BattleTech (Video Game)

BattleTech Video Game Front Cover.png
BattleTech
Product information
Type Video Game
Development Harebrained Schemes
Publication information
Publisher Harebrained Schemes
First published 24 April 2018
MSRP $39.99
Content
Era Succession Wars era
Timeline 3025

BattleTech is a 2018 computer game by Harebrained Schemes set in the eponymous BattleTech universe.

It was announced on 29 July 2015 that a new BattleTech-themed game was going to be made, supported by very successful crowdfunding campaign. The Backer Beta was released via Steam on 01 June 2017; the finished game was first released on 24 April 2018. Multiple updates would be released over the following two years that would add new 'Mechs and story content.

Canonicity

Computer games are excluded from the current definition of Canon for the BattleTech universe. The game thus defaults to apocryphal.

Jordan Weisman of FASA fame, often called the "creator of BattleTech", was involved in the making of this game but it was technically produced under the offshoot license for BattleTech computer games that has been a separate intellectual property from the original tabletop BattleTech game, sourcebook and novel line ever since FASA's Virtual World Entertainment Group (and the computer game rights with it) was sold to Microsoft in 1999.

However, there was some cooperation between Catalyst Game Labs and HBS regarding this game. CGL Line Developer Randall N. Bills explicitly stated that it was intended for the game's storyline to be fully canonical.[1] While the game as such was not declared canonical, CGL have since published a sourcebook–House Arano (The Aurigan Coalition)–that was written by HBS's Andrew McIntosh and Kiva Maginn. This sourcebook canonized the key worlds, characters and events from the game (but not the game as such).

Gameplay

Steeped in the feudal political intrigue of the BattleTech universe, the game will feature an open-ended Mercenaries-style campaign that blends RPG ‘Mech and MechWarrior management with modern turn-based tactics.[2]

The game features turn-based 'Mech combat scenarios at its core, where the player gets to control up to four 'Mechs. Game rules and unit stats were altered significantly compared to standard "classic BattleTech" tabletop play, though some basic statistics and mechanics can be 'translated' or 'converted' between the underlying systems without too much difficulty (e.g. multiply all tabletop damage values by 5 to get rough equivalence with BattleTech's).

Mission objectives vary, and while most missions are procedurally generated there are also a number of pregenerated missions that serve to narrate the storyline (see Plot Synopsis below). Both procedural and storyline missions may present complications such as limited drop weight, poor intelligence (the actual difficulty of the mission may be higher than displayed), allied units helping out, enemy reinforcements arriving, artillery barrages presenting dangerous areas, and so on.

In addition, there is a metagame with economic and role-playing elements where the player gets to run his or her own mercenary unit (default name "<Character Name>'s Marauders", though the player is free to give it any other name thereafter) and manage their assets including MechWarrior characters between missions. The player will also have to manage relations with various political factions (Successor States, but also groups like pirates and local governments) and negotiate for cash, salvage, or goodwill from these factions when conducting missions depending on their particular needs or goals. Periodically the player may have to resolve random events during travel, such as disagreements between their pilots, mishaps, and so on. These events have multiple choice outcomes, many of which may be unlocked or modified by the characters involved possessing certain traits or modifiers, or other statuses like the player having high reputation with a faction involved in the event.

Aside from the main Campaign mode the game also features a Career mode, where the goal is to simply attain the highest possible score the player can within 1,200 days of in-game time; there are no mandatory story missions involved, though Flashpoints may appear if the appropriate DLC is installed. Scoring categories include unique 'Mechs and variants collected, 'Mech weight class collections completed (e.g. collecting every heavy 'Mech in the game rewards a significant point bonus), missions completed, C-bills earned, Argo upgrades installed, non-Commander pilots levelled up, total systems visited, and more. There are also Skirmish and Multiplayer modes, where players can go head to head against the AI or other human players to prove their skill in battle on various battlefields with handpicked Lance setups.

Finally, as of the last major update, the game itself is also highly modifiable with an integrated mod launcher and official support for modding game assets. It is fully possible for users to add their own 'Mechs (canon or otherwise), 'Mech variants, vehicles, vehicle variants, weapons, mission types, and much more. The underlying gameplay systems themselves can also be modified and expanded to, for example, increase the complexity of the various systems to something more closely resembling classic BattleTech tabletop rules for those so inclined.

Plot Synopsis

Setting

The game is set in the Aurigan Reach region in the rimward periphery, beyond the Free Worlds League, the Capellan Confederation and the Federated Suns and between the Taurian Concordat and the Magistracy of Canopus.

The Aurigan Reach was created for this game, including many of its named worlds that had not been mentioned in canon before, by fleshing out what had mostly been a blank slate in previous BattleTech canon. Given that many named worlds will belong to one of the other, larger powers on canonical star maps set later in the timeline, it is understood that the Aurigan Reach and the realms therein are struggling minor periphery powers barely considered noteworthy by the Inner Sphere.

Background

The game is (mostly) set around the year 3025, near the end the Third Succession War. Its optional storyline, narrated via a "breadcrumbs" trail of storyline missions, in-game dialogue trees, and cutscenes, that the player may follow or ignore, is broadly concerned with the Arano Restoration:
In 2910, after the major factions abandoned the area for more than a hundred years, a new state—the Aurigan Coalition—sprang up, centered around the noble families of the trade worlds Coromodir, Guldra and Tyrlon. Coromodir was chosen as the capital and the noble House Arano and House Espinosa became the leaders when the Arano family displaced the figurehead governor the Taurians had left behind in 2820. In 3025 border tensions with the Taurian Concordat rose to a point where war was inevitable, as the Taurians laid claims to border worlds like Qalzi. At the same time, the Capellan Confederation is claiming former Confederate worlds on the other side of the Aurigan Coalition. After High Lord Tamati Arano II died in a space travel accident, the rule of his daughter and heir, Lady Kamea Arano, is usurped by House Espinosa. With the help of a mercenary unit—the player unit—she sets out to restore her rule over the Aurigan Coalition.

Restoration Campaign Missions

  • Cutscene – Prologue - A cutscene of Lady Kamea Arano reminiscing about the Restoration and the cost she had to pay to sit on the Cormorant throne. And how she never knew what was the cause the Commander fought for. (Transcript)
  • Cutscene – Setting - A cutscene that provides the setting of the Campaign, showing the beginning of the separation between Lady Kamea Arano and Lord Santiago Espinosa. It will start after the player has created the background for the Commander. (Transcript)
  • Mission 1A - TUTORIAL - Coromodir - Arano Summer Palace — 08:53 Local Time - Captain of the Guard Raju “Mastiff” Montgomery has either rescued or recruited the Commander to assist in escorting Lady Kamea Arano to her Coronation in Cordia City. But first, your Blackjack needs a test run after its overhaul. After a successful weapons test and dealing with a malfunctioning Jump Jets test, the Commander and Mastiff head to the Cormorant Road to rendezvous with Lady Kamea Arano. (Transcript)
  • Cutscene – Betrayal - A cutscene showing Lord Santiago Espinosa motivating his houses's troops as their Dropships begin their reentry descent onto Coromodir. (Transcript)
  • Mission 1B - CORONATION DAY - Coromodir - Cordia City Outskirts — 13:22 Local Time – Continuing to escort Lady Arano to the tourney grounds with Mastiff, your group comes across destroyed guard post. Approaching a patrol of Royal Guard ahead on the Cormorant Road, reveals that parts of the Royal Guard has been suborned by House Espinosa. Lord Alexander Madeira contacts Lady Arano to report that infighting has overtaken all of Cordia City and loyalist Royal Guard Mechs are suffering sabotage. Heading to Rotorua Township to rally with other loyalist groups, the comm conversation is interrupted by a bombardment of nearby buildings. Victoria Espinosa then contacts Lady Arano and berates her about refusing her father's plans. After Lady Arano refuses Lady Espinosa terms to surrender, Lady Espinosa orders her forces to capture Lady Arano alive. Santiago Espinosa then broadcast a planetwide transmission that he has assumed control of the Aurigan Coalition. Lord Alexander manages to reestablishes radio contact and both Mastiff and Lord Alexander manages to convince Lady Arano to escape Coromodir as more Espinosa forces attempt to block their escape. As Mastiff and the Commander hold a rear guard action to buy time for Lady Arano's dropship to launch. Sabotage will disable the Commander's Blackjack, forcing them to eject, leaving Mastiff's last stand against Lady Espinosa and her forces as the mission ends. (Transcript)
  • Cutscene – Coup - A cutscene showing Mastiff's last stand against Lady Espinosa and her forces, while a news broadcast shows a Union Class Dropship being destroyed as it leaves the atmosphere, with the caption that Lady Kamea Arano is dead. House Espinosa forces are show occupying Cordia City, while Lord Santiago Espinosa sits on the Cormorant throne, which now carries his house's crest, as he and Lady Espinosa hold court. (No dialogue)
  • The Story So Far: (This text page only occurs if the skip prologue is selected in a custom campaign's new game difficulty settings. It will summarize the TUTORIAL and CORONATION DAY missions along with the Setting, Betrayal, and Coup Cutscenes.)
    On the day of Lady Kamea Arano's ascension to the throne, her uncle Lord Espinosa and his daughter Victoria launch a desperate coup. Through surprise, sabotage, and strength in numbers, their forces quickly secure the capital and solidify control over the Aurigan government. With help from you and your old mentor Mastiff Montgomery, Lady Kamea along with her close friend and advisor Alexander Madeira, attempt an escape. Mastiff sacrifices himself to cover their exit, but their DropShip is destroyed during the attempt. In the aftermath of the battle, you and your 'Mech were recovered by Darius Oliveira, the Executive Officer of a small mercenary company in need of a new commander. Three years later...
  • Mission 2 – RENT-TO-OWN - Úr Cruinne — Rimward Frontier — Three Years Later – Three years after the Commander's escape from Coromodir finds them in charge of a small mercenary company in need of a new commander. Stuck with crippling loans and slim pickings in the way of contracts out in the Rimward Frontier. Under contract to assist the Independent Prospectors' League on Úr Cruinne in retaking their stolen claims. Majesty Metals & Manufacturing has occupied two of IPL's mining platforms. Deploying from IPL's remaining platform, the Commander leads their lance against Alpha platform which is defended by several turrets along with a Commando and a Spider. After disabling the turret generator on Alpha and its defending Mechs, the Commander heads to the Beta platform which is now been reinforced by a Shadow Hawk along with two Scorpion tanks. Destroying the defending forces and the CorpSec tower should have been the end of this mission. But upon the Commander's return to IPL's remaining platform will cause the ILP rep to issue a surrender demand for your lance. Four turrets and a Galleon, a Scorpion, and a Striker will attempt to enforce the surrender demand. Destroying the platform's turret generator and IPL's vehicles will clear the area for pick up by the Leopard and a demand from its pilot Sumire for a “Team Meeting”. (Transcript)
  • Mission 3 – CAPTURE THE ARGO - Axylus — Rimward Frontier – After recovering from the jump that Ana_Maria_Centrella's jumpship utilized to reach a Pirate jump point near the moon Axylus. The Commander's lance will be deployed near the wreck site on the surface of Axylus. The first objective are two radar towers that provide fire control for the pirate AA guns. Defending the two radar towers is a turret grid and a wave of pirate vehicles consisting of a Bulldog, two Strikers, and two Scorpions. With the radar towers down and the pirate vehicles destroyed, continue on to wreck site. After the Leopard drops off Dr. Farah Murad, her team of engineers, and a company of Canopian Marines to secure the wreck. The pirates will counter attack with a Commando, a Jenner, a Locust, a Scorpion and a Galleon, while Dr Murad will keep Darius updated on the status of securing the wreck. Once the pirate counter attack has been dealt with, Grim_Sybil will emerge piloting a Quickdraw along with pirate Shadow Hawk. Once you have defeated Grim Sybil and the last of the pirates, Dr Murad will tell the Commander to get their lance aboard the Argo to end the mission. (Transcript)
  • Cutscene – Argo - A cutscene showing Argo lifting off from the surface of Axylus. As it enters a stable orbit around a planet, your Leopard is in transit to a Jumpship sitting at a Pirate Point. A pair of familiar figures will be waiting for the Commander. (No dialogue)
  • Mission 4 – LIBERATION OF WELDRY - Weldry — Aurigan Directorate – Launching the strike mission against the Icebox, has the Commander's lance deployed just outside the prison. The outer prison defenses consist of turret grid along with two Bulldogs, two Scorpion, and Striker. Once outer prison defenses have been neutralized and the Commander's lance has breached the outer wall, a standby lance of Mechs will power up. The warden will be in a JagerMech while the rest of the lance will consist of a Centurion, a Trebuchet, and a Jenner. Two turns after the Prison guards lance power up, Lady Arano piloting a Kintaro will breach the wall from the North. Defeated the last of the prison guards to end the mission. (Transcript)
  • Cutscene – Mastiff - A cutscene showing Lady Arano entering a field morgue in the Icebox to find a recently deceased Mastiff in a body bag, laying on one of the tables. (Transcript)
  • Cutscene – Revolution - A cutscene showing Lady Arano announcing the brutality of the Icebox on Weldry and beginning of the Restoration. (Transcript)
  • Mission 5 – LIBERATE: PANZYR - Panzyr — Aurigan Directorate – Deploying from Panzyr orbit in response to the capture of Panzyr's only remaining spaceport, the Commander's lance will be dropped just outside the spaceport. The Commander has 15 turns to destroy the Dropship Control Center before the ADV Coronach makes planetfall. The first objective is to destroy a platoon of Directorate armor consisting of 2 Bulldogs, 2 SRM Carrier and a Striker, that is stationed around the control center for the spaceport's turret grid. Destroying the armor will allow a 'Leopard to deploy engineers from the 2nd Decimis Fusiliers to start the reprogramming process. A the same time a reinforced lance of Directorate Mechs consisting of a Jenner, a Panther, a Hunchback, a Centurion, a Trebuchet, and a Dragon will start to move across the spaceport from the left side of the map to engage the commander's lance. Destroying the Dropship Control Center then eliminating the Directorate Mechs, or reaching the evacuation point will end the mission. (Transcript)
  • Mission 6 – LIBERATE: SMITHON - Smithon — Aurigan Directorate – Tasked with re-capturing a House Karosa munitions dump from a Directorate raiding party, the Commander's lance will be dropped to the south of the dump. The objective is destroy both lances of Directorate Mechs and the dump's turret grid, without destroying most of the stacked pallets of ammunition that are scattered around the munitions dump. The restoration will also pay a bounty for every destroyed Directorate ammo transport that is trying to leave that area. The Directorate forces consist of a Locust, a Firestarter, a Spider, a Jenner, a Panther, a Cicada, a Griffin, and a Dragon. (Transcript)
  • Mission 7 – SERVED COLD - Anvelt — Aurigan Directorate – (Transcript)
  • Cutscene – Newgrange - A cutscene showing the burning wreck of Newgrange on Anvelt, while the Leopard has located an escape pod with Lady Espinosa inside. (No dialogue)
  • Mission 8 – RAISING THE DEAD - Anvelt — Aurigan Directorate – (Transcript)
  • Cutscene – Ambush - A cutscene showing Lady Arano looking out at the rows of Star League Era Mechs in the Outpost Castle Nautilus. It then cuts to outside of the Outpost Castle to show a Fortress Class Dropship Iberia of the Taurian Concordat as it descends to the surface of Anvelt. Commodore Samuel Ostergaard then announces his forces and a demand for the surrender of all Restoration forces on Anvelt. (Transcript)
  • Mission 9 – ESCAPE - Anvelt — Aurigan Directorate – (Transcript)
  • Cutscene – Armory - A cutscene showing Commodore Samuel Ostergaard looking out from the Iberia as Lady Arano's dropship lifting off for space while swearing vengeance. (Transcript)
  • Cutscene – Ruin - A cutscene of Santiago Espinosa making a speech as Victoria Espinosa looks on. Announcing an alliance between the Concordat and the Directorate, which has freed Victoria from a House Karosas cell. As the Iberia uses its Long Tom Artillery Piece to shell the seat of House Karosas on Smithon, Simon Karosas watches the destruction before being executed by Victoria Espinosa. (Transcript)
  • Mission 10 – DEFENSE: SMITHON - Smithon — Aurigan Restoration – (Transcript)
  • Mission 11 – LIBERATE: ITROM - Itrom — Aurigan Directorate – (Transcript)
  • Mission 12 – DEFENSE: PANZYR - Panzyr — Aurigan Restoration – (Transcript)
  • Mission 13 – GUNBOAT DIPLOMACY - Guldra — Aurigan Directorate – (Transcript)
  • Cutscene – Capture - A cutscene showing a captured and bleeding Alexander Madeira in the hands of House Espinosa, while Lady Arano struggles with hard choice she had to make. (No dialogue)
  • Mission 14 – LIBERATE: TYRLON - Tyrlon — Aurigan Directorate – (Transcript)
  • Cutscene – Hostage - A cutscene showing Argo and the rest of the Restoration forces begining the invasion of Coromodir. At the massive ground battle begins outside of Cordia City, Commodore Samuel Ostergaard and theIberia begins their approach to Coromodir. (Transcript)
  • Mission 15– LOCURA - Coromodir — Aurigan Directorate – (Transcript)
  • Cutscene – Crash - A cutscene showing Iberia in an uncontrolled reentry as the Locura virus has destroyed all shipboard functions. (No dialogue)
  • Mission 16– SHOWDOWN - Coromodir — Aurigan Directorate – (Transcript)
  • Cutscene – Finale - A cutscene showing Lady Arano standing in her Atlas' entry hatch looking at the burning remains of Victoria Espinosa's destroyed King Crab. Lady Arano thinks back on the events that led to this moment. Then as Lady Arano arrests Santiago Espinosa while thinking about the costs of the restoration, and what ever the cause of the Commander fought for, they are a hero in the eyes of history. (Transcript)

Flashpoints Missions

Introduced with the "BattleTech: Flashpoint Expansion Pack" DLC, Flashpoints Mission are a series of stand-alone mini-campaigns. In comparison to the procedurally generated stand-alone missions, Flashpoints are scripted narrative missions that are linked, often forcing consecutive deployments. Each successive DLC pack added additional Flashpoints, with those of "Heavy Metal" being closest to a single integrated story.

Flashpoints are available in both the game's Campaign and Career modes. In the game's story-based Campaign Mode, the Flashpoints appear after the final Campaign mission SHOWDOWN has been completed, but in the story-less Career mode Flashpoints appear immediately on the star map after the players completes their first few contracts.

Flashpoints were the primary means to provide the famous in-universe character cameos that were achieved stretch goals in the the game's crowdfunding campaign.

Featured BattleTech

'Mechs

Asterisk * - Denotes DLC-only 'Mechs. Note that while the UrbanMech made an appearance during the tutorial of the game, it did not appear under the control of the AI in single-player until the Urban Warfare DLC.

Also note that Warhammer and Marauder (denoted with double asterisk **) are added with free game update associated with the Heavy Metal DLC.

Vehicles

Asterisk * - Denotes a DLC-only vehicle

DropShips

JumpShips

Other

Featured Characters

Arano Restoration

Aurigan Directorate

Magistracy of Canopus

Taurian Concordat

Marauders

The player character's mercenary unit (the name may be changed by the player at any time) consists of the Commander, three non-player characters serving in noncombat roles, plus four initial playable MechWarriors.

Over the course of the game there is a wide range of further possible recruits for the unit, both in the form of "Ronin" backers and randomly generated pilots.

BattleTech: Flashpoint Expansion Pack

BattleTech Video Game Flashpoint.jpg

Announced on 21 August 2018 was the game's first expansion pack, dubbed Flashpoint, which released on 27 November 2018. The expansion includes a new challenging mission type "Target Acquisition" which is focused on territory control best suited to light and medium 'Mechs, new tropical biome and three new 'Mechs including the Crab, Cyclops, and Hatchetman - the first 'Mech not taken from MechWarrior Online.

The expansion's key feature is the inclusion of seventeen "Flashpoint" missions, high-stakes branching short stories which are comprised of nonprocedural missions linked together by new crew conversations and special events. To ramp up the intensity, some Flashpoint stories feature "Consecutive Deployments" in which players will not be able to repair their 'Mechs between missions.

BattleTech: Urban Warfare Expansion Pack

BattleTech Video Game Urban Warfare.jpg

The second expansion pack, Urban Warfare, was announced 18 October 2018 as part of the promotional materials for the game's season pass. Urban Warfare was released on 4 June 2019.

As its name implies, the pack's focus is the introduction of urban environments to the game with tall fully destructible buildings hindering line of site offering a new challenge. The Urban Warfare pack also adds ten new Flashpoints and a host of new equipment including ECM and Active Probes, three new vehicles - the Gallant Urban Assault Tank, the Packrat and Rotunda - and two new BattleMechs, the Raven and Javelin.[1]

BattleTech: Heavy Metal Expansion Pack

BattleTech Video Game Heavy Metal.jpg

The name of the game's third planned expansion pack Heavy Metal was announced at the same time the Urban Warfare release date was announced. The pack was released on 21 November 2019.

It was announced at Mech Con 2018 that the Unseen were intended to be included in Urban Warfare.[2] PDXCon 2019 revealed that the expansion would include eight new 'Mechs - the Flea, Assassin, Phoenix Hawk, Vulcan, Archer, Rifleman, Annihilator and a unique new original 'Mech developed by HBS, the Bull Shark. Each 'Mech included a unique feature, with eight new weapon systems including 'Mech Mortars and Inferno Missiles were included. The expansion also includes a new Flashpoint that includes an encounter with Wolf's Dragoons, Natasha Kerensky and the Bounty Hunter. It was released alongside a major free update that introduced the Marauder and Warhammer, and also added official mod support.[3][4]

Resources

Art

References

  1. In this forum thread on the game's homepage:
    Q: "[D]oes your work on MWO and HBS-BT mean the Hero 'Mech fluff in the former and the campaign storyline in the latter are canonical for the core (CGL) BatteTech lore?"
    A (by Randall Bills): "For the Hero 'Mechs, absolutely. And that is the intention with the HBS campaign storyline as well."
  2. battletechgame.com

Bibliography

External Links