Virtual World Tesla BattleTech 4.0 Trainer

[jnordne2]

I only got to play this once, in Chicago, back in 1994. It was awesome. I remember staying with my step-brother in '98 for the summer and he lived near North Pier, and was sad that it wasn't around anymore. I wish they still had something like that.

[testdummy007]

Ahhhhh long gone are the days where I had to choose between buying groceries, paying the rent and playing Battletech and Red Planet at the Virtual World Center... I could never feed my landlord, but gawd was I ever good at this game ;p

[fredrickpendragon]

I hate the fact that I was simply born too late to experience BattleTech. By the time I found out about it, FASA was about to die. I dream of the day that a new-gen Tesla pod is created, using less-proprietary systems and perhaps running MechWarrior Living Legends, which I understand has a lot of stuff under the hood that isn't used right now, which could definitely be used for sims. Hell, eventually it'll have ammo dumping and crits.

[fredrickpendragon]

I really wish Tesla pods weren't so close to extinction. I hear the Tesla Is had a lot more simulated things, like fire extinguishing and ammo crits. Also, when I was in kindergarten, there was a book about video games that showed old, now-extinct Tesla pods, ROWS of them, in a Virtual World center. I should find an excuse to go to that school and peruse those pages again.

The pods are aging, and there's simply nothing left to replace them...

[Tigerman1138]

I use to play this at LAZERPARK in NYC's Times Square. IT RULED! Long live 2600!

[pyros46290]

i remember that place. used to be one in walnt creek. coolest shit ever back in the day

[marrlock]

Wait a minute, is this a REAL simulator?! OMG I WANT ONE!!!! lol..

[balboapension]

anyone remember ThatGuyBob at Chicago? I think he was on Team Godzilla back in the day. Anyway. He was the tech who loaded my first games.

[StelyDn]

@balboapension I remember ThatGuyBob...

I'm pretty sure you remember me...

TARDIS....

[MikeTaylorLives]

Back in the day, I was Cheese. I worked at Sports Avenue in North Pier at the time, but played pretty regularly. I remember Hellraiser, Pyrotech, Isis, Paramecium, E-Train, Twon and the rest. I still talk to nARf (yes, that's how his call sign was spelled) occasionally. I also remember the infamous (and annoying) Panama and his subsequent banning.

[breadtacular]

I am from Chicago and I loved playing this in early 90s when I was still in high school. A buddy of mine introduced me to it; I wish I could have done it more often so I could have gotten good at it. It was such a great little piece of techno-fun!!

[thomas576]

Funny i don't remember going to navy pier, thought it was north pier. Remember wishing i was 21 so i could get into the club on the 1st floor with all the chicks in bikinis

[StelyDn]

@thomas576 It was North Pier, and the bar downstairs was call Baja Beach Club...

[eagleofmiami]

This game came out decades ahead of its time

[dkempster2004]

Hey if you were a chicago player get back to me. Looking to reconnect with people.

[balboapension]

If you never played this in Chicago, you've never played it... =)

[gribae]

So you actually have had to play this in a sim, otherwise you're not a true fan? Give me a slagging break.

[balboapension]

I didn't say "true fan". What I am saying is that the Battletech Center / VW location in Chicago was the real deal - DB and locations like that didn't do it justice. What I'm saying is you missed out.

[MikeTaylorLives]

@balboapension

I gotta agree with you there. There was nothing quite like the BattleTech Center.

[losh14]

I played it when it was at Navy Pier, and Battletech was Virtual World's sole offering. It was $8 for an 8-minute game.

My dad took me on my 13th birthday and watched from the viewing gallery. Some guy next to him was laughing at my video "Hey, that guy's shooting at the rocks". My dad's like "Um, yeah that's my son."

[ecpeter]

I remember going to Navy Pier and playing a few times looong time ago.  Then I moved to New York and they have the Tesla Sims in Times Square. Made some good friends playing that game good times.

[paranoiaxiii]

@ecpeter I was there too! Danny Glover was the code name..

[TheLeftHand88]

I've played a Battletech game like this at AnimeFest two years ago. It was pretty much Mech4, but multiplayer. The guys who ran the pods were wearing black jumpsuits and berets. It was a lot of fun, but expensive. Note to self, when going to conventions, take more than 40 bucks to split between two people!

[CmdrFoxDavion]

When going to conventions bring like $200+ with you, most stuff is overpriced by at least $10, but the plus side is, most stuff at conventions are either rare or hard to get or otherwise only purchasable online otherwise, and you get the shipping costs on top, which means at the end of the day it's cheaper at conventions. For example one of the only places you can get classic Yu-gi-yo cards or classic cards in most card games now are conventions like GenCon and SMASH, same for non GW miniatures

[OhGnosticOne]

LOVE THIS FUCKING GAME!!!!!

[skyppy1313]

Ahhh... this video brings back memories.

[paranoiaxiii]

Does this version of the game still exist anywhere in the US? I used to play at Lazer Park in NYC

[ecpeter]

Lmao so did I what was your callsign? Anyways last time I visited the sims was at Dave and Busters somewhere at a large NJ mall...not sure it exists anymore.

[NeolightAnon]

I played at Lazer Park myself.

[ecpeter]

I did to in Manhattan.  Neo we probably met if you were a regular.

[OhGnosticOne]

yeah here in houston we got the game at a dave and busters

but its a way updated version

newer mechs, torso twist, and jump jets!

[Mascot22]

I loved this game. Used to Play it a lot in the U district in Seattle. Before Hasbro bought out Wizards of the coast.Many great memories of this game,and the friends I made. Thanx for posting.

[dogsRoxXD]

ive played 1 simalr except theres teams and its only and only a quarter and more buttons u can also use t pilot mech which are ussaly hugmaungous online play and 1 tip dont screw with bnlack halks if u do 1 shoot at your leg boooooom!

oh and the machine is a actully a giant cockpit that opens up

[RamonesKaraoke]

The video card was only $7000 because Jordan got an incredible volume discount from us - everyone else paid $10k. And now you can exceed the performance and quality of Tesla BT on a phone - that's Moore's Law for you.

[trainwreckmetal]

ahh roots! those were the good old days!!

[Chalcas]

Use your radar!

[eggs07]

Go retro rock music. Shame they didn't quite grasp the atmosphere and majesty that the battletech experience should be going for.

I played this at "Intensity" in Australia back in the day. It wasn't bad, if a little simplistic and arcadey compared to the better sim oriented mech games.

[NICK7OF9]

OMG, I used to save up my allowance and rush to Virtual World to play...then I discovered that dating girls was easier than Battletech!

[tunit1000]

What about dating girls who are into BT?

Now that would be a nice combo

[frogjedi4]

Lol gl with that!

[sparkysetu2flames]

lol actually i found one who loves to watch me play mechwarrior 2, i get into it...she likes to blow their legs off..haha...and i made her read the books

[Celdorn]

Respect! :-D

[tunit1000]

"Shoot To Kill" - LOL! She says it so gleefully!

[LoparXL]

Aaargh! She is so annoying. The wording of this tutorial is annoying. I purchased a field manual or brochure of some sort for this sim off of FASA's Web store before they closed down permanently. The graphics and HUD in this sime look strikingly similar to the PC and Mac versions, especially MechWarrior 4's. I always wanted to go to Virtual World, but never got the chance.

[tunit1000]

To be honest, I never went to Virtual World myself. I just SERIOUSLY wish that they hadn't cancelled MW5. So much potential. There were tons of stories that could've been put into the game. No doubt the books aren't bad but they don't toss you into the universe like the game does.

[VirtualWorldLLC]

Thats because it was designed and made by the same people. The graphics on this system was far beyond anything available for home users in 1994. The video board was about $7000.00 and ran on a P90.

[huntercd]

@VirtualWorldLLC a P90! i remember when that was the latest thing! XD

[VirtualWorldLLC]

The voice is Kelly 'MissInformation / Yip^6' Bonilla.

[Sake906]

She is completely shootable haha