Post by Fayde on Nov 10, 2009 18:14:43 GMT -8
Because knowing is half the battle, I thought I'd give anyone who cares a quick overview of Battletech, and mostly choosing the different kinds of Mech that MegaMek comes with (literally hundreads of different types, each with several variants of themselves), as well as certain rules that you can use to your advantage:
This does part does not go over the actual rules of the game, just tips and hints and general knowledge.
Scale:
The scale of Battletech is this:
- Each Mech is about 10-12 meters tall (about 30-37 feet)
- Each "Level" of hight (i.e. Hills, Water, Buildings) is about 6 meters tall.
- Each hex is aprox. 30 meters long
- Each full turn represents about 10 seconds of "real time" in the game.
- Everything happens at once. Even if you do not fire first and get destroyed, your attack that turn will still go through.
- Going "last" is good. This represents your ability to take that extra deep breath and react to what an enemy does.
Some terrain goodies:
- Getting behind a Level 1 hill or going into a Depth 1 water will give you a Partial Cover bonus. Not only does it make it harder for the enemy to hit you, it prevents your legs from being damaged as well.
- Trees will give you cover for the hex you are in. Any trees there-after that are in between you and your target will interfere with your targeting AND the enemies.
- Water is difficult to walk into, and requires a Piloting Skill roll (while normally an easy one) in order to stay standing. This is because of the force of the massive machine hitting the water and becoming top heavy. Water also helps act as extra Heat Sinks while your Mech is in it.
- Bridges can be very nice, but also very dangerous if you're not careful. Buildings and Bridges have what is called a CV factor. That is, the Construction Value of their structural integrity and their ability to take stress. The CV factor must be higher than your Mechs tonnage in order to hold your Mech safely. Otherwise the Building or Bridge will collapse along with your Mech.
- Line of Sight can be a little tricky on a 2D board. Having more than 2 or 3 wooded hexes between you and your target can block LOS, as well as any target behind a Level 2 hill or higher. Always be aware of possible LOS conditions when making your movements.
Some nice little rules:
Some of these I have yet to use in MegaMek, but I have used in the actual miniatures game, and really add to the game. Knowing what you're mech is capable of doing makes a huge difference sometimes.
- Death From Above (DFA) attacks are very risky, but can inflict lots of damage onto an enemy Mech, as well as yourself. This should be done as a last resort (Like most or all of your weapons are damaged), and only can be done if your Mech has Jump Jets. The heavier your Mech is, the more damage it will do (and cause to yourself). DFA attacks have a much better chance in hitting the head (1/6 chance, rather than 1/12).
- Charging can do lots of damage, and while still risky, it is much safer than DFA attacks. This is done in much the same way as DFA, only with the need to Jump, and much less risk.
The two above actions can be found in the Move Menu of Megamek, under the Special Sub-menu
LRMs (Long Range Missile), SRMs (Short Range Missile) and LB-X Autocannons hit in clusters. Meaning, they do not do concentrated damage to one area. Damage is spread out in clusters of 5 or less. While this may not seem like much, using these weapons as a support fire and softening up armor is a fantastic strategy. These weapons are also very effective in causing Critical Hits when Internal Structure is exposed.
Here are a few screens I got to explain the menus:
This does part does not go over the actual rules of the game, just tips and hints and general knowledge.
Scale:
The scale of Battletech is this:
- Each Mech is about 10-12 meters tall (about 30-37 feet)
- Each "Level" of hight (i.e. Hills, Water, Buildings) is about 6 meters tall.
- Each hex is aprox. 30 meters long
- Each full turn represents about 10 seconds of "real time" in the game.
- Everything happens at once. Even if you do not fire first and get destroyed, your attack that turn will still go through.
- Going "last" is good. This represents your ability to take that extra deep breath and react to what an enemy does.
Some terrain goodies:
- Getting behind a Level 1 hill or going into a Depth 1 water will give you a Partial Cover bonus. Not only does it make it harder for the enemy to hit you, it prevents your legs from being damaged as well.
- Trees will give you cover for the hex you are in. Any trees there-after that are in between you and your target will interfere with your targeting AND the enemies.
- Water is difficult to walk into, and requires a Piloting Skill roll (while normally an easy one) in order to stay standing. This is because of the force of the massive machine hitting the water and becoming top heavy. Water also helps act as extra Heat Sinks while your Mech is in it.
- Bridges can be very nice, but also very dangerous if you're not careful. Buildings and Bridges have what is called a CV factor. That is, the Construction Value of their structural integrity and their ability to take stress. The CV factor must be higher than your Mechs tonnage in order to hold your Mech safely. Otherwise the Building or Bridge will collapse along with your Mech.
- Line of Sight can be a little tricky on a 2D board. Having more than 2 or 3 wooded hexes between you and your target can block LOS, as well as any target behind a Level 2 hill or higher. Always be aware of possible LOS conditions when making your movements.
Some nice little rules:
Some of these I have yet to use in MegaMek, but I have used in the actual miniatures game, and really add to the game. Knowing what you're mech is capable of doing makes a huge difference sometimes.
- Death From Above (DFA) attacks are very risky, but can inflict lots of damage onto an enemy Mech, as well as yourself. This should be done as a last resort (Like most or all of your weapons are damaged), and only can be done if your Mech has Jump Jets. The heavier your Mech is, the more damage it will do (and cause to yourself). DFA attacks have a much better chance in hitting the head (1/6 chance, rather than 1/12).
- Charging can do lots of damage, and while still risky, it is much safer than DFA attacks. This is done in much the same way as DFA, only with the need to Jump, and much less risk.
The two above actions can be found in the Move Menu of Megamek, under the Special Sub-menu
LRMs (Long Range Missile), SRMs (Short Range Missile) and LB-X Autocannons hit in clusters. Meaning, they do not do concentrated damage to one area. Damage is spread out in clusters of 5 or less. While this may not seem like much, using these weapons as a support fire and softening up armor is a fantastic strategy. These weapons are also very effective in causing Critical Hits when Internal Structure is exposed.
Here are a few screens I got to explain the menus:
