Mechwarrior Online

[calapine]

No, I wasn't talking about gamplay. I meant I'll stick to MWO's 'mechs, for looks and graphics. I think Hawken is obviously superior in the environment's visuals, but definitely not so much in the mechs department.

Ahhh. Yes, the mechs in demo video looked bland.

[Arthur_Parker]

ECONOMY UPDATE - DECEMBER 18TH, 2012

Cadet Bonus

We’ve added a new scaling reward bonus for the first 25 matches played. This new C-Bill reward system helps ease players into the game, allowing them to quickly buy their first BattleMech within 4-5 matches, regardless of match outcomes.
Light 4-5 matches
Medium 6-10 matches
Heavy 11-15 matches
Assault 16-25 matches
An average match takes 6 minutes.
By match 25 players can earn a minimum of 8.6 Million CB.
Hero and Premium Time boosts apply to the Cadet Bonus.
What does this mean for existing players?
Anyone with fewer than 25 matches will receive and appropriate amount of C-Bills for their current # of matches played.
Anyone over 26 matches will receive a onetime bonus of 7,981,686 CB.
Repair and Rearm


RNR has been removed from the game to facilitate a better overall user experience and game balance. All BattleMechs and Items will be repaired to 100% health during downtime on Tuesday the 18th.

Trial BattleMech Improvements

With repair and rearm removed from the game, we have rebalanced the Trial Mech reward system to reflect our move towards a better new user experience.
Now earn 100% CB and XP rewards.
Trial BattleMechs will continue to rotate out every 2 weeks.
Premium Time bonuses apply.
Reward Changes

Too help balance out the economy with RNR (Repair and Rearm) removed, we have rebalanced the existing C-Bill reward system to reflect the average NET rewards. NET rewards would be the average CB earned by players after repairing and rearming their mechs in the current version of MWO.

In addition we have continued to refine the rewards system to increase active participation. Players will now earn more CB for engaging the enemy and contributing to the success of their team. Even in a losing situation, players can earn significant rewards. We have also removed or reduced passive rewards to a bare minimum.

Average Rewards by player match rank before any bonuses:
1 – 100,000+
2-3 75,000-100,000
4-5 50,000-75,000
6-7 35,000-50,000
8 – 25,000-35,000
We plan to make tuning adjustments over the coming weeks as we introduce more active rewards for non-combat aspects of the game.

We anticipate a reduction in AFK bots and a general realignment in player group tactics from base capping to enemy engagement.

Salvage remains the same.

Assault Rewards
Win/Loss/Tie = 25,000
Team Kill = -10,000 * how many teammates you have killed
Component Destroyed = 2,500 * how many components you have destroyed
Enemy Kill = 5,000 * how many enemies you have killed
Enemy Kill Assist =7,500 * how many kill assists you got in the match
Spotting Assist = 2,500 * how many spotting assists you got in the match
Damage Done = 25 * how much damage you did in the match
Capture Win and Assist have been removed.
Conquest Rewards:
Win/Loss/Tie = 25,000
Team Kill = -10,000 * how many teammates you have killed
Component Destroyed = 1,250 * how many components you have destroyed
Enemy Kill = 2,500 * how many enemies you have killed
Enemy Kill Assist = 3,750 * how many assist you got in the game
Spotting Assist = 1,250 * how many spotting assist you got in the game
Damage Done = 25 * how much damage you did in the game
Conquest Bonus = 25 * how many resources you have collected

NOTE: We plan to tweak the Conquest numbers in the New Year after collecting live analytics.

[calapine]

Great, great changes.

The removing of repair and rearm I don't like, think it sort of gives a touch of immersion. But I am pretty sure I am the only person around that thinks so. 

[Arthur_Parker]

This is probably even better than fixing the trial mechs, plus 8 million cbills for anyone with over 26 matches played is a great way of getting people onside with the new changes.

Tomorrow is shaping up for a great patch, assuming they don't break something.  Now I just need them to put knockdowns back in, fix the netcode so lights aren't so annoying to hit, add the new maps, increase groups to 12 and not completely balls community warfare up.

[calapine]

You forgot making vanity items cheaper and introducing DirextX 11. 

[Lantyssa]

I want to have some mechplay with you!

[calapine]

I want to have some mechplay with you!

That's was a totally innocent comment!*

*puts on math beret*  Looking at the new economy it might be income will be actually lower if you are in PUG that gets stomped and you don't do any damage at all. On the other hand you can't go negative and running more expensive mechs will be a lot easier (Assaults, XL Engines, lots of LRM)

BaseReward + 2 KillAssists + 4 SpottingAssists + 150 DamageDone = 50,000 C-Bills

*unless Falc wants it to be dirty, than it totally was an offer!

Edit: 800th posting! Where is my custom forum title?!

[Ingmar]

Sure, it starts out innocent, but it ends with everyone naked in jail in Michigan.

[Segoris]

Awesome changes, except the part where a player will earn LESS if they land the killing blow....

[Falconeer]

I want to have some mechplay with you!

Heh, Cala. I've been playing non stop since late July. I probably racked up more than a thousand matches over roughly four maps and the same old eight mechs. I am just riding my New Relationship Energy with Planetside while giving MWO the time to grow a few patches. I'll be there when it matters. Mechplay is definitely going to happen  

While I actually got in trouble over (almost) nothing in Michigan, I'm always up for amazingly kinky stuff. Especially if it's illegal in year 3050. /runs to update his F*life account kink-list with the mechplay tag.

[calapine]

Awesome changes, except the part where a player will earn LESS if they land the killing blow....

You are forgetting the component destruction bonus. Killing blow = at least 1 component destruction (CT or side torso) = 5000+2500=7500

Edit: @Falc: squeee!

[Lantyssa]

Free Premium time

I don't know how much, and it's supposedly automatically activated upon logging in, but enjoy!

[Shannow]

Stalkers and Conquest mode today. Might have to actually get in game for a while.

[Falconeer]

I absolutely love the Stalker, one of my favourites. Also, Twin Dragons hero mechs coming today too apparently.

[satael]

I wish they added a light hero mech 

[Arthur_Parker]

PATCH NOTES DECEMBER 18TH, 2012

Open Beta Update #6

Upcoming Patch - Tuesday Dec. 18th @ 10AM – 1PM PDT

Change Log

________________________________________

Update

Ho! Ho! Ho! MechWarriors. Have you been a good or naughty pilot this year?...Trick Question! It doesn’t matter because everyone gets the same patch!

On the first day of Patch-mas my true love gave to me, CONQUEST MODE! Dun, Dun, DUN! That’s right a new game mode available on every map. You can explore new strategies on this mode over the holidays and let us know what you think. We will be looking to tune it in the new year based on your feedback and the data we will collect. We know you are going to want to try it right away so we added mode selection, allowing you to choose which game type you want to play.

On the second day of Patch-mas, a new economy! Heads up we’ve changed up the way you earn C-bills. First we have taken Repair and Rearm out of the equation. We did this to eliminate people dropping with BattleMechs that are not 100 % health, potentially harming their team. Then we redistributed the way you earn C-bills, because you no longer have to repair and rearm, you keep what you earn. BE WARNED you have to contribute to your team to earn C-bills. We also changed Trial BattleMechs to earn 100% C-Bills and Mech XP. Lastly, There is no better time to invite your friends to play, we added the Cadet bonus for the first 25 matches to accelerate a new players ability to buy their first BattleMech.

Speaking of BattleMechs! Get ready for the triple threat! The new, Twin Dragon Hero BattleMechs, Flame and Fang, with patterns that send fear into the heart of your enemy and a C-bill boost that will send you laughing all the way to the bank. Wait, we didn’t stop there! Introducing The Stalker. Here is what Kyle L. had to say about this Assault class BattleMech. “It’s the blimp ‘o’ death bro!... It’s like the Hindenburg except everyone else is going down in flames!”. Well put my friend...well put. You can also take a look at the latest BattleMech patterns. We have expanded the options and the Phranken is sure to please.

Get ready to battle in River City night version. I mentioned it earlier and we delivered! Finally a night map where night vision is effective!
I love this map and I know you will too.

Finally, ring in 3050 with some entertaining new cockpit customization items. The holographic displays are very cool and, for me, the Urbanmech is a must buy!
We hope you notice we have taken your feedback on pricing and offered the new year’s items at a variety of price points!

We also addressed some key performance and stability issues this patch and we are testing new networking code over the holidays that we are looking to release in January. During test some users noted much improved performance with latest graphics drivers so please if you experience performance issues ensure you are running the latest graphics drivers for your card. Also there is a suspected issue with the patcher we are continuing to investigate where performance for some users is lower when patching vs. a fresh re-install if you suffer from low fps and new drivers don't resolve the issue please try a fresh install as a workaround for now.

So have a safe and Happy Holidays and as always, MechWarriors, see you on the battlefield!

Matt Newman

P.S. This is our last planned patch this year so we will resume our “normal” patch schedule in January


GENERAL

NEW BattleMechs

Stalker STK-3F

    * Tonnage:  85
    * Top Speed:  48.6 kph
    * Armor:  432
    * Weapons & Equipment:
        * Left Arm: 2 Medium Lasers, 1 LRM 10
        * Left Torso: 1 Large Laser, 1 SRM 6
        * Right Torso: 1 Large Laser, 1 SRM 6
        * Right Arm: 2 Medium Lasers, 1 LRM 10
    * Hardpoints:
        * Left Arm: 2 Energy, 1 Missile
        * Left Torso: 1 Energy, 1 Missile
        * Right Torso: 1 Energy, 1 Missile, 1 AMS
        * Right Arm: 2 Energy, 1 Missile
    * Jump Jets: n/a
   
Stalker STK-3H

    * Tonnage:  85
    * Top Speed:  48.6 kph
    * Armor:  432
    * Weapons & Equipment:
        * Left Arm: 2 Medium Lasers, 1 LRM 20
        * Left Torso: 1 SRM 6
        * Right Torso: 1 SRM 6
        * Right Arm: 2 Medium Lasers, 1 LRM 20
    * Hardpoints:
        * Left Arm: 2 Energy, 1 Missile
        * Left Torso: 1 Missile
        * Right Torso: 1 Missile, 1 AMS
        * Right Arm: 2 Energy, 1 Missile
    * Jump Jets: n/a

Stalker STK-4N

    * Tonnage:  85
    * Top Speed:  48.6 kph
    * Armor:  432
    * Weapons & Equipment:
        * Left Arm: 2 Medium Lasers
        * Left Torso: 1 Large Laser, 1 SRM 6
        * Right Torso: 1 Large Laser, 1 SRM 6
        * Right Arm: 2 Medium Lasers, 1 LRM 10
    * Hardpoints:
        * Left Arm: 2 Energy
        * Left Torso: 1 Energy, 1 Missile
        * Right Torso: 1 Energy, 1 Missile, 1 AMS
        * Right Arm: 2 Energy, 1 Missile
    * Jump Jets: n/a

Stalker STK-5M

    * Tonnage:  85
    * Top Speed:  48.6 kph
    * Armor:  464
    * Weapons & Equipment:
        * Left Arm: 2 Medium Lasers, 1 LRM 10
        * Left Torso: 1 Narc, 1 SRM 6
        * Center Torso: 1 ER Large Laser
        * Right Torso: 1 SRM 6
        * Right Arm: 2 Medium Lasers, 1 LRM 10
    * Hardpoints:
        * Left Arm: 2 Energy, 1 Missile
        * Left Torso: 2 Missile
        * Center Torso: 1 Energy
        * Right Torso: 1 Missile, 1 AMS
        * Right Arm: 2 Energy, 1 Missile
    * Jump Jets: n/a

Stalker STK-5S

    * Tonnage:  85
    * Top Speed:  48.6 kph
    * Armor:  432
    * Weapons & Equipment:
        * Left Arm: 2 Medium Lasers, 1 LRM 10
        * Left Torso: 1 Large Pulse Laser, 1 SRM 6, 1 AMS
        * Right Torso: 1 Large Pulse Laser, 1 SRM 6
        * Right Arm: 2 Medium Lasers, 1 LRM 10
    * Hardpoints:
        * Left Arm: 2 Energy, 1 Missile
        * Left Torso: 1 Energy, 1 Missile, 1 AMS
        * Right Torso: 1 Energy, 1 Missile, 1 AMS
        * Right Arm: 2 Energy, 1 Missile
    * Jump Jets: n/a
 
NEW HERO BattleMechs

"Fang" DRG-FANG

    * Base Mech: Dragon
    * Tonnage:  60
    * Top Speed:  81 kph
    * Armor:  320
    * Weapons & Equipment:
        * Left Arm: 1 Medium Laser
        * Left Torso: 1 Medium Laser
        * Center Torso: 1 SRM 6
        * Right Arm: 1 Autocannon/10
    * Hardpoints:
        * Left Arm: 2 Energy
        * Left Torso: 1 Energy
        * Center Torso: 1 Missile
        * Right Torso: 1 AMS
        * Right Arm: 2 Ballistic
    * Jump Jets: n/a
    * Internal Structure: Endo Steel
    * 30% C-Bill bonus
   
"Flame" DRG-FLAME

    * Base Mech: Dragon
    * Tonnage:  60
    * Top Speed:  81 kph
    * Armor:  320
    * Weapons & Equipment:
        * Left Arm: 1 Medium Laser
        * Left Torso: 1 Autocannon/2
        * Center Torso: 1 LRM 5
        * Right Arm: 1 ER Large Laser
    * Hardpoints:
        * Left Arm: 2 Energy
        * Left Torso: 1 Ballistic
        * Center Torso: 1 Missile
        * Right Torso: 1 AMS
        * Right Arm: 2 Energy
    * Jump Jets: n/a
    * Internal Structure: Endo Steel
    * 30% C-Bill bonus
   
NEW MAP

    * RiverCity Night Map
        * RiverCity Night map enabled.
      
NEW GAME MODE

      Conquest

      With the rumblings and rumors of activity, along the Periphery of the InnerSphere, all factions have begun amassing large amounts of Germanium.  Germanium is used in the jump drives of the large jump capable ships that transport Mechs over long distances.  The unsettling atmosphere that has permeated throughout the InnerSphere has Germanium at an all time high in terms of demand.  It is now time that all MechWarriors pitch in to help in this cause.

    * Conquest Mode enabled.
    * Gather resources by capturing resource extractor points.
    * 5 extractor points per map.
    * Each team starts with 1 extractor in their possession.
    * The more extractor points owned by a team, the faster resources are accumulated.
    * Once a team reaches 750 resources, they will win the match.
    * A team can still win by destroying all enemy Mechs.
    * Win or Lose, each team will receive 25 C-Bills per resource they've gathered.  (e.g. if your team gathered 750 resources, you will get an end of match bonus of 18,750 C-Bills).
    * Known Issue: There is a problem with Conquest resource rewards not being issued if players/groups select "ANY" as the game mode.  If you wish to play Conquest, make sure you or your group's leader selects "Conquest" from the game mode selector.  This will be address in the next patch.

NEW NEW YEARS COCKPIT ITEMS

    * 3050 Balloons
    * 3050 Banner
    * Ice bucket with Champagne
    * Classy Mech
    * Holo '3050' Year
    * Champagne Glass
    * Top Hat

BANNER ADDED

    * Piranha Hunt 'Killed a Dev' banners have been added to the winner's accounts - congratulations!

NEW REWARD SYSTEM

     The reward system has gone under a serious revamp.  We are removing the Repair and Rearm costs from the game and rebalancing how many C-Bills you will be earning.  We are also reducing the amount of C-Bills you earn by default for a win/loss/tie.  Non-participation in matches will result in very low C-Bill income.  That being said, your participation in matches and playing as a team will now payout at a higher rate.

     Below is a detailed summary of the changes to the reward system:

    * All mechs will be fully repaired and rearmed after every match at no cost.
    * Trial mechs get the same rewards as normal mechs (even mech XP)
    * New Bonus called Cadet Bonus: this bonus is rewarded to new users for 25 games. The math is calculated by: log10(gamesremaining) * 300,000 CBills

        * This means you will receive 424,492 C-Bills after your first match, decreasing each game until you've played 25.
        * After 25 matches you will have received a total of 7,981,686 additional C-Bills.
        * If you have already played more than 25 matches, you will be given those 7,981,686 C-Bills as a lump sum (Happy Holidays!) If you've played under it, you'll be given the amount equal to the games you've played.

    * Removed Capture Win/Assist CBills Bonus
    * Spotting Assists will now only be given if spotted target takes damage from allies

     Assault Rewards:

    * Win/Loss/Tie = 25,000
    * Team Kill = -10,000 * how many teammates you have killed
    * Component Destroyed = 2,500 * how many components you have destroyed
    * Enemy Kill = 5,000 * how many enemies you have killed
    * Enemy Kill Assist =7,500 * how many kill assists you got in the match
    * Spotting Assist = 2,500 * how many spotting assists you got in the match
    * Damage Done = 25 * how much damage you did in the match
   
Conquest Rewards:

    * Win/Loss/Tie = 25,000
    * Team Kill = -10,000 * how many teammates you have killed
    * Component Destroyed = 1,250 * how many components you have destroyed
    * Enemy Kill = 2,500 * how many enemies you have killed
    * Enemy Kill Assist = 3,750 * how many assist you got in the game
    * Spotting Assist = 1,250 * how many spotting assist you got in the game
    * Damage Done = 25 * how much damage you did in the game
    * Resource Bonus = 25 * how many resources you have collected

MECHLAB IMPROVEMENTS

    * Heat sink entry in both new Mech detail panel and current Mech detail panel now shows Dbl Heat Sinks when double heat sinks are equipped
    * New BattleMech list now organized by class (Hero, Light, Medium, Heavy, Assault)
   
Jump Jets:

    * Removing Jump jet override (now using actual jump jet loadout restrictions)
    * Now enforcing and showing maximum number of jump jets as well as current number equipped on a Mech chassis.
    * Added Jump jet bar showing maximum jump distance for current configuration (if a Mech is capable of using jump jets)
    * What this all boils down to is that the number of Jump Jets on a Mech will now properly affect jump height/distance.
    * Players will notice a change in the overall jump trajectory. This will be tuned in future patches.
   
Modules:

    * Now showing how many modules the BattleMech is capable of in the new Mech detail panel
    * Now showing module slots available and currently equipped modules in the current Mech detail panel
    * Both of the above automatically adjust when Master status is achieved (extra slot is added)

GAMEPLAY


    * ECM will now fully counter only the closest enemy Mech.
    * Cockpit Camera shake intensity adjusted to be more realistic  (Shake = Damage * Impulse)
    * HUD will no longer flicker unnaturally when shot with machine gun fire and flamers beyond a certain damage threshold
    * Player can now control the brightness in the cockpit using (.) period.
    * There is now a 3 second delay at the end of the match before the End of Round Screen shows.

Weapons Tunning:

    AUTOCANNON UPDATE:

    * AC/20 projectile set to 900m/s (750m/s previous)
    * AC/10 projectile set to 1100m/s (850m/s previous)
    * UAC/5 projectile set to 1300m/s (900m/s previous)
    * AC/5 projectile set to 1300m/s (900m/s previous)
    * LBX/10 projectile set to 1100m/s (850m/s previous)

    NARC BEACON UPDATE:

    * NARC lifespan increased to 20 seconds (15 seconds previously)
   
    TAG UPDATE:

    * TAG range increased to 750m (450m previously)

    PPC UPDATE:

    * PPC projectile speed increased to 2000m/s (matches AC/2) (1200m/s previous)
    * ERPPC projectile speed matched to regular PPC (2000m/s) (1200m/s previous)
   
    ARTEMIS UPDATE:

    * Artemis now requires line of site to function.  In-direct fire will not benefit from Artemis.
   
PERFORMANCE FIXES

IMPORTANT: Please remember to update to the latest graphics drivers if you are having FPS issues and ensure that you are running low settings with V-Sync disabled and if that doesn't work try a fresh re-install.

    * 10% faster ray traces
    * Reduced number of client side ray traces Mechs require
    * Shadows disabled for low settings
    * Foliage swaying disabled for low and medium settings

BUG FIXES

    * Refresh MechTree Categories whenever mech ownership changes
    * Refresh PilotTalents when GXP Changes via MXP conversion
    * Weapon bay door toggle SFX will no longer play when a mech does not have weapon bay doors
    * Fixes most issues with penetrating LRM’s (projectiles in general) through static meshes
    * Jump Jet effects will no longer float around unattached
    * Weapon Bay doors will no longer float unattached
    * Mech damage effects will no longer float around unattached
    * Bullets will no longer tumble after grazing a static mesh
    * CPLT-A1 no longer says that it comes with 6 LRM 15s when purchasing it
    * 7.1 Audio issue fixed.
    * Visual improvements to ancillary props in River City (Solar panels, billboards, AC units, etc…)
    * Fixed minor collision bugs in Forest Colony and Frozen City
    * CTD (Crash to Desktop) fixes

We thank you for your patience and we look forward to seeing you on the battlefield!

The MechWarrior® Online™ Team

A lot to like.

[Falconeer]

Hindenburg with legs is how we used to call the Stalker in our tabletop gaming group! Had no idea it was... whatever. We kids thought we were so clever 20 years ago. Haha.

[Ironwood]

I like the idea of Rumblings in the Periphery.

[Segoris]

Well, I'll pick up the New Year's items. Fuck the xmas items still, and bah at MC not being on sale anymore, I thought it would be on sale through today and didn't want to buy any without knowing the pricing of the new items.

Jump Jets are shitty now. I don't mind, and actually like, needing more than one, but they over-nerfed them as a whole which is apparent when equipping maximum JJ

Stalkers look like fun

[Ironwood]

First game in a long time.  God, it's much better.

Also, Haemish ignored me.  The Bastard.

In related news, social tools still suck my dads dick.

[HaemishM]

First game in a long time.  God, it's much better.

Also, Haemish ignored me.  The Bastard.

In related news, social tools still suck my dads dick.

Was that why my social icon was blinking today? I clicked it, saw Sugo was in green but just figured that meant someone on my friends' list was online and clicked it off because I had a meeting to get to. Didn't mean to ignore you. Did you send me an invite or a tell or something?

[Lantyssa]

If you double-click a name, it'll pop open a chat window to the person.

[Segoris]

When people on your friends list are complaining you ignored them, when you really just didn't know about the chat "feature," it's PGI's way of reminding you how shitty their UI is in case you forgot in the minute since you last had something piss you off about it.

[Falconeer]

Mech 19 will be the Orion.

[satael]

I actually paid "gold" to get my raven a paintjob (since they didn't have any hero mechs for light)

[Falconeer]

Oh I am with you there, man. This is my Stalker. I call it Trotskij.

[Ironwood]

I really hope no one misunderstood my post.  The ignore bit was a joke, the 'social tools are just fucking useless' bit wasn't.

Gave my Cataphract a paintjob.  Just a C-Bill one, but turned it into the Iron Man Silver Guardian.  Awesome.

[Ironwood]

That Orion is fucking awesome.

[Merusk]

I haven't patched (or really played) since they put ECM in.. but did they update the paint schemes?  I tried painting my mech a few weeks back and it had no real visual impact.  Looked more like a haze than a real paint job and certainly nothing like I'm seeing in those screen shots.  I also couldn't get more than one paint color per mech.  Has that changed then?

[Ironwood]

Yes.

I hadn't played for a while.  There's a LOT of changes there and I can't think of one that didn't make things better.

[satael]

Just don't try to paint your founder or heromechs since they can't be really changed 

[Merusk]

Ah that explains it then. I've got founder mechs.   

[Shannow]

That Orion is fucking awesome.

agreed.

[Lantyssa]

Mech 19 will be the Orion.

<squee>

Adding lots of my favorites now.  Cataphract, Spider, Highlander, and now the Orion.

[Samprimary]

daishi, bushwhacker, madcat mk. II, puma

yeaaaaah ill be waiting