MechWarrior: Living Legends

MechWarrior: Living Legends
Product information
Type	Computer game
Development	Wandering Samurai Studios
Publication information
First published	2009
Content
Series	MechWarrior computer games

Mechwarrior: Living Legends is an independently produced total conversion modification of the CryEngine 2 game engine (on which the game Crysis is based), and takes place within the BattleTech universe. It requires the ownership of Crysis and/or Crysis Warhead in order to play, but is itself available for free.

Development

Mechwarrior: Living Legends has been in development since December 2006, and is in version 0.4.9 as of April 2011. Originally, development was done on the Doom 3 engine, with the team switching to CryEngine 2 after the release of Crysis. The most recent major release was in December 2010 with the deployment of version 0.4. Development of the next major release, 0.5, is currently underway.

The team has stated that development focus for the foreseeable future will be focused on the multiplayer aspect of the game, and that while a single player component to MW:LL is desirable, no actual design or planning has been put into it.

Crysis and Crysis Wars

Prior to version 0.4, MW:LL was available only for Crysis. As of that release support was added for Crysis Wars, the standalone multi-player expansion, allowing users to install the modification for either version of the game. Due to the way in which Gamespy manages game versions Crysis and Crysis Wars can't share the same server. As a result, users who install MW:LL on Crysis will not be able to play with those who have installed it on Crysis Wars, and will see a different version of the multi-player lobby. With the forthcoming release of version 0.5, support for Crysis will be discontinued, and the modification will only run in Crysis Wars.

Gameplay Elements

Multi-player is the main focus of the development team and as such is at an advanced development stage. Multi-player games use the Gamespy Arcade integrated into the Crysis engine. Connecting to multi-player requires a Gamespy ID, which can be created in-game for free and does not require a valid e-mail.

A server can host up to 32 players in one of three game modes: Team Solaris Arena, Terrain Control or Test of Strength. Team Solaris Arena and Test of Strength both pit teams against each other in a death-match scenario, with points awarded based on kills and damage dealt. The two modes differ in that Test of Strength starts a player with a set amount of funds to buy 'Mechs or vehicles that does not increase, while Team Solaris Arena awards cash in addition to points for dealing damage and refreshes a player's cash on respawn. In Terrain Control, teams battle over capture points on the map to deplete the opposing teams tickets using the same rank and cash system as Team Solaris Arena.

In all game modes, players spawn as battle armor (BA) at a base under the control of their team, though only certain bases have facilities that allow for the purchase of a 'Mech or vehicle. Many maps also include separate air bases allowing players to purchase aerospace fighters and VTOLs to take the battle into the air. Players receive a set amount of money (called C-bills in the game) when they spawn according to their rank, with rank being gained as the player gains points through damaging or destroying opponents and capturing control points. Battle Armor are armed by default with a small laser (which can be upgraded to a variety of different weapons) and an SRM-2. Though the battle armor for each side is identical in terms of performance, the Clan team battle armor is an Elemental, while the Inner Sphere team uses the Longinus.

The game features a large list of 'Mechs and Vehicles available for purchase, with many more planned for future releases. As of version 0.4.9 there are 22 BattleMechs, 9 vehicles, 3 aerospace fighters and 1 VTOL in the game. Currently, individual unit customization is not available, so MW:LL offers several variants of each model of 'Mech and Vehicle for purchase, with different load-outs of weapons, armor and equipment.

The lore of Classic Battletech plays an integral role to design and development but is often a secondary concern to balance and the "fun factor", a necessity for any multi-player oriented game. This focus on balance can be seen in the weapons configurations of 'Mechs and Vehicles, some of which conflict or ignore canon sources for the sake of balance. For example, the development team has stated that non-'Mech assets such as vehicles, VTOLs and Battle Armor are made purposely more powerful in relation to 'Mechs, as otherwise they would be far too weak or ineffective for players to want to use in games.

Featured BattleMechs, Vehicles, Aerospace and VTOLs

Inner Sphere

• Owens
• Raven
• Osiris
• Hollander II
• Bushwacker
• Uziel
• Catapult
• Warhammer
• Thanatos
• Atlas
• Awesome
• Mauler

• Harasser
• Partisan
• Demolisher
• Mobile Long Tom

• Sparrowhawk Aerospace Fighter
• Shiva Aerospace Fighter
• Hawk Moth VTOL

Clan

• Puma
• Cougar
• Uller
• Shadow Cat
• Mad Cat
• Vulture
• Nova Cat
• Loki
• Thor
• Mad Cat Mk II

• Hephaestus
• Oro
• Huitzilopochtli
• Morrigu

• Sulla Aerospace Fighter

Planned/In Development

• Commando
• Ryoken
• Hunchback IIC
• Marauder
• Fafnir
• Warhawk
• Kodiak
• Blood Asp
• Epona
• Svantovit
• Swift Wind
• Schrek
• Odin
• Ares (Combat Vehicle)
• Corsair
• Visigoth
• Xerxes
• Donar
• Karnov
• Anhur

Maps

MW:LL features numerous multiplayer maps based on various worlds within the BattleTech universe. Most maps have both Terrain Control and Team Solaris Arena/Test of Strength versions. These maps range from expansive deserts, restricted canyons and overgrown marshes to snowstorm-ridden valleys and the low-gravity surface of a rapidly spinning asteroid.

Links

• Main Page
• Download Page
• F.A.Q.
• MW:LL Wiki

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The text in this article is based on the [1] used under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. See the BattleTechWiki's copyright notice.