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[Mod edit: publicly commenting on moderation is against site rules. PM only]

I agree. Mods are a wonderful option, but it sometimes feels like some people use the possibility of mods to dismiss suggestions/requests for the base game, which can be frustrating.

Officially released content has better integration and, frequently, better technical support and higher quality. You don't need to worry about officially released content breaking with a future game update, or conflicting with other content.

Mods are great, but they're not the same as getting that stuff from the devs.

This is exactly what I was trying to say, thank you.
 
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Greetings,

Informed this is not a Suggestion,

Since this is now topically about other community members ect; Moving discussion to the only topical place where such can go
forward.

Thank you.



[Edit: moved]
 
@Kereminde, how is the PC building progressing. It seemed to have be going well when last we heard. I hope it is all coming together well. :bow:
 
Re: The Modding is not a solution topic.
Please carry on

Tldr post: incoming... :)
Edit addendum:

Greetings Mechwarriors,

Imho, I do personally believe this can be a good constructive discussion to have, but it is absolutely one we might not normally allow as it is topically directed regarding the engagement of other community members and frustration wrapped around that. There are not too many locations in this forum where that is topically appropriate, and if it's going to go forward it does have to be in a quarantine location.

So without any further ado, some context;


First off, everyone should be able to empathize with frustration. We all experience it. And having a constructive outlet to express it can be helpful.

Second, being dismissed sucks. Period. Which is why we do ask community members to avoid intentionally dismissing each other. Forum staff address a lot of dismissiveness on the backend for example to try to keep discussions going smoothly that way community members can all have their say with civility on topics even when they disagree with each other. Sometimes it's as simple as just reminding people to be careful not to be dismissive and that helps going forward since most people do want to be helpful keeping the community a welcoming and fun place to spend time talking about our shared pastime.

Third, passion is a wonderful thing. It makes life exciting, and exhilarating. It gives us direction and meaning. But sometimes it leads to negative experiences or expressions, and to unintended conflicts with others. This is a passionate community. This community understandably is very passionate about his IP, and this game. Many here have been so for a very-very long time. That's a wonderful thing too. It's why we are all here. But sometimes this leads to unhappy feelings as inevitably there are disagreements between community members of widely diverse perspectives and opinions.
So long as we try to keep the unhappy feelings and frustration constructive in nature and endeavor to limit friction we will reap the best from that passion.

Fourth, context matters. When we share our perspectives everyone should always respect each others prerogative to their own preferences, opinions, and feelings just as they should . But at the same time individual perspectives added to discussion aren't shared in a vacuum. There is a ever growing ball of contextual data wrapped around it, much of which has been gleaned from Dev diaries and Q&As but some of which is just information about the current state of the game.
Part of my goal in particular has always been to encourage the addendum of as much contextual info to discussion as can be recalled and cited organically. Imho this leads to more informed, better honed discussion. Sometimes this does lead to frustration though if the context feels contradictory or is not affirmative to the likelihood of an individual wish. However, at the end of the day only the devs know what their plans are, and only they can decide what they will be, they do indeed want peoples feedback and suggestions, and we always want to encourage people to share their respectfully phrased suggestions directly for the devs independent of what other community members thoughts might be regarding them.
We are all fans of this IP and sometimes the most important context ends up being that thus we ought to have empathy for each other. Agreeing to disagree and letting others have their constructive respectfully phrased say, even when we disagree is both informative, constructive, and leads to a stronger more enjoyable community. This community (and forum communities in general) is only a random cross section of players so the contrary approach: bandwagoning ect is neither constructive, nor is an approach the devs find useful, going back to the beginning on the old forum. Best to focus on speaking with our own voice, for ourselves individually and let the devs decide what has merit to be helpful.

Fifth, discussing or referencing mods is allowed and mods are now supported. In fact, the devs themselves have been a source of a lot of that discussion of late.
Forum staff have historically spent a significant time investment, and have always tried to manage some of the more "exuberant" posting regarding mods so that it would be appropriately placed in the correct subforums, threads, ect where they contribute constructively without being excessively spammy or self promotional but rather topical and relevant both. When community members reference a wish for the game it is fair and appropriate for other community members to in brief reference an available mod that does that, this is still informative even if that particular community member doesn't use mods, as others reading might themselves be interested. The existence of a mod that does something is however NOT a reason to dismiss suggesting that feature be implemented in vanilla. As has been previously well stated, official implementation has many advantages and the devs are making this game, and suggestions for it are independent of any extant mods.

Sixth, the devs have finite time and resources.Unfortunately, but inevitably not everything we can imagine and request will be able to be implemented. This is an empirical reality. That doesn't mean we shouldn't have suggestions or share them topically, but it does mean that it is true that some things imagined will eventually either never come to be or will be the province of mods alone.

Dev diary;
Mitch: "Mod Support. With the help of modders. Because of the mod support we put in. " "See, because modders don't have to care about sales. Or Customer support. Think about that. Have you thought about it? Let's move on. "

Ryan: A lot of the work that Eck had been doing has been to make it easier for modders to add things. Like factions..."

Mitch: "dynamic enumeration "

...

Mitch: "I get crap all the time: Roguetech has it, why don't you? 1.Customer service calls 2. Test burden 3. Make people pay for it. That whole 3025 thing. There's all sorts of things. "

Ryan: "it's always a give and take between what you are devoting time on... "

Mitch: what are we devoting are time on? Oh yeah diligence that's right. What else? "

Ryan: "...versus what you can provide as a good environment for other people to be able to build on top of."

Mitch: "Deep deep deep respect for our modders. Deep periphery thoughts."
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/502286013
---
[And also this discussion on the forum about rebalancing store equipment availability]
https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/foru...-of-heavy-metal-part-3.1289225/#post-26053534

index.php
TLDR: I hope at least some of that helps.
Thank you.
 
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@Kereminde, how is the PC building progressing. It seemed to have be going well when last we heard. I hope it is all coming together well. :bow:

Oh it's together, it's functional, and my brother has first dibs on starting BattleTech now that I picked him up the DLCs :) I just need to find a place for it and get the cables so there can be a more permanent arrangement than "drag it out of the spare room when we want to play it".
 
Okay, my brother has had life screw him out of time with the new computer. However!

I have played on it, and the thing works very nicely for BattleTech. It also works smooth for Stellaris. Right now... Stellaris has won my attention for some reason - it could be because we played Eclipse a few times here at the house to learn how that works in preparation for a Tabletop Gaming meet we're hosting with some friends. (We got it for $60, which was a steal by our book. Alas, finding expansions has been impossible.)

I am still startled by exactly how fast the thing boots up off the solid state drive; I literally hit the power button, and by the time I look back it's waiting for me to log into Windows. The current nervousness is how I've left one side panel off (the cabling going into the PCIe power for the graphics card just... feels like it'll close too tight) and how the summer heat might affect how it runs.

Overall, I'll post my parts list [HERE] for what went into it, minus the minor things like keyboard, mouse, and monitor. I did get the card through a friend of my brother who had the extra part laying about, so replicating it 100% may not be possible.
 
Okay, my brother has had life screw him out of time with the new computer. However!

I have played on it, and the thing works very nicely for BattleTech. It also works smooth for Stellaris. Right now... Stellaris has won my attention for some reason - it could be because we played Eclipse a few times here at the house to learn how that works in preparation for a Tabletop Gaming meet we're hosting with some friends. (We got it for $60, which was a steal by our book. Alas, finding expansions has been impossible.)

I am still startled by exactly how fast the thing boots up off the solid state drive; I literally hit the power button, and by the time I look back it's waiting for me to log into Windows. The current nervousness is how I've left one side panel off (the cabling going into the PCIe power for the graphics card just... feels like it'll close too tight) and how the summer heat might affect how it runs.

Overall, I'll post my parts list [HERE] for what went into it, minus the minor things like keyboard, mouse, and monitor. I did get the card through a friend of my brother who had the extra part laying about, so replicating it 100% may not be possible.
Congrats, it is lovely seeing how fast a PC boots with a fresh SSD :)
One thing - PC cases tend to be designed to work with the sides on, airflow may be compromised with it off.
Eclipse boardgame is that?
 
Congrats, it is lovely seeing how fast a PC boots with a fresh SSD :)
One thing - PC cases tend to be designed to work with the sides on, airflow may be compromised with it off.
Eclipse boardgame is that?

This case has ... pretty bad setup for the airflow. I run a tower fan in my room so I tend to blow it across the open side.

And yes, the "Eclipse" board game. Hopefully getting another game in this morning after work.
 
HBS set out, from the start, to make this game fairly easy to mod . . . probably because they knew BattleTech players were going to do it anyway. They've been doing it since the outset, and it only got more prolific with rules for constructing brand-new 'Mech designs. So, honestly, that sort of thing is as much a part of BattleTech as Urbies, Clanners, and Black Widow pinup posters :)
 
And yes, the "Eclipse" board game. Hopefully getting another game in this morning after work.
I really need to give Eclipse a try sometime. It's been filed under "owned but unplayed" for a long time now. Basically, it's one of those games that looks very interesting to me but seems like it has elements that some in my primary gaming group won't like.
 
This case has ... pretty bad setup for the airflow. I run a tower fan in my room so I tend to blow it across the open side.

And yes, the "Eclipse" board game. Hopefully getting another game in this morning after work.
I am surprised, is it a particularly cheap case?
PC Gamer website said:
I've had the side panel off my PC for a while, and it runs pretty cool. It feels like too obvious a solution though... everyone would just do that if it worked. So I'm wondering if removing a panel is really a good way to keep your PC cool or is there some reason I shouldn't? — Mark

It's a "do as we say, not as we do" sort of situation. That photo above of the LPCshows the side panel off, but that was just to show off its guts. In practice, you probably aren't going to solve your cooling issues by removing the side panel of your PC.

this ExtremeTech guide, is to create either positive or negative air pressure within the case. Both have pros and cons, and there's tons of disagreement over optimal fan placement, but the point is: bring cool air in, heat it up, and get it out. When you remove the side panel, you disrupt the intended airflow of the case—whatever it may be—and also invite more dust to settle on your components. So it's not recommended.

If your system runs significantly cooler with the side panel off—except in some very specific situations I might not have anticipated—your case and its fans are either designed poorly or working poorly. I tested my PC at home with the case on and off, and the difference was negligible (everything was well within safe ranges with either configuration). I'm also a terrible example, because I'm horribly lazy and often leave the panel off when I'm swapping lots of parts. Remember, not as we do...

So, while removing the case panel won't be catastrophic, it counteracts the intended cooling solution of your case, and even if it works without the panel, there's the dust problem. If you really want that open air look, then yes, you can safely run a caseless computer—our friends at Max PC pointed out a couple years ago that natural convection can keep a test bench PC within safe temperatures, assuming the room is kept reasonably cool. There's still the dust, though, and I'm very anti-dust.

If you have a case, you're best off leaving the panel on and letting it work as intended. And if you're having serious overheating problems, then look for the real issue. It could be a problem with your CPU cooler, your PC may need a cleaning, the fans may not be operating properly or are obstructed (cable management is important!), or your case may just have terrible airflow (sorry). Any of these cases would be a good choice for your next build, and until we have an air cooling guide of your own, I'll refer you back to ExtremeTech for more specific tips.
Ah, Eclipse is on my watch list....
 
While Eclipse does look enticing, I’ve settled in on Catalyst Game Labs upcoming Summer 2020 Kickstarter for tabletop’s Leviathans: The Great War: [mod edit: removed unapproved link]

I’ve actually applied for and been accepted as playtester for Leviathan: The Great War. With NDAs being required, it is my understanding CGL is still accepting requests to participate as playtester.

Gaming has long been a passion of mine, but up til now BATTLETECH’s Kickstarter and our own community’s journey since 2015 has been the height of my involvement with a game. But to volunteer as playtester for what has long been a fascination for me ever since my Youth and exposure to Star Blazers: Space Battleship Yamato... well, it is another Gaming Bucket List item, crossed off my list in 2020. : )

0353474D-38BA-4B8F-833B-8A80CED33A90.jpeg
 
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I really need to give Eclipse a try sometime. It's been filed under "owned but unplayed" for a long time now. Basically, it's one of those games that looks very interesting to me but seems like it has elements that some in my primary gaming group won't like.

Ah, Eclipse is on my watch list....

The major issues when playing it is ... well, the learning curve. It's a lot to learn up front, and there's still a couple finicky things which need to get internalized through play. But it's easier than learning Stellaris :) I'm a little worried about the group for Game Night here liking it, but considering the list of games we were playing the last time included the "Fallout" board game, and someone is bringing "Dead of Winter"... complexity is probably not to be the issue, the learning curve will be.

The downside is it costing quite a bit normally, and how comfortable we are breaking out the extra-large Catan board.

photo_2019-11-23_19-26-43.jpg


... mostly because it never gets old breaking a board game through modding.
 
Stellaris is not hard to learn. It´s Fleet Cap and Power: The Game. Everything you do, it´s with the goal of making the largest fleet possible. Because that is how you beat the challenges. Empires, Awakened Empires, crisis... all them you beat by having the fleet to do it.
 
Stellaris is not hard to learn. It´s Fleet Cap and Power: The Game. Everything you do, it´s with the goal of making the largest fleet possible. Because that is how you beat the challenges. Empires, Awakened Empires, crisis... all them you beat by having the fleet to do it.

Ah, so, much like Master of Orion... that's all you need? Resource management, get the flarn out of here. Empire management? Get that crap away. Make the best ships and more of them.
 
It isn´t THAT shallow but the end goal is getting bigger to support a bigger fleet. It´s the way the game is designed. The BIG problems you have to solve (Great Khan, Awakened empires, leviathans, crisis) require military action. So in the end all that matters is the military.

The next DLC might make playing tall in an alliance better. Guess we will have to wait.
 
Greetings Mechwarriors!

Good Times!

So. Many. Good. Times!

They don't just stop here...

'nuff said. :D>
 
Greetings Mechwarriors!

Good Times!

So. Many. Good. Times!

They don't just stop here...

'nuff said. :D>

What are you talking about, they don't stop at all. Not til Cmdr Hatchy says they do!
 
What are you talking about, they don't stop at all. Not til Cmdr Hatchy says they do!
And not even then... sometimes @Hatchy herself needs us to buoy her along too.

WeBeCommunity
WeBeHarebrained
: )
 
*sets peace, love and happiness aside
*grumble, grumble, grumble!!! Tell me this doesn’t look like Crimson Skies!

4B0A0D08-22EC-43A0-AB4F-0A7D498F3AD7.jpeg

*grumble, ¥¥£&:#/)$’ grumble...