MechWarrior 2: 31st Century Combat

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MechWarrior 2: 31st Century Combat
Developer(s) Activision
Publisher(s) Activision
Platform(s) MS-DOS, Microsoft Windows, Apple Macintosh, Sega Saturn, Sony PlayStation
Release date 1995
Genre(s) Vehicle simulation game
Mode(s) Single player, Multiplayer
Rating(s) RSAC: V1: Damage to Realistic Objects
Media CD-ROM
System requirements DOS: 486, 8 MB RAM, 2X CD-ROM drive
Windows: Pentium 90 MHz, 12 MB RAM, 4X CD-ROM drive

MechWarrior 2: 31st Century Combat is a 1995 computer game produced by Activision. It is part of the MechWarrior series of PC games. It separates itself from the original board game Battletech by placing the player inside the cockpit of the BattleMech. As such, the game is more a vehicle simulation game than a strategy game.

The game has been released on a variety of platforms, initially for MS-DOS then Windows with versions designed around different video cards with 3D acceleration. It was also ported to the Sega Saturn and the Sony PlayStation as MechWarrior 2: Arcade Combat Edition, with gameplay reoriented towards more action instead of complex simulation.

In MechWarrior 2, the player can choose to be a member of either Clan Jade Falcon or Clan Wolf, while engaging in a total of 30 missions (15 missions for each Clan) in the 3057 time frame.

MechWarrior 2 features a soundtrack composed by Jeehun Hwang which consists of ambient electronic music.

Contents

[edit] MechWarrior 2 (original release)

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[edit] Development history

Originally, MechWarrior 2 was to have shipped with multi-player capabilities via a program called NetMech. Development of this application was behind schedule and was not shipped until about eight months after MechWarrior 2 was released. NetMech was made available to the public via a free download or in a low-cost boxed CD-ROM set. The add-on featured various types of gameplay, with support for up to eight players. Later versions of MechWarrior 2 included NetMech.

Many copies of the MechWarrior 2 and NetMech CDs came with an online gaming client known as Kali. Kali allowed games that supported only the IPX protocol to communicate over TCP/IP, the protocol used by the then-emerging Internet. Players using Kali had two major leagues/ladders to choose from: the Grand Council (GC) or the Killing Zone League (TKZ). Both offered scenario-based battles with TKZ offering more of a strategist's view of the overall concept[citation needed]. After a year or so, Mplayer introduced chat/multiplayer with tcp/ip capabilities. Leagues formed on these client, such as MechWarrior League (MWL) and Planet War League (PWL). The Planet War League offered clans the ability to fight for planets in a drawn up universe.

MechWarrior 2: 31st Century Combat was originally titled MechWarrior II: The Clans during development and allowed the player to choose from one of six Clans (in the finished product, only two clans were available). An early playable demo of this version of the game was released to the public in 1993.

[edit] Plot details

MechWarrior 2 31st Century Combat (generally known as MechWarrior 2) is a game re-creation of the "Refusal War" between Clan Wolf and Clan Jade Falcon. Set shortly after the climactic Battle of Tukayyid between the Inner Sphere and invading Clan armies, the plot revolves around an ideological conflict inside the Clans. It focuses only on clans Jade Falcon and Wolf, both of which represent a different side in the struggle: Crusaders and Wardens, respectively.

[edit] Background of the conflict

The Crusader Clans operate under the assumption that they retain a mandate from their founder, Nicholas Kerensky, to return to the Inner Sphere -which their forefathers had left in order to save it from itself- as conquerors; to deliver a retribution on the nations there who collapsed the Star League and reform it in their own image.

The Wardens on the other hand believed their ancestors left the Inner Sphere specifically to stand aloof as guardians, to guide the Inner Sphere back to the glory of the Star League and only to intervene if it was threatened by an outside force or an internal force of terrible magnitude (such as the Word of Blake would become decades later).

The Warden position had been politically stronger through the Clans until around the year 3000, when it slowly became a more and more heated debate between the two sides. Careful probes of the Inner Sphere had shown that it was steadily recovering from the collapse of the Star League and several of the states that had sprung up since this golden age (most notably the Federated Commonwealth) could very well be on the path to gaining complete control and declaring itself the Star League reborn.

Using this alarming (and carefully 'spun') information, the Clans launched a massive invasion under the aegis of the Crusader banner, despite strong opposition from Clan Wolf. Clan Wolf themselves were included in the invasion under the assumption that by keeping this die hard Warden clan as an invader with the rest of the Crusaders, they would be aptly punished.

Instead Ulric Kerensky used this to 'get ahead' of the rest of the Crusader clans and dictate the pace and style of the invasion, being elected the Khan of Khans (supreme Military Leader of the Clans) in the process. Under this authority, he negotiated a pact with ComStar, provider of FTL communications in the Inner Sphere for a battle to decide the fate of the Inner Sphere. If the Clans won, Terra (Earth, the Clans stated goal in the invasion) would be theirs without resistance. If the Clans lost however, they would be forced into a fifteen year truce in which they would not advance any further towards Terra. This battle would take place on the relatively unpopulated and unimportant world of Tukayyid.

The remainder of the Clans happily agreed to the battle under the assumption that it would be an easy victory and net them a complete strategic victory over the Inner Sphere. However the Clans (with the exception of Clan Wolf) were woefully unprepared for the battle. Despite their superior technology, the Clans rigid and doctrinal style of military battles that emphasized one on one dueling ran right into that of ComStar, who used classic 20th century military tactics to great success. The most conservative Crusader Clans such as the Smoke Jaguars took horrific losses at the hands of ComStar's armies. Clan Wolf was the only Clan to achieve both of its objectives thanks again to their Warden views, highly objective military thinking and the presence of two highly skilled former Inner Sphere warriors whom Ulric listened to very closely when devising his strategy.

Regardless, the end result was a catastrophic defeat for the Clans. Not only had the most hard line invading Clans been gutted, but the Inner Sphere now had fifteen years of breathing time in which it could mate its far superior industrial capacity to their now rapidly advancing technology. Indeed in Fifteen Years, the Clans themselves may well have found themselves on the receiving end of an all out invasion by the Inner Sphere.

To that end, Ulric Kerensky was charged with treason by the Crusader Clans on the crime of genocide. The logic being that as a Warden oriented supreme leader leading a Crusader invasion, he had led the Clans into a trap on Tukayyid. Fifteen years from now, with a new generation of untested Clan warriors (the Clans cycle their troops at very high rates and keep them young, in 15 years there would be no war vets to lead them) against a resurgent Inner Sphere, the Clans would be exterminated.

While the charges were absurd, the majority Crusader Grand Council of the Clans passed the motion of censure, stripping him of his status of ilKhan and opening the way for the council to immediately repudiate the truce he made with Comm Star, kicking the invasion back off again.

Ulric however swore to defend the Inner Sphere to the last. By Clan law, a challenge can be issued by a loser party in any judgment, the battlefield being the final arbiter of justice in the Clans, the so called 'Trial of Refusal'. The odds against the challenger being determined by the votes of the council. Ulric at this point issued the challenge and bid in his defense the entire Clan Wolf. The Jade Falcons, infuriated at his audacity bid themselves as the defenders of the Councils verdict against him. Exactly as Ulric had hoped, the Falcons being the strongest of the Crusader clans after the horrible losses suffered on Tukayyid.

This is where it stands at the start of the game. In the conflict known as the Refusal War, the Jade Falcons fight to prove the Councils judgment of guilt correct, allowing an immediate resumption of the Invasion against the still weakened Inner Sphere. Ulric and the Wolves however are grimly determined to fight a war of extermination against the Falcons and leave them too weak to pose a threat to the Inner Sphere. The stakes? The Future of the Inner Sphere.

[edit] Gameplay

In the game, the player chooses the side of one of the two Clans involved in the refusal war: The Wolves or the Jade Falcons. The battles in the game take place on planets named in the various Battletech source books on the war as well as expanded universe novels such as 'Bred for War'. Indeed, the briefing and aftermath sequences of the missions include fluff text from these novels and source books which paint the picture of the mission about to be attempted and place it into context of the wider battles. While some of the battles that the player takes place in can be considered to in fact be some of the battles described in other sources, most are not, though they are contextually related to them.

For example in Battletech Canon, on Morges, the Wolves were said to have launched many attacks against Jade Falcon supply convoys which ultimately turned the tide for them. As a Jade Falcon, the player must defend a supply convoy from such an attack. In a similar way, as a Wolf player there is a mission where a player fights as an advanced raiding party in the Great Gash on Twycross, site of a massive battle in the war and mentioned later in the game.

There are some game play elements that are not considered canon however, most notably that of a forcefield in the final Clan Wolf mission, that type of technology is completely unknown in the Battletech universe. However generally the game is faithful in spirit, if not in fact to the storyline of the war and the outcome.

What is not considered canon is the ending cutscenes which depict the victorious side viewing Terra from the moon, an impossibility as so far in Battletech canon no Clan has conquered planets beyond the truce line. These can instead be taken as each Clans hopeful vision of the future when the Truce finally ends and the invasion can be continued. This dream would eventually be shattered for the Crusader Clans by the Trial of Refusal led by Victor Davion on Strana Mechty.

In Mechwarrior 2, the mech lab allows players to customize the weapon and armor of any drivable mech. However, the mech lab leads to game imbalance issues, as the player can exploit the free and open weapon choices to create so called "gunboats". The practice of "boating" gave the mech disproportionate firepower for its size (at the expense of mission endurance due to limited armor and ammunition). For example, most story missions, including those intended to be challenging, could be easily won by a Mad Dog heavy-mech equipped with 12 machine-guns. The player simply charged the enemy, opened fire at point-blank, and destroyed any battlefield mech (up to and including the Dire Wolf) with just 1-2 seconds of sustained fire. A similar, though not nearly as effective strategy involved outfitting the Maurauder with 10 medium lasers (this strategy required greater discipline on the part of the player to avoid overheating). Though perfectly legal within the rules of the game, boating is banned from player-vs-player tournaments, as boating matches devolve into a non-skill contest of "first shot wins".

[edit] Mechs featured

  • Firemoth (Dasher)
  • Kit Fox (Uller)
  • Jenner IIC
  • Nova (Black Hawk)
  • Storm Crow (Ryoken)
  • Mad Dog (Vulture)
  • Hellbringer (Loki)
  • Rifleman IIC
  • Summoner (Thor)
  • Timber Wolf (Mad Cat)
  • Gargoyle (Man 'O' War)
  • Warhammer IIC
  • Marauder IIC
  • Warhawk (Masakari)
  • Dire Wolf (Daishi)
  • Battlemaster IIC (Hidden 'Mech)
  • Elemental (Hidden 'Mech)
  • Tarantula (Hidden 'Mech)

[edit] Special versions

  • 3Dfx Voodoo Graphics

Released in late 1996 with various 3Dfx Voodoo Graphics 3D accelerator boards, the Windows 95-native 3Dfx version used the Glide API to significantly enhance the visual quality of MechWarrior 2. Textures were added to terrain, the sky, and the Mechs. Bilinear filtering eliminated Pixelation. It is one of the few games for the Voodoo Graphics card that supports 800x600 resolution, because it does not use z-buffering. Also notable is that it is the only special 3D-enhanced OEM version that maintains a fluid framerate at all times.[1]

  • ATI 3D Rage

Outside of the original MS-DOS version, the adaptation for the ATI 3D Rage is perhaps the most common and was bundled with a number of video cards and desktop systems. It has a set resolution of 512×384 and options to disable or enable textures and texture filtering. Unfortunately, this version of the game suffered from the inadequate performance of the early Rage accelerators. The later Rage Pro accelerator plays the game notably better than the 3D Rage and Rage II.[1]

  • Matrox Mystique

The game was also ported to the Matrox Mystique graphics card. This accelerator lacked some 3D rendering features now common, including bilinear filtering and mipmapping. However, compared to the S3 ViRGE and ATI 3D Rage versions of MechWarrior 2, the Mystique version played relatively fast. Visual quality was lacking without the previously mentioned features, however. It was said to be somewhat too dark and the visual distortions could be dizzying.[1]

  • PowerVR

A special version of MechWarrior 2 was also released for the PowerVR 3D accelerator. The initial PowerVR PCX1 lacked bilinear filtering and so looked somewhat visually similar to the Matrox Mystique build, with pixelation and texture distortion. PCX1 was also fairly slow. However, the later PowerVR PCX2 board matched most of Voodoo Graphics' image features (but not speed.) This version is second only the Voodoo Graphics release.[1]

  • QuickDraw RAVE

Shortly after doing a straight port of MechWarrior 2 to the Macintosh, Green Dragon Creations made a 3D-accelerated version using Apple's RAVE technology.[1] This version was not sold in stores; it was available only as a bundle with Power Mac 6500 (included to highlight the Power Mac's integrated ATI Rage II chip) or the TechWorks Power3D video card.[1]

  • S3 ViRGE

The enhanced version of MechWarrior 2 for the S3 ViRGE has improved visual quality compared to the original DOS version, with added features such as textures and texture filtering. However, because of ViRGE's slow performance, the game does not run well in this edition. [1]

MechWarrior 2: Ghost Bear's Legacy
Box art
Developer(s) Activision
Publisher(s) Activision
Platform(s) MS-DOS, Microsoft Windows, Apple Macintosh
Release date 1995
Genre(s) Vehicle simulation game
Mode(s) Single player, Multiplayer
Rating(s) RSAC: V1: Damage to Realistic Objects
Media CD-ROM
System requirements DOS: 486, 8 MB RAM, 2X CD-ROM drive
Windows: Pentium 90 MHz, 12 MB RAM, 4X CD-ROM drive, the original game

[edit] Ghost Bear's Legacy (expansion pack)

MechWarrior 2: Ghost Bear's Legacy is the follow up expansion pack for MechWarrior 2, that gives the player a chance to play as the Clan Ghost Bear. This expansion pack gives players access to 14 new BattleMechs and a number of new weapons, plus 12 new missions in a number of new environments, such as outer space and underwater. New songs for the CD soundtrack are also added, continuing the tradition of high quality music that fits specific atmospheres.

[edit] Plot details

Taking place after the Refusal War, Ghost Bear's Legacy is the story of a new Ghost Bear warrior living in the Inner Sphere. Fighting off raids by Mercenaries initially, everything changes when a raid by the Draconis Combine is successful in stealing the genetic material of the Clan Founders Hans Ole Jorgensson and Sandra Tseng. Enraged by this attack, the Ghost Bears send units to track down the culprits only to find the matter is not as simple as first thought. It would appear that the Draconis Combine has been framed for the raids as the Battlemechs used in the raid had been captured by Clan Smoke Jaguar several months before.

This starts a search through the Clans to find out who is responsible. Strategically, this is essential; if the culprit were able to successfully finger someone else, a war would instantly ensue that could leave the Ghost Bears vulnerable to attack.

Eventually it is found the Smoke Jaguars themselves lost the Battlemechs in a raid by Clan Wolf. Taking place after the Refusal War, the Wolf Clan has been divided into the Crusader faction under Khan Vlad Ward who remain aligned with the rest of the Clans as well as Clan Wolf in Exile under Khan Phelan Kell which consists of the Wolf warriors who are of the Warden faction. Sending units to investigate either possibility, the truth is soon discovered. It is two rogue Galaxy Commanders of the Crusader Clan Wolf (The Jade Wolves) who had stolen the material in the fake raid. The units sent to investigate Clan Wolf in Exile are allowed to honorably withdraw by the Wolves and the stage is set for the final battle.

[edit] Canon status

While the status of the expansion pack has been debated, text from the Smoke Jaguar page of the official Classic Battletech website mentions the plot made by the "Jade Wolves" that blamed both the Smoke Jaguars and Clan Wolf-in-exile for the theft of the genetic material of the founders. The article even mentions that the Ghost Bears may have been considering a Trial of Absorption of the Smoke Jaguars due to their post-Tukayyid weakness. The subsequent destruction of the Smoke Jaguars by Inner Sphere forces eliminated any chance of the Ghost Bears exercising this option. While Ghost Bear's Legacy has never been officially considered a part of canon, the presence of this paragraph on the Official Classic Battletech webpage lends weight to the canon status of the expansion pack. Most likely the Ghost Bears considered the matter settled when they annihilated the "rogue" members of Clan Jade Wolf. Whether Khan Vlad Ward had any knowledge or hand in this matter is debatable but he most likely used plausible deniability to place the full blame on the pair of rogue Galaxy Commanders the player kills at the end of the expansion pack.

The text can be found at the Official Classic Battletech website on the Smoke Jaguar page under the "Post-Tukayyid" banner.

http://www.classicbattletech.com/index.php?action=text&page=Smoke_Jaguar

[edit] Mechs featured

  • Incubus
  • Horned Owl
  • Raven
  • Phantom
  • Linebacker
  • Grizzly
  • Hatamoto-Chi
  • Naga
  • Victor
  • Executioner (Gladiator)
  • Annihilator
  • Atlas
  • Kodiak
  • Stone Rhino (Behemoth)
  • Plus most of the Mechs from the original game.
MechWarrior 2: Mercenaries
Box art
Developer(s) Activision
Publisher(s) Activision
Platform(s) MS-DOS, Microsoft Windows, Apple Macintosh
Release date 1996
Genre(s) Vehicle simulation game
Mode(s) Single player, Multiplayer
Rating(s) RSAC: V1: Damage to Realistic Objects
Media CD-ROM
System requirements DOS: 486, 8 MB RAM, 2X CD-ROM drive
Windows: Pentium 90 MHz, 12 MB RAM, 4X CD-ROM drive

[edit] MechWarrior 2: Mercenaries

MechWarrior 2: Mercenaries was released in September 1996 and is a stand-alone sequel to MechWarrior 2 and the last BattleTech game made by Activision. In this game, the player takes control of an Inner Sphere mercenary squad, with control over the finances and mission selections. Mercenaries gives the player access to 30 new BattleMechs and 50 missions covering numerous worlds, including missions pertaining to the Clan invasion. Mercenaries also features MercNet (a redesign of NetMech) for multiplayer. A special 3DFX Edition was also released.

[edit] Plot

Unlike the first two games of MechWarrior 2, Mercenaries takes place inside the Inner Sphere and before the Clan Invasion. The player can take contracts from one of three factions, the Draconis Combine, the Federated Commonwealth, Comstar or the Free Rasalhague Republic. Generally the background plot is of the Draconis Combine and Federated Commonwealth making initial moves towards yet another war between the two great powers, with the FRR and CS trying to play both off against the middle. The canon backdrop for this is the aftermath of the War of 3039 between the two great powers (which was effectively a stalemate) and buildup by both sides towards the next war. The player can take contracts by both sides without censure from either, though doing so will cause time limited contract openings to close if the Player is already "booked".

Missions include helping (and crushing) uprisings, generally on behalf of the FC and DC respectively, deep recon and raids, anti pirate campaigns and even fights against other Merc units. The player can also attempt to win the crown of Champion of Solaris in the Battlemech games, inside massive enclosed arenas. These missions proved so popular that they were brought back in the spiritual sequel of Mechwarrior 4: Mercenaries.

The buildup to a war between the two Great Powers suddenly comes to a dramatic twist with the invasion of the Clans. The Player is thrust into the battles against the 'unknown mechs' of the Clans (though if the player has played Mechwarrior 2, he or she will no doubt recognise most of the Mechs and their capabilities). For a time captured by Clan Wolf, the player returns to the Inner Sphere and fights some of the major battles of the invasion such as the Battle of Wolcott (which is represented inaccurately as a multi day campaign rather than a multi minute ambush) as well as the climatic Invasion of Luthien.

The Game ends with a cutscene of the Battle of Tukayyid and an Inner Sphere Lance destroying a Clan Star.

[edit] Gameplay

The Mechwarrior 2 engine is still used, however upgraded graphics with terrain texture mapping and enhanced lighting effects and higher resolutions. A completely new musical score was devised for the game as well as an updated version of NetMech which included native Internet playing ability. Far more Battlemechs were available as well as other vehicles (including a single mission where the player could use a Hovertank). The Player could even hire an Aerospace fighter to provide air cover, though this feature was generally bemoaned as highly limited and nearly worthless.

[edit] Mechs featured

  • Annihilator
  • Assassin
  • Atlas
  • Awesome
  • Bombardier
  • Catapult
  • Centurion
  • Cicada
  • Clint
  • Commando
  • Crab
  • Cyclops
  • Dragon
  • Flashman
  • Highlander
  • Hunchback
  • Jenner
  • Jagermech
  • Javelin
  • Orion
  • Panther
  • Quickdraw
  • Sentinel
  • Stalker
  • Thug
  • Trebuchet
  • Urbanmech
  • Victor
  • Vindicator
  • Whitworth
  • Zeus
  • Hatamoto-Chi
  • Hornet
  • Mauler
  • Raven
  • Wolf Trap
  • Battle Hawk
  • Grim Reaper
  • Mongoose
  • Salamander
  • Cauldron Born
  • Dire Wolf (Daishi)
  • Elemental
  • Executioner (Gladiator)
  • Firemoth (Dasher)
  • Gargoyle (Man O' War)
  • Grizzly
  • Hellbringer (Loki)
  • Jenner IIC
  • Kit Fox (Uller)
  • Kodiak
  • Linebacker
  • Mad Dog (Vulture)
  • Naga
  • Nova (Black Hawk)
  • Phantom
  • Storm Crow (Ryoken)
  • Summoner (Thor)
  • Timber Wolf (Mad Cat)
  • Warhawk (Masakari)

[edit] The Titanium Trilogy

MechWarrior 2: The Titanium Trilogy was released in 1997 and contains all three MechWarrior 2 games with added support for Windows 95 and 3D accelerated video hardware. Including 16-bit graphics (as opposed to the original 8-bit), which vastly changed the look of the original game.

[edit] Technical notes

The ATI 3D Rage version seems to run under Windows 95 and Windows 98 with the ATI 3D Rage drivers.

The software rendered version works quite well on many machines; it can run natively under Windows XP with an unofficial patch, or under a DOS emulator with some setup. Problems such as jump jets not recharging may be resolved by playing the game in DosBox 0.65 or better. Instructions and files for the DOS version in WinXP.

[edit] Criticism

Although The Titanium Trilogy gave a new graphical look to the series, many complained about the changes in the music. For starters, the original series had specific music that fit the overall feel and atmosphere of the mission that it played in. However, the tracks were all randomized and any mission could have any music as its soundtrack in The Titanium Trilogy.

Also, in the Mercenaries version of The Titanium Trilogy, space had to be made for the extra coding on an already data filled CD. Because of this, most of the music tracks were shortened and faded out 1:00 short of their original length. This greatly reduced the musical quality of the game as many of the tracks were shortened from two and a half to one and a half minutes and often many of the tracks faded out during or shortly before the climax of the musical piece, leaving many listeners feeling cheated.

A last complaint was from those that had upgraded their beloved copy of Mechwarrior 2 to The Titanium Trilogy version to find that the look and feel of many missions were altered. For example, a planet that was originally a harsh, hot, red rock desert might have been changed to have a cool, gray, granite look to it, or a green, grassy planet may have been changed to a snow one. While this had no impact on players that were new to The Titanium Trilogy, those that had grown to love the look of the original planets and designs were looking forward to an "upgrade" to their look. Instead, they were changed completely.

The Windows versions of the game have the video encoded using RAD Game Tools video codec Smacker, which unlike the games is compatible with Windows XP.

[edit] References

Assault Tech 1 (a remake of the game, currently being created)

 This article does not cite any references or sources. (June 2007)
Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.
  1. ^ a b c d e f Lupinsky, K. Kanajana's MechWarrior 2 3D Page, accessed July 10, 2007.

[edit] External links

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MechWarrior video games
MechWarrior series
MechWarrior · 2: 31st Century Combat · 3 · 4: Vengeance · 4: Mercenaries
MechCommander series
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