I want you to think of your favourite competitive multiplayer map of all time. Got it? Right, hold it there. Now: can you tell me what the temperature is, on your map? How about the surface gravity? If your map is from a sci-fi shooter, could you name what planet it’s on? Or its relative position in an alien galaxy?
I don’t know whether or not MechWarrior Online’s Canyon Network is going to become anybody’s new favourite map, but you’re about to get to know it very well indeed.
As the video below details, when it’s not elucidating inner leg measurements, the map boasts plenty of hidey-holes for use in ambushes, as well as a wealth of nearby horizons to crest when in need of a speedy escape:
“Bordered by a metropolis on one side and a drop ship base on the other, the Canyon Network is essentially a rare green space in an otherwise arid landscape that doubles as a landfill,” say loresome developers Piranha games. “The maglev route that bisects the canyon is the most efficient means to transport supplies and personnel across the expanse and is therefore more valuable captured than destroyed.”
A couple of new walking machines also mech their entrance in the game’s latest update. Mech of the Month is the Blackjack, which features two ballistic and four energy hardpoints, making it the perfect vehicle for close combat. With up to four jump jets and a 15% increased torso twist speed, it should be a real hit on the dancefloor too:
The unfortunately-named BJ-1 is joined by the Jenner JRC-F, a Champion Mech with six energy hardpoints and a top speed of 138 kph. Will you be giving either a spin around the canyons?