History EarlyInstallmentWeirdness / MegaManBattleNetwork1

* Your maximum custom screen capacity is 15. While your opening hand starts at 5, the "Add" function lets you, at the cost of fighting with no chips for a round, temporarily increase capacity by 5 for the next round. Adding a second time in a row pushes to the cap of 15, but it all resets once you stop Adding. The Add function would be reworked into a DiscardAndDraw mechanic with more lasting perks in the second and third games.

* Escaping battles can only be done with the Escape chip. ''2'' introduces the L button as an escape option (with a chance to fail) but retains the chip, while the third game onward removes the chip completely.

* The main internet area looks very different than it did in later games -- it's a mostly-incomprehensible maze with a few chip salesmen scattered all over and no real pattern to distinguish areas, whereas later games are much more orderly with the layouts and differentiate the regions better. Indeed, because the first game has the same background for all parts of the Internet, it's impossible at a glance to tell the difference between the "regular" Internet and the Undernet. To make matters worse, the [=PET=] interface doesn't even tell the player which area they are in, something that is added in ''Battle Network 2''.

* Single-virus random encounters are extremely common. The player cannot obtain a Busting Level above 9 in these fights, since S-Ranking random encounters require multiple viruses to be deleted in a single attack.

* Opening up Internet areas starts off a little complex. There are two key items that are required to unlock gated parts of the Internet areas; the "/" items are keys that simply open up Internet area entrances (normally given through story progression or defeating the owner in a boss fight), while the "@" items (obtained from the owner's respective [=PCs=]) link those [=PCs=] with the Internet areas, but they can only be activated by entering from a different PC and then unlock the portals from there. Later games just gate new areas simply through story progression and mandatory fetch quests.

* While other [=NPCs=] are no stranger to using random objects with jack-in ports which act as their PC hub/access point like Miyu's handheld mirror, Lan's friends outside of Dex who has his own PC also use non-computer shaped objects such as Mayl's piano and Yai's ''framed portrait''. The later games have them switch to using computers instead.

[[/folder]]

* HP values for enemies are much lower in the first two games. With the Navi Customizer comes massive HP spikes for both players and enemies.

* Folder building balance is much different than all later games. The only chip types are normal and Navi, you can have up to 10 copies of a single non-Navi chip in your folder, there is no Regular Chip system (and thus no MB values for chips), and there's no * code to act as a wildcard and allow more build flexibility. You can also have duplicate Navi Chips, though you're restricted to 5 copies of a specific one and can only have a total of 10. ''Battle Network 2'' lowers the normal chip limit to 5, while later games would further refine the balance to 4 until the final entry.

* The main internet area looks very different than it did in later games -- it's a mostly-incomprehensible maze with a few chip salesmen scattered all over and no real pattern to distinguish areas, whereas later games are much more orderly with the layouts and differentiate the regions better. Indeed, because the first game has the same background for all parts of the Internet, it's impossible at a glance to tell the difference between the "regular" Internet and the Undernet.

* Most of the Mystery Data you find in the net draw randomly from their possible reward pool, regardless of color. You can even save-scum those rewards without needing to jack out and in again. Only a few instances are once-only rewards with fixed locations and yield. The second game onwards [[ColorCodedForYourConvenience standardizes the behavior of each color of mystery data]].

* When [=MegaMan=] is deleted in battle, he explodes into energy orbs just like his Classic counterpart. In later games, he flinches, turns completely white, then pixelates out of existence.

* Bass only has one [=NaviChip=], and even that was only given away at Japanese events. Instead, Bass drops [=LifeAura=] upon being defeated.

** In this game and ''2'', the Navi Customizer doesn't exist. Upgrading [=MegaMan=] instead involves purchasable Powerups that permanently upgrade the [=MegaBuster=].
** Folder building balance is much different than all later games. The only chip types are normal and Navi, you can have up to 10 copies of a single non-Navi chip in your folder, there is no Regular Chip system (and thus no MB values for chips), and there's no * code to act as a wildcard and allow more build flexibility. You can also have duplicate Navi Chips, though you're restricted to 5 copies of a specific one and can only have a total of 10. ''Battle Network 2'' lowers the normal chip limit to 5, while later games would further refine the balance to 4 until the final entry.
** Your maximum custom screen capacity is 15. While your opening hand starts at 5, the "Add" function lets you, at the cost of fighting with no chips for a round, temporarily increase capacity by 5 for the next round. Adding a second time in a row pushes to the cap of 15, but it all resets once you stop Adding. The Add function would be reworked into a DiscardAndDraw mechanic with more lasting perks in the second and third games.
** HP values for enemies are much lower in the first two games. With the Navi Customizer comes massive HP spikes for both players and enemies.
** Enemies (especially enemy Navis) [[SequelEscalation become faster as the series goes on]]. In the first couple of games, the flinch that enemy Navis perform when they take a heavy hit is exaggerated and they only remain in MercyInvincibility state for a few seconds (if even that); by ''4'', their flinching and MercyInvincibility lasts about as long as [=MegaMan's=].
** There is a general willingness to be more sexually explicit in the early games. In the first game, you can walk in on Mayl changing clothes or discover Dex has a PornStash.
** There are some notable characterization differences. Lan is much snarkier than his later IdiotHero self, being not at all thrilled to have Mayl drag him to school so she can chat about the plot. He also mocks Dex's boasts about taking on WWW viruses. Yai is more helpful, occasionally giving hints to Lan and has the ability to show gratitude instead of bragging about her superiority.
** Dex refers to [=GutsMan=] as a commercial model, implying that he's not the only owner of [=GutsMan=] out there.
** The main internet area looks very different than it did in later games -- it's a mostly-incomprehensible maze with a few chip salesmen scattered all over and no real pattern to distinguish areas, whereas later games are much more orderly with the layouts and differentiate the regions better. Indeed, because the first game has the same background for all parts of the Internet, it's impossible at a glance to tell the difference between the "regular" Internet and the Undernet.
** You can buy Elemental Armors that halve all damage that isn't from the armor's elemental weakness. No similar equipment system exists in later games.
** Viruses are not named during battles, and Ms. Mari calls the Mettaurs "[[SpellMyNameWithAnS Mettools]]", as in the Classic series. Viruses that never appear again in later installments have their names [[AllThereInTheManual only mentioned in the artbook]].
** Chip Traders are vulnerable to SaveScumming. Later games implement an autosave whenever you use one specifically to prevent this.
** Escaping battles can only be done with the Escape chip. ''2'' introduces the L button as an escape option (with a chance to fail) but retains the chip, while the third game onward removes the chip completely.
** There is AfterCombatRecovery, where [=MegaMan=] will recover all of his HP after every battle. The only exception is the Power Plant, where the lack of recovery is part of the dungeon gimmick.
** Most of the Mystery Data you find in the net draw randomly from their possible reward pool, regardless of color. You can even save-scum those rewards without needing to jack out and in again. Only a few instances are once-only rewards with fixed locations and yield. The second game onwards [[ColorCodedForYourConvenience standardizes the behavior of each color of mystery data]].
** Paralysis is handled differently; when hit by an Elec attack, [=MegaMan=] will spasm and keep taking damage anytime he moves. Later games would make it so that the status causes the target to be stunned for a few seconds without triggering MercyInvincibility.
** Opening up Internet areas starts off a little complex. There are two key items that are required to unlock gated parts of the Internet areas; the "/" items are keys that simply open up Internet area entrances (normally given through story progression or defeating the owner in a boss fight), while the "@" items (obtained from the owner's respective [=PCs=]) link those [=PCs=] with the Internet areas, but they can only be activated by entering from a different PC and then unlock the portals from there. Later games just gate new areas simply through story progression and mandatory fetch quests.
** Slot in Sword, [=WideSword=], and [=LongSword=] in that order and, instead of creating the signature [=LifeSword=] Program Advance, the player gains access to "[=BetaSword=]" (B-Sword). Beta and Sigma Program Advances, which let the player activate one of their component chips (chosen at random) 6 and 9 times, only exist in this game.
** [=RockCube=] in this game places three random cubes onto the battlefield. [=RockCube=] from ''Battle Network 2'' onward takes its behavior from [=IceCube=], a chip exclusive to this game, which places a single cube in front of [=MegaMan=].
** The chips Mine, [=BubbleWrap=], and what would later be known as Tornado are all claimed from viruses in this game and have three versions. Later games give them one version with no virus counterpart.
** The artwork for Guard and its variants usually depict an attack bouncing off of a Mettaur's helmet. Here, it is just a sprite version of the Mettaur's official art, not showing anything about how the chip works. Additionally, the chip merely prevents damage here, unlike later games where hitting a Guard will trigger a shockwave counter-attack.
** The Recov chip series are time-freezing chips in this game, a property that they don't have in other games.
** The [=MegaBuster=] has a second, stronger version of the Charge Shot that later games lack.
** The dungeons have unique panel designs that match the theme of the dungeon. With the introduction of various panel types from ''2'' onwards, the basic panel design is standardized across the entire cyberworld. Broken panels were also depicted as completely empty, while later games made a distinction between broken panels and blank panels (mainly that the latter is unrepairable and unaffected by panel-stealing chips).