Battletech has been a very popular tabletop game for over a decade now. In it, you had a squad of 'mechs moving around an alien landscape seeking to destroy the enemy. The PC version changed this into more of a solo career by putting you in the cockpit of a 50ft. lumbering hulk of metal in the successful Mechwarrior series. The game was more of an action/sim than anything resembling tactical strategy. Microprose sought to change that with Mechcommander. In it, you played, what else, a Mechcommander. You were in charge of a group of pilots and 'mechs which played out in a ¾ perspective. The game met with a mixed reaction. Namely it was blasted for a heavily scripted AI, which made the game play out more like a puzzle than a strategy affair. But there was a general consensus that the game was heading in the right direction. Now under the watchful eye of Microsoft, Mechcommander 2 seeks to right the wrongs and assert itself as the rightful PC successor to the original tabletop game.
The battletech universe has always been rife with political sparked warfare. Mechcommander 2 (MC2) draws upon this by pitting you in the middle of a war between two of the ever-present 'Houses'. You are a Mechcommander in charge of a group of mercenaries for hire. You begin the game under the hire of House Steiner. An FMV sequence will provide you with your orders, as well as help tell the story. Sometimes you will even have the choice between multiple missions, how much this adds to the replayability remains to be seen. The mission briefing provides a map of the area with numbered objective points. Some of these points are optional, by completing them you will increase the amount of c-bills you will be paid. Missions' range from capturing/defending bases, escort missions to raids and ambush the supply lines, among others. You will also be provided with the latest intelligence reports on enemy 'mechs spotted in the area in order to help you pick the right 'mechs for the job.
Your next stop will be the 'mech bay. Here you will use your c-bills to upgrade your 'mechs. Each mission is assigned a 'team weight limit', given in tons. You'll have to make choices on a few heavy 'mechs or a bunch of lighter ones (the balance is for you to decide). You can also purchase new 'mechs and/or sell off older ones. From this screen you will access the 'mech lab. You can modify your 'mech with available weaponry and upgrade to better equipment. The interface is very easy to use. Your 'mech is like a paper doll cutout, with positions for equipment and weapons highlighted. It is very easy to configure your 'mech, the challenge lies in getting that elusive balance that fits your playing style.
Right before you launch into the mission, your last stop will be the pilot ready area. Here is where MC2 starts to really shine. You have a list of available pilots with various stages of experience. As your pilots go through missions they will receive experience that leads to promotions in rank. With rank come skills. Skills range from evade, weapons specialty to scouting and sensor expertise among others. Skills are hard to come by, so choose wisely what your pilots receive. Than make sure you match the right pilot with the right mech. You also need to make sure you're not too dependent on a core few. It's best to always send in a couple of newbies in with your seasoned pros to assure that you'll have a stable of good pilots towards the end game.
Now you're off to the mission. Fog of war is gone (someone finally recognizes the fact that your dropships coming in from orbit aren't blind as bats). The combat interface is neatly layed out. The main window is the play area, which looks fantastic (more about that later). To your left is the all-important mini-map. You'll see your numbered objectives highlighted on it as well as any enemy units within sensor range (sending scouts ahead can be very beneficial). Two other tabs on the map are the support palette and unit information buttons.
The support palette is what truly makes you feel like a commander in the middle of battle. As a battlefield is ever changing, it is important that however well planned you are, that you remain flexible. The support palette helps you accomplish this. Your employers award you with a certain amount of tactical support, represented by resource points. You can spend these points on such things as an air strike, artillery, sensor probes, repair trucks (for your 'mechs), scout copters, minelayers and a salvage craft. The salvage craft is especially useful because they will repair a non-functioning 'mech into working condition and automatically assign a pilot to it (a good way to grab an enemy 'mech and use it against them).
The last tab is for information. By selecting a unit you will learn as much info as possible, like the 'mechs load out, damage, pilot info, etc.
All the way on your right we have the command palette. This is more of the go here and do this for units, used for those not familiar with the hotkeys. Sandwiched between the command palette and the mini-map is the deployment bar, which functions as a less detailed version of the information tab, but is a quick way to access the state of all your units and to quickly assign orders.
Back to the main display window, the meat of the game. Here we are greeted with one of the first games to have been written with directX 8 in mind and it shows. The graphics are awesome as the 'mechs move around the 3-dimensional landscape. Trees actually get crushed underfoot, buildings explode and the rocket trails are right out of an anime flick. All this realism adds to drawing you in and lending to some real strategy. The AI actually attempts to flank your units and responds to the threat of scouts. In one battle I watched land units moving in to block my path to a land bridge as water units came in blasting me from the side (they seemed to be attempting to surround me).
Units can be ordered to walk, run or use their jump jets (if so equipped), waypoints can be set as well as patrol paths setup. Units can be told to fire conservatively (not all ammo is unlimited), or even be given specific distances to fire from given the type of load out they carry (why send a 'mech equipped with long range weapons into close combat?). 'Mechs can be set to guard status, ordered to capture certain enemy vehicles or buildings and be told to power down (this way they do not show up on the enemies sensors). 'Mechs can also be told to fire called shots. Called shots is how you can disable an enemy 'mech, call in the salvage support crew and gain an extra 'mech for the battle.
Control for MC2 is simple. Groups can be hot keyed into groups, the camera zooms, pans and rotates. 'Mechs use line of sight for firing. This doesn't mean every 'mech needs to see the enemy. If one 'mech spots an enemy unit, it acts as a 'spotter' for the rest. This allows your long-range units to fire akin to artillery. How well elevation plays was unclear in the beta, but I think it adds to spotting and firing.
Multiplayer fun can be had with LAN, direct TCP/IP connections or playing on Microsoft's own MSN Gaming Zone. A mission editor appears to be included (it wasn't functioning in the beta I was sent), but it has the possibility of adding to the replay value (which is really dependent on either a good AI or good scripting, I'm hoping for a good AI).
There is going to be some concern that MC2 will play out with a heavily scripted AI, which is a way for programmers to skimp on a well-written AI. Only extensive play will tell (and a beta version is usually not a balanced game). I felt the AI was giving me a challenge in the scenarios, but more importantly the sum of the whole added up to the most important thing in gaming - fun. I really felt with my pilots growing in experience, the ability to purchase better 'mechs and the use of support vehicles, that I was a Mechcommander. And that type of role-playing adds to the immersion. Mechcommander 2 looks to be a great game that I for one will be purchasing the day it comes out.
