This thread is where everyone can post their sign-off post from the old forum.
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Understanding the wide view of where we have come to where we are going (Note, not a full and accurate history, but it will do).
I started playing BattleTech in the 1980s. It quickly became my favorite sci-fi/fiction series to follow. When compared to other games it had such a new game feel to it, with such a new style, and it soon had full histories, storylines, and characters in the novels. BattleTech expanded to become a complete game portfolio with the release of its many video game series; it was able to evolve.
The 1990s and early 2000s was a crucial time for many of the old games. If a game was not able to make a successful move into PC/video games it began to wither and be replaced by its similar competitors that were able to produce good video games. In the 1990s I used to tabletop "game" at South Coast Gaming Association in Costa Mesa, California. My old call sign back then was "Lobo" and my 10 year old son's call sign was "Red Ranger." I recall several conversations with a few gamers and staff that video games where the future. I suggested to them to add several game systems and/or PCs and charge a fee by the hour to play. They laughed at me. Well, gaming trends changed away from tabletop playing styles and toward electronic playing styles ..... they went out of business.
The changes to the game industry were actually quite widespread. For example, look at what happened to Dungeons and Dragons. There is now such a huge amount of similar games of high quality that D & D has been nearly forgotten. You can see that effect when World of Warcraft (WoW) grew to become a mega hit, but that generation of gamers viewed D & D as footnote in the history of gaming.
When the original MechWarrior 5 came to a crashing stop it seemed that the BattleTech series was about to also come crashing down. Somehow, a scattering of individuals had the vision to pick up the pieces and move forward with them. MechWarrior Online (MWO), by PGI, has been at times been a frustrating game; due to the continuous adjustments that directly affected weapons, cooling, acceleration, etc., etc. However, it is without argument that PGI poured huge amounts of time and labor to create a visually beautiful game that delivered what they promised: a fast paced, adrenaline rush, group vs group version of the game. PGI, and some other individuals, gave the BattleTech series the equivalent of CPR. The newest version of the game, soon to be released, will give the opportunity for the series to evolve again.
Perhaps, that is one of the reasons this game has endured so long, it was able to evolve into the next step in gaming; whatever that next step was. I strongly hope that the game can continue to evolve, grow, and expand. I hope that they continue to keep their focus on making the player's experience as fun as possible, and reviving that new game feel, style, full histories, storylines, characters, and novels. In addition, I hope that those involved in how it evolves continue to push forward into whatever direction gaming trends change. That will make it a stable game portfolio, a profitable product, an investable corporation, and a game series that will last long into the future .... and a blast to play.
With all that said ....
To the creators, developers, Mods, volunteers, and even the employees that no one knows their names .... of ALL THE BATTLETECH series throughout its history ... A HUGE THANK YOU!
To all the gamers and fans of this game series .... folks, it has been a pleasure.
I WILL SEE YOU ALL ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE LAUNCH!
This is "CrazyCuban" / (original call sign "Lobo" --Tis a fine day for a raid along the coast!) signing off.
INITIATING FUSION ENGINE. WARMING UP PARTICLE PROJECTION CANNONS. TIME TO LIGHT UP A CIGAR (blast the enemy)!
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Understanding the wide view of where we have come to where we are going (Note, not a full and accurate history, but it will do).
I started playing BattleTech in the 1980s. It quickly became my favorite sci-fi/fiction series to follow. When compared to other games it had such a new game feel to it, with such a new style, and it soon had full histories, storylines, and characters in the novels. BattleTech expanded to become a complete game portfolio with the release of its many video game series; it was able to evolve.
The 1990s and early 2000s was a crucial time for many of the old games. If a game was not able to make a successful move into PC/video games it began to wither and be replaced by its similar competitors that were able to produce good video games. In the 1990s I used to tabletop "game" at South Coast Gaming Association in Costa Mesa, California. My old call sign back then was "Lobo" and my 10 year old son's call sign was "Red Ranger." I recall several conversations with a few gamers and staff that video games where the future. I suggested to them to add several game systems and/or PCs and charge a fee by the hour to play. They laughed at me. Well, gaming trends changed away from tabletop playing styles and toward electronic playing styles ..... they went out of business.
The changes to the game industry were actually quite widespread. For example, look at what happened to Dungeons and Dragons. There is now such a huge amount of similar games of high quality that D & D has been nearly forgotten. You can see that effect when World of Warcraft (WoW) grew to become a mega hit, but that generation of gamers viewed D & D as footnote in the history of gaming.
When the original MechWarrior 5 came to a crashing stop it seemed that the BattleTech series was about to also come crashing down. Somehow, a scattering of individuals had the vision to pick up the pieces and move forward with them. MechWarrior Online (MWO), by PGI, has been at times been a frustrating game; due to the continuous adjustments that directly affected weapons, cooling, acceleration, etc., etc. However, it is without argument that PGI poured huge amounts of time and labor to create a visually beautiful game that delivered what they promised: a fast paced, adrenaline rush, group vs group version of the game. PGI, and some other individuals, gave the BattleTech series the equivalent of CPR. The newest version of the game, soon to be released, will give the opportunity for the series to evolve again.
Perhaps, that is one of the reasons this game has endured so long, it was able to evolve into the next step in gaming; whatever that next step was. I strongly hope that the game can continue to evolve, grow, and expand. I hope that they continue to keep their focus on making the player's experience as fun as possible, and reviving that new game feel, style, full histories, storylines, characters, and novels. In addition, I hope that those involved in how it evolves continue to push forward into whatever direction gaming trends change. That will make it a stable game portfolio, a profitable product, an investable corporation, and a game series that will last long into the future .... and a blast to play.
With all that said ....
To the creators, developers, Mods, volunteers, and even the employees that no one knows their names .... of ALL THE BATTLETECH series throughout its history ... A HUGE THANK YOU!
To all the gamers and fans of this game series .... folks, it has been a pleasure.
I WILL SEE YOU ALL ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE LAUNCH!
This is "CrazyCuban" / (original call sign "Lobo" --Tis a fine day for a raid along the coast!) signing off.
INITIATING FUSION ENGINE. WARMING UP PARTICLE PROJECTION CANNONS. TIME TO LIGHT UP A CIGAR (blast the enemy)!
) and all the other glorious bastards and bastardettes (is that a thing? 
