Конференция Библиотеки Battletech

**DeJaVu** » 20 ноя 2011, 22:18

<Habeas2>: Hello!
<DeJaVu>: hello
<Paladin1>: Hey
<Frabby1>: *bows*
<mib_4kg38b>: Good morning
<Mendrugo>: Targeting system online...
<Habeas2>: Once again, welcome to the Catalyst Game Labs Emergency Intelligence Incinerator
<Habeas2>: To proceed in ENglish, Press 1
<sarcasmo>: That sounds serious!
<Weirdo>: 9
<Mendrugo>: (presses 666)
<Frabby1>: 0800-BATTLETECH
<Habeas2>: To proceed in Farsi, Press the CTRL+ALT+DEL
<Habeas2>: To proceed, press "Hi"
<Oystein>: Hi
<Weirdo>: high
<Chinless>: Hi
<Mendrugo>: Hi+Alt+1? Wait, what?
<Habeas2>: At this time, the Catalyst Game Labs BattleTech Line Developer would like to introduce his eldest cat, Annie, who has decided this chat will be monitored by Feline Overlords for quality assurance purposes.
<Frabby1>: Cats hate me
<sarcasmo>: Meow.
<Habeas2>: Standard rules for this chat apply: Be ciurteous; give others a chance to ask questions, and do not be a penis.
<Habeas2>: The BattleTech Line Developer reseverse the right to kick those who fail to accept these rules.
<Habeas2>: This chat will continue until (at least) 1:15 PM, Civilized Coast Time (EDT).
<Habeas2>: Thank you for participating in this Catalyst Game Labs BattleTech Line Developer-aided Public Relations Activity.
<Habeas2>: If a log is desired, it's on you; I will not be logging these proceedings.
<sarcasmo>: How goes the XTROs? we're you still having issues with them?
<Habeas2>: Question and Answer mode, initiated....
<Habeas2>: Sarcasmo - The XTRs continue, but periodic issues--mostly regarding Record Sheets and BV computations--remain. In the future, Battle Value may be removed to facilitate faster delivery schedules.
<Frabby1>: I was going to ask... just how important to you think BV really is?
<sarcasmo>: Will the BVs be added later, say to the MUL or an update to the XTRO
<Mendrugo>: Have you narrowed down what sort of gameplay experiences you want Interstellar Operations to deliver to players? (Months-long grand strategic? Regular BT with loads of special situation rules?)
<Paladin1>: Has the unveiling of the Mechwarrior Online website generated any apparent residual interest in the older, table top Battletech game?
<Habeas2>: Frabby1 - WHile, in principle, Battle Value has merit as a game-balancing system, it has become a cumbersome and complex formula, and we are currently looking into ways of replacing it with something simpler, and perhaps more abstract.
<DeJaVu>: when to go on sale a new party 25th anniversary box set?
<Habeas2>: Sarcasmo - Perhaps, but it will not be a priority.
<Frabby1>: MW Online: Does this project have any impact on the universe development? Does it contribute new, original (as in, previously unpublished) Canon?
<Habeas2>: Mendrugo - Interstellar Operations will focus both on providing a grand-strategic scale of warfare (on the level of the Inner Sphere in Flames rules), as well as game support for alternate time periods.
<Habeas2>: Paladin1 - I am certain there has been some cross-interest, but it is difficult to guage at this time
<Weirdo>: What further support of the BattleForce and/or Quickstrike systems are planned? I find both to be a wonder way to explore some of the bigger fights such as the Reunification War, but a lot of things used in that time period have no conversions to BForce, like mobs, or nukes.
<Habeas2>: DeJaVu - I'm afraid I do not have a street date for the next run of Box Sets at this time. I can only say "soon"
<Mendrugo>: How is work on the A Time of War Companion progressing? Any part of it standing out as your favorite?
<sarcasmo>: Have any of the issues Randall discussed on his forum post with the overseas producer improved?
<Habeas2>: Frabby1 - Absolutely none. We at Catalyst Game Labs are presently under no pressure to adapt our product line and canon for the MW Online system. As ever, electronic and print games run largely autonomously, with one having no direct impact on the other.
<Habeas2>: Weirdo - A great deal of upport for BattleForce and QuickStrike are planned for the future. To describe it further, however, is beyond the limits of my obligations.
<DeJaVu>: mechwarrior online - "canon" or "non-canon" game?
<Weirdo>: Works for me.
<Frabby1>: MUL: Why were the first introduction dates from the beta file not included in the database?
<Paladin1>: What would you call the amount of cooperation between the CGL team and the MWO development team, in terms of adapting to the established canon?
<Habeas2>: Mendrugo - A Time of War Companion is progressing, but given the current focus on some more urgent projects, it has slowed somewhat. As to favorites, I cannot wait to get the critter rules done.
<Habeas2>: Sarcasmo - Not that I am aware of.
<Frabby1>: Tetatae!
<Habeas2>: Iron_Liz - Like that!
<Habeas2>: DeJaVu - Non-canon
<Mendrugo>: What's your favorite critter in the BT Universe?
<Iron_Liz>: Thraxan Devourer
<Mendrugo>: (Keeping in mind that for Herb - favorite = nuked)
<Habeas2>: Frabby1 - There are thousands upon thousands upon thousands of units in the BattleTech universe, and only about 80 active fact-checkers--fewer still on the MUL team. These things take time, and people were growing impatient. We compromised.
<Frabby1>: I was just wondering, since the dates were present in the beta - so the work was apparently already done.
<Weirdo>: Now that the Jihad is over, are you going to miss the nukes?
<Iron_Liz>: I have a question: In the upcoming books, will there be more focus on the Periphery. Specifically with the Magistracy of Canopus?
<Mendrugo>: Any hints as to the identity of the "more urgent projects"?
<Habeas2>: Paladin1 - Casual. We are not straitjacketing each other. Fact is, player-controlled universes (such as MMOs) are hard to translate into book-driven schedules and vice versa. MWO will do what it does, and we will do what we have done.
<Habeas2>: Mendrugo - The tabiranth.
<Habeas2>: Frabby1 - Apparently, they were not considered satisfactory.
<Habeas2>: Weirdo - Not at all. Plenty more mass destruction in the pipe.
<Habeas2>: Iron_Liz - No more than usual, really.
<Iron_Liz>: Awwwww
<Habeas2>: Mendrugo - Field Manual: 3085
<Habeas2>: There's an echo in here....
<Weirdo>: AToW's combat system seems pretty easy to expand into a squad or platoon-level combat system. Any plans to expand or support this, perhaps in the Companion?
<Iron_Liz>: Without trying to sound like a fangirl, it would be interesting to know some more about the Magistracy. Specifically how they lost New Detroit to the Cappies. At least that's what it looks like on the Dark Age map
<Paladin1>: With the Age of War and Reunification War sourcebooks now out and the Liberation of Terra books nearing completion, has interest in the Star League eras been high enough to warrant further products covering events from this era or closely related eras, such as the 1st Succession War?
<sarcasmo>: Weirdo: I too, miss the Battletroops!
<DeJaVu>: Planned continuation novels Dark Age series on battlecorps?
<Frabby1>: A question on novels. US publication seems to have stopped after To Ride the Chimera. Bonfire of Worlds DTF seems to be stuck somewhere in limbo. Who's holding the novel license these days, is Roc Books still in?
<Habeas2>: Weirdo - The combat system was intended to work as a decent squad/platoon system as it stands; there will be some expansions in Companion.
<Habeas2>: Weirdo - The combat system was intended to work as a decent squad/platoon system as it stands; there will be some expansions in Companion.
<Weirdo>: Woots.
<WolfLancer4>: forgive if asked earlier but will the AToW companion have the rules for Enhanced Imaging?
<Habeas2>: Iron_Liz - The Dark Age actually has a blood relation between the Capellan and Canopian thrones (the rulers are brother and sister); between the two, the CCAF would hve more strength to hold Detroit, and it is likely the two sibling rulers decided on this amicably.
<Habeas2>: Paladin1 - Yes
<Iron_Liz>: Cool cool I know Naomi wasn't exactly pleased it took so long to liberate Crimson from the Wobbies
<Habeas2>: DeJaVu and Frabby1 - We are still working out a means to continue the fiction from the end of To Ride the Chimera. The approach we are working on is presently more electronic than print. I am afraid I cannot explain the legal details as to why this is, or offer specifics beyond what I have just said here. We are hoping it works out, though....
<DeJaVu>: The problem is rather in the legal niceties than the author?
<Frabby1>: I'm asking because the new German licensee, Ulisses Spiele, is publishing new, original German novels. I thought it's kinda weird that new German novels come out but English novels are a problem.
<Habeas2>: DeJaVu - I cannot say
<Habeas2>: Frabby1 - The German novels are not tied to the canon being laid out by CGL, and are only official to the German audience....
<Frabby1>: I feared you would say that
<DeJaVu>: I'll ask for another - there is hope, soon see the novels?
<Mendrugo>: Any chance future products might expand on the potential uses and limits of holo-emitters in the BattleTech universe? (Massive holograms were a plot point in the in-universe Btech cartoon)
<Habeas2>: DeJaVu - There is hope. There is always hope.
<WolfLancer4>: well ill be a monkey's uncle. didnt know the rules were in AToW
Oystein hands WolfLancer4 a banana.
<AdamSteiner>: I am out of ammunition. I need information please.
<Weirdo>: Well, I must be off. The cats demand attention.
<Habeas2>: Mendrugo - Holograms in BattleTech are not like those in Star Trek; the cartoon represented a system that used holograms for training purposes, and (honestly) should not have worked in a battlefield scenario at all.
<Iron_Liz>: I'm actually the RPG reviewer "Iron Liz" on ThatGuyWithTheGlasses.com and I'm in the middle of reviewing the BattleTech RPGs. Is there any chance of possibly getting an interview with one of the Devs?
<Frabby1>: Herb, there are several mentions of 'Mech training courses in several novels.
<sarcasmo>: boo, no holodecks...
<Frabby1>: And they seem to make massive use of holoprojectors.
<Habeas2>: Iron_Liz - Sure; you can interview me, if you like. I'll PM you my e-mail address so we can set that up.
<Iron_Liz>: *dances*
<Frabby1>: Btw, Iron_Liz: I didn't agree with all details of your reviews, but I liked them nonetheless.
<Frabby1>: So Kudos
<Iron_Liz>: Thanks. I had to leave a LOT out just for sake of time
<Mendrugo>: Plus - the Fall of Terra British Isles campaign used holographic decoys...
<sarcasmo>: Any particular products that are taking longer then they should?
<mib_4kg38b>: Will we see any Turning Points before the end of the year?
<GhostBear>: mib_4kg38b - at least one.
<DeJaVu>: I admin Russian BT-resource "Battletech Library", can you also ask for an interview?
<Habeas2>: Frabby1 - Solaris VII, Davion Arena, shows the limit of holograms in combat, where it is clearly shown that the holograns, while life-like, have no substance, and rely on physical objects to have force. For Mechs to be affected by hologramic Mechs, the images must overlay a real Mech, weapon system, or such....
<Frabby1>: A question for GhostBear: Any thoughts on the fate of the crew of the SLS Manassas? I didn't see any mention of them ever again, and I was *this
<Habeas2>: Frabby1 - ...OR the real Mech's computers and controls must be tied into the simulation matrix itself, so that the simulated weapons fire causes appropriate simulated "damage" (such as slowing the real Mech down to reflect a damaged leg actuator and such).
<Frabby1>: *close to betting money on them playing a part in the Wars of Reaving (or otherwise make a lasting impact on the artificial Clan society).
<Habeas2>: sarcasmo - ALL of our books take longer than they should!
<Frabby1>: which never materialized though. Or did I miss something?
<GhostBear>: Frabby1 - until something's published, can't say. that's how we roll.
<Habeas2>: DeJaVu - I'm sorry; was that question for me or for Iron_Liz?
<Frabby1>: I'll take that to mean I didn't miss anything, and that nothing new was published. Thanks.
<DeJaVu>: for you
<sarcasmo>: How serious are looking at overhauling/redoing BV? And how much resources would that take?
<Paladin1>: In reference to the time required for a product to be completed, what is your target time frame from start to finish?
<Mendrugo>: What's involved with converting an old sourcebook to PDF format? Are any of the older books in the pipeline?
<Iron_Liz>: No love for Liz
<Habeas2>: DeJaVu - Yes; I'll do interviews. I'll PM you my e-mail address as well.
<Habeas2>: Sarcasmo - Deadly serious. I plan to throw our entire development apparatus at it.
<Frabby1>: Canonicity question: When was the Outworlds Alliance crest changed from the 3025 stylized JumpShip (portrayed on the OA's Succession Wars game tokens) to the newer "Fireball" crest, and why? (Why would an outspoken apolitical entity like the OA even want a crest?)
<sarcasmo>: Wow. Well I am sure you will get *A LOT* of suggestions...
<Klep_>: few things battletech players like more than complaining about BV
<Frabby1>: I've always felt BV to be a double-edged sword: The values cannot be truly objective, they always represent the author's personal opinion on how to weigh one attribute against another. It's a subjective system at its core.
<Mendrugo>: Likewise - what is the canonicity of the watermark logos in the original MechWarrior sourcebook? (A raven holding a dagger for the Belt Pirates, a sun on a pointed field for the Circinus Federation, a stylized OR for the Marian Hegemony, and a GV on an oval field for the Greater Valkyriate)?
<Frabby1>: ...which is why I never use BV, except to check if my BattleCorps scenario submissions have roughtly balanced forces in BV's "official" opinion.
<sarcasmo>: My God, Klep. Imagine, making BV easy and kicking the crap out of Davion. There will be nothing to complain about, anymore. Could Utopia be so close?
<Klep_>: haha
<Habeas2>: Paladin1 - In THEORY (but remember: In theory, both communism AND democracy work), product development timelines are planned to take about 8 months from proposal to street.
<Habeas2>: Mendrugo - Manpower and tme are the biggest issues; CGL already has all the software it needs. We are constantly converting older books to PDF, so more are always in the pipe.
<Habeas2>: Frabby1 - because once upon a time Istanbul was Constantinople.
<Iron_Liz>: Will there be a book released that deals solely with known pirate groups at all? Tortuga comes to mind, but possibly other known pirate bands PCs might run into?
<Frabby1>: I got the impression that most pirate bands were ingloriously killed off sooner or later.
<Habeas2>: Frabby1 - In all honestly, the BV system is mathematical to a number of levels (each weapon's BV has a computational formula that works fine as long as they are very simple-to-use "point-and-shoot" weapons); the trouble is, terrain and player experience will always show the fallacy of giving hard and strict numbers that ID one unit's strength over another. BV tries too hard to get precision where none is possible.
<Frabby1>: Yes, that's my impression as well.
<Habeas2>: Mendrugo - All retired logos.
<Frabby1>: But on the other hand, like you said, there needs to be some sort of balancing rules for tournament play. (I guess. Not a tournament player.)
<sarcasmo>: We have had, 3 balancing systems? CV, BV1 and 2?
<Habeas2>: Iron_Liz - We are moving away from single-faction sourcebooks, to be totally honest. Years of experiences have shown us that such specialization just doesn't sell well at all. This is why the Handbook series, for example, has all of one book remaining in queue--which I really hope GhostBear is trudging along with!
<Frabby1>: And BV 2.1, as the MUL team came to call it.
<DeJaVu>: Planned campaign book for ATOW?
<Habeas2>: DeJaVu - Still debating. In a way, the Era Report books are designed to be RPG-friendly campaign books, giving you enough information for era-based play. The BT universe is just too huge for the detail levels you may see in, say, a D&D campaign book.
<Paladin1>: So are you saying that after the Handbook series is completed, there will be no further sourcebooks of that type, such as the Housebooks and Handbooks? How will universe updates to the various militaries be handled going forward?
<Habeas2>: Paladin1 - Field Manuals and Era Reports
<mib_4kg38b>: Any news on the "WOR" Supplementel?
<Habeas2>: Mib_4kg38b - Had he not jumped off lready, I would have referred you to GhostBear. It's still in the works.
<sarcasmo>: And the Filtvelt supplemental?
<Frabby1>: Habeas2 & J_Schmetzer: I've been trying to write AToW RPG scenarios for BattleCorps submission, but found it surprisingly difficult. Any suggestions, requests or guidelines for RPG adventure design? Do you think the format of the older scenarios worked well?
<Habeas2>: Sorry; too single-faction centric. We dumped that.
<Mendrugo>: Will the Objectives series (being hyper faction centric) continue?
<Habeas2>: Frabby1 - At this moment--and actually for the past several months, between high-priority projects, we have been working on a format for AToW-based adventures/scenarios. When we have one published, you'll see what we're going for.
<sarcasmo>: Boo! I guess it is just too hard to contain the awesomeness of Filtvelt in one book.
<Habeas2>: Mendrugo - Once the current seven-PDF series of Objectives is done, I think not.
<Habeas2>: 12 minutes remaining
<Mendrugo>: Ballpark estimate for total casualties in the Jihad? (For comparison to the stats on the back cover of the 4th War Atlas)
<Paladin1>: From 3058 to 3085, the tech race exploded and gave us all kinds of new weapons and gadgets to work with. Now that the Jihad is finally over the the entire Universe is licking it's wounds, do you see the tech race continuing as before or do you see the various factions focusing on rebuilding their infrastructure more?
<Habeas2>: mendrugo - Entire worlds, billions strong, have died. Trust me; the Davions had nothing on WoB.
<PuerScyphu>: http://baron.proudandloud.com/ Here you can make your own unique design T-shirt. Baron Design- feel the difference
<PuerScyphu>: http://baron.proudandloud.com/ Here you can make your own unique design T-shirt. Baron Design- feel the difference
<mib_sxwrfhsarcasmo>: Is there anything in the "back story" of BattleTech that you wish wasn't there?
<Habeas2>: Habeas2 slams a 60 lb unix manual on PuerScyphu 's head. That gotta hurt... but then again... where there's no sense... there's no feeling!
<DeJaVu>: planned products such as Era Digest: Golden Century? Just about clanspace, before 3050 year
<Habeas2>: Paladin1 - The tech race is going to massively slow down now that the universe has gotten out of the Jihad, but there will be new advances in the years to come.
<Habeas2>: Sarcasmo - House Davion
<mib_sxwrfhsarcasmo>: Ouch.
<Klep_>: hehe
<Mendrugo>: Do you think the Outer Reaches Rebellion was large enough to warrant an era digest or Historical?
<Habeas2>: DeJaVu - Yes. There are more planned Era Digest products on our schedule, including one for the early Dark Age and at least one set in the Succession Wars
<Frabby1>: Are you going to stay in the established DA timeline for some time, or are you going to rush through to 3135 and beyond and go for entirely new avenues? Will all DA units receive cBT stats?
<krazzyharry>: with the push on other products, is the re-publishing of older TROs und CGL logo going to slow down?
<Habeas2>: Mendrugo - The Outer Reaches Rebellion? I'm not entirely certain we will ever deal with that one; if it happened pre-Age of War, it gets into territroy we just don't want to deal with.
<krazzyharry>: Will Dark Age "factions" such as Bannson's Raider and the Swordsworn get the Dossier treatment
<Habeas2>: Frabby1 - The republishing of older TROs under the CGL logo is almost done; I think we only have a few more to go.
<Habeas2>: Krazzyharry - That is definitely possible
<krazzyharry>: Thank you
<Habeas2>: 5 minutes
<Paladin1>: Of all the various types of products that CGL publishes, such as TROs, Sourcebooks, Housebooks, etc., which one is the most reliable in terms of numbers sold?
<Frabby1>: Uh...? I think you mixed me up with Krazzyharry.
<Habeas2>: Paladin1 - Until recently, we found Technical readouts were the bread and butter of BattleTech's product line. But we have since re-evaluated and now will be cutting back on the number of new TROs to avoid oversaturation. We kind of got ahead of ourselves, after all, when we did 3085
<Habeas2>: Frabby1 - Yes; yes, I did.
<Habeas2>: 3 minutes
<Mendrugo>: Um...um...um... Aha! Is Caleb Davion's friend that only he can see or hear either a vision from God (BSG) or a hologram from a time travel facility (Quantum Leap)?
<Habeas2>: Mendrugo - Pity Caleb's imagination wasn't good enough to conjure up a Six, huh?
<Habeas2>: 1 minute
<Frabby1>: So... short treatment of DA timeline to quickly get into new, undefined territory, or going through it all again with the complete BT package - turning points and all?
<Paladin1>: Better that he didn't conjure up a six actually. Not all of us like nukes as much as you Herb.
<Frabby1>: (not sure which option I like better myself)
<Habeas2>: Frabby1 - Yes.
<Habeas2>: Paladin1 - You have no sense of taste.
<Mendrugo>: Sam Beckett never returned home...
<Paladin1>: no, nukes are too quick. go bio or go home
<Habeas2>: Thank you for participating in this Catalyst Game Labs BattleTech Line Developer-aided Public Relations Activity!
<Frabby1>: Thanks for your time Herb!
<Mendrugo>: Great chat, Herb. Thanks!
<Habeas2>: Thank you! Next chat in ... meh, 6:45!
<DeJaVu>: Great thx, Herb.
<Paladin1>: Great info Herb, thanks!
<Habeas2>: Auf weidersehn!