Introduction to Roguetech

= The Beginner's Guide to RogueTech = The purpose of this guide is to provide a brief overview of the RogueTech mod and help new players learn new features and capabilities. You're probably here because you've already downloaded the game from NexusMods, but just in case the warning wasn't clear: THIS MOD IS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE EASY, ENEMIES ARE DEADLIER AND THAT'S INTENTIONAL!

Before you get started
Make sure you read through the Installation Guide, as there are a few quirks to installing the mod properly.

Just to be absolutely clear: THIS MOD IS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE EASY, ENEMIES ARE DEADLIER AND THAT'S INTENTIONAL! Missions and enemy lances have been vastly redesigned to allow for more maneuver and counter-play, while making use of mechs across the weight spectrum. ArrowIV and LongToms exist, and will blast your newbie-trap Assault mechs, when you should instead be running a fast mech to close on them.

You should probably read through the configuration options. There's a lot to help with performance and adjusting difficulty. In particular, the section about Difficulty Scaling is incredibly important to first-timers. The game can only display up to 5 skulls, but there is a theoretical design maximum of 12.5 skulls that exists and the game cannot show. Know your limits.

Finally, here's a great video series by Too Technical that goes over much of the game mechanics and getting through the first few weeks. (@TooTechnical - if you would prefer to not be linked via the wiki, please don't hesitate to let us know! I couldn't find a way to PM you. @ceakay)

Configuring RT
The following settings are recommended configurations for RT. To get a better feel for CombatGame changes, we've also provided an easy mode, but this is not intended for extended careers. If the option is not listed, it doesn't really matter what's selected. See Caveats below for a more in-depth explanation.

Caveats
Just some additional notes for Easy. This is meant for players to familiarize themselves with the differences in combat game mechanics, and is NOT balanced at all for long campaigns.


 * Mode - (Thank you for WarTech IIC BTA!) Doesn't have any effect on combat game. However, due to the volatile nature of the online map, playing offline may be easier in the short term for new players. Our online community is incredibly active and has deleted factions on Day 0, which may leave players stranded as the map is updated.
 * NOTE: RogueTech does not support direct PvP. In Online Mode, players fight asynchronously to control star systems in a shared map. See the RogueTech Online website for more details about the online map.
 * Difficulty - Both modes scale with your company strength, but each have their own advantages and disadvantages for new players. See Difficulty Scaling for details.
 * Planet - The mission difficulty is fixed, as well as the enemy lance strength that spawns. However, in order to scale, MORE enemy lances are spawned if your lance rating exceeds the mission rating. This can provide more loot choices, and the enemies remain punching bags. On the flip side, running out of ammo is a serious concern, as well as getting sand-blasted by too many guns. Going wildly out of scale in testing has resulted in 8 additional lances, and will lead to games crashing from too many mechs.
 * Company - missions will be generated at about the same strength as your company, providing a level playing field whether visiting primitive or high-tech star systems. However, while enemy mechs might be valued similarly to yours, it may lean towards guns bigger than what your company can handle. Prepare to get slapped around by artillery fairly early.
 * Random Spawns and Manual Deploy - Disabling these options will make missions more predictable, as in vanilla. Enable it later to enjoy more variety and control over drop positions.
 * AI Convoy - don't worry about driving convoys, just follow them.
 * Map size - Standard. Bigger maps won't affect performance, but they can be overwhelming when you're starting out.
 * Combat Log - all actions are logged in the chat window. Side effect is that this lets you see which mechs the enemies are fielding as they perform actions, a bit of FOW-hackerey.
 * Enable Allies - this enables a chance to spawn friendly allies to help if your lance is underleveled.
 * Random Ronin Starting Pilots - start with better pilots.
 * Disable Concrete Jungle - you don't need buildings rigged with lasers, IEDs, and Capellen propaganda just yet.
 * Disable additional Era Units - You can always add extra mechs and gear later as you become familiar with the game mechanics. Having less options means it'll be easier to poke-mech and build new mechs as you collect parts faster.
 * Disable optional mods/components/flashpoints - There's a lot to explore here, much of it very lethal. You can always add this content later.
 * Enable all additional pilots - more stronger pilots available to hire, why not.
 * Free Armor Repair - this will help if you're struggling to keep your company afloat by eliminating a huge cost in repair time and cbills. Disable this as soon as you become more financially comfortable as this is really a core experience and balance of RT.

Starting your Career

 * 1) Once you have launched a New Career, you will see a menu with career settings, which allow you to tailor the RogueTech experience according to your taste. Hover the mouse pointer over each setting to understand what it modifies, or read the Settings Guide for further assistance.
 * 2) During the career setup you will select a starting planet, which will influence the Mechs that you will get in the beginning of the game. The Mechs are pulled randomly from Faction Tables and make each start unique.
 * 3) After that you will create your character and you are all set to dive into Career Mode.

(Parts is the only option that cannot be changed after career start.)

Changes
Check the full list of Gameplay Changes to discover all the changes the RT team is hard at work on! For the highlights, read on.

Major Changes
Rogue tech introduces some major changes to the core mechanics of the base game, namely:


 * Skill Based Initiative. In the base game, each Mech weight class has its own initiative. However, in RogueTech initiative is defined by MechWarrior skill, installed equipment and other factors, including some degree of randomness. To learn more, read the corresponding Skill Based Initiative Guide.
 * Low Visibility. Similar to the original game, in RogueTech your MechWarriors can spot enemy Mechs visually or using their Mech's sensors, but these mechanics have been vastly expanded to add depth and allow for greater depth in decision-making. Learn more in the corresponding guides:
 * The Visibility Guide explains how sight range is calculated to determine which targets are visible and which are not.
 * The Electronic Warfare Guide explains key principles of EW in RogueTech as well as how various electronics equipment (Sensors, ECM, Active Probes, Electronic Warfare Suites etc.) works.
 * Large Scale Battles. One of the major changes of the RogueTech mod are larger maps and the ability to field more than 4 mechs - up to 8 total. In order to do so you will need to upgrade your Argo Drop Ship, which is covered in the Argo Guide.
 * Accuracy. Accuracy has become more granular as well as taking into account additional factors such as height difference, angle of attack and more. Learn more in the Accuracy Guide.
 * User Interface has new elements and additional controls which allow you to change firing modes, activate specialized equipment and more. Check out the UI Guide for details.

Other Notable Changes
New Pilot Skills and Quirks. RogueTech introduces a new, reworked skill tree, with new passive and active skills and working pilot quirks.

Panic System. Simulates panic and automatic ejections for MechWarriors and vehicles.

Mech Bay. Unlike in the original game, in RogueTech Mechs need to be assembled manually and you can assemble Mechs from different variants (though at an additional cost).

Take a look at the Mech Bay Guide to understand how Mech assembly works and what different color coding in Mech storage indicate.

A full list of Gameplay Changes can be found here

New Mechs, Vehicles, and Gear
RogueTech introduces hundreds of pieces of new Mechs, vehicles, weapons and equipment:


 * Mechs
 * Vehicles
 * Gear

Other Useful Pages

 * Beginner Tips
 * Special Equipment Failure Chances
 * Guides