Mechwarrior Online

[Slayerik]

So, I'm kinda in love with the spider. I thought it a stupid mech, and stupid mechs in general I try to become awesome at. I'm just weird like that.

So I took out my brand new, horrible SDR-5V ...equipped with like 10 JJs and the only weapon a Large Pulse laser. We went into the match short a guy, and the rest of our team went down, leaving me vrs. an Atlas, PPC cat of some sort, and a Cataphract. The mobility of the spider is so fucking sexy. I was hopping on to the sides of building, mid air strafing runs, circle chewing, just general badassry.  One guy made a comment making fun of my 1 large pulse laser, and even the other team defended me saying that dead men shouldn't talk crap. I managed to take down the cat and eventually got side torsoed. Pretty cool when just about everyone says you put on a helluva show :) But show was basically all it was, doing only 250ish damage for a whole match! This mech, on it's own, has made me respect jump jets a lot more.

If only the hardpoints of the mech weren't BOTH center. The mech might actually be usable. I -could- run dual medium pulses as it is, but heat and range issues become more of a factor.  Large pulse was pretty fun, cause I'd be quite far away in mid air wump wump wumping guys.

[Merusk]

In MW fiction the 'mech you had was what you got to run with.  A unit with enough people would try to assign people where they'd be most useful, but mismatches were common amongst anything that wasn't a garrison or elite unit.  It was rare to have spare 'mechs without a pilot.

Not that it makes for good game play.

Both those situations are functionally    Sure you've got the mech chassis but the load out can't be changed because...?  It's like saying "Well, that F14 only has AMRAAMS installed.  Too bad he can't carry a few bombs on this air-to-ground mission we're sending him on!"

I'm glad I wasn't in to MW as a kid.  It would have bothered me greatly.

[Zaljerem]

In MW fiction the 'mech you had was what you got to run with.  A unit with enough people would try to assign people where they'd be most useful, but mismatches were common amongst anything that wasn't a garrison or elite unit.  It was rare to have spare 'mechs without a pilot.

Not that it makes for good game play.

Both those situations are functionally    Sure you've got the mech chassis but the load out can't be changed because...?  It's like saying "Well, that F14 only has AMRAAMS installed.  Too bad he can't carry a few bombs on this air-to-ground mission we're sending him on!"

I'm glad I wasn't in to MW as a kid.  It would have bothered me greatly.

The loadout could be changed ... but it would be an expensive, time-consuming effort that would need to be done at a Mech bay facility rather than in the field. The systems aren't modular enough. That was one of the big advantages of the Clan Omnimech concept.

So it would be: "That F14 has AMRAAMS installed; I would love to put some bombs on it, but there are no hardpoints or fire control systems that can handle bombs on this F14 variant, and it would take a serious overhaul or some questionable jury-rigging to make it work."

While the Clans just go: "Caustic Valley? Swap out the Laser pods for ballistic pods and missle pods."

Yeah, a bit  ... but hey, that's BattleTech for you.

[Gets]

Hai guys.  Just popped in to see if there's Community Warfare yet.  So... like, is there?

Come back in half a year. Maybe they've remembered where they hid all those preorder profits by then.

[Lantyssa]

Pretty much as Zaljerem says.  Pre-Clan was a dark time for the IS.  They could barely hold their 'mechs together.  In the time period of this game the Houses are starting to get their shit together, but it'd have taken a lot longer without the inevitable invasion forcing them to.

If only the hardpoints of the mech weren't BOTH center. The mech might actually be usable. I -could- run dual medium pulses as it is, but heat and range issues become more of a factor.  Large pulse was pretty fun, cause I'd be quite far away in mid air wump wump wumping guys.

2 MPL and 3 DHS should have it running pretty cool in comparison to a LPL.  Only range is an issue then, but it's not like the LPL has a lot.

Still, 250 for a Spider or Commando is an excellent match.  They're more about making the other team waste shots on you and scouting than damage output.  Kind of a shame given the scoring system, but I've (mostly) made my peace with it.

[Slayerik]

Times hit would be a neat stat. So many glancing blows on the fast mechs!



So the real decision is range over a slight DPS and mobility boost....

I want to run the XL 245. I currently have a XL 225, and its plenty, but I want to take it to ludicrous speed (esp with speed tweak).

I've had a 500 spider run before. Was the ECM one, 3 MPL

[Merusk]

In MW fiction the 'mech you had was what you got to run with.  A unit with enough people would try to assign people where they'd be most useful, but mismatches were common amongst anything that wasn't a garrison or elite unit.  It was rare to have spare 'mechs without a pilot.

Not that it makes for good game play.

Both those situations are functionally    Sure you've got the mech chassis but the load out can't be changed because...?  It's like saying "Well, that F14 only has AMRAAMS installed.  Too bad he can't carry a few bombs on this air-to-ground mission we're sending him on!"

I'm glad I wasn't in to MW as a kid.  It would have bothered me greatly.

The loadout could be changed ... but it would be an expensive, time-consuming effort that would need to be done at a Mech bay facility rather than in the field. The systems aren't modular enough. That was one of the big advantages of the Clan Omnimech concept.

So it would be: "That F14 has AMRAAMS installed; I would love to put some bombs on it, but there are no hardpoints or fire control systems that can handle bombs on this F14 variant, and it would take a serious overhaul or some questionable jury-rigging to make it work."

While the Clans just go: "Caustic Valley? Swap out the Laser pods for ballistic pods and missle pods."

Yeah, a bit  ... but hey, that's BattleTech for you.

This is begging for a WUA-level dissection of just how wrong it is (not on your part, but on the 'lore creators').. but I don't care enough.  And I could be mistaken that the F-14 mission variants (and other fighter/bombers) didn't have the same weapon systems installed and was a simple armament swap.  Wiki seems to imply I'm not wrong there, though. 

/geekery

[Slayerik]

You know you want to. Zal and lantyssa can't keep this up all by themselves!

[Arthur_Parker]

Well they are meant to be different planets, planets it takes weeks to get to.  It doesn't make sense to me to fuck people off by giving them options for snow camouflage and then dropping them in a desert.  

But nevermind that, I hate river city night, with all the queue tinkering they are doing you'd think they'd at least consider letting you have a single drop down option for "I never want to play - river city night" and "I really like playing - caustic valley", so you get no chance of the first and double chance at the second.

[Zaljerem]

This is begging for a WUA-level dissection of just how wrong it is (not on your part, but on the 'lore creators').. but I don't care enough.  And I could be mistaken that the F-14 mission variants (and other fighter/bombers) didn't have the same weapon systems installed and was a simple armament swap.  Wiki seems to imply I'm not wrong there, though. 

/geekery

Yeah, I just used the F14 as a fictional example to display the rationale used in the BattleTech universe ... not in any real world way. 

I've studied the lore quite a bit over the years, always dreaming of getting the old crew to agree to a BattleTech RPG session; but now the old crew is pretty much grown-up, married with children, with little-to-no time for dice-rolling and roleplaying. Alas.

I don't care enough either, though. The lore is what it is, the tabletop ruleset is what it is, the Mechwarrior series of PC games is what it is (awesome), and I'm having a great time with MWO, all things considered!

[Ironwood]

Well they are meant to be different planets, planets it takes weeks to get to.  It doesn't make sense to me to fuck people off by giving them options for snow camouflage and then dropping them in a desert.  

But nevermind that, I hate river city night, with all the queue tinkering they are doing you'd think they'd at least consider letting you have a single drop down option for "I never want to play - river city night" and "I really like playing - caustic valley", so you get no chance of the first and double chance at the second.

Who'd play CV ??

[HaemishM]

The matchmaking system needs a serious kick in the gonads because especially in pub matches, it just puts you in situations you have no fucking business being in. It may be lore, but well... LOLLORE.

I got in one assault game of Alpine Peaks and it's too soon to tell but I don't think it'll be a popular map. It may actually just be too goddamn big. My favorite map is still Forest Colony, followed by a River City a close second (and fuck River City Night in its earhole). Frozen Valley can fuck right off, day or night as can Caustic.

[Merusk]

I find River City: Night and River City: Day look the same when I play.

But I probably use heat vision way too much.

[Arthur_Parker]

Who'd play CV ??

Best map by far.

[Ironwood]

I enjoy it also, but only because I don't use excessive heat.

But you can see people who switch maps off switch off the one that raises the bar for any mech out there, especially when the sheep all go and it's just wolves.

[Arthur_Parker]

If they only let you switch off one, I don't think CV will have a population problem, but river city bloody night, might.

[Typhon]

When I first started I hated river city night because I sucked horribly on that map.  Now that I suck less, I hate river city night because my team sucks horribly.  I'd dodge it if I could.

[Samprimary]

River City Night is functionally the same to me as regular River City, and that's because thermal vision is flat-out superior to ever being in regular vision, ever, so I'm always in it.

which sucks, btw

[Slayerik]

I disagree. In close-up fights, when things get a little nuts it can screw ya up. Well, it screws me up anyway.

[MahrinSkel]

1) The IS was well into a rennaisance right before the Clans, both Lostech recovery and some genuine new development, with new chassis being developed for the first time in over a century and actual new factories being built.

2) Fuck the lore, it's bad gameplay to be stuck in a mech completely unsuited to the map.

--Dave

[Ironwood]

I like River City.  If you're doing it properly, you get some awesome scraps in the alleys.

...

No, that's not a euphamism.

[Samprimary]

I disagree. In close-up fights, when things get a little nuts it can screw ya up. Well, it screws me up anyway.

Not for me; in brawls, thermal cuts right through the sparks and smoke and keeps me on target no matter what i'm being hit with.

The smoke is such a big deal (as is the graphical dynamic exposure that darkens everything in a firefight) that i never go without unless i'm trying to take video.

[Arthur_Parker]

I like it looking pretty, heat vision may give an advantage once you are used to it, but at the moment it's so ugly I rarely choose to use it.

[Zaljerem]

2) Fuck the lore, it's bad gameplay to be stuck in a mech completely unsuited to the map.

Funny, I rarely if ever think "man, I'm stuck in a mech that is completely unsuited to this map" ... less efficient, maybe.

I can see where someone boating SRMs might feel that way on a larger map, or a PPC boater might feel that way on a hotter map ... but I generally don't boat. I prefer more balanced loadouts, even if they aren't as min/maxed as they could be.

If I'm in a build that is less efficient in a particular map, I try to alter my playstyle to compensate.

Until Community Warfare hits, I don't imagine we're going to see any change in the "random map" methodology. I wouldn't mind seeing an option for choosing some camo presets of your own creation before a match. Maybe they'll provide some functionality where you can choose from your 4 selected 'mechs before a match starts.

[Segoris]

Yeah, there are only  two times I do not run heatvision. The first is when walking around the outskirts of Frozen City. I've fallen off of the ledge and down into the valley area since heat vision can mess with my depth perception. The second is when I'm coming up ona larger brawl and the red/blue indicators are kind of mixed while mechs strafe each other, I'll turn it off to identify each mech more easily and turn heat vision back on immediately.

As for maps, I personally think that we need more like Frozen City and Forest Colony. Both have brawling and ranged areas, a couple of ambush spots, and enough room to maneuver. RC has enough room to maneuver and buildings to duck out of LOS, which also makes brawling more fun knowong with smart movements you can dodge a lot of fire, but I would not mind if a few buildings were removed to balance it out a little more between ranged and brawlers. CV just needs a bit more cover, but not too much. Maybe replicate a half-sized version of the northern base in two other areas, with one or two taller buildings/water silos similar to the current base, while leaving the rest of the map open. Also, maybe give RC a couple more quadrants to spread it out a bit. I haven't played since the patch (logged in for a few mins to check out the mechlab UI, was about it) so I can't comment on Alpine.

If I'm in a build that is less efficient in a particular map, I try to alter my playstyle to compensate.

Blasphemy! Adaption is not allowed in this game, don't you read the MWO forums? Devs are supposed to cater to everyone's playstyle at all times

I do agree though, the only thing which slows me down on a brawler is CV, and that is not by much. It just means I stay with the group more than I normally would on the other maps (maps be damned if they don't have a tunnel for me to brawl in!). Even the heat can be adjusted for on energy/srm builds.

[Ironwood]

It would be better if some of the buildings in RC actually fell down.

[Segoris]

That it would, hmm - BF2/BF3 with Mechs?

[Merusk]

2) Fuck the lore, it's bad gameplay to be stuck in a mech completely unsuited to the map.

Funny, I rarely if ever think "man, I'm stuck in a mech that is completely unsuited to this map" ... less efficient, maybe.

I think that all the time in my LRM Catapult on the River City map. (Adaptation here means "go stand alone elsewhere and be light bait.") Or, as mentioned above, my slow-as-fuck stalker on the new one.

Those are the only two instances I can think of, though. Otherwise, yes, you're pretty able to adapt.

[Lantyssa]

River City Night is functionally the same to me as regular River City, and that's because thermal vision is flat-out superior to ever being in regular vision, ever, so I'm always in it.

If I were a sniper I'd agree.  As I'm normally piloting a fast 'mech I really prefer normal vision, which is useless on River City Night.  I don't even want to think about my Commandos there once collision gets turned back on.

[Samprimary]

I'll also note that right now I have my monitor on maximum temperature, brightness, and contrast, and it's tilted down towards me a bit. This turns thermal vision into this super predator mode where I have no trouble discerning my surroundings at all, and enemies stand out extremely clearly in it for me to shoot.

I set up some friends with it and in the process we discovered that some monitors just don't have the capacity to give you this super predator vision, and I tried playing on them and wouldn't find thermal nearly as useful and would eschew it as often as possible.

As it is, though, i'm the predator.

[Segoris]

*rubs mud on mech*

Sup now, predator?

[Slayerik]

Stalker showdown 2013. Seg vrs Sam. GOOOOOOOOO! For E-honour!!!!!

[Gets]

Powering down between two buildings on River City Night and wondering if those robot footsteps approaching are friendly or not did make me feel giddy for a bit, but I don't know if that sort of gameplay concept is viable currently.

I can understand not having other vehicles besides mechs in the game, but coolant flushing and ejection seats seem like simple ideas they could put in to spice up the gameplay a bit. Yet reading the forums I've sensed that players have this half-shooter approach to MWO. When Alpine came out people started complaining about wide ranges and lack of cover. You're in a 60 foot tall mech!

[Ironwood]

Just had an awesome Trebuchet game where I came first.  Did about 800 damage compared to everyone else who was shit.

It was awesome.

Still got that intermittent texture issue tho. Major pain in the titties.

Where is everyone.  :(

[Segoris]

Stalker showdown 2013. Seg vrs Sam. GOOOOOOOOO! For E-honour!!!!!

I would get involved, but that might show me as giving a fuck

Powering down between two buildings on River City Night and wondering if those robot footsteps approaching are friendly or not did make me feel giddy for a bit, but I don't know if that sort of gameplay concept is viable currently.

I can understand not having other vehicles besides mechs in the game, but coolant flushing and ejection seats seem like simple ideas they could put in to spice up the gameplay a bit. Yet reading the forums I've sensed that players have this half-shooter approach to MWO. When Alpine came out people started complaining about wide ranges and lack of cover. You're in a 60 foot tall mech!

Powering down and waiting between buildings can be good at times. I've used that next to a dead mech knowing I was being chased but it doesn't always work (....fucking BAP and it's one use!). I usually use it to try to break missile lock, especially if I have some heat built up and have the time to do so.

As for desire for more cover and shooter approach - for me it is less about being more shooter-like and more about having balanced maps for all builds. I'm fine with maps favoring one type (RC for brawler and CV for long range/direct fire), but not without at least throwing a bone to another type (RC does better with this than CV imo). I've adapted to maps with each type of build, but still would not mind seeing a couple adjustments.
While I would like an ejection seat mechanic for cosmetics, what purpose would ejection seats be? I know I have thought about something along the lines of providing a bonus if a pilot ejects within 3 seconds before their mech blows up, or the killer getting a bonus if the opposite mech does not eject.
And coolant flushing would make this more MMORPG cooldown blowing than anything. Coolant flushing with SRM, PPC, Large Pulse Laser boats....yes please. Though, would the incoming tears from being destroyed due to this mechanic refill the coolant flush by chance?