One of the biggest attractions of MechWarrior and the Battletech universe is being able to design your own mech and to test it against those designed by others in the proving ground of multiplayer combat. In MechWarrior 4, those who step into the mech lab to design their own mechs will find one significant change from the previous MechWarrior games: A mech chassis is not quite the blank canvas it was before. Instead, MechWarrior 4 restricts you to choosing from certain weapons on particular mechs by differentiating between types of weapon hard points. For example, lasers can now be placed only on laser hard points, and these hard points are restricted by size as well. A mech may have plenty of space overall but not have the correct type of hard point big enough to mount a gauss cannon.
This is a significant departure from previous MechWarrior games, which essentially let you equip a mech however you wanted as long as you didn't exceed the chassis' maximum weight allowance. Any weapons would fit on your chassis, and the balance was dependent on other players being able to design their own mechs to counter yours. MechWarrior 4's system imposes a certain level of balance from the outset, so some mech designs that worked in previous games won't be available in this installment. This is somewhat similar to FASA's approach in its virtual reality Battletech game, where mech selection was limited to a specified set of designs. But the game still comes down to building a better mech, and there is plenty of room to experiment. Bad mech designs will still be punished by skillful players.
Players who accept this conceptual change will find MechWarrior 4 to be a superlative multiplayer game. Even players using a relatively slow 56k dial-up connection will find themselves able to participate in massive 16-player battles without much noticeable lag. The game's multiplayer support is excellent, and joining a game is as simple as finding a server with a low-enough ping and connecting to it. There are many game types to choose from, with one of the most popular being team attrition, where two teams of mechs score points for killing each other and inflicting damage within a given time limit. Another is team destruction, where the focus is on kills only. There are other popular multiplayer games such as capture the flag and king of the hill, and jumping into a game is easy as long as there are openings in the game session. The multiplayer mode is definitely the high point of MechWarrior 4.
Besides the changes in the way the mechs are constructed, MechWarrior 4's mechs seem somewhat easier to pilot than those in the previous MechWarrior game. While there is definitely a learning curve to MechWarrior 4, new players will find that it's easy to get used to the controls. Nevertheless, combat in MechWarrior 4 is anything but a mindless shootout - it strikes a virtually perfect blend of pure action and simulation. Combat is fast, furious, and intense, but shrewd tactics and skillful piloting will greatly increase your longevity on the battlefield. And even inexperienced players can enjoy the team games, since having support from friendly mechs makes it easier to avoid being picked on - and even the greenest mech pilot can score the occasional kill by hunting down someone who's already been crippled by the opposing team. Regardless of your skill level, since destroyed mechs immediately respawn at full strength, you'll always see plenty of action.
The MechWarrior games have advanced far beyond their roots in the pen-and-paper game to carve out a large following among computer gamers. MechWarrior 4 makes it easier for new players to get involved but still preserves the essential elements that make fighting in these giant robots so intense and so much fun. It's a fantastic introduction to the MechWarrior series for those who haven't yet discovered it, and it should have enough depth to keep veterans involved for a long time.
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