BattleTech: The Crescent Hawks' Revenge (Resource)

Guide[edit]

This walkthru is copyright ©1991 by Hobart and THE ELECTRONIC GAMER™. All rights reserved.

This version of the BATTLETECH game is much more closely aligned with the FASA standard BATTLETECH combat system. As with all walkthrus, it is best used as a reference when you get stuck; however, in BATTLETECH even the right strategy will not always yield the desired results. So, this is more of a list of strategies that worked for me but which might need modification to suit your own needs.

In many of the scenarios, you will start out with new 'Mechs. Unfortunately, you will often find there are times when you have to use severely battered 'Mechs, and you may even have lost some. Now, on to the game.

Hint: Make photocopies of the maps starting on page 118 so you can plot where enemy 'Mechs are anytime that the satellite link is active.

LYONS: EASTERN AREA[edit]

The first thing you will do is select the 'Mechs for your first drop. Grab the hardest hitting 'Mechs you can -- especially those with good, long-range capabilities (give Jason the Griffin). The DropShip is shot down, two 'Mech pilots are killed, and you land in the drink with no 'Mechs to use. But there is a "blind" Jenner being piloted by Grease Anderson; you need it to guide you to a Locust that is coming in to finish you off. The manual describes an effective strategy in the Quick-Start section for the first two scenarios.

The Dragon scenario is tough, and you will need to ensure that you don't go one-on-one with him. Stick to a close-knit formation and keep your 'Mechs moving (you can't afford to slug it out).

The Mobile HQ scenario is tricky as you will need to nail it as soon as possible because it moves very fast. The HQ starts out just to the north of your 'Mech force. So, quickly plot an intercept (using the road where possible). The Phoenix Hawk, which is pretty fast, is your best bet (.2 MPH faster than the HQ).

Engage overburn, but keep an eye on the heat buildup when you get to firing range. Turn on Fire-At-Will as you close. In addition, get all your other 'Mechs moving west as fast as they can; there's some heavy-hitting stuff coming (including Rommel Tanks) from the east, and you need to regroup with the Phoenix Hawk once the HQ is nailed.

Another Hint: If you can't get the satellite link to work, there's still the chance that you can spot enemy 'Mechs by looking for their tracks through woods and grass!

THE KELLHOUND BASE[edit]

Here, you receive a couple UrbanMechs which are very slow; so, try to keep them on the road. Try to keep them on intersections giving you crossfire and good long-range capability against the short-ranges of infantry and jump troops. The loader will pick up the ammo from different parts of the base automatically, but you will need to control it outside the city which is tough: An Assassin 'Mech is blocking the gates!

Team up the two UrbanMechs and the truck behind the building near the gate (remember the truck moves fast, so don't get it too far out in front). Move the 'Mechs to the north of the gate; keep them moving and the Assassin should chase and overrun you. Put the UrbanMechs between him and the gates and get the truck moving (keep to the road) like the blazes out the gate. You don't need to destroy the Assassin to complete this scenario.

LYONS: NORTHERN AREA[edit]

The real trick here is in keeping together and out of sight as long as possible until you are needed to make your attack, but you need to stay nearby. One good strategy is to head into the thick, forested area in the center of the map. You can make quite a lot of undetected movement toward the north in 20 minutes. Again, there are heavy mechs here, so concentrating your firepower is a must.

OPERATION: LIBERTY PREPARATIONS[edit]

You can take either of two routes: around the mountain or through the passes. I would recommend the latter because you are less likely to lose the APCs (needed for the city scenario). You will run into Rommel tanks and Drillsons -- the most dangerous foes in this scenario. You will need to keep the heavy 'Mechs out front and the APCs to the rear. When you clear the mountains (and before you enter the city), send either a 'Mech or the APC to the northeast: You will find a 'Mech repair facility, and receive four shiny new Crusaders to attack the city.
===
OPERATION: LIBERTY -- THE CITY===

You start just inside the gates and will need to move the APC lance very quickly to the east. To give yourself more time, immediately set the game speed to 1. Move the remaining 'Mechs south to the large crossroads, and hold them there until the APC is clear.

You will be attacked by a Drillson and some Skulkers. Disable the Drillson as soon as you can. As soon as an enemy has a movement of "none," move onto another target, as you can move out of a disabled vehicle's range quite easily. Move quickly to the prison with the Crusaders (I simply moved the lance target to the prison gate). Move the APC lance to the east wall, and move them close to the prison as your 'Mechs are closing.

About now, I set the speed of the game to 8 and waited until I heard firing, then I moved the APC lance in. Blast a hole in the wall, move the APC in, get the prisoners out, and get the heck out of there. Don't bother going after the infantry; they are in endless supply and only whittle down your Crusaders (you will need all the firepower you can muster to get out the gate).

Move the 'Mechs back to the large crossroads and keep the APC nearby. You can target the APC lance on lighter targets like Skulkers. The tanks guarding the gate have no long-range firepower and won't budge, so you can pick them off with relatively light hits, _if_ the infantry isn't in too hot pursuit!

This is one of the toughest scenarios in the game. Once you have escaped the city, you have to make a run back through the mountains with whatever 'Mechs you have left. Unfortunately, there is a Kurita warrior, Chiun, who has sworn to roast you; the Kurita have planes strafing the roadways, so keep moving. Interestingly, they are almost single-mindedly after Jason Youngblood, so they will only shoot at other 'Mechs in passing.

Move all of your 'Mechs (except Jason's) up the road, and take the first left turn. Go just a little way off the road to the south, line up your 'Mechs (and even the APC lance!), and start firing into the forest in different spots to set fire to it. This will definitely help heat up the enemy 'Mechs and give your 'Mechs a better shot. After a bit, much of the forest will be ablaze. Cease fire to cool off, set the speed to none, and your firing instructions to "fire at will."

Meanwhile, Jason's 'Mech should move northwest a little way from the gate and wait by the lake. As soon as the enemy 'Mechs clear the burning trees, they will come after you. Move west to the mountain's edge, then north to put the forest between you and the enemy lance. Follow the enemy 'Mechs with your remaining force (the enemy won't be firing much), and fire defensively (or target bits of forest in their path -- they're still only after Jason and won't deviate). I even set the APC lance to fire-at-will (they took out an Archer) and they didn't get scratched.

Even if one 'Mech breaks free, provided Jason's 'Mech is in relatively good shape, he should be able to finish it off. Regroup both lances, and send the Crusaders round the mountain. Meanwhile, send your 'Mech and the APC at full speed through the mountain passes, and you should not meet any resistance until you clear the opening at the other end. Wait just inside until your other 'Mechs arrive. Your 'Mechs should meet a Rommel tank and a Drillson or two at the northern entrance to the mountain (they would've come in after you). Because they are in a line, advance slowly and concentrate your firepower on the nearest vehicle (again, if you disable a vehicle, move on to the next).

Finally, the 'Mech will meet a couple of Rommels and a Galleon or two. Draw them off and they will follow; meanwhile you can make a dash for the dropship coordinates and wipe the sweat from your brow! Don't be surprised if you lose a 'Mech or two in this scenario!

THE TRAINING GROUNDS[edit]

The training grounds are relatively straightforward but give you a taste of using the satellite link and artillery: Use it as much as you can.

On the assault session, hold your 'Mechs back in a concentrated large formation to the south of the target. Shell the heck out of the target area where four heavy 'Mechs should be sitting ducks (why get shot at yourself?); you might actually destroy one with shelling, but you will certainly make some dents in them. With about three minutes to the deadline, make a rush at the target area (don't forget to turn the shelling off).

Use the same strategy with the "defend position" scenario. Shell the oncoming 'Mechs and look out for stationary reserves: They're easy pickings. Again, if you lose the link, look for footprints and water ripples, and shell them instead. Rolling barrages are good for troops on the move. But just make sure you keep it coming!

LUTHIEN CAMPAIGNS[edit]

Again, where possible, go for the heavy hitting, long-range 'Mechs, and especially the upgraded 'Mechs. Make sure Jason is in something with lots of armor.

Do stop and help the locals at the first jump-point. If nothing else, it will raise the skill level, and in the "protect the city" scenario, your 'Mechs will be repaired for you.

In the first scenario, just keep your 'Mechs in a tight formation, concentrate long-range firepower, and you can pick off the enemy (they seem to attack in columns).

In the city scenario, use the satellite link, and set up a strafing run on the heavy 'Mechs near the gate. Move your fire lance quickly down the wide street, and have them set up shop on the far side of town (stop strafing when your fire lance nears the fire line or you'll get hit, since strafing a point actually strafes two lines that cross at that coordinate!). Send your scout 'Mechs up north to keep an eye out for flankers, then move them in behind the enemy. Move the heavy 'Mechs in, set them up about one-third of the way in, and you can catch the enemy in a crossfire. Having beaten the Clan, you will get your 'Mechs repaired by a grateful city.

The Luthien Campaigns can only be won by continual strafing, shelling, working at long-range concentrating firepower, and keeping your 'Mechs out of firefights as much as possible. The mountainous terrain is ideal since the enemy is channeled down passes which can be easily strafed and/or shelled.

In one of the most difficult Luthien Campaigns, you will come across Elementals -- nasty things; they're slow, but devastating at short range. They appear at the northeast, so strafe the heck out of that area. Move your 'Mechs so that you can get your long-range weapons working to your best advantage: Avoid close combat at all costs.

ENDGAME[edit]

The final scenario involves destroying the Clan Galaxy Commander's 'Mech. You will need to move your 'Mechs immediately north and locate them about two-thirds of the way up the map. Strafe the central corridor until you have nailed a Puma or two. After a while, try crossing the corrider around the south of a building (roughly in the center of the map): There are four Madcats waiting there. Wait for the remaining Pumas and nail them when they emerge from the passes (don't move, they'll come to you). Immediately move west at top speed and get your 'Mechs to a storage building (you protected this in an earlier scenario). Somewhere along the way you will be told that the Galaxy commander is in the area (four more Madcats). Remember to turn off the strafing as you cross the line of fire; turn it back on again when you are clear! Stake out the area south of the grassy/forest peninsula and wait. You might want to strafe the oncoming Madcats if you get a satellite link (move your 'Mechs to one side first). NOTE: That's the hard way to do this one! Here's the easy way: put your 'Mechs in the eastern grassy area, 1/3 the way from the top and bottom of the map, where they have clear shots into the two central eastern mountain openings. Locate the central building (use the satellite) and the little clear area around it; strafe the clear area one square left and down from the building, and wait. The Clan 'Mechs tend to get confused about their routing orders and will mill about the building aimlessly for a few minutes while you strafe the one square they seem to get stuck on. You should kill all four Pumas, all four Madcats, and maybe the other four Madcats - if not, they'll die when they meet your three fresh lances at the mountain opening!

Other than that, try different strategies/equipment mixes; this is a very good tactical implementation of BATTLETECH. Of course, you will still need luck, so good luck!

Mech Stats[edit]

Created by Rocqueforte "Rocky" O'Leary

Key:

  • LRM/SRM - Long/Short Range Missile
  • LPL/MPL - Large/Medium Pulse Laser
  • ERLL - Extended-Range Large Laser
  • ML/SL - Medium/Small Laser
  • ERPPC - Extended-Range Particle Projection Cannon
  • MG - Machine Gun
  • AC - Autocannon
  • LB - LB "Shotgun" Autocannon
  • Gauss - Gauss Rifle
  • DHS - double heat sinks
  • BAP - Beagle Active Probe
  • () - CASE

20 Tons[edit]

  • Locust* : Undocumented [Guess: 2LRM-5, same as 3050 LCT-3D]
  • Locust+ : Undocumented [Guess: ML 4SL]
  • Wasp* : 2SL MPL
  • Wasp+ : MPL SRM-2 () [Same as 3050 WSP-3M]

The Locust* and Locust+ only appear in the Pacifica Training Ground Simulator that you get access to once you've completed the game.

25 Tons[edit]

  • Commando* : 2SL SRM-6 BAP
  • Commando+ : 2ML SRM-6 ()

35 Tons[edit]

  • Jenner+ : 4ML SRM-4 () [Same as 3050 JR7-K]

45 Tons[edit]

  • Blackjack+ : 2ERLL 2SRM-4 ()
  • Phoenix Hawk* : 2MPL 2ERLL MG BAP ()
  • Phoenix Hawk+ : 2MPL 2ERLL DHS [Same as 3050 PXH-3K]

55 Tons[edit]

  • Griffin* : SL LPL LRM-20 DHS
  • Griffin+ : SL ERPPC LRM-20 () DHS [Same as 3050 GRF-3M]
  • Shadow Hawk+ : 3ML LB10X LRM-20 SRM-2 () DHS

60 Tons[edit]

  • Dragon+ : 3ML ERPPC LRM-10 () DHS
  • Rifleman* : 2ML 2LL 2ERPPC DHS [Same as 3050 RFL-5D]
  • Rifleman+ : 2ML 2LL 2AC10 () DHS

70 Tons[edit]

  • Warhammer* : 2MPL 2ERPPC SRM-4 () DHS
  • Warhammer+ : 2MPL 2ERPPC SRM-6 DHS

75 Tons[edit]

  • Marauder+ : 2MPL 2ERPPC Gauss () DHS [Same as 3050 MAD-5S]

85 Tons[edit]

  • Battlemaster+ : 6ML ERPPC BAP SRM-6()


Keyboard[edit]

Keyboard Mouse Action
up arrow up scrolls up
down arrow down scrolls down
left arrow left scrolls left
right arrow right scrolls right
any diagonal any diagonal scrolls diagonally
spacebar/enter left button select
esc right button unselect (if no 'Mech selected, brings up game options box)
F1 scrolls to your 'Mech (unit 1 lance 1)
F2 scrolls to unit 2, lance 1
F3 scrolls to unit 3, lance 1
F4 scrolls to unit 4, lance 1
F5 lance 1 to control
F6 lance 2 to control
F7 lance 3 to control
F9 scrolls to visible enemy(ies)
F10 dropship controls
+ jumps among units on screen
- jumps among units on screen
1-8 game speed settings (1 slowest-8 fastest)
ALT-S sound control (on/off)
ALT-M music control (on/off)
ALT-V digitized voice control (on/off)