Will there ever be an AeroTech computer game using AeroTech/AeroTech 2 rules?

[VF1LAM]

Dear friends:

I'm not sure exactly where to put this post, because it's about playing AeroTech (BattleTech with planes?) rather than playing BattleTech (ground combat).

My cousins are AeroSpace engineers in California, and one of them said that her second life's ambition was to be a fighter pilot, so for $40, I gave her the AeroTech 1st edition boxed set.  She's never played BattleTech, and if she can't figure out exactly how to play AeroTech, maybe a programmer friend of hers could help us all out and make a mock-up of an AeroTech computer game.

What I would personally like to see happen for AeroTech is that the BattleTech computer game (Harebrained Schemes, 2018) could be used as inspiration for a future game of Periphery mercenaries, with some additional inspiration from that retro game of all games, Renegade Legion:  Battle For Jacob's Star that was done a long time ago.  In that game, six fighters were the maximum on your side, and each could be piloted by a different character.  Imagine a squadron of two Stukas, two Rievers, and two Thunderbirds piloted by mercenaries?

To make it different than the Arano Restoration plot line, set the entire story out beyond the Outworlds Alliance -- a Periphery realm with a large AeroSpace corps -- which would assure that there are places to buy spare parts or (possibly on the black market) parts to construct mercenary fighters.  People could fly a Leopard-CV DropShip or something bigger than the Argo, like a modified Titan Class DropShip that can carry an entire AeroSpace Wing worth of fighters at once?

I apologize for the length of this post, but I always thought that the original AeroTech 1st edition was complicated, and never bought the AeroTech 2nd edition boxed set.  That is what got me thinking about putting all those complex flight maneuvers and gravity mechanics on a computer, to make an AeroTech computer game.

Tell me if anyone else has an interest in putting AeroTech on the computers of the world, and if this post needs to be moved to another heading on the forum.

[pokefan548]

Sadly, it's not likely. The aerospace component of BattleTech is generally neglected next to the 'Mechs, tanks, et cetera. If you're interested in playing tabletop, though, the current, more refined rules are in Total Warfare (though there are some problems with how it's taught, but asking around for help with folks more experienced helps).

If there were to be an AeroTech game, I would enjoy something along the lines of Ace Combat. A more simulation-oriented game would be nice, but I feel like it might not attract a large enough playerbase to justify the cost. As for a fan game, MegaMek supports aerospace movement on the ground map, low-altitude map, and space map. Breaks a bit in some edge cases though.

[Sartris]

Digital rights are owned by Microsoft so either they’d have to do it (exceedingly slim odds) or someone like HBS would have to pay some kind of royalty to do it. Without some kind of specific draw that would bring in battletech players, you might as well just use an original premise and likely get the same result

[MarauderD]

While your idea sounds cool as hell, I think Sartris rightly points out that the rights to produce a game are a mess, and Microsoft holds the key. 

I'd pay money to play it--especially if HBS was involved, because I loved the hell out of their version of BattleTech. 

[Luciora]

Makes me wish there was an Aetotech version of Renegade Legion: Interceptor, the old DOS turn based game.  I used to play that all the time.

Had a custom built fighter I called the Jalthi (usually used the Space Gull hull) that had max armor,triple maxed engines, decent shields, move of 6, and 3 laser 7.5/5s, 3 TPP/16s and a single hardpoint usually for ECM.   You could only fire 5 weapons at a time, but you would use the all the lasers and 2 tpps at range, then swap to 2 lasers then 3 TPPs up close to widow armor and cause massive crits, with how the system was designed.  Yes, it was designed after the Wing Commander Kilrathi fighter of the same name.

[MarauderD]

Makes me wish there was an Aetotech version of Renegade Legion: Interceptor, the old DOS turn based game.  I used to play that all the time.

Had a custom built fighter I called the Jalthi (usually used the Space Gull hull) that had max armor,triple maxed engines, decent shields, move of 6, and 3 laser 7.5/5s, 3 TPP/16s and a single hardpoint usually for ECM.   You could only fire 5 weapons at a time, but you would use the all the lasers and 2 tpps at range, then swap to 2 lasers then 3 TPPs up close to widow armor and cause massive crits, with how the system was designed.  Yes, it was designed after the Wing Commander Kilrathi fighter of the same name.

I remember the Jalthi from the Super Nintendo version of Wing Commander!

[CVB]

Makes me wish there was an Aetotech version of Renegade Legion: Interceptor, the old DOS turn based game.  I used to play that all the time.

One of the few games I keep an old DOS6.22 machine for. Just played it for a couple of weeks last month.
Remarkably bug free without any patches (Just 3 bugs: turret gunners don't increase skill, turret weapons always fire after hull weapons, and light MDCs get the full range of heavy ones)

[dgorsman]

While your idea sounds cool as hell, I think Sartris rightly points out that the rights to produce a game are a mess, and Microsoft holds the key.

Not so much a key as a loose thread.  And like most of those once you start pulling there's no telling where it ends.

[Daryk]

Such a game might be marketable with a story line as strong as the Aurigans. Good luck with that! 

[Sledgehammer]

I work in the Aviation industry, so i actually work with performance charts and flight planning full time. So I can sympathize with op and his relatives.

 In my opinion the rules in the total warfare book are not well written or easily decipherable, and to top it off I know of no one locally who will even allow the use of aerospace assets in their games due to the indecipherability of their rules, and a fear of them making mechs redundant. FAA regs and official flight documents are easier to follow than the aerospace rules.

In my opinion the majority of the designs are just straight up ugly, and outdated which only exacerbates the problem of people not wanting to use them.

Personally I REALLY like the shadow hawk lam in Aerospace mode, but getting people to accept the use of LAMS is even harder.

I'd love to see a battletech game that integrated the aerospace stuff in it, but It's going to be the last thing on the list to add.

[VF1LAM]

My view of it is simply that the Outworlds Alliance is near the Exodus Road, so it would allow Star League storehouses / hangars / asteroid bases like Camelot Command to exist, and possibly some tie-in with Wolf's Dragoons or Clan Wolverine supply bases near the Inner Sphere.  Thus advanced components and Star League weapons could be used.

The Camelot Command-style base could have a treasure trove of logistical spare parts, plus a salvageable Titan Class DropShip for replacing the original Leopard-CV they use!  [cf. Leopard and Argo in BattleTech by HBS]

I could also add that there are mods / patches already that allow the player of HBS BattleTech to deploy six 'Mechs on the battlefield (or at least I saw it on YouTube!), and to put eighteen 'Mechs in storage that can be customized.  The only problem with the Titan Class DropShip, because it is Star League material, is that it could deploy all eighteen in space at once, and that would be mass combat and a tactical nightmare for the player's administration abilities in battle.  Also, since ASF [air] lances usually fly in groups of two, with one ASF commander and one wingman of lower rank, how would ASF deployments of two, six, or even eighteen for major battles be handled?

[idea weenie]

Depending on how good you are at modding, how about using the engine for ΔV: Rings of Saturn to allow for FTL travel?

[BATTLEMASTER]

I believe the closest you're going to be able to get to a game with Aerotech units is building custom aircraft to resemble BattleTech aerospace fighters within X-Plane Flight Simulator.  I did this once with a Leopard Dropship and it was pretty awesome!

[ajac]

Id play it. Maybe some rule changes though. Like cap missiles being used against fights is just stupid. Giant large stupid missiles can track a fighter? But beyond that be fun. With or without warships.  Maybe even some convectional fighter and VTOL missions to as well as close air support.

[Daryk]

Those "giant large missiles" are merely the size of fighters, and don't have a pilot to worry about.  At worst, they should be massive overkill... 

[Maingunnery]

Well there are sandbox space games (such as Space Engineers) in which Aerospace designs can be recreated, but to play a scenario will require scrips or a dedicated OPFOR players.