Battlechat 19. Mai – Teil 2

Zuletzt aktualisiert am 20. Mai 2012 von DarkISI

Und der zweite Chat des Tages ist damit abgeschlossen. Wie auch schon beim ersten Teil habe ich das Ganze wieder nach Themen geordnet. Ihr solltet also einfach finden, was euch interessiert.

Interessanter ist es aber natürlich immer, anwesend zu sein – dann entgeht euch nämlich nicht das Geplänkel drumherum, das ich hier nicht mit einstelle.

[02:04] <@Habeas2> Hello, everyone, and welcome again to this official Catalyst Game Labs BattleTech Line Developer-aided Public Relations Activity.

[02:05] <@Habeas2> As ever, I am your host, Herbert Beas, the current Line Developer for BattleTech.

[02:06] <@Habeas2> Today’s chat will run a minimum of 1 hour, during which time–as usual–we ask that everyone be courteous, allow others a chance to ask their questions, and I will answer to the best of my ability in the order received….

[02:06] <@Habeas2> (And this time, I promise not to take any non-work-related phone calls so I wind up hopelessly distracted in the middle of the whole thing.)

Pictures:

[02:09] <@Habeas2> (And, Sword, if you’re the one behind those sweet Marauder and Warhammer images I saw on DeviantArt, you can have the show back at your leisure….

[02:10] <ShimmeringSword> oh haha, and I was going to inquire about those, after the other get some questions in

[02:10] <DarkISI> Or post the URL, so I know what you are talking about ^^

[02:10] <ShimmeringSword> http://shimmering-sword.deviantart.com/art/Battletech-Kell-Hounds-Warhammer-299343738

[02:10] <ShimmeringSword> http://shimmering-sword.deviantart.com/art/Battletech-Grey-Death-Marauder-293014614

Autocannons:

[02:09] <Flyingdebris> soooo….um  i’ve always wonder’d what the deal with the minimum range on the ac2 and 5

[02:12] <NikolMarik> Does the 5 heat per turn effect from a battlemech taser act like an artificial engine critical or is it treated in the same way as infernos and subject to the 15 heat per turn form outside sources limit?

Mech Tasers (rules):

[02:12] <NikolMarik> Does the 5 heat per turn effect from a battlemech taser act like an artificial engine critical or is it treated in the same way as infernos and subject to the 15 heat per turn form outside sources limit?

[02:17] <@Habeas2> NikolMarik – The 5-point heat increase caused by Taser interference reflects weakened shielding, and so is not treated as an outside source heat effect. It is an internal effect.

Reunification Wars:

[02:12] <Maelwys> Are there plans for a Reunification War Supplemental, or Record Sheets?

[02:17] <@Habeas2> Maelwys – No, there are no current plans for a Reunification War supplemental or Record Sheets.

[02:53] <Maelwys> Are there plans for additional Reunification War products?

[02:58] <HABeas2A> Maelwys – There are no current plans for additional Reunification War products at this time.

Cicada:

[02:19] <Flyingdebris> oh i got another question…. Cause this sort of was a point of contention during my work on the cicada…but where are those medium lasers supposed to go?  art implies arms, stats imply torso.  We went with the stats, but i feel on the fence about it.

[02:21] <@Habeas2> FlyingDebris – Stats „imply“ torso? Is this a special Cicada variant I missed?

[02:21] <Flyingdebris> the record sheet info.  medium lasers are the in the left and right torso

[02:22] <Flyingdebris> actually i think every variant i’ve seen on the cicada none had anything in the arms

[02:22] <@Habeas2> FlyingDebris – Torso-mounted, then. 🙂

[02:22] <Flyingdebris> whew

[02:22] <Flyingdebris> ok

MWO:

[02:25] <DarkISI> Will there be any CGL product accompanying the release of MWO?

[02:27] <@Habeas2> DarkISI – We’re still discussing possible MWO tie-in work at this time. Major print products may not be the way to go, but PDF-exclusives are a possibility.

[04:02] <Fig_tree> I’ve been meaning to ask… I know that there’s plenty of mention of it on the forums, but will there be any sponsored advertising of Battletech or Catalyst Game Labs in general  with the release of Mechwarrior online and Mechwarrior Tactics?

[04:02] <HABeas2A> Fig_tree – That’s something our companies would need to coordinate on.

Artworks/Legal Stuff:

[02:29] <ShimmeringSword> Habeas2: I’ve heard that any fan artwork I make that is commissioned / paid for by other fans can’t legally be used by CGL, is there any work around to this on my end that doesn’t bankrupt you in lawyers fees? (should CLG have interest in my work)

[02:30] <ShimmeringSword> (you can ignore this if it’s too touchy)

[02:32] <@Habeas2> ShimmeringSword – Unfortunately, I don’t know the full legalities of this, but I think it’s basically thus: If you do work on commission, the person who pays you to do it essentially owns the work, and thus we (CGL) cannot use it. In order to find your work usable, we (CGL) must commission it, pay for it, and get it aproved through Topps lawyers as being sufficiently unique.

Field Manuals:

[02:30] <NikolMarik> Are there any plans for a Field Manual for Dark Age Era units like the Eagle’s Talons?

[02:34] <@Habeas2> NikolMarik – There is a Dark Age (3150) Field Manual on our future schedule at this time, but production has not yet begun on that.

3025:

[02:38] <RACsOhGodWhy> So I missed the dark ages, and only recently got back into BTech, is it being a reset to 3025-like era a good summary of what happened?

[02:47] <HABeas2A> RACsOhGodWhy – Don’t worry about missing the Dark Age. Next year, we’re getting the classic-style review.

[02:47] <HABeas2A> RACsOhGodWhy – But also calling it „3025-like“ is over-simplification.

[02:45] <ShimmeringSword> and there was massive demilitarization beforehand, right?

[02:49] <HABeas2A> ShimmeringSword – The Dark Age demilitarization is less that and more lies and understatements. After the damage of the Jihad, the Houses realized that they had lost too much infrastructure to build up anyway. They needed JumpShip fleets just to get interstellar trade back on track, while ComStar had to debug the HPG network, and whole academies….

[02:49] <HABeas2A> ….had to be rebuilt from scratch.

GenCon:

[02:45] <mib_p2ehg5> Any new products planned for GENCON?

[02:48] <HABeas2A> Mib_p2ehg5 – Yes. 🙂

[02:57] <nathan18> Will there be any surprises at Gen-Con?

[03:02] <HABeas2A> Nathan18 – IMO, the surprises at GenCon will actually surprise ME, so I can’t really say.

[03:09] <Dukeroyal> Do you expect that FM: SLDF of Handbook House Kurita will be available at Gen Con?

[03:10] <HABeas2A> Dukeroyal – FM: SLDF may make GenCon. Handbook: House Kurita most certainly won’t.

Annihilator C2

[02:51] <NikolMarik> Does the Annihilator C2 (quad gauss ER PPC variant) only exist in clan space or would it be plausible that clan nova cat brought a few with them when they got kicked out of clan space?

[02:56] <HABeas2A> NikolMarik – Anything’s possible…in your game.

FedCom Civil War:

[02:48] <mib_p2ehg5> Will we get the FECOM Civil War on pdf?

[02:51] <HABeas2A> Mib_p2ehg5 – Yes, we should see the FedCom Civil War in PDF form, someday.

HAGs:

[02:53] <Flyingdebris> so…how are HAGs supposed to look when they fire?  Is it tupposed to be like a gauss metalstorm where every shot is at once?  or simply a high rate of fire like a machinegun? or is it like a shotgun blast?  i’m just curious as the description for it is a bit ambigious

[02:57] <HABeas2A> Flyingdebris – HAGs look mainly like a cross between a Gauss and an AC when they fire. They fire what amounts to a short burst of slugs at hypersonic speeds, only with the smokeless, electric-blue muzzle flash of a Gauss.

Kick in the teeth faction:

[02:57] <mib_p2ehg5> Herb- do you have a faction thats next on the kick in the teeth list that you can tell us?

[03:04] <HABeas2A> Mib_p2ehg5 – Yes, I have factions on my „kick to the teeth, crotch, and head“ list at this time. There are rather a few of them, though, and I’d wait for it to be a surprise.

In Character Chat:

[02:58] <mib_p2ehg5> Is there any chance of another „in-character“ chat?  The one with the Marik Chicks was fun.

[03:01] <HABeas2A> Mib_p2ehg5 – The big challenge of multi-character „in character“ chats is scheduling. These people come from all over the Inner Sphere and setting up the real-time HPG network is hyper-expensive, especially as we keep getting ad-spammed from Marik space.

Dark Age:

[02:56] <Valkyrie> Does the end of the Dark Age mean the HPG network is fixed?

[03:02] <HABeas2A> Valkyrie – The „end of the Dark Age“ hasn’t come yet, so we can’t say if the HPGs come back online or not…yet

Mech Assault:

[03:03] <NikolMarik> Speaking of HPG’s how cannon is the mechassault games and their funky use of HPGs?

[03:07] <HABeas2A> NikolMarik – The details of how some tech works in the computer and video game iteration of BattleTech are often very much inaccurate. For instance, despite what the MW2 series says, PPCs are generally NOT slow-moving ball lightning, and energy shields do not exist as such in BT. Likewise, no matter what SEGA says, PPCs and Gauss Rifles do not…

[03:07] <HABeas2A> …fire indirectly and have area effects.

Solaris VII:

[03:14] <NikolMarik> Will there ever be an update to the old Solaris VII dueling rules?

[03:15] <HABeas2A> NikolMarik – No. The Solaris VII Dueling Rules were officially retired due to balance and redundancy issues.

Handheld Weapons:

[03:16] <NikolMarik> Is there a record sheet for handheld weapons?

[03:17] <HABeas2A> NikolMarik – Yes. I believe you can find a blank Handheld Weapon Record Sheet in XTR: Corporations at this time.

Interstellar Operations:

[03:18] <RACsOhGodWhy> What will interstellar Ops cover? space combat and transporting units from system to system?

[03:21] <HABeas2A> RACs – IO will cover about every rule we haven’t covered yet outside of the RPG (which gets COmpanion), but mainly focuses on strategic interstellar-level warfare (everything from battleForce and Combat Operations that we didn’t see in another core book), system creation rules, and Alternative Eras of play.

Universe:

[03:19] <Dukeroyal> What will the Universe Corebook be used for?

[03:22] <HABeas2A> Dukeroyal – We have not finished outlining Universe yet, so it’s not entirely certain, but it is a significant change from its original plan, which was basically a fluff history book of the BT setting.

A Time of War Companion:

[03:24] <Fig_tree> Speaking of the Companion, will the aToW companion book be getting any revised versions of character sheets therein? Any Chances of getting access to the high-res versions of its‘ cover artwork and cover art of other new battletech books?

[03:28] <HABeas2A> Fig_tree – There is no pressing need, we feel, for a revised character sheet in the Companion, as it is merely additional optional rules for the standard RPG. As to high-res covers, that’s something that often winds up on the low-priority list for us, merely because a lack of dedicated staff and time.

[03:43] <Fig_tree> Can we expect the new supplement for aToW to include updated/revised versions of the early Manei Domini rules that were created with Battletech RPG/3rd ed in mind?

[03:43] <HABeas2A> Fig_tree – Yes

A Time of War Character Program:

[03:33] <Fig_tree> Are there any plans for a character builder program to be commissioned in the works?

[03:34] <HABeas2A> Fog_tree – No program is being worked on or solicited at this time for AToW but….have you considered the points-only creation system, which obviates the need for those Life Modules?

[03:35] <Fig_tree> The wording in aToW insinuates that it’s intended for NPCs, and not for player characters.

[03:39] <HABeas2A> Fig_tree – WHile it suggests that it’s best for NPCs, as demonstrated in the example, a player character can easily be made using the Points-Only system as well. Mathematically speaking, Points-Only is simply more focused and efficient than Life Modules, which provide a more organic and „realistic“ feel. In practice, neither system is truly recommended over t

Novels:

[03:34] <NikolMarik> Is there any plan to make old out of print battletech novels available again, like as download able pdfs?

[03:35] <HABeas2A> NikoMarik – We had them up for a while, but some issues arose that forced us to temporarily discontinue releasing downloadable books. Once those issues are resolved, there’s a good chance you’ll see the classic Battletech e-books again.

Herb’s Favorites:

[03:35] <mib_p2ehg5> what is your favorite plot-line?

[03:36] <HABeas2A> Mib_p2ehg5 – the Jihad, and what is yet to come.

[03:37] <mib_p2ehg5> is there a plotline you’d like to erase?

[03:40] <HABeas2A> Mib_p2ehg5 – Far Country.

[03:31] <mib_p2ehg5> Is therea product you want to do but is not cost-effective?

[03:33] <HABeas2A> Mib_p2ehg5 – Truth be told, I think a giant atlas of the Inner Sphere, with write-ups of major worlds and all industries, would be great, but it would be a humongous time and energy sink, and would be too costly to ever produce.

Super Heavy Mechs:

[03:40] <NikolMarik> With the super heavy mech rules, are they any plans to release an addition for tripod super heavies?

[03:41] <HABeas2A> NikolMarik – Yes

Tripitz mission

[03:42] <mib_p2ehg5> Was the Tripitz mission from Terra a hoax by Pardeau- there is no mention of it in Liberation of Terra?

[03:43] <HABeas2A> Mib_p2ehg5 – So far as we can tell, a hoax.

Star League Era:

[03:46] <Fig_tree> With the plot now going back in time and focusing on the Star League era (and I’m guessing early succession wars to follow), will we be able to see a period in the fiction where the free worlds league takes center stage? I’ve always felt pity for the red-headed step child of the successor states.

[03:47] <HABeas2A> Fig_tree – Not really. Indeed, we’re just visiting the Star League for now.

[03:47] <Maelwys> Why was the decision made not to advance the main plotline for a year?

[03:49] <HABeas2A> Maelwys – Because of developments coming up in the Shadowrun game line, we felt that the original advancement of the BattleTech line as planned would have taxed our resources too much, by placing major events and projects for both games up against each other at the same time.

Diamond Sharks product listing:

[03:51] <NikolMarik> Will there ever be a list of all the products that clan Diamond Shark/Sea Fox sell?

[03:52] <HABeas2A> NikolMarik – We couldn’t make the Objectives PDFs profitable enough and you want us to do something like it again? No!

TROs:

[03:53] <Fig_tree> Forgive me if this was already addressed: I’m already aware that TROs are a real low-risk-high-return product for Battletech, but now that we’re looking back at earlier time periods, are you for or against the addition of new star league / rim worlds designs, not including „Primitive/Prototype“ mechs?

[03:55] <HABeas2A> Fig_tree – Honestly, not so many. By now, we really should be running out of lost Star League era machines!

Manei Domini:

[03:54] <mib_p2ehg5> Herb- will we see the Manei Domini on-screen post-Jihad?  I want to see more of Appollyon and Berith and the rest- they made the Jihad go from 2-D villains to 3-D and interesting

[03:56] <HABeas2A> Mib_p2ehg5 – Not likely. Berith escaped with all the surviving MDs that didn’t die with Apollyon on Gibson or with the Mast on Circinus.

IWM:

[03:58] <Fig_tree> Alternately, with the huge jump in fiction periods, should we expect to see IWM juggle which mechs are and aren’t on the Archive list?

[03:59] <HABeas2A> Fig_tree – I would guess that IWM will market whichever minis seem to have the most popularity in any era

The Society/Canopus:

[04:00] <NikolMarik> Is it true that the Magistracy of Canopus managed to smuggle society scientist from clan space?

[04:01] <HABeas2A> NikolMarik – If they did, they’re stubbornly refusing to tell us.

Good Byes:

[04:03] <HABeas2A> That’s two hours, folks! Thank you all for participating in this Catalyst Game Labs BattleTech Line Developer-aided Public Relations Activity!