2021 has been a great year for MechaStellar so far. It marks the release of Version 7 which has been the most fun to play with since Version 2. As we continue to work on Version 8 we wanted to take a look back and be thankful for what we were able to accomplish in the last year.
Unit Releases for Mobile Suit Gundam
When we released Version 7 we had updated our unit profiles to have 21 Federation MS and 20 Zeon MS + the unstoppable tyrant Big Zam. By the end of 2021 we are now up to 50 MS for the Federation and 58 MS for Zeon along with 3 MA. Our roster so far has captured most of the One Year War (OYW) including notable favorites like the Gelgoog series, Gundam Alex and of course everyone’s favorite Acguy.
With the New Year we are going to continue releasing units from the Universal Century (UC) and then expand to our first Alternate Universe (AU) with Gundam Wing. We also keep a running list of planned updates on this page.
New Mecha Series Additions
Since we wanted MechaStellar to handle more than just Gundam units we’ve had to modify Version 7 several times, currently sitting at Version 7.7 adjusting Titan rules to be more flexible to allow for Super Robot entries. Since then we’ve added three non-Gundam series and in January we will add a fourth with BIG O! With the addition of these other series we also released a new game type for “DEFEND THE CITY / RAMPAGE” which allows different victory conditions focused on defending or rampaging through the city.
Series additions:
-Neon Genesis Evangelion TV (9 Units)
-Pacific Rim (12 Units)
-Getter Robo 1974 (3 Units)
Mission Packs
We started off Version 7 by releasing 5 Sandbox missions for both the Federation and Zeon which mirror each other. Sandbox style missions are meant to be quick pick up games with just enough of a story to get you going while you and your friends forge the rest the narrative. With each new mission your requisition limit goes up and you gain access to new units to acquire. Later in the year we were able to extend each of these sandbox campaigns up to 10 missions with the climax being the HLV holding a potent weapon being launched into space. The next 5 missions will involve Space combat and access to space only units for your sandbox campaigns.
In addition to the Sandbox missions we’ve released two Narrative campaigns with more on the way. Narrative campaigns are meant to follow an existing series while offering some what if scenarios where you can change the course of history. Our two narrative campaigns so far have been 0080 War in the Pocket released in time for Holidays and Pacific Rim which was released along with the units from the movie.
In the future we plan on doing a Narrative Campaign for Getter Robo, although I need to finish building some Mechasaurus models for that. We’re also planning on a narrative campaign for Gundam’s Unit 4 & 5 and the Thoroughbred sister ship to the White Base, of course before we release that one we need to finalize our rules for Warships. There will also be one for the Blue Destiny (UC). For Gundam Wing we’re still deciding whether the campaign release will be a Sandbox or Narrative campaign.
A Year to be Thankful
Lastly just want to say a big thank you for those of you have been playing MechaStellar both in person with us and those online. We value your feedback and incorporate as much as we can into rules updates and balance updates. The game has come a long way thanks to you. As always you can drop us an email, leave a comment here or the Mechatalk or Dakkadakka thread or you can use a social media platform, the links are near the bottom of the downloads page.
Lastly for me in particular, as lead writer I had to take a few months off from posting development updates since my wife and I welcomed a son into the world a few months ago. It’s been very hectic trying to juggle a career, a newborn, and consolidate updates for game development but overall it’s been a very wonderful year for my family. I would not have been able to keep posting updates without the support of my lovely wife and our friends who have been quintessential in developing the game. So thank you all for reading and have a Happy New Year!
MechaStellar 