Today, the MechWarrior: Living Legends team brings you a glimpse into current project development, some new features for the upcoming 0.4.0 release and some new additions to the MWLL team.

New Team Members

Our July/August recruitment drive has paid good dividends and we are proud to welcome the following members to the MWLL Development Teams:
 
Team Drawing Skills
caribcanuk – modeling
Chris Germann – modeling & texture artist
CrazySealPup – modeling
Deathbane – level design
EmAr – modeling & level design
Solusphere – modeling

Team Code Monkeys
DarkLite – LUA programming
i59 – C++ programming
Threesan – C++ programming

Team Flash
CHHs Deathshade – HUD scripting

The team is still accepting applications for qualified applicants per this thread, in particular we are still looking for a qualified animation artist.  If you are interested in contributing to the team in one of the requested positions, please submit an application thread today!

 
Ares Medium Clan Tank – Work in Progress

Cujo has been hard at work on the one of our new medium tank models, the Ares.  As you can see from these renders, the model is coming along nicely.  To realise the model in practical MWLL terms the missile pods have had to have their mount positions slightly modified when compared to CBT line drawings.  You will also note that the player cockpit on the CBT line drawings shows it to be low-hull mounted, in the MWLL version the player will still have a first person view that is tied to the turret.
 
The renders below are high-poly detail with 223k tris.  The treads are still pending some additional work to improve their compatibility with the Crysis physics system, but the overall model is essentially complete and has moved into texturing and in-game implementation phases.

 
Morrigu – Clan Heavy Tank Completed

In an admirable collaborative effort from our development team, the Morrigu has had final polish applied.  It has now moved into final testing internally and is flagged to be included with 0.4.0
 
The Morrigu is classed as a heavy fire support ‘Mech, and in MWLL it fulfills that role very well with some of the most devastating loadouts available to our tracked armour category.
 
Many thanks to our fine developers: Sherrell, Sturmadler, Keeper and Toth for their efforts in bringing this asset to life.
 
 

 
TC Death Valley

Shadowkiller and his Level Design team have been busy at work producing maps for the upcoming Terrain Control game mode.  The first level to reach presentation quality is Death Valley:
 
“Set on a remote and desolate moon, Inner Sphere and Clan forces battle to control the meager resources of this strategic outpost.”
 
TC Death Valley supports all of the asset types currently available in MWLL; ‘Mechs, tanks, VTOLs, aerospace and battle armour.  The map has several areas of open, flat terrain for long engagement distances as well as rugged rock outcroppings and base/factory areas that allow for close-ranged combat opportunities.  The moon is under a constant barrage from incoming meteors

Game Mode Renaming

In the interest of bringing MWLL game modes more in-line with historical game modes of the MechWarrior series, the next major release will undertake a renaming schema as follows:
 
Solaris Arena (formerly advertised as Free For All)
 - this mode will use maps that have been built specifically for this mode
 
Last Man Standing (a variation of Solaris Arena above)
 - this mode will use maps that have been built specifically for this mode.  This mode will be a round-based variation of the every-man-for-himself gameplay of Solaris Arena.
 
Team Solaris Arena (formerly/current Solaris Arena mode)
 - will use all maps fomerly denoted as Solaris Arena
 
Test of Strength (unchanged)
 - this mode will continue to use Team Solaris Arena maps
 
Terrain Control (unchanged)
 - this mode will use maps that have been built specifically for this mode
 
These changes will affect community maps, which will need to have a minor naming change and re-exported to the playerbase.  All existing Official MWLL maps will be included with this name change.

Next Release 0.4.0 Estimated for End of September

We are currently on track for the release of MWLL Public Beta 0.4.0 at the end of September.  This release will include the new Terrain Control (TC) game mode with supporting maps as well as numerous other features, extensive bug fixes and a hearty portion of surprises…

This is KingLeerUK, signing off.  I’ll see you on the field!

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Just to prove that the MWLL team does listen to the needs of the community, we wanted to show you that we do indeed implement some of them as they are appropriate.

Since we typically do not discuss features prior to the release of patches, our lead LUA programmer Ingrater suggested that we deliver the glimpse of this new feature in a more unique way.

Can you guess what feature this is?

This feature and many, many others will be included in the upcoming MechWarrior: Living Legends 0.3.0 release.

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Today, the MechWarrior: Living Legends team offers you another glimpse into the coming MWLL 0.3.0 update with a look at the new Inner Sphere Uziel.

The Uziel is a 50-ton Inner Sphere Medium ‘Mech that is adaptable to a number of battlefield roles.  Depending upon the variant chosen, the platform can fulfill long-range fire support or mid-ranged harrassment.

More Images In the MWLL Media Gallery

The variants are as follows:

Uziel “Prime”
1x SRM6, 2x PPC , 2x MG,  S.Optics,  Jump Jets,  BAP

Uziel “A”
1x LRM5,  2x Lt.Gauss , 2x MG, E.Optics,  BAP

Uziel “B”
1x MRM20, 2x RAC2, 2x MG, S.Optics

Uziel “C”
1x SSRM6, 2x LBL, 2x MBL, S.Optics, Jump Jets

You may note that the missile pod model remains the same regardless of the missile munitions package selected.  This choice is intentional and intended to maintain the aesthetics of the platform.  The Uziel also has a unique new feature that will we will not be showcasing in this article, you will need to wait until 0.3.0 for the final reveal.

The Uziel will be included alongside numerous other updates and enhancements in the upcoming MWLL 0.3.0 release.

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A Statement on the MWLL 0.3.0 Release

 For the past 3 months, the MWLL team has been dutifully working on all of the initiatives for the MechWarrior: Living Legends 0.3.0 Patch update.  Originally intended to be a minor version release (0.2.1) to address balance issues, the team felt that there was more merit in bringing a fully realised update to its fans. One feature led to another and we now find ourselves on the cusp of release… almost.  Although originally stated to be “the end of May” the team feels that at least one additional week is required to ensure proper stability to bring a few final assets to the proper level of polish.  As we stated in our Community Interview, we feel providing a quality product is our guiding rule, and quality requires an investment of time that is one of the most precious commodities of a volunteer team.

 So, we ask your patience and understanding as we make our final passes through 0.3.0  We feel that this release will easily be the best in terms of breadth of features and renewal of the gameplay experience.

 Thank you again for your support of MechWarrior: Living Legends!

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