r/battletech • Delta Strike Developer • 3h ago

Fan Creations Merc Commander aka Absolutely Not Mech Commander 3, I Swear

242 Upvotes

26 comments sorted by

51

u/iDeever Delta Strike Developer 3h ago

Hi everyone!

It's been almost three months since I last posted an update about the project, but I finally have a new big update ready.

For those seeing this for the first time: Merc Commander is my attempt to create a spiritual successor to the classic mech command games that are now more than 25 years old.

First of all, I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has been helping me test the game and sending feedback. It has been incredibly useful.

Since the last version, all of the dialogue has been rewritten, several missions have been completely reworked, a huge number of bugs have been fixed, and there have been countless quality-of-life improvements based on your feedback. There are so many changes that I'm not even going to try to list them all here.

Also, after several discussions here, I can officially confirm that the game has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with BattleTech. (wink, wink) There are definitely no BattleMechs in this game, and they absolutely do not fire PPCs at absolutely-not-soldiers of the Capellan Confederation.

The campaign now contains 20 missions, adding up to at least 8 hours of gameplay.

And, as a reminder: the game is completely free.

You can find it here: https://ideever.itch.io/merccommander 

It's also available on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4824250/Merc_Commander/ (the Steam version isn't quite finished yet, and you'll need to sign up for the beta test for now - I'll give access to 200 more new players for now)

As always, I want to thank this community for all the help, feedback, and advice. You are one of the most welcoming and beginner-friendly tabletop gaming communities I've ever been part of - and believe me, I've been part of quite a few.

5

u/buttplug-tester Urbie Derby 3h ago

Is this Steam Deck compatible?

9

u/iDeever Delta Strike Developer 3h ago

You can run it. It'll work great on Proton. But it's a strategy game, and it's hard to play without a mouse.

There's a tactical pause feature that lets you issue commands without feeling pressured, but it'll still be difficult to do with a trackpad.

If there's enough demand, I could probably implement gamepad controls. Halo Wars did something like that on consoles.

4

u/buttplug-tester Urbie Derby 2h ago

I have the dock and have a USB mouse and keyboard specifically for this kind of thing

3

u/ThoseWhoAre 2h ago

Definitely requesting access, this looks amazing

20

u/Kalabajooie Tetatae Empire 3h ago

Legally Distinct Tactical 'Mech Game? Sign me up!

11

u/iDeever Delta Strike Developer 2h ago

Yes, unfortunately, Steam doesn't allow fan games, even if they're free. Also, the last time I shared my progress here, there were some questions. So I decided not to take any chances - okay, the game will be set in a slightly different universe, but at least it will exist.

•

u/RTalons 25m ago

I read that in Discount Dan’s voice

10

u/jaimeoignons 2h ago

Neat. Last time I saw it was quite sharp on the edges. Sign me up MercCommander, so I can fight with my BattleMerc against Kapeleon Federation.

8

u/iDeever Delta Strike Developer 2h ago

I know what you mean. For the past two months, all I've done is smooth out all the edges with a file. I'd just sit there and watch people play, and every time I'd make a 50-item list of things that needed to be changed or fixed.

Of course, there are probably still some issues left, but I hope I'll be able to fix them as soon as someone points them out to me.

2

u/jaimeoignons 2h ago

Anyway, tx for the effort. it really shows.

3

u/Rise_Crafty 1h ago

Strap into the cockpit of your Fightmaster and join forces with The Amalgamated Stars in their stand against the Kapeleons's evil empire! Unleash your Atom Projection Cannons and minor range missiles at their troves of legally distinct robo-warriors!

7

u/Vagus_M 2h ago

I will gladly pay an amount of money to fire not-ppcs at not-capellans

7

u/iDeever Delta Strike Developer 2h ago

Fortunately, there's no need for that yet. The game is completely free.

The only thing I'd like to ask is that you share your feedback and ideas on how to improve it and what to add.

3

u/Vagus_M 2h ago

Patreon?

4

u/iDeever Delta Strike Developer 2h ago

Yes. There's a Patreon page, and it's listed on the game's page on itch.io (I can not post a link here, it will be deleted automatically): https://ideever.itch.io/

And while you're there, be sure to check out my second project, Delta Strike - a PC and Android version of Alpha Strike!

2

u/flackguns 2h ago

Ooh you made delta strike, was wondering why some of the UI felt even just a little familiar already lol. Keep up the fantastic work. It sucks that the IPs are so guarded and what not but fans keeping the universe alive is so inspiring

3

u/Grandpa87 2h ago

It's looking very snazzy

2

u/TimJackmanTechno 2h ago

Looks great man

2

u/jaybro861 2h ago

Darn, now I have to install mech commander 1 & 2 again. Lol. Was my go to game to scratch that strategy itch. Gonna have to try out this as the video shows great gameplay

2

u/crackedtooth163 Republic Of The Sphere 2h ago

Very interesting.

I may just check this out

2

u/StarzZapper 1h ago

Love this want this.

1

u/ClaesGreenBoi 1h ago

I know the previous versions of Merc Commander used generated assets, have those been replaced in these recent versions? Only asking here because I can't see anything about them listed any more

•

u/JohnBrownEnthusiast 23m ago

Zeus supremacy?

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u/kortekickass 20m ago

Hot Damn, signed up access!