HBS Expansion Thread- its time for II (spoilers)

[MarauderD]

I've heard good things, but bought 0 items on my first career playthrough after paying 2.5 million TWICE.  Started my second career and sorely tempted to just ignore the black market, especially since I upped the difficulty and have 'stingy' contracts.

[Jayof9s]

I played through (I think) all but 3 of the flashpoints (I did all the normal ones and then the flashpoints for allying with Davion and Marik, but not Liao, Kurita, or Steiner) in the career mode I just finished and the rewards are kind of all over the place.

I got a Gauss Rifle+ from my first flashpoint (no ammo though). I got pieces of the Royal Highlander (and eventually collected it) after enough of them. I received a few other scattered pieces of lostech but more often than not ended up with an interesting scattering of stuff that was usually a lot more anticlimactic than the hoped for lostech. I also got quite a few pieces of the Black Knight but not royal. I did pick up a few full mechs (usually lights) as rewards and I ended up getting some nice gyros and other upgrades as well.

There were a few 'fixed' rewards that included a little more lostech and while the loot tables have some good stuff and a nice variety they almost had too much. They all have a chance to get lostech but it's far from assured, so on missions that claim Lostech as a reward you're not actually assured to get any outside of 1-2 exceptions.

As for the Blackmarket: I don't think I ever saw any lostech on it and I went to a LOT of black market stores, once I unlocked it I found myself drawn to them, hoping for more rare loot. There was some decent stuff but nothing game breaking that I saw. After being unable to afford the unlock the first time it popped up, I focused on getting on the pirates' good side and was able to buy in for 25k when it was eventually offered to me again; it was worth that price for sure.

[Firesprocket]

I've played through -4 flashpoints by now and I have to say I'm not terribly impressed with the rewards.  Also, difficulty seems all over the place for a given number of skulls.  I've got a little less than a year left in career mode and still looking for my first assault.  Is this typical?  I left iron man mode on so I've played somewhat cautiously but so far even finding a mission with assaults is difficult.

It all depends on how big a sandbox you are playing in.  I had difficulty having the want to leave a planet and play out all the missions for extra cash or salvage since the day counter isn't ticking down after each completed mission.  The incentive is there to press through what you can and then move on. Find a planet that is 4 or 4/5 skulls and the assault mechs will finally start showing up.

The issue that I was having that kept me stalled out for a few hundred days was I couldn't seem to get any OPFOR mechs to show up that hand multiple missile ports and once i did I couldn't find a place that would sell me larger LRM missions.  I'm at the point I can play with pretty much any weapon and have no issues against the OPFOR.  The game though becomes far more difficult when the OPFOR shows up with 2 two three mechs with modest LRMs and weapons locks that just soften you up before you can draw LOS to annihilate them with your DF weapons.

[Fat Guy]

I wish the Faction Alliance flashpoints gave you something different for each Great House. Three of them give you an ER PPC, the other two a Medium Pulse Laser.

Maybe there should be an Achievement for completing all five?

[Phobos]

No, they don't give you that, they just gave YOU that. It's random. I even got a Gauss Rifle from one of the Flashpoints additionally to the two you get if you choose a certain FP mission over another. I also got a Small Pulse as reward though...

[Fat Guy]

You got that gauss from a Faction Alliance flashpoint, or just a regular flashpoint?

There's two regular flashpoints where you can get a gauss (or two).


Faction Alliance flashpoints are only available once you finish all the regular flashpoints and are allied with a great house.

[Jayof9s]

He's right, the loot from the faction-specific 'end game' quests is random. I've completely 2 of the 5 but my loot was different from yours.

[Phobos]

Jep, I got the GR from the Steiner Allience FP, the small Pulse from the Davion FP, I think.

[IAMCLANWOLF]

Scored my second Gauss and threw them both on one of my King Crabs (along with a +++PPC) for a play on the "ClanBuster" variant. Really sweet counter-sniper, actually. At least in the right terrain. Takes forever to heat-up, too. Not as scary as an Atlas II with 4 PPCs and a Gauss, but...

[Moonsword]

My comments in a chatroom on the mission I just played:

(9:36:10 PM) Moonsword: Good grief, what a meatgrinder.
(9:36:48 PM) Moonsword: Just had a 2.5 skull mission that had me jumped by six mediums and a Grasshopper.  I managed to get through, barely, through a combination of tactics, decent 'Mechs, and terrain.
(9:37:14 PM) Moonsword: It finally degenerated into a bunch of badly damaged 'Mechs, with the LRM 'Mech out of ammo, standing around and beating an enemy Wolverine to death with fists and feet.
(9:40:02 PM) Moonsword: So four 55 tonners scraping out a victory in some godforsaken sand pit that comes down to mobbing the last intact 'Mech with the shattered dregs of the lance.  Hell, the only autocannon was an AC/5.
(9:40:03 PM) Moonsword: I believe that one engagement sums up most of 3025 and would, if it had been on the tabletop, have been Peak Grognard.

[Daryk]

I don't think I ever had a GM that cruel back in the day.  Seriously, 1.5x your numbers PLUS a Grasshopper?  Ouch.  The fact it was only 2.5 skulls is total BS.

[Moonsword]

I was initially up against a medium lance that was actually slightly lighter - I had a WVR-6R, a WVR-6K, a GRF-1S, and a Kintaro fitted out as a "long endurance" Trebuchet replacement - more ammo, more armor, just one laser.  I forget all the participants but the enemy had a SHD-2D (for a round or two after serious fire started, anyway) and a Vindy, plus one or two others; I think one was another WVR-6R.  It wasn't hugely disproportionate although the way the initiative order was playing out told me there were some reinforcements running around.

Then I started taking AC/5 fire from out of sight, followed rapidly by first an LRM 5 (and I'm thinking "no PPC, so it's a GRF-1S"), then a rain of LRMs from the enemy Trebuchet.  That's kind of an "oh crap" moment.  Then, after I finished off the first lance and got a good look at the reinforcements, I discovered, "No, that's not a Griffin, it's a damned Grasshopper with an elite pilot."

The funny part is I'd actually only dropped a 220 ton lance with my back benchers inside because I figured this was not that bad.  Should've checked the fine print. :fine_print:  I wanted to do a medium-on-medium fight with some 5/8 'Mechs to do some of that great maneuver action.  And hey, only a 2.5 skull, so why not give the guys with scores of 5 and 6 a little trigger time in a live fire exercise? :crazy:

If I'd known what was waiting, I'd have dropped a heavier lance with at least the second string in the cockpit (the ones who are "only" skill 7 and 8 pilots).  Instead, I got a seriously trashed lance (everyone lost at least one limb) back, one MechWarrior scraped out of the cockpit with a spatula after being beaten within an inch of his life between major injuries and the Wolverine he was driving getting cored, and two others in the medical bay for two and a half weeks. xp

But I have a Grasshopper in my lance now! :thumbsup:  Got more than enough cash/'Mechs to sell to cover repairs (including that SHD-2D the part completed), too, and I like to think Yang took a certain evil glee in using parts of the Wolverine(s) I trashed to repair mine.

[MarauderD]

Moonsword:  that sounds like an awesome, thoroughly satisfying fight!

I've enjoyed the early and mid game far more than the end game in BattleTech because those fights can still be had. 

When you have a mix of assaults and heavies, it is just to easy to auto delete an enemy mech per turn with almost no return fire.  Especially abusing reserve and the morale bar. 

However, early game, I think HBS' BattleTech truly shines. 

I started a new career with the recently modded in Wasp and Stinger so I could have a true 'bug' starting composition of Wasp-1A, Stinger 3R, Locust 1V, and Phoenix Hawk-1. 

Enemy forces ended up being a lance of Scorpions and Strikers and a second reinforcement lance of mechs that included a fully armored Shadow Hawk.  By the time the armor had been dealt with, my Stinger lost an arm and my locust a torso.  I had stingy salvage selected, so I only got 1 piece of the Shadow Hawk, but it was a thoroughly enjoyable and memorable fight.

[NeonKnight]

Moonsword;

Interesting little unknown facet of the OpFor. The SKULLS are only part of the equation. A 2 Skull mission that gives 300,000 CB reward is a lot easier than an 2 Skull mission that rewards 800,000 CB.

In other words, a 2 skull, 800k will have a lot more enemies than a 4 Skull 200k mission

[DarkSpade]

One of the worst reinforcements I've ever run into was 2 trebuchets coming in on my back left flank while my short range infighters were both engaged.  I don't even remember what the rest of the reinforcement lance was.


The game is its best when you're at the point where an Orion is still a game changing threat.

[Jim1701]

What ticks me off is when the "reinforcements" show up right away AND I'm trapped in the corner of the map.  Those are really fun.   :thumbsup:

[Colt Ward]

Is there no way to take your campaign team and do flashpoints?

[DarkSpade]

Is there no way to take your campaign team and do flashpoints?

You have to complete the story before they'll show up.

[Colt Ward]

okay, so I did but I guess that means I need to move around more.  I just saw all the people talking about career so I was not sure if that was the only way.

[Wrangler]

Are they still doing that Death from Above RPG twitch broadcast or they done supporting HBS in most part?

[Triptych]

I just started playing BT and ugh, what is it with set hardpoints for beam, missile and ballistic weapons on the mechs?! I wanted to make an all laser Blackjack and it wont let me!  xp

Can this be modified in any way or is it set?  :o

[Luciora]

.json modding is your friend.  Plus it doesn't run into compatibility issues like external mods do when the game is patched.

http://btmodding.warriorsblood.com/index.php?title=Main_Page

One of my favorite things to do is add energy hardpoints to the Jagermech arms and have heavier Rifleman mechs.

I just started playing BT and ugh, what is it with set hardpoints for beam, missile and ballistic weapons on the mechs?! I wanted to make an all laser Blackjack and it wont let me!  xp

Can this be modified in any way or is it set?  :o

[NeonKnight]

I'm sure there is a mod out there somewhere covering all that, but standard game wise, yer stuck with what ya got.

[Triptych]

So I gotta use mods just to allow some customizations? Meh, this is killing my enthusiasm for this game.  :-\

[NeonKnight]

So I gotta use mods just to allow some customizations? Meh, this is killing my enthusiasm for this game.  :-\

I don;t know. I dont use any mods, and I enjoy just fine.

Want a BJ with lasers, yes, you can mod just fine, but it won;t be a laser boat BJ.

[Colt Ward]

Yeah, no BJ-2 possible yet.

I finally got my Steam sorted out (damn pirate) and started to play a bit . . . traveling to my first Hotspot.  Still waiting to see a Crab or Hatchetman, but I did have a funny run in with pirates.  Cross the river, go up the road towards a pass . . . Panther plays spotter, pretty good defensive pilot set up while sitting in woods . . . and then LRMs start coming out of the pass.  Scouting Grasshopper gets closer to see a Stalker . . . the Victor leaps in, aims for the LT and hits with the AC/20!  Gets internal and racks up instability, but my Stalker put it on its back with its double LRM20 barrage.  The 'lance' turned out to be a pair of mechs, but the set up was good for what the AI had on hand.

[DarkSpade]

I don;t know. I dont use any mods, and I enjoy just fine.

Want a BJ with lasers, yes, you can mod just fine, but it won;t be a laser boat BJ.

Huh? I never run a blackjack as anything but a laser boat and I dont run any mods.

[NeonKnight]

Huh? I never run a blackjack as anything but a laser boat and I dont run any mods.

Not what I'm saying, I'm saying you can't make a 6x Laser BJ as it has 4 laser hard points.

So, BJ1 only, no BJ3's

[Colt Ward]

Did I mess it up?  I meant the BJ with 2 PPCs and some MLs instead of the AC/ML BJ-1.

[Luciora]

Part of the reason is HBS wanted to ensure the weapons scaled and were placed correctly during the construction process, ie:WYSIWYG.  Also you can't sell expansion packs (which support them as developers, that mods do not) and keep exclusive mechs to the packs.  I'm a little disappointed that the Crab, Cyclops and Hatchetman can't be externally modified, but i'm happy with the game as it is.  Art assets still cost money after all. 

So I gotta use mods just to allow some customizations? Meh, this is killing my enthusiasm for this game.  :-\