MechWarrior: Living Legends | |
---|---|
Developer(s) | Wandering Samurai Studios |
Engine | CryEngine 2 |
Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows |
Release | 2009 |
Genre(s) |
Vehicular combat Game Modification |
Mode(s) | Multiplayer |
Mechwarrior: Living Legends (also known as MW:LL or MWLL) is an award-winning, fan-created, multiplayer mod, based in the BattleTech universe, and using CryEngine 2 as its engine; it is one of the few mods based on the BattleTech universe (and its supporting Intellectual property) to have been sanctioned by Microsoft—who currently (as of 2011) owns the rights to the Mechwarrior video-game franchise—and additionally received pre-SDK support and sanctioning directly from Crytek, producers of the games' engine. On December 26, 2009, an open beta (version 0.1.0) was released via and other distribution methods. Because the project changes the play-style and feel of the game it is originally based on (Crysis and Crysis Warhead) so completely as to be unrecognizable in comparison, it is billed as a "full-conversion" mod, since little to no trace of the original game's art or play-style (besides the most basic menus seen when first loading the game) exists any longer within MW:LL.
Mechwarrior: Living Legends is based in the BattleTech universe and began as a mod for Quake Wars. However, for a number of reasons, the team decided to switch to Crysis and continue development on the CryEngine 2. Not long after the switch, German Crysis developer Crytek announced that the team would be one of only four to receive the Crysis Software Development Kit (SDK) in advance.
With the release of open beta version 0.4.0, support for Crysis Wars was added. With the release of version 0.5.0, the team only supports Crysis Wars.
The project was the recipient of the ModDB 2009 Mod of the Year award and - due to rules preventing one mod from winning the same award twice - an Honorable Mention in 2010 and 2011.
Since early 2012, Mechwarrior Living Legends also gained an ongoing novel adaptation with free distribution.