Driving a multi-ton battle 'Mech isn't like picking your friend up at the 7-11 in your dad's Prius; it's a massive, complicated war machine that has to be understood before it can be wielded against foes. So if you think that piloting one in MechWarrior Online will be as simple as hitting the WASD keys and the occasional 1 or 2, think again.
This is why Piranha Games has launched Mech Warfare Month on the official MWO site, giving us a full run-down of how movement and combat is handled in the game. Concepts such as 'Mech "torso twists," jump jets, environmental obstacles, and heat management have to be taken into account from the onset. To bring down the hammer on enemy 'Mechs, players will use a balance of energy, projectile, and ballistic weapons -- and they have to keep track of ammo while doing so.
Piranha wraps up the post with a lengthy list of keyboard and mouse commands that will be necessary to learn for safe 'Mech operation. While the full list of controls and HUD details may send some running for their nearest touch-screen device, this level of detail is exactly what attracts such a devoted fanbase to the franchise.
We're speaking with Piranha Games at GDC this week, so stay tuned for an in-depth interview as to how this game is shaping up!
[Thanks to Nimsy for the tip!]
Reader Comments (16)
Posted: Mar 7th 2012 4:35PM Maximum Proxy said
OK...back to waiting for Hawken.
Posted: Mar 7th 2012 4:46PM (Unverified) said
More sim, less TF2.... this is for me.
Can't wait.
Can't wait.
Posted: Mar 7th 2012 5:18PM Mr Blunt said
Thank god its not going to be a cod-esque casual game for the mindless masses.Cant wait
WTB gameplay videos!
WTB gameplay videos!
Posted: Mar 7th 2012 5:42PM Tezcatli said
I wouldn't celebrate just yet. We've seen many companies make the change at the last moment, to take the Blizz route of over simplification for the sake of the masses at the last minute.
Posted: Mar 7th 2012 5:47PM Dunraven said
So excited about this.
Posted: Mar 7th 2012 9:49PM (Unverified) said
For some reason, I've felt "piloting" in Battletech/Mechwarrior games have been going downhill ever since mouse & keyboard became a very viable and usually the primary method of control, immersion-wise. I would think about how a real mech would be piloted, or how real military machines are controlled, and mouse & keyboard can't possibly be the best way.
Anyone remember the old days of buying a Thrustmaster HOTAS combo, hooking it up and stomping around in your mech? Or remember when Virtual World centers still existed and jumping into those Amiga-powered network pods with their multiscreens, multiple sticks and pedals and banks of LCD displays and switches?
Anyway, just reminiscing about my old BT/MW glory days. I've got a number of friends still really into MW, so we'll probably be trying it out at some point.
Anyone remember the old days of buying a Thrustmaster HOTAS combo, hooking it up and stomping around in your mech? Or remember when Virtual World centers still existed and jumping into those Amiga-powered network pods with their multiscreens, multiple sticks and pedals and banks of LCD displays and switches?
Anyway, just reminiscing about my old BT/MW glory days. I've got a number of friends still really into MW, so we'll probably be trying it out at some point.
Posted: Mar 7th 2012 11:06PM ShivanSwordsman said
@(Unverified)
My brother in law had one of those set ups where he had a flight-wing style joystick, and the movement was tied to a hand-lever controller he had in one of his bottom cabinets. All he had to do to play Mechwarrior was open two cabinets and start the game up, and he was ready to go. He had the base booster and the volume cranked up... greatest thing ever.
Reply
My brother in law had one of those set ups where he had a flight-wing style joystick, and the movement was tied to a hand-lever controller he had in one of his bottom cabinets. All he had to do to play Mechwarrior was open two cabinets and start the game up, and he was ready to go. He had the base booster and the volume cranked up... greatest thing ever.
Posted: Mar 8th 2012 12:07AM Nish said
I wonder if my life depended on it, would I want a keyboard and mouse or a joystick for controls. That'd be a fun thought though. Would a biped mechanical construct be better off controlled with one or the other?
I'd think two trackball or joysticks with foot pedals would work better with what we're used to seeing when sitting in a vehicle. They'd probably fail less than a traditional keyboard/mouse combo.
I'd think two trackball or joysticks with foot pedals would work better with what we're used to seeing when sitting in a vehicle. They'd probably fail less than a traditional keyboard/mouse combo.
Posted: Mar 8th 2012 3:00AM Russell Clarke said
If these guys fail to deliver joystick support out of the box, we know they will have failed.
Posted: Mar 8th 2012 3:02AM Russell Clarke said
@Russell Clarke
Oh FFS. I should finish the sentence:
...failed to deliver a suitably awesome 'mech piloting experience for me.
There :)
Reply
Oh FFS. I should finish the sentence:
...failed to deliver a suitably awesome 'mech piloting experience for me.
There :)
Posted: Mar 8th 2012 3:01AM Russell Clarke said
I am eagerly anticipating this one. The complexity of piloting a 'mech makes me slaver more.
Posted: Mar 8th 2012 6:23AM Graill440 said
Any type of shooter out there in the last 5 years has gone the way of the dodo and dumbed down the control scheme. From the battlefield series (nintendo heli kid pilots) to many mmo shooters the gamepad and few button choices coupled with auto bullet into target is the norm.
Look at Rift, 10 button macros reduced to one or two button presses and this is no exaggeration, the forums have the macro setups posted at the top, i guess this and mousover BS is for those hardcore raiders.......
I can see this Mechwarrior title, regardless of what they state here, dumbed down to hell with a gamepad as the primary programming focus.
Look at Rift, 10 button macros reduced to one or two button presses and this is no exaggeration, the forums have the macro setups posted at the top, i guess this and mousover BS is for those hardcore raiders.......
I can see this Mechwarrior title, regardless of what they state here, dumbed down to hell with a gamepad as the primary programming focus.
Posted: Mar 8th 2012 8:50AM Oskiee said
@Graill440
It wont. the game is being developed by Battletech and Mechwarrior purists. They said from the stat that it will be a simulation game in every sense of the word.
Theres even rumors about them support TrackIR (http://www.naturalpoint.com/trackir/)
Reply
It wont. the game is being developed by Battletech and Mechwarrior purists. They said from the stat that it will be a simulation game in every sense of the word.
Theres even rumors about them support TrackIR (http://www.naturalpoint.com/trackir/)









