MechCommander

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MechCommander

Developer(s)	FASA Interactive
Publisher(s)	MicroProse
Release date(s)	1998
Genre(s)	Mech Real-time tactics
Mode(s)	Single player, Multiplayer over Modem, Serial, Network or Internet
Rating(s)	ELSPA: Teen/+11
Platform(s)	Windows
Media	1 CD-ROM
System requirements	Intel Pentium 133 CPU, 16MB RAM, 150MB hard disk, 2MB PCI graphic card
Input	Keyboard and mouse

MechCommander was the first real-time tactics (RTT) video game based on FASA's BattleTech/MechWarrior franchise (though often being called a real-time strategy game), developed by FASA Interactive and distributed by MicroProse. Several MechWarrior titles were released before, but all were from the pilot (or MechWarrior) point of view, MechCommander being the first to give operative control over a squad (company) of 'Mechs. Released in 1998, it had an expansion, later combined with the original title and released as MechCommander Gold, and a sequel (distributed by Microsoft) – MechCommander 2. MicroProse also used many of the ideas in their 2000 Starship Troopers game.

1 Overview
2 Expansion Pack
3 'Mechs
4 Weapons and items
5 Support vehicles
6 External links

[edit] Overview

MechCommander, in being a squad-based RTT, is more in the lines of X-COM: Apocalypse (also by MicroProse) than RTS games like Age of Empires or StarCraft.

The player assumes the role of the commander of Zulu company from the Federated Commonwealth's First Davion Guards, and the planet Port Arthur must be taken back from the Clan Smoke Jaguar. The plan is to systematically establish a beachhead on the planet, then cut off supply lines to the Jaguars, and finally retake cities and territories until the final mission at the Port Arthur starbase. The campaign mode is 30 missions long, divided into five operations, each six missions long.

The player has a limited payload and DropShip space for each mission, which influences the number and weight of the 'Mechs and support vehicles that can be brought into battle. The player must select which 'Mechs he/she wishes to use, then outfit them with appropriate weapons and competent pilots. As commander, the player has complete control over company purchasing, 'Mechs, pilots, and weapon components.

Many missions involve simple destruction of all enemy forces. Usually the mission is completed when an enemy unit is destroyed or a structure is captured or destroyed. Occasionally, some missions required the player to find and escort allies or lost 'Mechs. At the successful conclusion of a mission, Resource Points (money) are rewarded to the player and all pilots receive some experience.

At the beginning of the game, Battalion (the authority over the player's company plus the other two companies in the battalion, Yankee and X-Ray) can only provide basic Inner Sphere weapons and 'Mechs, plus a few rookie pilots. As the game progresses and Zulu's prestige increases, more pilots will flock to recruitment centers and more 'Mechs, vehicles, and weapons will appear on purchase lists. This, along with 'Mechs and weapons salvaged in the field, is what the company's strength will be built upon.

The Inner Sphere suffers technologically against the more powerful Clan 'Mechs and weaponry. Simply put, Clan 'Mechs are faster, hold more weapons, use more powerful weapons, and have superior armor than the Inner Sphere's. A Clan 'Mech can stand toe to toe with Inner sphere 'Mechs that outweigh it by 10 to 15 tons. However, any 'Mech or weapon can be salvaged on the battlefield, so over the course of the campaign, Clan 'Mechs will be available for use.

Another part of the game is pilot skill progression. At the start, pilots are green and regular, but after missions of intense fighting, they advance to higher ranks (veteran and elite). This fact, coupled with the fact that Clan 'Mechs cannot be directly acquired (they may only be salvaged if they aren't too heavily damaged), means that the player must consider pilots and Clan 'Mechs and weapons to be the most valuable possessions; winning an engagement but losing an elite pilot and Clan assault 'Mech is a serious loss to the company.

In order to defeat superior numbers and technology, the player must get the full potential out of his 'Mechs. An efficient strategy is to load a long range specialized 'Mech with huge quantities of long range missiles that will either eliminate targets at range or pull enemies into close range combat with your short range specialized 'Mechs. On the other hand, a single small and fast recon 'Mech with jump jets can quickly overcome enemy walls and capture enemy turret towers, turning the enemy's own defense grid against them, effectively destroying a base without a shot. In addition, recon mechs can lure slower mechs into explosive fuel cell fields, or into the line of fire of heavier 'Mechs.

The game is known for its difficulty, which can make even the best MechCommander redo easy missions multiple times. The superior numerical odds against player forces coupled with the highly interactive terrain makes MechCommander a great addition to the Battletech Universe.

[edit] Expansion Pack

MechCommander: Desperate Measures expansion pack was released in 1999 and was set immediately after liberation of Port Arthur. Players once again assumed command of Zulu company in a campaign to liberate a desolate planet Cermak in the Periphery, taken by a renegade Smoke Jaguar Star Colonel Marcus Kotare (A character that already featured briefly in MechWarrior 2: Mercenaries) for unknown reason, which is explained later in game. Once again, player starts with inferior Inner Sphere 'Mechs (Pilots and 'Mechs from original campaign cannot be exported into expansion), though both 'Mechs and pilots are better than in start of original campaign. The game has only 3 campaigns as opposed to original 5, making it somewhat short. Aside from the missions, the expansion campaign included a new set of music, new Cermak landscape complete with redesigned and/or new buildings, new weapons, 3 new 'Mechs for each side - Stiletto, Bushwacker, and Mauler for IS and Shadow Cat, Nova Cat and Turkina for the Clan, and new vehicles including Alacorn, Pilum and Regulator tanks, as well as ammo trucks that also doubled as suicide bombers and Centipede scout vehicles. Desperate Measures also acted as testbed for the concept of custom NPC 'Mechs that had their own names (like Kotare's Turkina), weapon configurations and overall superiority to the standard modifications. This idea was carried on to and greatly improved in MechCommander 2.

[edit] 'Mechs

The Game features 18 'Mechs (24 total in the expansion) and each 'Mech has its own strengths and weaknesses. Generally, the lighter 'Mechs scout while the heavier 'Mechs fight. Although the Jaguars feature stronger and faster 'Mechs, the Inner Sphere boasts the only stock 'Mechs that are equipped with advanced sensors (Raven) and the fastest 'Mech and longest jumper (Stilletto). Certain stock 'Mechs are better fitted to fight up in close range with devastating autocannons (Hunchback, Thor, Nova Cat), or to provide long range support (Catapult, Vulture), or all around combat (Firestarter, Hollander II, Centurion, Atlas, Mad Cat, Loki, Maskari), but may be refitted to suit specific missions' needs. Despite being of similar weight or class or even side, 'Mechs have a massive difference in performance between makes.

Inner Sphere 'Mechs

Commando (light)
Firestarter (light)
Raven (light)
Stilletto (light) ¹
Hollander II (medium)
Hunchback (medium)
Bushwacker (medium) ¹
Centurion (medium)
Catapult (heavy)
Jagermech (heavy)
Awesome (assault)
Mauler (assault) ¹
Atlas (assault)

Clan 'Mechs

Uller (light)
Cougar (light)
Shadow Cat (medium) ¹
Hunchback IIC (medium)
Vulture (heavy)
Loki (heavy)
Thor (heavy)
Nova Cat (heavy) ¹
Mad Cat (heavy)
Masakari (assault)
Turkina (assault) ¹

¹ Added in the Desperate Measures Expansion

[edit] Weapons and items

Weapons are split between three groups, according to the range at which they can be fired. Most Inner Sphere weapons have a better Clan counterpart. Some counterparts (such as the Clan Hvy. Ultra AC) may contain less ammunition, but all are lighter, inflict more damage, have more ammunition and/or a shorter recycle time (faster rate of fire). All of the Clan counterparts are also more expensive.

Short-Range Weapons

Pulse Laser
Short-Range Missile (SRM) Pack
Laser ¹
Streak SRM Pack
Heavy Flamer
Heavy Autocannon (Heavy AC) / Clan Heavy Ultra Autocannon (Clan Hvy. Ultra AC)
Heavy LBX Autocannon / Clan Heavy Ultra LBX Autocannon³

Medium-Range Weapons

Large Pulse Laser
Clan Extended-Range Laser²
Large Laser¹
Autocannon / Clan Ultra Autocannon
LBX Autocannon / Clan Ultra LBX Autocannon³
Particle Projector Cannon (PPC)¹
Sniper Cannon³
Heavy Thunderbolt³

Long-Range Weapons

Long-Range Missile Pack (LRM)
Light Autocannon¹
Light Ultra Autocannon
Light LBX Autocannon / Clan Light Ultra LBX Autocannon³
Large Extended-Range Laser
ER Particle Projection Cannon (ER PPC)
Gauss Rifle
X-Pulse Laser^1,3
Long Tom Artillery^1,3

¹ Inner Sphere Only
² Clan Only
³ Weapons added in Desperate Measures Expansion

Energy Weapons (for example: lasers, flamers, PPC) have unlimited ammo, yet tend to take longer to reload or occupy massive 'Mech space.
Missile Weapons (for example: SRM, LRM) can fire over large walls, buildings, and forests. However, most have very limited ammo and have a long recycle time.
Ballistic Weapons (for example: Heavy AC, AC, Light AC) Reload fairly quickly and do lots of damage per hit, but they take massive amounts of payload space and can run out of ammo.

Sensors are responsible for getting earlier warnings on 'Mechs before visual contact is possible. Probing (finding powered-down 'Mechs) and countermeasure (cloaking from radar) devices can also be equipped.

Sensors (order by range)

Sensor Basic (350m)
Clan Sensor Basic (385m)
Sensor-Intermediate (470m)
Clan Sensor-Extended (490m)
Sensor-Advanced (525m)

Probing

Beagle Probe
Clan Active Probe

Counter-Measure devices

Guardian ECM Suite
Clan ECM Suite

[edit] Support vehicles

Although 'Mechs remain the focus of the game, there are several smaller support vehicles, including scouts, tanks, repair trucks, cargo trucks, mine layers, mine sweepers, and long-range artillery cannons. Without certain vehicles, some missions can be extremely hard to complete.