This is my favourite game. For more than one year now.
In MechCommander it is up to you to coordinate your company's MechWarriors in combat.You do this with the C³ console. C³ stands for Command , Control and Communication. On this console all sensor data of the mechs under your command is displayed on one screen. So the player is the only one who overviews the whole tactical situation , this allows you to make always the best of the current situationon battlefield.
Besides to just the view on the screen where the player can coordinate his/her mechs , there's the command interface. For commands like "attack on short , med , long range , use jump jets ,guard unit , run , small and heavy artillery strike , sensor probe and camera" you can use hotkeys.The tactical map can be zoomed in 4 steps. And also the terrain view can be zoomed in.
The upper four fields on the command interface are for small and heavy artillery strike , a third is is for a sensor probe , the last one is for a camera drone.The artillery strikes can be set on any revealed terrain ,the small strike needs 8 seconds to hit the chosen area , the heavy artillery takes 15 seconds.But in both cases the enemy is only warned the last 3 seconds.The camera drone can open any part of the map on a radius that has ca. half the sensor radius of a mech . And the sensor probe has more than double the radius of a mech's sensors and can be put on any part of the map.It displays like the mech sensors any reactor signature on the tactical map , but it's radius reduces fast and it disappears after 2 minutes.The command palette offers the following orders:"attack from current position , on short , medium or long range".The four lowest fields are for "guard unit , jump , run and zoom terrain view in".
There are also hotkeys for all these commands , so the command interface will not need all your attention , but be warned : especially in multiplayer battles it can lead to a desaster if you don't keep a regularly look on the tactical map!
The screen shots beyond were made in MechCommander Gold , this is an expansion pack that includes a new campaign , new mechs and weapons.It also includes the original game.You can believe me , MCG is worth the money (30$) .After you got through the solo player missions ( the original MC campaign and the new campaign) which are well designed and ambitious there's the possibility to play it online on mplayer or the zone . I can tell you , this is the real fun ! For me it's the perfect multiplayer game. And although MC is an relatively old game there are still hundreds of people playing on mplayer , and as MC2 is in development , playing MC will pay off for the future!
Now more about the gameplay : similar to MW3 you can modify your mechs , but as you are supposed to take ´caer of all your mechs under your command , you need a really good interface for the logistical part of your of the game:
The weapons and other equipment are listed on the left in the mech bay : red for long range weapons , blue for medium and green for short . Sensors ,beagle probes and ECM are listed down in the list. As you can see on the screen shot , you can put the weapons easily via drag and drop into the mechs.Besides to the salvage you gain from the missions ,you are free to buy stuff from the battaillon inventory(right picture).Nah , no C-bills , the 1st Davion Guards are no mercenaries! You will be paying with Recourse Points . After every successful mission you earn RP's , and with these you can buy weapons , configs and mechs from the battaillon . MCG contains any weapons which are known from Battletech + 21 IS and 21 Clan mechs .But also the battaillon inventory is limitted to a few components of every item. So ,you can feel free to be content if you take a bunch of salvage with you from your last mission. The components are listed like, the mechwarriors , mechs and vehicles . Of course you can also assign a mechwarrior to any mech of your choice .
The mechwarriors in this game have an important role: although usually a mechwarrior survives using the ejector seat , it can also happen that he/she is being killed in combat.This may be more desastrous then a completely destroyed mech , because you can not buy as much pilots as you want from the battaillon inventory.And if you took a closer look on the screenshots above you may have recognized that each mechwarriors have a different "experience profile".Some are good at gunnery ,but fall down after every jump , scout pilots have to be good jumper because falling down after a jump in enemie's area can cause his/her death.There are four categories : from greenhorn up to elite , elite players hav excellent skills in all fields , and putting a green pilot into an assault mechs is a bad idea , as only elite pilots are qualified for mechs over 80 tons(assault mechs).
I don't think i have to talk much about the gameplay itself. You can draw much conclusions from my explanations above. In the beginning it seems to be quite simple , also because the player has to steer AND coordinate , but i tell you , a good tactical and strategical mind is required even in the solo player missions. OK , a good strategy is more important in the solo missions , but for multiplayer games tactic comes into play. This is what makes this game an ideal multiplayer game.
On the battlefield you will find lots of buildings : mech bays , turrets and stationery sensors with their capable control towers , generators for the turret control , and much more. Regular bases and the 3D terrain(vehicles and mechs have a much wider view on the terrain when they standon mountains) and jumpable mechs provide an interesting and exciting gameplay.
That's it about MechCommander , you should really try it!
