"By the 31st century, humanity has spread to thousands of worlds and a handful of powerful empires wage continual war for the right to rule the stars. Foremost among the weapons used in that struggle are BattleMechs. Loaded with autocannons, missile launchers, lasers, and charged-particle beam weapons, these fusion-powered war machines of articulated armor stand upward of ten meters high. Piloting them are MechWarriors, the best, most intensively trained men and women available. Like the armored knights of an earlier age, MechWarriors are popular heroes, and their exploits are the stuff of legends".
Overview
This part of my site is dedicated to the sci-fi phenomenon known as
Battletech, which, since 1999 has become a disturbingly addictive hobby of mine. I originally decided to create this page as a kind of data repository, after one of my favourite fan sites was taken off the web (though it has recently been restored via an archiving system). In any case, I wanted somewhere I could put all the info I've collected, to give a general overview of the Battletech universe, along with favourite sites, factions, designs and other miscellaneous bits and pieces...so here it is. Most of the information here is intended to act purely as a brief introduction, since the Battletech universe is a very large place and I've neither the knowledge, skill or patience to create a comprehensive resource. In any case, there are loads of other websites out there that do exactly that. The links on the right will take you to some of the best ones I know of...just in case you're interested.
Created by a number of gaming enthusiasts, including one
Jordan K Weisman, Battletech is a fully developed, fictional universe, on a par with Star Wars in its complexity and depth, if not in popularity. It is set just over 1,000 years in the future, in the area of space mankind has managed to colonise in that time. The literature follows the lives of key characters from the many different factions and the events in which they're involved. Since its relatively modest beginnings, a wealth of fiction and source material has been published, on a scale few other sci-fi (or any other fictional works, for that matter) can match. A
Master Timeline has even been compiled, charting humanity's progress from 2005 to the year 3067. It is this level of detail that makes it so appealing to so many people. There are an estimated 25 million Battletech fans worldwide.
History
2004 marked the 20th anniversary of Battletech. It all started back in 1984 as a board game with miniature figures, dice and record sheets...sort of like Dungeons & Dragons, only with giant, fusion-powered war machines instead of mages, barbarians and orcs. Since then it has gone from strength to strength and now boasts no less than 3 series of paperback novels, a plethora of computer and console games, a trading card game and more collectible miniature models than you can shake a stick at. Oh, yes...and don't forget the many fan sites and forums, created to spread the word and share information. Gaming leagues and conventions have sprung up worldwide, attracting thousands of enthusiasts - also known as freaks, geeks, weirdos and mech-junkies, depending on your point of view. Click on the anniversary logo to be taken to the official Battletech website.
Wolves on the Border Novel
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MechWarrior 4 PC Game
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Collectible Miniatures
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BattleMechs
As hinted at previously, in the Battletech universe, BattleMechs are the most powerful land-based war machines ever created. There are many different kinds and it would take too long to describe them all, so take a look at the
Timber Wolf - also known as a
Mad Cat - pictured opposite, to get some idea. They generally stand between 30-40 feet tall, can weigh between 10-100 tons, with speeds ranging anywhere from 30-130kph.
Powered by fusion reactors, these machines' articulated limbs give them unrivalled manouvreability on the battlefield. They also carry enough armour to make them virtually immune to conventional weapons. They may be armed with a variety of weapons: magnetic rail guns, cannon, lasers, particle cannon and missiles. The larger ones carry enough firepower to destroy a city block. These avatars of war are piloted by highly trained men and women known as MechWarriors. Their exploits form the basis of most of the novels and with many different factions in the BT universe, there's plenty of scope for conflict...
Battletech / MechWarrior Movies
For many of us mech nuts, nothing would be better than seeing these giant war machines and our favourite characters brought to life on the big screen. Dean Devlin, the mastermind behind Eight Legged Freaks, among other films, leased the rights to the Battletech franchise with the aim of doing just that. Unfortunately it appears the team hit some "development problems" and, to date, no real progress has been made.
An independent film producer, however, is keen on keeping the idea alive and would be happy to produce a short demo film, with the hope of persuading some Hollywood bigwigs to shell out for a full-length feature film. He's launched an on-line petition in the hopes of raising enough interest to make this viable. If you'd like to add your name to the list, clicks on the link below:
Mechwarrior Movie Petition
Tom's Hardware: Mechwarrior Movie
To get an idea of what such a film would be like, take a gander at this short video. Seems Devlin isn't the only one with mech movies on his mind. Some 3D art students put the following live action / animated piece together to show what a modern Battletech movie might look like. Okay, its never going to win any Oscars, but I think its pretty impressive for a college / uni project.
Mechwarrior: Age of Destruction
And here's another enthusiast's vision of what a Battletech movie should be like. I found this six-minute clip on YouTube. It does suffer from low picture quality but is worth watching.
Hacker Productions: Battletech Movie
MechWarrior: Online
Fans everywhere were overjoyed when they heard Battletech creator Jordan Weisman bought the Battletech licence from Microsoft and had begun collaborating with Piranha Games on a new MechWarrior PC game. Unfortunately, this ran into some problems, early on, when the developers chose to use "Unseen" mech designs, i.e. those that were restricted as they bore too close a resemblance to certain Robotech designs, whose rights are held by Harmony Gold. Weisman and Piranha president Russ Bullock gave an in-depth inteview to IGN, the transcript of which you can read below:
IGN: MechWarrior Q&A
2011 Update:
Following the legal dispute with HG and other parties, the game's fate appears to have been resolved. Piranha Games is now developing Mechwarrior Online as a free-to-play online game, with an expected release date midway through next year.
Tom's Hardware: Mechwarrior Reboot - Free to Play
You can see an early development trailer of the game, posted on YouTube below:
Mechwarrior Reboot Trailer
2012 Update:
Mechwarrior: Online is now in the Open Beta testing phase. Clicking on the logo in the right-hand column will take you to the site where you can register for free and download the software that will enable you to participate in Player vs Player (PvP) matches.
