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Take all the time you need! It’s free content, we’re not gonna complain if you take a little while longer to chew through.
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May 3, 2020 02:33
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PoptartsNinja posted:Update is coming, it's just taking a while to transcribe. My hands aren't what they used to be. Time to get some Type V Myomer Replacements then!
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May 3, 2020 06:40
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Let’s Play BattleTech: Career Mode – Flashpoint 3: Of Unknown Origin We’re down at the very bottom edge of the map. I’m pretty sure Tarragona is the ‘farthest’ accessible system from the top map edge, although there are a few that I’d call more remote. This is a tiny corner of the periphery near the edge of the Inner Sphere. Only 170 of BattleTech’s 3,269 named planets are on the unmodded game’s map. There are even three stars from the Pleiades cluster up in the upper right corner of the map. They’re not visible here, but I’ll point them out the next time we get close. The entire Inner Sphere is still smaller than this red dot.  To earn the ‘Full Kerensky’ rank in the game’s rating we need to touch all 170 planets in this region of space. It’s a loving stupid scoring requirement and I won’t be doing it.  Oof. The second and third options feel almost guaranteed to cause a pilot injury. I take the first one.  Rooster lost a trait that generates minor bad events like this and has an addiction to opioids. We take that seriously and get her the treatment she deserves, even if it reduces our ability to heal broken bones for a little while. That’s a fair tradeoff, even if -1 med point does hurt a lot. Our next payday comes up while we’re traveling, costing us 475,100 c-bills. We’ll be topping that half-a-million mark soon! I was going to jump straight into the flashpoint when we reached Tarragona, but…  Uhh…  This was in the shop.    We just skipped the entire midgame. We are endgame face-wreckers now! To help keep our power in check, I build a “bad” Marauder to start with. I’ll turn it into the good one later, I promise, but for the time being this is what we’re rocking:  The Marauder is extremely good. It’s honestly 50/50 whether or not it’s the best ‘Mech in the entire game. That Lance Command Mod in the left torso? That’s stock. Just for existing, the Marauder gives the entire lance 10% damage reduction. Sounds pretty powerful, right? That’s not the only thing that wargear does. It also boosts the called shot hit percentage by, supposedly, 2.4. That’s not 2.4%, it’s a 2.4 multiplier to some hidden game value that’s semi-inconsistent but, and this is the part that matters, it turns the 18% chance for a Called Shot Master to snipe a cockpit into a 35% chance. There’s no need to put the Gauss Rifle ammo in the legs. It doesn’t blow up. I just do it out of habit. Gauss Ammo is a lot more common than it used to be, before the game’s final update it was vanishingly rare so protecting it was important. I’ll run the clock we we’ll have the Marauder finished in time for the flashpoint. I expect to see a minimum of 3 heavy ‘Mechs, one in mission 2 and two in mission 3. The first time I played after Heavy Metal launched this was the flashpoint where I got my first Marauder, but we’re just as likely to find a Quickdraw or a Dragon waiting for us as anything. Before I start the flashpoint I knock out an easy 1.5 skull payday for the pirates to help offset the reputation hit we’re going to eat during the flashpoint’s first mission. It scores us an easy 610,470 c-bills, 2 CPLT-C1 parts, 2 LCT-1M parts, and 1 TBT-7K part. Yang immediately yells at us because the Marauder technically doesn’t have guns on it yet.  I know, Yang! I’m impatient too! I run the clock so the Marauder will be prepped for the flashpoint.  There’s no reason for this, I just thought the Argo looked really nice in that shot. It’s such a photogenic ship.    Well, Commander Othonos, here we are. Standing astride the ragged edge of civilization, where the star maps meet their end. Thank you for joining me in this cheerless place. Most reputable mercenary companies won't venture this far outside the Inner Sphere.  I think this is our first encounter with Reynauld! Reynauld is probably my favorite mercenary liaison. He’s an incompetent drunkard which makes plenty of sense considering the Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery assigned him as the mercenary liaison to an area of space so far from their borders it takes poor Reynauld nearly a year to travel home to spend Sumire calls him Bob.  That’s what gives us our edge, Bob. Throw enough money at us and we’ll go wherever you want. A sentiment worth drinking to—but alas, my reserves have run dry, and I cannot replenish them here. The swill that they peddle on Tarragona is an insult to the very concept of wine. All of this brings me to the reason I called you here: I have a job for you, and I need it done quickly. My situation is rather desperate, you understand. We get it, Shugo Yamaguchi. Tell us who we’re here to rescue, and from whom. Shugo isn’t a name, it’s a title. Reynauld is the Combine’s version of a constable. Captain Gaku Magorian of Tsubaki Salvageworks. He’s fallen into the clutches of a Frontier crime syndicate, and I need you to get him back. And you’ve come all the way out here in person to coordinate his rescue. This captain of yours must be quite a guy. Oh, no, Ms. Meyer. By all accounts, he’s horrid—a rancid turnip that walks as a man. But this particular turnip found something of great value on one of his forays into the Deep Periphery, and House Kurita wants it. Did I mention I love Reynauld? He’s also one of the few liaisons that refers to your staff by name. What kind of “something” are we talking about? A ship. I don’t know what kind. The ISF dossier that I received refers to it only as “a derelict spacecraft of unknown origin.” The vagueness of the language is intentional, of course. The Kuritan intelligence community is quite adept at gathering information, but almost farcically bad at sharing it.  We know the type. I assume that your government sent you to recover this mysterious spacecraft? You overestimate my position, Doctor. My superiors don’t want me anywhere near their precious derelict. That probably stings, huh? On the contrary. The less involvement my superiors require of me, the better. I don’t belong out here, Commander. I feel the need to spiritually cleanse myself of this place. And so, the moment my assignment is complete, I will travel to Herotitus, where I will submerge myself in an ocean of vice. All I need is Captain Magorian, and that is where you come in.  Understood, Shugo Yamaguchi. We’ll get you your man. Now, have you got a name for this syndicate we’re going up against? Does it matter? They’re petty criminals. If they hadn’t kidnapped a person if importance to the Combine, they wouldn’t even be worth discussing. You don’t know, do you? No. Oh, I’m sure it was mentioned in one of the interminable briefings I was subjected to back when I was saddled with this assignment… but that was two months and several dozen bottles of cholobara ago. Don’t look at me like that—I had to drink it quickly. It doesn’t keep, you see. Reynauld is the only quest giver who lets us give him poo poo. He knows exactly what he is and doesn’t care. Yeah, I get it. Do you have any intel on our OpFor at all? Numbers, tactics, armament?  Oh, you don’t need any of that! This should be a simple job for mercenaries of your caliber. Just march on in with your BattleMechs, shoot them until they stop moving, and get Captain Magorian back. What could be easier than that? Nothing, I guess. We’ll get right on it. Music to my ears, Ms. Meyer. Contact me again when you have Captain Magorian in hand. Yamaguchi out. [Shugo Yamaguchi’s image cuts out as he terminates the call.]  Y’know, I’ve always had a suspicion that every one of our Great House liaisons is wildly incompetent on some level or another. It’s refreshing talking to one who just wears it right out on the surface. That’s our bob. I guess we’re going into this one blind, huh, XO? Should make for an exciting day on the job. That’s one way of putting it. May as well get our MechWarriors ready to drop, Ajax. The sooner we get down there, the sooner we’ll see what we’re dealing with. According to ISF intelligence, Captain Gaku Magorian is being held prisoner in one of a dozen safe houses within the boundaries of Alamedo Province. Obviously, we can’t rely on trial and error to find him, so we’re going to have to narrow down the list. Our unidentified syndicate is known to maintain a forward base in this AO. Capture it so that Dr. Murad can scour the OpFor’s mainframe for confirmation of Captain Magorian’s whereabouts. I still can’t believe that we don’t even know who we’re fighting against. It is what it is, I guess. Sliders: Payment 0 (c501000) / Salvage 0 (4/17) I take a risk on a good heavy ‘Mech turning up and go for neutral sliders. These missions are pretty lucrative though, so going for money may be the smarter choice. Tarragona: Of Unknown Origin 1 (Commentary) After-Action Report: Battle Record To Date (Victory/Loss/Draw): 50/0/0 Our in-universe record has now gone from improbable to impossible. OpForce Casualties: 2 Hunchbacks, 1 Blackjack, 1 Cicada, 1 Hatchetman, 1 Phoenix Hawk Allied Casualties: None Rewards & Interesting Salvage: 551,100 c-bills, 2 HBK-4G parts, 2 HBK-4P parts, 1 BJ-1DB part. In hindsight I should’ve nabbed the CDA-3C parts but I remembered them being common—but that was at launch. With the Phoenix Hawk and Vulcan crowding it out, the PPC Cicada is now as hard to find as the BJ-1 Blackjack and the Vindicator.  Storage  This, we’re keeping. The HBK-4G is the best medium ballistic weapon platform. It’s only got the one hardpoint, but torsos are much harder to lose than arms. I’ll do something with this, but I don’t have what I’d need to really make it shine. If we hadn’t just gotten a Marauder, the Hunchie would’ve been getting our Gauss Rifle. According to Dr. Murad’s interpretation of the files we recovered, Captain Magorian is being held in a safe house somewhere under the ruins of New Vulci. Care to fill us in on the details, Dr. Murad? Absolutely. According to the intel I've uncovered, Captain Magorian is currently in the custody of Zeta Lance. From what I gather, they're basically the Baumann Group's fix-it crew—all highly disciplined, all former Great House military. When Notker Baumann needs a job done right, they're the ones he turns to. They're competent. Got it. What else? Is Notker a name, or a title? It’s a name. Zeta Lance has been moving Captain Magorian from location to location every couple of days. I don’t have a fix on his current position, but I was able to find Zeta Lance’s expected patrol route. If you were to destroy their ‘Mechs and get me access to their combat computers, I could retrace their steps to find Captain Magorian. That’s the plan, then. We deploy, hunt down Zeta Lance, then follow their trail to Captain Magorian. Good work, Doctor. Sounds like we have a plan. Anyone else have anything to add? I do. In my off time, I’ve been doing some digging on Notker Baumann and his organization. Turns out, they basically run the black market. Half the contraband that flows through the Frontier’s seedier ports of call got there by way of the Baumann Group. And? I mean, I assume you’re goin’ somewhere with this. You know all those strange new weapons that have been flooding the market recently? Give you three guesses where they came from. You think they came from the derelict. I guess that tracks, but… how? If the ship is stuffed to the gills with high-tech weaponry, who the hell put it out there in the first place? I couldn’t hazard a guess, Sumire. But if Darius is right, this isn’t a simple rescue operation. That ship is important. Those weapons have to be LosTech. But some of them, like the COIL Beam, are totally absent from the Star League’s historical records… at least, as far as I understand. We have to pursue this, Darius. I need to know more. There’s a long-standing fan theory that Dr. Murad is a ComStar acolyte. I don’t believe those, of course… I wouldn’t say no to finding out more myself, Doctor. Hell, there’s probably some money in it. But we were hired to rescue Captain Magorian, and that needs to remain our focus. That said, if we should happen to stumble onto some of those answers you’re looking for, we will absolutely pursue them. … I think the secret Acolyte is Darius. Can’t argue with any of that. Now let’s go do our job. Zeta Lance won’t wait around all day. Right as always, Ajax. Let’s get our people ready to drop. Zeta Lance moved Captain Magorian out of Alamedo Province two days ago. They’re holding him in a bunker somewhere under the ruins of New Vulci, a city that fell victim to a nuclear accident in 2977. Engage Zeta Lance and destroy their ‘Mechs. When you’re finished, I’ll scour their combat computers for the bunker’s coordinates. A nuclear “accident.” Let’s hole this is the last hoop we need to jump through before finding this guy. Sliders: Payment 0 (c645000) / Salvage 0 (4/17) Max payment on this one is over a million, it’s definitely worth going all cash. But again, I’m hoping we’ll snag a good back-up heavy like a Black Knight or a Thunderbolt. Tarragona: Of Unknown Origin 2 (Commentary) After-Action Report: Battle Record To Date (Victory/Loss/Draw): 51/0/0 OpForce Casualties: 1 HBK-4P, 1 LCT-1E, 4 drones Allied Casualties: None Rewards & Interesting Salvage: 645,000 c-bills, 3x HBK-4P parts, SRM6++ Mechwarrior Stat Ups: Thoth hits Piloting 10 for that sweet +3 hit defense and +6 melee defense. Ok, Meyer. What’s the emergency? Remember that orbital platform? The one that launched all those drones? It’s trying to talk to us. The damned thing has pinged our comm system five times since you left the planet’s surface. I’ll pause for a second and let that sink in. If it wants to talk, we should talk. Get it on the line. If you say so, Commander. I’m establishing contact with the 300-year-old weapons platform. Buckle in, everyone—poo poo’s about to get weird. [Your viewscreen fills with cool blue light as Sumire establishes the connection. The light coalesces and solidifies into an unfamiliar landscape.]  ////The Argonauts. Senior staff consists of the following: >> Ajax “JSON” Othonos, Commander. >> Darius Oliveira, Executive Officer. >> Dr. Farah Murad, Engineer. >> Yang Virtanen, Chief MechTech. >> Sumire Meyer, Pilot and Navigator. Is this manifest correct, Commander Othonos?//// That’s us. To whom—or what—are we speaking? ////My official designation is SLDF_PT_CgvR. I am the last surviving product of Project Triage, authorized 2765.06.12 by Major General Jeremy McLain of the 19th Army, LVI Corps. I have also been programmed to respond to any of the following informal designations: >> “Caregiver.” >> “Den Mother.” >> “Moderbjörn.” You may refer to me using any of the above aliases.//// Got it, Mother Brain it is. “Moderbjörn”? What’s that mean? Darius, quotes go outside the punctuation marks. ////Moderbjörn. Sweedish. English translation: “Mother bear.” I believe that the name was intended to humanize me. It is also evocative of my primary directive: the gathering and protection of disaster survivors—in this scenario, my metaphorical “cubs.”//// See? The computer knows how to do it. Folks, we’ve got ourselves a winner. I reserve the right to call it Momma Bear, though. Now that introductions are out of the way, I’d like to know why your drones fired on my lance. ////The ongoing defense of New Vulci is one of my tertiary objectives. When you initiated a firefight in the ruins, I was compelled to intercede. I regret any injury my drones may have caused your company, and I am hopeful that the circumstances of our introduction will not preventing us from helping one another in the future.//// “Helping one another.” You want us to do something for you. Figures. Everyone’s got an angle, even an ancient computer. ‘Course it does, Meyer. That’s a universal constant. Tell us what you need, Momma Bear. Who knows? Maybe we can work something out. ////For the past half a century, I have been guiding a derelict spacecraft—the Dobrev—toward Tarragona. On the eve of its arrival, it disappeared. I believe the organization you were fighting to be responsible for the derelict’s disappearance. I must learn where they have taken it. It is imperative that I recover that ship.//// We’re here to rescue Captain Gaku Magorian. He was taken prisoner by the same people who hijacked the derelict. ////Then we are pursuing complementary objectives, Doctor. I suggest that we pool our resources to achieve them.//// For the sake of argument, let’s say we help you. What’s in it for us? ////My combat drones are standing by and ready to assist in your rescue efforts. All I ask in return is access to the Baumann Group’s computer systems. This arrangement should prove purely beneficial to you and your company, Commander. I ask nothing that you cannot give me for free.//// Sounds reasonable. What form would this assistance take, exactly? ////I could have my drones attacka nearby armory. This should serve to lure away the prison’s garrison, clearing the way for a light, nimble lance to conduct the rescue operation. Alternatively, I could liberate Captain Magorian myself, but I would need your lance to serve as the distraction. Should you choose this option, I would recommend allocating your heaviest BattleMechs for the job.//// [Flashpoint Decision: Have the Moderbjörn rescue Captain Magorian while your lance distracts the garrison.] Our heavies will attack the armory to draw the OpFor’s defenses away. Interesting choice. Not what I would’ve gone with, but you’re the boss. You expected me to voluntarily take a tonnage-limited mission on a non-Marik flashpoint? Nah. ////Your decision is acknowledged, Commander Othonos. While your lance distracts the prison garrison, my drones will move in to rescue Captain Magorian. You will have him, alive and unharmed.//// That’s it, then. We have a plan. Let’s get to it, Commander. Time’s a-wasting. I’m dropping you at the Baumann Group’s armory, Commander. Hit it hard enough, and the prison’s garrison should come running, clearing the way for the Moderbjörn to rescue Captain Magorian with its drones. Get ready, Ajax. Our ‘Mechs are about to soak up a lot of incoming fire. I know. That’s what the Firestarter is for. Sliders: Payment 0 (c370200) / Salvage 0 (4/17) Tarragona: Of Unknown Origin 3 (Commentary) After-Action Report: Battle Record To Date (Victory/Loss/Draw): 52/0/0 OpForce Casualties: 1 Dragon, 1 Rifleman, 2 Fleas, 1 Javelin, 1 Locust, 1 Panther Allied Casualties: None Rewards & Interesting Salvage: 481260 c-bills, 3 DRG-1N parts, 1 RFL-3N parts, 1 JVN-10A part, 1 LCT-1V part MechWarrior Stat Ups:  Like the Cicada, the Dragon is a strong contender for “worst ‘Mech in the game.” Well, Commander. Thanks to you, my return to civilization has been assured. Let the ISF try to pry answers from Captain Magorian—I’ll wish them luck and wash my hands of it. If I never have to worry about his stupid derelict again, it’ll be too soon. That’s the spirit, Shugo Yamaguchi. Enjoy your trip home. And you yours, Commander. My best to you all. Yamaguchi out. [Your viewscreen winks out as Shugo Yamaguchi disconnects the call.] Either he doesn’t know that Magorian has no idea where the Baumann Group took the Dobrev or he doesn’t care. My money’s on “doesn’t care.” Hang on a second—we’re getting a call from the Moderbjörn’s platform. I’m putting it through. ////Commander. I have studied the Baumann Group’s records regarding the derelict, and my suspicions have been confirmed.//// What suspicions are those? That the Dobrev drifted into the Deep Periphery from outside the boundaries of known space. The ship’s crew was long dead, victims of an ancient misjump that warped the vessel’s hull and damaged its K-F drive. Woah, hold up. Setting aside all the other craziness in what you just said—the Dobrev is jump-capable?! ////Technically, yes. As I said, the ship’s K-F drive is damaged and perhaps unstable. But it is still technically operable for the time being.//// What the hell is this ship of yours? I want a solid answer this time. ////I believe the Dobrev to be an artifact of General Aleksandr Kerensky’s exodus.//// Commander… please listen to me. If what it’s saying is true, the Dobrev may be the single most valuable discovery in living memory. We’ve stumbled onto something that’s bigger than all of us. We have to treat it with respect. And that’s why I don’t think Dr. Murad is a ComStar acolyte. She’s not good at hiding what’s captured her interest or why. Okay. Let’s say that the Dobrev really is a leftover from Kerensky’s Exodus. What does that mean for us? ////It means that I need your help. My primary objective—the protection of New Vulci’s civilian population—has failed. Now, I am compelled to report my failure to SLDF Central Command. With the Dobrev’s navigation logs, I can attempt to do that—to retrace the steps of Kerensky’s Exodus and find out what became of the Star League.//// Respectfully, you’re off your gourd. I’m serious. If you think the fools who followed Kerensky into the Great Beyond are still out there somewhere, I’ve got a bridge to sell you. Okay. Look.I know that what it’s suggesting is a long shot, but… just imagine it, Sumire! A living Star League! A peaceful, enlightened civilization, untouched by the horrors of the Succession Wars… Imagine what they could teach the Inner Sphere! Let’s say we consider helping you with this mission of yours. What’s in it for us? ////l need the Dobrev’s navigation logs, not its payload. If you help me reclaim the ship, its remaining cargo is yours. All that you need to do is disconnect my main computer from this decaying platform and bring it aboard the Argo. We will find the Dobrev together. You will want to recover my remaining combat drones as well, Of course. There would be little sense in leaving them uncollected.//// Can I pull the pulse lasers off of them and put them to better use than you will? No. Commander, we have a unique opportunity to expand the sphere of human knowledge. To solve an age-old question: what truly became of the SLDF? From where I’m standing, we have to accept. I’m with the Doc on this one. If the Dobrev really is full of exotic weapons and ‘Mechs, I want a taste of that. Hell, not just a taste—I want the whole drat thing. That’s worth a little risk on our part. Besides, my gut says that we can trust Momma Bear. If she was a person, she’d be a good one. We’ve reached an agreement, then. I’ll send a team to bring you aboard. ////Thank you, Commander. Please ensure that Dr. Murad is there to lead them. My memory core was not designed as a portable system, and it would be unfortunate if it got damaged in transit.//// [Your viewscreen goes dead as Moderbjörn powers down.] We’ve got a plan, then. I’ll start putting out feelers, it may take a few months but my friends in the gray market community should be able to come up with something. Until then, let’s get back to our typical routine. There’s money to be made, work to be done… you all know the drill. When we’ve got a new lead to go on, I’ll let you all know.  Right. Well, that solves what I’m going to do with the Hunchback (for now).   Next Time: COIL-L
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May 5, 2020 00:55
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That is a lot of  in one update.
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May 5, 2020 01:47
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The "Bob" nickname is explained in the story campaign. If I recall, Darius and co's previous commander regularly called Reynauld "Bob Kurita." Reynauld thought it was funny as hell and ran with it. Shame there's not much info on the previous commander. He dies off screen before the campaign properly starts.
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May 5, 2020 02:16
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Bob's the best questgiver, it's just a pity the Draconis Combine has such a small presence out here.
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May 5, 2020 02:19
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PoptartsNinja posted:… I think the secret Acolyte is Darius. Are you sure its not Yang? Guy knows so much about the inner working of most mechs, he's gotta be a comguard tech! And, you know, greed is the best cover story. I like darius's angle though!
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May 5, 2020 02:21
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Maybe they're all ComStar and they picked you to be the commander for plausible deniability.
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May 5, 2020 02:47
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I will always love Hunchies. They're exactly what they need to be to get an AC20 with legs out there.
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May 5, 2020 02:48
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I'm 95% sure that it's known well enough that Kerensky fled the Sphere to the East, towards the region of the Outworlds Alliance, and yet we're on the South side of the IS here. It seems like a stretch that people would get from A to B there. And yes, I know my hypocrisy here, with the Clans coming in from the North.
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May 5, 2020 02:54
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There's a reason for this. This is the only flashpoint chain I'd like no spoilers on.
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May 5, 2020 03:46
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I mean, this is the Inner Sphere. 3d Interstellar Navigation is clearly LosTech. What's a Z axis anyway?
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May 5, 2020 03:54
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That actually is taken into account. The Inner Sphere is depicted flat but there are several planets (not just in the game, but in tabletop) that look adjacent to each other and need an intermediate layover because they're out of jump range on the Z axis. There aren't many because there're over 3000 planets and who cares that much, but they exist. The Inner Sphere isn't exactly a sphere but it's not a disc either.
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May 5, 2020 04:10
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Having just recently watched the Tex Talks BattleTech on a ...very similar topic, I was seriously surprised this wasn't what was being shoehorned in as the flashpoint. The timing is a bit off, but not too terrible. When your 'pirates' didn't show up wearing all-whites and retain complete radio silence I was sad. Sorta. I thought you might have a fun run in with the phone company. e: I haven't played through this flashpoint so no spoilers other than my dumb guesses from existing lore Big Beef City fucked around with this message at 15:31 on May 5, 2020 |
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May 5, 2020 04:37
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I promise I'll discuss this in detail when we "know" more.
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May 5, 2020 05:12
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PoptartsNinja posted:We just skipped the entire midgame. We are endgame face-wreckers now! To help keep our power in check, I build a “bad” Marauder to start with. I’ll turn it into the good one later, I promise, but for the time being this is what we’re rocking: What makes this a "bad" Marauder? I'm guessing that a Gauss rifle on a 75 tonner is still a respectable amount of killing power. Is it the quartet of medium lasers as backup? Is the problem that four medium lasers is a lovely amount of backup on a mech of this size, or are you going to still roll with mediums but you want better mediums (being ER or more pluses)? There's also a couple of times when Bob's portrait is used in the briefings, but i don't think he's the one talking. Some of them sound like Sumire.
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May 5, 2020 07:55
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MechaCrash posted:What makes this a "bad" Marauder? I'm guessing that a Gauss rifle on a 75 tonner is still a respectable amount of killing power. Is it the quartet of medium lasers as backup? Is the problem that four medium lasers is a lovely amount of backup on a mech of this size, or are you going to still roll with mediums but you want better mediums (being ER or more pluses)? Because you can build a Marauder with multiple UACs and ER Medium Lasers and turn it into a literal face wrecker that's almost sure to headcap at least one mech every mission. With a 36% chance to hit the head, all you need is 2 hits from any of its weapons to kill the pilot, and sheer volume of fire gives you plenty of chances to hit that one in three chance. This MAD meanwhile only has a single headcapper, and four weapons that don't deal enough damage to double tap a face, so you're far more reliant on one of your Gauss shots taking them out, which you only get one shot of every round.
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May 5, 2020 08:49
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Rorahusky posted:Because you can build a Marauder with multiple UACs and ER Medium Lasers and turn it into a literal face wrecker that's almost sure to headcap at least one mech every Fixed There's at least one random mission where Comstar can show up unexpectedly as Opfor for an *oh poo poo* moment. There's no lasting repercussions though afaik.
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May 5, 2020 12:15
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Clearly the stars with habitable planets are clustered at the midplane of the galactic arm for reasons of steller metallicity distribution and shielding from local high energy events. The rest is just statistical distribution. Or some such babble. 3d maps are hard.
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May 5, 2020 13:16
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Are there any mods for this game which just add optimised enemy mechs with lostech and upgraded weapons but don't mess with anything else? Once you hit the point where you have some heavy mechs with upgraded weapons and efficient builds you can easily take on 10+ enemy mechs at once because very few of them can actually put out a meaningful amount of damage.
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May 5, 2020 13:47
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goatface posted:Clearly the stars with habitable planets are clustered at the midplane of the galactic arm for reasons of steller metallicity distribution and shielding from local high energy events. The rest is just statistical distribution. Sensible sci fi universes do this by having possible jump paths collapse to a 2D map, possibly with no correlation to actual location.
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May 5, 2020 16:40
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PoptartsNinja posted:Next Time: COIL-L  This thread got me to start a new career game. I got one of these on the third planet I visited. Can't wait to see what you can do with it.
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May 5, 2020 17:43
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RabidWeasel posted:Are there any mods for this game which just add optimised enemy mechs with lostech and upgraded weapons but don't mess with anything else? Once you hit the point where you have some heavy mechs with upgraded weapons and efficient builds you can easily take on 10+ enemy mechs at once because very few of them can actually put out a meaningful amount of damage. Not that I know of sadly, which is sad, because encountering custom units outside of scripted missions would be awesome. Unfortunately, it's a limitation of the engine. Every enemy variation has to be its own chassis in the game code, even if the only actual difference is that it mounts slightly different weapons, which complicates salvaging since even if the only change is 'oh yeah, this thing replaced it's Medium Laser with an ER Medium Laser', it still counts as a different model when it comes to piecing together new 'mechs. Hopefully if there's ever a Battletech 2, they'll change things so that custom units still drop standard model parts, so they can get creative with enemy designs without making it harder for you to glue together the bits and pieces afterwards.
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May 5, 2020 20:13
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pun pundit posted:Sensible sci fi universes do this by having possible jump paths collapse to a 2D map, possibly with no correlation to actual location. Tube-mapping the whole thing is just cheating. You need holo-cubes with projected spheres of influence that are actual spheres.
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May 5, 2020 20:37
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The real problem is in putting it in a setting book, but it's hard to do on paper, or in a PDF, and if I ever see some javascript electron widget for a 3D map in a PDF, I'll be impressed, and also immediately scream a lot. Just imagine printing it too.
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May 5, 2020 20:52
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Pop-up maps are the future.
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May 5, 2020 20:55
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Rorahusky posted:Not that I know of sadly, which is sad, because encountering custom units outside of scripted missions would be awesome. Unfortunately, it's a limitation of the engine. Every enemy variation has to be its own chassis in the game code, even if the only actual difference is that it mounts slightly different weapons, which complicates salvaging since even if the only change is 'oh yeah, this thing replaced it's Medium Laser with an ER Medium Laser', it still counts as a different model when it comes to piecing together new 'mechs. Many of the mods do this actually, and they get around the variant problem by using CustomSalvage- It lets you take pieces of a Hunchback 4G, 4P, J, SP, 5M, whatever, and assemble them in to whichever variant you want. The options are usually set so that you need a majority of parts to come from the one you're building (So if you have a 4G and a 4SP, and your campaign is set to need 3 parts per mech, you'd have to have 2 4SP parts and 1 4G part to build a 4SP.), but that's really totally up to you the player to set it up how you want. Roguetech is somewhat "infamous" for having special 'hero' mechs, with different advantages. BT:A 3062 has a very large library of customized, but not mechanically different, mechs as well. Think like an Awesome but with an XL400 engine, endo, FF, and quad snub nosed PPCs with a PPC capacitor for a loadout. Or a twist on the "Clanbuster" Black Knight that keeps the hatchet but replaces the rest of the loadout with a UAC/20 and quad medium pulse lasers. Or crazy pirate mechs. etc.
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May 5, 2020 21:33
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berryjon posted:I'm 95% sure that it's known well enough that Kerensky fled the Sphere to the East, towards the region of the Outworlds Alliance, and yet we're on the South side of the IS here. It seems like a stretch that people would get from A to B there. If it misjumped it could have ended up there from anywhere. Misjumps in BattleTech are similar to 40k having the warpdrive go bad and you end up 300 years in the past etc.
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May 5, 2020 22:17
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Hyperspace in BattleTech is very poorly understood in universe, even during the time of the Star League. The Word of Blake starts experimenting with Hyperspace after they seize Terra from ComStar in the 3060s which, among other insane things (they 'jumped' a person's eye to his shoulder), eventually results in the development of the Super HPG which is able to transmit to any HPG in a 1000 light year radius at enormous expense, the Clarion Call, and The Wall. The Clarion Call was what burned out 98% of the Inner Sphere's HPGs and caused the Dark Ages, but The Wall is seriously the most terrifying thing in the setting. JumpShips in BattleTech work by folding space and momentarily exist in two places at the same "time." When activated, the Wall creates a spherical barrier which JumpShips can't fold, so a JumpShip trying to pass to a system on the other side of The Wall suddenly can't generate a field big enough to encompass the entire Wall and suddenly its destination coordinates become itself. This causes it to "bounce" back to its starting position which, since it hasn't physically left that position yet, means for an infinitesimally small amount of time the JumpShip coexists with itself. Sometimes this is fine, the rebound is perfect and the original ship just burns the energy needed to fold space but goes nowhere. But most JumpShips aren't that precise, their destination coordinates are off by some fraction of a percent depending on the laziness of their crew and how often they've maintained their nav computer. So most of the time a rebounding JumpShip moves over ten inches but the people inside it don't and suddenly everyone is embedded in the walls and furniture. Fortunately the Republic of the Sphere were idiots and misunderstood what the wall could be used for. They thought of it as a defensive tool and nothing more. PoptartsNinja fucked around with this message at 22:45 on May 5, 2020 |
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May 5, 2020 22:39
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So what you're saying is that, ultimately, the ones responsible for the Dark Age of Battletech were the Blakists, because it's their research that lead to some asshat loving over the entire Inner Sphere by burning out the HPG network. Is there anything those fuckers haven't ruined?
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May 5, 2020 23:10
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Everything is ComStar's fault, yes. There's an extremely high probability that the actual deed was done by remnants of the Wobbie shadow divisions, given their knowledge of the HPGs and the fact that the few HPGs that were attacked by troops (which were older models immune to the Clarion Call), all those troops were sporting the same heraldry: a snake coiled around a dagger in front of a red disc.  
PoptartsNinja fucked around with this message at 23:57 on May 5, 2020 |
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May 5, 2020 23:19
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Is there a thread that talks through the various settings and the weird bits in them (like warping into bulkheads and other ComStar shenanigans)? Because I would read that thread. Both narratively and as a table top setting, dark age seems like it would be kinda poo poo compared to the rest of the setting, though.
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May 5, 2020 23:30
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I'm just glad they never did any teleportation research on Phobos & Deimos. Or sad, one or the other.
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May 5, 2020 23:30
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I'm honestly way more into trivia of the setting like this than its actual politics
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May 5, 2020 23:53
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90s Cringe Rock posted:I'm just glad they never did any teleportation research on Phobos & Deimos. Or sad, one or the other. That's in the warhammer 40K timeline.
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May 6, 2020 00:02
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There's an old joke that says you start with Event Horizon. If the mission goes off without a hitch, you get BattleTech; if it fails you get Warhammer 40k. That joke doesn't take The Black Marauder into account.
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May 6, 2020 00:33
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PoptartsNinja posted:Hyperspace in BattleTech is very poorly understood in universe, even during the time of the Star League. drat that is some nasty poo poo
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May 6, 2020 00:41
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PoptartsNinja posted:There's an old joke that says you start with Event Horizon. If the mission goes off without a hitch, you get BattleTech; if it fails you get Warhammer 40k. Whats the black marauder then, in terms of old movies? Virus?
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May 6, 2020 00:50
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The Thing. Edit: More seriously, it's The Car PoptartsNinja fucked around with this message at 01:39 on May 6, 2020 |
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May 6, 2020 01:10
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| # ? Jun 11, 2024 10:34 |
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Maximum Overdrive
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May 6, 2020 01:21
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