Your BattleTech News Roundup For March, 2022

Well hey, we’re not all dead! That’s a fancy turn of events that I was totally not expecting. Perhaps it’s the spring weather that’s finally got me in a cheerful mood. Or maybe it’s the fact that we haven’t all been vaporized in nuclear fire. Either way, I’m happy for March, and I’m sure you’ll be happy for all the news coming straight to your eyeholes through my fingertips. 

That sounds weird. Let’s just get to your BattleTech news for March while I go wash my hands. 

Renegade HPG Talks To BattleTech Animated Writer Robert Skir


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Continuing last January’s interview with BattleTech: The Animated Series producer Kurt Weldon, Renegade HPG is back to talk with series writer Robert Skir. Perhaps better known for classic ’90s cartoons including X-Men, Batman, and Gargoyles, Robert still had plenty of fond memories to share with Travis. And perhaps surprisingly for people that are brought into the BattleTech universe, Robert did quite a bit of research on the universe before writing the series. Although not particularly interested in “space tanks” as he called them, Robert came to the understanding that BattleMechs are really an integral part of both the characters and the stories they’re trying to tell, making the series into as much a drama as it was a means to sell toys (which it generally failed to do, which perhaps explains with the show was canceled). 

If you want the lowdown on how a ‘90s cartoon gets written and very specific details on BattleTech: The Animated Series, this is the interview you need to see. 

MechWarrior Online’s Roadmap Was A Whole Lot Of Nothing


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This technically came about in February, but it was a little late to hit that month’s news blast so we’re pushing it into March. We’re well into 2022 and well into MechWarrior Online‘s renaissance with multiple patches, multiple map revamps, and even a brand new map. It’s time for fans to get a roadmap, and what PGI delivered was a whole lotta nothin’.

To be fair to PGI, they’ve been bitten before by overpromising and underdelivering, so the 2022 roadmap was couched in language that made everyone aware that it was very much a work in progress. But with most of the year filled with “TBD” placeholders, the roadmap really didn’t reveal a whole lot to MechWarrior fans. 

A follow-up post from live ops manager Matt Newman clarified a few points on the roadmap. He said there’d be more ‘Mech variants coming in the year, but the exact number and delivery dates are up in the air. PGI is also committed to four brand new maps--the first of which arrives this month--but specific timetables are still unknown. The Cauldron is continuing its work on quirks and game balance and there will be more events and sales as the year goes on. 

So stuff is coming (as we’ll see more later in this very article), but there are not a lot of hard dates that can be set at the moment. Perhaps a roadmap was a bad idea and instead a more general post on future plans might have been sufficient. I’ll be the first to admit it’s tough to keep MechWarriors happy. 

MWO Supports Ukraine With Free ‘Mech (And Also Patch Notes And Limited-Time Events)

As with each month, there’s a new free ‘Mech being given away in MechWarrior Online. The Uziel UZP-6P is a decent medium energy boat, and this particular Uziel can come with a blue and yellow paint job--the same colors as the Ukrainian flag. There’s also a peace symbol on the right torso. It’s not quite an explicit political statement, but it’s close, and an interesting choice given the number of Russian players in MechWarrior Online.

Getting that Uziel only requires a combined match score of 8,000 rather than the 10,000 required for previous free ‘Mech giveaways. That might be due to another big change that happened over the March 12 weekend which was 8v8 quickplay matches. The official line was testing for the coming events queue, but it also provided an excellent opportunity for PGI to see if 8v8 games might make the wait time between matches somewhat shorter. I’ve played a few games and they certainly did arrive faster, but it seems the matchmaker had some difficulty ensuring a fair balance of ‘Mech classes and pilots on both sides. 

If you didn’t like 8v8, the good news is that things are back to the usual 12v12 matches now. The rest of the month is celebrating St. Patrick’s day by hosting the Lucky Charms lootbox event. Tons of free credits and skill points are being given away alongside several cockpit cosmetics that fit the Irish theme. 

And now let’s talk about that patch. Only a few ‘Mechs getting new quirks, including the Catapult, Charger, Bushwacker, Night Gyr, and Warhammer IIC, but there’s a litany of smaller tweaks being made to various ‘Mechs that have already received their quirk passes. It seems the Cauldron is slowing down a bit on the quirk passes to fine-tune some previously quirked ‘Mechs.

But the biggest news is two new ‘Mech variants coming, including the Kit Fox-P and the Summoner-G, as well as a brand new map. Emerald Valley brings beautiful, verdant highlands with plenty of rocky outcrops and buildings to take cover behind. Like MechWarrior Online‘s other new map, Emerald Vale looks pretty big, so hopefully that 8v8 change isn’t coming back anytime soon. Otherwise, folks will have trouble finding each other in this mountainous maze.

Don’t Forget BattleTech Fans In Ukraine

I know I said we weren’t going to get political, but this one was pretty heartbreaking. Kyiv still stands bravely in the face of Russian aggression (and if recent reports are to be believed, have even pushed Russian forces back), but it’s still a humanitarian crisis of a scale that Europe hasn’t seen since World War 2. Please give to Ukrainian charities if you have the means.

This Is What Happens To LRM-Boats Who Get Noticed

This one’s a bit MechWarrior Online-specific given the Flea poking a Nova Cat-B in the butt, but I felt it was relevant enough to BattleTech fans everywhere that it should be celebrated in the news. Credit to Reddit user acreamysquid for the pic and for noticing senpai.

Catalyst Returns To Conventions And Announces A New Tech Readout

With Covid on the wane (at least for now), it’s time to get back to the business, and that means conventions for Catalyst Game Labs. Adepticon just ended in Illinois where Catalyst revealed a brand-new product: Technical Readout: Dark Age.

A compilation of the most common ‘Mechs found in Technical Readout: 3067, Technical Readout: 3075, Technical Readout: 3085, Technical Readout: 3145, Technical Readout: 3150, Technical Readout: Irregulars, and Technical Readout: Prototypes, Technical Readout: Dark Age was available in limited quantities at Adepticon and will see a wider release at a later date. 

Catalyst also announced a new cover reprint for Surrender Your Dreams as well as the print-on-demand version of No Substitute for Victory, both of which are available now. Head to Catalyst’s website or follow these links to buy ’em.

The Great UrbanMech Uprising Is Why You Should Buy Shrapnel #8

I don’t have Shrapnel issue 8, but this art is basically compelling me to purchase it. Reddit user meltdonw14, who has shared quite a bit of amazing art on the social media site, had his work featured in Shrapnel for the story “The Great UrbanMech Uprising.” Do you want to know how the UrbanMechs rose up to throw off the shackles of their oppressors? I know I sure do. Plus the story confirms the canonicity of a UrbanMech duelist association called the “Urbie Durbie.” That’s how you move magazines, people.

MechWarrior 5 Is Not Dead Yet

A little while ago, I talked about the future of MechWarrior 5, which wasn’t looking super great after publisher EG7 released a report saying MechWarrior 5‘s production was winding down. No Guts No Galaxy’s Sean Lang postulated that MechWarrior 5 was likely to see at least one more expansion for MW5, but that would likely be the end before PGI moves on to bigger and better things (like possibly MechWarrior 6). 

On March 22, PGI president Russ Bullock answered No Guts No Galaxy to reveal “significant amounts of development going on for both MechWarrior products,” which include MechWarrior 5 and MechWarrior Online. More info is promised in the coming “days or weeks” and “not months.” 

In fact, we’ve already seen the first ‘Mech that’ll be coming in MechWarrior 5‘s third DLC. More details on that later on.

MechWarrior Living Legends Is Revamping Its VTOL Flight Model


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It’s been a while since we heard from MechWarrior: Living Legends, the stand-alone Crysis mod that is the absolute best way to play a PC-based BattleTech game for zero dollars (or Euros or Pesos or whatever other currency you’ve got jangling around in your digital pocketbook). It’s also the only BattleTech video game that offers combined arms combat--you can roll around in a tank, jet around as an Elemental, or fly around in an Aerospace fighter.

Or you can zip around in any of BattleTech’s many conventional VTOL aircraft, which range from the Hawk Moth for the Inner Sphere faction to the Clan’s Donar. Choppers are a great way of providing stable fire support or a fast defensive response, and although they’re vulnerable to fire from… well, pretty much everything (just like real-life choppers), there are some MWLL fans that swear by these zippy little monsters.

And now they’re getting a flight model revamp. In their current form, VTOLs can be quite difficult to get the hang of. You can’t move backward or sideways as most modern helicopters can, and you can’t pitch your VTOL in order to engage targets that are significantly above or below your flight path. All that’s changing in the upcoming VTOL flight model rework, along with several other new features that will make VTOLs more realistic. 

The latest trailer showcasing the flight model rework promises these changes will hit MWLL “soon,” so stay tuned. And as always, give MechWarrior: Living Legends a try if you’re tired of the more modern MechWarrior games.

MechWarrior Online Is Teasing A New ‘Mech And I’m Pretty Sure It’s The Crusader

This is a big deal. The Crusader has been one of the most requested Unseen ‘Mechs since MechWarrior Online got started way back in 2012, and with all the other Unseen ‘Mechs lumbering around (including the Shadow Hawk, Phoenix Hawk, Locust, Griffin, Warhammer, Marauder, and many more), the Crusader has been a conspicuous absence.

But that might soon change. The MechWarrior Online Twitter account appears to be teasing a brand new ‘Mech, and from what folks far more observant than I can tell, it appears to be the vaunted Crusader. Fans point to the feet and vents on the legs as telltale signs that the Crusader will soon arrive in MWO.

That said, we’ve yet to receive all the teaser images for anyone to put ‘em all together to create a conclusive, singular image. I’ll be following this Twitter thread to find out though. [Edit: It’s confirmed]

I don’t think the Crusader will upset the MWO meta all that much. Most missile boats are either Supernovas or Nova Cats, with the occasional Huntsman thrown in for funsies. I think I have a friend who loves his Stalker missilier, but Archers and Catapults aren’t particularly common. On the other hand, the Crusader offers an interesting mix of missile, energy, and ballistic hardpoints, so it’s possible that the Crusader could surprise me with a competitive build that’s very different from its stock loadout. 

…And The Hatchetman In MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries

Same deal as above, but instead of MechWarrior Online (which doesn’t have melee combat options and likely never will) it’s MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries (which does have melee combat options, but so far limited to just punches). Hatchets (and axes and swords) can do a LOT of damage in the tabletop, so here’s hoping Mr. Hatchetman is as baller in MechWarrior 5. This basically confirms MechWarrior 5‘s third DLC, which will be officially announced in early April.

This UrbanMech Plush Is Really Going Places

I just liked the idea of replacing the Travelocity gnome with an UrbanMech plush. Kudos to ZookeeperD for this delightful arrangement of Urbie photos. 

Operation Lancaster Explores Jihad-Era With Over 500 Pages Of Stories, Art, Record Sheets, And More


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Almost two years ago, Michael at Metal Core Collectibles informed me of an upcoming fan project called Operation Lancaster. What started as a fan-made TRO project has since ballooned into an absolutely massive tabletop expansion, complete with art, character profiles, record sheets, and even a fancy launch trailer. It even has MegaMekLab files if you prefer to play your BattleTech tabletop games digitally.

Operation Lancaster primarily tells the story of several mercenary units fighting against the Word of Blake during the Jihad. You’ll be able to get caught up thanks to several short stories included in the 500-plus page PDF file that you can find in the video description.

This project is a huge love letter to BattleTech. It’s also telling a story that most of the community has either glossed over or ignored--including Catalyst itself. The Jihad is a great opportunity to tell compelling stories during what is likely BattleTech‘s darkest hours, and it’s fun to see fans diving into this sera with such gusto.

And that’s it! I’m in the middle of buying and also renovating a new home, so I apologize for being a little light on content. I promise the next Bad ‘Mechs will be out soon™.

And as always MechWarriors: Stay Syrupy. 

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