Mechwarrior Online

[Kitsune]

My issue with non-ECM scouts is that I'd run ahead to find the enemy team, round a corner, and see two hundred or so LRMs heading my way.  People would just go fucking crazy trying to kill my Jenner.  Made it hard to do things like scout when I was constantly having to haul ass to try to dodge missile barrages.  Even with ECM you have to keep your head down and stay mobile so snipers can't take you out, but you can be a bit more leisurely about it and concentrate more on gathering intel.

[Arthur_Parker]

2013 MARCH CREATIVE DIRECTOR UPDATE

2013 MARCH CREATIVE DIRECTOR UPDATE
by Bryan Ekman in [ Announcements ] on, Mar 4, 2013 3:00 AM PST

March is here, and with it a host of new features for MechWarrior Online.  Our focus this month is improving the new user experience by adding a suite of tips, better details, testing grounds, and user friendly control options.  Experienced MechWarriors will also be able to enjoy content designed specifically for them, including a brand new system of consumables, expanded statistics, and a new map!

New Content:

`Mech of the Month – JagerMech (19th)
Hero `Mech of the Month – The X-5 (5th)
New Patterns – Mountain Line (5th) and Vagabond (19th)
New Cockpit Items – Dynamic hanging items make their debut, Fuzzy Dice anyone? (5th and 19th)
Testing Grounds
This offline game mode allows player to launch into a random map and test out there currently selected BattleMechs.  Each Testing Grounds match has 8 non-interactive `Mech targets for players to shoot and test damage, heat, movement and other strategies.  This is just the beginning of a large set of training options for new and experienced players coming online in the next few months.

Consumables
An extension to the module system is being introduced on March 19th.  Players will now be able to equip a variety of consumable module items.   Upon release players will have access to Coolant Flush, Air Strikes, and Artillery Strikes.  These new items will be available for C-Bill and MC purchase.  Details will be forthcoming in an upcoming Command Chair post here www.mwomercs.com/forums/forum/102-command-chair/.

Tourmaline Desert
MechWarrior Online’s largest map yet!  This hostile alien world will test the skills of the best MechWarrior pilots.  Like Alpine Peaks, players will need to change their overall strategies, focusing on offense and defense, along with bringing in a balanced BattleMech build.

Expanded User Statistics
Players will now be able to see a much more robust set of player stats when visiting their personal www.mwomercs.com/profile/stats page.  Detailed information about Mechs, Weapons, Maps, and Modes will give players a deeper understanding of how well they are doing.  For now, these stats are only viewable by individual players.  In future updates players will be able to see other player’s stats and leaderboards.

New User Controls and Joystick Improvements
Players will now have more options with regards to how they pilot their BattleMechs.  Several new control systems and improvement have been added including Throttle Decay (gas pedal vs set throttle), Arm Lock to torso, Set Point Throttle (10-100% throttle values in 10% increments), Face Torso, and Joystick Analog turning.  Player will also be able to customize their key bindings via the Pause Menu during matches.

MechLab UI Improvements
Further refinements to buying and selling `Mechs, readying `Mechs, and a visualization of hardpoints, weapons, and critical space directly on the `Mech itself, will make their appearance March 5th.  These additions make a huge improvement to understanding the state of your BattleMech, along with helping understand the differences between variants when making a purchasing decision.

Community Events
After a hugely successful Be A Hero Challenge weekend, we’ve decided to add more events to our March schedule.  Expect to see a variety of different challenges inspired by the community’s feedback!  Also coming in March, Design a Trial Mech challenge.  Players will be able to design a Heavy Trial Mech build based off one of the existing heavy `Mech chassis.  The wining loadout, will be made available for uses as a Trial Mech throughout the month of April.

Performance
On March 5th Host State Rewind (HSR) goes live.  This new system allows players with high latency pings to fire and hit more reliably using Lasers, Machine Guns, and Flamers.  Often referred to as the lag shield effect, HSR will significantly improve the reliability and accuracy of weapon hit detection, making certain BattleMechs much easier to hit.  We anticipate overall damage will increase, resulting in some possible upcoming weapon balancing changes if needed.

[Merusk]

Face torso.. my god it's about time.  I don't know why they implemented center torso first.

Checked my stats today.  Improving steadily since I stopped running mechs I dislike just for xp/ pilot skills.  Now at 1.11 after being at 1.10 last week and .99 when they were implemented. Rawr.

[Falconeer]

including a brand new system of consumables

 

[Falconeer]

Well, here's the post about consumables.

Quoted text doesn't have pictures, so you should probably click the above link.

Consumables
Consumables are in-game, usable items that are exhausted after use. These items come in a variety of tactical applications while on the battlefield. Players will now have the opportunity to use these purchased items at their discretion when the appropriate scenario arises.
Consumables come in tiered levels of the core function that the item provides. C-Bill purchased items will have 2 stages. MC purchased items will have 1 stage. The amount of effectiveness between the two forms of purchase are identical at the top tier.

Examples of planned consumables:
Coolant Flush
Coolant Flush will come in two forms; C-bill purchased and MC purchased. The following shows how the two versions are balanced:
C-Bill Purchased Coolant Flush:
The amount of cooling provided by a coolant flush is determined by the number of Heat Sinks in your BattleMech. The following assumes a Mech with 10 Heat Sinks:
Small Coolant Flush will instantly reduce a BattleMech's current heat by 15%.
Medium Coolant Flush will instantly reduce a BattleMech's current heat by 20%.
Coolant Flush 1 and 2 are stackable.
Each Coolant Flush will take up 1 module slot.
The C-Bill Purchased Coolant Flush will allow a player to trigger a coolant flush twice during a match.
Upon using a Coolant Flush, the player will have to re-purchase the used Coolant Flush module after the match if they wish to use it again.
MC Purchased Coolant Flush:
The amount of cooling provided by a coolant flush is determined by the number of Heat Sinks in your BattleMech. The following assumes a Mech with 10 Heat Sinks:
Large Coolant Flush will instantly reduce a BattleMech's current heat by 35%.
Large Coolant Flush is not stackable with any other Coolant Flush module including itself.
Large Coolant Flush takes up 1 module slot.
The MC Purchased Large Coolant Flush allows a player to trigger a coolant flush once during a match.
Upon using a Large Coolant Flush, the player will have to re-purchase the used Large Coolant Flush module after the match if they wish to use it again.
C-Bill Coolant Flush and MC Coolant Flush are not stackable. That is, they are mutually exclusive meaning that you cannot equip the MC purchased coolant flush with either of the C-Bill coolant flushes.


Summary:
The C-Bill and MC purchased coolant flushes with both max out at 35%.
The C-Bill version of coolant flushes will allow 2 uses during a match. (One cools 15%, the other cools 20%).
The C-Bill version of coolant flushes will required 2 module slots to cool 35%, whereas the MC version will only require 1 module slot.
Both C-Bill and MC versions of coolant flush must be repurchased between rounds if used in a match.
Note: The values above are subject to tuning pending further gameplay testing.

[Slayerik]

Cicada.   
No ECM.   

Pass.

Doesn't matter what guns they put on it, I'm not piloting any scout mech that doesn't have ECM cover, even if it's a 45-ton scout mech.

Cicada with SRMs sounds pretty sexy, though.

[Pennilenko]

Well, here's the post about consumables.

Well, that decides that for me, looks like I need to wait for  another mech game to play.

[satael]

Well, here's the post about consumables.

Well, that decides that for me, looks like I need to wait for  another mech game to play.

MC-bought (superior) air/artillery strikes... I really doubt this will turn out fair & balanced 

[Arthur_Parker]

I wouldn't worry about it as yet, as they want to make money the sensible thing to do is to position this type of thing so there is a tiny advantage, enough to generate income but low enough so it doesn't piss other players off when they see it used in game.  

The danger from the second is a lot higher than the benefit from the first, especially considering all the non game effecting trinkets/paint jobs they already have in place.  There's going to be a lot of moaning though.

[Falconeer]

Yes. If anything, the psychological repercussions of this are going to be massively bad for the game in my opinion. Maybe not in the long run, but this will be an open wound forever. Especially because, well, it's just a fact: paid consumables are just better. "How much better" is almost irrelevant.

[Arthur_Parker]

They are devs though, so it's possible they will go full on p2win stupid.

At the moment I think the risk is low and the player moaning actually serves a purpose in this instance, it should help keep them somewhat honest.  Kinda like if at every press event there's a "is mwo a p2win game?" question, make them sick of the whole subject, bit like training a dog not to shit on carpet by using a loud whistle.

[Gets]

Why would they need to be honest when they already got all the money they needed and then some from pre-orders? Nothing is stopping them from trying to siphon whatever is left in the pockets of robot grognards.

I mean I'm sure Piranha means well, but it's out of the hands of the mechstomping community now. Don't forget this company made Transformers: The Game and Bass Pro Shops®: The Strike.

[Shannow]

Nevermind I saw it. Fucking. Stupid.

The survey post in the general forum reflects pretty well how the players feel about this....80% don't like it.

Coolant flush, maybe special ammo types would be alright....airstrikes and artillery? That's just going to piss people off.

[Falconeer]

It makes sense to assume airstrikes and artillery will work under the same premises since they are going to be consumables too.

Consumables
An extension to the module system is being introduced on March 19th.  Players will now be able to equip a variety of consumable module items.   Upon release players will have access to Coolant Flush, Air Strikes, and Artillery Strikes.

[Lantyssa]

It depends how much consumables change the game.  Artillery strikes will be great for getting campers to move a bit.  Hopefully they're mostly worthless against people that aren't doing so.

Checked my stats today.  Improving steadily since I stopped running mechs I dislike just for xp/ pilot skills.  Now at 1.11 after being at 1.10 last week and .99 when they were implemented. Rawr.

Heh.  I'm up to 0.59 from 0.49 a few weeks ago...  with a 0.73 Win/Loss ratio.

Sadly, Commandos just don't add that much to a team right now.

[Arthur_Parker]

Why would they need to be honest when they already got all the money they needed and then some from pre-orders? Nothing is stopping them from trying to siphon whatever is left in the pockets of robot grognards.

I mean I'm sure Piranha means well, but it's out of the hands of the mechstomping community now. Don't forget this company made Transformers: The Game and Bass Pro Shops®: The Strike.

I've never met anyone who thought they had enough money, when/if they ever reach that point the lead names will move on.

But I don't even see the logic in it, the game hasn't even been officially released yet and it's improving at a steady rate, why would you risk that just trying to get a few extra bucks out of the current players.  Anything is possible but sure seems like a stupid move.

[satael]

It depends how much consumables change the game.  Artillery strikes will be great for getting campers to move a bit.  Hopefully they're mostly worthless against people that aren't doing so.

Checked my stats today.  Improving steadily since I stopped running mechs I dislike just for xp/ pilot skills.  Now at 1.11 after being at 1.10 last week and .99 when they were implemented. Rawr.

Heh.  I'm up to 0.59 from 0.49 a few weeks ago...  with a 0.73 Win/Loss ratio.

Sadly, Commandos just don't add that much to a team right now.

Campers like people trying to hold a capture point?

[Shannow]

the game hasn't even been officially released yet

Does anyone think they ever will?

[Falconeer]

Not to mention that consumables could play a role where and when it will really matter, meaning when Community Warfare and interplanetary conquest will get in. At that point you will have a hooked community which would use any possible mean to win a match, so you can be assured they would dump all they have into consumables, C-bills, MCs, everything.

But now? All I can think of is that they need a money sink, afraid people would pile up too many c-bills once they have the 'mechs they want with all the needed equipment, not having anything to spend it on. But that still doesn't justify the difference in performance between fakemoney and realmoney consumables. I mean, the way it is now, it's safe to assume that you will be able to equip a large coolant flush AND another consumable (airstike) in 2 module slots. With c-bills coolants, you will use 2 slots and have no room for the airstrike (or one gimped coolant flush + the airstrike). It's a big difference.

It's one of those decisions that just make your customers hate you, even if they are addicted and will keep playing the game.

[satael]

The biggest problem I have with "damage skills" like artillery- and airstrike is that they are are either completely useless or you will be severely handicapped by not using them. Especially if used in premades to stack the strikes on one target(area).

[Lantyssa]

Campers like people trying to hold a capture point?

Sure.  It encourages me to get a faster capture module.

Now I hope there is some kind of warning about an incoming strike, so I can choose to get out of the way, but I don't have a problem with it in theory.  That's not to say they can't mess this up, but I'm not opposed to it in principle as they provide ways to control the battlefield and play at a level beyond robots annihilating one another.

[Arthur_Parker]

the game hasn't even been officially released yet

Does anyone think they ever will?

I do, that's a great marketing opportunity.

[Arthur_Parker]

The biggest problem I have with "damage skills" like artillery- and airstrike is that they are are either completely useless or you will be severely handicapped by not using them. Especially if used in premades to stack the strikes on one target(area).

Module information on artillery and airstrikes have been buried in the game files for at least 4 months I believe, I don't have an opinion on those myself really, as it all depends. but the MC only options I see as a different issue.

[TheWall]

For me, the motion on this game necessitates a vomit sock. I think I had bed spins it was so bad.

[Merusk]

Arty and air strikes will be nice for those "base is being captured.." moments when you're in an Assault Mech 1/2 the map away with all your lights dead and there isn't a damn thing you can do about it.

Of course, as someone else mentioned they'll be thrown about by organized lances to wipe out massed PUGs.

[Arthur_Parker]

PATCH NOTES MARCH 5TH, 2013

[Goreschach]

Open Beta Update #12

March is going to be a big month for us and we are starting things off with a guaranteed new favourite hero Mech, the Cicada X-5. No, those aren't head headlights. They are in fact missile tubes, you know for shooting missiles and stuff. With superb piloting skills this thing is going to pwn. Just check out those hardpoints and start your scheming. A Hero Mech so good I didn't feel the need to mention the 30% C-bill boost? WOW

 

[Merusk]

    - Host state rewinding is now implemented for instant fire weapons (i.e. lasers, machine guns, flamers); meaning you should now be able to hit moving targets with these weapons even when experiencing latency up to ~450 ms.

Was this already hotfixed or is this new, because.. very nice.

[Arthur_Parker]

They were going to put it in a while back but it needed further testing, it's live now with this patch.

Some undocumented changes too, like heat vision on caustic now works.

[Goreschach]

You are not being silenced.

[Ironwood]

God, that made me laugh.

[Ironwood]

Campers like people trying to hold a capture point?

You just got your ass kicked.

 

[Typhon]

Did they turn off matchmaking?  Played 10 games in a row and all but one were very lopsided.

[Segoris]

With the new camo pattern, I can finally create my dream team. That said -

Now accepting applications for Team Bomb Pop!

[Ironwood]

That reminds me :  There was a page I stumbled on where people were showing off Mech art that they had done.  I was quite surprised at the complexity of designs that some people were managing to pull off.