Alacorn Academy

Lore & Background

The game follows the Inner Sphere forces of the First Davion Guards as they liberate Port Arthur. Missions are structured into five operations, each containing six specific scenarios with varied objectives like capturing bases or protecting friendly units. Between missions, players utilize Resource Points earned from completing objectives to repair mechs, refit components, and purchase new assets. While Inner Sphere technology is available for purchase early on, Clan weaponry and advanced mechs must be salvaged directly from the battlefield. Pilots gain experience through kills and mission completion, advancing through four ranks: green, regular, veteran, and elite. This rank system dictates their effectiveness in light, medium, heavy, or assault class mechs.

In Their Own Story

Set immediately after the liberation of Port Arthur, the expansion pack Desperate Measures sees Zulu Company deploying to the desolate planet Cermak in the Periphery. Here, a renegade Smoke Jaguar force led by Star Colonel Marcus Kotare has taken control for an unknown reason revealed later in the campaign. Players start with inferior Inner Sphere mechs, though they are superior to those found at the beginning of the original game; notably, pilots and machines from the first campaign cannot be exported. The expansion introduces three new campaigns featuring custom NPC mechs like Kotare's Turkina, which boast unique weapon configurations and superiority over standard modifications. New assets include the Stiletto, Bushwacker, and Mauler for the Inner Sphere, alongside the Shadow Cat, Nova Cat, and Turkina for the Clans.

Reader's Guide

MechCommander allows players to customize forces for each mission within strict tonnage and unit count restrictions. Control is executed via a simulated aerial viewscreen, with briefings provided before every engagement. Success depends on strategic customization, balancing mech types, weaponry, and pilot experience levels. The expansion Desperate Measures adds new landscapes, redesigned buildings, and additional vehicles such as the Alacorn, Pilum, and Regulator tanks, as well as Centipede scout vehicles and ammo trucks that function as mobile bombs. A compilation titled MechCommander Gold was released in 1999, bundling the base game with this expansion.

Did You Know?

• The game received an overt recommendation from The Sci-Fi Channel (now SyFy), making it one of the few games to feature the network's logo on its box art.
• Desperate Measures served as a testbed for custom NPC mechs with unique names and weapon configurations, a concept later improved in MechCommander 2.
• The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences nominated MechCommander for 'PC Strategy Game of the Year' at the 2nd Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, where it lost to Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri.
• Clan technology, including weaponry and new mechs like the Shadow Cat and Nova Cat, cannot be purchased and must be salvaged from enemy units on the battlefield.