Video Game Development at the University of Michigan

1. I love Mechs.
2. An arcade-style combat sim with 2 joysticks, foot pedals, and an assortment of secondary controls is one of the best game experiences possible.
3. Microsoft has had access to a tactical Mech game they could develop easily but have not, and this confounds me.

I'm a sucker for Mech games. I don't know why. There isn't any consistent reason I prefer them; but adding Mech to a game automatically makes it superior to other games. I assume most gamers experience something similar. One of the most prolific Mech settings is the BattleTech universe, and I'm rather pleased with it for that reason. Microsoft owns the license for all BattleTech-based games (that's not the exact license, but it's the only part I'm concerned with right now) and they've done quite a lot with it.

The piloting sims are probably the best-known BattleTech video games. Ye olde Mechwarrior, Mechwarrior 2, Mechwarrior 3 (I actually bought this one. And since I buy very few games, that is quite an endorsement), Mechwarrior 4: Vengeance, and MechAssault 1 & 2. While there are many features both excellent and absurd in these lines of games, most of them aren't unique to Mech games. So what makes a 'Mech game different from all other games? The key features:

1. Mechs are land-based. No flying, no swimming. Walking on the bottom of water is fine, as are short rocket-assisted leaps. This isn't unique to Mech games, but it is a prerequisite.
2. Mechs are durable. One-shot kills are NOT common, and instead of generic "damage" to your vehicle, individual components are damaged or disabled.
3. Mechs have many systems to manage. Besides movement, the player is usually responsible for Electronic Warfare and some kind of damage control system.
4. Mech pilots are expected to customize their machine as a matter of course. While this is true in other games, it's not to the same extent.

The Mechwarrior sims fulfill these admirably (except that, in my opinion, customization is taken far too far). Could you possibly provide a more pure Mech gaming experience on either console or PC? Absolutely - in fact I'm looking for a card table this month so I can borrow Steel Battalion. An enhanced set of controls allows not only greater immersion, but it is also necessary to best manage the many weapons, sensors, displays, and damage control systems that I so dearly love. Now if only there was an arcade version... what's that you say? MechWarrior4: Vengeance is in arcades, and you even get a special seat?
No. Go sit in the corner.
The arcade version of MW4: Vengeance takes everything good out of the game - I'm pleasantly surprised that the 'Mechs don't fly. 'Mechs aren't durable, they fall to one shot from your weapons, the controls are greatly simplified, and I didn't get to customize my 'Mech within the first dollar (adding insult to injury, the game didn't distinguish between friendly and unfriendly 'Mechs). There IS a decent arcade-style 'Mech sim out there - the Tesla II pods made by Virtual World Entertainment were forerunners of the MechWarrior software, have more controls and displays, and can link 8 in multiplayer combat. They play similarly to the MechWarrior line. Playing any game that requires 2 joysticks and an armor diagram will give you a small taste of the glory that's possible with a properly-executed Mech sim.

Getting back towards the board-game roots, Microsoft also made MechCommander 1 & 2. These real-time tactical games are reportedly fun, even if certain mechanics are silly or the storyline ridiculous. It's worth noting that because the player has to manage many more 'Mechs than in the MW sims, the customization options are more limited (and in my opinion, are all around better).
Throughout Microsoft's history, they have not published a straight port of the board game. There was a fan project circa 1990 alternately called MechForce or BattleForce that ported the game to Amiga (some of you younger folk may not have heard of it, but it was a quality line of computers, ahead of the curve). Unfortunately not windows-compatible, I'm forced to play it on emulator. Microsoft IS permitting an unnoffical ported of it - MegaMek is a peer-to-peer java version of the game. You'd think I'd be pleased, but I'm not. The game suffers from an almost unusable interface, noticeably inferior to the one in MechForce. Now, I have to ask. Microsoft has done so much with the license, why have they not yet done a straight port of the board game yet?
It would appeal to the same audience as Advance Wars, and realizing this lead me to my next realization. BattleTech is visually simple enough to fit on a portable device, the gameplay can be controlled through a handful of menus and commands, tactics are complicated enough for addictive replay value, the stats of each 'Mech are analogous to stats of RPG characters, salvage and pilot improvements appeal to the RPG leveling mentality, the hundreds of existing Mech designs easily allows for a "collect them all" element, and battle sizes can vary from 3 minutes of play time to an hour. The game mechanics have already been playtested, Mechs have all been balanced, you could be lazy and borrow one of the hundred existing plotlines, and you already have an engine and graphics from previous games. Why does this game not exist yet?

Note: views and opinions expressed in this article are the author's and are not necessarily those of Wolverine Soft.