MechWarrior (1989 Video Game)

MechWarrior
Product information
Type	Computer game
Development	Dynamix
Publication information
Publisher	Activision
First published	1989, 1992, 1993
MSRP	$ 49.95
Content
Era	Succession Wars era
Timeline	3024 - 3028 and beyond
Series	MechWarrior computer games
Followed by	MechWarrior 2

MechWarrior is a 1989 computer game published by Activision that is set in the BattleTech universe. The game was originally released on MSDOS, but to coincide with the release of BattleTech in Japan it got ported to the systems popular there at the time. These ports for X68000 and PC-98 were released under the name BattleTech: Stolen Chalice and were created by Victor Musical Industries, Inc.. They are identical to the 1989 release, except for completely new, high quality pixel art.

A SNES port of the game exists, but in this version the backstory was altered and it has a different main protagonist, among other changes; it should be regarded as a separate game (see MechWarrior (SNES)).

Overview

In the PC game, the player (as Gideon Braver) takes command of the Blazing Aces mercenary unit in his quest to uncover a hideous plot, retrieve a vital artifact and avenge the murder of his family within only five years. He gets to manage the unit's finances and negotiate contracts, can purchase and sell BattleMechs, hire and fire other MechWarriors for the unit (which can thus grow up to Lance size), and controls Gideon's 'Mech in combat. Most importantly, however, he must follow leads and gather information about the events on his homeworld. Ultimately, he must find and defeat the Dark Wing unit to reclaim his heritage.

Text scenes in the game sometimes require the player to choose between the alternatives on how to proceed. Choosing the wrong alternative can result in Gideon's death. It is also possible for Gideon to die during the 'Mech combat, but this rarely happens and usually requires the direct hit to the cockpit. Returning to Ander's Moon also results in arrest and execution, unless the game's objectives are already entirely accomplished and Gideon's innocence is proven.

Over the course of the game, prominent events taken from various novels are mentioned in the news, covering items from The Gray Death Trilogy (Verthandi Rebellion, Sirius massacre, events on Helm) and The Warrior Trilogy (following the Solaris career of Justin Xiang Allard up to the wedding of Hanse Davion and Melissa Steiner and the subsequent Fourth Succession War).

Canonicity

Computer games are explicitly excluded from the list of products that contribute straight Canon to the BattleTech universe yet at the same time it was stated that the IP owners are "not in total denial about these sources either". It has also expressly been stated that fluff from certain official, licensed products (namely certain computer games including those produced by Activision) can be assumed to be part of the shared universe as long as it is "not directly contradicted, and makes sense".

Plot summary

Backstory

Gideon Braver Vandenburg is the son of Duke Cameron Vandenburg of Ander's Moon. The world was colonized centuries ago by the Vandenburg and McBrin families and was rewarded with a Dukedom by Prince Davion for the valor of its warriors in the Succession Wars. Upon the death of the old Duke, the new Duke is elected by the Council of Representatives and anointed with oil from the sacred Chalice of Herne, an ancient artifact from old Terra that had come to symbolize the office of Duke. The title has thus passed between Houses Vandenburg and McBrin over the centuries, creating a bitter rivalry.

On March 1, 3024, Gideon Braver Vandenburg left Castle Vandenburg, his father's stronghold, for an inspection of the family's holdings. Upon his return two days later he found that a Lance of BattleMechs had attacked the Castle, killed his family and stolen the Chalice of Herne along with other treasure. This turned out to be an intrigue by Jarris McBrin, who coveted the title of Duke for himself. To discredit and vanquish House Vandenburg, McBrin forged evidence to suggest that they had worked with and then double-crossed the pirates. He failed to convince the Council of Representatives to elect him Duke, however. Instead, they chose to delay the election of a new Duke until Gideon Braver Vandenburg had reached adulthood (23 years of age) on April 8, 3029.

Shortly after the Council's decision, Gideon Braver Vandenburg found himself falsely accused of conspiracy and crimes against the state and was forced to flee off-world. Jordan Rowe, a friend of the Vandenburg family, provided him with safe passage on a DropShip, some money and an old Jenner. Upon arriving at a nearby world, he abbreviated his name to Gideon Braver to avoid "complications", and created a small mercenary outfit, the Blazing Aces.

Game storyline

Inquiries about the insignia seen on the BattleMechs that had pillaged Castle Vandenburg point Gideon to Grig Griez, a wanted crimelord operating from within the Draconis Combine. On Land's End he finally meets one of Griez's henchmen. Eventually, Gideon Braver gets to meet Grig Griez in person and agrees to deliver a message to one of Griez's agents on Dustball in exchange for information.

On Dustball, the recipient who calls himself Brown draws a gun on Gideon Braver (apparently acting as the message ordered him to do) but does not kill him when the "message" turns out to contain a deadly poison; Griez obviously wanted both Gideon Braver and Brown dead. Brown then tips Gideon off to a JumpShip named the Stone Arrow, a smuggler ship operated by a man known as Kangaroo Jack. To contact him, Gideon tracks down Jack's estranged brother who serves as a Scorpion pilot with Smithson's Chinese Bandits on garrison duty in the Free Worlds League. He points Gideon to a world in the Federated Suns where Jack "has a woman". Immediately after meeting with the Scorpion pilot, another assassination attempt is made against Gideon Braver near the garrison's Saladin hovertank garages - he suddenly finds himself under attack from a sniper with a heavy gyroslug carbine. The attack is carried on the news on the next day, where it is reported that terrorists attacked the 5th Armored Rangers at their garages.

In the Federated Suns, a man named Kearny is named as a contact to meet Kangaroo Jack. Kearny gives Gideon a slip of paper with an address where Gideon is to meet with Kearny in one hour if he wants to meet Jack, and also informs Gideon that it had been the Black Widow Company who had been moved to Ander's Moon with the Stone Arrow and attacked Castle Vandenburg bearing false unit insignia. However, Kangaroo Jack is murdered before Gideon can meet him.

(The player can choose whether or not to go to the address indicated by Kearny's note. If he does, he finds Kangaroo Jack dead and is assaulted by the assassin, whom Gideon then either kills in self defense, or is killed. Regardless of whether or not the player elects to visit the address, however, the newscast will subsequently report the death of Kangaroo Jack at the hands of a gangland assassin known as "Grim Jim", who was also found dead at the murder site.)

For a lack of other leads Gideon Braver then approaches Natasha Kerensky, commander of the Black Widow Company, in a bar in the Draconis Combine. Confronted with the accusations, Kerensky denies any involvement and a barfight ensues where only the intervention of a mysterious woman named Tasha saves Gideon Braver from a very severe beating by the Black Widows. Tasha reveals herself as a MI6 operative to Gideon and later provides him with data files that reveal a Draconis Combine company, Matabushi Incorporated, to be behind the Dark Wing and the attack on Castle Vandenburg as part of their Operation INROAD. She also reveals Kearny as a Kurita agent working for the ISF; the Black Widows really had nothing to do with it. Kearny had just set Gideon up to get himself killed by the Black Widows. On the sidelines, Jordan Rowe is also implied to be working for Matabushi.

Following a message to seek out alleged MIIO agent Kearny on Albiero, Gideon winds up in an attack by the MI6 against the Matabushi HQ there that culminates in a showdown aboard a Karnov heavy transport helicopter between Tasha and Kearny, accusing each other of being Kurita operatives at gunpoint before Gideon's eyes. Gideon elects to trust Tasha who subdues Kearny and explains that the MI6 had an independent mission against Matabushi underway, but saw Gideon Braver as having the same target. Her own mission accomplished, she provides the Blazing Aces with detailed data on the whereabouts of the Chalice of Herne, which is guarded by the Dark Wing for Matabushi. She also hands him a share of the loot: 5,000,000 C-Bills.

With this information, Gideon Braver Vandenburg and the Blazing Aces eventually find and defeat the Dark Wing, and reclaim the Chalice of Herne within five years after it had been stolen from Ander's Moon. The retrieval of the Chalice, together with the data disk on Operation Inroad, clear the Vandenburg name and the family title and honor is restored.

Over the course of his adventures, Gideon Braver accepted many short term contracts for the Blazing Aces from one or more Successor States of the Inner Sphere.

(It is theoretically possible to win the game without ever accepting a mercenary contract or hiring another member for the Blazing Aces, but managing the unit, building it up and improving it to the point where it can take on the Dark Wing with any hope of success is what the game is really about.)

Transcripts

• Rumors
• Personal Messages
• NewsNet Articles
• Main Storyline Scenes

Featured BattleMechs

Within the game's combat sequences, only eight different 'Mech designs are available for either side: Locust, Jenner, Phoenix Hawk, Shadow Hawk, Rifleman, Warhammer, Marauder and BattleMaster.

Neither the player and his unit nor enemy forces can acquire or field 'Mechs of any other type. However, over the course of the storyline, a Scorpion features prominently in the narrative and yet other 'Mech models (including Atlas and Griffin) are mentioned at various points in the game, although they are not playable.

The game data files do contain the stats for the Wasp and Wolverine, but they are not playable either.

Personnel

The player can recruit lancemates from numerous applicants, although experienced MechWarriors only become available once the unit has gained a certain reputation. They can be hired and fired at the player's discretion, and can also die in battle. There are 24 men and 18 women, and 21 character portraits depict the crew in the game (each portrait is shared by 2 characters). The pool of available personnel includes a variety of minor characters (with their respective starting skill at Gunnery/'Mech Pilot), some of whom are recurring characters in the BattleTech universe:

Men

Name	Gunry [sic]	Pilot	Pay	Quote
T. D. Bente	Poor	Average	400	"Put a mech under me and I'll kick some tail."
Billy Chow	Average	Average	600	"Get me off this rock and I'll fight anything."
Kevin Call	Good	Excellent	1,000	"The Gray Death Legion is where I learned to fight."
A. Cooper	Good	Average	1,000	"Trained in the Federated Suns but I've been around since."
Jim Eagle	Excellent	Good	2,000	"Lindon's Company recon lance was my last tour."
Ted Hegel	Average	Poor	600	"Had a brush with the Widow, now I need another mech."
B. Hendrik	Average	Good	600	"Started with Narhal's Raiders but I've kicked around."
J. Holmaas	Excellent	Excellent	2,000	"I've worked with the best and so have they."
Darc Horse	Good	Excellent	1,000	"I work alone or with Team Banzai. Maybe with you."
"Killer"	Good	Good	1,000	"I want to burn villages, eat dead, burnt bodies, kill, kill, kill."
G. Lofall	Excellent	Good	2,000	"I'll warn you I party hard, but then I fight hard."
"Nasty Bill"	Excellent	Excellent	2,000	"I got my name from the way I fight -- I win."
Z. Rodgers	Poor	Average	400	"I used to work tech for Richard's Panzer Brigade."
Pete Ryan	Good	Average	1,000	"Fortune cookie I got today said take any deal. Name it."
Tim Seers	Poor	Poor	400	"I used to be infantry, but I'm moving up."
Tank Smith	Good	Excellent	1,000	"I prefer assault mechs, but then don't we all?"
"Tricky Nik"	Good	Good	1,000	"Ever hear of Redjack Ryan? I did some fighting for him."
T. Rich	Average	Poor	600	"I learned a thing or two with Hansen's Rough Riders."
R. Torsak	Good	Excellent	1,000	"Drove a Marauder for the 21st Centauri Lancers."
Kelly T.	Average	Good	600	"If you've got the money, I've got the time."
Bob True	Poor	Poor	400	"I know my way around mechs and I've seen my share of battles."
Kinji Tsi	Excellent	Excellent	2,000	"I follow bushido the way of the warrior."
Alex Veer	Average	Good	600	"I got my training on Solaris, the game world."
John Zoe	Average	Average	600	" My last gig was with Wolf's Dragoons."

Women

Name	Gunry [sic]	Pilot	Pay	Description
Ara	Good	Average	1,000	"No last name. Just Ara, and mechs aren't my only specialty."
Rose Artz	Good	Average	1,000	"I last drove a Thunderbolt for the Eridani Lighthorse."
Karen Blak	Average	Poor	600	"Don't have much experience but I can shoot straight."
Tara Ellis	Average	Good	600	"Last tour I worked a Griffin for the Eridani Lighthorse."
Erin Falls	Good	Excellent	1,000	"There isn't any mech I can't master."
Elli Gujar	Poor	Poor	400	"I'm just starting out, but I'm loyal and I work hard."
JJ Kitter	Good	Excellent	1,000	"Spent some time with the Waco Rangers and Miller's Marauders."
A. Chu Lai	Excellent	Excellent	2,000	"Ran a Javelin for Winston's Scout Lance in the Waco Rangers."
Ilsa Marn	Average	Good	600	"I'm no stranger to... how shall I put it... covert operations"
Emma Meyer	Excellent	Good	2,000	"I've worked recon and strike lances in Brion's Legion."
S. Miller	Average	Good	600	"I practically grew up in the 3rd Recon Company."
A. Morris	Good	Average	1,000	"I had my Locust shot out from under me in a Kurita Riad."
Pam North	Average	Poor	600	"My last tour was with the 12th Vegan Rangers"
Taris Ren	Poor	Poor	400	"I say no job's too tough and no fee too high."
D. Sajak	Poor	Average	400	"D is for Desire. Tell anyone and I'll kill you."
Chaney Ti	Excellent	Excellent	2,000	"I worked for the Black Widow. 'Nuff said."
Zera Tith	Excellent	Good	2,000	"I've been around. Last gig was Helmar Valasek, The Bandit King."
"TJ"	Average	Poor	600	"Just tell me where to shoot and I'll do the rest."

Featured Planetary data

The world of Ander's Moon is not mentioned anywhere else in the BattleTech canon, but its position on the game's somewhat warped starmap roughly corresponds with Elidere IV, as does much of the political and economical information.

Only a fraction of the worlds from the BattleTech universe can be visited in the game - 30 planets from each House except for House Liao who have only 25 worlds on the game map; no periphery worlds can be travelled to. A short one-line description is provided for each of these worlds, as is a population estimate and a rough impression of the environment as either tropical, ice or desert. The data given is as follows:

House	Planet	Environment	Population	Description
Kurita	Albiero	Desert	856,000,000	Main headquarters for Matabushi Inc
Kurita	Alshain	Tropical	2,759,000,000	Supports a thriving BattleMech factory
Kurita	Benjamin	Tropical	4,655,000,000	Supports much heavy industry
Kurita	Buckminster	Tropical	2,641,000,000	2nd Sword of Light stationed here
Kurita	Delacruz	Desert	879,000,000	War torn - some large industry
Kurita	Dieron	Desert	5,284,000,000	Capital of the Dieron Military District
Kurita	Galedon V	Tropical	1,595,000,000	Known for its high grade industrial diamonds
Kurita	Galuzzo	Tropical	2,945,000,000	Exotic wines and the best pizza in known space
Kurita	Irurzun	Tropical	5,090,000,000	A valuable world housing a sizable military force
Kurita	Karbala	Tropical	1,841,000,000	Tropical paradise - known for its precious gems
Kurita	Kaznejov	Desert	1,009,000,000	Home of the 17th Galedon Regulars
Kurita	Kessel	Desert	2,310,000,000	Strong rebel forces - visits may be dangerous
Kurita	Kirchbach	Tropical	784,000,000	Few resources but a temperate climate
Kurita	Land's End	Ice	123,000,000	Desolate rock on the periphery
Kurita	Luthien	Tropical	5,203,000,000	Capital of the Draconis Combine
Kurita	Matsuida	Tropical	1,009,000,000	Nicknamed 'Nausea' - planet is known for seafood
Kurita	Misery	Ice	100,000,000	Notable only for mining operations
Kurita	New Samarkand	Desert	950,000,000	Home of the Internal Security Force
Kurita	Oshika	Desert	4,207,000,000	Home of the 16th Galedon Regulars
Kurita	Pesht	Tropical	4,890,000,000	Heavy military garrison
Kurita	Proserpina	Desert	1,872,000,000	Home of the 9th Benjamin Regulars
Kurita	Qandahar	Desert	2,304,000,000	Highly toxic environment
Kurita	Radstadt	Tropical	841,000,000	One of the largest prisons of the Combine is here
Kurita	Rasalhague	Tropical	2,284,000,000	Large industries and plentiful resources
Kurita	Rubigen	Ice	2,932,000,000	An ice world known for its wolverine pelts
Kurita	Skokie	Ice	765,000,000	An ice world rich in minerals
Kurita	Tabayama	Tropical	2,000,000,000	Capital of Galedon's periphery prefecture
Kurita	Thestria	Ice	125,000,000	Frozen ball known only for precious metal deposits
Kurita	Vega	Desert	2,284,000,000	Home of Cosby Myomer Research Company
Kurita	Xinyang	Tropical	1,010,000,000	Resort atmosphere catering to soldiers on leave
Steiner	Alarion	Tropical	2,434,000,00	Heavy industry and orbiting shipyards
Steiner	Alexandria	Desert	2,450,000,000	War ravaged from struggles with House Kurita
Steiner	Anembo	Desert	450,000,000	Unremarkable world scarce in everything
Steiner	Anywhere	Ice	5,000,000	A real nowhere unless you're a pirate
Steiner	Arcadia	Tropical	1,323,000,000	Strong in agriculture and manufacturing
Steiner	Bountiful Harvest	Tropical	3,275,000,000	Largest agricultural planet in the Commonwealth
Steiner	Carse	Ice	1,453,000,000	Center for plastic and plastisteel manufacturing
Steiner	Chuckchi III [sic]	Tropical	2,500,000,000	Large titanium mining operations
Steiner	Coventry	Tropical	1,549,000,000	Home of 2nd largest Commonwealth BattleMech Co
Steiner	Dixie	Tropical	2,567,000,000	Known for good food and warm hospitality
Steiner	Donegal	Tropical	3,651,000,000	Rich in diamonds, rare metals, and traders
Steiner	Dustball	Desert	25,000,000	Where the elite satisfy their most wicked desires
Steiner	Garrison	Desert	1,879,000,000	Military training center and post
Steiner	Hesperus II	Desert	235,000,000	Supports a large BattleMech factory
Steiner	Kobe	Ice	1,009,000,000	Major producer of electronics and chemical engines
Steiner	Mizar	Tropical	2,186,000,000	A pleasant resort world
Steiner	Niangol	Tropical	567,000,000	Petroleum and ore processing center
Steiner	Port Moseby	Desert	4,535,000,000	Major trading center - anything for a price
Steiner	Poulsbo	Tropical	1,239,000,000	Jumping off point for regiments attacking Marik
Steiner	Rahne	Desert	1,234,000,000	A miserable place - 2 seasons allow humans outside
Steiner	Sevren	Desert	1,543,000,000	Large fission core manufacturing facilities
Steiner	Skye	Tropical	3,256,000,000	Plenty of unspoiled landscape as well as industry
Steiner	Suk II	Desert	987,000,000	Mining world rich in metal ores
Steiner	Tamar	Tropical	879,000,000	Strong trading and manufacturing center
Steiner	Tharkad	Ice	4,529,000,000	Capital of the Lyran Commonwealth
Steiner	Thorin	Tropical	3,879,000,000	Ancient world rich in minerals and precious gems
Steiner	Timbiqui	Desert	1,506,000,000	Manufacturing center rich in minerals
Steiner	Timbuktu	Desert	879,000,000	Home of the 11th Arcturan Guards
Steiner	Valloire	Tropical	879,000,000	Producer of the best teas in the Commonwealth
Steiner	Winfield	Tropical	1,150,000,000	Agricultural world with long growing season
Marik	Alula Australis	Tropical	3,119,000,000	Mineral source for Cirebon, Lengkong, and Mosiro
Marik	Amity	Tropical	2,324,000,000	Large and varied manufacturing facilities
Marik	Andurien	Tropical	4,950,000,000	Famous for its botanical gardens
Marik	Angell II	Tropical	1,145,000,000	One of Marik's biggest sources of wealth
Marik	Atreus	Tropical	5,391,000,000	Capital of the Free Worlds League
Marik	Autumn Wind	Desert	3,297,000,000	Garden planet catering to vacationers
Marik	Calloway VI	Tropical	1,250,000,000	Large trade center with BattleMech factories
Marik	Chalouba	Tropical	2,416,000,000	Pastoral but with growing electronics industry
Marik	Cirebon	Tropical	4,631,000,000	Large computer and aerospace industries
Marik	Claybrooke	Tropical	3,592,000,000	Major exports are ranch and dairy products
Marik	Gibson	Desert	4,137,000,000	Amazing diversity of peoples and religions
Marik	Goodna	Tropical	3,491,000,000	A planet filled with rare edible delicacies
Marik	Griffith	Ice	2,461,000,000	Small but important weapons business
Marik	Irian	Desert	2,169,000,000	Houses vast BattleMech factories
Marik	Lesnovo	Desert	2,631,000,000	Often raided by bandits of the Marian Hegemony
Marik	Marik	Desert	4,780,000,000	Winter residence of the Captain-General
Marik	Mosiro	Desert	3,399,000,000	Mostly moslem, strong in astrophysics and the arts
Marik	Nestor	Tropical	3,286,000,000	Agricultural mostly rice and other cereals
Marik	New Delos	Tropical	2,110,000,000	Beautiful world but a depressed economy
Marik	Oliver	Tropical	2,329,000,000	Much industry including a Mech plant
Marik	Oriente	Tropical	3,972,000,000	Lush, green world of rolling grassland and forests
Marik	Procyon	Tropical	5,250,000,000	Once home to the Brigadier Mech Co. - now extinct
Marik	Regulus	Tropical	3,139,000,000	Home of John 'Icepick' Melton, man of many talents
Marik	Sadurni	Ice	456,000,000	A frozen, barren, lifeless rock - see you there
Marik	Shiloh	Desert	1,000,000	Main exports include woodcarvings and silkscreens
Marik	Silver	Desert	1,756,000,000	Named for its large deposits of that ore
Marik	Sophie's World	Desert	4,512,000,000	A center for the arts and learning
Marik	Suzano	Ice	1,546,000,000	Famous for Ando Bass fished from its frozen seas
Marik	Tamarind	Desert	3,562,000,000	The talent of the artists here is legendary
Marik	Zortman	Desert	879,000,000	Center for technology research
Liao	Aldebaran	Tropical	4,261,000,000	Major commercial and industrial center
Liao	Ares	Desert	4,227,000,000	Free port, also houses a Mech factory
Liao	Betelgeuse	Tropical	3,792,000,000	Major industrial center including a Mech complex
Liao	Bharat	Tropical	1,817,000,000	A planetwide hunting preserve
Liao	Bithinia	Tropical	3,298,000,000	Planetwide entertainment center - steel industry
Liao	Buenos Aires	Tropical	2,186,000,000	Subterranean and offshore hydroponic agriculture
Liao	Capella	Tropical	5,375,000,000	HQ for Ceres Metals and Capellan Commonality Bank
Liao	Exedor	Desert	1,000,000	Liao personal treasures guarded by crack troops
Liao	Grand Base	Desert	3,467,000,000	Military staging, training and repair facility
Liao	Keid	Tropical	4,573,000,000	Many military, training and research facilities
Liao	Matsu	Ice	2,153,000,000	Precious metals mining center
Liao	Menke	Tropical	4,514,000,000	Home of McCarron's Armored Cavalry
Liao	Milos	Tropical	3,481,000,000	Agricultural world of some strategic importance
Liao	Nanking	Tropical	5,918,000,000	Home of the Warrior House Daidachi Regiment
Liao	Necromo	Desert	1,000,000	Liao Dropship repair facility
Liao	New Hessen	Desert	2,139,000,000	Main recruiting and training center for House Liao
Liao	Raballa	Tropical	3,871,000,000	Houses major aerospace support installation
Liao	Sian	Tropical	4,796,000,000	Capital of the Capellan Confederation
Liao	Styk	Tropical	4,725,000,000	2nd largest trading and industrial center
Liao	Tall Trees	Tropical	964,000,000	Genetic research facility which developed Nuplague
Liao	Tikonov	Tropical	5,279,000,000	Largest Mech production center in Capellan space
Liao	Tsinghai	Tropical	4,185,000,000	Best known for its wines, also uranium deposits
Liao	Turin	Tropical	3,267,000,000	Noted for its horses and special cattle
Liao	Warlock	Ice	4,128,000,000	Military research and development center
Liao	Zanzibar	Desert	1,549,000,000	Famous black market - anything can be bought here
Davion	Ander's Moon	Desert	50,000,000	Small backwater world mostly agricultural
Davion	Baxley	Desert	1,752,000,000	A real backwater world of absolutely no importance
Davion	Beecher	Tropical	3,689,000,000	Strong industry and agriculture, excellent wines
Davion	Caph	Desert	2,349,000,000	Major connection between Davion and Steiner space
Davion	Cogdell	Tropical	1,536,000,000	Agri-world in deep political turmoil
Davion	Delacambre	Tropical	3,215,000,000	Agricultural world supporting several near planets
Davion	Frazer	Tropical	899,000,000	Large producer of rice, some petroleum
Davion	Galax	Desert	3,527,000,000	Major mining and industrial center
Davion	Gambler [sic]	Tropical	2,145,000,000	Entertainment world with some industry
Davion	Great Gorge	Desert	1,988,000,000	Nice world rich in minerals on the edge of nowhere
Davion	Greely [sic]	Ice	1,492,000,000	Recently rebuilt into a military center
Davion	Hobbs	Desert	1,325,000,000	Giant cave systems here used as warehouses
Davion	Hoff	Tropical	1,263,000,000	Houses the Friden Aerospace research facility
Davion	Hyalite	Desert	1,598,000,000	Strong chemical industries
Davion	Immenstadt	Ice	21,000,000	Cold much of the year, strong hydroponic industry
Davion	Kathil	Desert	1,567,000,000	Major Jumpship and Dropship facilities
Davion	Kesai IV	Desert	1,426,000,000	Strategic military center and nothing else
Davion	Kittery	Tropical	2,381,000,000	Inhospitable jungle world, natives in rebellion
Davion	Mallory's World	Tropical	2,163,000,000	Once plentiful agri-world now war torn
Davion	Marduk	Tropical	3,691,000,000	Home of the Norse BattleMech Works
Davion	Moravian	Desert	2,157,000,000	Mining industry smashed by war, depressed economy
Davion	New Aragon	Tropical	2,349,000,000	Captured in 2832, House Liao still claims it
Davion	New Avalon	Tropical	5,876,000,000	Capital of the Federated Suns
Davion	New Syrtis	Ice	3,682,000,000	Military capital of the Capellan March
Davion	Noatak	Ice	1,389,000,000	Known for its whales, seals and aquatic life
Davion	Okefenokee	Tropical	478,000,000	Rich petroleum deposits just discovered
Davion	Redfield	Tropical	1,004,000,000	Such a constant battlefield nothing else happens
Davion	Robinson	Tropical	3,428,000,000	Military capital of the Terran March
Davion	Tancredi IV	Tropical	3,251,000,000	Strong mining and industrial center
Davion	Xhosa VII	Tropical	2,975,000,000	Aerospace industry somewhat depressed by war

Economy

MW1's economy system, which determines the buy and sell price of 'mechs, the price of ammo, repairs, and travel between planets, is very simple. Each planet belongs to one of four 'tiers', and prices for everything depends on which tier that planet is in.

• Tier 1 planets have the cheapest 'mechs, ammo, and repairs. They also have a greater abundance of spare parts, 'mechs for sale, and generally more missions available.
• Tier 4 planets have the most expensive of everything. Buying 'mechs on tier 1/2 planets and selling them on tier 3/4 planets is a very viable way to generate cash in-game.
• The capital planets of each region are tier 1 planets. Ander's Moon, the protagonist's home planet, is a tier 4 planet, but flying to it before completing the game means you instantly lose the game, so trading there is only possible after you've beaten the game entirely.
• Ammo is not taken into account when calculating a 'mech's buy or sell price - a fully repaired Jenner with a full SRM-4 rack will sell for exactly the same as a top-condition Jenner with no ammo at all, so if you are trading 'mechs to generate cash, don't bother reloading ballistic or missile weapons.

Images

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  Regular cover

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  Japanese Edition cover

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  SNES cover

Resources

• MechWarrior and BattleTech: Stolen Chalice for download from Sarna
• MechWarrior (1989 Video Game)/Characters

External links

• MechWarrior for download at Abandonia.com
• MechWarrior at MobyGames.com