Bug or feature?

[Magraev]

Hi all

Just bought the mercenary bundle on steam and loving Battletech so far!

But I have to say I'm feeling a bit miffed at the game right now!

I just finished a "capture the base and defend it" mission. Every enemy reinforcement destroyed. The Leopard then lands to extract me - on top of my Banshee!! My best pilot (and the only free one) is out for 110 days and the best mech I have is totaled!

I see others have experienced something similar, but it seems grossly unfair to me. After 1.9 the Leopard lands immediately - I had no chance to clear the landing zone.

Should I report a bug, or?

 

[Axterix13]

The landing zone should have warnings that it is a landing zone, and that it is not a good idea to stand there. If it had that, then, nope, not a bug.

 

[Prussian Havoc]

@Magraev, it is not a bug.

It is possible “ground clutter” obscured the normally “White Movement Pips” but if you do have a game save and go back to the exact same spot you lost your Mech, you’ll notice that the “white” pip where you died, had a very Red Triangle around it.

So, not a Bug and unfortunately just another occurrence of Clausewitzian Friction of War - specifically that even when from the same unit, Air and Ground Forces have difficulty working and coordinating with one another, up to and including the very real possibility of Frateicide.

BATTLETECH is really THAT infuriatingly authentic!

 

[Magraev]

The mission was over when my mech was destroyed! Surely that's not at feature?

 

[stjobe]

The mission was over when my mech was destroyed! Surely that's not at feature?

Unfortunately for you, it is the way these missions work.

Personally, I stay out of the red-triangle-marked landing zones well before the mission ends, just to avoid these situations.

 

[Magraev]

Thank you for the replies.

I reloaded and did the mission again - staying well away from where my mech was destroyed last time.

After I finished the last enemy vehicle, there was a pop-up with "mission succesful - I will land now". When I clicked on it the Leopard landed on a circular raised area and noone died. Thing is - that wasn't where I was standing the last time - I was standing beside and below it (didn't have jumpjets).

I still can't really understand why you think that wasn't a bug/flaw in the programming. For instance my next mission I had to place atillery-markers and then evac. In that mission I had to place all my mechs in a small circle, and the Leopard then landed on the circle (and the mechs) to evac us - noone died.

Still - the game is great and I am enjoying it very much

 

[Ken-Sw]

Thank you for the replies.

I reloaded and did the mission again - staying well away from where my mech was destroyed last time.

After I finished the last enemy vehicle, there was a pop-up with "mission succesful - I will land now". When I clicked on it the Leopard landed on a circular raised area and noone died. Thing is - that wasn't where I was standing the last time - I was standing beside and below it (didn't have jumpjets).

I still can't really understand why you think that wasn't a bug/flaw in the programming. For instance my next mission I had to place atillery-markers and then evac. In that mission I had to place all my mechs in a small circle, and the Leopard then landed on the circle (and the mechs) to evac us - noone died.

Still - the game is great and I am enjoying it very much

I believe you missed some bit of mission text - That was probably not YOUR ship that landed it was your employers bringing in his people to take over the base - you are simply auto evacuated after that - when you have an Evac zone marked on the map you are picked up from it by your ship (Why doesn't it crush you ?? Who knows it's sci-fi )
Also standing right on the edge of a landing zone is a bad idea - bit of an overlap

 

[Bryartuck]

I had that happen to me once on an early play through. It is, unfortunately, a harsh learning experience. I now avoid those areas, even if there are plenty of opfor units left.

 

[MeiSooHaityu]

Thank you for the replies.

I reloaded and did the mission again - staying well away from where my mech was destroyed last time.

After I finished the last enemy vehicle, there was a pop-up with "mission succesful - I will land now". When I clicked on it the Leopard landed on a circular raised area and noone died. Thing is - that wasn't where I was standing the last time - I was standing beside and below it (didn't have jumpjets).

I still can't really understand why you think that wasn't a bug/flaw in the programming. For instance my next mission I had to place atillery-markers and then evac. In that mission I had to place all my mechs in a small circle, and the Leopard then landed on the circle (and the mechs) to evac us - noone died.

Still - the game is great and I am enjoying it very much

I have seen occurrences where some of the pips around the landing pad were also marked in red denoting it as a dangerous spot for a landing dropship. Maybe this is due to parts of the dropship extending past the top of the pad.

The key is to be observant of where your mechs are standing. Before committing to a move, make sure the Mech isn't standing in a location where the dropship is set to land.

P.S. Missions with a marked Evac Zone are treated more as...well I call them hot drops/pick ups. The dropship seems to swing down, grab the mechs, and then immediately launch. I don't think the ship technically lands, but instead hovers and extracts mechs. In missions with pads, and land marked with red warning pips, those are actual landing spots for Dropships and should be avoided.

 

[Dogfisc]

On a Capture Base mission, the Leopard will land as soon as you kill the last reinforcement unit, whether or not you have occupied the base. The landing zone should be safe until then, but I always avoid it anyway—you never know when you’ll get that lucky head hit and kill the last ‘Mech more quickly than expected.

 

[LongRange]

Hi all

Just bought the mercenary bundle on steam and loving Battletech so far!

But I have to say I'm feeling a bit miffed at the game right now!

I just finished a "capture the base and defend it" mission. Every enemy reinforcement destroyed. The Leopard then lands to extract me - on top of my Banshee!! My best pilot (and the only free one) is out for 110 days and the best mech I have is totaled!

I see others have experienced something similar, but it seems grossly unfair to me. After 1.9 the Leopard lands immediately - I had no chance to clear the landing zone.

Should I report a bug, or?

It’s not a bug, but everyone learns to stay away from landing zones and the red dots, even when there is an elevated pad. Be warned too that the touch down will occur when you take out the last mobile opfor unit, even if there are turrets still active. So it’s best to just stay away.

 

[Stridercal]

You'll learn to hate your dropship pilot, your mission intel officer, most of your 'Mech pilots...

It's part of the charm of this game. Still one of my favorite games ever, warts and all!

 

[Kereminde]

You'll learn to hate your dropship pilot, your mission intel officer, most of your 'Mech pilots...

... the employer who holds your leash and demands you help overthrow their blood relative for the sake of a place you might not care about. (Note: There is more than one instance of this in the game.)

... the drunken merc commander who wants you to go Lance-on-Lance with his outfit, along with his loud-mouthed Lance Commander. (Again, this is in there more than once.)

... the gentleman known as "Bob Kurita" who, while apologizing profusely, still almost got me killed many times over doing his dirty work.

The only person I don't have it in me to hate is Glitch. You just gotta love someone trash-talking a building for dodging her PPCs.

 

[stjobe]

The only person I don't have it in me to hate is Glitch. You just gotta love someone trash-talking a building for dodging her PPCs.

Glitch: *Misses a barn-sized building*
Glitch: "Hey! Stand still when I'm attacking you!"

 

[Kereminde]

Glitch: *Misses a barn-sized building*
Glitch: "Hey! Stand still when I'm attacking you!"

I have that clipped from one of CohhCarnage's streams when it happened to him. It's one of the five which show how much he was having fun with the game. (Up there with "Check out the Demolisher's Equipment? It has an AC-something doesn't it?", the facial expression the first time he met an SRM Carrier, and "... have we really been doing this THAT long?")

 

[MeiSooHaityu]

Glitch: *Misses a barn-sized building*
Glitch: "Hey! Stand still when I'm attacking you!"

I like to picture that as Glitch intentionally saying it as a joke. Sure, yep.

Of course that isn't the case, but one has to agree, it is her type of humor

 

[Hoi Neuling]

It´s a Feature of Battletech!!!!

The Landing Zone has warning Markings (red Points in your walking / running / jumping Markings). There you shouldn´t bring in your mechs.

The Save Zones are the walking / running / jumping Markings with white Points. There you are out of Danger from landing Ships like the Leopard.

We all had to learn that on the hard way like you did (losing a Mech and a Pilot). You make that failure 1 Times then you have learned that such Danger Zones are exclusion zones.

Low Learners are doing that Failure 3 or more times.

 

[Magraev]

It´s a Feature of Battletech!!!!

The Landing Zone has warning Markings (red Points in your walking / running / jumping Markings). There you shouldn´t bring in your mechs.

The Save Zones are the walking / running / jumping Markings with white Points. There you are out of Danger from landing Ships like the Leopard.

We all had to learn that on the hard way like you did (losing a Mech and a Pilot). You make that failure 1 Times then you have learned that such Danger Zones are exclusion zones.

Low Learners are doing that Failure 3 or more times.

You guys are right. Had a mission like it yesterday and this time I saw the red markings. Thanks for your patience

 

[Stridercal]

Of course we're right. The Hivemind is strong.

 

[Kereminde]

Of course we're right. The Hivemind is strong.

Except for the portion who actually likes the Kuritans. (Stockholm syndrome, I swear.)