Introduction to Roguetech

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= 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. Arrow IV and LongToms exist, and will blast your newbie-trap Assault mechs, when you should instead be running a fast mech to close on them. 
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.
Settings 	Default 	Easy (see Caveats below) 	Normal (Recommended) 	Spank Me Harder LA
Mode 	Online 	WarTech IIC 	Online 	Online
Difficulty Scaling 	Company 	Either (See Caveats) 	Company 	Company
Spawn Randomizer 	Random 	Disable 	Random 	Random
Battle Deployments 	Manual 	Auto 	Manual 	Manual
Control Convoys 	Manual 	AI 	Manual 	Manual
Map Size 	33% 	Standard (0%) 	33% 	100%
Spawn Allies Support 	Enable 	Enable 	Enable 	Disable
Combat Log 	Floaties 	Combat Log 	Floaties 	Floaties
Pilot Randomizer 	Random Ronin 	Random Ronin 	Random Ronin 	Random Generated
Concrete Jungle 	Disable 	Disable 	Disable 	Enable
DLC Modules 	Guides/Installation#DLC_Modules	Guides/Installation#DLC_Modules	Guides/Installation#DLC_Modules	Guides/Installation#DLC_Modules
Era Mechs 	N/A 	None 	All 	All
Optional Mods 	N/A 	None 	All but:
* Nukes
* Superheavys
* Experimental	All
Additional Flashpoints	N/A 	None 	All but:
* LV-426
* Syberia
* Heretek
* Superheavys	All
Additional Ronin 	BTA 	All 	All 	None
Armor Repair 	Repair Armor After Battle 	Free 	Repair Armor After Battle 	Repair Armor After Battle
=== 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 - 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: Each planet is assigned a skull value, based on that planet's lore and resources. Missions on each planet will generate based on that value, plus or minus up to your Variance setting. If support lances are on, keep in mind that over-dropping will increase the odds that you have to fight at least one support lance.
** Company: Every planet is set to the same skull rating. That rating is based on the C-Bill value of your lance: Each 16.5m of value adds half a skull to the global difficulty. Starting with the most expensive, the game counts as many units as you have mech drop slots unlocked, between 4 and 8. If your starting lance is valued very highly, it is possible start a career as high as 1 or 2 skulls.
* 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.
* Enable Allies - this enables a chance to spawn friendly allies to help if your lance is under-leveled.
* Random Ronin Starting Pilots - start with better pilots.
* Disable Concrete Jungle - you don't need buildings rigged with lasers, IEDs, and Capellan 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 ==
# 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.
# 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.
# After that you will create your character and you are all set to dive into Career Mode.
(A number of options cannot be changed after career start. Choose carefully.)
Settings 	Default 	Easy 	Normal (Recommended)	Spank Me Harder LA
Parts 	5 	3 	5 	8
Company Type 	Mercenary	Mercenary 	Any but Primitives 	Any of the Primitives
Friendly Fire 	All 	None 	All 	All
Mech Recovery 	50% 	100% 	50% 	0%
Contract Variance 	2 	2-4 (each point is half a skull)	2 	0
Contract Payment 	Normal 	Generous 	Normal 	Cheapskate
Salvage 	Normal 	Generous 	Normal 	Stingy
Commander Experience 	3500 	10000 	3500 	1750
Advanced Mechwarriors 	Often 	Often 	Often 	Rare
Ronin Hire Chance 	50% 	100% 	50% 	Never
Pilots Per System 	5 	10 	5 	1
Mechwarrior Progression	Normal 	Fast 	Normal 	Very Slow
Mechwarrior Exponent 	Normal 	Fast 	Normal 	Very Slow
Mechwarrior Multiplier 	Normal 	Fast 	Normal 	Ultraslow
Lethality 	Normal 	Never 	Normal 	Lethal
Starting Money 	2500000 	6580000 	2500000 	1800000
Mech Bay Speed 	Normal 	Fastest 	Normal 	Hard
Mech Bay Armor Speed 	Normal 	Easy 	Normal 	VeryHard
Mech Bay CBills 	Normal 	Cheap 	Normal 	Expensive
Shop Selling Prices 	13% 	18% 	13% 	5%
Scrap Value Returns 	13% 	18% 	13% 	5%
== 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, 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 Mech Warriors 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 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 Mech Warriors 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
Category:Guides