MWO Booklist

http://www.stargazerserv.com/csv/btech/battletech_novel_list.htm

BattleTech Novel List

This is a complete listing of BattleTech Novels in the order in which they should be read which is in approximately Chronological order, not when the books were actually published. This will give you a sense of flow for the events of the BattleTech Universe.

I say approximate Chronological order, because some books, or series, cover the events in others.  For example, the Jade Phoenix Trilogy acutally starts before The Blood of Kerensky series, and ends after it.  It is placed where it is because, The Blood of Kerensky Series, while written later, provides background for the Jade Phoenix.  (confusing is it not??)

Book Title	Author	Comments
Sword and the Dagger	Ardath Mayhar	The 31st Century begins
Decision at Thunder Rift	William H. Keith Jr.	Saga of the Grey Death Legion -- Book 1
Mercenary’s Star	William H. Keith Jr.	Saga of the Grey Death Legion -- Book 2
The Price of Glory	William H. Keith Jr.	Saga of the Grey Death Legion -- Book 3
Warrior: En Guarde	Michael A. Stackpole	Birth of the Federated Commonwealth--Book 1
Warrior: Riposte	Michael A. Stackpole	Birth of the Federated Commonwealth--Book 2
Warrior: Coupe	Michael A. Stackpole	Birth of the Federated Commonwealth--Book 3
Wolves on the Border	Robert N. Charrette
Heir to the Dragon	Robert N. Charrette
Lethal Heritage	Michael A. Stackpole	The Blood of Kerensky -- Book 1
Blood Legacy	Michael A. Stackpole	The Blood of Kerensky -- Book 2
Lost Destiny	Michael A. Stackpole	The Blood of Kerensky -- Book 3
Way of the Clans	Robert Thurston	Jade Phoenix Trilogy -- Book 1
Bloodname	Robert Thurston	Jade Phoenix Trilogy -- Book 2
Falcon Guard	Robert Thurston	Jade Phoenix Trilogy -- Book 3
Wolf Pack	Robert N. Charrette
Main Event	James D. Long
Ideal War	Christopher Kubasik	Is there room for Honor in a dirty little war?
Natural Selection	Michael A. Stackpole
Assumption of Risk	Michael A. Stackpole
Blood of Heroes	Andrew Keith
Close Quarters	Victor Milan
Far Country	Peter L. Rice
D.R.T	James D. Long
Tactics of Duty	William H. Keith Jr.
Bred for War	Michael A. Stackpole
I am Jade Falcon	Robert Thurston
Star Lord	Donald G. Phillips
Highlander Gambit	Blaine Lee Pardoe
Hearts of Chaos	Victor Milan
Operation Excaliber	William H. Keith Jr.
Malicious Intent	Michael A. Stackpole
Black Dragon	Victor Milan
Impetus of War	Blain Lee Pardoe
Double Blind	Loren L. Coleman
Binding Force	Loren L. Coleman
Exodus Road	Blaine L. Pardoe	Twilight of the Clans -- Book 1
Grave Conenant	Michael A. Stackpole	Twilight of the Clans -- Book 2
The Hunters	Thomas S. Gressman	Twilight of the Clans -- Book 3
FreeBirth	Robert Thurston	Twilight of the Clans -- Book 4
Sword and Fire	Thomas S. Gressman	Twilight of the Clans -- Book 5
Shadows of War	Thomoas S. Gressman	Twilight of the Clans -- Book 6
Prince of Havoc	Michael A. Stackpole	Twilight of the Clans -- Book 7
Falcon Rising	Robert Thurston	Twilight of the Clans -- Book 8
Threads of Ambition	Loren L. Coleman	The Capellan Solution -- Book 1
The Killing Fields	Loren L. Coleman	The Capellan Solution -- Book 2
Dagger Point	Thomas Gressman
Ghost of Winter	Stephen Kenson	One of the MechWarrior Books, while set in the BT Universe, presents no information that furthers the time line.
Roar of Honor	Blaine Lee Pardoe	One of the MechWarrior Books, while set in the BT Universe, presents no information that furthers the time line.
By Blood Betrayed	Blaine Lee Pardoe & Mel Odem	One of the MechWarrior Books, while set in the BT Universe, presents no information that furthers the time line.
Illusions of Victory

Loren L. Coleman
Is the game world of Solaris VII a reflection of the Inner Sphere?
Flashpoint
Loren L. Coleman
Measure of a Hero
Blaine Lee Pardoe

Path of Glory
Randall N. Bills

Test of Vengeance
Bryan Nystul
Patriots and Tyrants
Loren L. Coleman
Call of Duty
Blain Lee Pardoe
Initiation to War
Robert N. Charette
A MechWarrior Book, it does further the time line
The Dying Time
Thomas S. Gressman
A MechWarrior Book, it does further the time line
Storms of Fate
Loren L. Coleman
Imminent Crisis
Randall N. Bills
A MechWarrior Book, it does further the time line
Operation Audacity
Blaine Lee Pardoe
EndGame
Loren L. Coleman
Ghost War
Michael A. Stackpole
First of the MechWarrior Dark Age books:  set approximately 80 years after End Game
A Call to Arms
Loren L. Coleman
Ther Ruins of Power
Robert E. Vardeman
A Silence in the Heavens
Martin Del Rio
Truth and Shadows
Martin Del Rio
Service for the Dead
Martin Del Rio
By Temptations and by War
Loren L. Coleman

Terms 101

Common Gaming Terms
Zerg = from Starcraft 2 - there was a technique (very effective) of sending in the smallest fastest swarm of creatures to destroy an opposing team. Zerg were the "alien" like species the zerglings were like face huggers. You would send in as many as you could and zerg the base. If you did not send enough or you waited to long the opposing side would win due to the fact that you had exhausted all your resources on creating the zerg.

Goon = basically it is an unholy alliance of:

1. new players
2. people with no skill
3. throwing together ridiculous builds at any cost to win
4. One of their mottos is "every ship counts" it has a feel good approach but the truth is you become the personal army of peopel that can ruin a game

Many member are from the somethingawful forums. I recommend you stay away and leave them alone.
Eve Wiki

Noob = someone new to a game or someone who does not take the time to learn to play
L2P = You are execpted to know what  your role is and not make an idiot of  yourself. Accept constructive critizism.
PUG = Pick up group, AKA a team of random players without direct communication.

GLHF = good luck have fun (seems to be common phrase posted before the mechs are released) I also believe it may indicate you are up against a premade that has been having fun killing pugs.


MechWarrior Specific
LRM = Long range missles
SRM = Short range missles
CAP = Standing in the opposing teams base to win instead of killing
Legging = Taking out the leg of another mech to disable them.
BennyHilling = is chasing a scout like it is the last target on the planet ...typically out into the open or into a trap.

Battletech 101: Inner Sphere and the Houses

I can't even imagine jumping into a game with super rich lore and history and being expected to stay because of that content. It is just too much to ask for a casual player.

WoW is kind of an exception because so much of it became mainstream ...but still new people jumping in are doing so to play with friends or family ...I highly doubt they care about the lore or background story.

I am thinking about starting a Tuesday blog discussing components which hopefully will be interesting enough to draw more people in and show the reasons to play besides "blowing up some bitches".

Years ago; to get anyone off my back when I was on my way to my office to start gaming I would tell my family "Well, I guess I am off to save the world (or universe)" they would laugh because they knew I was off to gaming ....but the side note here is I was playing a game which is persistent with people from all over the world ----I don't know about you but that is just damn cool to me.

Now I do not know a lot about Battletech or MechWarrior ...I played Mechwarrior 2 and fell in love with piloting a huge mech and I said I am not interested in playing any new games unless someone does a battlemech type game. Fast forward 5 years later and here we go.

MWO timeline: We are currently in 3049 during Mechwarrior Online. Basically Humans have moved beyond the solar system; achieved FTL (faster than light) and splintered into feudal territories which each believes to be theirs.

What is the Star League?
The brainchild of Ian Cameron, the Star League was a self-policing interstellar council formed from the Terran Hegemony, the Great Houses of the Inner Sphere, and the Territorial States of the Periphery. Each of the States of the Star League was required to provide soldiers and war materiel for the mutual protection of the Star League Defense Force, but otherwise was allowed to maintain its own standing army, and even conduct (rare) small-scale wars. Though not completely stable, the relative peace, prosperity, and advanced technology of the Star League have led many to consider the Star League as the zenith of human civilization.

What is Inner Sphere?
The Inner Sphere is a region of interstellar space surrounding Terra to a radius of roughly 450 - 550 light-years, generally demarcated by the outer borders of the "Great Houses." Within this region of about 2 million stars, there are approximately 2000 inhabited planets. Beyond the Inner Sphere is the Periphery.

What is Terra?
Terra is Earth.

What are Houses?
The sundering of the Star League, followed by centuries of Succession Wars, brought about five large nations known as the Successor States (called so because they were controlled by bloodlines). These are feudal realms, modeled after stereotypical cultural templates. They collectively comprise the Inner Sphere. Numerous other factions came and went over the course of the perpetual conflicts. The most notable and long-standing BT factions are:
 House Davion, House Liao, House Marik, House Steiner and House Kurita

What is Lostech?
It is Lost Technology - technological advances and knowledge that existed during the Star League era, but which were lost in the Succession Wars that followed

Founders Catapult!!!

MechWarrior Online

Another MMO is leaving the fold. Cost of Gaming.

Another blog I read Ancient Gaming Noob points out the fact that even while F2P model is working for some companies. City of Heroes is throwing in the towel in November. It has survived where others have failed even being assaulted by Marvel for infrigement.

This reminds me of a quote that was credited to anonymous
"Linux is only free if your time is worthless."

It is so true; I mean how many games can you think of off the top of your head. I can name probably 15 without pausing ...some are gone, some are running.

Everquest for example; I was addicted to this game. I promised myself an account for finishing my MCSE and I never stopped playing it ..every waking moment was obessed with it.

Yet, I have tried to go back and play it and I just can't it hurts me to play it now. The fond memories I have are fond because of the people I played with not because fo the game itself. Even free I cannot handle it.

I am looking forward to what is ahead for MMO's ...it kills me because the cost of the game is no longer the issue (since everything is going free to play). It is all about YOUR time.

TIME = money

I enjoy entertainment; in fact, if you were to get to see my checking account I believe you would see about 60% goes toward enterainment. Dining, groceries, movies, video games, hardware all are entertainment to me. Yet the value is in the time spend.

Movies: 3 hours = $7.50

• I am (usually) entertained
• Great escapism
• Fun to attend as a group or watch solo

Dining out: 2 hours = $20.00 (x2 for 2 people)

• Good food
• Great Company
• Satisfies a need (usually in abundance)

Dining in: 3 hours (I am talking about cooking, eating, clean up) = $10 (per person)

• I enjoying fixing a meal especially with my wife. The more elaborate the more I enjoy.
• I enjoy the eating part.
• I hate the clean up.

Videogames: X Hours = $800

• Hardware (just upgraded everything about $500 total)
• Software (about $300 this year)
• I enjoy everything about it and I spend a minimum of 1 hour a day.

So to me the cost/value lies in the time I willing to spend. Every hour of my life has a dollar amount just as your hours cost you money to ...either making it or spending it. What value do you have in entertainment? What are you willing to invest your time in?

Current state of Mechs

From the wiki
BattleMechs (often abbreviated 'Mechs) are large walking war machines that feature prominently in the fictional universe of BattleTech. 'Mechs, which are generally either bipedal or quadrupedal in configuration, are controlled by human pilots and can thus be classified as mecha.

Now this isn't really useable by anyone but it is a step in that direction..

 

Not real but closer!

Real but not built anymore.

 

 

Burning man video ...who is the builder?

 

Slow and yet still.

Death of MMOs?

EQ2Wire: What George Smokejumper said about the MMO industry

 

SmokeJumper on Taking Risks in the MMO Industry

Written by Feldon on Wednesday, August 29, 2012 at 11:46 pm

In response to a thread asking the perennial question “Is the MMO Genre Dying?“, SmokeJumper had some comments that may resonate with readers who have tried, or plan to try some of the new concept MMOs on the near horizon:

I think the main problem with most MMOs today is lack of imagination and fear of failure.
Individual developers at any given company have slews of good, innovative ideas. However, what matters is what the person that signs the check will authorize…and that involves risk assessment.
So yeah, we have a few models out there of “chase loot, get check” that work really well. So everyone starts making their games do exactly that as the only main goal. Thus, we’ve trained our own players to do only one thing.

Well, bad on us. But we’re reaping what we sowed.
That being said, the reverse is true. Once you start playing a game, you don’t really want it to morph into another completely different game over time, because you fell in love with the original game…not this new one. (And yes, we’ve done our share of that morphing ourselves. We’re changing that approach to our games now.)
So, MMOs are not dying. However, players that have played those MMOs many times over many years are…surprise, surprise…tired of playing that particular game model. They want something new.
So, enter the new breed. Things like Tera and GW2. They’re trying new ideas. Maybe they work, maybe they don’t, but no one has hit it out of the park yet. We all know…feel in our bones…that change has to occur and we’re all working toward new ways of doing things.
Part of that is gameplay. Part of it is business. And part is something no one has seen yet. EQN is where we take our theories and practice and combine them into the form of something new.
But no way is the genre dead. That’s like the rumors of “the PC is a dying platform”. It’s just not true. We do nothing but grow because people like being around other people.

Georgeson also made a point of reiterating that while EQNext will be different from EQ2, it will not be “simpler”.


TL;DR version:
Bottom line is MMO's are changing into something new out of the gate instead of changing what is already out.

Fan Made Video

Pretty Cool Huh?

River City

From Wikipedia : "River City" as a brevity code, an order to implement immediate communications blackout until further notice
River City this video is very interesting. I love the urban decay and broken bridges.
Also from the Wiki:
River City, as a city nickname, may also refer to any of the following cities:

[edit] Australia

• Brisbane, Queensland

[edit] Canada

• Edmonton, Alberta
• Winnipeg, Manitoba

[edit] China

• Chongqing

[edit] Indonesia

• Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan

[edit] Japan

• Hiroshima
• Kōtō, Tokyo
• Niigata, Niigata
• Osaka
• Tokushima, Tokushima

[edit] New Zealand

• Wanganui

[edit] United States

• Austin, Texas
• Cape Girardeau, Missouri
• Cincinnati, Ohio
• Decatur, Alabama
• Evansville, Indiana
• Grand Rapids, Michigan
• Jacksonville, Florida
• Kansas City Metropolitan Area, MO/KS
• Little Rock, Arkansas
• Louisville, Kentucky
• Mason City, Iowa
• Memphis, Tennessee
• Oconto Falls, Wisconsin
• Omaha, Nebraska
• Peoria, Illinois
• Portland, Oregon
• Richmond, Virginia
• Sacramento, California
• San Antonio, Texas
• Sioux City, Iowa
• Spokane, Washington
• St. Louis, Missouri
• Toms River, New Jersey
• Vicksburg, Mississippi
• White River Junction, Vermont

Communications

ComOPEN:
Greetings Pilots
Today I wish to talk to you about Communications.
Sub-section: Listening
There are 5 types of people

1. I cannot hear you.
2. I am talking so you cannot talk.
3. I know what my role is and it has nothing to do with communication it has to do with X.
4. I am distracted.
5. I am listening.

1) Not hearing is a huge problem it leads to confusion and fearful reaction. If you cannot hear you you and your team are at huge disadvantage. Other forms of comunication are necessary but slower and can cause errors.

2) BLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHnoisenoisenoiseBLAHBLAHBLAH A fools does not want to learn from others. They only want to tell their own ideas.

3) This is actually worse it means you are rogue and not willing to try someone elses point of view. This can lead to disaster for you or your team.

4) Effective listening skills require focus. If you are not following the plan you could get in a whole lot of trouble.

5) When you do listen it is not just to the team the more effective a listener you are the more likely you can hear and respond to calls, fire alarms, car alarms and with less panic. As a team, you can work the plan and plan the work. If you go out on your own things can fall apart.

Many times in my job I am required to sit in on meetings that have little to nothing to do with my day to day. Oddly enough people feel better when I am there - even if I don't speak. They know I am a listener. I can take a lot of abuse and I can dish it out. I am in the process of training my 8yo the virtues of listening because his problem is he is always talking (he is a #2).

This applies to real life and gaming.
ComOUT

#MWO #teams #MechWarriorOnline #Mercs #MechWarrior #listening #communicating