Updated October 8th, 1999
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I have been tinkering with this program since 1990, which makes it one of the oldest known 'Mech design programs around. I call it BattleMech Designer (or BMD for short.) The overall layout and entry of data has evolved over the years from a text based DOS interface to a Win95 GUI interface. Due to its time-tested origins and the tremendous amount of input from my friends it should be a very simple program to pick up and quickly design 'Mechs with.
Included in BattleMech Designer 9.71 is all of the new Level 2 tech from the Field Manuals and Maximum Tech. This program is freeware, so all of you BattleTech junkies out there can download it and pass it around all you want. The full Maximum Tech Level 3 version is currently in the works, so check out the BMD 10 News (Updated 10/8/99) page for more details.
Specifications & features of BattleMech Designer 9.71:
The program
is fully self contained: no extraneous VB runtime DLLs required.
Includes
all Level 1 and Level 2 technologies from the following sources:
BattleTech Compendium: The Rules of Warfare
Maximum Tech: A BattleTech Rules Expansion
The Draconis Combine Field Manual
The Free Worlds League Field Manual
Intuitive Windows 95 interface... has a logical layout based
on FASA's technical readouts...
Uses a tabbed page design for easy access to all important information:
Main Items Page:
Input and modify the primary structural specifications.
Weapons Page:
Determine your BattleMech's weapons load.
Critical Sheet Page:
View and edit the critical slot layout of the entire design.
Reports Page: View
firepower, heat, range, and other performance data.
Specifications Page:
Select your BattleMech's component manufacturers.
OmniMech construction is convenient and simple, and BMD allows
the construction of Omnis with:
A fixed equipment configuration for mounting
structural components and hard-wired weapons.
A primary weapons configuration, as well as
alternate weapon configurations A through F.
BattleMech Designer makes it incredibly easy to share your
'Mech designs with others. In addition to the standard save file types (.BMI
and .BMC), you can save the design in two other formats:
The hypertext (.HTM)
format allows you to save your design as a ready-made web page in
Technical Readout style. The program even allows you to specify the text and
background colors, as well as the background texture. No knowledge of HTML is
necessary... everything is handled automatically for you.
The ASCII text
(.TXT) format allows you to save your design as a simple Technical Readout
text file.
You can load this file in any standard word processor or text editor, and cut
and paste your designs between applications, including your e-mail software.
The .HTM and .TXT formats described above
serve as fully functional save files, so you can load the designs from
these very same files. BattleMech Designer will also load MechWorks 1.1 (.MEK)
save files.
Multiple
printout options:
FASA-style record sheets of the highest
quality, with individual record sheets for bipeds and quads.
Simplified and convenient text-based record
sheets of a type our gaming group has been using for years.
FASA-style Technical Readout information
sheets to keep for future reference.
Miscellaneous features include:
The "Mixed Weapon Tech" option
allows a 'Mech to use both Clan and I.S. weapons.
Calculations are made for both the cost and Battle
Value of the BattleMech design.
An error indicator light that informs you of
your 'Mech's legality status.
Download BattleMech Designer 9.71
(~1033K zip file)
This is the latest version, and includes the update.
If you already have BMD 9.7, upgrade it to version 9.71.
This update includes a few fixes and adds some extra features.
Select this link for further details. (~350K zip file)
Download all of the FASA-designed 'Mechs (~251K zip file)
>From FASA's 3025/26, 3050 and 3055/58 Record Sheets
and various sourcebooks and scenario packs published since.
To date, I have gotten loads of positive feedback from users of BattleMech Designer 9.71, more than enough to encourage me to get on with programming the full Level 3 Maximum Tech version.
As expected, I have been very busy as of late and will continue to be busy for the rest of the month. I had hoped to have a beta ready for you in mid-January, but I'm going to have to postpone this for a little bit. When a beta is ready, it will be be downloadable from this site so anyone else who wants to take part will be more than welcome.
I know many of you have eagerly been awaiting a full-featured Level 3 capable editor, and I wish I could have it ready for you sooner, but as it is there are so many other things vying for my time. I also want to make the final release of BMD 10 as indespensible as possible, which will require plenty more programming and testing hours. Check the BMD 10 News (Updated 10/8/99) page for information on what's happening with the program. And thanks for your patience.
BattleTech is a Registered Trademark of FASA
Corporation. Original BattleTech material Copyright 1997 by FASA Corporation.
All Rights Reserved. Used without permission. Any use of FASA Corporation's
copyrighted material or trademarks in this file should not be viewed as a
challenge to those copyrights or trademarks.
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