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Thank you for completing the picture of products to buy.

Thank you for the additional information. It completes the picture so buyers can make an informed decision. Battlemech manual serves as a good induction to the game for absolute newbies to wargaming. Total Warfare, as you said, is a core rulebook. All the information you provided is valuable and is appreciated. It has taken a long time to reach 500 subs. It is mostly because of the resources available to make videos, being time the most important. And the videos were intended to go straighto the point, and the algorithm did not reward that.

@@Battletechfan Algorithm tends to like videos longer than 10-15 minutes, unless they are shorts. Hopefully one day we will see painting and/or BatRep videos from you. But I know and understand time is a currency always in high demand, but in short supply.

You are absolutely welcome!

I had not thought of that. The rules of beginner box are simple enough to be understood. I made the video on A Game of Armored Combat because it is more challenging to visualize. Will keep your idea in mind, but making each image for a video takes time.

Page 15. A mech cannot torso twist and flip arms in the same turn. This is why a Locust cannot fire in the rear arc. Only the Battlemaster has rear facing weapons, but in this diagram we have a Locust.

Short range adds a +0 modifier. As range falls under short range (LRM short range goes from 7 to 13 hexes), you start to have modifiers. +1 for range 6 +2 for range 5 and so on.

I am glad you liked it. A good way to help is to bring more people to it. More players will have a visual guide to play. That way it may reach 1k views.

The description of the video has an index to topics of interest. That way people can review some aspects that are needed to refresh in the future.

With your help, this channel could reach 1000 subscribers some day.

Projpat applies the patch to the game. Without the patch, the game will be buggy.

Nevermind I'm dumb

I am so glad it worked for you!

IMG/CUE format is the result of ripping your CD. If it gives error, the rip was corrupted. You will need to rip again. If you downloaded an IMG/CUE and it has an error, then it is corrupted. Or you may check the description of the video to get resources that work. Let me know how it goes.

@@Battletechfan Would it be possible to show how you ripped the cue file? Because Im not able to open it as an archive. I burned it directly from the physical disk

@@alechuang3367 Use ImgBurn to rip the disc to create IMG/CUE files. I believe the link to download is in the description. To run, you do not need the disc, just the IMG/CUE files. DOSbox reads them as if they were actual CDs.

@@Battletechfan I will try the files, will report back soon. Update: Using the file online worked, I noticed my own ripped cue file was 1 kb larger, this might have been an issue, I don't know why though. Will try and figure out why

@@alechuang3367 That file works. That is the one I used to make this video.

If you can post your experience playing it and if possible finishing the game, that would be awesome. The feeling of achievement after winning the game is pure dopamine.

@@Battletechfan WILCO! Currently having trouble getting 31st Century controls to work, but It'll click for me eventually.

@@Bloodname_Gaming If you mean joystick, in the I/O tab of DBGL, uncheck timed emulation and select either ch or fcs. That has worked for me for other games. Well, it also depends on the joystick you have.

@@Battletechfan I don't use joysticks; I just wanted to remap some of my keys but MW2 is just really stinky. Thanks!

May be the copy of the game you are using is corrupted or the version you are using has compatibility issues. Check the description of the video for a version that works.

Did it work for you? Let me know about your experience in the first missions. I love heartwarming stories.

@@Battletechfan Followed your directions aside from ripping my own img/cue file from my own Merc CD. Worked with zero issues so far and ive hit the second campaign against DC. So glorious to hear the Betty boot up sequence again :) Thanks dude.

@@flamesoftwilight I am glad you were able to bring back these memories. It is always nice to know when good people have a good time.

Updated. Will it work?

@@Battletechfan THANK YOU! Going to try everything now! I might get emotional if this works. Haven't played it since I was about 8 years old

@@dillonmann6409 Let me know how it goes. Normally it does not work when: 1. People use corrupted resources obtained elsewhere, that are not from the video description. 2.They do not follow the steps from the video to patch with projpat patch. Random bugs appear in the unpatched game. I am interested to know how your experience with the game went. You may post your emotional battle report here. The more heartwarming, the better. I will love to hear how that little kid who is inside you, felt upon playing this game again. The more details the better.

@@Battletechfan I'm all the way at 6:11 but when I click browse I don't see a mercs folder? EDIT:... Ok so if I go to downloads, I see the mercs folder, but it only has the 2 files which is the .cue and .img OK I GOT IT RUNNING BUT NO SOUND!!! It also crashes as I click launch after picking my mech

@@dillonmann6409 Did you use the resources from the description? Or a corrupted version from elsewhere? If you use the resources from video description it should run. There are many versions of the game. The version shown in the resources works. For example, there are versions that run with 3D accelerators. these will not run, even if you made the IMG/CUE image from an original CD..Several versions requiring different hardware. With the resources from the description you should have sound and no crash.

Two possibilities. One, you did not follow the steps to patch, or you got a version of the game on your own that is somewhat corrupted.

Did you follow the full process to patch involving projpat command? Did you use the downloads provided in the description of this video? Sometimes some CD rips are altered somehow and deliver bugs. But most of bugs usually come from not patching.

Are you using a different CD version? Everything you need is in the description of the video. If you use it, it shoud work. Normally bugs happen when the projpat patch was not applied.

@@Battletechfan im having a similer issue i got no idea it auto fails every mission

@@AgentAlaskan The game is known to fail in 2 circumstances. One, you did not apply the projpat patch, so game is not patched and full of bugs. Or the version of the game you got on your own is somehow corrupted. Everything you need is in the description of this video.

To maximize screen, press Alt Enter. To set in game resolution, when you are in the main screen, right click, combat variables, and then you can set desired resolution.

There are different versions of CDs. You may try yours to see if it works. But you need to convert your CD to CUE/IMG format in order to follow this guide.

If you have the original, use IMGburn to convert to CUE/IMG. Then try to follow the installation guide. Let me know how it goes. It would be awesome if it could work for you.

The answer is NO. You do not the armored combat game to play Alpha Strike. You may buy any lance packs, and the "Alpha Strike Commander Edition" rulebook. Lance packs include the Alpha Strike cards. Aside of the rulebook and lance packs, you will need to buy at least one pair of dice, and measuring tape with inches on it. If you want to buy printable maps, to play with hexmaps, there are PDFs for sale at drivethrurpg website or Catalyst Games Lab store. You may need to print these maps at some place like Office Depot.. Hope it helps.

@@Battletechfan ahhhh rite cool thanks for that dude

@@Grimlock-y6l If you do not but maps, you probably may want to build your own diorama. If you have no space or no money for that, books may serve as hills, and colored cardboard with arbitrary shapes may serve as water and forest areas to play. There are other types of terrain so you must figure out how to represent them in the game.

@@Battletechfan Thanks!

From what I see, did you skip the steps in the video to mount the CD? Or did you press cancel instead of Ok when following the steps for mounting the drive? Did you use the resources listed in the description? The description has everything you need.

@@Battletechfan I redid everything. My mistake i believe was not using 7-zip to extract the MERC files. It's working now. I'm going to lock my doors and play for a few days lol.

@@zombieno1 Geez. That is going to be quite a futuristic lockdown. I am so glad you enjoy it. Let me know if you have any problem with missions. I would advise to initially make that Commando to have 4 medium lasers and 1 LRM5, use group fire and learn to aim. LRM5 will soften your target in the distance. Then your lasers will hit like a medium range PPC. Do not place weapons in the arms. Arms are useful only in tabletop "Battletech a game of armored combat" to fire to the side arc. But this PC game does not have that feature. It was coded using the limitations of the best hardware of 1995. So in this game, arms are not so useful.

Everything you need is in the description of the video. If you use that, it will work, and you will have no issues. Projpat is the patch. If you do not have the patch, all kinds of bugs will surface. Some missions will be unplayable.

A Time of war: * Can be played with "Inner Sphere at war" game from "Interstellar operations" rulebook (which is not classic or alpha strike, but some sort of Risk game). * It has complex RPG rules. It is more for those who love complex rules in Dungeons and Dragons (DnD) or similar games. More oriented to hardcore RPG players. * You may need to find out if it is compatible with hex games (classic and alpha strike). Mechwarrior Destiny * Can be played standalone, or with Classic (Total Warfare) or Alpha Strike rules for combat. Standalone will leave players with the desire of having a grid map to play (basically hexes). * It has simple rules, so starting a game does not pass through endless bureaucracy and game mechanics. And game mechanics do not get in the way and do not slow down the game. It may attract casual players, fans of anime (especially mecha anime) and those who love to create their own stories. The simplicity of rules is very appealing to new casual players, but probably not DnD.

@@Battletechfan That is very useful information, thank you! I am ganna forward this to my buddy to see how we want to approach it. I just received Total Warfare book today, cant wait to bring Schrek PPC to the table, lol!

I advice to watch the videos of this channel to understand the rules visually. Use the playlist of classic Battletech. Total Warfare is not written for newbies but as reference for seasoned players. Enjoy the game!!

I already tried. Installation using MechVM works, but when you try to run the game, it delivers an error "Process ended with code 3221226356" when trying to run the native version. My guess is that MechVM works on 32 bit and 64 bit machines may have issues. I also tried the MechVM version listed and it does not let you enter the callsign and transition animations are skipped. It seemed that the Windows version was unplayable and DOS version was the only choice. DOS version included a patch in the CD (projpat patch) and I was not sure if MechVM would install that patch. So I decided to take the path of showing how to install using DOS installer. As an extra, using DBGL, allows people to run other DOS games with a very convenient user interface. If you know about a way to solve that error, let me know. Last time I tried I used the 2021-08-01 version of MechVM.

@@Battletechfan Yeah, I was wondering about that patch too.

I can tell you for sure that this video shows how to install the patched version. One good example I recall is that unpatched version had problems when you had to escort a prince piloting a Dragon. I do not remember the details, but bugs were nasty and annoying and killed immersion. There were other bugs that were really bad too. Patch installation adds more steps, but you end up playing the patched version.

The only problem of DOS version is that salvage is scripted, instead of being dynamic as in the Windows version. Just imagine that the one who hires you dumps his garbage as salvage for your contract, and you will have no problem. The Windows version of Mechwarrior games used early versions of DirectX that seemed to pose security risks for the whole OS, so you do not find too much backwards compatibility for DirectX5 and earlier. MechVM created a virtual machine that simulated that, but it does not work properly for Windows 10 and 64 bit machines. If you ever find out that author made a version that works, let me know. MechVM was a very clever and usable solution, but it was 32 bit specific. Using DOSbox like old DOS users is too complicated for many users. But fortunately DBGL came to the game, and the video shows how to install using DBGL instead of dealing with the complexities of DOS console install.

@@Battletechfan Thanks, I've already installed it along with the patch, using your guide. Everything works like a charm.

OPTION 1: PRINTABLE DEMO If you check the initiative phase 1 video in this channel, there is a free printable version of a demo game with simplified rules. It does not have all the cool stuff of the armored combat boxset but if you want to learn to play that is a good way to have something provisional. It is cheap but not very cool option. You need to buy 2 six sided dice. OPTION 2: MECHWARRIOR DESTINY If you want a game that does not require any resources aside of the rulebook, there is a role playing game called "Mechwarrior Destiny". Its combat system is even more simplified than the printable demo. Mech combat is horribly simplified, but that is the price of not requiring a boxset. It can also be combined with a boxset as an option. You may need to photocopy the record sheets that are inculded in the book if you want to create your own characters. You need to buy 2 six sided dice. OPTION 3: MECHWARRIOR 2 But if you still want to get into the Battletech and have skirmishes without having demos or simplified rules, this channel has some installation guides for "Mechwarrior 2" games. They are abandonware. The description of the videos have everything you need to follow these videos. If you feel frustrated with not having some cool tabletop materials, this is in my opinion, the recommended way to start to get some excitement. The price of this path is to learn the skills to pilot a mech with a keyboard. You need a PC. A new or old PC should be able to run it. Mechwarrior belongs to the Battletech franchise. Mechwarrior 2 games may have aged graphics, but I can tell you that the soundtrack and sound effects are top notch to create an atmosphere, and mission design is excellent. This level of mission design has not been matched in later games. I am so sure you will have a great time, full of adrenaline piloting Battletech mechs in Mechwarrior 2. In the last video of Catalyst Game Labs video someone asked about resupplying boxsets and they said that they are working on it. I understand (but do not believe me, just rumors) that Catalyst wants to have boxsets for sale on December. Will they succeed? There were 2 problems that depleted inventory of boxsets. 1. Shipping mess caused by pandemic. Catalyst personnel pointed out that there are no companies that know how to make these miniatures in this side of the ocean. There is a short video in this channel about what caused the delay that explains the shipping problem. 2. Something seems to be causing Games Workshop customers (Warhammer 40K) to jump into Battletech and it was a very sudden massive migration. You have no idea. An entire giant community suddenly flocking in mass towards Battletech, and tons of videos comparing Warhammer and Battletech. So in a blink of an eye all boxsets were depleted. It caught Catalyst people by surprise. That is good news for long term, because it seems the franchise may grow, but bad news in the short term. It was so sudden that I cannot even recommend Battletech anymore because I know that boxsets are depleted. But once Catalyst solves the issue, I recommend to start with these 3 products: 1. Beginner box 2. A game of armored combat boxset 3. Alpha strike commander's edition rulebook These 3 products will make a complete basic set that will deliver hours of entertainment. Later you may buy the rest. You will find that many people do not like the purely ludic nature of the game, so adding the role playing game "Mechwarrior Destiny" would help players to add context and story and immersion to the tabletop game. If you want to design custom mechs, there is a free PC program called MegaMek. It has an app called MegaMekLab that allows you to design custom mechs and print record sheets as PDF. With these sheets you may even use a token to represent a mech on tabletop. You just beed to add some marking to the token to represent where the front of the mech is. A token may not look like a miniature, but it may be a good temporary replacement. The manual of Mechwarrior 2 that is linked in the installation guides has all the information you need to build your record sheets in MegaMek. And that manual has a brief explanation of Battletech weapons. I understand there is a free printable map PDF at Catalyst Game Labs web store that has 3 cool maps that were used in some contest some time ago. These add variety of terrain to your gameplay. You may use videos of this channel to learn about the rules of the armored combat boxset. The rulebook "Battletech manual" you have a very user friendly explanation of everything related to mechs, like some sort of semi expanded boxset rulebook to introduce you to Battletech technology. But it does not have miniatures or maps or record sheets. Using these free maps and some tokens and MegaMek record sheets could make it temporarily work while you buy the boxset. However, I suspect that if you want to vent your excitement without feeling you have a cheap version of the game, starting with Mechwarrior 2 would deliver more excitement, as you have a chance to get familiar with the Battletech technology without the complications of studying rules. And you get tons of adrenaline with the gameplay and atmosphere of that game. I would like to know how things worked for you after reading this. Did I clarify or did I confuse you even more?

Items in this catalog video are the ones that are playable on tabletop. There are other items that are fluff. Good to know but not useful for tabletop gaming. For example technical readouts TROs are nice as merely informative stuff.

Still, Destiny is better than having a card game. Card games are much more simplified.

@@Battletechfan thanks for the concise response. If anything I liked the Mechwarrior destiny option. If I can manage to get the book instead of pdf I will get it. I try to stay away from pdf rules especially for a new game. There’s nothing like flicking through the rule book to find something you’re looking for. PDFs can get tedious with memorization lol. I appreciate the response. New fan of your channel!

Check Walmart web store. I did not see "sold out" there. And hurry up!! The video about Destiny in this channel is a good starting point to understand the basics of the system. Without having the tabletop game, this simplified system will be a great introduction. If you are used to hardcore RPG games like DnD, you may feel it is very light on stats, but that is good to attract new players. It was designed to attract casual players and people who love creating stories. Once you get the boxsets you will notice a quantum leap in complexity, especially with the armored combat boxset, as turns last very long because there are many steps and dice rolls. There is a player in the Spanish forum who posted an Excel macro to do all the rolls for one mech. So you populate a small table for each mech and you copy the data of the weapons you will use in that turn and paste into the macro sheet, columns A to D and press a button and it will solve all the attacks in split seconds. It will work for the weapons in the armored combat box. Other weapons like missile launchers from later eras are not covered. If rolling dice many times is fun for you, keep rolling dice, but if time matters or players get bored with long turns, this Excel sheet will work for you. A game of armored combat boxset without the Excel sheet may take a week if you add many mechs. And rules may be overwhelming, so you will need the visual guide videos from this channel. To get the Excel sheet, go to puntonadir dot foroactivo dot com, Parlamento de la Liga, Atreus, thread "Hoja de Excel para resolver tiradas de dados". There you will find the link and verify the SHA-1 hash to verify file integrity. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. Let me know how it goes.