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PoptartsNinja
May 9, 2008

He is still almost definitely not a spy


Soiled Meat

David Corbett posted:

After spotting this LP, I immediately booted up my tablet to see if there were any of the CBT novels available. To my dismay, it was nothing but Dark Age :( Are there any good places to get those old things? They're not exactly Tolstoy, but I remember them always being good fun.

They're all available* at BattleCorps, for a monthly subscription fee. They've also got short stories written by various BattleTech authors (including a few by me!)


*Some of them are pre-final copies however, that don't have any last-minute edits. In some cases they're surviving publisher copies, rather than the final novels.



Edit: This is no longer true. According to Catalyst's website they're now available through E-pub. Not that any of the links work. :sigh:

PoptartsNinja fucked around with this message at 05:46 on Sep 30, 2014

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Bozart
Oct 28, 2006

Give me the finger.

PoptartsNinja posted:

They're all available* at BattleCorps, for a monthly subscription fee. They've also got short stories written by various BattleTech authors (including a few by me!)

Well, I hope your next one will include the subprime 'Mech space bubble.

Q_res
Oct 29, 2005

We're fucking built for this shit!
Enjoying this LP Poptarts. I've never played MechWarrior 2, the MechWarrior 3 demo was my introduction to the franchise. On the plus side, this thread and a recent computer upgrade lead to me discover I still have MechCommander Gold and MechCommander 2 from when Microsoft was giving them away free.

quantumfoam
Dec 25, 2003

PoptartsNinja posted:

Tuluk, I'm fine with it.
thanks PTN.
I thought about it a bit, and will probably create a standalone dosbox advanced thread within the next day or so.
It wouldn't be fair to the followers of this thread to dump additional technical posts about off-topic DOSBOx stuff in here.


on-topic to this LP:
Once you've done the tutorial, the iconic Crab is the obvious choice for your next mech purchase.

Paingod556
Nov 8, 2011

Not a problem, sir

tuluk posted:

thanks PTN.
I thought about it a bit, and will probably create a standalone dosbox advanced thread within the next day or so.
It wouldn't be fair to the followers of this thread to dump additional technical posts about off-topic DOSBOx stuff in here.


on-topic to this LP:
Once you've done the tutorial, the iconic Crab is the obvious choice for your next mech purchase.



Nuff said.


I managed to get Mercs working, spurned on by this LP. Thanks PTN, I'm now understanding why it's so revered (never had a copy as a kid, never got it working as an adult, until now)

Chronojam
Feb 20, 2006

This is me on vacation in Amsterdam :)
Never be afraid of being yourself!


We could get a capable mech, or we could get a cool mech. Obviously, we must go for the cool mech.

Gwaihir
Dec 8, 2009
Hair Elf

Chronojam posted:

We could get a capable mech, or we could get a cool mech. Obviously, we must go for the cool mech.

Or do both with a crab!

berryjon
May 30, 2011

I have an invasion to go to.
I'm pretty sure there's a Zeus in there as well, guys. I know it's no Atlas, but in a game about big stompy robots, why not go for the biggest one you can?

Loxbourne
Apr 6, 2011

Tomorrow, doom!
But now, tea.
I second berryjon, a stompy robot should actually stomp. Not scuttle around waiting for a sidescroller protagonist to shoot it right in the eyelaser.

PoptartsNinja
May 9, 2008

He is still almost definitely not a spy


Soiled Meat
MechWarrior’s Campaign Journal, Update 4

I’m not even sure what day it is anymore, the Roughriders are loving with me because all of their clocks are different. Is it still 3044?

I stopped by the black market before heading out to Verania, just to see if anything interesting popped up. ComStar’s latest news broadcast suggested there’d be some new guns on the market and I wanted to see that for myself.






That is what happens when a project fails spectacularly: a company cuts its losses and dumps whatever it has on the open market. If machineguns were worth using (and they’re not), now would be a great time to buy. Fortunately, even I have standards, when you get your company sued into the ground for designing a tank and naming it after a BattleMech, there’s no guarantee any of the weapons you designed for that tank are going to be worth using. Even Quikscell knows that, and when I’m praising those rip-off artists over Duron Armaments you know Duron’s in trouble.

It’s sad that I’ve been on Venaria a month now and the most interesting thing that’s happened is my visit to the arms market before I even left Outreach. I hate this place. I’m starting to hate my “training instructor” too. Sgt. “Brown Eye” Unther seems to think I’ve never piloted a BattleMech before. I know I’m piloting a light `Mech, and that theoretically makes me a scout, but I know how to fight; drat it! Oh, and it turns out this mission deep in Lyran space really is for the Draconis Combine. These pirates must have something they really want, for them to be taking a risk this huge.

Not that I’d know, honestly, I haven’t even seen the pirates yet. Just look at these briefings and mission results, and see the nonsense I’ve had to put up with!






Your hopes were in vain, past self! I almost finished the whole patrol before Sgt. “Shuteye” stopped talking about nav points. C’mon, past self. It can’t be that bad right? At least we got something for our troubles, right? Right?






NOPE! “It’s just part of the job, newbie!”—shut the hell up, Unther! I wish he’d told me the key code to mute him instead. It would’ve made the next mission so much more tolerable. I should’ve known better than to follow anyone who earned his nickname by shooting civilians with his medium lasers.






At least this one paid, right? Uh-huh. Barely enough to fix up the paint I scratched when the airfield’s generator blew.






I think I’ve figured out what the Roughriders’ plan was: they were trying to scare me into joining up. “Life’s tough for a Merc, so back us and we’ll back you!” Tell that to someone who isn’t rich enough to buy a whole Light Lance.






No he doesn’t, past self. The only reason why “Deadstick” didn’t wing us with his first flight of LRMs is because I got the hell away from that convoy after the first pass. We were only supposed to shoot the ones full of ammo, you rear end in a top hat! If you were just going to destroy the whole convoy why even bother scanning the contents? Or better yet, shoot the first truck and force the rest to surrender. Boom. Salvage. Instead, what did we get?






Nothing. Nada. Zilch.

If I walk away from this “campaign” with nothing, I think I’m going to steal one of the Roughriders’ `Mechs when we get back to Outreach. Just don’t take that seriously, it’s just a joke. Y’know. In case that actually happens.

Anyway, I’ve got a mission coming up. A real mission, against targets that shoot back. If these pirates are anything like the ones I’ve fought before, they’ll be red-hot garbage in the cockpit. As far as I’m concerned, if you replaced every pirate Mechwarrior with a live sheep they might actually become a threat to the Inner Sphere.







Mission Briefing





(Shut up, Deadeye!)
(Quiet, Deadeye’s talking!)
Mission Track(s) None :(





PTN’s note: You don’t get the Javelin if you do the training campaign first! :ssh:




“Kill the meat, save the metal” indeed. There wasn’t enough left of the poor Panther that “Dumbfire” brutalized to make a bucket. The Roughriders tried to pull a fast one on me after I knocked out the pirate Javelin, claiming that because I was under contract with them any salvage I managed to claim was theirs.

Fortunately, the DCMS has a rather favorable opinion of me after Galedon V. They normally stay out of Merc vs. Merc affairs, but I gather the Roughriders haven’t exactly been pulling their weight. When I made my case, Chu-i De Silva decided to back my claim to the Javelin. I may’ve just burned a bridge with the Roughriders but the look on Sergeant Unther’s face was priceless. The Psycho didn’t even lift a finger to help me knock the Javelin out, and it came back and bit him square on the rear end.







What month is it again? 3044

I’m back on Outreach and I just got back from dumping that awful Javelin on the Black Market. Apparently Commandos are in big demand right now, and a Merc from the Capellan Confederation made a sweet offer on the Metal Baby. I think it’s time to either “go big” or “go home.” And I’m not quite ready to go home.





Yeah. That’s 13,721,449 c-bills. I could buy an Atlas for that! If there were a working one on the market, anyway. Our options are sadly limited—the Thug and Stalker are both gone, so the biggest machine currently up for grabs is a “refurbished” Zeus being sold by the Draconis Combine and, well…





I think it’s probably Holly’s. And I kinda want it. Ok, I really want it. It just seems fitting to fight in a `Mech that’s already saved my rear end once. It's also the biggest and most expensive boat on the market, and believe it or not that really does matter. The only downside is the Zeus will take a fair bit of refitting to bring it in line. Don’t get me wrong, I’m just a cheap bastard and hate spending money on ammunition. And I want Jump Jets.

I really, really want Jump Jets.

So before I do anything crazy, I want to take another look at my options. There’s a Flashman on the market again—serial numbers match the one that vanished after I got back from Galedon V, but I'm not going to complain if it’s back now.





It gives me pretty much everything I’d want in a heavy `Mech: decent speed, an armament that doesn’t require a lot of work or extra money to make passable, it just doesn’t have quite the same wiggle room as the Zeus. It’d be a decent buy but I’ll probably have to replace it sooner than I’d like. I only have two concerns: it got pulled and put back on the market in a short period of time, so it’s probably got a technical problem that’ll bite me on the rear end and, well, the Flashman’s cockpit is pretty much front-and-center. Against Light and Medium `Mechs I imagine that won’t matter much, but if I’m doing my math right I’d say it’s cockpit is just about crosshair-level for an Assault `Mech.

And we’ve already seen how well that works for Jenners.

The Flashman opens up another option though: a lancemate. If I buy the Flashman, I’d have 5,881,419 c-bills left over—so I could easily pick up a respectable Medium `Mech and snag one of the dispossessed Mechwarriors from the hiring hall to back me up. My only worry—my biggest worry—is that if I do I might not have enough money left over to keep my head above water. I’ve seen way too many Mercs get burned because they couldn’t budget, and I’d hate to sink myself before I even started. Getting a second `Mech almost doubles my expenses each month, and I’ve gotta pay the pilot besides.

A more frugal option would be to pass on an Assault or Heavy `Mech, and do a gradual upgrade into a powerhouse Medium. There’s only really one of those on the market right now.





The Crab’s an economical choice, it doesn’t give me near as much room to play and it’s just a stepping stone until I can get a bigger and better machine. It’s pretty quick, has good armor for its weight, and with a little TLC I can turn it into a decent midrange brawler.

The only downside to nabbing the Crab is: if I do, I’ll have to get a lancemate to back me up from this point onward, and there isn’t even a Centurion to stick them into. My only options for a lancemate are all low-end mediums, like the Sentinel.





The Sentinel is garbage on legs. It’s faster than the Metal Baby, but the cockpit’s a big target so I’d need a lancemate willing to maneuver—and those can be hard to come by. It’d also take quite a bit of money to give it a passable armament: the only thing I like less than ammunition-eating weapons are ammunition-eaters that aren’t under my direct control. Compared to the next option, the Sentinel’s a real gem.





What can I even say about the Cicada? It’s fast. It’s also lightly armored, poorly armed, and it doesn’t give me anything to work with. The advantage of the Cicada is that it’s cheap, but is it really worth the price if I can’t get any decent firepower or durability out of it? The final option is a machine most `Mechwarriors consider utter garbage; but for what I’m considering it may be a real diamond in the rough.





Yeah, that’s an Assassin. One of the most maligned `Mechs in the Inner Sphere. Its cockpit is cramped and uncomfortable, it doesn’t vent heat well, and it’s not even all that durable. But it does give me a lot of room to play, and with a little effort it’d make great back-up. It’s a little faster than the Sentinel and a much smaller target, with the right pilot it could do really well—but that’s the trick. If there aren’t any good pilots on the table, we’re better off nabbing the Zeus, so let’s take a look at the Dishonor Roll—I mean, the `Mechless Mechwarriors who are looking for work.





Pass. Absolutely not. I don’t care that this guy’s a sociopath, if there’s one thing I’ve learned it’s that any pilot who has an MRBC piloting rating worse than a B+ is a walking (or sometimes standing, if they’re a C+ or worse) target and worse than a B+ Gunnery means the pilot will lose a standing slugging-match against an identical `Mech 3 times in 3. Arnold ‘Psycho’ ‘Mr. Happy’ ‘Can’t Make Up His loving Mind’ Jennings is asking way too much for how little he brings to the table. I’d drink a beer with this rear end in a top hat and he’s got exactly the right morals for this kind of work, but I’d never hire him.

Get the hell out of my office, Arnie. Next!





DING! DING! DING! We have a winner! Or at least a reasonable facsimile. With an A / B+ rating I’d give him 50:50 odds against an identical target. His motivations are a little rough, but the guy clearly knows what he wants out of life and I can’t fault him for that. Jake ‘Killer’ ‘Lobo’ ‘I Don’t Think Anyone Told These Guys How Callsigns Work’ Ives was good enough to make it into the Dragoons, even if his proclivities mean he couldn’t stay there. It’s risky, but he works cheap and sometimes having a psychopath to throw under the bus can come in handy. I can work with him.

It’s time to do some hard thinking, those `Mechs are going to move but there aren’t any DropShips scheduled to land for a few days, so I should have some time to deliberate.



Upgrade Vote:
1) Zeus
2) Flashman
- a) No Lancemate
- a) Sentinel
- c) Cicada
- d) Assassin
- e) Crab (This only leaves me with 1,019,084 c-bills for customization; so we might go broke! :gonk: )
3) Crab
- a) Sentinel
- a) Cicada
- c) Assassin

Please vote for your `Mech of choice, and your lancemate `Mech of choice (if applicable). The `Mech with the most votes wins, and the lancemate `Mech with the highest applicable vote wins.

Example: Voting 2d for the Flashman / Assassin still gives votes to the Assassin if the Crab wins the vote. Voting 2e Flashman / Crab does not give votes to the Crab.

The Bethany Cochraine Failure Run will feature a Crab, so don’t feel pressured to vote for it, you’ll still get to see one in action! :ssh:

Agent Interrobang
Mar 27, 2010

sugar & spice & psychoactive mushrooms
Zeus is the only real option.

Cythereal
Nov 8, 2009

I love the potoo,
and the potoo loves you.
3c. I remember the Crab being a pretty good mech for early in the game, and you can't go wrong keeping it for a lancemate after you grow out of it.

Remora
Aug 15, 2010

Get big mech, crush puny mechs, make much money. This is the wisdom of ZEUS.

Ghostwoods
May 9, 2013

Say "Cheese!"
1. Zeus.

jng2058
Jul 17, 2010

We have the tools, we have the talent!





2 D

Big guns for us, little jumper for the maniac. Sounds like the best of both worlds, really.

apostateCourier
Oct 9, 2012


3C

The Crab gives no fucks.

Congratulations! You Won.
Mar 21, 2007


THE FUTURE IS UNWRITTEN



If it wasn't for the spoilered part, I'd go with the Crab. But because we'll see a Crab later, it's time for 1, Zeus Time.

paragon1
Nov 22, 2010

FULL COMMUNISM NOW
Zeus seems like the right choice here.

JT Jag
Aug 30, 2009

#1 Jaguars Sunk Cost Fallacy-Haver
3C

Cythereal posted:

you can't go wrong keeping it for a lancemate after you grow out of it.
For this reason.

I think a gradual rise to Mechwarrior power would be more appropriate than leaping from a Metal Babby straight into a Heavy.

Bellmaker
Oct 18, 2008

Chapter DOOF



Cythereal posted:

3c. I remember the Crab being a pretty good mech for early in the game, and you can't go wrong keeping it for a lancemate after you grow out of it.

3c because CRAB BATTLE!

(Also because it's basically vanilla 2's Nova and those own bones)

Holybat
Dec 22, 2006

I made this while you were asleep.
Voting for option 1 - the Zeus

pffft who needs lancemates with an 80 ton death-dealer that I'm sure it'll be after its refit.

berryjon
May 30, 2011

I have an invasion to go to.
1

fool of sound
Oct 10, 2012
Zeus

AJ_Impy
Jun 17, 2007

SWORD OF SMATTAS. CAN YOU NOT HEAR A WORLD CRY OUT FOR JUSTICE? WHEN WILL YOU DELIVER IT?
Yam Slacker
1. Go big or go home. More armor, more weapons, it'll tide us over nicely, and if we're in a tight spot we can easily trade back down.

quantumfoam
Dec 25, 2003

2D
I am figuring you won't be encountering many assault mechs in the flashman before you upgrade a to better mech.
And I really like how the mercenaries have a nickname & callsign that don't match. Gotta love the RNG.

the JJ
Mar 31, 2011
1. Buy Zeus!

Great Beer
Jul 5, 2004

1. Zeus

This mech, much like its mythical namesake, will gently caress anything that stands before it. :black101:

Dolash
Oct 23, 2008

aNYWAY,
tHAT'S REALLY ALL THERE IS,
tO REPORT ON THE SUBJECT,
oF ME GETTING HURT,


1. Zeus Why split the money?

jng2058
Jul 17, 2010

We have the tools, we have the talent!





I just wish ammo based weapons weren't such a trap in these games. You can get away with it in the tabletop game where you usually only have to deal with one relatively brief fight between what's usually equal opposing sides, but in the video games where you end up fighting many more enemies over a longer period of time, having half your firepower vanish partway through the mission because you ran out of ammo is crippling. That means you really only have like three weapon choices for most of the game: Medium Lasers, Large Lasers, and PPCs, and that gets kinda boring after awhile. It was much the same in MechCommander, though at least you had access to Pulse and ER weapons from the get go so there was a little more variety.

raverrn
Apr 5, 2005

Unidentified spacecraft inbound from delta line.

All Silpheed squadrons scramble now!


Zusse!

Ardlen
Sep 30, 2005
WoT



2 d.

ForeverBWFC
Oct 19, 2011

Oh, the lads! You should've seen 'em running!
Ask 'em why and they reply the Bolton Boys are coming! All the lads and lasses, smiles upon their faces,

WALKING DOWN THE MANNY ROAD, TO SEE THE BURNDEN ACES!

Remora posted:

Get big mech, crush puny mechs, make much money. This is the wisdom of ZEUS.

This man speaks the truth. 1. Zeus.

Technowolf
Nov 4, 2009




2c

radintorov
Feb 18, 2011
1. Zeus

RickVoid
Oct 21, 2010
Yeah, Zeus. As in, father of Apollo? Mt Olympus? Don't gently caress with me or I'll shove a lightning bolt up your rear end? ZEUS!

Thefluffy
Sep 7, 2014
zeus. because mechwarrior 2 AI just isn't worth having as an ally.

Professor Malice
Nov 16, 2011
1) Zeus

Zikan
Feb 29, 2004

1) The Zeus Is Loose

Arquinsiel
Jun 1, 2006

"There is no such thing as society. There are individual men and women, and there are families. And no government can do anything except through people, and people must look to themselves first."

God Bless Margaret Thatcher
God Bless England
RIP My Iron Lady
1

I actually bought an Assassin on one of my first playthroughs to be my main mech. Ended up being okay when I switched out the SRM for another Medium. Fragile as gently caress though.

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Shotaro
Apr 22, 2010
1) Zeus

There is a time and a place for tactical utilization of speed, allies, and crossfires. This is not that time or place.

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