I've been trying to read up on all things Mech for the past couple hours and found some very interesting stuff form the Wiki and from this site. Granted that basic knowledge, I started to think of unique ways we can re-introduce the Mech game. It seems to me that most, if not all, Mech levels are inside cities of some sort, with huge complexes to run around. There may be a few jungle-based maps I'm unaware of due to my lack of time spent with the actual game.
nevertheless, I started thinking. It's not often that I start thinking, so please critique this as necessary.
Backstory:
August 12th, 3120. An unchartered border world has just crept into the Inner Sphere, registering on their graphs as an unidentified mass. Interested in the new discovery and eager to claim any land within their reach, the Innersphere forces depart for this new territory. Upon entering orbit, they quickly notice two things: The land mass is almost completely covered in water, and there is an outstanding pull of gravity toward it. The expeditionary forces decide that fighting the gravity pull would expend too much resources and leave them unable to reach a familiar area to resupply.
Because this new world was mostly covered in water, landing on the rocks that stabbed through the surface was hard. The gravity made it much harder. Because of this, only one of the three ships landed safely. No signal could be harvested from the area, so reinforcements weren't coming anytime soon. This left the Innersphere forces with few options. They needed to search for and harvest enough fuel to supply the only fly-able ship off the planet. The only option was down.
Little did the Innersphere forces know, the Clans had already landed on this planet just 10 years before, setting up mining and excavating operations all over the mass. They had no idea the planet would move so much in so little time. With relay points and jump ships already set up, the Clans were able to forward offensive troops to the area. They needed to destroy the remaining Innersphere men and their ship before they could get off and alert the rest of the Innersphere to the Clans' presence.
The objectives:
Innersphere:
- Excavate enough fuel/energy to pilot your last remaining ship off the planet.
- Hold off the Clans long enough to gather the supplies and power the ship into orbit.
The Clans:
- Gather the same fuel/energy to allow your jump ships to bring resources.
- Destroy the remaining ship.
- Eliminate all signs of Innersphere life.
The Land:
There will be buildings and such used for excavating the minerals and other resources as well as to house the equipment, so it will still have the old-style Mech combat, except with a couple twists. The land will be mostly underwater, with small portions amphibious. Due to the gravity issue, movement above water will be harder than normal. Movement below water will be a different story altogether. The gravity will be lowered, enabling faster movement and further jumps through the water.
Ending Remarks:
I'm sure there are parts of the backstory that have holes or might even be flat out wrong, I'm asking the mech experts to please correct me. The other issue I see is that there hasn't been any designs of water-based craft or infantry. Much of the models I've seen look as if they would only need minor adjustments, but I also realize how close you want to stick to tradition and wonder if having a battle underwater would be straying too far from that.
Thanks for your time, I know the post was lengthy.
Zooch
