MechCommander
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| MechCommander | |
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| Developer(s) | FASA Interactive |
| Publisher(s) | MicroProse |
| Platform(s) | Windows |
| Release date | 1998 |
| Genre(s) | Real-time tactics, Mecha |
| Mode(s) | Single player, Multiplayer over Modem, Serial, Network or Internet |
| Rating(s) | ELSPA: Teen/+11 |
| Media | 1 CD-ROM |
| System requirements | Intel Pentium 133 CPU, 16MB RAM, 150MB hard disk, 2MB PCI graphic card |
| Input methods | Keyboard and mouse |
MechCommander was the second real-time tactics (RTT) video game based on FASA's BattleTech/MechWarrior franchise (though often being called a real-time strategy game), developed by FASA Interactive and distributed by MicroProse. Although it is claimed that MechCommander is the "first Mechwarrior game of tactical command", this is not true. Another game — BattleTech: The Crescent Hawk's Revenge — was released eight years earlier, and was also a game of tactical command staged in the same Battletech universe. MechCommander was released in 1998. It had an expansion which was later combined with the original title and released as MechCommander Gold. A sequel also exists (distributed by Microsoft) – MechCommander 2. MicroProse also used many of the ideas in their 2000 Starship Troopers game.
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[edit] Overview
MechCommander, in being a squad-based RTT, is more in the lines of X-COM: Apocalypse (also by MicroProse) than RTS games like Age of Empires or StarCraft.
The player assumes the role of the commander of Zulu company from the Federated Commonwealth's First Davion Guards, and the planet Port Arthur must be taken back from the Clan Smoke Jaguar. The plan is to systematically establish a beachhead on the planet, then cut off supply lines to the Jaguars, and finally retake cities and territories until the final mission at the Port Arthur starbase. The campaign mode is 30 missions long, divided into five operations, each six missions long.
The player has a limited payload and DropShip space for each mission, which influences the number and weight of the 'Mechs and support vehicles that can be brought into battle. The player must select which 'Mechs he/she wishes to use, then outfit them with appropriate weapons and competent pilots. As commander, the player has complete control over company purchasing, 'Mechs, pilots, and weapon components.
Many missions involve simple destruction of all enemy forces. Usually the mission is completed when an enemy unit is destroyed or a structure is captured or destroyed. Occasionally, some missions required the player to find and escort allies or lost 'Mechs. Other missions include defending or capturing supply convoys, taking an enemy fortress, or defending a base. A timer is occasionally added to a mission to make it more challenging. At the successful conclusion of a mission, Resource Points (money) are rewarded to the player and all pilots receive some experience.
At the beginning of the game, Battalion (the authority over the player's company plus the other two companies in the battalion, Yankee and X-Ray) can only provide basic Inner Sphere weapons and 'Mechs, plus a few rookie pilots. As the game progresses and Zulu's prestige increases, more pilots will flock to recruitment centers and more 'Mechs, vehicles, and weapons will appear on purchase lists. This, along with 'Mechs and weapons salvaged in the field, is what the company's strength will be built upon.
The Inner Sphere suffers technologically against the more powerful Clan 'Mechs and weaponry. Simply put, Clan 'Mechs are faster, hold more weapons, use more powerful weapons, and have superior armor than the Inner Sphere's. A Clan 'Mech can stand toe to toe with Inner sphere 'Mechs that outweigh it by 10 to 15 tons. However, any 'Mech or weapon can be salvaged on the battlefield, so over the course of the campaign, Clan 'Mechs will be available for use.
Another part of the game is pilot skill progression. At the start, pilots are green and regular, but after missions of intense fighting, they advance to higher ranks (veteran and elite). Additionally, heavier 'Mechs (heavy or assault) require experienced pilots to be used effectively. This fact, coupled with the fact that Clan 'Mechs cannot be directly acquired (they may only be salvaged if they aren't too heavily damaged), means that the player must consider pilots and Clan 'Mechs and weapons to be the most valuable possessions; winning an engagement but losing an elite pilot and Clan assault 'Mech is a serious loss to the company.
In order to defeat superior numbers and technology, the player must get the full potential out of his 'Mechs. An efficient strategy is to load a long range specialized 'Mech with huge quantities of long range missiles that will either eliminate targets at range or pull enemies into close range combat with your short range specialized 'Mechs. On the other hand, a single small and fast recon 'Mech with jump jets can quickly overcome enemy walls and capture enemy turret towers, turning the enemy's own defense grid against them, effectively destroying a base without a shot. In addition, recon mechs can lure slower mechs into explosive fuel cell fields, or into the line of fire of heavier 'Mechs and away from enemy defenses.
The game is known for its difficulty, which can make even the best MechCommander redo easy missions multiple times.
[edit] Expansion Pack
MechCommander: Desperate Measures expansion pack was released in 1999 and was set immediately after liberation of Port Arthur. Players once again assumed command of Zulu company in a campaign to liberate the desolate planet Cermak in the Periphery, taken by a renegade Smoke Jaguar Star Colonel Marcus Kotare (A character that already featured briefly in MechWarrior 2: Mercenaries) for an unknown reason, which is revealed later in game. Once again, the player starts with inferior Inner Sphere 'Mechs (Pilots and 'Mechs from original campaign cannot be exported into expansion), though both 'Mechs and pilots are better than in start of original campaign. The game has only 3 campaigns as opposed to original 5, making it somewhat short. Aside from the missions, the expansion campaign included a new set of music, new Cermak landscape complete with redesigned and/or new buildings, new weapons, 3 new 'Mechs for each side - Stiletto, Bushwacker, and Mauler for IS and Shadow Cat, Nova Cat and Turkina for the Clan, and new vehicles including Alacorn, Pilum and Regulator tanks, as well as ammo trucks that also doubled as mobile bombs and Centipede scout vehicles. Desperate Measures also acted as testbed for the concept of custom NPC 'Mechs that had their own names (like Kotare's Turkina), weapon configurations and overall superiority to the standard modifications. This idea was carried on to and greatly improved in MechCommander 2.
[edit] 'Mechs
The Game features 18 'Mechs (24 total in the expansion) and each 'Mech has its own strengths and weaknesses. Generally, the lighter 'Mechs scout while the heavier 'Mechs fight. Although the Jaguars feature stronger and faster 'Mechs, the Inner Sphere boasts the only stock 'Mechs that are equipped with advanced sensors (Raven) and the fastest 'Mech and longest jumper (Stilletto). Certain stock 'Mechs are better fitted to fight up in close range with devastating autocannons (Hunchback, Thor, Nova Cat), or to provide long range support (Catapult, Vulture), or all around combat (Firestarter, Hollander II, Centurion, Atlas, Mad Cat, Loki, Maskari), but may be refitted to suit specific missions' needs. Despite being of similar weight or class or even size, 'Mechs have a massive difference in performance between makes.
[edit] Support vehicles
Although 'Mechs remain the focus of the game, there are several smaller support vehicles, including scouts, tanks, repair trucks, cargo trucks, mine layers, mine sweepers, and long-range artillery cannons. Without certain vehicles, some missions can be extremely hard to complete.
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