I was just updating some of my games the other day (several of which I have reviewed here) when I decided to lurk Google Play and the Amazon App Store. BattleTech, mecha, ect are among my favorite keywords, and right away I ran into Mech Factory, a kind of mobile library by Phoenix Wolf. Based out of Hungary, Mech Factory is the latest in a series of products, including a novel series and website member features. (This wouldn’t be canon work. Catalyst was fairly specific in what is considered canon).
They are even working on an AeroTech/BattleSpace mod for IWAR2:Edge of Chaos. I’ll be keeping a keen eye out for this mod.
Canned TROs and Record Sheets- now on your mobile device.
Mech Factory is free to download from Google Play if you have Android OS 4 or better. It covers only BattleMechs, BattleArmor, and Prototypes as well as their equipment. No aircraft, spacecraft, vehicles or unarmored infantry as of yet. If you have access to wifi, it’s advised that you play around with it some because the first time you view a page or a record sheet it has to download from the server. After that it will load straight from your phone. Those with limited data plans might hang out in a restaurant with free wifi for lunch one day and read up.
You can print the record sheets if you have wifi or USB access. If you move the app to a micro SD card you can also load it for printing at a Kinkos, library, etc. A bit more about their website, it’s a shame that so much of it is in Hungarian. Don’t get me wrong, it’s wonderful that Hungary has a booming BattleTech and MechWarrior community. But it looks like they have a lot of original content that we in the west will never see, canon or not.
Oh well, at least I can enjoy reading real TROs without necessarily needing an internet or wifi connection. You can also follow Mech Factory on Facebook.
Well bargained, and done.