Titan Identification

DocStryder · Post by **DocStryder** » Tue Sep 23, 2003 5:03 am

Ok...for starters...I LOVE this game. I used to cry over the fact that I didn't have an Amiga when I heard that people could play Battletech on that system. Most of the PC based Battletech games seemed to fall far short of the mark.

I had some new game jitters with this but thanks to Sleeping Dragon I have that sorted out and am on my way to a fantastic gaming experience.

One last problem....you had to know there was going to be one didn't you. I am having a heck of a time identifying Titans in the midst of battle. What I mean by this is, I am being attacked by a Gargantua. What the heck is a Gargantua? Unless I do an active scan I can't possibly remember the configuration of a Gargantua...did it have any energy weapons??? You get the idea. Ok so on to the actual question....is there somewhere or someone who has complied the Titans in a database or something? Unless I've missed something and it's possible to look at the Titans database during a Mission.

Help........

Doc Stryder

tarendelcymir · Post by **tarendelcymir** » Tue Sep 23, 2003 5:12 am

Well, it's part of the fun to not always be sure what you're facing until you scan it. It's closer to reality, since most jocks wouldn't know every titan by sight, either. Only when they scan it, and their computer comes up with the specifications do they know what they're facing. After a while, of course, you get used to the names and have a pretty good idea what a titan is packing when you see its name, but it still doesn't help if you're playing someone online and they've got a custom design.

That said, if you're really desperate, you can always open a second instance of ToS on your computer and look in the factory there.

Sleeping_Dragon · Post by **Sleeping_Dragon** » Tue Sep 23, 2003 7:28 am

Doc Stryder wrote:I am being attacked by a Gargantua. What the heck is a Gargantua?

A Gargantua is a big 'ol can of whoop-***!

hehehehe Actually sitting here typing this I can't remember much about this one, except it's an assault with some BFGs. It's part of the game not knowing/remembering what each titan has. It's one of those things where if you see lasers... turn on shields, see GMHs use flares. If it hasn't fired anything at you and it's getting close, start worrying 'cause it's a CC titan. After a while your start remembering the basics of some of them. Actually, a fair amount of them have have some vauge relation to thier name. Musketeer, Revolver, Crucible, Wolverine, Fireball, Vertigo etc... also most of the ones that sound like they fly.. do. Firefly, Will-'o-wisp, Mosquito.. although the reverse isn't true

.

If you do want a quick reference guide, one thing you can do is go into the factory and do a pinboard of each titan; then when you want to refer to a certian titan in the heat of battle, use alt-tab and go look in the print folder.

DocStryder · Post by **DocStryder** » Wed Sep 24, 2003 6:11 am

Ok guys thanks.

Not sure I buy the fact that these marvels of future modern machinery/computers can't integrate a HUD display with enemy identification silhouette and info on said ID.

It is good that you guys at least enjoy the fun (and frustration) of not being really sure what a Titan is going to come at you with until it uses it. I'd rather know...guess it's just one of those preference things. Thank you both for the ideas on how I can get the info in the heat of battle if I really want it.

Doc Stryder

Coyote27 · Post by **Coyote27** » Wed Sep 24, 2003 7:00 am

Doc Stryder wrote:Ok guys thanks.

Not sure I buy the fact that these marvels of future modern machinery/computers can't integrate a HUD display with enemy identification silhouette and info on said ID.

In practicality, that would just cause mechanics to put plywood dummy weapons covering the real ones, defeating the whole point - though it could make for a nasty surprise when you discover that LRM-artillery titan you snuck through the woods to get inside its minimum range is actually wielding chainsaws and flamethrowers instead.

It's a textbook example of the sort of trick that works exactly once.

DocStryder · Post by **DocStryder** » Wed Sep 24, 2003 7:11 am

I think you misinterpreted my meaning Coyote. The HUD would be electronic...therefore it implies a simple scan to identify the target. Even by today's standards that would be hard to fool with plywood decoy weapons and such.

The scan for target ID would be far less imposing than an Active Scan as it's intent is not to assess the current state of the Titan and it's systems, simply to let the jock know which Titan he's up against.

Navies, armies and air forces the world over use this technology to determine what the enemy vehicle/vessel is....long gone are the days of WW2 where you had to identify enemy planes by silhouette and commit that to memory.

Of course this wouldn't help you when you came across a custom Titan...then as you so correctly pointed out...you would be surprised exactly once.

Thorgrim · Post by **Thorgrim** » Wed Sep 24, 2003 2:26 pm

Think of Titans as OmniMechs. You can id the model (through sillhouette) with a passive scan, but the variant (weapons pods) can only be picked up with an active scan.
Notice that at point blank range (same hex) things are a little different.

BTW, I did build a XLS "database" (since v1.3), but for database improvement/maintenance purposes only. I don't use it in game.

rosary · Post by **rosary** » Wed Sep 24, 2003 8:46 pm

I think Bernd also did a stock titan database. I don't know if its available or around anymore. It wouldn't really work for Warring Suns anyways as it was for v1.4 and its safe to say a few things have changed since then.

Peter Why · Post by **Peter Why** » Sat Sep 27, 2003 7:16 pm

.... and, during a battle, if you've scanned your opponent from a particular titan, you can have another look at the information you received by pressing F6.

Coyote27 · Post by **Coyote27** » Sat Sep 27, 2003 11:34 pm

that, or click on the little round picture of him on the toolbar.

widowmaker · Post by **widowmaker** » Sun Sep 28, 2003 6:11 am

Coyote27 wrote:that, or click on the little round picture of him on the toolbar.

Only if the Titan in question is currently locked. Using F6, one can review the most recent best scan result on every Titan successfully scanned by that pilot.

widowmaker

Thorgrim · Post by **Thorgrim** » Sun Sep 28, 2003 7:43 pm

Or click on any titan in the tactical display, and then click on the scan icon (if it's not red) and it'll bring up the last best scan report (just like F6).

Hertston · Post by **Hertston** » Sun Sep 28, 2003 10:28 pm

Doc Stryder wrote:Ok...for starters...I LOVE this game. I used to cry over the fact that I didn't have an Amiga when I heard that people could play Battletech on that system. Most of the PC based Battletech games seemed to fall far short of the mark.

If you have a desperate urge for nostalgia the first Battletech games were ported to the PC, and you can find them as abandonware if you hunt around. The first (can't remember what is was called now) does run under XP, amazingly, although as always I was struck by how much better Amiga games of that era were.. the Amiga was well on top until the mid 90's IMHO.

The PC games did improve... I enjoyed both Mechcommander games a lot (I still play the second), and the action "Mechwarrior" series threw up a true gem in MW 3. MW4 (and MW4:Mercs) is good too, although it did shift a little too much quake-wards for the taste of many. Not Battletech (but then neither's ToS) but if you enjoy first person stuff, don't overlook Heavy Gear 2 either if you can get your hands on a copy. One of my favorite games ever, and four years on it still looks pretty good. Great mixture of "action", skill (steering your Gear in space ain't easy !) and a fair dose of thought.

EDIT:

Had a quick hunt around. If you want to see what you missed you can download Battletech 1:The Crescent Hawk's Revenge (and yes, it does work) from the usual place for such things, www.the-underdogs.org . That's an RPG type thingie. The second game was turn based strategy, but like the first Mechwarrior it seems those idiot IDSA lawyers won't let anyone distribute it. God only knows why, those games are more than a decade old.

Thorgrim · Post by **Thorgrim** » Mon Sep 29, 2003 3:38 am

Actually it's Crescent Hawk's Inception that's the 1st game, the RPG one. The 2nd game, the turn based strategy one, is Crescent Hawk's Revenge.