Thursday, October 25, 2012

Question for the readers!

I have a big question on where ya'll would like to see me direct my efforts towards most.

#1.  Updating this site, and giving ya'll everything promised.  This will have record sheets, unit trackers, campaign stuff, etc, etc.  If your a reader of my silly blog, hopefully your aware of the promises, if not, you may have to read a few pages to get them :)

#2.  A computer based, real time, top down version of megamek essentially.  I'll use megamek graphics, so it'll be all top-down, but it'll play real time.  You'll be like a single tank in command and conquer.  And yes, it'll have multiplayer support.  It'll support everything so things like sensors, fuel, supply, and even RPG elements.  

#3.  A turn base, interstellar game, BASED on the BT universe.  So unit names will be different, faction names different, characters different, planets different, but it'll play just like the succession wars would (the historic, not the original game).  There will be thousands of units, as every regiment, many battalions, and some companies will be modeled.  Think Master of Orion, but far more detailed, and far more modular (you can mod it to *BE* BattleTech if you so desire, but I can't release it that way)

#4.  Run for Mayor of Dallas and focus my efforts there.  This will kill all of my support for games.

#5.  Run for President of the United States, because my left hand has more integrity than any major candidate we have had in the past few elections.  I won't accept money from anybody to avoid being biased, so people on the internet would have to get my name out in their neighborhoods.  This will of course kill all of my support for games as well.  FYI, I've attempted to run for congress in the past, but last yer I got sick in the middle of getting my 500 signatures so fell through, and previously I had the libertarian candidate talk me out of running (stupid me, but it isn't a dream job by any means).

I'm serious about all 5, but I'm betting most of ya'lls votes would be for #1 to #3 :)

Let me know, if I get enough votes for any particular item I'll set my focus on it and spend 100% of my free time towards finishing it as my next project (starting in November at the latest).

Sunday, October 21, 2012

New products, and other musings

First yet another apology for a lack of updates, there have been a few things in my life sucking up my free time, in no particular order they are:

Borderlands 2 (great game, I cheat so am getting bored)
X-Com (not nearly as good as previous incarnations)
Planetside 2 Beta (awesome)
A cyberboard game of Federation and Empire (ongoing)
Strike Legion Designer (nearly done)

Before that I was spending some time in the Mechwarrior Online beta.  I got bored with it really fast and regret blowing $120 for it as I really doubt I'll ever play it.  The game is horrible.  Defenders say its a beta, and will get better, but I have never seen a game in a beta state get *completely* redone, and without starting over from scratch, well, it sucks.  Some people are fans anyway, and love it, but there are also still fans of Doom playing it, so take that with a grain of salt.

World of Warplanes sucked ass too, it has promise, but the free to play model makes it a worse grind than WOW ever thought about being, and WOW at least has depth.

I stopped playing Tribes Ascend.  I put a lot of money and time into it, but now every time I log in it seems every other player is just a childish asshole, so it has turned me off to playing it.  The free to play model there got excessive too.  I put over $100 into the game, didn't have everything, and then they release the cool voices for yet more money, ugh.

I played Hawken too.  This game is with mechs, but feels much more like a FPS.  The graphics are pretty cool, the game play nifty, my only real complaint was the maps made all the fighters REALLY close up.  It has a lot of potential, and if you really want a mech game it blows MWO away already.

Ok, now onto Battletech stuff!

3 new PDF releases this week, WOOT!  I wish they'd scatter em about a bit so we don't have so long between releases, but any new releases are great.  Quick review!

Dossiers Bounty Hunter.  Like the other dossiers products, with history of the Dread Pirate Roberts Bounty Hunter, all his mechs (most of which we have seen before).  If your interested at all in the Bounty Hunter (who isn't?), pick it up.

Historical Turning Points Antallos:  Like all the rest basically.  I get the HTPs for the maps, planet data, and occasional record sheets (this only has a combat version of the Buccaneer dropship).

And the XTRO Phantoms.  I didn't know what this was going to be, and now that I see it I'm quite unimpressed.  Basically take a dozen units, add some mixed tech, and there you go.  Its an XTRO, and worth the $5 for the history.  Some unique units.  I didn't notice as many issues in this one as some previous ones which was a nice relief.  There were a few interesting units like a Grand Titan with a Thumper, and an IS Tornado PA(L) that moves 7 with clan VTOL equipment.

Handbook House Kurita will probably come out by spring of next year.  Once it does, I'll go back and update my mapping programs since we'll FINALLY have complete maps of various eras.

Don't ask me how I know, but I know what the hold up is with Interstellar Operations.  Hopefully they can work through it and get at least some rules out for us to playtest soon.

Oh, I added all the new units to the BattleTech Encyclopedia, so feel free to peruse.

And speaking of, yes, I said I was working on it, and I am... partially.  Playing F&E over cyberboard plus other things listed have killed any real progress with it.  I am going to try to get my Strike Legion designer out TODAY.  After that I'll still waste my weekdays playing cyberboard, but my weekends will be devoted to the Encyclopedia.

Again, I apologize for the lack of any progress, but it isn't like ya'll keep commenting "when will you update the BTE?!?!?!" to keep me on top of my game either ;)

Friday, October 5, 2012

Robotech Miniatures?

Well I was sick over the last 2 weeks, so didn't get crap for work done.  One heck of a cold or something :(

Anyway, I came across something REALLY REALLY REALLY interesting.....

http://www.palladiumbooks.com/index.php/about-palladium/weekly-updates/625-palladium-booksr-weekly-update-september-27-2012

Scroll down to the Robotech Tactical Role-Playing game update...

Lots of 1/285 Robotech miniatures comming, WOOT!  PLEASE let them have a MAC II as well as all the destroids/mecha from all 3 series.  I'll go broke buying these.

I hope the game is great too.  I've always thought that Heavy Gear, aka the DP9 Silouhette system, would be *perfect* for Robotech as it has the "anime" feel, and a hero can be nearly invincible until  overwhelmed or fighting another hero, and can easily trash scores of stupid baddies.  I loved Heavy Gear before they went Blitz (to me they went from tactical miniatures game to 40K clone).

Anyway, lets home great things come from that.

Heck, maybe it'll work for Rifts too.  The Rifts universe is really cool, don't care much for the rules, but its a universe that allows ANYTHING you can imagine, which is kinda cool.

Anyway, stayed up too late playing Borderlands 2.  Not sure why I'm still playing it, feels like BL1, and I spend WAY too much time opening stupid crates with garbage in them, though I bet its a blast multiplayer.  I cheated and level 50'd my characters pretty quick to keep going, but I think its days are numbered for me.  Great game tho for those who dive into FPS games like that.