How to make a mech: designing Battletech’s all-new Bull Shark
Battletech's third - and, until further notice, final - expansion is due for release on November 21. Called Heavy Metal, it'll introduce eight new mechs. Seven of these, including the agile Flea, 100-ton Annihilator, and iconic Rifleman, will be familiar to fans of the setting, but one will not.
That's because the eighth mech is all-new, designed from scratch by developer Harebrained Schemes. Making an original contribution to a universe with such extensive lore must, I imagine, be quite a delicate undertaking, so I was keen to get the details from game director Mitch Gitelman at this year's PDX Con. Where did the idea for a new mech come from, and was it difficult to come up with a fresh design that fit within the lore?
"It was really easy for me, it wasn't even my idea!" Gitelman says. "Our art director Marco Mazzoni used to do Battletech art - he's a huge Battletech nerd, in the best possible way - and he says 'can I make my own mech?' And I'm like, 'yeah, man. Go ahead!' So we decided the role of the mech - it needs to be 95 tons, because there aren't a lot of 95-ton mechs - and then I said 'go at it'.
RELATED LINKS: BattleTech tips, BattleTech PC review, Best strategy games on PCfrom PCGamesN https://ift.tt/2J9rRve
Post a Comment