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