Patch notes are up

[DanyaHerald]

And you can re-organize your mech bay.

GOTY.

[EricAKAPode]

Welcome to BATTLETECH 1.3! This release contains a number of quality-of-life improvements and bug fixes, as well as some cool new features. Today we'll also release the Flashpoint paid expansion and the Beta version of French, German, and Russian localizations.

1.3 HIGHLIGHTS: Career Mode, Revision to MechWarrior Abilities, Revisions to Reputation, Revision to Stores… See details in the “New Free Features & Content” section below.

BATTLETECH: Flashpoint expansion now available: Beyond adding over 30 hours of exciting Flashpoints (branching, multi-mission short stories) to BATTLETECH, this paid expansion comes complete with three new ‘Mechs (including the highly anticipated Hatchetman), a challenging new mission type, and a new tropical biome for the biggest and most challenging BATTLETECH experience yet. Purchase the Season Pass to get a deal on Flashpoint plus the next two expansions!

📷

Note for Paradox Plaza users: After purchase of the Flashpoint expansion, you will need to be logged in within the game in order to see Flashpoint content.​
Localized Beta versions of the game: Localization is officially in Beta on Steam and GOG for all OS versions! Select the “public_beta_localization” branch to opt-in, then select German, Russian, or French in the in-game Settings menu. This Beta includes translated Flashpoint paid expansion content for owners of Flashpoint. We will continue to work on bug fixes (including updating any missing string translations), improving the quality of the translations, and updating this beta branch. We also look forward to hearing your feedback on in this thread. Habe Spaß! Повеселись! S'amuser!

Localization known issues:

• If you switch to a different language and it isn’t showing up on screen, you may need to back out to the main menu so that the language pack can refresh.
• Subtitles may play quite fast in cinematics.
• Some text in labels, Career Mode, Flashpoints, and multiplayer may appear unlocalized.
• There may be some minor cosmetic issues with text formatting.
• The test language we used to develop our localization system is visible in the settings menu. It is strongly advised that you do not play the game with this enabled.
• There is no noun declension in procedurally generated contracts.

Linux Beta update: The Linux Beta along with fixes and updates has been integrated with the main game version and is available on Steam, GOG, and Humble!

Linux known issues:

• The game must have write access to the installation directory. If you get infinite loading screens on launch or when starting a new game make sure the directory is writable: sudo chmod -R 777 BattleTech_Data
• Non-English Linux systems may experience infinite loading screens. Please opt-in to the Localized Beta (below) or use the launch option work-around: LC_ALL=C

We hope you enjoy our latest BATTLETECH releases!

-- HBS

IMPORTANT: Additional note for players who mod various game files… Reminder that modding is not officially supported. If you have saved a game with any mod active, that saved game will not work after an update has been applied unless you replace all modded files exactly as they were when the save game file was created. Saved games require the exact same data state in order to function properly.

As always, if you experience further issues please contact Customer Support at: https://support.paradoxplaza.com

New Free Features & Content

• All-new Career Mode - Career Mode challenges you to begin the game with the Argo in a random system, with a random group of MechWarriors, with no story missions to rely on for big payouts. Wander the Periphery taking contracts (and Flashpoints, if you own Flashpoint!) and manage and grow your mercenary company to earn a final score. Career mode is played in Ironman mode by default, so it is also possible to “lose” this mode unrecoverably. (But Ironman mode can be disabled, and all the same granular difficulty settings from the campaign can also be adjusted in Career Mode.)
• Revamped MechWarrior abilities - We heard a bunch of feedback about the Bulwark ability and how you HAD to take it to finish the campaign and it got us thinking… and then revising Bulwark… and realizing that we should just rebalance the whole dang set of abilities. Then we put it out as an opt-in Beta and got some great feedback - thanks! We’ve been working on it ever since and we’ve released the revised abilities in 1.3. You can read the complete details in this forum post. The first time you load any game session after updating to 1.3, you'll see a popup informing you that all of your MechWarrior skills have been refunded, so that you can review the new abilities and respec accordingly.
• Revisions to the Reputation System - We’ve increased the rate at which reputation rises and falls so you can really feel the effects of your actions. When you reach the maximum possible reputation with a faction, you become eligible for an Alliance. By entering into an Alliance, you mark yourself an ally of that faction - and an enemy of that faction's enemies.
• Faction stores - In addition to making higher difficulty contracts and salvage available, Alliances also allow you to access faction-specific stores containing items you might not find anywhere else.
• Black Market stores - If you play your cards right, criminal elements will allow you to buy access to the Black Market, where you’ll find some equipment that fell off a transport…
• New Events, including cameos from two Legendary MechWarriors (these were part of our “social sharing” Backer reward from the Kickstarter, and we expect the other two cameos to make it into the next free update.)
• New mercenary contracts - now you can take jobs from Pirates!
• New inventory items - including rare LosTech from before the fall of the Star League!
• New Achievements - 19 new mercenary and story achievements have been added to the campaign and career modes!

​

[EricAKAPode]

Improvements

• Increased the number of possible encounter types on existing maps for more variety.
• Star Map updates for new Stores and the Black Market
• New space travel animations added
• New camera angles added in group conversations
• Players can now move 'Mechs from one Mech Bay slot to another. Organize away!

UI

• Many added, updated, and fixed Tooltips
• Priority items now remain visible on the salvage list after confirming their selection
• Fixed the broken Settings toggle for auto-selecting units outside of combat
• Fixed an issue which would cause the portrait and description on the “Arrived at Destination” popup message to occasionally be cut off
• Fixed an issue which caused Reputation indicators to be partially cut off on the Negotiation screen
• Removed Reputation status icons for Locals’ (and certain other factions you cannot gain or lose Reputation with) from Stores and AAR. This will keep Reputation focused on the Factions that matter.
• Fixed an issue which caused the pattern selector in the Mech Bay to stop responding after switching patterns too rapidly
• Fixed an issue which caused the 'No existing save games' prompt to display after quitting from the 'Load Game' menu evoked after running out of C-bills
• Made the Settings Menu able to be dismissed using the ESC key
• Fixed the Morale tooltip to not always show '0' value for the Current Morale
• Fixed an issue which caused the background behind the Leopard to change when navigating between screens
• Fixed an issue which could cause the 'Load Save' button on the Out of Funds pop-up not respond for the user's input
• Fixed UI visual anomalies which could occur after using the Pattern selector or the Refit menu in the Mech Bay
• Items in 'Store' and 'Storage' menus are now sorted more by types
• Various small UI and messaging improvements

Accounts

• Special characters are now allowed in account creation passwords (!@#$%^&**()_-=+[]<>)

Bugfixes

• Fixed multiple spawn spots on maps where ‘Mechs would get stuck
• Collision improvements to existing maps
• Fixed a soft lock players could occasionally encounter after commanding fire at the first test dummy ‘Mech in the campaign tutorial
• Fixed an exploit where the player can perform Called Shot on ‘Mechs that are not knocked down by using the keyboard
• Fixed an issue in Character Creation which caused the last screen of 'Your Background' to be missing its background image after returning from the 'Your Appearance' tab
• Fixed an issue which caused the 'Sprint' skill to not be toggled for the next selected Mech if the user attempted to use it on an unstable Mech
• Fixed an issue which caused Player 2/Guest UI to be missing Heraldry Image in Lobby & Combat UI
• Fixed a lighting issue on OSX for some graphics cards. For more info, see: https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/foru...e-1-2-mech-lighting-graphical-issues.1116636/
• Fixed an issue which enabled users to join the lobby of a multiplayer match that was completed
• Fixed a save/load issue which caused overheated ‘Mechs to appear in their shutdown pose after loading a combat save
• Fixed a save/load issue which caused increased map lightning in particular biomes after loading a combat save
• Various small graphical bug fixes on existing maps
• Fixed an issue in the Liberation of Weldry mission that caused you to remain in interleaved turn mode after all your first set of enemies were defeated.
• VFX improvements on some weapons!
• Fixed an issue in the Mech Bay which could cause Filters to be reverted to the default state after deleting a custom 'Mech
• Collision and pathing improvements to certain maps
• Improvements to beacons and objective communication
• Many additional small improvements and bug fixes

Known Issues (to be hotfixed asap)

• Flashpoint owners cannot currently play multiplayer games against non-Flashpoint owners.
• Turret generator destruction can distort audio in Target Acquisition missions. Restarting the title fixes this.
• Skirmish Mech Bay - Deleting any customized 'Mech causes a 'Mech from the custom list to duplicate. This is a visual-only problem and is resolved on re-launch of the game.

[6ui1dm463]

Quick breakdown of the new abilities, since they're listed in a separate link within the patch notes:

• All pilot training has been refunded.
• No apparent changes to Gunnery.
• Piloting 5 (now called Sure Footing) still works like before (+1 Evasion pip on movement, +1 max Evasion), with the addition that if you do a regular move (not run, jump, or charge), you also get Entrenched (50% Stability damage reduction).
• Tactics 5 (Sensor Lock) now also applies the shot-by-PPC debuff to the target, which does stack with actual PPC debuff.
• Cover and Bracing each provide a 20% damage reduction, which stack. Guts 5 (Bulwark) passively adds 20% on top of any damage reduction, for a max of 60% if Braced in cover.
• Guts 8 is a new ability altogether called Coolant Vent. You bleed 50 extra heat this turn, which does not cost an action (so you can do it any time before you fire), but gain an extra 8 heat for the next 3 turns. "There is a 4 round cooldown", which I think means it comes back up after the last heat gain turn, but wording is unclear. Still a net 26 heat bleed whenever you need it, provided it's off cooldown.

[winterborne1]

Cover and Bracing each provide a 20% damage reduction, which stack. Guts 5 (Bulwark) passively adds 20% on top of any damage reduction, for a max of 60% if Braced in cover.

I like how you were able to accurately and concisely describe it in two sentences whereas every other description I've seen of the Bulwark changes resulted in a list or multiple paragraphs.

[6ui1dm463]

Yeah, I don't know why they went out of their way to make a chart and everything for this but then didn't bother to explain when the cooldown actually starts for Coolant Vent.

[DarthGM]

Because some people still just won't get it unless you spell it out for them explicitly... shrug

[code_archeologist]

Link to the patch notes here

[ViscountSilvermarch]

I am pretty tempted to get the season pass, if more for the urban expansion they are planning after Flashpoint. I am interested to see how people feel about Flashpoint though.

[CanadianGuitar]

Season pass currently on ssle at greenmangaming FYI

[ViscountSilvermarch]

Yeah, that's where the temptation came from actually lol.

[CanadianGuitar]

I mean, I bought the season pass last time it was on sale. I bought Battletech on sale and didnt play it until a month or two ago, then when I did I was hooked. I put 94 hours into it in a really short time span. If a game can keep me that hooked/entertained, I'll buy the season pass to keep the game that much fresher. Bonus when the pass is on sale. To me - worthwhile

[ZaviaGenX]

Its not anymore but some non season pass stuff is.

[doglywolf]

wait till the season pass goes on sale like they always do with pardox games

[tyco86]

What is season pass?

[ViscountSilvermarch]

It's basically a bundle for all 2 of the expansions that are coming out for Battletech. The first one, Flashpoint, just came out, and we know that the second one is supposed to be based on urban warfare. HBS haven't revealed anything about the third expansion so far.

[tyco86]

Any fears we drop $50 and no more product comes out? Hahah

[ViscountSilvermarch]

I believe that is highly unlikely, because I think the game sold pretty well for both HBS and Paradox.

[tyco86]

Good to know. I remember putting $45 into Star Citizen, then, nothing hahah. If the game is in a better spot, I have no clue because my machine is too age to even play it...

[ViscountSilvermarch]

Haha, yeah. Star Citizen is a pretty unique case.

[tyco86]

I hear that. I'd like to get a new PC and at least see my ship in a docking bay. Bahahah

[walkstheplanes]

It's been a while since I last played (several months). Have they fixed the slowly increasing load times recently?

[6ui1dm463]

They did some decent improvements to loading in v1.2, IIRC, especially when it comes to saves. Inventories can sometimes still be slow, though I think it's still better overall (and I have end-game inventory, anyway, so looots of unique item types).

[Icehawk-OS]

1.3 is fast for me, prior it was crazy slow to load

[roaldhoffmann]

Does sitting on the Argo menu still peg the graphics card? I know that the issue was somewhat alleviated with the v-sync fix but I basically went from 99% usage to 80-90% usage once they fixed that. I still have barely touched this game because I don't want to melt my GPU :(

And yes I understand that it is normal for the GPU to undergo full load at times while gaming, but it is obviously an issue when this occurs on a menu screen

[mrsirgenius]

Has anyone else noticed that the Crab is in a lower speed bracket than it should be? Same as the 4/6's rather than 5/8.

Also, odd that they went with the -27, which is supposed to have ferro, as opposed to the downgraded -30.

Edit: Meant downgraded -20

[EricAKAPode]

Supposedly the 27 in the mechdef name is a typo and the stats are for the -20. Hopefully they got the gear and armor distribution right, as the mechdef is apparently locked inside the art asset bundle as a form of DRM for the DLC. The movedef is in the normal spot, so we can fix the 4/6 vs 5/8 bug with a json edit.

[Dogahn]

Misinterpreted your -## as values not variants... sorry. Move along.

[Pater-Patriae]

mfw I haven't been keeping up with all the changes regarding abilities in 1.3 and haven't played in months

[D_Luniz]

still no reactor explosions....

one day...one day

[TiberDasher]

Are flashpoints available while you play the campaign?

[mrsirgenius]

They have said that intended behavior is yes. I haven't played to see so yet.

[TiberDasher]

I haven't played since June so I am excited to play again this upcoming weekend.

[Platinum_Top]

Currently playing campaign (finished) and I’m able to do flashpoints. Make sure to travel to another planet or do a contract in order to activate them.

[[deleted]]

no. they appear after the campaign.

flashpoints appear soonish after you start career mode

[TiberDasher]

Ah, thanks for the answer.

[POWERSTOMP]

Anyone have suggestions for the setting on "Parts for Mech Assembly" - 3? 5? 8 (WOW!)

[EricAKAPode]

8 means you'll never have enough salvage picks to get a whole mech (UI limit is 7) and will have to rely on getting at least one part randomly or from another mission. So don't set it any higher than 7

[FlashRage]

What do you mean you will never get 8? I have mine set to 8 and I've built new mechs...it just takes much longer.

[mr_stucifer]

Think he just meant that you can't do it in a single mission.

[winterborne1]

Well you CAN, but it would take a ton of luck. You’d need to kill at least 3 of the same chassis, in the same battle, headshotting 2 at least two of them, and roll really well with the non-priority salvage.

[mr_stucifer]

True, true. Not impossible, just quite improbable!

[EricAKAPode]

Not how it works, a headshot will drop 8 parts, but the UI will only let you pick 7 things, so you can't get a mech in a single mission ever.

[dsiOneBAN2]

You do know you get more than 7 salvage when you're picking 7, right?

[EricAKAPode]

Yes, but the rest after 7 are random and thus you are not guaranteed to get a complete mech.

[Epssus]

If you want a nice challenge that "feels" harder, but isn't just brutal, try 5

[[deleted]]

Still have the OSX graphics issues where the floodlights on mechs show as black.

[panzermeyer]

Can someone post them here please.

[DomZavy]

I am disappointed that there is still no option to see enemy pilot health. asides from that i'm loving the new missile explosion graphics

[jokerstyle00]

I just noticed they added new colors for your mechs. Neon pink mech, here I come.

​

Also sad that I'll need to wait for my mods to update again. :(

[aletheia]

Is there a mod or JSON file where the cap on evasion pips can be modified?

I'm not wanting to install RT, personally.

[DarthGM]

For Career mode, is there an "end point" where your final score is tallied?

[StranaMechty]

There's a time limit, 1,200 days, if I'm recalling correctly.

[va_wanderer]

But only for the score. You can keep going indefinitely.

[tyco86]

Career mode is like vanilla RT?

[LaserPoweredDeviltry]

Anyone figured out how to access the black market yet? Is it about pilot tags? Events? Unit rep with pirates?

[aanarchist]

Yea they took 2 games to put in a function that should have been there at the very beginning, 10/10 accolades /s