The Big Deal Add-On for BattleTech Extended 3025-3061

The Big Deal add-on for BattleTech Extended Tactics (aka BEX) is a pack of flashpoint campaigns similar to the vanilla Heavy Metal DLC, combined with a 'Mech pack. Here’s what awaits you:
– Three flashpoint campaigns of varying difficulty levels, namely:
A) Spite & Violence. This campaign is focused on the early stages of the game, you’ll need at
least a light and medium 'Mechs combo. If you have heavy or assault 'Mechs, then this will be easy.
B) Old Friend. This campaign is designed according to the Hrothgar Heavenlight’s scenario, its
difficulty increases, similar to the vanilla DLC Heavy Metal. However, it’s more difficult than that
DLC.
C) The Big Deal. The entire add-on was originally built around this campaign. Its difficulty is a
nightmare. You have been warned. You’ll need the best you can get to complete it.
– Lots of different notes, descriptions and references.Although the plots don’t claim to be literary masterpieces, I think you will enjoy them.
– 22 new events, 8 of which are random, and it’s up to you whether they happen or not.
– 29 new BattleMechs, including 3 unique chassis, which can only be obtained once. However, you may not get it, it all depends on your choice…
– Several new Ronin Mechwarriors.
– Greetings from MW4 and MechCommander – Rail Gun. An extremely powerful weapon for ranged combat, but very heavy, quite hot and practically useless in close combat; however, even a single hit is enough to terrify your enemies… If they survive after that. It’s not known for certain what war machines were supposed to carry such weapons during the days of the Star League, but if you can find it, it will be worth it.
– 4 new upgrades for Argo that will significantly increase the chances of your MechWarriors surviving when their 'Mechs are destroyed.
– 3 pieces of new unique equipment for your BattleMechs.
– Guardian ECM and Beagle Active Probe are now available not only as fixed equipment: you can find them in stores and FP reward crates (including vanilla FPs), however, these are rare equipment and hard to find; the above also applies to AMS + +. Incidentally, NARC + + and TAG + + have also been added to stores.
– 29 new logos for your mercenary unit.
– Several minor extensions.
– Patch for compatibility with the Solaris 7 mod, and an optional patch for greater efficiency of new medical equipment. If it’s installed, then with all the new equipment for Argo, your MechWarriors will become immortal: they can still be injured, but it will be impossible to kill them by destroying the BattleMech, its head, or inflicting multiple wounds. This patch is NOT required to play, it’s fully optional – no need to install it if you don’t want to.

The mod is fully compatible with existing saves for BattleTech Extended.

How to start The Big Deal campaign:
– If you have started a NEW BattleTech campaign or career, The Big Deal campaign will start after completing The Opportunist flashpoint, which is available from April 3034 to April 3056.
– If The Opportunist has NOT been activated by you yet, i.e. even if it spawned, but you did NOT start it, then everything will work as in the previous paragraph.
– If you have ALREADY COMPLETED The Opportunist, the campaign will start at the start of The Letter event at a random time. In this case, I highly recommend installing it on existing saves ONLY if you have a tough unit: each episode can be completed ONLY once. If you can’t do it or don’t have time (each flashpoint has 180 days to complete, except The Opportunist - its respawn is unlimited from April 3034 to April 3056), the campaign will be considered failed.

How to start the Spite & Violence campaign:
– From time to time, a flashpoint appears in the Cadiz (DC) system. This is your starting point.

How to start the Old Friend campaign:
– From time to time, a flashpoint appears in the Raman system. This is your starting point, but first you need to finish the Of Unknown Origin flashpoint.

ATTENTION! All three starting flashpoints, i.e. The Opportunist, Spite & Violence and Under the Sun are unlimited in respawn. This means that you do NOT need to start all three campaigns at once, if any of these flashpoints disappear from the map, it will reappear later (except The Opportunist, which completely disappears, but ONLY after April 3056). At the same time, each subsequent FP in the campaigns appears only once. In simple terms, it works the same as the Heavy Metal campaign in vanilla, you just have less time for all the FPs after the first one.

Current version is 1.6.3d, added 11/03/2024. IT DOESN’T WORK WITH BEX VERSION 1.9.3.7, ONLY 2.0 OR HIGHER. IN THE INSTALLATION SECTION THERE IS A LINK FOR THE VERSION COMPATIBLE WITH OLD 1.9.3.7.

Requirements:
– All three major DLCs for BattleTech: Flashpoint, Heavy Metal and Urban Warfare.
– Installed modification BattleTech Extended Tactics version 2.0 or higher.

Compatibility with other mods:
The Big Deal add-on will definitely conflict with any mods installed with BEX if they do any of the following:
– Modify the MechSettings.json file at BATTLETECH\Mods\BT_Extended_CE;
– Modify AmmoCategory.json and\or Faction.json files at BATTLETECH\Mods\BT_Extended_Timeline\enums;
– Modify the mod.json file at BATTLETECH\Mods\BT_Extended_Timeline, but ONLY if you are using the Solaris 7 patch;
– Change\add the argoUpgrade_medBay_hospital.json file somewhere EXCEPT BATTLETECH\Mods\BT_Extended_CE\StreamingAssets\data\shipUpgrades;
– Change settings in mod.json in BATTLETECH\Mods\IRTweaks;
– Change the settings.json file at BATTLETECH\Mods\MechAffinity;
– Change the starsystems jsons at BATTLETECH\Mods\BT_Extended_Timeline\starsystemDefinitive. This doesn’t always happen and is not a critical bug, but it can change the tag settings for systems;
– The mod is also incompatible with any mods that change the Mech Bay and the internal construction of the ‘Mechs, i.e. MechEngineer, etc.

To manually configure compatibility with other modifications, you can use the Data For Manual Compatibility Settings archive – all the new data used in the aforementioned files are indicated separately there, but PLEASE NOTE – it’s NOT intended for installation, only for manually entering values from there into your assembly on BEX basis. ATTEMPTING TO INSTALL THE CONTENT OF THAT ZIP IN THE MODS FOLDER WILL DAMAGE YOUR MODS.

Installation:
ATTENTION! The only official download sources are:
GitHub: Link
Mods-In-Exile:
The Big Deal Add-On – Full Pack 1.9.3.7.zip (43.8 MB) – Old version for BEX 1.9.3.7
The Big Deal Add-On – BEX 2.0 Full Pack.zip (25.6 MB) – Latest version for BEX 2.0.0.2

If you downloaded The Big Deal add-on from somewhere else, it’s NOT guaranteed to work normal, nor is it safe to use the contents of the zip.

– For an original BEX version:
Install BattleTech Extended Tactics, then unpack The Big Deal Add-On – BEX zip and move all folders from there to your Mods folder, confirming the replacement of files.

– For an original version of BEX with Solaris 7 mod:
Install BattleTech Extended Tactics, then install the Solaris 7 modification (only Solaris7BEX folder, nothing more!), also confirming the file replacement. Then unpack the The Big Deal Add-On – BEX zip and move all folders from there to your Mods folder, confirming the replacement of files. Finally, extract The Big Deal – Solaris Patch (BEX) zip and move the folder from there to your Mods folder, confirming the file replacement.

– For a patch with improved medical equipment:
Install the required set of mods according to the previous instructions, then unpack the Improved Medical Upgrades zip and place the folder from it in your Mods folder, confirming the replacement of the files. This patch is compatible with ALL versions of The Big Deal add-on.

Once again, the order of installation of all options in a shorter and more accessible form:
BEX + TBD: BEX → TBD → Medical upgrades patch (optional)
BEX + Solaris + TBD: BEX → Solaris 7 → TBD → Solaris patch → Medical upgrades patch (optional)

ATTENTION! Random spawns for flashpoints are disabled in TBD. If for some reason you reinstall Mission Control mod, then make sure that the contents of the corresponding folder from TBD zip are still in place. This is important, because otherwise you have every chance of being unable to complete the campaign – you’ll simply be torn apart.

FAQ:
– I installed this mod and it doesn’t work!
The mod has been tested countless times during development and triple checked before release. Everything worked and the campaign is available for the full playthrough, I’m sure of it. Still, patches are coming and the content is changing, so if something doesn’t work for you, then, I suppose, one of the three:
1) You installed this mod incorrectly: unpacked it in the wrong place, didn’t confirm the replacement of files during installation, or didn’t follow the installation order.
2) Your installation of BattleTech Extended is corrupt, installed incorrectly, or is below 2.0.
3) There’s something third-party in your mods assembly that conflicts with The Big Deal.

In this case, I advise you to delete everything that is in your Mods folder, and perform a completely clean installation of all the necessary mods according to the instructions for them. This should fix the issue.

– My game crashes while launching a mission, what’s the problem?
If an error is indicated in the BT log, the code of which contains the blocks NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object and (UnityEngine.Transform parentTransform), then your CAB files are damaged. So far, only one such case has been reported, the problem is solved through the CAB installer in two ways:
1) Run it, click “Advanced Mode”, check the box “Correct Corrupted Files”, start the installation. Damaged files should be fixed automatically.
2) Complete reinstallation of all CAB directories after deleting the existing ones.

– I can’t launch the next flashpoint in %any% campaign, what should I do?
I’ve been told about this error many times, but I couldn’t reproduce it, and therefore fix it – everything works fine in tests. But there’is a solution, albeit a primitive one: use the contents of the Emergency files – manual FP start zip, there are instructions there.

– I can’t find The Opportunist FP, where is it located?
It’s a vanilla FP, but it’s been moved. It’s currently located in the Awano system, northeast of Terra. If you can’t find it, use the search: on the star map screen, press CTRL + F. And rem,ember that The Opportunist FP is available from April 3034 to April 3056 only.

– The campaign is too hard, I can’t complete it. Can you make it easier?
Campaign difficulty has already been significantly lowered for release. Either you don’t have a powerful enough team, or your tactics are ineffective. In short, get tougher and smarter, if you’re trying to kick the whole galaxy’s ass with just Wasp, Cicada, Quickdraw and Charger – that’s definitely a bad idea.

– The campaign is too easy, I want more difficulty!
I’m very glad that your mercenary unit is so tough. You can always try higher difficulty settings if the current ones aren’t enough for you, but there won’t be any additional campaign difficulty – not everyone likes crazy hardcore.

– I don’t want to play the campaign, but I need the 'Mechs from this mod. Can you post them separately?
It makes no sense – you can just ignore the campaign or refuse to continue at almost any time, in which case The Big Deal will work like an ordinary mechpack.

– Do you know that %anything% doesn’t match TT/BT lore?
Tell that to Victoria and her King Crab.
Nothing in the campaign plot directly breaks the lore of BT – it’s just a side story about a big deal and a lot of money without any attempt to highlight the already existing lore events in the BattleTech universe. Controversial plot events could well have happened, we just don’t know about it.
As for TT, The Big Deal isn’t a tabletop game mod. All loadouts were close to the original ones from MegaMekLab, as far as technically possible. Unique items and chassis may not match the TT, but they cannot be obtained more than once and don’t cause significant balance damage. However, if you want 100% TT match, then, I guess, it’s worth playing BTA 3062 or RogueTech.

– Is it possible to fail the campaign?
It’s possible, and there are more than enough ways to do this. The campaign will automatically fail if you fail to complete any episode within 180 days of its spawn (except The Opportunist, its respawn is unlimited from April 3034 to April 3056), and if you fail the flashpoints, it will not be able to respawn. In addition, you can make the wrong choice directly during the playthrough of flashpoints, but this isn’t difficult to avoid: carefully read the texts of conversations, in most cases the wrong choice is quite obvious. In situations where it’s not completely obvious, you will have the opportunity to change your mind.
Are there any choice situations in the campaign that will not affect the further playthrough? Yes, there are, but there are very few of them. As a hint, it doesn’t matter how you finish The Opportunist, but you’ll have to deal with the rest of these situations on your own.

– Will The Big Deal be adapted to RogueTech, BTA 3062 or BattleTech Revised?
No, as I don’t play these mods, but you can always make your own adapted version. If someone makes it, tests it thoroughly and is sure that it works 100% – no problem, I can add such a version to GitHub.

– Can I play The Big Deal on vanilla BattleTech?
No, because TBD requires some mods from the BattleTech Extended pack. It makes no sense to try to adapt – too much work, will be easier to just install BEX.

– Can I play The Big Deal without one or more DLCs?
No way: some DLC content cannot be recreated using mods. So you need all three main DLC for BT anyway.

– I didn’t figure out how to start The Big Deal campaign?
Apparently you didn’t read the description. I’ll explain again:
1) If you have started a NEW BattleTech campaign or career, The Big Deal campaign will start after
completing The Opportunist flashpoint, which is available from April 3034 to April 3056.
2) If The Opportunist has NOT been activated by you yet, i.e. even if it spawned, but you did NOT
start it, then everything will work as in the previous paragraph.
3) If you have ALREADY COMPLETED The Opportunist, the campaign will start with the start of
The Letter event at a random time. In this case, I strongly recommend preparing your mercenary
unit as much as possible before installation.

– I didn’t figure out how to start the Spite & Violence campaign?
From time to time, a flashpoint appears in the Cadiz (DC) system. This is your starting point.

– I didn’t figure out how to start the Old Friend campaign?
From time to time, a flashpoint appears in the Raman system. This is your starting point, but first you need to finish the Of Unknown Origin flashpoint.

Remember that all three starting flashpoints, i.e. The Opportunist, Spite & Violence and Under the Sun are unlimited in respawn. This means that you do NOT need to start all three campaigns at once, if any of these flashpoints disappear from the map, it will reappear later (except The Opportunist, which completely disappears, but ONLY after April 3056). At the same time, each subsequent FP in the campaigns appears only once. In simple terms, it works the same as the Heavy Metal campaign in vanilla, you just have less time for all the FPs after the first one.

– Is The Big Deal compatible with existing BattleTech Extended saves?
Again, you didn’t read the description carefully. The modification is fully compatible with existing saves for BattleTech Extended.

– What will I need to complete these campaigns?
1) For the Spite & Violence FPs you’ll want at least a couple of medium Mechs, but the better
equipped your unit is, the easier it is. Heavy and assault 'Mechs should make this a walk in the
park.
2) For the Old Friend campaign you will need chassis of different classes: both medium and heavy.
Assaults are highly desirable for the end.
3) I already said that the Big Deal is a nightmare. For this campaign you’ll need the best of
everything, cool heads and brains. And believe me, this isn’t a joke.

– I’m looking for new 'Mechs from the mod, where can I find them?
Here is the complete list:

BLR-1GBc, BLR-1Gc, SPR-4F, CRD-1R, WVE-5Nsl, THG-11Eb, CRB-27sl, EXT-4C, EXC-B1, SHG-2H and GLH-1D: Find ComStar or WoB and kick their asses. Probably they will drop these ‘Mechs. Some of them are also used by Snord’s Irregulars.

KY2-D-01: Primitive 'Mech, can be found almost everywhere, but it’s very rare.

BattleMaster BLR-1Gd, Phoenix PX-3R and PX-4R, Von Rohrs VON 4RH-5 and VON 4RH-6, Hector HOR-1B and HOR-1C, Pillager PLG-1N, Rifleman RFL-2N: All these chassis are considered extinct, so you won’t encounter them in combat as you did in TBD for BEX 1.9.3.7, but you can buy them or their parts. In short, you’ll still hunt them, but instead of the battlefield, your hunt will take place on the Black Markets. Custom opponents, however, are still around, like, Whistler still drives his Rattler.

WHM-6Rk: this is an extinct chassis, so everything is written about it above, but if you have a high reputation with House Kurita and completed some Kuritan flashpoints with the correct ending (i.e. finishing the job), then sooner or later Yamaguchi will call you with a business proposal.

Annihilator ANH-1X: Skirmish only.

Corsair COR-5R, COR-5T, COR-6R and COR-7A: 5R, 5T and 6R have been used by pirates in the northern Inner Sphere, as well as the Oberon Confederation and the Valkyrate, since 3035. You can encounter 7A in battles with them starting from 3050.

All three new unique chassis are only obtainable once, and you’ll have to find them yourself to avoid spoilers. Whether you get them or not depends on your actions.

– I’m looking for new Ronins\Argo medical upgrades\chassis upgrades, where can I find them?
Again, in all cases, this will be a spoiler, but you definitely won’t miss Ronins or ship upgrades. Speaking of ‘Mech upgrades, you will encounter one of them one way or another, while the second upgrade can be obtained through a chain of events, but the launch of this chain depends only on your actions.

– Is it possible to get unique ‘Mechs or new unique equipment more than once?
Not by in-game methods, so if you lose them, you can’t replace them. Unless you’re a cheater, of course, but that would be too easy, right?

– I can’t find the Rail Gun, where can I find it?
These weapons can be found in Former SLDF planets stores or Black Market. The weapon is rare and expensive, it’s very difficult to find it. You’ll have a couple more opportunities to get it and you won’t miss them, but think carefully before you take them – maybe Rail Gun right here and now isn’t worth it, and it’s worth waiting for another chance?..

– How to unlock new emblems for the unit?
They’re available immediately after installation in the paint settings of your unit.

– Some ‘Mechs look weird! My Galahad looks like a Nova Cat, is that normal?
It doesn’t look like Nova Cat, it just uses the Nova Cat’s model. The problem is that some 'Mechs don’t have models in CAB, so they use models from other 'Mechs. If someone makes an appropriate model for this or that BattleMech this will be fixed, of course.

– Are there any further plans for the development of mod or new flashpoints?
No, but I won’t think ahead. All development of the mod is planned to be limited to the necessary maintenance, since this is a finished story. Although it can always be expanded…

Bugs:
Not noticed, but nobody’s perfect, so various minor flaws, despite repeated testing, may still be present. However, there are things you should be aware of.

  1. Some BattleMechs (only Galahad at the moment) don’t have their own models in CAB, so they use models from other 'Mechs. If someday there will be their own models for them, then this will be fixed, of course.
  2. Due to the lack of own models, some ‘Mechs don’t have their own affinities, so don’t be surprised, say, that the pilot of your Galahad knows how to drive a Nova Cat 'Mech. Again, this will be fixed if suitable models appear in the CAB.
  3. Due to fewer internal slots than in the TT, some 'Mechs have a different heatsink layout relative to the TT. In particular, some heatsinks had to be built into the engine. This means that the cooling system is working fine, you just can’t dismantle them to get more free tonnage, but at the same time, you can’t lose these heat sinks in combat – unless, of course, your machine’s CT is destroyed.
  4. Placement of Endo-, FF- and Endo + FF slots doesn’t match completely with TT loadouts. This is due to the smaller number of internal slots in BT MechLab, and also because BEX reduces the volume of this equipment by 1 slot. Not a problem, but you should be aware of it.

Permissions:
All original files from BT Extended CE, BT Extended Timeline, FullXotlTables, MechAffinity, Mission Control, VXI FlashpointShift, IRTweaks and BTHospitalFix belong to their authors. If you plan to use the files in your own mods, then please contact them. The same applies to the fixed actuators of the new ‘Mechs.

If you would like to use The Big Deal in your mod pack for public release, please contact me:
GitHub
Nexus
And you can contact me about TBD at the BattleTech Extended discord server in the other-mods channel: BattleTech Extended discord server

Credits:
Amechwarrior – awesome guide to making flashpoints, which you can check out here: Paradox forum

lordruthermore – Rail Gun stats calculations, help with advices on BT lore and 'Mechs design.

RJPhoenix – technical assistance with customizing the design of some 'Mechs and provided content from VXI_RealPirates.

mcb – tech help with code, BTHospitalFix mod created specifically for TBD and starmap fixes.

Kierk – various technical assistance.

MRB – improving and simplifying the code for factions and ammo.

CWolf – Mission Control extended lances fixes for TBD, also, with his permission, the Extended Conversations mod was added.

Holda-volk – holoscreen images refinement, as well as portraits for three key characters. You can see more of the artist’s works here: DeviantArt gallery

Anna Shekhovtsova – face and appearance of one of the key characters of the campaign, albeit episodic.

Pode – main idea behind The General’s weaponry.

Lullbaby of me – minor editing of the third episode and idea for the face of the main antagonist in S&V campaign.

Winterless – text edits for the WHM-6Rk and related event.

Taliesin – detection of one of the critical bugs in pre-release builds.

Morgen – translation of the second episode.

Berghild – proofreading the second and third episodes, as well as participating in the testing of the second.

Goodtry – proofreading the second episode, as well as participating in its testing.

Suryn – participation in the testing of the second episode.

Xaero – proposal to add ECM and BAP to stores and reward crates.

Dephylr, aka Sidika – idea for the fanciest new emblem.

Enabling – contract respawn fix.

And many other people from the BattleTech Extended discord server who helped with countless little questions and ideas. You’re all cool and wonderful, you know?

I express my special gratitude to Waladil for a truly titanic work on proofreading and correcting 67 pages of text used in TBD campaign and to Perry Chalmers for proofreading 33 pages of text used in S&V campaign and the whole text for the Carnor Sal’s campaign.

I would also like to thank Haree and everyone who had a hand in the creation of BattleTech Extended 3025-3061 for a great mod, the Sarna.net team, whose descriptions were used in the files of the new BattleMechs, and the MegaMek team, since MegaMekLab data was used to create new ‘Mechs.

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The mod has been updated to version 1.1. Here’s what’s new:
– Changed loadout and Yang’s commentary for the Crusader CRD-1R to better match the BT timeline (thanks lordruthermore).
– Added Ymir BWP-2B, BWP-2E and BWP-3A, as well as Hector HOR-1B and HOR-1C (again, thanks to lordr for the text edits).
– An option to save the game after the second mission has been added for MMRNR due to the increased chance of game crashes on urban maps.
– The cover of The Mackies album has been added to the archive as a bonus.

All download links have been updated. To update your TBD to version 1.1, go to the Mods directory, delete the fps_TheBigDealBEXCE folder there and reinstall according to the usual instructions.

The mod has been updated to version 1.1.1. Here’s what’s new:
– Slightly changed the loadout of The General.
– In the “Good Company” event, the text of one of the answer options was slightly changed (it was too ambiguous).
– The ammo rack capacity for the Rail Gun has been increased from 4 to 5 rounds per ton.
– The Rail Gun version + has become a little cheaper and lighter by 3 tons, the bonus for a smaller size is also preserved.
– Fixed the price of the Rail Gun + + version, it was cheaper than it should be.

All download links have been updated. To update your TBD to version 1.1.1, go to the Mods directory, delete the fps_TheBigDealBEXCE folder there and reinstall according to the usual instructions.

The mod has been updated to version 1.1.2. Here’s what’s new:
– Improved built-in rangefinder suite for RF2-A.

All download links have been updated. To update your TBD to version 1.1.2, go to the Mods directory, delete the fps_TheBigDealBEXCE folder there and reinstall according to the usual instructions.

The mod has been updated to version 1.1.3.
– Technical update, nothing new, but extra and missing commas have been fixed in the mechs files where necessary (thanks Polyonymous).

All download links have been updated. To update your TBD to version 1.1.3, go to the Mods directory, delete the fps_TheBigDealBEXCE folder there and reinstall according to the usual instructions.

The mod has been updated to version 1.1.4.
– Changes made to the pre-final episode:

  1. Added a save point after mission №2;
  2. The difficulty of the final mission has been changed: 2 enemy mechs have been removed, the placement and lance tags of the rest have been changed. Still hard, but more logical.

– Fixed minor issue with Cataphract’s affinity showing as Caesar. Now it’s the other way around, but it makes more sense, given that Caesar is the Cataphract reworked by the FedSuns.
– The built-in rangefinder suite for RF2-A has been changed once again: the range optimization bonus has been replaced with +10% damage for ballistic weapons.

All download links have been updated. To update your TBD to version 1.1.4, go to the Mods directory, delete the fps_TheBigDealBEXCE folder there and reinstall according to the usual instructions.

The mod has been updated to version 1.1.5.
– There is no new content, but a few minor technical fixes have been made to the events. Also fixed a few typos in Yang’s comments on two Ymirs and one Hector.

All download links have been updated. To update your TBD to version 1.1.5, go to the Mods directory, delete the fps_TheBigDealBEXCE folder there and reinstall according to the usual instructions.

The mod has been updated to version 1.2.
– Added Corsairs models 5R, 5T, 6R and 7A (thanks to Pode for editing the texts).
– The loadout of The General was changed a bit.
– For the correct operation of all Corsairs, the pirates Xotl table has been significantly changed. It retains the same values, but the table now uses three columns for different dates of appearance, so if you made edits there, you will have to completely redo them.
– In the version for CAC-C, the mod.json of the CAC-C itself has been updated to the latest version.

All download links have been updated. To update your TBD to version 1.2, go to the Mods directory, delete the fps_TheBigDealBEXCE folder there and reinstall according to the usual instructions.

The mod has been updated to version 1.2.1.
Version 1.2.1
– The composition of reinforcement lances in the final mission of branch A of the WW episode has been changed, a typo in the mission description has also been fixed.
– Several tanks in the final mission of branch A of the BS episode were replaced with lighter ones, the settings of one of the 'Mechs were also changed. In general - a slight simplification of the battle.
– Big Iron is now based on the MSK-9H chassis instead of the MSK-7A, and is also equipped with the Guardian ECM. Replaced with a new version in all missions where it occurs.
– Slightly changed the third conversation between missions in the BS episode.
– Added Guardian ECM description for conversations.
– In the third mission of the RTTJ episode, the settings of one of the reinforcement lances were slightly changed.
– Changed the description of the mod to better represent what players will need to complete the campaign.

All download links have been updated. To update your TBD to version 1.2.1, go to the Mods directory, delete the fps_TheBigDealBEXCE folder and .modtek (NOT ModTek!) there and reinstall according to the usual instructions.

The mod has been updated to version 1.2.2.
– Added a technical tag TBD_ronin for all new ronins as requested by Mister Grim. Unfortunately, the tag will only appear automatically for pilots if you haven’t hired them yet.
– Fixed a typo in one of the objectives of the first mission of the MMRNR episode.
– Added emblem Clan Storm Kitty in two versions. It’s just a joke, but it looks good. Thanks lordruthermore for the idea.
– In the final conversation of the RTTJ episode, one phrase was replaced. It looked illogical due to a translation error.

All download links have been updated. To update your TBD to version 1.2.2, go to the Mods directory, delete the fps_TheBigDealBEXCE folder and reinstall according to the usual instructions.

The mod has been updated to version 1.2.3
– Fixed a couple of typos in the 3A mission of the WW episode.
– Fixed a typo in the general description of all Mackie 'Mechs for conversations.
– Fixed too low stability damage for the Rail Gun from 40 to 85. However, with all the huge firepower and range, it’s still an extremely rare and heavy weapon, ineffective at short range.
– The RFL-2N model Rifleman (50-ton chassis) now has its own separate Rangefinder suite: since this 'Mech can’t use ballistic weapons, the 50 m view range bonus has been retained, but the -2 bonus to recoil penalty has been changed to +2 to accuracy of energy weapons.

All download links have been updated. To update your TBD to version 1.2.3, go to the Mods directory, delete the fps_TheBigDealBEXCE folder and .modtek (NOT ModTek!) there and reinstall according to the usual instructions.

The mod has been updated to version 1.3.
– Fixed several text errors in the final episode.
– In the description of bonuses from built-in equipment for RF2-A and RFL-2N, the bonus to accuracy is now correctly displayed.
– Removed Rail Gun from random reward lists for original flashpoints. This means that you can still get it through the campaign or find it in stores, but it will no longer appear as a random item in vanilla, GDL, The Raid or Tukayyid FP crates.
– Both Von Rohrs 'Mechs and the WHM-6Rk Warhammer have received a Large Engine quirk, i.e. they now have a +1 bonus to initiative.
– Added Koschei, namely – models 3I, 3L, 4I and 4L. Thanks Pode for editing the texts.
– Updated data for manual entry (remember, it’s only used to set compatibility with other mods manually).

All download links have been updated. To update your TBD to version 1.3, go to the Mods directory, delete the fps_TheBigDealBEXCE folder and .modtek (NOT ModTek!) there and reinstall according to the usual instructions.
I strongly recommend that you also do a complete reinstallation of the CAB, since in some cases the Koschei model isn’t displayed without that.

Unfortunately, in the 1.3 version of TBD, a critical error was made in all new mechdefs, you will have to update it again. If you already have 1.3 installed then just go to the Mods directory, delete the fps_TheBigDealBEXCE folder there and reinstall according to the usual instructions. All download links have been updated to version 1.3.1.
If you reinstalled the CAB to update TBD to version 1.3, then you don’t need to reinstall the CAB a second time.

The mod has been updated to version 1.4. The changelog has been removed from the description here due to the fact that the text no longer fits entirely. Here’s what’s new:
– Added Thug THG-11Eb. The Royal SLDF model differs from the regular one only by using the ER PPCs instead of the regular PPCs, but fits in the timeline. Found in WoB and ComStar units. Thanks to Keivar, Sarini and Haree78 for the text edits.
– Now Koschei 4I/4L and Ymir BWP-3A are available for WoB, but with a very low chance of appearing.
– Minor corrections in the Xotl tables of the House Kurita, some values were missing there.
– Minor changes to the Koschei icon – brightness and contrast.
– Added one new emblem for your mercenary unit, taken from MWO.
– Changed mission 4A in the final episode (TBD), two enemies in it were replaced, and two enemy pilots were also swapped. The mission is still quite difficult if you’re just trying to attack head-on, but it’s gotten a little easier overall.
– At the multiple requests of the players, a save point was added to the final episode (TBD).
– In the final mission of the episode RTTJ, one of the enemy 'Mechs was returned, but instead of a heavy one, it was replaced with a medium one.
– For СAС-С version, copies of settings in IRBTModUtils and Mission Control were re-copied, since СAС-С was updated.
– Even though TBD was never purposely designed to be compatible with BTX Tanks, I know that some players successfully use this combination. Since BTX Tanks require an outdated version of CAC-C, the ability to download the old version of TBD for these players has been retained, and a patch from Kierk has been added to it, which fixes the mobility of the Annihilators. Link added to the description in the downloads section.
– Updated patch for compatibility with Solaris 7 in CAC-C version.
– Added a fix for The Raid flashpoint, which was originally included in the BEX, now The Muscle will no longer appear in battle in several copies.
– The CAC-C version also added a temporary patch for FP The Raid, since the transition to ModTek 2.0 blocks the ability to launch missions where enemies use modified Atlases. Atlases now use standard models, as soon as mcb finds a way around this, I’ll revert this change.
– Adjusted affinities for Shadow Hawk Umbra and Atlas, which was created for kickstarter backers - 'Mechs with these models had no affinities at all. Unfortunately, 'Mechs with these models still use separate affinities, so let’s say if your pilots alternately ride any Shadow Hawk and Umbra model, they will have two Shadow Hawks with different counters in their statistics. I definitely can’t fix it, and not even sure if it’s possible.
– The built-in rangefinder for RF2-A has been changed once again: +3 bonus to accuracy and -2 to recoil penalties have been removed, instead +50% chance of critical damage has been added. However, the +100 m vision range and +10% damage bonuses are retained, as is the reduction to the long range penalty. Now the 'Mech will be less OP and more balanced, and it’s still an excellent sniper.
– Fixed planet_ruins tag, which should initially look like planet_other_ruins. However, since this tag is responsible for triggering events whose contents only make sense in the Periphery, it has only been fixed on Periphery planets and Great House worlds bordering the Periphery. This means that you will not be able to stumble upon these events somewhere deep in the territory of, say, Steiner, but on some of the border planets of Steiner or the adjacent Periphery, this may well happen. Unfortunately, this star system fix only works for a new campaign or career.
– Updated data archive for manual input.
– A few minor edits to the mod description.

All download links have been updated. To update your TBD to version 1.4, go to the Mods directory, delete the fps_TheBigDealBEXCE folder and .modtek (NOT ModTek!) there and reinstall according to the usual instructions.

The mod has been updated to version 1.4.1.
– In the WW episode, branch B missions were updated, there were some non-critical errors in the code (thanks to GrayWolfe for finding the problem).
– Added emblem of the Clan Wolverine, because Bull Shark at the time of receipt carries exactly such emblems.
– Pillager and Spector now have their own icons, models and affinities (thanks to the CAB team for the models, and Kierk for the icons).
– In the CAC-C version, RF2-A now uses its own model and icon (thanks to FrostRaptor for fixing the model according to my feedback).
– Updated the final mission in both branches for the last flashpoint. It got a little more difficult.
– Updated data archive for manual input.
As a bonus, another cover of The Mackies albums has been added. It was made back in February, but then it wasn’t posted anywhere.

If you have a Spector or Pillager (or RF2-A in CAC-C version), put them into the storage and take them out of there to correctly update the models and icons. If after that the 'Mechs aren’t displayed in the MechBay, follow these steps:
– Exit to the main menu and in the Mods menu, disable all parts of the CAB, restart the game;
– After restarting, you will receive several error messages. Enable the CAB again and exit the game;
– Restart in your mods folder ModTekInjector.exe
– Launch the game, load the save and check if your 'Mechs are displayed in the MechBay.
If this doesn’t help, reinstall the CAB completely and run the ModTekInjector.exe again after reinstalling.

Another day, another patch.
Version 1.4.3
– Fixed hand actuators in Sim+ mode for all Ymir chassis.
– Fixed Hammerhands, BattleAxe and Von Rohrs missing from the Xotl tables, preventing them from being encountered in combat.
Special thanks to Kierk for detecting all those bugs.

Just reinstall TBD as usual.

TBD has been updated to version 1.4.5.
Changes for both versions:
– Added a new emblem. Looks stylish and beautiful, you’ll definitely like it.
– Removed changes to the Solaris system to correctly display the color on the star map when using the Solaris 7 mod.
– Added fix for The Steel Beast FP, no more 4 Tubbs in one battle.
– Fixed a typo in Yang’s comment for Rifleman 2N.
– Changed the description of the Crusader 1R as this 'Mech isn’t equipped with the Artemis FCS.
– The nasty old bug with the Pillager has finally been fixed, now its UI should display correctly in combat, that is, above the 'Mech, not somewhere nearby.
– Ymir, Phoenix, Hector, BattleAxe, HammerHands and Von Rohrs have been added to the Xotl tables of the regular troops of their respective Great Houses. They should be a bit easier to find now, although the overall drop rate has remained unchanged.
– All events intended to launch the FPs of TBD campaign have been re-created. This is supposed to fix a bug that some players get when flashpoints don’t spawn even though events work, but I haven’t been able to reproduce this bug in tests with either the old or the new events, so there’s still some chance.
– Fixed a lot of incorrectly placed commas in the code. It doesn’t affect the performance of TBD, but it will not get worse. Thanks to Kierk for spotting this issue.
– Updated data for manual entry.

Changes for САС-С version:
– Since Artemis FCS is now a separate upgrade in CAC-C, all 'Mechs with Artemis-equipped missile launchers now use standard launchers with the separately installed Artemis upgrade.
– All missile launchers with built-in Artemis FCS have been removed from TBD reward lists, but now there are chances to get the upgrade itself instead.
– Missile launchers LRM-15 and LRM-20 class +++ of the manufacturer Delta with Artemis FCS (those with -1 slot and -4 to heat) have been removed from TBD. Instead, similar missile launchers without Artemis FCS have been added.
– Removed fix for The Raid FP, since CAC-C now has a built-in one.
– Updated MechAffinity settings.

ATTENTION! If you’re using CAC-C and have Artemis-equipped LRM-15 and/or LRM-20 from Delta (-1 slot, -4 heat), be sure to dismantle them from your 'Mechs and sell them from the storage before installing TBD 1.4.5, otherwise you will NOT be able to load your saves. If you have already installed the update, but have not done so, use the save editor to remove this weapon.

Unscheduled update 1.4.6.
– Fixed minor bugs in Xotl, previously made in 1.4.5.
– Replaced mod.json for CAC-C version with the current one.
– Fixed Stone Rhino model 5, 6 and 7 actuators for simulation modes.
– Updated data for manual entry.
Thanks to Kierk for pointing out the issues.
Just reinstall TBD as usual: delete the old version and put the folder of the new one in Mods.

There was a critical error in the previous version, I apologize. Version 1.4.6A is already available, reinstall TBD in the usual way.

ATTENTION! Before installing version 1.4.6A, go to the Mods\FullXotlTables\XotlTables folder and delete two files:
Mech Weighting Extended - Steiner.csv
Mech_Weighting_Extended_-_Steiner.csv

If you don’t have the Mech_Weighting_Extended_-_Steiner.csv file, it’s all right, just delete the first one.

TBD has been updated to version 1.4.6B. There is no new content, but:
– CAC-C version has been updated for use with the new release of CAC-C.
– For both versions, a separate RAR file, Emergency files – manual FP start, has been added with files for manually launching flashpoints if something doesn’t work for you, since it is impossible to completely fix this error. There are also instructions there.