BattleTech: Urban Warfare hits the streets on June 4th
Still doesn't redeem UrbanMechs.
BattleTech is letting folks channel their inner Godzillas on June 4th with its second expansion, Urban Warfare. Its biggest addition is a new and deliciously destructible set of city environments, with rooftops to jump-jet onto or embarrassingly fall off. As expected, there will also be a pair of new 'Mech types, a set of new smaller vehicles (including cars to step on, though I don't think they count), and an all-new mission type. There'll also be some new story-based Flashpoints, building on the previous expansion's big new system. See the announcement trailer below.
Giant stompy bots aren't exactly known for being stealthy, but in a loud city full of metal things, they have a slightly better chance of getting the jump on each other. As well as the cover-filled environment, there's going to be a bunch of new ECM-focused techs in the expansion. Given the lack of forests to catch missiles, anything that can prevent you from getting splattered by LRM salvos over the rooftops is probably a good thing. The two new mechs are the Raven 1X, built for electronic warfare. The Javelin is the other addition, speedy but not without some firepower.
There's more to the city than just being large blocks of destructible cover. Fuel trucks, heat exchangers and electrical transformers act as hazards, or opportunities to blow stuff up for fun and (ideally) profit. The new mission type also sounds interesting. Attack & Defend scenarios have two opposing bases, and the enemy will churn out infinite reinforcements unless their base is destroyed. Should make for some interesting long-haul fights, ideal for Assault 'Mechs that never really got to show their staying power in other missions. Hopefully these missions will make an appearance in the new Flashpoints (mini-stories, seeded through the galaxy) included in Urban Warfare.
It all looks like another nice module to flesh out an already-large game. The only concern I have is how badly this will break mods like RogueTech when it first launches. Of course, I'm also excited to see how the RogueTech crew manage to integrate the new environments, mission type and vehicles into their mod.
BattleTech: Urban Warfare launches on June 4th via Steam and the publisher's own Paradox Plaza. It'll cost £15.49/€20/$20, and is also part of the season pass, with the 'Heavy Metal' expansion due out in Winter.