Mechwarrior Online

[Falconeer]

From the Reddit AMA:

[–]CeaseToHope
What do you consider MWO's "end game" content to be, and what will be involved in earning it?
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[–]BryanEkman
Epics. Ranking up in a faction. Performing skill based achievements. Time.
permalinkriferimento

[–]CeaseToHope
What are epics? What will be involved in ranking up in a faction?
"Performing skill based achievements" and "time" are what are involved in earning the end game content, correct?
permalinkriferimento

[–]BryanEkman
Epic would be the endgame for your Mech. Details forthcoming before launch. But it's going to be exciting and worthy of the effort.

Epics? 

[satael]

From the Reddit AMA:

[–]CeaseToHope
What do you consider MWO's "end game" content to be, and what will be involved in earning it?
permalink

[–]BryanEkman
Epics. Ranking up in a faction. Performing skill based achievements. Time.
permalinkriferimento

[–]CeaseToHope
What are epics? What will be involved in ranking up in a faction?
"Performing skill based achievements" and "time" are what are involved in earning the end game content, correct?
permalinkriferimento

[–]BryanEkman
Epic would be the endgame for your Mech. Details forthcoming before launch. But it's going to be exciting and worthy of the effort.

Epics? 

Sounds like something they are making up to get some money out of players who already have all the mech bays and all the exp (so no need for premium time) they need

[Llyse]

Sounds like something they are making up to get some money out of players who already have all the mech bays and all the exp (so no need for premium time) they need

Pretty much. It'll be interesting to see how much money/MC is needed to Community Warfare but overall I think they've done well with Hero Mechs, Cosmetic items and Mech Bays to promote more MC purchasing

[Falconeer]

I agree that Hero 'mechs turned out fine so far. Epics on the other hand? I am really, really worried.

[Ironwood]

Finally, it hit Clownshoes Critical Meltdown last night.

Was spectating in a Raven running at a top speed of about 70 with an AC 20.

For Fucks Sake.

Suffice to say, he did less than 100 damage, cause he couldn't hit shit.

[Slayerik]

Well, I've come up with stupid builds like that for shits and giggles....to be fair.

But yeah, hope a ballistic tweak happens soon.

[Ironwood]

Can you imagine it when they retroactively fit the 'changed weapons' look for the older mechs ?

That Raven would be running about with a hunchback thing on the side of its fucking head.

[Zaljerem]

I had a match last night against a team with at least 4 Highlanders poptarting ... it looked like fucking Whack-a-Mole, literally.

I'm usually pretty patient with whatever flavor-of-the-month is happening in the metagame, but it's pretty ridiculous right now.

[Goreschach]

From the Reddit AMA:

[–]CeaseToHope
What do you consider MWO's "end game" content to be, and what will be involved in earning it?
permalink

[–]BryanEkman
Epics. Ranking up in a faction. Performing skill based achievements. Time.
permalinkriferimento

[–]CeaseToHope
What are epics? What will be involved in ranking up in a faction?
"Performing skill based achievements" and "time" are what are involved in earning the end game content, correct?
permalinkriferimento

[–]BryanEkman
Epic would be the endgame for your Mech. Details forthcoming before launch. But it's going to be exciting and worthy of the effort.

Epics? 

Sounds like something they are making up to get some money out of players who already have all the mech bays and all the exp (so no need for premium time) they need

Completely unrelated to the fact that they just deleted the general discussion forum. 

[Shannow]

Completely unrelated to the fact that they just deleted the general discussion forum. 

Anyone else see that as a 'bad sign'?

[Merusk]

The mention of "Epics" and "Endgame" in a first person shooter with currently questionable weapon balancing for "Standard" weapons makes me regret my founder purchase.   If I wanted that shit I'd do a Diku.

"OH joy, I got 2 shot by that Raven with ERPPCs instead of 4 shot."

[Pennilenko]

My legendary founder purchase was a serious mistake. Apparantly i needed to make a mistake of that nature to remind me to stay off of hype trains.

[Jasper]

I had a match last night against a team with at least 4 Highlanders poptarting ... it looked like fucking Whack-a-Mole, literally.

I'm usually pretty patient with whatever flavor-of-the-month is happening in the metagame, but it's pretty ridiculous right now.

I don't mind the Hopping Highlanders so much, though they are ubiquitous and tired.  They can be a pain in the ass if you're also in a slow Assault mech, but if you have a medium or heavy mech with long range firepower and decent speed you can often rip through them.  Simply flank around to where the cover they're relying on doesn't cover them and blast them as they scurry slowly to a new spot.  I've been getting a ~4.5 K/D ratio mostly popping Highlanders in a Trebuchet.

If you're stuck straight up you can just shoot them mid hop too, especially if you coordinate focus fire -- when they pop pretty much everyone can shoot them if you're ready, and then they won't want to hop anymore.

I do think it's rather silly that they can jump to maximum height and then land without jets and still apparently take no fall damage.  Didn't used to work that way, and hopefully they fix'll fix it.

[Llyse]

Yeah, they're boring and ubiquitous but not that terrible. I had plenty of fun running in with an AC20 Hunchie and annoying them up close. I might have to get a Yen Lo Wang at this rate at the next sale.

[Ironwood]

Ok, I've now tried every configuration known to man.

This Highlander is shit.

[Merusk]

Have you tried poptarting?

[Ironwood]

Yes.

Don't Even.

[Falconeer]

You know what? The more I play, the more I think they really fucked up with the maps. They don't make your 'mechs feel big at all. Even the city one, the only one that has human-elements that should help perceive the right proportions, does a poor job if you ask me. And all the other ones? The environment feels so fake that it's just as if they put some human-sized robots into a generic MMORPG scenery map hoping you would make them big with your imagination and your notion that they are supposed to be big. Alpine Peaks is terrible about that, and even Turmaline Desert, which I love, doesn't really feel right when it comes to sizes. Is it just me? It could be.

[Goreschach]

It isn't the maps. It's because of the way the mechs handle. The game doesn't feel like big stompy robots because you aren't controlling a big stompy robot. The game treats the mechs like funny looking tanks as you slide around with no reticule movement, no aim bob, no recoil, and no gait.

Compare the movement in these videos.

MWO
MW5 trailer

[Llyse]

I think that's a fair asssessment but it's something that's hard to solve and might not be as important as collision handling? I see a lot more lights running around thinking they're the bees knees.

I imagine they'd drop to half those levels if they put in the old collision solution. Not that lights are problem now, I would love the feeling of stomping an out of place light/medium to the ground.

Meanwhile I'm still having fun in my Hunchback especially when I had a friend in a Founder Catapult providing wonderful artillery support.

Ironwood: The Highlander is shite? I was sorely tempted to use it as a bigger brawler especially with an AC20 in the arm for one of them.

Centurion for my next mastery or buy an Atlas-RS to work on my Atlas Elite mastery?

[Ironwood]

MW5 trailer

Goddamn Jenner Poptarting.

[Falconeer]

It's really noticeable for me when the match starts. You are there surrounded by these big robots, and as soon as they start moving around they all pretty much look the same size and uhm.... not imposing at all. For some reason the Stalker is the most disappointing. It ends up feeling quite tiny, while I always pictured it as big huge giant terrifying zeppelin of doom. But even the Atlas doesn't look that big anymore, and the Highlander is another huge turnoff.

Don't mean to bash the game, I still love it. I just finally put my fingers on something that started bothering me once they added lots of new, weird (Highlander as an assault looks ridiculous to me) 'mechs: lack of detail in the maps, and some mech design and animations took the illusion of size out of the MWO for me. We need more stuff we can stomp on, a little less skyscrapers and barren empty canyons.

[Ironwood]

Personally, as I've said before, I think the Art in this game took a massive step back.  When you look at the mechs they launched with and then compare the recent additions, there's something missing.  It just doesn't look as impressive.  Also, the swapping of hardpoints doesn't really work that well yet.  I don't wanna put Streaks on my Highlander only to see two MASSIVE missile holes in my chest.  It's totally jarring.

Further, that heavy Metal was just stupid.  A fucking Monstrosity.

[Lantyssa]

I imagine they'd drop to half those levels if they put in the old collision solution. Not that lights are problem now, I would love the feeling of stomping an out of place light/medium to the ground.

The old collision was stupid.  Lights fell over at the slightest breeze.  I don't mind some chance, but it was utterly ridiculous before.

There should also be a chance the heavier 'mechs get tripped up and fall, too.  Plus piloting checks for massive damage, being hit while shutdown, etc.

[Falconeer]

And jumping like a 90 tons spring.

[Shannow]

And jumping like a 90 tons spring.

This. There have always been penalties for jumping in the board game. Why the fuck there aren't in MWO is bizarre.

[Falconeer]

It's not as bad as the Gauss Rifle not having the original minimum range limitation.

[Samprimary]

It isn't the maps. It's because of the way the mechs handle.

it's actually because of the way the game's perspective comes out forced wrong. Pay careful attention to the way your cockpit is drawn into the world, and how actually fucking huge it seems compared to your environment. Which makes you feel really small. I still only have a trackpad but lemme try illustrating.



^ this. you feel like this because of the "size" of your cockpit and the perspective being equivalent to if you were much smaller.

It's only even moderately constrained in the atlas. in other mechs, you just seem teensy. like here, watch this video and pay attention to how the effective size of the cockpit makes it look like everything else is a miniaturized toy world and that you are in fact so close to the ground you might as well be wearing the cockpit over your upper body and simply running on your own feet:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXlygprEdRs

[Ironwood]

I don't even recognise that game in the video.  It looks fun.

 

[Falconeer]

You know what's horrible to level up these days? The Catapult A1. Nightmare.

[Hoax]

Game seemed to keep taking big steps backwards. I started it up for the first time since the week of the highlander patch and it patched but I can't find notes anywhere. Did they do something good or something foolish? I'm not sure I want to play again until I see a decent patch out of this incompetents.

[Ironwood]

In other news, finally found a Highlander I can kinda live with.

UAC, 2 Meds, 4 ASRM6

It can really fuck up at close ranges, but, again, close range games have to be really, really worked at to happen.  I did like smashing a dual AC20's head in at 90 meters tho.

[Samprimary]

Right now the game is going through meta growing pains. Right now it's being dominated by distance sniping and a preference for long range high alpha (ppc's and gauss whee) and was made absolutely worse with the introduction of a 90 ton mech that can poptart.

It's really driving people off. I'm amazed to hear that organized gameplay has actually made the Hexalker (6 ppc stalker) an effective player, because it is Highest Alpha Didn't Care and this works on poptarts.

[Ironwood]

6 PPC Awesomes are now in play.  It's just as silly.

[Llyse]

Right now the game is going through meta growing pains. Right now it's being dominated by distance sniping and a preference for long range high alpha (ppc's and gauss whee) and was made absolutely worse with the introduction of a 90 ton mech that can poptart.

It's really driving people off. I'm amazed to hear that organized gameplay has actually made the Hexalker (6 ppc stalker) an effective player, because it is Highest Alpha Didn't Care and this works on poptarts.

yeah it's a bit ridiculous but fun is what you make it. I got my personal best of 868 damage in my HBK-4P so I'm having fun being a nuisance. But yeah, I'm hoping for a small buff to lrms/srms now that I'm in my HBK-4SP

Edit: Had quite a few games with the 4SP and I'm not feeling the SRM love at all. My 4G is super vulnerable to focused fire but AC20 means I can back stab someone and take them down in 2 volleys. My 4P has amazing damage and seems so damn durable. The 4SP feels like a poor compromise of slightly more durability but poor damage. Any tips on SRM-6 usage?