How do I renew the game experience after having played through the campaign?

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paaljoachim

Recruit
2 Badges
Dec 29, 2021
4
2
  • Stellaris
  • BATTLETECH
I played through the campaign and played a bit of the career about 1.5 years ago.
Even purchased all the DLC's. (I use GoG Galaxy on my Mac.)

I am looking into downloading Mods but it seems that these in general work mainly for Windows and not on OSX as I use.
I need some suggestions on how to get back into playing BattleTech again. (The game skills are fairly rusty.) Refreshing the experience. Finding ways to discover aspects I might not have discovered earlier.

Of course I do hope that Paradox will begin development on a BattleTech 2. They could even create a new crowdfunding campaign. I assume there are a few thousands who would quickly pledge to the next possible game. As they could perhaps also renew aspects of BattleTech 1 as they create BattleTech 2.
 
Well, what I did was placing restrictions on myself to mix stuff up and kind of force me to a new approach.

For example, I have done a playthrough where I was roleplaying as an "Armored Cavalry" merc unit with the following rules:
-only mechs that originally had jump-jets mounted can mount jump-jets
-since I'm playing a cavalry unit, mobility is key and as such, only jump-capable mechs can be used.

Believe you me, when I finally managed to salvage that Thunderbolt-5SE, instead of going "oh well, another T-Bolt" I was "Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy, finally a jumping heavy!"

Other approaches could be
-Those are mechs, making them jump in the air is stupid, take those silly jump-jets out! i.e. no jump-jets - ever.
-Stock loadout only (upgraded weapons and equipment is fine, so you could replace a stock PPC with a PPC++ or add a TTS, but you could _not_ replace a PPC with a Large Laser)

Of course, all of these increase the difficulty, so be aware of that.
 
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Placing restrictions in how we play is a good way of creating some variation! I like that! Thanks!

I tend to subconsciously stick to a few - at least until WAY after the campaign in my main save file. I've marked ones I've not really "fleshed out" with the pound sign ( # ) as I'm still "working".

(Note: When doing my next streamed Career Mode attempt, I plan to be going by these.)

Regarding 'Mechs:
- 'Mechs remain equipped with their stock armaments and armor allocations. You can upgrade the models of a weapon, such as replacing an AC/10 with an AC/10++, but you may not replace it with an AC/5.
- You may "refit" a 'Mech to resemble a canon loadout which is not in the game. (Example: The AS7-RS Atlas)
- Mods may be installed if there is room for the equipment's critical slots. (Note: This is primarily to allow the head slot to be used.)
- You may not equip Jump Jets on a 'Mech which does not normally have them.
# Lostech or mods which require tonnage are a tricky thing, and generally I have not considered a hard rule (or a soft rule) about them. Generally I have thought not to start using them until a certain tech point threshold is crossed once owning the Argo.

Regarding 'MechWarriors:
# I tend to follow improving skills along the lines the hired mercenaries are already given when hired. So a good Gunner is going to get points assigned to keep their Gunnery high, and if they have a low Guts then I will keep it there.
- Kickstarter or Ronin 'MechWarriors are not "off limits", but aside from the early times in Campaign Mode the deployed Lance should not be full of special characters.
- Do NOT simply build carbon-copy characters. No simply loading everyone with your favorite three skills. Vary the 'MechWarriors so you have a selection of the various "specialist titles".

Regarding Contracts:
- Never abandon a contract without reaching the minimum for a "Good Faith effort".
- Pass at least one day between contracts.
# Do not take contracts from your ancestral rivals. Pirates are exempt from this, as you may take contracts from them.
# Do not ally with an ancestral rival.

Regarding Flashpoints (Career Mode)
- Take Flashpoints which are nearby when they are available, if their rating is at least as high as your MRB rating.
# Keep a consistent "tone" for how your choices are made throughout the decision trees. (Don't be noble to a fault for one Flashpoint and then go "in it for the money" on the next just because the rewards are better in either fashion.)
 
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Another restriction that I have tried is speed running the campaign. Complete the original restoration campaign in as few (game) days as possible. That means taking new campaign missions as soon as they become available. This really cuts down on your ability to build up your forces. The campaign missions can be pretty challenging if you rush them.

You can do similar with career mode and rush the flashpoints. Just playing career mode by itself is significantly different from the campaign. You can adjust several of the options to make it more challenging. I like playing with low salvage and higher c-bill payments. Make it more attractive to take cash rather than always maxing salvage. Can also avoid using the black market for some extra difficulty.
 
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I think you should give the mods a try.
I especially like the Battletech Extended mod.
If you like the game vanilla style, you will absolutely LOVE the extended mod.

There are several threads out there on how to make them run on mac.
 
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Thank you everyone!

Btw
I joined the discord channel for BattleTech Extended 3025 and was told of this Mac install resource:
bta3062dotcom/index.php/Mac_Installation_Guide (Adding the link brought a spam message so that I was not able to send the message. Trying again with writing dotcom)

I have not tried the resource yet.
 
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One thing I did on may last play through was to recreate my first Battletech Company within the online game. This meant I had to start with the 4 mechs my children an I started with, and I had to add the new mechs in the order we captured them 40 years ago.
Decades ago we knew rolling 12,12,10 and 9 for our mechs we astounding luck. As it turns out, with the right Mechwarriors, a Warhammer, Archer, Rifleman and Phoenix Hawk are lots of fun to run.
 
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I have a set of rules I loosely refer to as "Ancestral lance" which makes the career play out a bit differently:
  1. 'Mechs are personal. It's the ancestral heirloom of the MechWarrior that pilots it. Nobody else pilots it.
    Side note: To make it easier to remember which MechWarrior goes with which 'Mech, I usually name the 'Mech after the MechWarrior, so Behemoth's 'Mech is also called Behemoth.
  2. This means that if a MechWarrior is injured, that 'Mech is also sidelined for the duration of the injury.
  3. Vice versa, if the 'Mech is in the repair shop, the MechWarrior can't drop in another 'Mech.
  4. Upgrades to the 'Mech should be done with an eye to "what would this MechWarrior do with their heirloom?", but are otherwise freely allowed.
  5. If a MechWarrior wants to move to another 'Mech after salvaging on the BattleField, the original 'Mech can either be assigned another MechWarrior, or sold/scrapped for parts (C.f. Grayson Carlyle hopping from Locust to ShadowHawk to Marauder).
  6. If you want to expand your company, you have to do so by assigning a 'Mech to a dispossessed MechWarrior (a new recruit). It now becomes their 'Mech, not the company's. If you want, you can roleplay that the recruit came with the 'Mech instead of it being salvaged and given to them.
  7. If a 'Mech is cored but the MechWarrior survives, they can be assigned a new 'Mech if you have one in storage. Otherwise they join the ranks of the dispossessed and cannot drop until you can salvage a 'Mech for them.
  8. If a MechWarrior dies but the 'Mech survives, it can be assigned to a dispossessed MechWarrior, becoming their 'Mech.
It gets a bit tricky because of repairs and injuries sidelining both 'Mech and MechWarrior, but other than that it's more trying to roleplay the original 3025 setting than anything else.
 
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I have a set of rules I loosely refer to as "Ancestral lance" which makes the career play out a bit differently:
  1. 'Mechs are personal. It's the ancestral heirloom of the MechWarrior that pilots it. Nobody else pilots it.
    Side note: To make it easier to remember which MechWarrior goes with which 'Mech, I usually name the 'Mech after the MechWarrior, so Behemoth's 'Mech is also called Behemoth.
  2. This means that if a MechWarrior is injured, that 'Mech is also sidelined for the duration of the injury.
  3. Vice versa, if the 'Mech is in the repair shop, the MechWarrior can't drop in another 'Mech.
  4. Upgrades to the 'Mech should be done with an eye to "what would this MechWarrior do with their heirloom?", but are otherwise freely allowed.
  5. If a MechWarrior wants to move to another 'Mech after salvaging on the BattleField, the original 'Mech can either be assigned another MechWarrior, or sold/scrapped for parts (C.f. Grayson Carlyle hopping from Locust to ShadowHawk to Marauder).
  6. If you want to expand your company, you have to do so by assigning a 'Mech to a dispossessed MechWarrior (a new recruit). It now becomes their 'Mech, not the company's. If you want, you can roleplay that the recruit came with the 'Mech instead of it being salvaged and given to them.
  7. If a 'Mech is cored but the MechWarrior survives, they can be assigned a new 'Mech if you have one in storage. Otherwise they join the ranks of the dispossessed and cannot drop until you can salvage a 'Mech for them.
  8. If a MechWarrior dies but the 'Mech survives, it can be assigned to a dispossessed MechWarrior, becoming their 'Mech.
It gets a bit tricky because of repairs and injuries sidelining both 'Mech and MechWarrior, but other than that it's more trying to roleplay the original 3025 setting than anything else.
I've used a similar set of rules with two small differences

1. The main character can have spare mechs that can be used when their main ride is in the shop, but no one else can use it. Rank hath its privileges.
2. Instead of your rule 4. my refit rule is that all the best weapons have to be in use. For example if I salvaged a Large Laser+ then I would have to find a place for it unless all my gear was already + or better, and if I didn't have a PPC with any plusses but did have lots of Medium Laser+ then I couldn't have a PPC mech. (off-kilter weapons like Gauss and COIL counted as having extra plusses, so they could be used) This was to give the feel of "periphery merc unit using sub-optimal builds because they can't get their hands on the exact weapons they want".
 
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I have a set of rules I loosely refer to as "Ancestral lance" which makes the career play out a bit differently:
  1. 'Mechs are personal. It's the ancestral heirloom of the MechWarrior that pilots it. Nobody else pilots it.
    Side note: To make it easier to remember which MechWarrior goes with which 'Mech, I usually name the 'Mech after the MechWarrior, so Behemoth's 'Mech is also called Behemoth.
  2. This means that if a MechWarrior is injured, that 'Mech is also sidelined for the duration of the injury.
  3. Vice versa, if the 'Mech is in the repair shop, the MechWarrior can't drop in another 'Mech.
  4. Upgrades to the 'Mech should be done with an eye to "what would this MechWarrior do with their heirloom?", but are otherwise freely allowed.
  5. If a MechWarrior wants to move to another 'Mech after salvaging on the BattleField, the original 'Mech can either be assigned another MechWarrior, or sold/scrapped for parts (C.f. Grayson Carlyle hopping from Locust to ShadowHawk to Marauder).
  6. If you want to expand your company, you have to do so by assigning a 'Mech to a dispossessed MechWarrior (a new recruit). It now becomes their 'Mech, not the company's. If you want, you can roleplay that the recruit came with the 'Mech instead of it being salvaged and given to them.
  7. If a 'Mech is cored but the MechWarrior survives, they can be assigned a new 'Mech if you have one in storage. Otherwise they join the ranks of the dispossessed and cannot drop until you can salvage a 'Mech for them.
  8. If a MechWarrior dies but the 'Mech survives, it can be assigned to a dispossessed MechWarrior, becoming their 'Mech.
It gets a bit tricky because of repairs and injuries sidelining both 'Mech and MechWarrior, but other than that it's more trying to roleplay the original 3025 setting than anything else.
Hey, I did exactly that in my last campaign run. I got really pissed at the Directorate when they blew up my main char's ancestral Blackjack early in the campaign. It took ages to find a suitable replacement, so I think it went exceptionally well.

Also I modded Flashpoints to appear as soon as I got the Argo, so that was another thing that spiced up the campaign significantly.