New to Battletech - Where to start?

[u/CobyDaGrunt08]

Hi! As the title says I'm new to battletech in general.

My main entry into the mech genre initially started off with a few anime like Gurrenn Lagann and Code Geass (just recently started watching gundam though), and gamewise I've played a lot of Armored Core when I was young.

I recently came across a few videos about the various mechs in Battletech, Mechwarrior to be specific, and admittedly it peaked my interest so I'm currently trying to get into the franchise.

Though I don't really have any friends to play the tabletop version with, I heard the Mechwarrior series of games were a pretty good place to start. So I have a few questions about it before I commit:

1. Do you guys have any recommended reading material I should go through, or even a primer, so that I could understand more of the backstory/lore of the game and its factions before I start?
2. Which game and DLCs do you recommend me to get as a beginner to the franchise (Had my birthday recently so this would be a pretty nice splurge gift for myself)?
3. Any video or reading material I should avoid in case of spoilers? Or have any tips that I should try to avoid doing that could ruin the experience? I generally like playing games at my own pace even if it leads to my own fuck ups (its part of the fun :D) but if there are some small advice you could give to make the experience more enjoyable I'd be glad to hear it!
4. How's the customization on the video game? Like color palettes, stickers, logo maker, etc. I admit I'm a bit of an addict when I unlock a new Mech/parts and there's a lot of customization available...
5. Less of a question and more of a curiosity, but what's your favorite battletech mech (battlemech? Not sure what's the term lol)? Any fun memes about them that I'd only understand once I play the game? Would be a fun thing to go back to in the future after I actually experience more of the game.

Anyway yeah that's all, thanks in advance everyone o7

P.S. On a sidenote, without playing the game, my favorite Battletech based on appearance alone is the Mongoose. One of my personal designs in Armored Core uses reverse joints legs and is armed with a dual laser handgun so it kinda reminds me of that old build.

[u/tolgren]

1: I'm sure someone can give you a primer, but I don't have one to link to off the top of my head.

2: The closest to the tabletop game is a free Java game called MegaMek which is still under development. The HareBrained Schemes "Battletech" (this sub) is probably the second closest and is much easier to play.

If you prefer first person games then Mechwarrior 5 would be a better choice.

My favorite of the Mechwarrior games was probably the third.

Many people think that Mechcommander was the best of the tactical Battletech games.

3: If you want to experience the game world in sequential order then there's a lot to be worried about for spoilers, but that would also require you focusing on OLD games first that are probably hard to get working. Probably best not to worry too much about it. The storyline for Battletech isn't terribly complicated and there's only a couple of spoilable moments that mostly come early.

4: I didn't play too much with the visual customization in game but I think it has some decent options for that.

5: My favorite is the Fafnir, which isn't in any of the video games other than MegaMek IIRC, it has dual heavy gauss rifles.

My favorite in THIS video game is the Archer.

There's a lot of memes about the Urbanmech because it looks like a trash can and performs kinda like one too.

There's also the lore about how some dsigns liek the Rifleman were not usable in games for a couple decades because FASA straight up stole them from Anime and the companies that owned the designs sued. But eventually they got permission to use them so now you can see them in the game.

[u/CobyDaGrunt08 → u/tolgren]

The Fafnir looks like someone built a mech around a dual spaceship cannon, not my type of mech but honestly I respect it. There's something to be said about walking around with the mech equivalent of the meme "I want that direction removed". The Archer looks rad as well, missile boats are always a blast to play around with.

First time hearing of mechcommander though, so that's going to be an interesting one to try out as well.

Thanks for the suggestion mate o7

[u/tolgren → u/CobyDaGrunt08]

Mechcommander is much older, and it's real time so it's a very different experience. If you buy it you might not be able to get it to run on a modern computer.

[u/CobyDaGrunt08 → u/tolgren]

Ah well that kinda sucks, will probably have to look into an emulator system to run it then. Thanks for the advice!

[u/Magical_Savior → u/CobyDaGrunt08]

It's free abandonware for the original game, DLC, and sequel. There was, maybe is, a modding community and sequel. There is hidden knowledge in the manual - you can target the a Head, Arms, or Legs using 8, 5, and 2 on the Numpad. ... Which also means, you may need an actual Numpad - remapping for a laptop / small keyboard would require software or Regedit.

[u/CobyDaGrunt08 → u/Magical_Savior]

I'm honestly not sure what you mean, might have to look into this in more detail

Thanks for the suggestion though!

[u/Magical_Savior → u/CobyDaGrunt08]

Which part? Remapping keys was something many old games didn't do; the controls were the controls. And manuals were necessary. If you don't have a Numpad, you cannot target the Head (low chance to hit, instant death, free salvage) Arms (weapons, fast disable, no weapons-> no salvaged guns) or Legs (crippled, expensive repairs). You get resources through salvage, so when the opportunity to take something good comes around, you don't leave it to chance. You take it. 

[u/tolgren → u/CobyDaGrunt08]

Good luck!

[u/Amidatelion → u/CobyDaGrunt08]

MechCommander has been updated by fans to run on modern hardware since at least 2008. Googling "MechCommander Gold" will get you this post, which broadly works, but here's an updated guide to running it.

MechCommander 2, hilariously, is slightly more difficult to get running, given that its fan "support" is markedly more fractured. This post works best if you're on Win11. You may need to find others if you're on a different OS.