Mechwarrior Online Open Beta Launch - 29th October 2012

Welcome to the long-awaited Open Beta release of Mechwarrior Online! This is the day we've all been waiting for. At long last there will be no more wipes, everything we do from here on out will be 'live'.

There wasn't a client patch deployed, but it seems some things have changed server-side. Repair bills have fallen and the cbills received at the end of each match appear to have increased. This makes the initial grind to buy a mech much more manageable.

Mechwarrior Online Patch Notes - 25th October 2012

Rejoice! For the change log for the long-awaited MWO patch has been released! The forums are currently down, but I the update email has arrived so I can bring you the patch notes hot off the press.

MechWarrior Online BETA Update

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Build Version 1.0.134 (That's right.. Version 1.0!!!)

Mechwarrior Online Tutorial Videos

Well the servers have been taken down and a patch is incoming that will hopefully bring with it the transition to Open Beta. There will be a large influx of new players over the coming weeks, and KageKaze from the official forums has produced a series of tutorial videos to help the new player make their first steps in the world of MWO.

Edit: Open Beta has launched, sign up here.

Mechwarrior Online Heat Maps

A while ago Bryan Ekman posted a set of heat maps on the beta forums. They've plotted points on each map using data harvested in game to show graphically where players have been moving and where they have been dying. The points are colour-coded based on the frequency with which they appear, going from dark blue to red. With the former being rarely travelled and the latter being heavily travelled.

More MWO cReddit Merc Corps Gameplay Videos

Reddit has it's very own Merc Corp: cReddit, and the below videos were taken over the weekend during a variety of engagements. We communicate using Mumble, and there are usually at least two full companies worth of people online during peak hours and even when I play during off-peak there are a good number of pilots to drop with.

Anyway, on to the videos!

Inner Sphere News Round-up - Week of 8th Oct. 3049

Welcome to the weekly round-up of news from the Inner Sphere, for the week of 8th October 3049.

Mon, Oct 8, 3049:
Brotherhood of Cincinnatus cleared of alleged threats against Archon; Brotherhood claims still under illegal surveillance.

Official Response to Community Concerns

Following the AMA on reddit last week and the number of issues that came to light after switching to the latest version of the CryEngine (though a number graphical issues have been hotpatched), the community felt like there had been a lack in communications from the Devs over a number of serious issues.

Thankfully, PG have not been ignoring the community on these matter, and Paul Inouye has posted the below on the official forums.

Ask the Devs Part 20

The questions and answers from the twentieth round of 'Ask the Devs' have been posted:

Q: Is there any idea when death from above will be implemented? [Atayu]
A: It's already there in it's bare form, but we'll be improving it over time. Can't say exactly when, but it'll be there. [Garth]

Inner Sphere News Roundup - Week of 1st Oct. 3049

Welcome to the Inner Sphere News weekly roundup for the week of 1st October 3049.

Mon. Oct 1, 3049:
“Amaris The Misunderstood” publishes to boycotts on a dozen worlds; one transformed into a riot, dozens arrested.

Mechwarrior Online Open Beta Date Announced

Good news everybody! Via an article by Bryan Ekman and Russ Bullock on the official site, we have confirmation that MWO will be going into open beta on 16th October, alongside a huge patch full of new goodies.

The expected content coming in the 16th October patch is as follows:

MWO Gameplay with Hoplite Lance - Dragon Pile

Memory, the commander of cReddit's Hoplite Lance recorded the below video of our drop into Frozen City last night. With the upgrade to the latest version of CryEngine, the whole game has got a new look to it, and the Frozen City map is no exception.

Stay tuned for a full lance of Dragons jumping off a ledge onto the head of an enemy Catapult, resulting some rather odd teleporting.

MWO with Carole Ruggier's MW2 Voiceover

Many people have mentioned that one of the key things missing from MWO is the robotic voice in the cockpit that chimed in to keep you abreast of actions on the battlefield that was a staple of Mechwarrior 2 and 3. Personally I will never forget the first thing everyone heard upon launching a mission in Mechwarrior 3: "Reactor: online. Weapons: online. Sensors: online. All systems nominal", hell I still have it as the startup sound in windows!

Patch Notes Tuesday 9th October

The patch notes for the 9th October have been posted:

Change Log
________________________________________

To the MechWarrior™ Online® Community:

We are pleased to announce the latest engine drop of CryENGINE 3.41. This was a large undertaking and has helped us address many of the game’s issues and bump up performance and rendering capabilities.

PC Gamer Exclusive MechWarrior Online Items

The December issue of the US edition of PC Gamer hit the shelves yesterday, and brings with it two exclusive items: a unique black and red skin, and a Coconut Monkey bobblehead cockpit decoration.

Hitler Reacts to the Mechwarrior Online Beta

Okay so if you've been anywhere on the internets over the last few years you have doubtless stumbled upon one of the 'Hitler Reacts to x' parody videos. They show one of the scenes from the film 'Der Untergang' (released in English as 'Downfall')

They've covered everything from getting banned from X-Box Live to the release of the iPad, and now it seems they have spread to Mechwarrior Online!

MWO cReddit Merc Corps Gameplay Videos

Now that the NDA has been lifted, plenty of gameplay videos are hitting YouTube. The set below were all recorded by Defekt from DefektiveGaming, dropping with the cReddit Merc Corp. Each is available in 1080p resolution, so crank up the res, sit back and enjoy!

Hands On: Mechwarrior Online

Jim Rossignol from the formidable Rock Paper Shotgun has been playing MWO for the last couple of days and this is what he thinks: 

The Mechwarrior Online closed beta has been stomping around in the back of my mind for a while now. It’s perhaps rude of me to admit it, but there have been even bigger games blasting away at the heavy armour of my limited attention. The past couple of days, though, I gave it my full focus, and found myself pleasantly surprised. The Mechs, it seems, are quite good.

Head over to Rock, Paper, Shotgun for the full article.

Ask the Devs Part 19

The questions and answers from the nineteenth round of 'Ask the Devs' have been posted:

Q: Higher Blood pressure , Paul or Fox ? [Helmer]
A: Paul. [Garth]

Inner Sphere News Roundup - Week of 24th Sept. 3049

Welcome to the weekly roundup of news from the Inner Sphere, for the week of 24th September 3049.

Mon. Sept 24, 3049:

NAIS attempts to reengineer KTO-20 Kintaro from captured down-graded Combine model; a ComStar “gift” from War of 3039.

NDA Lifted!

Good news everybody! The Mechwarrior Online NDA has finally been lifted! This is a great relief to us beta testers that have been under the yoke of the NDA for so long, finally we can tell you exactly what we think about MWO. I will be posting a series of new player guides over the next few days, so when Open Beta hits everyone can be well prepared.

I expect a lot of player-made content will now start hitting YouTube soon, and I've heard tell people have begun streaming MWO on twitch.tv, so there will be plenty of news to post!

Inner Sphere News Roundup - Week of 17th Sept. 3049

Welcome to the weekly roundup of news from the Inner Sphere, for the week of 17th September 3049.

Mon. Sept 17, 3049:
Wangker Aerospace announced work on a “Banshee fighter prototype”; a test bed for numerous, new technologies.

Ask the Devs Part 17

The questions and answers from the seventeenth round of 'Ask the Devs' have been posted:

Q: Have you guys ever considered making customization more akin to refit kits in Strat Ops? See page 188 for what I mean.[Stormwolf]
A: Yes, and we feel our system is the best mix of tabletop, past MechWarrior games, and our own spin. It allows customizability without compromising the idea and purpose behind the weapon, chassis, etc. [Garth]

Inner Sphere News Roundup - Week of 10th Sept. 3049

Welcome to the weekly roundup of news from the Inner Sphere, for the week of 10th September 3049.

Mon. Sept 10, 3049:
 Independence Weaponry publishes 1,000 page report it states “proves VTR-9K Endo Steel chassis has no defects”.

Fan-Made MWO Closed Beta Trailer

Trawling through YouTube today I stumbled upon the below fan-made trailer for the MWO closed beta. It has been done in the manner of a lot of 'top frag' videos from CS:GO and the like, being a montage of ingame footage spliced together in time to a soundtrack.

Senior Gameplay Engineer Thomas Dziegielewski Chat Transcript

Last night the MWO devs hosted a chat with Senior Gameplay Engineer Thomas Dziegielewski, the transcript of which can be found below the jump.

Ask the Devs Part 16 - Answers

The questions and answers from the sixteenth round of 'Ask the Devs' have been posted:

Q: Is it safe to assume that NDAs will drop at Open Beta? Not holding you to it, just wondering - I am working on writing an article, and want a rough deadline for when it needs to be finished. [WardenWolf]
A: Absolutely, why would we have an NDA if anyone can play? [Garth]

Q: Will robots with torso angle of 360 degrees, such as Thanatos or Thor from MechWarrior 4 Mercenaries? [Motharre]
A: We currently don't have plans to do this, although we may for future Mechs. So, the best answer I can give is 'maybe', sorry. [Garth]

Q: Will there be more graphic options? [ALacKOfLife]
A: Absolutely, we'll be adding them over time. [Garth]

Q: Would you guys consider adding the Panther, Wolfhound or Dervish? [Stormwolf]
A: We consider any canonical Mechs - I can't say whether or not we'll add those, though. [Garth]

Q: What of those real-world individuals (and potential MWO players) who were "inducted into the BT canon" (such as those who participated in the Lawyers, Guns, & Money event, and other such BT-related events) - would they be able to somehow claim use of their own "BT-canonized" names? [Strum Wealh]
A: Oh I would love to do that. There are no concrete plans but I think it's a great idea that we hold events to allow something like that. So, not planned, but would love to! [Garth]

Q: How will the maps for battle be chosen? Random for each battle or maps wiil be associated with specific planet or mission or something else? [Jurious]
A: It will depend entirely on the mode you're playing. Some will be random, others will be choices. [Garth]

Q: I'm curious how Jenner/Catapult/Stalker would even stand after getting knocked down, but I would see them as being the slowest in getting up, followed up by Mechs with arms but no hands, and with Mechs like the Atlas/Commando/Hunchback getting up the quickest thanks to their hands. [Monsoon]
A: You can try this yourself - lie down and get up without your arms. (it's possible, trust me.) For our Mechs there will be no difference. Mech standup times are roughly identical. [Garth]

Q: Any plans for going underwater in maps that would allow it? [Rasgueados]
A: No plans currently but... hmm... [Garth]

Q: If you were a Timberwolf, what dev would you have to pay off for them to spill the beans about your existence? [Hawkeye 72]
A: Paul Inouye. [Garth]

Q: The bloodthirsty Gods of you...do they have names? If they have...what are their names? [Nash]
A: Shub'Niggurath The Impossible, Crom The Destroyer, The Emperor Of Man, and Thor God of Lightning. [Garth]

Via the Official Forums

My Comment: Out of the above I'm looking forward to the NDA drop and the potential to fight underwater, something I don't think any previous MechWarrior game has attempted. I imagine ejecting down in the depths would be rather hazardous though!

Inner Sphere News Roundup - Week of 3rd Sept. 3049

Welcome to the weekly roundup of news from the Inner Sphere, for the week of 3rd September 3049.

Mon. Sept 3, 3049:
Alisander Dunbar, son of Lady Mariette Dunbar of Ares, has disappeared; rumors suggest Maskirovka connections.

Inner Sphere News Roundup - Week of 27th Aug. 3049

This is the first part of a series of weekly articles that will pull together the snippets of news that come out of the Inner Sphere each week. This edition covers the week of 27th Aug. 3049.

Mon. Aug 27, 3049:
Arson suspected at the S.L. Lewis Incorporated plant on Carlisle; a dozen Savanna Master hovercraft destroyed.

(Someone Else's) Average Day In Beta

A followup to the 'Another Average Day In Beta' Developer Blog post has been unleashed upon the world, entitled '(Someone Else's) Average Day In Beta'.

Video: Founder's BattleMech - Catapult

The final promo video for the Founder's mechs is now out. Presenting the CPLT-1C Catapult. A long-range fire support mech that features racks of deadly LRMs and a brace of Medium Lasers for close-in work. The Catapult even features jump jets to give you that extra maneuverability.

Catapult CPLT-C1

Class: Heavy
Weight: 65 Tons
Speed: 64 km/h
Jumpjets: Four
Armament: 2x LRM15s; 4x medium lasers
AKA: Death you can't even see

Developer Blog: Another Average Day In Beta

A new Developer Blog update has been posted on the official site, entitled 'Another Average Day In Beta'.

As we land, I see the familiar skyline of River City, and lament my choice of Mech. It’s not that I don’t like my Atlas, it’s that I love my Jenner here. I quickly look over my lancemates, and see a nice mix: a Commando, a Jenner, two Hunchbacks, two Catapults, and an Awesome. This is the first time I have ever been the heaviest Mech on my team. Well, here we go!

MechWarrior Online Augmented by Nvidia Beta Drivers

Nvidia have just released new beta drivers (version 306.02) that add Ambient Occlusion support to MechWarrior Online, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Darksiders 2 and Guild Wars 2. They can be downloaded from the official GeForce site.

Via GeForce.com

Inner Sphere News: Not All It's Cracked Up To Be

New post from Jacob Hardenson on the MercNet, via Inner Sphere News:

Not All It’s Cracked Up To Be 

(30 August 3049)

There are heroic days, gents. We don’t all have the resources or luck to be Wolf’s Dragoons or the Kell Hounds or the Blue Star Irregulars. What with their heroic stands that “break them”; not trying to bust their chops or rub their noses in their losses, but for the rest of us, if that happened we’d cease to exist. Despite that gulf separating us from the biggest of the big boys, we—the grist that keeps the merc world moving—can still have our 15 minutes o’ fame.

MechWarrior 4: Mercenaries Bloopers

I found the below videos linked via the MWO forum. The Solaris VII arenas were were exceedingly characterful in MW4: Mercs, and the voice of the commentator Duncan Fisher is unforgettable.

Via Dotsusama on YouTube:
This is a collection of various outtakes and bloopers as recorded by the voice actor for Duncan Fisher (George Ledoux), the Solaris arena announcer in Mechwarrior: Mercenaries.

MechWarrior Online Q&A from Ten Ton Hammer

An interview with Russ Bullock, President of Piranha Games, Inc.

Via Ten Ton Hammer

What role does each of the four BattleMech types serve?

It really depends on how you play the game, but generally speaking you have four BattleMech types: Light, Medium, Heavy and Assault.

Light Mechs are fast and great for things like recon and scouting. They are also great for things like raids or surgical strikes on enemies – especially in hard to see areas or areas that are dense (urban environments, etc.)

ISN News Flash August 28th 3049

Tue. Aug 28, 3049: Rumors swirl that Phelan, son of merc extraordinaire Morgan Kell of the Kell Hounds, is missing in action in the Periphery

Via the Official Forums

My comment: Just who were the Kell Hounds fighting all the way out there? Is he dead, or could he have been captured?

Video: Founder's BattleMech - Atlas

After the jump, you'll find one of the series of videos describing the four Founder's mechs available if you buy one of the Founders packages on the official site. This video shows off the Atlas, one of the most iconic 'Mechs of the franchise. Weighing in at 100 tons, this beast isn't very good if you want to go places quickly, but you can be certain that you will leave nothing but carnage and destruction in your wake.

Atlas AS7-D

Class: Assault
Weight: 100 Tons
Speed: 48.6 km/h
Armament: AC/20; LRM 20; SRM6; 4x Medium Lasers
AKA: Death Incarnate

ISN News Flash August 27th 3049

 Mon. Aug 27, 3049: Arson suspected at the S.L. Lewis Incorporated plant on Carlisle; a dozen Savanna Master hovercraft destroyed.

Via the Official Forums

Inner Sphere News - Snakes Are Still Snakes

The in-game year is currently 3049, and the official site has been posting updates to the timeline so we can follow the events in the Inner Sphere in real time. 3049 also happens to be the year the Clan invasion starts, so it will be interesting to see if there are any mentions of the initial skirmishes filtering out to the news... Alas this is not one of them, though it does paint an interesting picture of the Draconis Combine.

(23 August 3049)

“A kinder, gentler snake.” By Holy Blake himself, that’s the quote straight from a…nah, don’t wanna burn that bridge. We’ll say a merc friend recently in the employ of the FedCom in their Draconis March.

Video: River City Map Reveal

The official MWO YouTube channel has just posted the below video, covering one of the beta maps, River City.

Nestled within a coastal valley, River City, ravaged by war, is the first urban setting map for MechWarrior Online. From stealth scouting to long range support and right down to all out brawling, players will find areas in River City that suit their needs. The river itself, spanned by two bridges, divides the city into two opposing sides. A fortified citadel dominates the centre of the city and players will fight for control of two key sites: a space port high on a plateau and a crucial industrial port facility on the ocean shoreline. Surrounding the city are hillsides that are still in conflict and the odd airstrike and artillery barrage can still be seen off in the distance. Pools of fire and rubble throughout the city drive home the point that the pristine condition of the city is now just a remnant memory of the past.

Video: Founder's BattleMech - Hunchback

 
After the jump, you'll find the latest in the series of videos describing the four Founder's mechs available if you buy one of the Founders packages on the official site. This video shows off the Hunchback, a 50 ton medium BattleMech that packs a huge punch for a 'mech of this weight class as it is equipped with the huge AC/20, as well as an array of lasers for backup.

Hunchback HBK-4G

Class: Medium
Weight: 50 Tons
Speed: 64 km/h
Armament: AC/20; 2x Medium Lasers; 1x Small Laser
AKA: Terror at close range.

Video after the jump.

Mechwarrior Online Interview with Creative Director Bryan Ekman

Destructoid have recently conducted an interview with Bryan Ekman, creative director for Piranha Games.

The Mechwarrior series has been around for decades, and if Mechwarrior Online is any indication, it's not slowing down anytime soon. Max Scoville caught up with Piranha Games' creative director Bryan Ekman to talk about some big clunky free-to-play robots, multiplayer modes, custimization, and the badass friggin' Razer Artemis joystick controller thing that's coming out someday.

Video after the jump.

The Beginning of the MWO Hub

The MWO Hub is here to bring you up-to-date news, guides and videos for Mechwarrior Online, the long-awaited next installment in the Mechwarrior franchise.

MWO is a  free-to-play mech combat game set in the Battletech universe that draws on a rich universe built up over 30 years of previously published games, books and novels to bring you an authentic experience of piloting a 5-storey tall battlemech.


The game is currently in closed beta and under a strict NDA, so for the time being we will be unable to publish any guides that do not come from the official website. However, once the game hits open beta and the NDA is lifted, we will release a veritable slew of gameplay and strategy guides perfect for helping new pilots get acquainted in the world.

Although we cannot post guides, we will be dishing out articles on the universe in which Mechwarrior Online takes place, ranging from Mech readouts and Faction guides to a history of the major events in the timeline so far.

So suit up, strap in, and prepare for a ride!