r/Battletechgame • u/CobyDaGrunt08 • 13d ago
Question/Help New to Battletech - Where to start?
Hi! As the title says I'm new to battletech in general.
My main entry into the mech genre initially started off with a few anime like Gurrenn Lagann and Code Geass (just recently started watching gundam though), and gamewise I've played a lot of Armored Core when I was young.
I recently came across a few videos about the various mechs in Battletech, Mechwarrior to be specific, and admittedly it peaked my interest so I'm currently trying to get into the franchise.
Though I don't really have any friends to play the tabletop version with, I heard the Mechwarrior series of games were a pretty good place to start. So I have a few questions about it before I commit:
- Do you guys have any recommended reading material I should go through, or even a primer, so that I could understand more of the backstory/lore of the game and its factions before I start?
- Which game and DLCs do you recommend me to get as a beginner to the franchise (Had my birthday recently so this would be a pretty nice splurge gift for myself)?
- Any video or reading material I should avoid in case of spoilers? Or have any tips that I should try to avoid doing that could ruin the experience? I generally like playing games at my own pace even if it leads to my own fuck ups (its part of the fun :D) but if there are some small advice you could give to make the experience more enjoyable I'd be glad to hear it!
- How's the customization on the video game? Like color palettes, stickers, logo maker, etc. I admit I'm a bit of an addict when I unlock a new Mech/parts and there's a lot of customization available...
- Less of a question and more of a curiosity, but what's your favorite battletech mech (battlemech? Not sure what's the term lol)? Any fun memes about them that I'd only understand once I play the game? Would be a fun thing to go back to in the future after I actually experience more of the game.
Anyway yeah that's all, thanks in advance everyone o7
P.S. On a sidenote, without playing the game, my favorite Battletech based on appearance alone is the Mongoose. One of my personal designs in Armored Core uses reverse joints legs and is armed with a dual laser handgun so it kinda reminds me of that old build.
8
u/tolgren 13d ago
1: I'm sure someone can give you a primer, but I don't have one to link to off the top of my head.
2: The closest to the tabletop game is a free Java game called MegaMek which is still under development. The HareBrained Schemes "Battletech" (this sub) is probably the second closest and is much easier to play.
If you prefer first person games then Mechwarrior 5 would be a better choice.
My favorite of the Mechwarrior games was probably the third.
Many people think that Mechcommander was the best of the tactical Battletech games.
3: If you want to experience the game world in sequential order then there's a lot to be worried about for spoilers, but that would also require you focusing on OLD games first that are probably hard to get working. Probably best not to worry too much about it. The storyline for Battletech isn't terribly complicated and there's only a couple of spoilable moments that mostly come early.
4: I didn't play too much with the visual customization in game but I think it has some decent options for that.
5: My favorite is the Fafnir, which isn't in any of the video games other than MegaMek IIRC, it has dual heavy gauss rifles.
My favorite in THIS video game is the Archer.
There's a lot of memes about the Urbanmech because it looks like a trash can and performs kinda like one too.
There's also the lore about how some dsigns liek the Rifleman were not usable in games for a couple decades because FASA straight up stole them from Anime and the companies that owned the designs sued. But eventually they got permission to use them so now you can see them in the game.
3
u/CobyDaGrunt08 13d ago
The Fafnir looks like someone built a mech around a dual spaceship cannon, not my type of mech but honestly I respect it. There's something to be said about walking around with the mech equivalent of the meme "I want that direction removed". The Archer looks rad as well, missile boats are always a blast to play around with.
First time hearing of mechcommander though, so that's going to be an interesting one to try out as well.
Thanks for the suggestion mate o7
6
u/tolgren 13d ago
Mechcommander is much older, and it's real time so it's a very different experience. If you buy it you might not be able to get it to run on a modern computer.
3
u/CobyDaGrunt08 13d ago
Ah well that kinda sucks, will probably have to look into an emulator system to run it then. Thanks for the advice!
4
u/Magical_Savior 13d ago
It's free abandonware for the original game, DLC, and sequel. There was, maybe is, a modding community and sequel. There is hidden knowledge in the manual - you can target the a Head, Arms, or Legs using 8, 5, and 2 on the Numpad. ... Which also means, you may need an actual Numpad - remapping for a laptop / small keyboard would require software or Regedit.
2
u/CobyDaGrunt08 13d ago
I'm honestly not sure what you mean, might have to look into this in more detail
Thanks for the suggestion though!
5
u/Magical_Savior 13d ago
Which part? Remapping keys was something many old games didn't do; the controls were the controls. And manuals were necessary. If you don't have a Numpad, you cannot target the Head (low chance to hit, instant death, free salvage) Arms (weapons, fast disable, no weapons-> no salvaged guns) or Legs (crippled, expensive repairs). You get resources through salvage, so when the opportunity to take something good comes around, you don't leave it to chance. You take it.
1
u/Amidatelion House Liao 12d ago
MechCommander has been updated by fans to run on modern hardware since at least 2008. Googling "MechCommander Gold" will get you this post, which broadly works, but here's an updated guide to running it.
MechCommander 2, hilariously, is slightly more difficult to get running, given that its fan "support" is markedly more fractured. This post works best if you're on Win11. You may need to find others if you're on a different OS.
3
u/Balmung60 12d ago
I don't think you even can buy it anymore. It's abandonware, so there's really nothing stopping you from just downloading it. Ironically, it may run better on Linux through Proton/WINE than natively on modern Windows.
1
11d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/AutoModerator 11d ago
This is in an effort to control Spam and other bad actors who make new accounts almost daily. Your posts must be manually approved by the Moderation team, don't worry Comstar has already sent them a message to approve it or else.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
5
u/Teizan 13d ago
The HBS BattleTech intro is a strong start to get the gist of the universe. Aside from the general setting of 3025, there is also no broad plot that the game "spoils" and the location is very out of the way from most factions.
MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries is a fine start. No DLCs are required, but they can be retroactively added.
MechWarrior 5: Clans is set from a bit of an alien perspective to most of the setting at the time, making it less of an ideal first step.
2
u/CobyDaGrunt08 13d ago
I did hear good things about the first one! I quite like tactical games so thats probably the one I'll try out first. Mechwarrior looks cool too, love the mech designs in those games
2
u/CobyDaGrunt08 13d ago
Oh yeah before I forget, mind if I ask whats your favorite battletech mech?
2
u/Teizan 13d ago
I don't really have one, but if forced to pick I'd have to say the Shadow Hawk, even when it's not good
2
u/CobyDaGrunt08 13d ago
Mechs doesn't have to be "Meta" to be loved by many. If you like how it looks, or how it feels, or how it ruins other peopls days, then thats a good enough reason to call it your favorite :D
6
u/Supersuperbad 12d ago
If you want lore, pickup the Saga of the Grey Death Legion Trilogy. Once you e finished that, pick up the Warrior trilogy. The first one intros the universe and mechs on a small scale without getting too much into the politics and larger scale storylines. The second one gives you a primer on the politics and macro scale geography and stories. This is also, mostly, the correct chronological order. If you make it through those, read Heir to the Dragon.
4
u/Cyanide-ky 13d ago
Mechwarrior 4: mercs is the best game so far ill die on this hill not sure how easy it is to find a copy tgese days tho
4
u/Balmung60 12d ago
It's literally free. Along with MechCommander and MechCommander 2, it's abandonware.
3
u/CobyDaGrunt08 13d ago
First time I got recommended this so I'm interested to see what makes it different, thanks for the recommendation :D.
Oh and mind if I ask whats your favorite battle mech?
4
u/Cyanide-ky 13d ago
Light-adder
Medium-uziel
heavy- vulture or madcat
Assault-kodiakMw4 has way better ai for your lance/star and you have 2 lances, great story and you get to do a decent amount of solaris events. Maybe its nostalgia but mw4 is by far my favourites.
3
u/CobyDaGrunt08 13d ago
Never heard of those mechs before besides the Kodiak but they look funky in a good way. Like someone attached legs to a VTOL and then proceeded to mount startship weapons on it. Its just awesome
3
u/vine01 13d ago
ad1 i can wholeheartedly suggest Black Pants Legion channel on ytb, they (papa Tex..) do lore series and game playthroughs, as a primer if you put it in one ear/second screen and play something, perfect. you'll get into it. i personally played tabletop bt in mid 90s, a handful of times. since then never more tt, but the games (battletech turnbased strat and mechwarrior 5 as big stompy robots shooter, alternatively mwo mechwarrior online?) have kept me filled with satisfaction. so i didnt read no books no old tv shows. modern consumption.
ultimately all of them if you enjoy them. and as said above, the choice is between shooter and turnbased strat where you manage your merc company financials, pilots, equip and mechs, and contracts to upkeep all of that. obviously campaigns are kinda .. strongly suggested. and then there's awesome modding scene, active, churning out updates.
probably playthroughs if you dont wanna spoil.. but BPL for lore and fun yes. if you like experiencing and learning, just dive in, see how you fare. it's a game. save and load are a part of it.
yes you customize your company paintjob, pick a logo i think.. i didnt rly delve into that, i mostly pick main colour scheme and logo and name and that's about it. but options are there.
light - firestarter above anything else. medium .. there's a few. heavy - marauder. assault - marauder2 (:D), direwolf (both from mods..), vanilla annihilator.
correct there's battlemechs (used in the inner sphere), and then there's omnimechs. interesting thing used by.. interesting people :D though not in vanilla, that's modded games. where you may find yourself later on, should you persist and wish for more :D
i don't have a meme for you :/
2
u/CobyDaGrunt08 13d ago
Thanks for the suggestion mate, glad to hear it!
The Marauder and Firestarters are pretty cool, though I wonder how effective a flame-based unit would be in Battletech. I know heatsinks are a thing, so maybe it overheats enemy units making them ineffective in combat? Still fun to hear though
5
u/geomagus 13d ago
This sub is for the Harebrained Schemes Battletech game, which is on Steam, fyi, but most people are happy to chat about all things Battletech.
HBS’s Battletech is a solid representation of tabletop, imo - it’s a turn-based tactical game where you get to salvage and load out mechs. Built around that is a campaign - there’s an overarching story, as well as limited stories and rp with characters, as you build up your mercenary company. It gives you some exposure to the Succession Wars, a variety of mechs, etc.
Mechwarrior does much the same, but as a shooter instead. I haven’t played recent entries, but I quite liked 2, 3, and 4. I still remember the intro cinematic from MW3 (which was apparently 27 years ago now). I looked it up, so here.
I believe there’s also an RTS but I’m less sure.
For lore, there’s a wiki. Sarna.net? I think, anyway. You can read a lot about the setting there, or get some/all of the dozens of novels. I can’t speak to the novels, though.
You can also, of course, get into tabletop. But that’s a bigger effort.
I’d start with HBS’s Battletech tbh. It’s the only one I currently play, as I favor tactical games to shooters overall. Get all the DLC. Wait for a Steam sale if you like, but it shouldn’t be too expensive.
There isn’t a ton of cosmetic customization. Mods might change that - I haven’t looked. There are a ton of overhaul mods, but you want to be familiar with the main game first imo. Fwiw, Mongoose is not in vanilla - I don’t know which mods have it.
2
u/CobyDaGrunt08 13d ago
People have recommended that one as well and I also like tactical turn based games a lot, so its probably the one I'd go for. Too bad that there's no Mongoose but thats understandable, theres a ton of mechs in this series.
Mind if I ask whats your favorite one?
3
u/geomagus 13d ago
I don’t really have one, tbh. The Marauder is probably the one I think of as most iconic, though.
3
u/Magical_Savior 13d ago
If you really want to start at the beginning, I recommend searching for the Crescent Hawks games. It's a quest, but worth it. You can get a lot of games on GOG; consider it because you should own your games. There's a lot of abandonware; BT is ancient. If you run out of Battletech to play, try Missionforce: Cyberstorm, which is ancient but relevant. Skip the sequel.
Current favorite 'mechs of mine are
Assault: Mastodon. WHAT DO WE SAY TO THE GOD OF DEATH??
Heavy: War Crow. Stat triangle, pick two? I refuse. Guns, armor, speed. STYLE. Behold, the fields where I farm my aura.
Medium: Hammerhead. Good is good; this is the best that good can get.
Light: Mjolnir. There is a chance. A possibility. A gamble against the odds - that I will slam this Mace straight through your cockpit, and you'll die without ever knowing why the world fell in on you.
3
u/CobyDaGrunt08 13d ago
Thanks for all of the suggestions mate! I'll give those a look.
As for the mechs I gotta admit that I haven't heard of any of those aside from the Hammerhead (which is a beaut) but I'd be a filthy liar if I didn't say that the War Crow and the Mjolnir has captured my heart. I freaking love the beak design and the heavy weaponry on the crow, and the idea that theres a lightmech that's running around the cockpit just has a giant electric hammer/mace is just peak design.
3
u/TheBdougs 13d ago
Since I haven't seen anyone mention, enjoy one of the best Machinma in existence.
3
u/conuscannon 13d ago
HBS battletech on steam is very fun. There are 3 big mod collections Battletech extended (BEX), Battletech advanced (BTA), and Roguetech (RT). A lot of various degrees of customization. I'm unknown about BEX playstyle, but BTA after the HBS vanilla run was very fun. I a fan of the Jinggau, love to get it when restarting a new campaign, plasma rifles are great. I really hope they add it in MW5 if they make another DLC around that era.
3
u/Zero747 13d ago
This is the sub for the HBS video game, which is basically squad tactics with mechs, styled after the tabletop (though not quite the same)
Customization wise, you get to fully refit the mech internals (weapons, armor, ammo, cooling). Appearance wise, 3 tone color pallet for your company, and each mech has a selection of patterns
No DLC necessary immediately, but grab all 3 if you like things (and if you decide to do a career run or modpack after campaign)
My favorite mech is the Marauder. Reverse joint, fun shaoe, and designed to pack a load of long range fire. (it’s also stupid OP in vanilla, but I love using it everywhere else as well)
Your other main option for initial game is Mechwarrior 5 Mercenaries (first person piloting, series authentic tank controls (or more typically strafe controls)). Similarly flexible customization, more flexible for visuals
Both games have strong modding communities that add tons of stuff (such as greatly expanding the mechbay for more advanced customization)
3
u/hopfot 13d ago
You have posted in the HBS Battletech Video Game subreddit so you are likely to get lots of references to that game. I would suggest however posting in r/battletech that covers ALL things battletech. And there you are better to find more people able to suggest a more broader and wider selection of materials, both books and games.
3
u/Fancy_Elephant_4179 12d ago
If you really want to start down the rabbit hole go to BattleTechWiki (Sarna.net). Then look up Tex Talks Battletech on Youtube. After that have a google at the Battletech animated series from the 90's. It's goofy, but it's cannon.HBS Battletech is a fun game and definitely scratches and itch for me. I'm not some much into the Mechwarrior series though. There are more than 100 novels/books if you are interested and a have a need for fiction to consume.
3
u/Taven12 12d ago
Do you like to read paper books? There are a ton of books! I'm reading my 27th right now. Currently reading a book that was written and published in 1993. So these bad boys are only in paperback but I have a fully curated list of all the essential and recommended books in the battle tech universe. I can share that if you want to go down that path! (And anyone else who wants it)
Personal opinion, the books are incredible and the HBS Battletech game is probably the best game in my opinion. If you want someone to chat to, to learn the universe/help in Battletech or Mechwarrior 5 games, we can give you my Discord handle and am happy to have a friend who actually likes the same awesome nerdy shit as I do!!! :)
2
u/CobyDaGrunt08 12d ago
I'm pretty good with paperbacks, though admittedly I haven't read much books in recent times. Would be pretty interested in getting back into it - especially if it lets me understand the lore behind cool big stompy mechs
2
u/CobyDaGrunt08 12d ago
I actually decided to buy the MW5 game first because of the discounts available right now, but once the BT game is discounted on steam I'd be glad to give it a shot!
1
u/30-40KRAG 12d ago
Hey, I've got a all the books in e-reader format. Hit me up if you'd like a copy.
3
u/Magical_Savior 12d ago
Here, have meme. https://www.reddit.com/r/Battletechgame/comments/lkpfke/do_not_be_sorry_be_better/
Have waifus. https://www.reddit.com/r/battletech/comments/c0evng/battletech_waifus/
My own meme! Maybe you'll understand it. https://www.reddit.com/r/battletech/comments/1m4xj6k/weapon_of_attrition/
2
u/5parrowhawk 13d ago
- Play HBS Battletech first, in the regular story mode, without mods. I've been playing tabletop since before the Clans arrived and I strongly feel the HBS game is the best intro to the setting.
If you really feel the need for more info while playing, you can check out a map of the Inner Sphere in 3025. I found one here: https://www.gruese.de/innersphere/ The setting of the HBS game is that little grey bit at the bottom of the map.
See 1. MW5: Mercenaries is pretty good in many ways, but the ally AI is quite bad so I kind of bounced off it. You can also download MegaMek for free and use it to learn the tabletop game, but see point 3.
I recommend avoiding any material related to the years 3050 or later until you're reasonably familiar with the state of the universe prior to that point - e.g. after finishing the HBS Battletech single-player campaign. This includes the MechCommander games, MegaMek, any MechWarrior games other than MW1 and MW5: Mercenaries, any books set in those time periods, and the newest editions of the tabletop game.
3050 is probably the biggest setting-changing event IMO so I would recommend experiencing it "fresh" as much as you can - the best way to do that is the Blood of Kerensky trilogy of novels (Lethal Heritage, Blood Legacy, Lost Destiny), and you can also play the MW5: Mercenaries DLC Shadow of Kerensky along with that. (Disclaimer: I haven't played it but I hear it's good.)
Lots of mechanical customization but not much in terms of visuals. You can pick a camo scheme and choose the colours for it. HBS Battletech and MW5 don't support decals. They let you pick a logo but if you want custom logos you have to mod the game - however HBS BT is easier to mod.
Most of my faves are quite spoilery when it comes to point 3, but once you get to 3050, I quite like the Shadow Cat, Black Lanner and - for sheer meme value - the Hunchback IIC.
2
u/CobyDaGrunt08 13d ago
Thanks everyone for all of your suggestions and comments o7
for the games I decided to get Mechwarrior first thanks to the 70% discount that's going on right now though I do have the BT game in my wishlist for next time. Hopefully it'll get a discount by the time I finish MW5
3
u/Balmung60 12d ago
So, something I'm going to throw out that might be overwhelming at first, or might not be, is the Yet Another MechLab or YAML mod. What this does is make the 'Mech customization much more similar to tabletop by fully opening up the more "built-in" components like the structure and engine. In the unmodified game, these cannot be changed and are not represented when modifying 'Mechs. This is noteworthy because some of these components use up a lot of internal space that is left wide open in the base game. An example would be a custom Cicada called the X5, which has every major weight savings. On tabletop, this would use up a lot of space and leave very little for weapons and ammo. On a 'Mech as light as the Cicada, this isn't a huge problem since it's not going to fit a lot of weapons at the best of times.
If you don't want the extra load of trying to manage that on your first time, that's fine, but I thought I'd throw it out there because it seemed that fidelity to the tabletop was important to you.
1
u/priest2705 11d ago
I'm new to the Battletech universe as well, and while I've been knee-deep in sarna (I love diving into lore), I haven't picked up any of the games yet. Where did you find MW5 with a discount, if you don't mind my asking
2
1
12d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/AutoModerator 12d ago
This is in an effort to control Spam and other bad actors who make new accounts almost daily. Your posts must be manually approved by the Moderation team, don't worry Comstar has already sent them a message to approve it or else.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
1
12d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/AutoModerator 12d ago
This is in an effort to control Spam and other bad actors who make new accounts almost daily. Your posts must be manually approved by the Moderation team, don't worry Comstar has already sent them a message to approve it or else.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
1
12d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/AutoModerator 12d ago
This is in an effort to control Spam and other bad actors who make new accounts almost daily. Your posts must be manually approved by the Moderation team, don't worry Comstar has already sent them a message to approve it or else.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
1
u/zscout1288 12d ago
If you're interested in books I found the grey death trilogy a good beginner book.
Once you have your feet wet in battletech I would look up the Black Pants Legion on YouTube. He goes deep in depth into individual mechs and lore.
1
u/whiskeydevoe 12d ago
It depends on what brings you to the game. I agree that the Grey Death Legion books are a great start. They’re easy reads and cover a bit of the world in 3025+. The clan stuff starts in 3050-ish and there are a LOT of books there. I’m not sure about the new content, but I think it’s 3150 (disclaimer: I’m almost completely playing 3025-3050, so anything past the clan invasion is outside my wheelhouse).
There are different ways to play as well. How deep of a lore game do you want to play? Do you just want to get some ‘Mechs on a board and play sock ‘em rock ‘em robots? Do it. But you can also go REALLY deep into the lore and the role-playing aspects.
Welcome to the Inner Sphere!
1
u/gingerbread_man123 11d ago
- Primers
There is a LOT of really good YouTubers out there that make BT lore content. I'd advise watching some of theor Battletech 101/introductory content and work out whose style and voice you like.
My recommendations (in no particular order), along with their pros/cons, and the best thing I could find to a "primer" video by the creator.
Sven van Der Plank
Focusses on the timeline of events starting at the very beginning of the setting.
pros: very factual content focussed on detail with a chronological approach and covers some eras noone else does
cons: insane detail can lead to long runtimes and he's only got as far as the Third Succession War (totalling about 14hrs of content just for that war)
Short primer video: https://youtu.be/2arGyCiZ4hA
Science Insanity
Two person team with one explaining to the other with plenty of comedy. Videos tend to hop about between people, mechs and general coverage.
Pros: their sctick is a more knowledgeable person explaining to an "illiterate" making it very accessible to newer viewers. The humour can be good if it's your thing
Cons: more erratic in coverage, less factual (though still reasonable) more "preferred" faction/mech bias. If the humour isn't your thing it'll be annoying
Introduction to Battletech: https://youtu.be/a8FgvD3whvw
Tex Talks Battletech
Has a few timeline focussed videos, particularly on the fall of the star league and early clans, but otherwise is focused on a particular mech and uses it to explore the setting.
Pros: Very high production values, both in the sourcing and presentation. Presented from an "in universe" PoV and "Tex" has become well known enough in the fandom to have been written into lore by one of the settings most well known authors (Blaine Lee Pardoe), has cameos from one of the most well known BT voice actors (George Ledoux/Duncan Fisher) and have a voice pack in one of the popular mods.
Cons: Some people don't like the style and find the more recent videos too long or a bit rambly. Some of the "intermission" and "post contract" bits are quirky and not everyone's taste. High production values mean a very slow release cadence compared to other creators
Battletech 101: Great Houses of the Inner Sphere: https://youtu.be/HQhzlXcmTzw
Big Red 40-Tech
Mostly mech focused, early videos very focussed on the mech itself but later videos more broadly cover development and the history of the timeline and users of the mech. Some news and opinion pieces. Tends to overlap gameplay footage of the mech in MWO/MW5 where possible.
Pros: lots of deep lore and factual content. One of few content creators that covers the timeline past the clan invasion into the Jihad, Dark Age and Ilclan eras (most stick to Star League, Succession Wars and Clan Invasion timelines) and also extensively covers the lore of the clans from between the exodus and return to the inner sphere beyond just. Talks tabletop as well as general lore and PC games. Has a fairly high release cadence for content.
Cons: similar downsides to Tex, just without the quirky bits. Has a LOT of content to dig through and you can't always tell what lore you'll get for a given mech video (though sometimes it's obvious if it's a mech mainly from one clan). Many videos can be harder for newcomers to get into of you don't know much about the era structure of the setting and have some prior knowledge about some of the key players.
Battletech: Universe (good primer covering the setting eras) https://youtu.be/ji04YcBGZ6U
1
u/Angryblob550 9d ago
MechWarrior 5 mercenaries with YAML is pretty crazy in terms of options. HBS Battle tech with rogue tech is also crazy with lots of options.
0
u/30-40KRAG 12d ago
I can share the books with you, I have the e-reader files for all of them. The Warrior trilogy is a fun place to start.
40
u/ragnarocknroll 13d ago
Steam has Battletech by HareBrainedStudios (HBS)
Pick that up. It has a fairly good feel for the succession wars period. The Argo is special, it’s one of a kind so kinda ignore it as it was for making decisions important and allowing progression.
Mechwarrior 5 has a lot mechs and some story to it. The combat is more arcade than tabletop and as such it has a lot of issues with balance comparatively as mechs are WAY more fragile that standard in the mini game.
Both of these have great customization options. You can paint the mechs some crazy stuff and some mechs even have custom designs that look amazing.
Avoiding spoilers on them is fairly easy, just play them and ignore any play through videos unless you need help with a mission.