Be Excellent To Each Other

Mechwarrior Online is now in open beta! If you're sick of twitch shooters and insta-death, this definitely worth a try. There's a real sense of the weight of your colossal war machine as it stomps around, blowing the hell out of other mechs. Aiming and movement are all sluggish as even the 31st century's finest technology can't make a 50 ton battlemech turn on or stop on a dime.

It's like World Of Tanks... you pick a mech from your hangar, configure it, then head into a battle with seven other players at your side against another team of eight... and open fire.

Ammo is only a concern for projectile weapons, but your biggest enemy is heat as your primary weapons are all energy-based. Fire too much and you'll overheat, rendering yourself immobile (though in emergencies you can override the shutdown). Locational damage is important for both you and your enemies, and damage to both front and rear armour is also modelled.

You can stand in lakes and rivers to cool yourself down faster.

It has one of the best virtual cockpits I've seen in a long time, and your pilot is really thrown around a lot as you sustain impacts.

I'm still figuring out the various currencies and experience (what? it's free-to-play, or will be) systems but you start with four mechs of varying types so unlike World of Tanks you're not stuck in a soup can on wheels to start with. Likewise, even a light mech can be a threat to an assault mech: in my last game, a Jenner (a light mech) ran circles around my assault (very heavy) class Atlas, picking me apart.

mwomercs.com if you want to try, my name in-game is Suicide Perkies. I was a huge fan of the old Activision (!!!) original on the PC back in 1989 and it's great to stomp around again. The mission-based structure of most of the later games didn't appeal like the mercenary contracts of the original. Alas, apart from the Jenner, I don't recognize any of the mechs in this game! The devs are following the game's canon in real time (it's currently November 1st, 3049) so events in the Mechwarrior storyline will happen in the game... for example, the Clan invasion is going to happen in June next year.

http://static.mwomercs.com/img/gallery/ ... D6CA79.jpg



(no, I don't think the Marauder is in it!)

Oh man, yes, I want to play this lots. I'll download this weekend.

I loved Mechwarrior 4: Vengeance, thought it was top-notch. That's the last mech game I played. Hammy FMV acting for the win!

Interested in this.

Is it PC only though?

My friend offers the following advice: resist the urge to go with the biggest mech with the biggest guns (the Atlas), as you won't be able to use it effectively, Jenners will run circles around you and you'll die. The Centurion is currently the best all-rounder.

If you're wondering why you can't earn XP or modify your mech, it's because you're using a trial mech. You have to save up and buy your own before you'll earn XP and be able to customize stuff.

Be warned: the interface is terrible, even joining a group, readying up to enter battle and chatting is confusing.

@Zarzie: Yes.