This BattleTech mod unlocks the entire map early so you can explore outside the campaign

Scrappy mech game BattleTech is one of the best PC games you can play right now, but some players might feel its star map—which opens up gradually throughout the campaign—is too restrictive. A mod released this week changes that, opening up the entire map early in the campaign.

You'll still need to play a few hours to unlock it, completing the tense Liberation of Weldry campaign mission. But after that, you'll be free to roam around every star system, taking on contracts wherever you fancy.

The game's campaign is fun, but I prefer the feeling of being a freelance mercenary, earning money through contracts to balance the books and pay wages while building up my fleet of mechs. This mod should play into that fantasy by giving you more freedom to play the way you want.

You can download the mod, and find instructions for installing it, on its Nexus page. For it to work, you'll also need to grab the BattleTech mod loader and ModTek.