Metal Mercs

MetalMercs v7!

It's finally here! It's been a long road to get here but the NEW Godot rebuild of MetalMercs is now playable! As I said in the live stream, this first release is going out to active Patron members first. I will be expanding this to lower tier members and past supporters in the near future, and eventually down the line this version will replace the Python version, at which point this newer demo will be available to all. For now we're in a rather closed test with just closest supporters.

Also as I've said a few times, not every feature i...

Keep an Eye Out Tomorrow!

If all goes as planned, tomorrow should see the release of the new demo to active Patrons! As I mentioned in the stream this release will still have a ways to go as it will include only one mission type, no mech bay yet, and no travel between planets. But, it includes the full revamp of the game you saw in the stream. I'll be eager to hear all your feedback when you get to try it for yourselves!

Short Update

Hi folks. As mentioned in the stream last week the demo showcased there is planned to make it's way to Patrons soon. My thought during the stream was about a weeks time and it's looking close. I'm hoping it's about 3-4 days away at this point given the current pace of finalizing things. It could be a bit more or a bit less. But the point is we're very close and the next update should be its release!

MetalMercs RETURNS!

We are coming back! Yes I have officially locked down a date for the reveal of Alpha 7. It will be on Sept 13th at 3pm EST (link).

As you no doubt know by this point, this past year I made the tough call to translate MetalMercs into the Godot game engine. This required a huge amount of work but, for the longevity of the MetalMercs universe it was necessary. I have always said that I hope to grow MetalMercs with continued content for yea...

The Starport bustles with activity once again...

We're getting oh-so-close to a full reveal guys. Here's a little preview of the Starport. Probably the least updated part of the game but still has some notable improvements. Even down to the little NPCs wandering behaviours. It's subtle, but there. Anyway, on to more important matters...

The Things Left To Do

I have a list of about half a dozen remaining tasks that must be completed before I can share the new demo. These remaining tasks are mostly things that have to be in place for the demo to be playable and f...

Scripts, Factions, and Other Updates

Hey guys. A few updates on the current state of things. So this past week I took some vacation from work, family, and my YouTube channel even, and coded HARDCORE. I really thought I'd have a a demo to you at this point in the summer so I'm trying to close to gap to get there. This week was really helpful though to make progress on a handful of fronts, which I have detailed here.

1. GAME SCRIPTS

Some of you may remember that one of my last promised updates in MetalMercs before I decided to retool in Godot was camp...

Mission Maps Will Be Getting an Upgrade

Hey everyone! Quick update on MetalMercs — as you know, I'm working towards the Godot-powered demo, and today I wanted to show off a substantial change to the Mission Map system.

Previously, contracts were simple lines of missions that sometimes let you fail and branch randomly — functional, but kind of artificial. Now, contracts are going to be made of interwoven mission paths that branch, diverge, and sometimes...

Under Construction: Mission Setup

This past week I've been working on improving the UIs and menus. Many of them have been technically functional up to now so I could test the new game but they were up to "developer" standards, meaning many were barebones and didn't work intuitively. I'll admit it's been slower going with the UI than I had hoped (it's crazy how time consuming UI is), but we're slowly getting there. I have the mech assignment side of mission setup working really well and now just need to adapt that code for pilot assignments.

One element I think will be...

BOOM!

You can feel free to call me Jay R. R. Martin at this point since the next update is taking so long but we're getting close. I still have to wrap up how missions are launched and then a handful of elements in the Starport but we might be close to a new supporter preview demo at that point. To tide you over for a few more weeks while I work on those things, enjoy some fireworks!

A Sneak Preview

Hi folks. This is a short but special update for just the Patrons to give you guys a special sneak peak of some enhanced visuals that are upcoming in the Alpha 7 release. Case in point, check out this cool new effect with forests, mechs actually hide in the trees!

I've been cagey about revealing too much at once about the upcoming Alpha 7 because it almost is a re-launch of MetalMercs and I think when I finally am able to show off the whole th...

DevLog Update: Sleeker Contracts in the Works

Greetings, mech commanders! This past week I’ve been hard at work rebuilding key UI systems for MetalMercs in Godot. The MechBay is now functional again—you can buy, sell, and repair your units—and the Pilot Lounge is up in a basic form, letting you recruit and dismiss pilots as needed. The Mod Bay is on my list, though it may not be ready in time for the first early supporter Godot demo (which hopefully arriving in the next few weeks).

The biggest overhaul so far has been the mission contract interface,...

Invigorated!

Hey folks! Quick update for you hear but I've been back to work on MetalMercs and feeling good about some of the new progress. As you know, I took a 30-day break to decompress and work on a totally different project last month (Deck of Stabs). Working on Deck of Stabs served many purposes, from staving off burn-out and giving me a break, to giving me a new project to experiment with in Godot and spend some time learning how to properly setup Con...

MetalMercs...? Update

Sometimes there are detours along the road. Watch the video to learn more!

v6.2.4 Crash Fix -- Quick Edit to Credits.txt

Hi folks! Here with a quick update this morning. Some of you might've been experiencing MetalMercs crashing recently. I apologize. There is an easy fix though. Simply open the credits.txt file in your MetalMercs directory and change the phrase at the very bottom of the file from "Eagle Vanguard Orion" to "Eagle Vanguard Eternity".

Why Was it Crashing?

This was a feature left over from the very early development where I had the game track the date and ...

Quick Progress Check: Sneak Peek of the Mission Setup Screen

It’s been about three weeks since my last update, and while there’s no earth-shattering news today, I’m excited to share a little glimpse into my ongoing progress upgrading MetalMercs. Attached is an early screenshot of the Mission Ready screen upgrade—it's not totally finished mind you, but I think is a nice preview of the visual upgrade the next update will employ.

Thanks for your continued support, enthusiasm, and patience. I'm still planning a live stream when the game becomes more playable and I'm closer to a supporter ear...

Alpha 7 is on the Horizon

It’s finally time to let you in on what’s been brewing behind the scenes. Alpha 7 is coming, and with it, a massive evolution of MetalMercs. This isn’t just an update—it’s a full-scale rebuild of the game’s foundation. The past few months have been spent making MetalMercs more powerful, more flexible, and primed for the future.

I’ll be hosting a livestream in the coming weeks to fully unveil what this means and why it was necessary. But for now, he...

2025 Update

Hey folks. It’s been a while since my last update, so I wanted to check in and let you know once again—I’m still here, and I’m still working hard behind the scenes!

I was hoping to hold off until I could drop a new video, but I’m probably still a couple of weeks away from that, and I didn’t want to leave you all hanging any longer. As you can imagine, with this much time since the last update, there’s a lot to talk about. When the next update drops, it’ll be a big one—so sta...

New v06.2.4 -- Bug Fix!

Hi, Merc Commanders! A new game-crashing bug was reported recently and it’s now fixed! The updated version has already been rolled out on Steam. I’ve also uploaded the updated build to Dropbox, and you can grab it via the link below:

 Windows: 2024-12-09 16:38:09 +0000 UTC View Post

I'm still Alive!

I always feel weird when I don't post for a few weeks and it's extra weird because I haven't been on YouTube the past few weeks either. But, I felt like I did need to update you guys. So things are still chugging along and I do have a (hopefully) exciting update still incoming, but we're probably still at least a few weeks away before I can say much more than that. In the meantime I assure you I am still here and still working away on things! I hope to return to YouTube this week finally after a bit of a long-overdue break/hiatus. It wasn't ...

Minor Update and More to Come

Hi all. I'm posting a minor update to the 6.2.2 version tonight which fixes a bug that was causing the tutorial to crash before launching. I suspect most Patrons didn't notice as you weren't probably playing the tutorial but especially for the Steam demo I'm sure it will be a welcome fix. The fix is being pushed right into the existing 6.2.2 zip so just re-download the .zip tonight if you're a Patron and want the fix. If you're a Steam user (playing the demo) then it should automatically update for you tonight.

As for other news, these...

MetalMercs v6.2.2

Hi folks! Well this is a bit more of an incremental update for you all since you've been getting the gradual upgrades over the past few weeks but v6.2.2 of MetalMercs is now ready. This is the version I'll be showing off on Sunday's live stream so you get a bit of a preview to play around with it. Also though, don't forget to join the live stream on Sunday Oct 6th at 7pm EST!

I'll give a more thorough rundown ...

An Update is Coming Soon

Hey folks! On the horizon is a new updated build coming for all supporters, which will fold in the Patreon preview features along with a few other minor updates for everyone. This new build will also propagate into the Steam demo so those folks can see some of the newer aesthetic and gameplay elements that have been added. Obviously, the Steam demo will still not contain all the current features in the supporter build, as those are reserved for the supporters and Patrons, but it will give the demo a facelift.

As for the next update aft...

The Secret Update - Update

Already have some updates for you guys. As I said, I have a small game show coming up so I've been trying to polish as much as possible. This version includes a more polished tutorial, a handful of fixes, and a few updates based already on Discord feedback. If you do spot any significant bugs or problems, reporting them in the next few days would be very helpful. Thanks!!!

2024-09-22 22:29:27 +0000 UTC View Post

The Secret Update

Hey folks! This past month has been a pretty hectic one for me and I've retreated a bit from the limelight to try to focus what little time I did have on the game. We're still a little ways off from the next major update however, I have been working on polishing off a lot of the rough edges on the game for a small upcoming game show.

And since there is a new version, why not share the love with you guys? Hence, I'm releasing this new shinier version to you devoted patrons for you to play exclusively for the next few weeks! (I didn't ev...

Progress Update -- Hit Calc Changes?

Online Status

Hey folks! Wanted to give you guys an update on the state of things. So first off, I have been scarce recently online so you probably haven't seen me in the discord for the last little while. Partially this is because my day job has ramped up in recent weeks so I haven't had as much time for social media but also partially this is my process. In order to focus on coding sometimes I really just have to unplug for a couple weeks and focus on the code. It can get really hard to focus on actually a programmin...

Fixed Mac Builds

Hey folks! As you know the Mac build of MetalMercs has been difficulty to maintain and officially is on hold for the time being. One consequence of this however is that the latest Mac builds have expired and weren't currently playable. I have however fixed these builds so that they should remain playable indefinitely. My long-term hope is to one day restore the Mac functionality and update the Mac build. But for now at least you can play these builds. Enjoy, Mac users! And if you encounter any issues please let me know here or on the discord...

Radar is Here!

Hey folks! We've got a brand new feature rolling out in the latest playtest build: radar! I don't know why it took me so long to consider this but this is really something that helps with battlefield awareness and makes it SO much easier to locate enemies. Now of course, enemies will only show up on radar if you have visual contact, but still, it will save you a lot of scrolling around the map trying to manually find guys. I've only tested it myself for a couple days but I really do personally like it and I hope you will too! (This also open...

Some UI Improvements on the Horizon

Hey folks! The past few weeks have been a bit of a blur with the Steam demo release and everything that's come along with it however, I wanted to give you a brief preview of some UI improvements on the horizon. There are of course much bigger changes coming too but for now, check out the new radar system! I only added it a day ago but already it makes life a LOT easier. Just having the situational awareness to know even roughly where enemies have been spotted is very helpful. You'll also notice that ambient heat and gravity have been switche...

Play Test Build - v06.1.0

Hi everyone! I am pleased to present the latest version of MetalMercs for your play testing enjoyment. This version is our first post-Steam build. It includes all the new touch-ups, fixes, and visualizations found in the Steam demo version along with full access to all the houses and their tech. As I said in the recent live stream, from here on out I will be focusing on adding in some more polish and complexity to the game and missions. It may take a month or two before you see the next build so please bear with me. But, having you fine folk...

Streamin' & Steamin'

It's a big day! MetalMercs has launched on Steam and we'll be celebrating tonight with a Stream!

I can honestly say, that I can't really believe this is happening. I started making MetalMercs years ago out of my love for the Crescent Hawks Revenge. It's no secret we started as a fan-made homage to the Crescent Hawks BattleTech games, but to have kept going as long as we have is really thanks to all of you. Your enthusiasm and support as ...