With the game taking place within the BattleTech universe, we can expect a host of mechs and pilots to join us within the game. One of the interesting things that players will initially face when the game is released will be to think about its storyline. Do they want to follow the main story or do they want to create their own story while trying to build up their mercenary unit? This decision will be an interesting one as over time players will be able to buy and sell mechs and pilots to make the game something of their own that they want to enjoy. This strategy, mixed with the PvE aspects, graphics, and sound mechanics, should make for a fun and enjoyable time playing the game. To look at this more in-depth and to help us all think about what we want the game to be for us, I have created a list of questions that we should consider either before or when playing the game in the future.

MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries is one of the titles people are looking forward to playing in 2018. It is a mech-based PvE shooter that has been created by Piranha Games and is due for release this year. At the time of writing, the game is at a near-alpha stage, and people are looking forward to playing it when it comes out later in the year. From videos that have been released online, the game appears to be quite visual, runs well, and over time will, of course, have more content added to it. For fans of the genre and people looking to try something new, it is building up to definitely be a game to watch out for.

1.1. Overview of the Game

This game is based on a very true storyline, which has a total of 20 missions. Although these missions are repetitive, only one beginning scene can be played. The rest is about predictable conversation, which does not feel interesting or special. Missions contain operations confirming the Intel coverage, siege or defense stations, intercepting and patrolling, theft, protection targets, special requests, war mining, and ambushes. Each area has specific or misleading restrictions that affect the minimum or maximum rank or tonnage of the player’s «lance». The campaign of the game basically works as an extended training since the game only lasts about 6 to 8 hours.

2. MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries Game Mechanics and Detailed Analysis

MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries is a battle simulation video game that is published and developed by Piranha Games. This game expects a player to have their own battle mechs and with a team comprising friends or AI companions and go against other mechs. In this game, players can complete missions and contracts in the given period and expedition contracts are also available where a player can extend the game time frame or set off with the next story mission. The game can be played in both single-player or co-op mode. Although the game uses a structure of single mission after mission where there is always a specific objective and it does not need to be concluded if the player fails, it does. The player also has the ability to man multiple mechs and fight the intruders in any mission.

1.2. Brief History and Development

MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries – MW5 – is a first-person shooter video game with simulation mechanics, developed by the software company Piranha Games. The game is part of the American franchise BATTLETECH, created by Jordan Weisman, and is positioned to be one of the most creative and technological games in the field of simulators focused on combat between giant robotic suits. The game is developed in the fictional space universe proposed by the franchise and presents combat features piloting BattleMechs. The game focuses on the concept of mercenary groups, present in previous series of the franchise, and introduces game mechanics that allow the player to assume the role of the group’s commander fulfilling the role of both player and their AI companions.

MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries Game Mechanics and Detailed Analysis is an academic approach to the study of the characteristics, mechanics, and qualities of the video game MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries, developed by the American company Piranha Games. In the text of the book, we analyze the many intrinsic characteristics of the game, focusing on topics such as history, gameplay, visual arts attributes, audio techniques, matchmaking, and multiplayer mode. At the end of the text, we offer an overall review that can be used as a reference for future game analysis and also offer tools for the composition of the modding environment of the game.

2. Basic Game Mechanics

MW5 has two distinct game levels: Mission level and Solar system level. The Solar system level represents the battlefield (the known galaxy) and is persistent for the player. All current contracts and troop movements are tracked in this level. Map regions and factions are also defined at this level. The minimap displays territory ownership and the location of contracts and missions. Double-clicking any location (owned or not) will bring you to the system level. In the system level, players can also perform «minor contracts» to gain experience during game downtime. In the Solar system level, potential contracts are represented by a special popup. All contracts are commissioned by system factions, and players can accept and finish missions but only for their own faction. Other factions available in the system will also send military forces – friend or foe – and players can sometimes use them to their advantage. Minor contracts are different from regular contracts in that they have more lax completion and failure times, scale in difficulty dependent upon the player’s BattleMechs, and possess no consequences for failure other than providing yet more opportunities for experience and randomly generated loot.

2.1. Level Structure

2.1. Piloting and Customizing Mechs

The action the player issues to the mech is often more complex than simple forwards/backwards or turning commands. In an attempt to approximate these actions better, we introduced the possibility of defining a desired position and frequency of view direction and speed for each body part. We did this by using a simple user-friendly graphical interface. The general commands issued by the player fall under the many-to-one category of bindings between the repertoires of possible vehicle actions and possible player actions.

In the MechWarrior games, the player is in control of one or more mechs during combat. The behavior of the vehicle can vary greatly with the action of the player, and these actions can be very complex, from the level of one single motor to the pilot’s general action. The keys used to control the mech are the main mechanism of action, but we should also consider that the full body and head actions are commanded differently. The full body will turn slower than the pilot’s head, and this delay may be important for avoiding inconvenient sidetracking when attempting to attack from his position.

2.2. Weapons and Equipment

Each internally equipped Battlemech has a mass, class, chassis type, and engine heat sink to cooling equipment, internal jump jet capacity, and additional equipment (like upper and lower actuators, sensor equipment, etc.). Larger Battlemechs in the game provide more support equipment, allowing players to carry more ammunition, countermeasures, and cooling equipment. Jettisoning these support equipment can provide a temporary boost to maximum speed, jump jet capacity, and heat dissipation during battle if needed. However, these systems also have heat generation.

All weapon systems are rated by their optimal damage, range, heat, and projectile speed. In MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries, many canonical systems have been re-worked, though I am not aware of their new damage system, but they do have varying heat dissipation, damage persistence, and projectile speeds. They retain the similar range and hardpoint requirements constraints.

Ballistic weapons are the first-class citizen on the battlefield, offering the highest damage output, with ammunition and potentially jamming as a primary drawback. Despite the drawbacks, several ballistic weapons can be found on any hardpoints. Energy weapons offer improved damage persistence and varying range, but heat generation can be a major concern. These weapons are primarily used for energy cooling equipment. Missile launchers have the capability to deliver a lot of damage over a large range and can be either single or multi-fire. The newest weapon systems are called AMS and support. AMS requires AMS ammunition for effective use, and the support armament contains small weapons, countermeasures, cooling, and spotting equipment.

MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries, like its ancestors, features a wide variety of weapon systems. These systems each have different uses on the battlefield, and different combinations can be used to effectively customize your Battlemech depending on its requirements or limitations. Battlemechs have slots allocated to either ballistic, energy, missile, support, or AMS weapons. They have varying hardpoints available for each weapon system.

2.3. Mission Types

These missions are generally the toughest simply because you are not given a lot of time to prepare while loading out your star of mechs. There are also missions that are different, but are of the same type. Such as an escort and a defense is generally the same type. It is just that in the escort, units are moving of their own accord to achieve their objective. You have no control over the speed at which your charge travels, whereas in the defend mission you are defending a base or a settlement. Either way, in the two types of missions, you are defending the structure and the longer you can walk in circles or near ovals, the better it is going to be for you, making the defend mission the easiest of the two.

With such a wide variety of mission types, there are always going to be a few that are simple and easy and there are also a few that are harder than most. With some of the missions, it seems as though the gates are just thrown open to a unit and they can walk in and stroll around and not even worry about enemy units. In others, every type of obstacle is thrown at the unit. The missions that are the hardest are the ones in which you have to halt the enemy convoy, return to base, and then be sent back to the same location to halt another convoy.

This mission type sends the MechWarrior after data that is found in an enemy base. Most bases in these missions will be equipped with Long Tom howitzers, which have a maximum range and can target all friendly units. These missions are generally easy since most turrets surrounding the buildings have an arc of fire which always leaves an opening in its defensive line of fire.

Target Acquire

– A. Target Acquire – B. Base Destroy – C. Battle – D. Defend Base – E. Defend Settlement – F. Escort – G. Aggressive Defense – H. Cease Fire – I. Pursuit – J. Targeted Strike – K. Ambush Convoy – L. Convoy Attack – M. Duel

3. Economic System and Mercenary Management

Mercenary management inside MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries is inexistent. There are no options to set priorities, give tasks to leftover labor personnel, or delegate other responsibilities combined with hazard pay. For instance, dropships are responsible for carrying all the mechs, weapons, and other spare parts. Little shortfalls in this system regarding ammo or parts can cause the damage to be permanent, as there are no physical means to replenish it or fix it mid-campaign. The game could benefit if each facility in each star system had limited inventory and complex trade-offs. Small randomized events and situations could also trigger these economics. A radio distress message from a local planetary city could be displayed, and help could be promised and a debt could be financed to get a possible risk. Once you reach the city, a marketplace is there where you might want to restock the dropship. The dropships could also trade items and commodities with other dropships, creating a sublayer of dynamic item trading prices.

The economy inside MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries is exactly what you expect. Players might appreciate more depth in this aspect, for instance, the locations you visit contain a market fluctuation rate and other factors that influence the prices of goods and items. A more engaging economy could offer smuggler missions, rather than just offering the base buying and delivering cargo to different locations. This perspective highlights that once you start to fit all mechs with the necessary armament loadout, players will reach the point of game saturation, and from there it is only a matter of following the waypoints and specific marked enemy targets. Also, the players do not have to go back to a certain location to select and start the next mission, rather than being able to do everything from inside the same mission. Furthermore, the game has a tutorial system to teach the mechanics and concepts behind managing their mercenary company.

3.1. Contracts and Reputation

The reputation system is employed to keep the game interesting and challenging at all times. At the beginning of the contract-player relationship, the player will have access only to 1 or 2 missions at a time, being able to acquire the juicy high reward missions only when their reputation with the faction is positive. Similarly to a game with true cells being reviewed by a supervisor, the player will have to earn the right to access good missions while being shown a lot of boring and low reward missions at first to get there. Being shown the low reward missions only gets a different dimension when the player’s mechs are faced with money expenses in the form of possible armor, weapon, and repair bills, asking to move the challenging factor up one more notch.

In MechWarrior 5, the player will command a lance of mechs that will be used to carry out different types of contracts. The player will be hired by different factions to enforce their will, and for that, a wide variety of missions will be offered to the player. Those missions can be separated into 3 groups: war zone, raid, and defense.

3.2. Financial Management

Besides simply declining contracts you don’t think are worth your time, negotiation does stick out as somewhere you have some agency over how much you earn. In general, if you manage to achieve more objectives during a mission, you will earn more in terms of contract payment. Keep in mind during travel time that you need to cover the entire length of the map. Always be aware of how much fuel you need, and keep an eye on your ‘Mech and pilot fatigue. Before travelling or leaving your ship to check on available contracts, you need to check what condition your ‘Mechs and pilots are in.

Financial Management In Mercenaries, there’s a lot of financial management to juggle. Running your ‘Mech lance is not cheap! Your primary and vital source of income is missions. Missions can be found by travelling to different planets around the Inner Sphere. At each location, there will be various contracts available. Missions pay a contract fee, which is negotiated up front in the terms of your employment. Each mission will have a reasonably significant travel time tied to it, during which you will be utilizing and spending various kinds of resources of your lance. Always be aware of these terms and consider the stellar political situation when negotiating a contract.

You are constantly cycling between missions, contracts, and Mech maintenance, and the finances of it all are super important. There’s a lot of detail here, and you know what a lot of detail means? A lot of spreadsheet tables. Hooray! I love a good spreadsheet.

4. Combat Strategies and Tactics

Tactics in MechWarrior 5, as described in numerous books, are equivalent to those of most other games, with the small distinction that by various maneuvers one can force the computer program to come up with a bug! These are usually discussed in terms of infantry combat. As in any combat which involves a degree of one versus one conflict, the problems must be split into two. The first is how to decide whom to attack and with what. In numerical terms, the mean kill rate that can be expected amongst n Mechs with X gauss per turn is determined by either potential damage rating of enemy Mechs over n or by the combat ratings of the attacking Mechs vs the sum of combat ratings of the enemy Mechs. Prior to commencing any attacks, an assessment of the enemy must also be made before the more complex SCRIBE calculations are used. Two questions must be answered. First, can your available attacking force kill enough of the enemy to secure the job you want done? Second, will the job you plan to accomplish justify the losses? The deployment of available combat units can be restricted by any number of parameters, but all good operators should be aware of a few classic principles.

Perhaps the most important skill that can be developed in this game is an understanding of the game’s basic combat strategies and its related tactics. And the heart of these basic strategies is a feeling for a unit’s chances against an enemy. An old Greek once said «Know thyself» and these words have always been the key to any battle. In MechWarrior 5, the precepts of knowledge are the range and duration of your weapons compared to visibility factors and movement twists. A unique contribution to the SCRIBE system of computing the combat odds from historical battle data will be made at the end of this chapter when the benefits of combined arms systems will be investigated. But the basics on which SCRIBE relies are vital to all forms of combat calculation and they will be considered throughout the EXCALIBUR System of attacks.

4.1. Positioning and Movement

A typical mission usually starts with the player’s Lance immersed within a map. The spawning positions were defined in a predefined .json file the game uses that’s called spawn protection zones. This system’s purpose is manifold, it allows that the player sees who the mission contract opponents are according to the map’s positioning and to hint to the player where the shiniest prize of the mission is supposed to be. That can be an industrial compound housing precious operational financial assets or an important strategic building, for instance. The map will define the total number of turrets and other defenses available to be issued as support if the conditions are set in the additionalParameters of the contract, giving the player distortion tiers and their combat force reinforcement types and which spawn defense phase group to use. The game creates a defense phase group for both onTable and reinforcement options that become available to the player. In different positions the support systems for dropPublicSlot1 will be available if the combat type is set to Reinforcement.

Positioning and movement are essential aspects of the gameplay within any MechWarrior title, and these aren’t missing in MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries either. We can look at this from many angles, such as first immediately finding oneself within a map from the battle start. Then we move our mech to the heart of the conflict or strafe the city streets for our support to call reinforcements, anti-air turrets or ammunition drops, and at the end how to leave the battlefield without getting our mech destroyed and fully repair it after battle to use in another contract.

4.2. Targeting and Firing Techniques

The Targeting System or TDC can be configured to lock targets on 240º, 180º or 120º, the higher setting allowing less movement for the turret. This is an essential system, but it remains automatic and relatively simple to use. It utilizes the R system, detecting enemy units and showing which units are the biggest threat to the player and to allies. In more complicated battles, it is necessary to micro-manage the allied units in order to isolate and focus fire on some dragon units while other allied units focus on another dangerous opponent. There are multiple Targeting Modes: Select Next Unit Action, Scanned Unit, Nearest, Nearest Hostile, Nearest Elite, and Nearest Contact. The Action part has the choices: Hold Fire, Tag Target, Attack, Order weapons free, Order weapons hold fire and do not use highlighted target, and Attack Support.

As the game is single player, the player must manually gather information on all enemy units. It is necessary to have some knowledge about all units that will be engaged. A Thermal Vision mod can be equipped, putting the enhanced imaging information on the HUD, with the R system automatically filtering the detected enemy and neutral (non-hostile) units. There are extended systems showing enemy armor, weapons, the view cone and fire arc. In combat, it is possible to order allied units on navigation, hold position, turret mode, slow movement and to target and fire control.

5. Advanced Mech Customization

How can a MechSim be a good game without having advanced MechCustomization? That is not possible, so MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries has a lot less Advanced MechCustomization! To be completely honest with you, we would have loved to have even more options. Unfortunately we need to restrict certain aspects of earlier titles to make the game feel even a bit like the old games. It’s still the MechWarrior feeling in a completely different kind of game and MechBays are a proof for that.

So far we haven’t shown that much about the MechBays or the MechLab in MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries, even if it’s a very important part of the game. The MechLab is what ties everything together and for us it’s the most special part of the game. It is very unique and essential in a lot of ways and we wanted to show how this affects the rest of the game, world or story wise. Many people have been asking for a lot of different things here and we can finally answer the main question with a combination of screenshots and more insight. MechWarrior 5: Custom Built Mechs. It is important to note that this is an early MechLab Art. It still needs polish.

5.1. Engine and Chassis Upgrades

In the sparkling lineup of chassis, your mercenaries will have access to a range of chassis parts for your mechs. Some of these include technology restrictions (IS or Clan). Components are as diverse as chassis, and most of these have unique stats. Together with the eight-point fixed component, some of your mechs are brought to the battlefield with an infinite range of replacements with different stats building concept. A mech can ultimately have 12 components sticking to the concept of lightweight, armor install an XL300 and try to get 1,500+ armor when somehow or go crazy with the stocking limbs to survive the loss of core torso. The weight of chassis and the weight of components are not as simple as you might think; whereas tanks can mess with the armor for speed, mechs move in direct equipment. The top armor also weighs double the bottom armor since in some combat scenarios, you are more likely to take damage to the exposed mounts.

Depending on the mech that you end up using, you could have access to an incredibly wide list of chassis that span from small to assault mechs. Lower chassis don’t have to be worse; you can find light mechs that are really quick and could help you fulfill your objectives of fast and discreet combat. Mechs can be equipped with a total of 12 components, and these can go from fixed-standard components to improve movement or combat characteristics with omnimechs.

5.2. Armor and Internal Structure Modifications

Of course, weight savings come from the removal of base armor to the structure. Differences come from the fact that armor has a heavier weight-to-tons ratio, making it better weight savings on a per-ton basis compared to the structure. The decision to increase a location’s armor or internal structure will mainly depend on the orientation of the battle. If you expect said location to receive more damage that should actually pierce into the structure, internal structure would be the better choice. More damage that should tear through armor would suggest an armor upgrade to become more appropriate. Keep in mind the many factors that can hit your choice, however. What type of protection comes in stock for this location? A basic example of internal structure is the large tube hosts in the center torso area. Known for their deep sink, they provide an additional heat sink location that will keep your heat levels at a higher level even after the total destruction of the center torso armor. With a basic structure, they will be the first to explode, alongside the criticals they will surely cause when heating up. With an ironwrought structure, and therefore the criticals redistribution, they will keep functioning properly. Other known examples include armored actuator locations, improving the structure strength of the biologically sensitive areas, providing not only future components but also functioning buff capabilities. Protecting them can be a wise idea.

Armor and structure are important attributes to consider for your chassis. Thus, our capacity to modify them should obviously be expected. The game being based heavily on detail and maximizing the immersion factor. Each chassis would be pre-generated with a specific set of hardpoints configurations, maximum available armor, armor location choices, and internal structure choices. All that said, there won’t be any gear tuning whatsoever.

6. Analysis of Enemy Units

Small arms and vehicle-scale weapons range is always within the range of your weapons when piloting the Mech. Enemy vehicles, you definitely know you have encountered a battle of man small arms fire. These threats can also be effectively neutralized. Longer-ranged weapons effectively deal with smaller, more agile targets when they approach the effective range where they become a priority. Always remain aware of the potential presence of the smaller vehicles while keeping an eye on the area. Long-ranged strikes on engaging infantry are typically safer.

Small arms and vehicle-scale weapons range is always within the range of your weapons when piloting a Mech. Separate the infantry and vehicles around each of their weaknesses. Succumbing to these threats can be humiliating. Red designates a target zone as the location of a typical human infantryman, and a vehicle weapon can be deadly, eliminating the target. These threats can also be effectively neutralized. Longer-ranged weapons effectively deal with smaller, more agile targets when they approach the effective range where they become a priority.

In summary, learn how to play naturally and leverage the skills and knowledge gained to understand how to outthink and outmaneuver the enemy’s AI. These skills will help you become a significantly more effective pilot in all scenarios. Understand range management. Allow your understanding of the range limitations and engage in more effective combat. Place your partner in a favorable tactical position and manage ranges, allowing them to operate in a more effective manner.

Range combat will reward you at all times and is the largest force multiplier available to you. You will kill enemies and take no damage in return. Target enemies with long-range weapons, with an expectation of removing them from the battlefield before they can deal you damage. Once you have mastered this concept and your aim becomes second nature, arrange your own practice in increasing the number of enemies that can engage you at all ranges.

6.1. Mech Variants and Loadouts

Find Loadout feature. In MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries, a player has the possibility to search for mechs which fit the requirements that are set and combine different variants and models in one loadout. A travel weight should not exceed the limit of drop tonnage, and the settings of Min MaxEngine and Min MaxTonnage, as well as OptimalTonnage, are considered. It is important to have these features for a minimal time-to-drop optimization.

Mech variants are connected with mech manufacturers. Each mech has several models or variants, and its main difference is that each model variant is tuned for specific roles. Equipment placement, hardpoints location, cockpit locations, and tonnage of each element, and equipment availability define the role of a mech in a battle. Different mechs used in a lance supplement each other on a battlefield and give their lance immense might. The variety of loadouts and customization possibilities are the most prominent MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries feature. As it was mentioned before, friendly AI customization on a mechs level is a relevant system. Using different mech variants in a game also affects the income if mechs were salvaged. Each variant adds a new card to the ‘drawing’ system based on rarity and Battle Value formula created before.

6.2. Vehicle and Turret Types

Light, medium, and heavy tracked vehicles Tracked vehicles concentrate on inflicting as much damage as possible in a single shot, or to be used as artillery bombardment or missile platforms, mostly used to support heavy and assault ‘Mechs. The light and medium variants also have a fair chance against weakly armored or less nimble light ‘Mechs and offer a class unique functionality by using these fast-firing weapon classes against unprotected enemies.

Light, medium, and heavy wheeled vehicles The dazzling speed and quick-firing weapons make rapid ground vehicles a threatening sight for the infantry, supporting the light ‘Mech assets and being of paramount importance during reconnaissance. Lightly armored, such ‘Mechs represent their main threat. For those ‘Mechs with medium and heavy cannon weaponry, the vehicle is largely irrelevant and inappropriate. The most important function is the bush ranger, who uses complete lines of shrouds to take cover. Only by identifying the locations of the drones’ turrets or the locations of the pike ‘Mechs (either as waypoints for artillery bombardment or as priority targets in warfare) is the vehicle appropriate. For hunting these quick-moving enemies, those equipped with fast-firing machine guns are often modified.

7. Multiplayer Gameplay

The game presented is at a very early stage of development, and in the words of Russ Bullock, CEO at Piranha Games: «We’ve got a ton of time for input on MechWarrior 5, and we are going to use it to make the multiplayer co-op experience the best MechWarrior experience ever.»

The video presented is about 50 minutes long and demonstrates the new mechanics that are different from singleplayer gameplay. A mode called «Career Mode» is presented that will allow dedicated co-op gameplay with their friends and will have access to the entire Steam workshop content, which includes maps, pilots, mechs, and procedurally generated missions.

I am fully aware this section was supposed to be 2 or 3 paragraphs long, but since the last update, a multiplayer gameplay trailer of MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries has been uploaded to the MechWarrior Channel on YouTube.

7.1. Co-op Missions

The session host is in charge of the squad. Only the session host is able to access bunkers throughout a mission, command allied AI units, and give follow commands to co-op players in either a ‘Mech or an instant action match. Additionally, the session host also has the power to reassign any assets. Co-op players have access to the «surrender» option in ‘Mechs, but unlike the host, they do have the ability to end the mission during specific engagements.

7.1.5. The person in charge of the player squad in co-op

To prevent hacks, there are certain restrictions in place regarding the selection of any ‘Mechs and the overall loadout when joining someone else’s session. These restrictions are in place to make sure that players can’t instantly join others and complete missions in an ill-intended faster than normal way.

7.1.4. Blindly accepting co-op invitations from strangers and hacking protection

While playing co-op missions, the amount and difficulty level of enemies that spawn will scale alongside players.

7.1.3. Co-op balance and mission-dependent difficulty

Yes, any save game progress is shared within the squad. However, only the session host can make progress in the campaign and select missions to be played.

7.1.2. Do players share a saved game in MW5 Mercenaries co-op?

Up to 4 players can play through the campaign or instant action missions together in an online squad. A commercially available high-speed broadband internet connection is required to play MW5 Mercenaries cooperatively through its co-op feature.

7.1.1. How many players can play MW5 Mercenaries through co-op and how do they join each other in squads online?

7.2. Competitive Modes

Being able to set up a contract, a specific combat match, or a quick play option, multiplayer challenge could also benefit from a few choice settings relating to victory conditions, game states, top deck rules, and first turn advantages for players or groups with overwhelming strategic potential. You win the game either by wiping out the opposing group or holding onto a specific location or target for a number of turns, and again map alterations may offer specific strategic advantages like resource-rich spawn zones. Examples would be like valleys for lower profile units when attacked from above, a rail-hill to bridge impassable marshes, roads to relocate more than once per single turn, or escalator-like resource deposit layers that both sides can use.

A secondary online mode might be that of competitive multiplayer. Two teams of players go against each other in a battle, as in the single-player campaign, except that only one team will see any gain from the battle, with all the spoils going exclusively to the winning team. It is a play mode that can generally benefit from a preselection of acceptable loading times, lag reduction, dependable connections, and the use of larger maps for battles for in-game advantage, as well as requirements for in-game accomplishments. As the game currently begins to show options for matches of this type, it does not seem to have yet represented any specific advantages for this multiplayer option flow.

8. Technical Aspects and Performance Optimization

Especially important is the culling of the search space for weapons. When it comes to lasers and PPCs, the game selects weapons visible at the start of a constellation and precomputes aiming trace for those visible and potentially visible. LRM flight height is the main limiting factor for calling LRM weapons. Target visibility data is provided by mech cockpit view test results. Such data is used by LRMs to find a target coordinate for a launcher. The position of a target center of a circle or a sphere is the same as the player view target. Thus, target visibility test results can also be reused by LRMs for weapon choosing.

The game uses a number of techniques for performance optimization. Among them are prebaked vertex lights, precomputing and caching visibility data from the mechs, caching cockpit data, culling of occluded building parts, culling of occluded units whose camera is in the cockpit, culling of instanced static gadgets whose camera is within the cockpit volume, chaining uniform blocks to reduce the number of uniform switches, using hierarchical illumination volumes, and performance optimizations using GPU vendor graphic card’s control.

The game’s graphics can be tuned in the game settings, but additional graphic card control can lead to even better results.

In this chapter, we discuss technical solutions implemented in the game. We also present performance optimization results and comparison with other games.

8.1. Graphics and Sound Design

The remarkable graphics are associated with great sound design. The game relies heavily on the remarkable professionalism of the performing team. The sound design of MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries is at a very high level. Entering an urban environment, the player will clearly hear their own echoes, the turmoil of civilians, just like in the middle of a big city. The sound of a battle is different. The player will hear an explosion right before the enemy’s artillery strikes their character. Only the seriously ill and imaginative minds would dare to pass the level without sound. I was delighted with the game’s sound performance from the very first replay. The dynamics of the sound is quite high and the game uses sound in a very complex way. In particular, the voice dialogue is spectacular. The narrator speaks with great clarity, as he must. The radar is also your main clue. When you listen to spoken words, their meaning is clearly revealed. Soundscapes will guide the player. I believe the graphics and sound system are the game’s main strength. The mechanics should have needed more detail and I was very pleased as a user.

8.2. System Requirements

Recommended system requirements: – Requires a 64-bit processor and OS – OS: Windows 7, Windows 8.1 or Windows 10 (64-bit versions) – Processor: Intel Core i7-6700K/AMD Ryzen 7 1700 – Memory: 16 GB RAM – Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070/AMD RX Vega 56 – DirectX: Version 11 – Network: Broadband Internet connection – Storage: 55 GB available space

Minimum system requirements: – Requires a 64-bit processor and OS – OS: Windows 7, Windows 8.1 or Windows 10 (64-bit versions) – Processor: Intel Core i3-7100/AMD Ryzen 3 1200 – Memory: 8 GB RAM – Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770/AMD Radeon R9 280X – DirectX: Version 11 – Network: Broadband Internet connection – Storage: 55 GB available space

The first thing you are going to want to look at before purchasing and downloading the game onto your computer are the MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries system requirements. These requirements can give you a good idea whether or not the game is going to be able to run on your computer, and even if it can run if your computer has the capability to be able to handle the game. Here are the MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries system requirements:

9. Community Mods and User-Generated Content

There are so many good games, like MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries. Exposed frameworks for detailed modding allow industry use-cases to emerge. These frameworks expose the game mechanics and reuse game data to develop game-related websites that take game experiences and gameplay to the next level. The games we develop and play have communities that can create additional value if proper tools and platforms are provided to support these community-driven content-creation functions. MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries does precisely just that through its heavy embrace of mods and user-generated content on its Epic Game Store platform. With these tools, game developers can leverage the socially embedded resource, allowing for even more content to be developed with little financial risk.

One of the big differences between the MechWarrior games of today versus the original MechWarrior games released back in the 1990s is the huge role the gaming community plays in sustaining value in a game post-launch. In the original games, a game developer had the goal of releasing a title without bugs and players had the job of not cheating. Today, the goals have evolved for game developers and for players. We now see game developers working with the gaming community as partners and no longer simply as paying customers. There are built-in data and input collection features on nearly every title tracked for the industry, allowing game developers to understand the balance of their game, spot bugs and performance issues earlier, and predict player behavior.

9.1. Popular Mods and Their Impact

Custom Fonts – As space games become larger, their developers fear that these text replacements will ingrain themselves regardless of the consensus, in a typed format that cannot be updated as new information becomes available.

Ammo Explosion – This adds several new turret destruction types, making the battlefield that much more realistic and potentially dangerous.

80% BT Mod – The number of Mech chassis on both sides tends to destroy the verisimilitude of the underlying tabletop game. This mod deploys only 80% of the typical number of Mechs. It also removes reinforcement events in this version.

Increased Salvage Rate – At default settings, damaging a Mech to a knockdown state then following up with an immediate kill will allow only 1-2 parts. This mod gives 4-5 parts to the player.

Better AI – An improvement over the AI of computer opponents, this mod increases their cautiousness by setting their timidity level to 1, nor will they attack enemies that are outside their scanner range.

Increased View Distances – An increasingly popular mod, this allows a player to significantly increase their in-game camera view distance. This increases realism and gameplay, reducing the advantage of computer-guided weapons by preserving a human’s natural superiority in correctly identifying threats and guiding fire to hit.

MechWarrior 5 utilizes a «ModTek» format allowing players to modify the game to suit their desires. So far, several prominent mods have appeared:

10. Conclusion and Future Developments

The conclusion provides a summary of the text that should be present in the final result. Major findings should be emphasized and suggestions for further work may also be included.

10.1. Summary of Key Findings

BattleMech combat findings: – The player is bound by electronic countermeasures rules when deploying BattleMechs in combat, as well as how the enemy force is configured. – The AI will explore spawns and designated locations on the way to the objective while operating BattleMechs, and bunker down while within the shooting range of the spawn, potentially ignoring followers. – The likelihood of taking damage varies by the quality of armor. – When two BattleMechs collide, the lighter vehicle without an offset mass balance will be knocked off balance. – The availability of Ammunition and Heat Sinks, as well as the weapon configuration, are predetermined for all non-playable BattleMechs operated by the AI.

Game design findings: – Economy in MechWarrior 5 is influenced almost exclusively by mission rewards, and incentives for different types of missions are not guaranteed to be balanced. – The game imposes tight restrictions on mercenary company operations to generate a time-limited condition for completion of game objectives in three consecutive decades. Consequently, there is a limit to how much in-game currency the player can gather, given that the player is not paid to field the entire force of BattleMechs they have, and that the player must also maintain it during periods of inactivity. – The player can substitute a partially or wholly damaged BattleMech by accepting the repair cost calculation and the travel time penalty.

We have carefully analyzed the game data and game mechanics of MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries and highlighted our key findings. Our analysis results are grouped as follows:

10.2. Upcoming Updates and Expansions

Regarding expansions, MercTech and DLC are already confirmed. MercTech is focused on the addition of new features and mechs to the game, while the exact content of the DLC has not been made public at this time. MercTech will be provided as a free update to all players and is part of the Season Pass included with the online pre-orders of the game. These new features and mechs can be seen as part of the patch content that was cut due to the game’s technical limitations. The future patches and expansions are an excellent sign of Piranha Games’ commitment to improving MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries, a significant boost in several aspects of «every criticism you could make about the game».

At the time of finishing this analysis, Piranha Games announced that there are four major patches planned to be released in the near future. Patch one is focused on stability, performance, and UI fixes, while the three following patches will introduce additional content related to features that suffered from the game’s optimization requirements and therefore didn’t make it into the game’s release. This new content includes, but is not limited to, Unity Mod Support, additional starter mechs in the Black Market, mouse improvement changes, ultrawide monitor support, and leaderboard for Infinite and Single mission modes. The changes to the mouse controls are designed to replace some of the auto-aim functions that are responsible for the heated discussions on internet forums. Several community user interface and balance mod suggestions are currently under review by the developers and may be included in a future patch.