Multiplayer BattleTech 3025
Encyclopedia
Multiplayer BattleTech: 3025 is a PC
MMORPG
developed by Kesmai
during the same period as Microsoft's MechWarrior 4: Vengeance. The game occupies the fictional 31st century
universe of BattleTech
and focuses centrally on the large robotic war machines called BattleMechs
('Mechs) and the individuals who pilot them. The game was released as a beta in 2001 and shut down with little explanation on December 6, 2001.
, available on the GEnie
game service, followed by Multiplayer BattleTech: Solaris
.
Kesmai originally farmed out development of the title to Israeli developer 2 AM, but the resulting product was considered a failure and resulted in the game being pulled back into Kesmai studio under the lead of Nick Laiacona and Matt Shaw
. During this period Kesmai focused on reengineering the 3D combat portion of the game to use the studio's internal K3D rendering engine. Development continued after Kesmai's purchase by Electronic Arts
and included an overhaul of the galactic conquest portion of the game.
, selected an affiliation in the form of a Great House
, selected a planet, then descended to the surface to engage in a virtual four-on-four battle with opposing players. The results of such battles were planets being won and lost for the five major houses, shifting the borders of various factions in the Inner Sphere
. 3025 used many more of the original BattleTech
rules than the MechWarrior
series.
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
MMORPG
MMORPG
Massively multiplayer online role-playing game is a genre of role-playing video games in which a very large number of players interact with one another within a virtual game world....
developed by Kesmai
Kesmai
Kesmai was a pioneering game developer and online game publisher, founded in 1981 by Kelton Flinn and John Taylor. The company was best known for the combat flight sim Air Warrior on the GEnie online service, one of the first graphical MMOGs, launched in 1987...
during the same period as Microsoft's MechWarrior 4: Vengeance. The game occupies the fictional 31st century
31st century
The 31st century AD will span from January 1, 3001–December 31, 3100 of the Gregorian calendar. It will be the first century of the 4th millennium.-Astronomical events:...
universe of BattleTech
BattleTech
BattleTech is a wargaming and science fiction franchise launched by FASA Corporation in 1984, acquired by WizKids in 2000, and owned since 2003 by Topps. The series began with FASA's debut of the board game BattleTech by Jordan Weisman and L...
and focuses centrally on the large robotic war machines called BattleMechs
BattleMechs
BattleMechs are large walking war machines that feature prominently in the fictional universe of BattleTech...
('Mechs) and the individuals who pilot them. The game was released as a beta in 2001 and shut down with little explanation on December 6, 2001.
History
Multiplayer BattleTech: 3025 is the third online incarnation of the BattleTech series. The first was Multiplayer BattleTech: EGAMultiplayer BattleTech: EGA
Multiplayer BattleTech was a PC MMORPG BattleTech game developed by Kesmai and featured on the now defunct GEnie online gaming network. It featured a text-based chat component for roleplaying, team development and battle planning and a 3D battle simulator component. The game engine was based on a...
, available on the GEnie
GEnie
GEnie was an online service created by a General Electric business - GEIS that ran from 1985 through the end of 1999. In 1994, GEnie claimed around 350,000 users. Peak simultaneous usage was around 10,000 users...
game service, followed by Multiplayer BattleTech: Solaris
Multiplayer Battletech: Solaris
This version of the multiplayer BattleTech computer game was available on AOL, and on Kesmai's game service between 1996 and 2001. At its height on the AOL server, thousands of players competed simultaneously in arenas of two to eight participants, battling in team games or free-for-alls...
.
Kesmai originally farmed out development of the title to Israeli developer 2 AM, but the resulting product was considered a failure and resulted in the game being pulled back into Kesmai studio under the lead of Nick Laiacona and Matt Shaw
Matt Shaw
Matt Shaw is an Australian rules footballer who was pick up by Gold Coast as an underage player from Dandenong Stingrays. He made his debut against Melbourne in round 4 of the 2011 season....
. During this period Kesmai focused on reengineering the 3D combat portion of the game to use the studio's internal K3D rendering engine. Development continued after Kesmai's purchase by Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...
and included an overhaul of the galactic conquest portion of the game.
Gameplay
Players of 3025 connected to an MMOG-style serverServer (computing)
In the context of client-server architecture, a server is a computer program running to serve the requests of other programs, the "clients". Thus, the "server" performs some computational task on behalf of "clients"...
, selected an affiliation in the form of a Great House
Successor States
In the fictional BattleTech universe, the Successor States are the major military powers of the Inner Sphere, each governed by one of the Great Houses...
, selected a planet, then descended to the surface to engage in a virtual four-on-four battle with opposing players. The results of such battles were planets being won and lost for the five major houses, shifting the borders of various factions in the Inner Sphere
Inner Sphere
Inner Sphere can refer to:*A region of space in the BattleTech universe*Inner sphere electron transfer, a chemical reaction involving closely associated atoms*Inner sphere complex, a type of ion-surface binding...
. 3025 used many more of the original BattleTech
Classic BattleTech
Classic BattleTech is a table-top wargame set in the fictional BattleTech universe that simulates combat between futuristic mechanized forces. Originally published by FASA Corporation, the game is now produced by Catalyst Game Labs under license from WizKids...
rules than the MechWarrior
MechWarrior
MechWarrior is the title of a series of computer and video games set in the fictional universe of BattleTech-Games:In these games, players take control of a single BattleMech and combat other BattleMechs, tanks, infantry, and more, from within the cockpit of their machine. A third-person alternate...
series.