it could no longer be called a game??

With this I challenge you, young bright minds of tomorrow! :idea:

old topic is old.

If a Mechwarrior MMO ever came to be, sign me up :cool:

Well folks.....

SURPRISE !!!

We are working on one.

Right now, we have a 12-15 person team doing a full mod of the BF2142 game with a Battletech/Mechwarrior atmosphere.

There will be planetary capture resembling the MPBT3025 of old, Solaris 7 Lance League, and Free for all arena's.

The 5 Houses are currently setting up shop on the forums, as are most of your favorite Mercenary Groups and Clans, and even some groups whom you may not be familiar with.

We look to be doing a full game, once we have the Battletech/Mechwarrior community up and running on the mod.

To become a part of the Dev team, Alpha testers group, or just to keep on eye on our progress, come on over and pay us a visit @ : www.battlemechhanger.com

Hope to see you there.

Metro of House Liao

There are some screen shots and video links up I believe now, for you to take a peek at.