MechWarrior Tactics
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 | Apocryphal Product Although the subject of this article is an official BattleTech product, it does not meet the current criteria for Canon. Its content may or may not be canonical for the BattleTech universe, and for the purpose of the Sarna.net BattleTechWiki is considered apocryphal. |
| MechWarrior Tactixs | |
|---|---|
| Product information | |
| Type | Computer game |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Infinite Game Publishing |
| First published | 2012 |
| MSRP | ? |
| Content | |
| Timeline | 3025 |
MechWarrior Tactics was a free-to-play turn-based tactics video game set in the BattleTech universe. It was originally under development by Roadhouse Interactive and ACRONYM Games, but was taken over by Blue Lizard Games and published by Infinite Game Publishing for the Unity Web Player platform.[1] The game never left closed beta, allowing players to purchase instant access until the website went offline on August 28, 2014. Infinite Games Publishing began bankruptcy proceedings in October of that year, and MechWarrior Tactics was placed on sale in December, 2014.
Gameplay
The game pitted two players against each other in an online turn-based match. The turn-based combat was presented via an isometric 3D perspective, with the play area divided into a hexagonal grid. Each player had control of four individual BattleMechs, to which they issue separate movement and combat commands which are not seen by their opponent. Moving the 'Mechs into certain tiles that represent forests, hills, or bodies of water granted combat advantages and disadvantages, making the skillful maneuvering of units a major aspect of the game. Likewise, the combat itself offered several tactical options, including the targeting of specific sub-sections of an enemy unit, and balancing overheating of weapons with their cool-down period. Once both players finished inputting their movement and combat orders, the action played out on both players' screens simultaneously, showing the results of their actions for that turn. The turns continued in this fashion until one player lost all of their 'Mechs.
A major inspiration for the game was the BattleTech Collectible Card Game. Most items available to the player are represented in the form of virtual cards, including the 'Mechs themselves, their individual weapons, upgrades, and pilots. These cards could be purchased with real money or acquired through gameplay progression by using in-game currency. Customization performed on a particular 'Mech was carried over into future matches, giving players an incentive to invest in their card collections for the long haul rather than building up an arsenal for one specific match.
The entire game was played inside a web browser window and did not require any additional downloads.
BattleMechs
- Atlas
- Awesome
- Catapult
- Commando
- Dragon
- Grasshopper
- Hunchback
- Jenner
- Orion
- Panther
- Spider
- Stalker
- Trebuchet
Canonicity
Computer games are explicitly excluded from the list of products that contribute straight Canon to the BattleTech universe while at the same time it was stated that the IP owners are "not in total denial about these sources either"; it has also been stated that fluff from certain official, licensed products (namely certain computer games including those produced by Personae Studios) can be assumed to be part of the shared universe as long as it is not directly contradicted, and makes sense. On this premise, MechWarrior Tactical Commander is considered to be an apocryphal product.
Official Links
- MechWarrior Tactics (homepage)
The text in this article is based on this revision of the Wikipedia article "MechWarrior Tactics" used under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. See the BattleTechWiki's copyright notice.