MechWarrior: Tactical Command

Last updated
MechWarrior: Tactical Command
MechWarrior Tactical Command cover.jpg
Developer(s) Personae Studios
Publisher(s) Personae Studios
Series MechWarrior
Platform(s) iOS 5.0
Release
  • NA: September 27, 2013
Genre(s) Real-time strategy, Mecha
Mode(s) Single player

MechWarrior: Tactical Command is a real-time strategy game based on the BattleTech universe developed for iOS. It was developed by Singaporean studio Personae Studios and released on September 27, 2013. The mobile game supports all iOS 5.0 and above devices including the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad.

Contents

Gameplay

MechWarrior: Tactical Command takes place in the BattleTech universe, a science-fiction universe that often centers around pitched battles between human-piloted walking, heavily armed and armored machines, called BattleMechs. The game involves a real-time strategy experience and involves the player commanding a lance of MechWarriors in battle against the enemy. The game supports full 3D rotation within the environment and it also includes numerous mechanics such as heat sensitivity in the mechs as well as individual limb health and damage. There are 21 missions in the game spread among 3 different planets with 3 different difficulty modes available. Additionally, there is also a MechLab feature that allows the player to customize mechs by modifying specific features such as resources, technology, weaponry and other BattleMech upgrades.

Plot

This game occurs shortly after the 4th succession wars on the planet of Winfield, which is still contested between the Federated Commonwealth, an alliance of the paramilitaries of noble houses Steiner and Davion, and the Draconis Combine. The player is introduced as a new mechcommander stationed on the planet to assist in quashing the Combine forces that are seeking to take it from the Fedcom forces due to continuing bad blood between both sides. This all comes to an end when an unidentified force of mechwarriors invade the planet, utilizing powerful and highly advanced mechs, later revealing themselves as Clan Jade Falcon, one of several Clans invading the Inner Sphere. Although many elite Fedcom units are lost, including the veteran Hammer Lance team who fought in the Succession War, the player is able to form an alliance with the Draconis forces on Winfield and flee with them to the planet of Butler. The player's victories over the clanners bring the ire of the commanding officer of the Winfield invasion group, Eric Hazen, who purses the player throughout the Campaign.

The game ends with the Commander and his lance forces taking part in the battle of Tukkayaid, on the planet of Twycross. This marks the turning point in the Clan wars and ends with the players lance members hoping for a better future.

Development

MechWarrior: Tactical Command was first announced to be in development by Singapore-based game developer Personae Studios on December 6, 2011. It was previously a secret project known only by the codename "Seattle Project". The developer had partnered with Smith & Tinker and later Catalyst Game Labs, Studio MekTek and Virtual World Entertainment for the development of MechWarrior: Tactical Command. The game was originally intended for release to the app store in 2012, but was delayed until 2013. A demo of the game was presented at E3 that time. Post-launch, the game received an update to support newer iOS devices, but further development and support of the game has ceased.

Related Research Articles

BattleTech is a wargaming and military science fiction franchise launched by FASA Corporation in 1984, acquired by WizKids in 2001, which was in turn acquired by Topps in 2003; and published since 2007 by Catalyst Game Labs. The trademark is currently owned by Topps and, for video games, Microsoft's Xbox Game Studios; Catalyst Game Studios licenses the franchise from Topps.

MechWarrior is a series of video games set in the fictional universe of BattleTech.

<i>MechAssault</i> 2002 video game

MechAssault is a video game released for the Xbox notable for being one of the first games to support Xbox Live online multiplayer. Developed by Day 1 Studios and published by Microsoft, MechAssault was initiated when Denny Thorley of Day 1 Studios approached Jon Kimmich of Microsoft about developing an original BattleTech game built from the ground up to support console play. "MechAssault" was released in November 2002. A sequel, MechAssault 2: Lone Wolf, was released on December 28, 2004. Both games are set in the BattleTech fictional universe.

Classic BattleTech is a table-top wargame set in the fictional BattleTech universe that simulates combat between futuristic mechanized forces. Originally published by FASA Corporation, the game is now produced by Catalyst Game Labs under license from WizKids. The term "Classic" is used to differentiate the original game from variants and related games that have derived from it, such as MechWarrior: Dark Age. The game has an extensive range of 1/285 scale miniatures.

Multiplayer BattleTech: 3025 is a PC MMORPG developed by Kesmai during the same period as Microsoft's MechWarrior 4: Vengeance. The game occupies the fictional 31st century universe of BattleTech and focuses centrally on the large robotic war machines called BattleMechs ('Mechs) and the individuals who pilot them. The game was released as a beta in 2001 and shut down with little explanation on December 6, 2001.

MechWarrior: Dark Age was a tabletop wargame by WizKids set in the BattleTech universe that uses the Clix system. The game's miniatures are pre-painted models of infantry squads, vehicles, and giant walking war machines known as BattleMechs or more simply "'mechs".

<i>BattleTech: The Crescent Hawks Inception</i> 1988 video game

BattleTech: The Crescent Hawk's Inception is a turn-based adventure/role-playing video game released in 1988 by Westwood Associates and based on the BattleTech franchise. It was one of the first commercial ports of the licence, and featured some of the franchise's worlds, institutions, political figures, and weapons, particularly the three-story tall BattleMechs. It was followed by a sequel, BattleTech: The Crescent Hawk's Revenge, though that game featured significantly different gameplay, falling into the real-time tactics genre rather than adventure/role-playing.

Real-time tactics (RTT) is a subgenre of tactical wargames played in real-time, simulating the considerations and circumstances of operational warfare and military tactics. It is differentiated from real-time strategy gameplay by the lack of classic resource micromanagement and base or unit building, as well as the greater importance of individual units and a focus on complex battlefield tactics.

<i>MechWarrior 2: 31st Century Combat</i> 1995 video game

MechWarrior 2: 31st Century Combat is a vehicle simulation game developed and published by Activision, released in 1995 as part of the MechWarrior series of video games in the BattleTech franchise. The game is set in 3057, and is played as a tactical simulation that incorporates aspects of real-time first-person combat and the physical simulation of the player's mech. It is a game recreation of the "Refusal War." The player can join one of the clans, Clan Jade Falcon or Clan Wolf while engaging in up to 32 missions.

<i>MechAssault 2: Lone Wolf</i> 2004 video game

MechAssault 2: Lone Wolf is a 2004 video game developed by Day 1 Studios and published by Microsoft Game Studios exclusively for the Xbox console, and set in the BattleTech universe. Development of MechAssault 2 was announced shortly following the release of MechAssault, with the developers focusing on the expansion of online and networking features to capitalise upon the success of the original game as a pilot title for the Xbox Live online service, and creating a more open-ended gameplay style in which players are able to exit their mech and occupy multiple vehicles.

<i>MechWarrior 4: Mercenaries</i> 2002 video game

Mechwarrior 4: Mercenaries is a vehicle simulation video game for Microsoft Windows, released in 2002. It is a standalone expansion of MechWarrior 4: Vengeance, based on the BattleTechMechWarrior game universe.

<i>BattleTech: The Crescent Hawks Revenge</i> 1990 video game

BattleTech: The Crescent Hawks' Revenge is a real-time tactics game based in the FASA BattleTech universe. It is a direct sequel to BattleTech: The Crescent Hawk's Inception, though the gameplay is considerably different from that of the first title, which was primarily an adventure/role-playing game. Developed by Westwood Associates for Mediagenic, and produced by Scott Berfield, the game serves as a prototype for what later became Dune II, the first real-time strategy title on the PC.

<i>BattleTech: The Animated Series</i> American TV series or program

BattleTech is an animated television series based on the BattleTech fictional universe, produced for syndication by Saban Entertainment in 1994. Written by Robert N. Skir and Marty Isenberg, the series ran for 13 episodes and focused on the character of Adam Steiner, a military officer in the distant future who struggles to liberate his home planet from an attacking faction.

<i>MechWarrior 2: Mercenaries</i> 1996 video game

MechWarrior 2: Mercenaries is a video game released in September 1996 as a stand-alone expansion to MechWarrior 2: 31st Century Combat and the last BattleTech game made by Activision. In this game, the player takes control of an Inner Sphere mercenary squad, with control over finances and free choice of missions.

<i>MechWarrior 2: Ghost Bears Legacy</i> Expansion pack to MechWarrior 2

MechWarrior 2: Ghost Bear's Legacy is an expansion pack to MechWarrior 2: 31st Century Combat.

<i>MechWarrior: Living Legends</i> 2009 video game

Mechwarrior: Living Legends is a free, fan-created multiplayer-only game based in the BattleTech universe - originally a total-conversion mod for Crysis, it's since become stand-alone - running on Crysis Wars, and using CryEngine 2 as its engine. It's one of the few mods based on the BattleTech universe to have been sanctioned by Microsoft—who currently owns the rights to the Mechwarrior video-game franchise—and additionally received pre-SDK support and sanctioning directly from Crytek, producers of the games' engine. On December 26, 2009, an open beta was released via BitTorrent and other distribution methods. Because the project changes the play-style and feel of the game it is originally based on so completely as to be unrecognizable in comparison, it is billed as a "full-conversion" mod, since little to no trace of the original game's art or play-style exists any longer within MW:LL. It was created by American developer Wandering Samurai Studios.

<i>MechWarrior Online</i> 2013 video game

MechWarrior Online is a free-to-play vehicle simulation video game, officially launched during September 2013 by Piranha Games for Microsoft Windows. The game takes place within the larger BattleTech universe.

<i>Warhammer 40,000: Storm of Vengeance</i> 2014 video game

Warhammer 40,000: Storm of Vengeance is a real-time strategy video game developed and published by Eutechnyx. It was released for Microsoft Windows, iOS and Android. It was set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe, it follows the Dark Angels, commanded by Grand Master Belial, and the Bad Moons, commanded by Ork Warlord Ghazghkull Thraka on the planet Piscina IV. It was released on April 3, 2014 for Windows and iOS, and on April 22, 2014 for Android.

<i>BattleTech</i> (video game) 2017 video game

BattleTech is a Mecha turn-based strategy video game developed by Harebrained Schemes and published by Paradox Interactive. It was released on macOS and Windows on April 24, 2018, with a Linux release on November 27, 2018. The developers set aside US$1 million to create the game, and turned to Kickstarter to secure funding for additional features, including a single player campaign, an expansion of that campaign, and a player versus player multiplayer mode.

<i>MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries</i> 2019 video game

MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries is a BattleTech mecha game developed by Piranha Games released on December 10, 2019, on Microsoft Windows. It is the first single player MechWarrior game since 2002. It was initially available as an Epic Games Store exclusive title, which, like other games with Epic Games Store exclusivity deals, was met with criticism. On May 7, 2020, it was made available through Xbox Game Pass for PC. On May 27, 2021, it was made available on additional platforms including Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Steam and GOG, in addition to the DLC pack Heroes of the Inner Sphere, Call to Arms, and Rise of Raselhague. It features ray tracing powered by Nvidia RTX as well as DLSS.

References