MechWarrior Online, set in the year 3049 during the early stages of a huge interstellar war, is the upcoming free-to-play MMO currently under development by Piranha Games. The game puts you in control of the powerful BattleMech, one of the toughest war machines to have ever walked on a battlefield.
The most important thing to remember when playing MechWarrior Online is that it’s a team game and there’s no ‘I’ in a team. Each of the game’s modes is a team-based affair, and if you decide to take matters in your own hand, you will probably be dead. And so the order of the day is to strategize from the start.
Moreover, once in the game, you will definitely be tempted by the prospect of so many powerful BattleMechs all around you, but the more powerful they get, the more vulnerable they become. A Mech that delivers maximum fire power will do so at the cost of being slow on the battle ground.
According to the official developer blog of the game: “With a combination of simulation controls and specialize terrain modeling, Mech combat is about to take on a whole new movement mechanic and means of acquiring targets.”
Also, “there are various systems in place that will affect your personal gameplay style but they will all lead back to the core of BattleMech combat. The core of BattleMech combat encapsulates 3 base principles, Mech Operations, Target Acquisition and Engagement.”
The developers states that controlling a BattleMech is not unlike controlling a tank, and the list of locomotive directions and abilities of a BattleMech are as follows:
- Forward
- Backward
- Turn Left
- Turn Right
- Pivot
- Full Stop
“In addition to the location based control, the BattleMech also encompasses torso-twist capabilities which essentially equate the upper actuated torso into a turret with a limited turn angle. Torso-twist angles, on the horizontal plane, vary from BattleMech to BattleMech due to construction constraints and the speed, at which the torso can twist, also varies from BattleMech to BattleMech depending on their tonnage and engine capacity,” the page adds. See here for even more detail.
As of now, we are still unclear as to what are types of weapons that will be used for the game but there are a few that have already been confirmed. There are a number of ballistic weapons such as machine guns, AC 2 (a light auto cannon), AC 10 (a medium-heavy main gun, for direct engagement of enemy armor) and a Gauss Rifle.
There are other missile-based weapons like SRM 2, SRM 6, LRM 5, energy-based weapons such as small laser, flamer, PPCs and other different types of laser based arsenal.
Lastly, there are a number of in-game factions that you can be a part of while playing. These factions consist of political, corporate, secular and quasi-religious interests that range from interstellar empires to industry corporations.
The important thing to note here is that at least one faction will be at war with the other all game long in a territorial battle. The three paths that determine if a player is an active or a passive participant in the game are as follows:
- Pledging Allegiance to a Faction
- Joining a Mercenary Corporation
- Remaining Neutral (Lone Wolf)
Check the official page for more details.
