Mech Combat School?

[MatthewPryde]

If anything ever actually happens. Let me know, pm me. I'll find a time at the sound studio to record scripted lines.

[Chavez_Ninja]

Good write up for mech combat basics.  I say lets get this down first then move on to BA, Air Assets, and other vehicles later.

Curriculum looks good, love the idea and would be willing to help. As for future (specialized) courses/topics, I'd particularly like to see an artillery school involving c3/artillery teams, and reading distance/targets from the big map (where u can toggle suicide {id really like to know the dimensions of each grid for example [also brackets rule!]}) and etc.

[dCK-Ad_Hominem]

@Ninja: I had this in mind, also including our special dCK artillery targeting tactics.

@all: I am sorry to announce that I have run into several problems recording footage with camstudio. The video is not fluent (recorded it at 30fps and at 200(!)fps just to make sure it wasn't frame rate related) and there is no ingame sound recorded. I will try to find solutions to this, but it might take longer than I initially expected.

[ratbuddy]

@Ninja: I had this in mind, also including our special dCK artillery targeting tactics.

@all: I am sorry to announce that I have run into several problems recording footage with camstudio. The video is not fluent (recorded it at 30fps and at 200(!)fps just to make sure it wasn't frame rate related) and there is no ingame sound recorded. I will try to find solutions to this, but it might take longer than I initially expected.

I tried camstudio the other day and it didn't even record the gameplay, only the Crysis mouse cursor moving around against a black screen.

[SquareSphere }12thVR{]

Did we ever figure out how to manage and get sign ups for the school?

[Cowboy]

Sorry, I meant to have the website up by now but real life has reared it's hideously ugly head.  3 funerals in 3 weeks and the wife wrecked the car, but the year's almost over and I can get a fresh start.

We could also do it through a dedicated thread for Mech School signups, but with the ideas for video and everything, it seems better to have our own space.

[Chavez_Ninja]

Sorry, I meant to have the website up by now but real life has reared it's hideously ugly head.  3 funerals in 3 weeks and the wife wrecked the car, but the year's almost over and I can get a fresh start.

We could also do it through a dedicated thread for Mech School signups, but with the ideas for video and everything, it seems better to have our own space.

I'd support the thread idea as a way of keeping everyhting together on this site. If we make more random sites (a-la league/clan pages) newbs may not be interested in searching out there.

[Cygma]

Would be nice if it stayed here so people don't have to discover the school first. If this evolves maybe it could get it's on subforum here?

[Cowboy]

I have absolutely no objection to using the MWLL forums to get players organized and to host the information for the mech school, as long as none of the moderators or devs have a problem with it.  My thoughts would then be to have 2 threads running; one hopefully stickied that would carry school curriculum and hopefully a list of trainers and graduates, the other thread carrying the current conversations for trainers and students.  I've always liked the Blackjack School of Conflict (a Steiner academy for mercs and undesirables) but that wouldn't really carry over for the Clanners.  Any ideas for a name that would introduce folks to the game and then leave it open for them to choose Clans or IS after graduation?  Sanglamore would be fun for the ISers, and The Sibko for Clanners, but if anyone has a more neutral idea, even just Mech School or MechWarrior Academy, I'm game.

[~SJ~NotSoCoolJ]

I tried camstudio the other day and it didn't even record the gameplay, only the Crysis mouse cursor moving around against a black screen.

Sigh.. Same thing here. I was trying to make a tutorial for getting started. The only thing that records is fraps and I don't have a license. X( Camstudio would have been much better if it actually worked.

[dCK-Ad_Hominem]

I can actually record game footage with camstudio, but I still have not figured how to record game sound and the video is not fluent. I even recorded one directly to XVID to keep the size of the file down and there has been no change. It cannot be my PC, processor and RAM are more than sufficient for that. I might still try some things, but as for now I do not see a possibility to record it using Camstudio. Are there other, free programs out there I could use?

[~SJ~ Atlessa]

If anything ever actually happens. Let me know, pm me. I'll find a time at the sound studio to record scripted lines.

If you need another voice, I'd like to volunteer.

Edit: I can even do it in german... if that is planned?

[Cygma]

Any ideas for a name that would introduce folks to the game and then leave it open for them to choose Clans or IS after graduation?  Sanglamore would be fun for the ISers, and The Sibko for Clanners, but if anyone has a more neutral idea, even just Mech School or MechWarrior Academy, I'm game.

I personally liked the Blackjack School of Combat you originally mentioned.

If the tutorial videos become reality, doing the voice-overs in a "instructor role" would give it a nice touch

[Thoman Coston]

Good idea guys, reminds me of a similar concept in Eve by a corp called Eve University. It really helps when new players can jump in and enjoy the game without getting frustrated and dropping the game. It has to be neutral to all factions : Clan, IS, Periphery, Mercs, Pirates. Teams from all factions can recruit on the Academy's recruiting forum.

Name suggestions:
1.Starleague Academy (both Clans and IS can relate to Star League brand, Clans being the decendants of the original Star League, while the IS created their own version of Star League later on)
2. Battletech Combat Academy

I am leaving this link to Eve University, I know it is a different game, but the concept of an educational corp/unit is the same. Maybe you can draw some ideas from them: http://www.eveuniversity.org/

The Wiki and downloadable classes were most helpful when I was a new eve player.
They also provide practical classes, where the instructor can demonstrate aspects of the game, be it how to config your  mech, etc.

Also it is a good idea to have a combat arm of the school, so that students can learn team play, even take part in league combats representing the school with focus on learning instead of winning.  Since new players are sometimes being left out from competitive league drops, but in such a team, every one can gain combat experience without being yelled at by the drop commander

[Cowboy]

If we had big enough classes in the future, we could set up lance on lance school tournaments.  However, it's usually recommended to keep them near their trainers during a few combat drops until they get their confidence built up.  I'm really not sure we'd ever have big enough classes to make a school league or anything, but it's always fun to have green troops try out their newly acquired skills.

I'll start a thread for trainer signups and class information, we'll work on the roster thread once we get some students who show interest (besides myself).

As for names, would anyone be abject to Sandhurst Royal Military College?  It was the premiere academy during the Star League, so everyone can historically relate to it.