Putting together a 'Getting started with Megamek HQ' video, suggestions?

[MoleMan]

I think this would be useful to get more people into this, rather than a bit intimidated, which I certainly was at first.

Not promising anything, but I'm going to try next week, and I plan on going from complete scratch, to getting a contract, to playing out the first scenario, including the following steps:

1.   Where to find the download. http://megamek.org/
2.   Point out the good documents within
3.   Downloading a good dice program, ThomasMarik has a good one linked on his YT videos.
4.   Downloading the ‘not so boring’ tileset (is that one considered the best? I don’t know it’s just one I transfer over and use every time I get the latest release)
5.   Downloading the facepacks
6.   Hand rolling my first lance (using AtB2.31 and the 3025-3039 RAT I found somewhere, no idea where now!)
7.   Going through the ‘Campaign Options’ setup
8.   Adding the new pilots, mechs, admins, techs, medics
9.   Ordering replacement parts/ammo
10.   Maintaining mechs/vees
11.   Creating lances/naming them/assigning images/assigning scout defend attack training roles
12.   Go through each tab on HQ
13.   Weekly tickover/personnel market
14.   Monthly tickover/mech market/choosing a contract
15.   Moving to the planet
16.   Advancing to a fight/launching/altering opfor/conditions/altering the options within(MUTE!). (I won’t go through how to actually use MM as that is another stupidly long video by itself)
17.   Post fight - /checkbv, /victory, /defeat, salvage tickboxes etc
18.   Repairs.
19.   Suggest people come here if they have any specific advice needed etc.


Does anyone have any suggestions for things I’ve missed?

This seems like it would take a few hours so it would probably be split up into multiple parts

[PurpleDragon]

You might give options for alternative ways of creating a unit; reference Campaign Ops, Interstellar Ops, StratOps,...

[Southernskies]

I'd suggest a 60 second 'quickstart' to open.

1. Change start year to 1/1/3024.
2. GM yourself 20M c-bills and then start playing the AtB markets.   >:D
3. Rain hail or bankruptcy, you must accept a contract by 1/1/3025 and commence playing.

Can give some really weird results (one time a Star League mech turned up on the table; at 75% cost!) but shows the struggle to build a unit.

Do you buy those crappy locusts now?  or wait for something more suitable in the coming months?

[NomadWanderer]

I just went through this process.

Frame of reference:
I played original boxed table top ~25 years ago. I stopped playing tabletop ~20 years ago, switching to all of the electronic versions. (never actually got to sit in one of those Battletech pods they had)

My process I followed:
I tried to use these forums first. There are threads in the forums that are titled "Getting Started". They are 30+ pages, and the Original post is three years old. I wasn't sure if a getting started from 3 yrs old was the most recent information.

I then posted in the forums, and other forum readers began to help me. This was huge. I found out about the Thomas Mark videos, and the DOCS/ATB folder.  Both were good sources of information.  I continued to post in the thread I created additional questions.  I still did not know what I didnt know. (I see things in your numbered list I don't know about and wish I did). I stumbled on this thread via a google search. http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php?topic=41494.msg957784#msg957784 which had some startup suggestions.

I recommend:
A starting paragraph explaining what you're going to do at a high level. Download programs, configure programs, etc.. Include that completing this will set them up with X situation, (3052, a dozen mechwarriors, 10 mechs, x finacnes, etc). Explain that some of the decisions you made in setting this up are debatable, and you are just using them to get their first game going.  After they complete the example setup, and play a little they will have enough understanding to start a new ATB campaign and tweak the values for themselves.  (Keep it a little simple by not making every step in this involve a decision/randomness from the new person..not everyone is coming from campaign tabletop/deep backrounds in battletech). Once they have a decent grip on MekHQ, they can start many campaigns with different settings.. they just have to get through their FIRST... That was my biggest trouble.

(as you have above) A stickied post with #'d steps. Each step covers a small section of the startup.  Configuring MekHQ part 1, part 2; Some of these might be in a you tube video, some might be simple enough to explain with a paragraph or less. Make the youtube videos short and very ontopic. Not 1 giant 30 min video on the whole campaign setup.. just 3-5 minutes on a tab or two.. that way, if changes do happen to MekHQ, you/someone can replace that one video with 5 minutes effort.. (its more work to create multiple smaller videos, but IMO is worth it).
Definitely include the part about possibly needing to use /victory or /defeat. I was not aware of it, and got stuck in a megamek session that wouldn't end.

include a second section with information for players that have completed the setup and played a little. Include alternative starts (like the one southernskies suggests), and also mention campaign settings/rule changes/"the debatable parts" of the setup

I'd finish up with putting a link to a separate thread where questions are handled. Then lock and sticky the thread.

Then update this sticked post as things change.. replace the link to the question thread when needed.

BTW, I'm refreshing this page waiting for you to put the links into the portraits and tilesets.. I want those! :)

[PurpleDragon]

I think covering the campaign options and the megamek options should be in there.   There are so many that a lot of players use and that a lot of players don't use as well.  Knowing what the options are, and how to save and reload them would be very handy to a new user. 

[MoleMan]

I think that's something that could benefit from a video on its own, I would just do a brief overview of the important things. No running before I can walk. The down time on here has meant I haven't gotten anywhere with it, will update when I have!

[MoleMan]

Nomad, I'll locate those portraits/tilesets for you, hopefully tonight.

As a personal reminder, here are the RAT tables I use for 3028-3050.

[JerseyMekWorks]

This video is a great idea. I think everyone struggles with their first couple of uses of MekHQ and AtB.

I second Nomad's suggestion of multiple 3 to 5 minutes videos discussing specific steps in the process. As AtB and MekHQ evolve, the short videos can be updated and replaced.

As these projects, both Megamek and the videos you propose, are labors of love / voluntary, please take my suggestions as just that, suggestions. I guess what would be a really excellent outcome would be if your videos became the repository of the collective learnings and knowledge of the community.

Topics / videos I would add:

1. What MekHQ and AtB are, what they are trying to do and a short history. I've found that laying out the 'philosophy' or goal of a system addresses a lot of questions out of the gate.

2. How to upgrade when a new version is released. It is really easy to do, after you have done it once.

3. Support and help that is out there. Short video about the Battletech forums, the Megamek forums, Thomasmarik's Marlow's Stingrays and Matt Chapman's AU, Howling Siegers and Mercenary campaigns.

4. How to make custom unit insignia and camo. A lot of experimentation required to figure out how to make things the right size and make the camo appear on the different sprites.

[elf25s]

while back some one had done this not sure how far it got tho i had not seen updates in their youtube channel

[MoleMan]

A link to the portraits:

http://megamek.info/forums/index.php?topic=727.0