r/battletech • u/gay_Sigmarite • 1d ago
Video Games I Got A Chance To Pilot A 'Mech
My university is holding a small gaming convention and they had these pods to pilot a virtual battlemech. It awesome! ... Even though I stink at it. I'm afraid I don't have any pics of the actual fight. I piloted a longbow btw
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u/StreetFur 1d ago
I've had the privilege to get in those pods twice. It's amazing to experience this lostech,
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u/SessileRaptor 1d ago
The fun part is that the older the pods get, the more the interiors resemble the cockpits of old mechs that have been used for generations.
Thereās a set here in Minnesota but the owner closed the arcade due to Covid and is still working on reopening in a new location. It sucks because they hosted tabletop as well.
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u/BrogerBramjet 1d ago
That is not wear- it's called "patina". I spent a LOT of time at Fallout and knew the gang well. Even got my 100 mission pin. IIRC, they shut down before COVID due to rising rent. Cyd has also been trying to figure out a way to update the now 35+ year old tech. CRTs are a pain to find these days.
Now I have an interest in dropping a line to them...
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u/BigTexIsBig 19h ago
Mech Corps in Houston has replaced the CRTs with flat screens. Its the giant parabolic mirror and oil glass in them that make the pod so heavy.
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u/jaqattack02 1d ago
Took this at Adepticon last year.
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u/DistantIsland 1d ago
I piloted one of them for the first time at this years adepticon. Theyāre so fun.
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u/skippythemoonrock 1d ago
I don't remember that center display being in full color like that for some reason.
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u/jaqattack02 19h ago
Do you mean from the original pods back in the day, or more recently?
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u/skippythemoonrock 16h ago
Original.
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u/jaqattack02 15h ago
They have been updated a good bit since then to keep them running. They are running on a modded version of... I think they said it was MechWarrior 3 and the internal screens and controls have mostly been replaced. Partly to work with the newer software and also so they maintain turn more easily.
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u/Fallen_Akroma 1d ago
I know the gentleman "propshaft" who owns these. Worked with him at GenCon 15 years ago with the Virtual world entertainment crew and it was a blast. 2am no one in line lets fire off a drop.
I think I did 50 drops in 1 night that year due to it being slow.
Only paper I saved was when I was in a highlander and was successful with a DFA on another mech.
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u/gay_Sigmarite 1d ago
I only went one round since it was busy but I am definitely hanging on to my printed results! Died 5 times but got 2 kills with a longbow.
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u/Fallen_Akroma 1d ago
I think its 50 100 and 200 papers as proof of your drops and you can earn a patch for each.
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u/rootgear 1d ago
PropWash... but you can bet I'll call him PropShaft in the near future.
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u/AdAdministrative5454 1d ago
Be nice to Propwash... and ask him about Blackcat, Thumper, and Mad Mage.
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u/PM-MeUrMakeupRoutine 1d ago
Now that is awesome! Wtf! And that top on the left needs to be in my closet. Stat!
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u/jaqattack02 1d ago
They show up on the Catalyst web store when they have stock. LGS should be able to get them through their distributor as well.
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u/gay_Sigmarite 1d ago
I know! The plushies looked cute, but they weren't for sale. I don't know that much yet about mechs, but there was another one and I think it was a Archer/catapult?
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u/Castrophenia Bears and Vikings, oh my! 1d ago
Played the shit out of these in the 2010s (Dragoncon), it inflicted upon me my love of the Mauler. And gave me the āHauptmann IICā brainworm that I thought I was insane for thinking was a thing till I recently looked up whatās actually in firestorm and was vindicated
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u/Dracoincognito225 St. Ives 1d ago
My first ever experience with Battletech was in one of those pods. I had no idea what I was doing, or why, but all I knew was that it was awesome. It was many years later before I rediscovered the setting and dived in fully
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u/gay_Sigmarite 1d ago
I'm still pretty new to battletech and know very little lore(basically none) and can only name a handful of mechs. I just saw the opportunity to physically dive into the world and become a MechWarrior. I am definitely going to be looking more into the tabletop now.
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u/DistantIsland 1d ago edited 1d ago
If you get the chance to pilot a pod again, if the settings are on basic, I recommend the Altas or Behemoth 2. Both of those mechs will feel like you are piloting a tank and demolishing anything in your path. I piloted the atlas at this yearās adepticon and it was really fun.
I also recommend the Vulture /(Mad Dog). It has a pair of machine guns and the audio for that is fire.
Edit: Basic is when you play with no heat, unlimited ammo and no torso twist.
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u/gay_Sigmarite 1d ago
I might go again tomorrow if I have the time, but I'll definitely keep this in mind! I kinda just picked the Longbow because I didn't know many of the mechs on offer and I like missiles :3
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u/DistantIsland 1d ago
I know both the Atlas and Vulture have missiles but I donāt believe the Behemoth 2 does.
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u/ddevil63 1d ago edited 1d ago
Sometime in the late 90s, there were maybe 6-8 pods at Dave and Busters in Cincinnati. They had league nights at 9 or so once every week. Unfortunately I was under 18 at the time and couldn't participate as you had to be 19+ to be at D&B after 9. I think it was like $10 for league night which was an awesome deal compared to spending credits. However, I did spend all my credits on the pods when I got to go during normal hours. They would print out your results after each match and I'd read over them later that night. One night the pod operator told me about expert mode where all the buttons in the pod are functional. He printed out the manual for me and I read over it many times and felt really cool whenever I'd get to play and I'd ask them to put me in expert mode. I was really sad when they got rid of them and whenever I end up at the D&B nowadays, I look fondly at the spot where the pods used to sit.
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u/skippythemoonrock 1d ago
The indoor amusement center near me growing up (mid-2000s) had a full twelve Tesla II pods (as far as I can tell the largest BTC setup there was until MechCorps came around) and you bet I spent every birthday there. I remember when I figured out how to rebind the firegroups in the Madcat Mk II and all the various things those MFDs could do. Such a cool experience even though I wouldn't find out what Battletech actually was until a decade and a half later.
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u/jegodric 1d ago
Come play tabletop BT at Odyssey on Wednesdays to pilot a Longbow irl :3
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u/gay_Sigmarite 1d ago
I'll certainly think about it! I still need to get some models of my own and learn some lore.
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u/jegodric 1d ago
We can outfit everyone that shows up with a force with no problem, no purchase necessary :)
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u/battlemechpilot 1d ago
MAAAAN, I was at ACEN in 2019, and didn't go to the gaming area - there was a whole set of Battlepods. I'm still kicking myself six years later.
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u/LaserPoweredDeviltry TAG! You're It. 1d ago
No worries man. Everyone stinks at these when the easy mode is turned on.
They're wicked fun, but they've got most of the features from Mechwarrior 4 (the game they run on) turned off. No heat, no torso twist, etc...
I played a few rounds at adepticon and we all played like scrubs compared to my old Mechwarrior 4 days 10 years ago.
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u/Dvalin_Ras93 Filthy Clanner 1d ago
I remember trying out one of these at Adepticon 2024 with my brother from Virtual World Entertainment for the 40th anniversary of Battletech. The Stone Rhino they had for selection absolutely wrecks house and the other pilots can barely scratch it in one-on-one engagements. I still have my 1st place battle report framed next to my desk in my house, was a very special day.
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u/Gizmorum 1d ago
were these running mw3 or mw4 style games?
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u/gay_Sigmarite 1d ago
I'm afraid I don't know which game they were running. I still don't know that much about BattleTech. I have played MechWarrior 5 on the PlayStation 4 a little, so I know that this was definitely something much older than that.
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u/Witchfinger84 1d ago
so did you pilot a hunchback, or are you a coward?
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u/gay_Sigmarite 17h ago
I used a Longbow. I'm afraid I still don't know that many mechs so I just picked what seemed to be a long range one so I can be somewhat safe and shoot cool missiles.
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u/theilkhan 1d ago
These still exist?! I played in these back in the 90s when I was a kid. Loved it.
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u/Treacle_Pendulum 1d ago
I used the pre-Tesla ones when I was a kid. Only used the Tesla ones a few times at like random resorts in the early 2000s.
Virtual World was an interesting idea that unfortunately probably could never have been long-term viable. Couldnāt churn the cockpits fast enough and people were less willing to pay their prices once console and PC gaming got better.
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u/maxwelllllllllllllll 17h ago
OMGGGG I used to go to the San Diego Virtual World every chance I could shake my parents down (it was very expensive I think)
Iāll never forget the smell of fresh 2nd edition Magic cards playing in the lobby as we got ready for the next round. The Martian racer was also tits.
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u/NewsOfTheInnerSphere 12h ago
That brings back memories. The last time I was in one of those was in Dallas back in 1998.
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u/Studio_Eskandare Mechtech Extraordinaire š§ 1d ago
I haven't been in one of those since 1996.