BATTLETECH | Beginner's Guide - Battle/Tactical UI Explained

In this Beginners / Essential Guide video for BATTLETECH, we take a look at one of the more daunting aspects of the game - the user interface. The BATTLETECH UI is, in my opinion, very well designed - but it gives you a lot of information at once, and if you don't know what to look for and why, it can get overwhelming. This video breaks down each UI element including armour, movement, evasion, firing angles, and more, to make sure you know exactly what's going on.
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[@PartyElite]

Hey folks! This one's a longer one - but I feel like the topic needed it. Just wanted to say "Happy BattleTech day!" to everybody, and if you'd like to join our discord or follow the channel on twitter, here are the links that you're looking for: twitter.com/_PartyElite & discord: discord.gg/6Tq3ut5 - and if you are yet to buy the game, consider purchasing it here to support the channel while you do: www.humblebundle.com/store/battletech?partner=partyelite Thanks for watching, and cheers!

[@grondhero]

This one video taught me more than the game's tutorial/campaign has in 10+ hours of playing. The first mission "3 years later" where you get no money, Dekker got killed and I got KO'd and out for 90 days I think. After watching this video, I replayed that scenario and all mechs survived and only one person took 1 level of injury. Thank you.

[@esaedvik]

Always enable the "Show UI during attacks" to show where you're hitting in real-time. Well worth it.

[@whatisbestinlife8112]

Both your guides for Battletech so far have are great. You really communicate well a lot of the subtleties of the game's hud and mechanics. Thanks for doing them and keep them coming. Subscribed.

[@PartyElite]

Thank you very much! And you bet - I've got more planned and in progress as I type this!

[@Me36999]

Your explanations and guide was exactly what I was looking for. Thanks for the great guide.

[@PartyElite]

Glad to hear you found it! =) Cheers!

[@izzet513]

You should get paid for being this game's only tutorial. Thanks for the great work!

[@PartyElite]

haha thanks =D!

[@RKStripes74]

Heck yeah. HBS and Paradox should have YOU on the payroll ! C'mon HBS and Paradox, this guy is working his @rse off!

[@ItsaMeGo]

This taught me everything I didn't know by the start of Day 1, thank you so much! Your vid should be listed as required viewing at this point, really.

[@GTOAviator]

New BT player here. This was incredibly helpful. I've played tons of XCOM and watched a little BT tabletop, but this video really put the pieces together for me. Thanks!

[@deandynamite8281]

Not only is this tutorial very informative, it's also well presented and entertaining to watch. Thank you for putting so much effort into it!

[@BertShackleford]

This game appears to have a very steep learning curve. Keep up the good work my friend.

[@PartyElite]

Thanks! Will do - that learning curve is exactly what I hope to tackle.

[@svendays]

It's a fun game. You should consider it. It reminds me a lot of XCOM. I just wish my PC ran it as well as PartyElites!

[@esaedvik]

Not really. It's pretty straightforward and logical. It is a hard game though, if you're not familiar to turn-based games and 'mechs. You can just savescum and or edit the game files to make it less daunting. I edited some settings, like how many contracts you get from each system. By default it's 3, which is ridiculous to me.

[@VonBlade]

Awesome video. Seriously. Full of useful info, very little waffle, no behind the scenes BS that skips huge chunks. Fantastic.

[@MidnightHozz]

Kickstarted this but just getting around to playing. This video is super helpful. I had no idea how much information was being presented in the UI.

[@SammyHoff]

I just started playing - this information was invaluable. Great video.

[@chrisharlin7096]

Exactly what I was looking for. Answered most of my questions in the first four minutes. I played the tabletop pen and paper back in high school. This is a trip down memory lane

[@cecollins68]

Thank you very much, my biggest issue with this game was understanding the move order and you explained it perfectly, also your indepth explanation of directional damage and evasive pips have revolutionized my tactics before I was kind of just eyeballing it and taking out smaller mechs first, but now I focus on harrasment, disarment and melee and terrainI usually try to flank my enemies sticking to forest terrain or high ground areas and focus fire on ammunition stores, weak armor and dangerous weapons. after I remove those I move in for a melee kill Subscribed

[@jameshall8781]

Thank you! This is what I was needing. I'm here because I was having trouble understanding the move order.

[@Luwispurpul]

Just got this on the GOG sale. Fantastic game. Thanks for making these videos, they have been really helpful!

[@SpaceTurd69]

great video. i just got the game on steam sale and was confused AF. this was great and really helped increase the enjoyability of this game.

[@dermashy]

Just bought this game on Steam sale , hadn’t got a clue what to do so thanks for the help 🙏🏻

[@37hedonismbot]

Thank you -so- much for these guides. Every new player should watch them!

[@Shoot2maim88]

Well piss, that explains some issues I've been having trying to get into Battletech.

[@franticsledder]

Excellent video. So well explained. Glad I watched this before starting the game, or I would have been lost.

[@PTNLemay]

Thank you for this! I found the in-game tutorial to be... lacking. And while most Let's Plays seemed to show people picking up the UI easily, I struggled with it. This really helped.

[@PartyElite]

Glad to hear it! =)

[@geno421]

Just wanted to thank you for both guides you've posted so far. It has helped me understand the mechanics of the game immensely. The quick tutorial at the start of the campaign did not help very much and I was quite lost. I feel like I have a firm grasp of the games mechanics now thanks to you.

[@madlarkin8]

Ive grown to love your tutorial videos. You dont repeat yourself too often, you dont mispronounce or misrepresent concepts, and you explain quickly and efficiently the most important things to know.

[@PartyElite]

Thank you for the kind words! Glad to hear you enjoy them =)!

[@AlaskaGuy71]

TY very much for the videos. I've only had very limited time to play and have just been kinda flailing mindlessly thru the first scenarios not having a clue what I am doing and your 2 videos just helped me understand the UI immensely

[@PartyElite]

Glad they were helpful! Hopefully the next one, coming this weekend, helps too!

[@powerplay743]

Your confident voice makes this already informative clip even more informative.

[@f1b0nacc1sequence7]

As a newcomer to this game, I thank you for your patient and clear explanation of just what is going on in this very busy UI/UX. You really helped me get a better understanding of how to make the most of my mechs.

[@PartyElite]

Awesome, I'm very glad to hear this video helped! I'll be releasing more in the series to cover even more topics - because dear lord, there are so many to cover! Hope you're enjoying it more now!

[@arsenalles]

this is a great tutorial, I just started playing and you make my experience much more enjoyable because I like to know all the info in UI

[@steeltrap3800]

Another excellent explanation. What's the next one, how to put controls/interface/relevant battle tips together for a "how to do combat and not get rekt" vid? Presumably you'll also move onto all the 'non-combat' stuff, such as choosing contracts, managing your mechwarriors, and then the mech lab etc. Quite a bit to do, really. I like your explanatory vids; they remind me in part of how I'd do it were I into making vids (I do a lot of technical writing including training, so these vids are pretty much lessons/technical guides realised in a video format). If I were to guess, I'd say you break things down to their constituent concepts then stack them in an order that makes sense, then chain these parts together to give one 'seamless' vid. Cheers

[@PartyElite]

Thanks! The next one is actually about mech customization, but yeah, there are lots of topics to cover! I just have to make sure I'm familiar with them before I cover them, of course =). Your analysis of my workflow is pretty spot on! Pick a big concept, break it into it's parts, find a way that flows well both from a narrative perspective but also from a 'lesson flow' perspective, and then write accordingly.

[@steeltrap3800]

Cheers. Not wishing to presume, but things like mech modification is pretty vast. Might be worth doing it in broad topics ('how to' in terms of armour, changing weapons, ammo, etc) and then listing competing considerations. That way you can give a set of general customising principles as I imagine trying to give examples of all the different mech chassis and what suits each would be rather lengthy. As an example (not a suggestion), the basis could look something like: Intro - the customisation screen, how it works etc Main - customising a mech 1. decide role of mech 2. role dictates priority of competing weight items (weapons and ammo, armour, jump jets, heat sinks) 3. place those items appropriately 4. check result against intended role: will it do the job? If not, reconsider choices in 2. Even within this there's quite a bit to cover. Good luck. Be interested to see what you come up with. Cheers

[@KoinskyChannel]

Great presentation, thanks.

[@PartyElite]

Thanks!

[@GerardKean]

I really needed this video

[@djpeterh]

very very helpful. you've made this game very accessible for me now. thank you

[@avalon629h]

This was VERY HELPFUL! Thank you!

[@ProtValnus]

Thanks for this. It's really informative. Please keep this up as the game curve is rather steep.

[@daisurr1]

Top stuff mate .. just bought the game and was looking a bit confused thought it was the grog ... (it may have been ) but atleast i know stuffs now cheers !!

[@derNeni]

Perfect for me.. just started to play the game ! thx you

[@Hellothere149able]

Since BattleTech is the new early unlock for Humble bundle monthly, would you consider making a video tutorial for the mothership UI? Love your tutorials! I haven't seen many in-game tutorials for other games that explain things as well as you do.

[@hakenaton9031]

Awesome Video, just what I needed spot on!

[@khandimahn9687]

Thanks. While I had been figuring things out somewhat, the lack of a proper tutorial or manual meant some things were not particularly intuitive. But otherwise this game does seem to capture the spirit of the old tabletop battles!

[@ckryses3962]

0:18 Dang that king crab is super size...must be monstrous in act!

[@joejust8820]

Thnx for this, really good, it made my experience so much better to understand why you doing something. Great help, great vid. Good details.

[@cvsmith122]

Thanks for the guide i had no idea about the evasion chevrons.

[@PartyElite]

You bet! Glad I could be of assistance!

[@potatophantom9717]

VERY informative video. I tried to play this and was a bit bamboozled.. I still have to get used to not all mechs moving in one turn. But none the less, your video helped a lot!!!

[@PartyElite]

Glad to hear it!

[@InvalidShortcut]

Thank you for your time and effort.

[@gimmetheacoountplix]

Thanks! The devs should put this video ingame. Almost stopped playing because I did not understand the combat.

[@PartyElite]

Glad I could help you enjoy this great game!

[@rek80]

Thanks that explained things much better than the game did!

[@WallScreamer]

Thank you so much for making this and your other guides. The game is great, but it leaves a lot of basic info out of the tutorial.

[@TokyoDan0]

That is the most excellent tutorial video I've ever see! Even has some humor

[@PetersonZF]

Great video, if only they'd hired you to officially make this content to put in the game!

[@bificommander7472]

Great vid, although I question how great the UI is, given that I really needed this vid. There's an impressive amount of info visible, but you really need to know where and how to look.

[@PartyElite]

Haha, I think (personally) the UI is well done in the sense that it actually presents all the information it needs to well. Where the game fails is in telling the player why they need all that information, and what it actually means for gameplay.

[@thekorben]

Hi, I know this is an old video but maybe you're still around to read the comments. Thanks for the amazing guide(s), very helpful! The only thing I still don't understand is the difference between a blinking and a steady direction-of-fire indicator on the enemy damage chart. For instance at 24:29 you can see that the front view shows a solid red indicator while it shows a blinking red indicator for the backside. Does it indicate a chance-to-hit modifier or something like that? Maybe I missed it. :)

[@dannypockets]

Great video! Thank you.

[@stevenswadel]

Great guide. Thanks. Clear and easy explanation.

[@PartyElite]

Glad to hear it!

[@gamewolf25]

Very informative video. Thank you so much for making it!

[@PartyElite]

You bet! More to come =).

[@kdlittle88]

Thank you so much for this video, so informative!

[@ttprophet]

super helpful thank you!

[@wraitheart5319]

God this tales me back I'm 44 I have played battletech for years as a pen and paper game this is so close its not funny . Nailed it!

[@Troubleshooter11]

Thanks for the explanation, Party. I personally found the interface to be a bit uninformative and minimalistic. But as anyone who works in IT or programming can tell you: designing an interface that immediately clear to everyone, while still taking up minimal screen real estate, is bloody hard.

[@PartyElite]

Haha my day job is in the world of design. I'm all to familiar with UI/UX and the troubles that they bring, myself =D

[@fmc6338]

thank you this game is hard, but worthwhile.

[@GoodGuysGaming]

Amazing tutorial, thank you very much.

[@omgilovesteak6484]

Thanks for this video. I think i can restart the game now with better knowledge. Oh and one more thing, Do you ever take a breath while doing these videos? lol

[@PartyElite]

Glad to hear it helped! Hope you enjoy the second run-through =D And hah - I try to.

[@Rhinozherous]

Thank you a ton for this tutorial!

[@dermeistefan]

I see you are competing in the annual yt competition of who can talk the fastest... Slow down a bit please. Edit: Watched all of the vid. Great video. I like the use of the little arrows to make it easier to see what you are talking about.

[@PartyElite]

Sorry, I just naturally speak a little quickly. I'll try and slow it down!

[@FastDuDeJiunn]

i never noticed the dif colors on the cone for facing ur mech thats cool to know

[@zathras0]

There is one thing that you could have covered and what I am trying to find out. When you Melee, it shows you some circles with arrows which I believe shows you directions you can make the melee attack. I just haven't found a way to choose which one. 19:19 of your video you see what I mean

[@Parlora]

Yup, those are for where you stand when you make a melee attack. You can click and select them. Useful for presenting your strongest armour to the rest of the enemy or the side with your least-important weapons. There's also the ring underneath the target mech (also applies to shooting) which shows which arc you are attacking into (front, left, right or rear).

[@joshuaturnquist5538]

Oh boy! The King Crab is in?! That was my favorite in MWO!

[@PartyElite]

Oh you bet it is. And it's quite kingly and crabby.

[@Flixkoi]

great video... good pace... ty :)

[@AGBRIELMO]

thnks bro, save a lot of seraching

[@89caballero]

Will you do a video on building mechs, and weapon types soon? ive no idea wtf to do haha. I at least understand the battle ui now lol.

[@PartyElite]

You bet! Finished writing it last night, so I hope it'll be out this weekend!

[@jonathanbiedermann2608]

Thanks man, you're awesome

[@erikmjelde4428]

This should come with the game

[@jacoboalonso9014]

Thx a lot!!

[@gozduk]

Good job

[@Goatboy451]

Thanks. This was a really helpful video. :-)

[@chrislee4247]

Thanks for this man.

[@PartyElite]

You bet!

[@Justathought81]

thank you

[@shortyred60]

Thank you so much for this you explain so much, just one thing please don't rush your explanations sometimes you go a little fast. But other than that fantastic!! Better than getting a manual.......oh wait we didn't get one with the game! LOL!

[@PartyElite]

HAH! Thanks for the comment - will definitely keep my speed in mind for the next one!

[@SloppyManwich]

Enemy attack at 22:45 was strong like baby ox.

[@Zolfried]

mech builds.. i dont know how long you keep that starter mech, but suggestions on builds to it to suit different playstyles would be cool.. it seems most mechs default loadout feels very jack of all trades... i'd like more specialized builds.. like 1 big mech with 20-60 lrm hiding behind a mountain and just rain death at the enemies from a safe distance... or a 2-3x ppc sniper... a brawler with lotsa sml and mg's ect ect im using mech warrior online as guides to build my mechs but the 2 games are different and not all builds is possible in battletech, so would be awesome to see a guide specified for this game :)

[@masonreppeto882]

Great fucking tutorial man.

[@SQW0]

If you are short on funds, Fanantical has a 20% discount. Given how this game doesn't seem to have regional pricing, I think they got the keys through backer's support.

[@jordanmurray7968]

Thanks for these. Could you do a video about leveling a up a mechwarrior? (Apologies if I missed this)

[@phill80]

As a noob to this game, I wish the UI showed the weight of each mech, both friend or foe. Being new means you don’t always instinctively know the weight class of what you are going up against.

[@Parlora]

The UI does show the initiative order which relates to the weight class. 9:40 shows you where. Lights are 4, Mediums are 3, Heavies are 2, Assaults are 1. There is an ability that increases the initiative of a mech by 1 (master tactician) but it's a reasonable starting point while you're getting used to it. To get a more precise view, right click on any mech to bring up the top card 13:10. The weight class is on there or in the bottom left for your currently-selecting mech.

[@Mentatskillz]

I find the color of the concentric circles a little confusing. I know they are meant to denote ranges for weapon firing ranges, but it doesn't seem to provide much information. For example, why aren't minimum ranges shown by a field of red or something? It's hard to know where my AC20 range ends and the large laser range continues. I feel it could be done better, but if I pay attention to my hit chances before I move then it all works out.

[@aeroant]

So well articulated! The developers would do good to hire you/lease this content from you. Their tutorial is no good!

[@existenz3883]

thank you!

[@PartyElite]

You bet =)!

[@RaphaelCarmo]

Thanks for this , i've played a lot of the tabletop game years ago and i was still confused because the game has an horrible tutorial. I just imagine how hard is to get to the game right away.

[@SierraSierraFoxtrot]

Atr 14:00 you say the LRM15 does four time 15 damage, it's of course 15 times 4 damage, 15 missiles at four damage each.

[@PartyElite]

OH sorry good catch. Yes, you're right.

[@uitblazenindepijp]

Slightly off topic here: I'm not a native English speaker and rarely speak the word "chevron". I think I've only heared it before on Stargate SG1. It's a nice word for Scrabble though, right? ;

[@steverliu1886]

What do the percentages visible on the called shot menu mean? Chance to hit?

[@Jay-nc1wr]

Precision Strike says "Take a called shot against a single target at -4 difficulty. What's that mean? Also, you skipped on the called shot. I see a bunch of new percentages when selecting the different mech parts. So am I getting 2% chance to hit when aiming at the head? or if my weapons have 80% chance to hit, they lose 2%? Now being 78% chance to hit?

[@masonreppeto882]

bring a light for scouting they say. 4 assaults go stomp and big gun AC go boom.

[@ZexMaxwell]

please do mech bay and out of combat video tips.

[@PartyElite]

Yep there's mech bay one coming up! Should be this weekend =)

[@RoscoePablo]

The 4, 3, 2, 1 bar sequence so that’s in order of mech action. So if I just go straight to mech one with out going from 4 3 2 1 all the other mech actions moves are lost and it’s the enemies turn?

[@PartyElite]

They are not lost, no. If you reserve a mech in Phase 4, they become available in 3. If you reserve them again, they'll then move down to Phase 2. It's only in Phase 1 where you can't hit reserve, and instead, you'll just brace all your mechs.

[@pmedwards42]

On a called shot what do the % chances mean when you select the location? Is your chance to hit the mech still your primary to-hit but your chance of hitting the called location the number on the paper doll?

[@PartyElite]

It's your chance to hit that specific location during the salvo, not your overall chance to hit the mech, itself.

[@DecrepitBiden]

Thinking about buying this game. Can you save anywhere in the game, or only when you're on your spaceship?

[@polishguywithhardtospellna8227]

Your Witness needed protection program ;-p

[@rpcheesman]

You made me reinstall this game. Damn you. :)

[@samkh3306]

@11:40 arrows not changing color? what arrors are you talking about? i dont see none changing any color

[@PartyElite]

It's the < > arrows on either side of the target at the top left corner of the screen. It shifts from yellow to white - youtube compression might make it harder to see!