MechWarrior Online

Diablo III was hit with yet another exploit this week as players discovered a way to duplicate gold via a bug in the auction house. Blizzard responded by shutting down the auction house but did not perform a server rollback to reverse the damage. Star Citizen clarified its stance on the lifetime insurance available to veteran backers amidst debate over whether it gives early adopters an unfair advantage over other players. Path of Exile also released a new Letters of Wraeclast lore feature in its latest update, and MechWarrior Online's update 15 added a new Misery mech.

Dota 2 began preparations for its biggest world championship tournament yet with the release of a new Interactive Compendium that players can use to stay up to date with the matches. Rise of Immortals has now officially launched its Battle For Graxia revamp, and Infinite Crisis officially entered closed beta this week with the release of new champion The Joker. Finally, Smashmuck Champions released its hilarious new community-designed champion that's half platypus and half unicorn.

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Misery loves company, they say (look it up), but will people actually go seeking it? Piranha Games hopes players will, as it has introduced the Misery 85-ton 'mech into MechWarrior Online. The metal beast has an armament that includes plenty of lasers, a Gauss rifle, and an SRM-6 (again, look it up).

The new update goes beyond the debut of the Misery. There are four additional trial 'mechs to test out, color customization for Hero 'mechs, and a crazy Buccaneer premium pattern.

Read up on our preview of Update 15 and don't miss out on the video showing off the Misery in action after the jump!

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Mechwarrior Online is about to hit its fifth month of open beta, with promises of a late summer launch. With that launch comes continued production, new content, plenty of bug fixes, and tweaks. With all of the new content -- said to be delivered on a regular schedule -- comes plenty of challenges for the developer team.

We sat down with Piranha Games' creative director, Bryan Ekman, and president, Russ Bullock, to talk about how things have been going and where they're going in the future. Not only did we get the scoop on the next community-designed Mech to be released, but we also found out about new HUD improvements, aid for players who suffer from high ping, and much more. Click past the cut for all the details!

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If you thought that April would bring an overhaul of MechWarrior Online that turned the game into a robust farming simulator... well, no. Why would you even think that? But it will bring a whole lot of other updates to the game as outlined in a new letter from the game's creative director, starting with improved team functionality and UI improvements. That goes along nicely with the addition of air strike and artillery consumables, allowing players (especially scouts) to bring down a little extra firepower in a match.

The development team is also introducing a new class of special 'Mech, the Champions, which are custom configurations that sport a permanent 5% experience boost. That's in addition to improvements to the game's overall performance and more community events for MechWarrior Online players the world over. So that's a no on farming, but a yes on several improvements that should make your days of stomping around in an enormous walking tank more enjoyable.

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In the destructive world of MechWarrior Online, every 'Mech has its niche. Some machines thrive on maps with tight corridors and small boundaries, allowing them to get up close and personal. Others live on the ability to reach out and touch their targets at extreme ranges, preferably with missiles. It's the latter type that will enjoy the game's newest map, Alpine Peaks, which is the largest map yet added to the game. As the zone is filled with snowy vistas and sniping points, close-range machines will fare poorly here, but anything with good ranged capacity will find a lot to love.

Not coincidentally, the most recent update also adds a new 'Mech for pilots, the Trebuchet. Available in five variants, this 50-ton machine features twin LRM-15s in all but one variant, allowing players to pack quite a punch at range. It's the perfect sort of 'Mech for tromping around in a snowy environment and spreading damage over a large range, so we can imagine it'll see some use on the new map.

[Source: Piranha Games press release]

Would you call your multi-ton death machine a pretty baby? If you're playing MechWarrior Online you just might, especially since that's the name of the newest hero 'Mech introduced to the game. Considering the machine is loaded with an LRM 15, a PPC, two lasers, and a high top speed for a 80-ton 'Mech, we can see why you might coo affectionately that it's your pretty little darling yes it is.

But maybe your existing 'Mech is already the apple of your eye. That's all right, there's still plenty to like in February. The team at Piranha Games is working on a UI overhaul for the MechLab to allow players a clearer picture of what happens when upgrades are slotted in. There's also the third phase of matchmaking, new patterns for decorating your machine of choice, and performance improvements for all computers. But if you're still excited at the thought of a pretty new machine to pilot, you can check out a trailer for the prettiest of all babies past the cut.

[Source: Piranha Games press release]

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Is there anything more fun than massive suits of mechanical armor smashing into one another and firing lasers all over the place? MechWarrior Online, the free-to-play MMO-like set in the MechWarrior universe and developed by Piranha Games, would argue that the answer to that question is pretty obvious.

Piranha has just today announced the addition of a new Command Hero Mech, christened Death's Knell. The mech is tiny by MechWarrior standards, weighing in at only 25 tons, but it packs four powerful lasers on each arm and is quite fast to boot. Piranha also confirmed the addition of the familiar Bitching Betty startup sequence, which should give longtime MechWarrior fans a jolt of nostalgia straight through the eardrums.

We sat down with Russ Bullock, president of Piranha Games, to talk mechs, MMOs, and the future of MechWarrior Online. Check out the full interview and a video of Death's Knell in action after the break.

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OK, so MechWarrior Online's new Spider mech may not look particularly creepy in screenshots, but when you see it in action, you may have a flare up of the old arachnophobia. The Spider is "one of the most maneuverable and agile of the Light Mechs" complete with eight jumpjets and an unmatched turning radius.

In addition to the new mech, Piranha Games and Infinite Game Publishing have announced the game's first double XP event running from Friday, January 18 at 10 a.m. PST until Monday, January 21 at 10 a.m. PST. Previous XP bonuses are stackable with this event, so gather together those Founder benefits and premium game time boosts to get the most out of the weekend.

Also be sure to check out our MechWarrior Online gallery below, complete with five new screenshots of the Spider mech and two of the upcoming Commando Hero Mech known as Death's Knell, available on January 22.
[Source: Piranha Games press release]

Right in time for the holidays, Piranha Games has delivered a whopping gift for all of its players in the form of the year's largest content update for MechWarrior Online.

Let's tick off the list, shall we? First up is the brand-new conquest mode, which allows players to capture and hold five different locations. Next is the addition of three new 'Mechs: the Twin Dragons and the Stalker Assault. Following that, players will enjoy an economy update, a bonus to currency acquisition for new players, a night map of River City, new ways to customize a 'Mech's look, and cool holiday items. Finally, the team's throwing in plenty of bug and performance fixes free of charge.

If you give one of the new 'Mechs a try, definitely let us know how it handles! We've got the trailer for this update after the cut.

[Source: Piranha Games' press release]

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Geek favorite webcomic Penny Arcade and developer Piranha Games have a deal for you, but be warned: Space Ostriches might be involved. Piranha announced that players now can grab a free one-day premium time upgrade for their MechWarrior Online accounts. This premium time awards players with 50% more experience and 50% more C-bills while it lasts.

The Penny Arcade team penned a two-page pilot safety manual with crucial tips for the game to go with the promotion. Comic co-creator Jerry Holkins said that he took the project partially because of his lifelong interest: "I used to play BattleTech at lunch, when I was in high school. There's a lot of meat in MechWarrior Online, a lot to know, and we wanted to see if we could cover some of the basics in a way that could help people get the most out of it."

[Source: Piranha Games press release]

If the thought of running around 8v8 maps in a giant robot exoskeleton blowing up other players in giant robot exoskeletons makes you go "oh cool," then you'll probably want to continue reading this post about MechWarrior Online.

Today's patch introduces a custom matchmaking feature, new electronic countermeasure functionality, and a new hero mech called the Ilya Muramets CTF-IM Cataphract (say that three times fast). And yes, there's definitely a Santa bobblehead available for your cockpit. You'll find it in the cash shop along with an elf, a lump of coal, and some Christmas lights, all of which may used to pimp out the dashboard of your favorite mech.

Check out the new Ilya via the screenshot gallery below or the video after the break.

[Source: Piranha Games press release]

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Maybe you want your machine of choice to have a careful camouflage pattern to make it harder for your MechWarrior Online opponents to spot you at range. Maybe you just want to cover it in inherently terrifying clown patterns. However you like to decorate your multi-ton 'Mech, you're now able to do so with the release of the game's new Camo Spec patch. This patch adds paint shop functionality to the game and allows players to enjoy a variety of external decorative options as well as cockpit decorations.

Not enough for you? The patch also adds the classic battle announcer from the original MechWarrior computer games as well as the option for Premium players to choose the start date of their enhanced play time. Only a few decorative options are available at launch, but players can expect more in the future, both earned and (presumably) purchased in the game's cash shop.

[Source: Piranha Games press release]

Sometimes you want to give thanks for the many positive things happening in your life. Other times, you want to give thanks that you're the one piloting a 70-ton marching tank and the other guy isn't. MechWarrior Online is celebrating the latter feeling with the introduction of the Cataphract 'Mech, a heavy unit available with four different loadouts in the game's latest update.

In addition to the new machine, the game has also added a new map, the Frozen City at Night, featuring large shooting lanes and patches of shadow to hide within. There are also two new modules and a new piece of equipment, all of which should help keep a better lock on your target even as they dart around the battlefield.

Last but not least, the development team is hosting a live event tomorrow at 9 p.m. EST on the official livestream channel. If you're a player and want to see how your 'Mech skills hold up against those of the designers, be prepared to throw down with some autocannons tomorrow night.

[Source: Piranha Games press release]