I like how this one focused alot more on how the lance works as a team, and the missiles in this version look ten times better than the official intro. Plus the wisecrack Vulture pilot is pure win.
When the deadline was close everyone in the company who wasn't working on anything critical including administration would usually run the network render in the background to help pump out frames. I'm in contact with the art director still. If I get a chance I'll run this by him and see if he has any more info he can remember.
This one was created before the published one. It's true some of the scenes we're directly carried over and rerendered. This was only to cut a few corners. The rest of the trailer was all original and created based on feedback from Microprose. Thank you for your feedback.
@Nelarsen To pilot a BattleMech, one needs to use a neuro-helmet, which basically allows the pilot to move the 'mech as if it were her/his own body, which speeds up response time. And as ERIK has also said, if you're being blasted by a swarm of missles, lasers, autocannons, gauss slugs or any number of other things, your head is going to be ringing with the percussive impacts, which make control the 'mech all the more harder, especially when just keep a BattleMech upright is hard enough.
I worked on this while contracting at Mondo Media. This was the original opening cinematic for Mechwarrior 3. Microprose decided to have it reproduced bigger and better for the released game. Not really sure why.
Sheesh if I remember correctly we were working on 200mhz computers back then,. This was in 99. I don't remember exact rendering times. However I do know it would take a few minutes at least for one frame. I'm guessing at least 5. We would do a lot of region renders when touching up details. Mondo had a small internal render server back then and using max network renders everyone in the company would run it to help render scenes over night.
My respect for this game is absolutely immense, because if my dad's friend hadn't given this to me when I was six years old, I doubt i would have even heard of the legend that is Battletech! xD
@shizaquife Good questions! Well I just opened some of the files that I held onto. The face count for each Mech is: firefly 43,702 Thor 22,659 Thor damaged 58,731 Vulture 52,138
@Nelarsen if you were just hit with a group of missiles, as well as falling on the ground, you'd be pretty dazed as well, also, although I can't confirm this, since it has been a while, I believe, if I remember correctly, that they are "linked" to the 'Mech, although I can't remember much of the finer points in that.
It's funny how they make it seem like the battlemechs are actually people. I mean why would the guy controlling the Thor be like "aw, my head hurts "and move the battlemechs arm around like the robot itself is disoriented, I mean why wouldn't he just shoot
i believe this is rather been a remake than the actual original clip. since the cgi and frame rate was horrible back then(20s) and this vid shown the fps average above 70s and cgi quality is also far better than the one from 1999.
Haha Back then everything seemed so powerful, however I remember having to animate in box mode just so I can see it playback at a reasonable frame rate. I wouldn't be able to see anything at the correct frame rate unless I rendered and opened it on the PVR. I just opened the walk cycle with full textures and it plays back without a hitch on my 3ghz. lmao.
@gribae you're kidding right? read the novel about what they did to a city on a draconis planet...i'd shoot first, there's a reason the Inner Sphere completely destroyed the Smoke Jaguars. two SRM2 salvoes to the face is about as civil as they'd be.
I like how this one focused alot more on how the lance works as a team, and the missiles in this version look ten times better than the official intro. Plus the wisecrack Vulture pilot is pure win.
When the deadline was close everyone in the company who wasn't working on anything critical including administration would usually run the network render in the background to help pump out frames. I'm in contact with the art director still. If I get a chance I'll run this by him and see if he has any more info he can remember.
This one was created before the published one. It's true some of the scenes we're directly carried over and rerendered. This was only to cut a few corners. The rest of the trailer was all original and created based on feedback from Microprose.
Thank you for your feedback.
@Nelarsen To pilot a BattleMech, one needs to use a neuro-helmet, which basically allows the pilot to move the 'mech as if it were her/his own body, which speeds up response time. And as ERIK has also said, if you're being blasted by a swarm of missles, lasers, autocannons, gauss slugs or any number of other things, your head is going to be ringing with the percussive impacts, which make control the 'mech all the more harder, especially when just keep a BattleMech upright is hard enough.
I worked on this while contracting at Mondo Media. This was the original opening cinematic for Mechwarrior 3. Microprose decided to have it reproduced bigger and better for the released game. Not really sure why.
Sheesh if I remember correctly we were working on 200mhz computers back then,. This was in 99. I don't remember exact rendering times. However I do know it would take a few minutes at least for one frame. I'm guessing at least 5. We would do a lot of region renders when touching up details. Mondo had a small internal render server back then and using max network renders everyone in the company would run it to help render scenes over night.
My respect for this game is absolutely immense, because if my dad's friend hadn't given this to me when I was six years old, I doubt i would have even heard of the legend that is Battletech! xD
Battletech was the game my girlfriend bought me golden dices for. We are still a couple :)
Memories... lots of em
I still love this game! Right now i'm playing MW:O and it's great, but I miss Vulture and Avatar.
Fantastic find! Thanks so much for posting.
@shizaquife Good questions! Well I just opened some of the files that I held onto. The face count for each Mech is:
firefly 43,702
Thor 22,659
Thor damaged 58,731
Vulture 52,138
A typical shot with mechs and background would be around 200-300 thousand faces.
@Nelarsen if you were just hit with a group of missiles, as well as falling on the ground, you'd be pretty dazed as well, also, although I can't confirm this, since it has been a while, I believe, if I remember correctly, that they are "linked" to the 'Mech, although I can't remember much of the finer points in that.
Glad I found this, its pretty cool!
This is the funny one. :P
I belive it was Promo cinematic because i can remember how exited i was about it, but can't play because it didn't come out yet.
Wow, never saw this alternate trailer. Love the com chatter!
My favorite
Cool. Thanks for posting this.
Wow where did you dig this up?
It's funny how they make it seem like the battlemechs are actually people. I mean why would the guy controlling the Thor be like "aw, my head hurts "and move the battlemechs arm around like the robot itself is disoriented, I mean why wouldn't he just shoot
Best Intro ever.
Very, very cool. Though I do think the final release is somewhat better, this is interesting as well.
i believe this is rather been a remake than the actual original clip. since the cgi and frame rate was horrible back then(20s) and this vid shown the fps average above 70s and cgi quality is also far better than the one from 1999.
The hell? Is this even real? If so it's cool--but I'm glad they went with the newer one. thanks for the post, Lunac2369!
+otakushark: You were on the team that made the cinematics?
The sound effects in this original sound weak compared to the one that was used but the story is pretty good.
@Gallowell I hope they do develop something.
Takeing care of him righ
Janice Wymore now
this one seems good before Microsoft ERA I think
Where did you dig *this* up? I've never seen it before. Great find!
Haha Back then everything seemed so powerful, however I remember having to animate in box mode just so I can see it playback at a reasonable frame rate. I wouldn't be able to see anything at the correct frame rate unless I rendered and opened it on the PVR.
I just opened the walk cycle with full textures and it plays back without a hitch on my 3ghz. lmao.
This is the original? Or like the progress? I never saw this before. o.o
Wow... The old one SUCKED hahaha. x)
1:20 Holy crap, is that Sgt. Unther?
they used this in the Ending. or at least the kill shot.
can you give me the link how to download it
@wonderboy2402 The pointless comm chatter is what maes this better than what was released, more real.
@gribae you're kidding right? read the novel about what they did to a city on a draconis planet...i'd shoot first, there's a reason the Inner Sphere completely destroyed the Smoke Jaguars. two SRM2 salvoes to the face is about as civil as they'd be.
@kakabukkake0 good logic...
Dude. Still prefer the other one but NICE job.
i agree lol
Kill the meat, save the metal
@2awsommee4U say that to the smoke jaguar's
@pablo6417 i still have it
@Varrenify N00B's thats who
This made more sense than the original where an Atlas intercepts a Mad Cat.
wow.... thats... actually astonishingly terrible
glad they didnt roll with this one :P
Hi thunderbirb
Haha. Damn that's cheesy.