How good is Steel Battalion?

[squidblatt]

I'm trying to decide whether I should buy the used, boxed copy at the local Gamestop for 150 (including discount and tax). I like the concept and everything, but it's damned expensive, and I don't want to pay for it only to find that it's merely above average and not likely to hold my attention beyong a week or two. I'm also wondering what you guys think about whether it will trend down or up in price for the foreseeable future. Since I'm kind of a newbie collector for the Xbox, I'd liike to get it eventually, but am still reluctant to pay present prices for it if it's mainly just a gimmick.

thanks

[digitalpress]

Does this help answer your question?

http://www.digitpress.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4419

[SoulBlazer]

I would LOVE to get this, but I refuse to pay more for a game then for a new gaming system. :/

[youruglyclone]

it's truly an experiance...it's almost like owning an arcade for me...but cheaper

[Videogamerdaryll]

If you got the cash..Buy it.. you'll love it..It ROCKS!!!

[WanganRunner]

They have them at the local Gamestop here used (w/box, complete) for $140.

Ya'll need to buy some stuff from me on ebay (look for tons of Japanese GBA games in a few days) so I can get my own copy of Steel Battalion

[squidblatt]

Does this help answer your question?

http://www.digitpress.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4419

Yes, thanks.

[bargora]

I would LOVE to get this, but I refuse to pay more for a game then for a new gaming system. :/

I feel your pain. But if someone asked me whether I would rather be stranded on a desert island with
(1) my PS2 and its 40 games, or
(2) the Xbox, Steel Battalion, and Steel Battalion: Line of Contact,
I wouldn't even need to think about it. At all. Steel Battalion all the way. It's not rational. Which is one of the hallmarks of love.

[Mac-Abre]

What about Line of Contact? How does it play online? Anyone?

[Oobgarm]

I would LOVE to get this, but I refuse to pay more for a game then for a new gaming system. :/

I feel your pain. But if someone asked me whether I would rather be stranded on a desert island with
(1) my PS2 and its 40 games, or
(2) the Xbox, Steel Battalion, and Steel Battalion: Line of Contact,
I wouldn't even need to think about it. At all. Steel Battalion all the way. It's not rational. Which is one of the hallmarks of love.

This begs the question, sir bargora, if it is a desert island, would it have broadband internet capabilities?

Steel Batallion is a cool game and collectible piece. Keep in mind that the learning curve is kinda steep and you have to have a pretty large fascination with 'mechs to get a lot out of it.

[Cirrus]

Steel Batallion is a cool game and collectible piece. Keep in mind that the learning curve is kinda steep and you have to have a pretty large fascination with 'mechs to get a lot out of it.

I'm with him. I bought this at GameStop, too. A few months ago. In the end, I felt bad about blowing that much money on a so-so mech game. The graphics are great, but the controls, in my opinion, are a bit shaky, and the hit detection is a bit off.

That, and the AI can be pretty bad. All in all, it's a decent game with an amazing controller. If only there were more games.

I ended up returning it and getting my money back, so I wasn't too upset.

[bargora]

Steel Batallion is a cool game and collectible piece. Keep in mind that the learning curve is kinda steep and you have to have a pretty large fascination with 'mechs to get a lot out of it.

I'm with him. I bought this at GameStop, too. A few months ago. In the end, I felt bad about blowing that much money on a so-so mech game. The graphics are great, but the controls, in my opinion, are a bit shaky, and the hit detection is a bit off.

That, and the AI can be pretty bad. All in all, it's a decent game with an amazing controller. If only there were more games.

I ended up returning it and getting my money back, so I wasn't too upset.

I'm sorry that you didn't care for it. But I must take issue with these statements that the hit detection is off and the controls are shaky. I have never had an issue with hit detection, and unless you mean "cumbersome" when you say "shaky" I must differ. The control is complex, but learnable. I sure won't disagree with the statement that it's not easy to throw several dozen tons of walking tank around like a ballerina. As for the AI being utter crap, well, the cure for that is Line of Contact, where the HI is much better.

Anyway, I disagree entirely with the characterization of Steel Battalion as a "so-so mech game". I would go so far as to guess that you didn't get past the fourth mission?

This begs the question, sir bargora, if it is a desert island, would it have broadband internet capabilities?

That and a power strip, no doubt! It better have a big honkin' beer cooler, too.

What about Line of Contact? How does it play online? Anyone?

Well, what exactly are you curious about? I mean, it plays like Steel Battalion, except that you have human players playing in (mostly) 3 vs. 3 matches, and you generally can respawn into a match at least once (and sometimes many more times). There are 24 maps that are available on a rotating basis with three maps playable (in "campaign" mode) each week ("turn"). Every eight weeks ("round") the maps reset. During the first three turns of a round only first-gen VTs are available for purchase. Second-gen VTs become available in turn 4, and third-gen VTs are available in limited quantities in turns 7 and 8. Each map has a number of bases which can be captured and used as spawn points. Capturing an enemy base reduces the opposition's sortie point allowance, as does destruction of enemy VTs. Some maps have destructible items (buildings, ships, aircraft) which the defending team must protect, or else lose sortie points. The "free mission" mode is a second mode that is used more for single mission practice and fooling around. If you've ever played a map or owned a VT at any time in the game, then it will be unlocked for you in unlimited quantities in free mission. This means that you won't have to worry about buying pricey replacements like you would in campaign.

At this point, I am sorry to say that anybody jumping into LOC for the first time right now will probably have their ass handed to them for at least a week or two. Proficiency in the offline game will greatly reduce that time. But once you've acclimated, it's really a great combination of strategy and action. The players are as a group older and more mature than you'll find in any other Xbox Live game, and even the few spoiled kiddies there were have moved on to Halo 2.

But then, I've completely drank the Kool-Aid at this point. I've spent over 95% of my gaming time since March playing Line of Contact. Last night I picked up a PS2 controller for some UT and I was just thinking that it was so . . . small. Oh, well.

BTW, the reason that you in particular should get LOC is so you can pilot the Jaralaccs's baddest-assest VT, the Jaralaccs Macabre

Go to www.lineofcontact.net and check out King Leer's trove of information if you'd like Line of Contact explained in greater detail and in a more elegant fashion.

[Mr. Smashy]

I'd like to play it some day. As it is, it looks pretty cool sitting up in my closet, factory sealed.

[squidblatt]

I bought it yesterday for about 120.00 since I used my discount and an email coupon. My wife is shaking her head at me, mainly because she doesn't know where we'll store it (or how much it costs - she probably thinks it was around 60.00), and I'm still getting over the shock of spending that much for one game.

I don't know why I bothered starting this thread. A more appropriate title would have been: Please help me justify and feel comfortable with a decision I am not ready to admit to myself that I have already made.

Thanks for all your responses.

[bargora]

I'd like to play it some day. As it is, it looks pretty cool sitting up in my closet, factory sealed.

Silly, you buy the second set to hoard away in your closet, factory sealed.

And since XBL-capable games have a limited lifetime, hoarding them away strikes me as being like hoarding away a factory sealed carton of milk.

I know that you're probably only holding the offline game, but still.

[Mr. Smashy]

I don't have an Xbox Live account yet but since I don't have Line of Contact, I'm not in any rush to crack it open.

I have one question, though. Does Line of Contact absolutely require an Internet connection to play? The box says that it supports 2-10 player system link but I'm seeing "online only" and "requires Xbox Live" on the official Xbox and Capcom websites. If I were to buy it, I'd like to know that I'd be able to get some multiplayer mech action after the demise of Xbox Live.

[SoulBlazer]

If I can ever get one for a okay price -- maybe $100 or so -- I'll problay get it. I don't care if it's used. Maybe I'll check on EBay.

So there are two versions of the game, right? Which one is the better one?

And is the game fun in solo mode as well as MP?

[bargora]

I don't have an Xbox Live account yet but since I don't have Line of Contact, I'm not in any rush to crack it open.

I have one question, though. Does Line of Contact absolutely require an Internet connection to play? The box says that it supports 2-10 player system link but I'm seeing "online only" and "requires Xbox Live" on the official Xbox and Capcom websites. If I were to buy it, I'd like to know that I'd be able to get some multiplayer mech action after the demise of Xbox Live.

Well, Line of Contact can be had for about $25 used, a Live account for $50/year, and a headset for what, $30? (Although I use the $5 MadCatz headset and it works OK for me.) Yikes. I guess it does add up.

Anyway, the good news is that the "Free Mission" mode can be played via System Link. The bad news is that (as I understand it) only 4 of the ~30 VTs are unlocked to begin with, and maybe only 1 of the 25 maps. Unlocking these things requires that you either log in to Xbox Live and acquire the VTs (even if only for a brief moment) and play the maps at least once, or else hack your Xbox and load in a file that contains the information. So if you buy LOC and never go online (and don't hack your Xbox), you'll have a pretty limited experience.

I think that once the map and VT information is unlocked on your Xbox, it stays unlocked and there is no further need to connect to XBL afterward for your System Link games. Not 100% sure about that, though, since I haven't played any SysLink SB:LOC yet. If you want more info, I may be able to direct you to the appropriate threads at www.steelbattalion.org/forum .

If I can ever get one for a okay price -- maybe $100 or so -- I'll problay get it. I don't care if it's used. Maybe I'll check on EBay.

So there are two versions of the game, right? Which one is the better one?

And is the game fun in solo mode as well as MP?

Last I heard, prices were running around $125 on the low end. As far as the two versions of the game, I assume you're referring to the originally released green-button controller, and the later released blue-button controller? If so, I'd go with the green-button controller if possible, as it's rumored to be slightly more durable (lower rate of component failure, although component failure appears to be relatively rare overall).

I thought the game was a lot of fun in solo mode. Enough that I played through all six difficulty levels over the course of many dozens of hours. But then the online game came out and I was like OMG WTF ROXXORZ!!!

Just remember that you can't go online unless you get Steel Battalion: Line of Contact in addition to Steel Battalion. And you need the broadband, XBL, and headset, of course. The headset is essential. The game is grounded entirely in communication and teamwork, so nobody will let you play on their team if you don't have a working headset.

As far as broadband goes, people generally have a better experience with DSL than with cable. The dark side of LOC is the craptastic netcode that lets Japanese players have 5 vs. 5 matches, but limits NA and Euro players to 3 vs. 3 and (sometimes) 4 vs. 4 matches. And it sometimes doesn't play well with cable, at least out of the box. Although there are documented workarounds.

All in all, though, I'd recommend that for the best LOC experience you should have a DSL broadband connection with at least a 256 kilobit upload speed. Since LOC is a peer-to-peer networked game, upload speed ends up being the bottleneck.

[squidblatt]

Just to get this straight, LOC is strictly online and has no single player mode to speak of? That really sucks for me. I could get Live, but I don't like multi-player stuff. I imagine that people would take playing a game like SB far more seriously than I would.

[bargora]

Just to get this straight, LOC is strictly online and has no single player mode to speak of? That really sucks for me. I could get Live, but I don't like multi-player stuff. I imagine that people would take playing a game like SB far more seriously than I would.

Here's the deal:

Steel Battalion (the original, offline game, released about two years ago) Single player only. 24 missions, each playable in 6 different difficulty levels. It'll probably take you 30-50 hours to beat it the first time through on the lowest difficulty level. I spent about 150 hours over many months beating the whole damn thing through all difficulty levels. Including practice time in Free Mission.

Steel Battalion: Line of Contact (the online expansion, released March 2004): Multi-player only, playable via Xbox Live or System Link. I've read that it may be possible to use Xbox Connect as well, but I've not tried it. You can play it as much as you want, because it's never the same game twice. I call it an "expansion" because there's no new (or even any) single-player content. But there are improvements to the graphics engine and the in-game physics. Plus something like a dozen new VT models. All of the maps are new, although a couple of them are reworkings of maps found in the original game.

Yes, there are hard-core players out there. Hard-hard-core even. But there has been a steady trickle of new players coming into the game recently, spurred by the price drop late last year and then sets being received for Christmas. You can generally tell who's been playing the game like a full-time job, though, by checking their rank when you enter a lobby. If you're new, you might want to steer clear of opposing teams that have two majors and a lieutenant colonel playing. But you can find matches with and against newer pilots, too. You also have the option to set a rank restriction on lobbies you set up to keep the "noobhunters" out. Although there really aren't too many of those left these days. If you join a room against a bunch of high-rankers and stay to play, well, you can imagine what you're in for.

Because there are new players coming in, though, many of the veterans (me included) are happy to take new players aside into the Free Mission mode and help train them in piloting basics (and intermediate stuff, too, if you like). I mean, there's a lot to learn. There are several different styles of VT, including direct assault, artillery support, snipers, and fast attack/hit-and-run. And there are different play styles within those classes. But it's not that hard to get a handle on one type and work at it until you're competent. While raw skill is the best weapon in a one-on-one close quarters furball, the battle usually goes to the team that can communicate and work as a cohesive unit. I usually play artillery anyway, and so I'm happiest when I get a "Destroyed" notice while the enemy is still a blot on the horizon.

And since there are a fair number of new players now, it's pretty common in Campaign mode for teams to be made up of two veteran players and a new player on each side. This is the best setup, as it allows one of the veterans to shepard the newer pilot through the match if they haven't played the map much (or at all) before. One veteran and two new players is little dicier, though, as the in-game communication require switching channels to talk to each individual teammate (there's no way to talk to all teammates at one time).

Well, you can tell that I love the hell out of this game just by the volume of typing I devote to it. And I admit, it's not going to be everybody's cup of tea. But I think that if you like strategy/action and giant robots with guns, you'll find the games (especially LOC) to be deep and rewarding experiences.