Xbox gamers who enjoyed Steel Battalion may remember the massive, proprietary controller the game used to simulate the cockpit of a ‘mech, festooned with over 40 buttons and switches, as well as two flight sticks. It seems that the upcoming free-to-play persistent online mech simulator Mechwarrior Online may support such devices.
According to a developer Q&A with Piranha Games, the company stated it was looking into the possibility of incorporating peripheral controllers such, like a “joystick, pedals, throttle” among other things. However, the dev reassured gamers that the standard mouse and keyboard will still be fully supported, as well as fully customizable.
Other interesting information from the Q&A mentioned that pilots never die. A BattleMech may be defeated by destroying the head, or the chest, or both legs. However, no matter how much of a beating the ‘mech takes, the pilot will survive, which makes sense for what is essentially an MMO.
The devs also revealed that the game will have nifty touches and visual cues. For example, if a ‘mech is overheating, when it enters water, steam will rise, while when walking around a cooler map, a heat distortion wave will surround them. Distortion effects will occur if the electronic systems in the head get damaged. Players can power down their ‘mechs to avoid detection.
MechWarrior Online is due to be released on PC later this year.
