- BattleTech Centers
BattleTech Centers
BattleTech Centers are commercial virtual entertainment venues that feature multiplayer virtual combat in the fictional "
BattleTech " universe of fighting robots. The centers were created and operated by Virtual World Entertainment LLC.The first BattleTech Center opened in
Chicago in 1990, with others inYokohama following in August 1992 andTokyo in 1993. Eventually 26 such facalities were built and included other game types and more elaborate operations. These new locations were called 'Virtual World' but were still commonly referred to as 'BattleTech Centers'. Each Virtual World site featured at least 16 networked "pods" designed in part byFrog Design .By 1993, patrons could compete against players in other centers across the country. The
Red Planet Game was the first non-"BattleTech" game added, and involved racing through the canals of Mars using anti-grav mining carts.However, rapid advances in arcade games and online games meant that the Japanese Centers began closing in 1995, and by 2000 no BattleTech Centers remained operational in Japan.
Virtual World Entertainment later merged with FASA Interactive Technologies(FIT) and became Virtual World Entertainment Group (VWEG).
In 1999,
Microsoft Corporation purchased VWEG, and sold the VWE component and integratedFASA Interactive into the Microsoft Game Studios division.In 2005, all interest in VWE was sold to Nickolas 'PropWash' Smith and the principal offices were then moved to Kalamazoo, MI.
Virtual World Entertainment continues to develop and support the current iteration of BattleTech VR running on the Tesla II platform called BattleTech: Firestorm.
Tesla II featuring BattleTech: Firestorm can still be played at commercial and private venues all over the US as well as a site in Japan, and a private site is rumored to be in the works for Australia.
In 2008, Virtual World Entertainment will release an update version of Red Planet capable of running on the current Tesla II pod design and hardware.
External Tesla Cockpit Activity
In November 2005, [http://www.MechCorps.com MechCorps Entertainment, LLC] , in Houston, Texas, USA opened is doors to the public with eight Tesla II pods. They acquired another four pods in 2007, and hosted the 2007 [http://www.MechCorps.com/html/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=144 National BattleTech Invitational] in September 2007 with all twelve pods operational.
In 2006, hardcore players in Japan purchased 4 Tesla pods from the US, and began to put together an 'unofficial' Virtual World Center in Tokyo. Despite many key components becoming 'Lostech' and their spare parts no longer available in market, the 4 pods are now semi-operational, though no commercial operation has resumed yet.
External links
* [http://www.virtualworld.com/ Virtual World Entertainment LLC] - the people who made the BattleTech Centers
* [http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/1.03/battletech_pr.html "Battletech's New Beachheads"] by Linda Jacobsen, "Wired Magazine", number 1.03, July/August 1993
* [http://www.reviewsonline.com/BATTLE.HTM 1999 Review of the Chicago BattleTech center]
* [http://www.dropshipcommand.com/article.cgi?show=2 Page describing the pods, including a labeled picture of the controls (BT VR 2.5 and 3.0)]
* [http://www.MechCorps.com MechCorps in Houston, TX USA: BattleTech site with 12 operational pods]
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