<!--
	Title: BattleTech: Lots of Meching around
	Subtitle: War is a way of life on 31st-centry Pacifica
	Author: Infocom staff
	Source: The Status Line, v7(3)
	Date: 1988-10/12
	Transcription by Steve Derby
-->

<figure class="float-right">
	<img src="/public/img/articles/sl-battletech-lots-of-meching-around/battletech-screen-shot-1.jpg" alt="BattleTech Screen Shot">
	<figcaption><em>Check out that 'Mech —- A detailed
		scan of a WASP BattleMech is just one of the features in this
		action-packed role-playing game based on the popular BattleTech
		role-playing and strategy board-game series.</em></figcaption>
</figure>

*He cursed himself for what felt like the 15th time in the last hour. The
inside of his neuro-helmet was slick with sweat, making matters even
worse now that there was poor contact with the helmet's electrodes. He
remembered the message that his instructors drilled into his head again
and again: "Controlling a 'Mech requires patience and above all strategic
allocation of resources." Funny how it was never as easy when the
trainer 'Mechs were firing back.*

*"I cannot let father down," Jason mumbled to himself as he aligned the
Chameleon's twin medium lasers on the approaching Locust's torso.
"Cannot let the computer keep fighting for me, especially after last time,"
Jason thought, ruefully remembering how he had caused a critical overheat
by being careless.*

*Slowing his breathing, Jason scanned the status report of his
'Mech's condition. His concentration was broken by alarm bells sounding
and the warning, "Critical shot to the head! Man eject!" blaring into his
ears. Numb, Jason triggered the eject button, blasting the canopy off the top
of the 'Mech and causing him to drop the 35 feet to the ground, safely
cocooned within the seat's webbing.*

*Dejectedly, Jason detached himself from the now useless seat and trudged
back to the Citadel's training grounds, realizing that he now had
another failure he would have to try to live down with the mechanics.
"They already hate me because of their station in life," said Jason, realizing
that tomorrow's training session would be just as brutal as today's.*

If Jason thought he had problems training to be a 'MechWarrior, he
didn’t know what fate lay ahead when Kuritan forces attacked the planet.
Now, eighteen years old and totally alone, he's adrift within a war-ravaged
city, undertrained, and with only the money he had saved as a student. Add
to this his being hunted and pursued by the occupational forces and you'll
get the feeling of our new role-playing game, *BattleTech: The Crescent
Hawk's Inception*. While the above text is not from the game, it does give
you a taste of how you might feel when you play it.

Based upon FASA's popular adventure board games of armored combat
in the 31st century, you are cast as Jason Youngblood. Raised as a court
favorite (due to father's friendship with the local duke), Jason is arrogant,
egotistical and vain. But suddenly he's forced not only to survive on his own,
but to try to piece together the fate of his father... and his father's loyal
guard.

While this storyline may seem to be a reasonable premise for one of our
interactive fiction stories, walking into BattleTech is a departure for the traditional
Infocom player. This is not an interactive fiction story. This is a full-fledged
computer role-playing game (RPG), complete with training and
experience, armour, weapons and equipment acquisition, party building,
impressive graphics, and lots of combat. And, as an Infocom first, this
game is not text based! But this is not standard RPG experience.

This is a game with all the depth and richness you expect from Infocom,
plus all the excitement of the BattleTech universe.

Developed by Westwood Associates, the wizards behind SSI's *Phantasie
III* and Epyx's *Summer Games* and *World Games*, *The Crescent Hawk's
Inception* is a unique, animated, and richly detailed game. The story in
*BattleTech* is more intriguing and more in depth than that of any other
computer role-playing game.

One of the features that makes this game unique is the addition of many
animated "outtakes" that appear at various points throughout the game.
They are designed in the style of "monga" or Japanese, comic books.
Whether you see the expressive face of Jason or the explosive missile
launch from a Locust, the "outtakes" will bring the story even more alive
and enrich your playing experience.

But the animated "outtakes" and a rich storyline are only part of the excitement
of the game. *BattleTech: The Crescent Hawk's Inception* features
the largest playing area of any computer RPG. With over four million
(that's right, four million!) locations which your party can visit, *BattleTech*
offers the player a huge territory in which to explore and fight.

<figure class="float-right">
	<img src="/public/img/articles/sl-battletech-lots-of-meching-around/battletech-screen-shot-2.jpg" alt="Another BattleTech Screen Shot">
	<figcaption><em>Emotive outtakes in the style of Japanese "monga"
		comic books add extra visual excitement to our new
		role-playing game,</em> BattleTech: The Crescent Hawk's Inception.
		<em>Should Jason get into trouble you'll see this look of fear and
		surprise in his eyes. The artwork on the cover (right) is just
		part of what you'll find inside.</em></figcaption>
</figure>

Combat, too, is of a scope befitting such an exhilarating game. Whether
you are in your 'Mech (a 30-foot tall, 20-ton war-machine) or on foot, alone
or in the party you've assembled, combat is a frequent test of your skills and
nerves. Hand-to-hand combat weapons range from longbows and pistols
to vibroblades and laser rifles. But seated in your 'Mech, you can fire off
laser blasts, infernos, and missiles. War is a way of life in the 31st century,
and armaments of destruction are a way to survive in this harsh world.

If lots of tactical maneuvering and strategic planning is not your thing,
*BattleTech* has an auto-combat capability that lets your computer do the
planning and fighting for you. The story, the discovery, the excitement,
however, are all still there.

And playing *BattleTech* couldn't be easier on the fingers. Your numeric
keypad or arrow keys move you around both your geography and your
menu choices. Joystick support will be available on some versions.

<img class="float-left-narrow" src="/public/img/articles/sl-battletech-lots-of-meching-around/battletech-cover.jpg" alt="BattleTech Cover">

There's an added bonus for winning the game: should you be skillful
enough to discover the secretly hidden 'Mech that we've placed at the end of
the game, you can send for an exclusive, custom crafted Ral Partha
Battle-Tech lead miniature. Just answer the question on the card inside the package
(and send it to us with shipping and handling costs) and we'll send you
the figure that has been designed and created especially for us and *The
Crescent Hawk's Inception*. Plus, in your *BattleTech: The Crescent
Hawk's Inception* package you'll find a spectacular poster and official Lyran
Commonwealth 'Mech and Weapons Recognition Guide. And if you're
among the first to get your copy of *BattleTech*, you'll get another real
prize: in a limited number of specially marked packages, you'll find an authentic
Crescent Hawk insignia pin! Wear it proudly!

*BattleTech: The Crescent Hawk's Inception* will be available in November
for the IBM and 100% compatibles (supports CGA, EGA, VGA,
MCGA, and Tandy Graphics; 384K RAM required), in February for the
Commodore 64/128, and in the Spring for the Apple II series and Amiga.
Suggested retail price is $39.95 for the Commodore 64/128 and $49.95 for all
other systems.
