Mechwarrior Online

[Hoax]

Pencilboom: What do you guys feel about large weapons boating? And what are you guys planning to do to prevent them from creating game imbalances?
A: This is something that Paul is looking into currently and he will post a CC statement on his findings. We’re also exploring incentivizing players to balance out their BattleMechs better on a personal and team level in addition to small tuning changes.

Forcing people to mix weapons should be a red flag to them but they don't see the problem, it's the age old issue of devs not playing the game enough, they also killed the general forum a while back, which was the main feedback loop.

If it's not just me not liking the current gameplay, that's always difficult to tell, but it's so bad I don't think it is.  The fall in numbers of players should let them know fairly soon that something is wrong.

Still staying far away from this. These guys are just no good at this. They are fixing the wrong problems the wrong ways.

[Falconeer]

Paul Inouye engages a random forum poster and spills some more info on the solution they are investigating to prevent excessive PPC boating. This comes after his statement from two days ago:

Under investigation right now:
To curb boating with high alphas... we are testing a system that induces a heat scale when firing multiples of the same weapon within a specific time frame. The more weapons fired of the same type, the higher the scale climbs.

Possible internal damage on certain heat levels of the player's Mech. If you blast past your shutdown threshold and then some, you start to take damage internally.

Today:

Random Forum Poster, on 18 May 2013 - 12:41 AM, said:
I have read your posts on an energy system. I thought about the same thing, but I just don't like the idea, so I didn't reply to your other posts so far. Since you are bringing it up here, though, I will share my reason for feeling the energy system is not the right solution:

I already have a heat gauge to watch; and don't need another one for energy.

Paul Inouye, on 18 May 2013 - 12:50 AM, said:
Um... who said ANYTHING about a gauge to watch? Are you confusing heat scale (which is a heat penalty that increases over time or some other factor) with an actual HUD element?

Random Forum Poster, on 18 May 2013 - 12:41 AM, said:

Energy system would add another mechanic for PGI to have to get right, and they obviously aren't capable of understanding the game-play, armaments, etc. without adding an additional layer of complexity.

PPCs can be fixed with easy range and (slight) heat modifications.

Paul Inouye, on 18 May 2013 - 12:50 AM, said:
So you want heat modifications to help fix PPC's? This is what a heat scale is. It's also unique to weapons. Some weapons will hardly see a problem... some others will see larger penalties.

Am I reading it right? Consequences for boating and overheating only for some weapons, or different based on the kind of weapon?

[Arthur_Parker]

I try to be personally polite most of the time but Paul has always been an argumentative dumb arsehole, good luck trying to make sense out of anything he says.  He's the worst dev by a mile and PGI apparently hate him interacting on the forums.

[Merusk]

Am I reading it right? Consequences for boating and overheating only for some weapons, or different based on the kind of weapon?

Yes, that's what he said in the first place.  It would have been clearer if they'd tossed some actual numeric examples.

My understanding is (not using actual numbers because I don't want to look them up):
Alpha PPC = 6 heat
Alpha 2x PPC = 2(6)+2 Heat
Alpha 4x PPC = 2(6) + 10 Heat
Alpha 6xPPC = 6(6)+20 Heat

So the more of a weapon type you have, the higher the heat penalty on your alpha.

However, if you chain fire, that penalty might be  +0, +5, or +10 depending on how far from the penalty CD you fire again.

[Hoax]

That shit is why I'm nowhere near coming back to this game. These guys are so fucking bad. That is the most cumbersome and complicated and stupid fix to the wrong problem. What a bunch of dumbass shit devs these guys are. Giant robots deserve better than this.

[Merusk]

Yeah,  and all to avoid the simple fix of convergence delay or cone of fire.

[Arthur_Parker]

I was thinking that most of the current issues have really come to light because there is less lag and hit detection is so much better.  6 ppc mechs were a stupid thing to do for a laugh in the past because you'd likely miss and die, (it was a great way to teach yourself to aim though). 

To use a terrible analogy, if PGI was hosting the archery events at the Olympics, it would be identical bows, clamped to tripod in a locked firing position in an indoor arena with no wind.   They've removed most of the random/skill nature element from the game.

With the move to 12 v 12 coming at some point I wonder if the extra resource impact of that on the servers is going to help introduce new random elements.

[Falconeer]

All the trailers' music.

https://soundcloud.com/mechwarrior

[Llyse]

That shit is why I'm nowhere near coming back to this game. These guys are so fucking bad. That is the most cumbersome and complicated and stupid fix to the wrong problem. What a bunch of dumbass shit devs these guys are. Giant robots deserve better than this.

The devs aren't the brightest bunch by a mile but I agree with Falc that it'll plod along but could be so much better. It'll take me an eternity to get anywhere close to Arthur's time and that was worth a chunk of Founder cash.

[Hoax]

I just can't stand it. The keys to balancing the game are in the fucking game.

The heat penalties that are in the fucking game, fix all heat boating and pop tart shutdown alpha bullshit in one pass. If you are at 95% heat and dump a 6 ppc volley your mech fucking blows up. If you are 95% heat you can't hit anything at long long range and you can barely move. That's in the fucking game. If you are jumping in the air or running at 100+ kph you don't get pinpoint accuracy. That's in the fucking game. It disgusts me that it took 8 patches for them to get to basically the proper missile damages (the ones from TT) and its going to take them what seems like forever, meaning they will never get it, to make ac20 at 1000m and 6 ppc not the best builds.

What are their redeeming qualities other than that they are working with good IP? They can't design maps, they can't design game modes. Social sucks. The way mechs ragdoll and struggle up hills doesn't feel like a sim it feels like your playing <insert any UT shooter here> with generic character physics.

They have a great mech concept art guy and they have done good work with the texture and models of the game. Full stop. Everything else they do is average to horrible.

[Zetleft]

I can't disagree with anything Hoax said, I fixed my lockup problems awhile ago and still can't seem to log in and play.  As others have said I will log on randomly to see if anyone I know is playing and if they are not I close the game and move on.  They have an awesome IP and they just fuckup implementing what is in the rules to cater to the run and gun cod style of gaming instead of making a simulation.  But I can't really fault them in that as that is where the money is but that is not what I want in a mechwarrior game.  This is turning into the same shit of that mechwarrior game on xbox which was total action and fast mechs.  I will probably still play if people I know are playing and its free but I have little faith that this will take alot of my limited gaming time anymore which is sad to say.  I hope they change it up and really enjoy when I can join up with people from here so we will see where it goes from here. 

[Falconeer]

I just can't stand it. The keys to balancing the game are in the fucking game.

The heat penalties that are in the fucking game, fix all heat boating and pop tart shutdown alpha bullshit in one pass. If you are at 95% heat and dump a 6 ppc volley your mech fucking blows up. If you are 95% heat you can't hit anything at long long range and you can barely move. That's in the fucking game. If you are jumping in the air or running at 100+ kph you don't get pinpoint accuracy. That's in the fucking game. It disgusts me that it took 8 patches for them to get to basically the proper missile damages (the ones from TT) and its going to take them what seems like forever, meaning they will never get it, to make ac20 at 1000m and 6 ppc not the best builds.

I agree 100% with what you said up to this point.

What redeems it for me is that even with all this being absolutely true, I still have lots of fun playing. And I can only assume that even with the worst case scenario of everything staying the way it is now, Community Warfare and organized play with friends (many of which refuse to touch it until it has Guilds and Corps) will make it better, not worse.

[Falconeer]

New map trailer, Canyon Network.

Size is pretty much like Caustic Valley.

[Samprimary]

As far as I can tell, giant robots rarely get this good a shake. I'll be as sad as anyone else if the Good Times turn out to be a fluke, but given how much fun I had before the Bad Times, I also don't think it's impossible for the magic to hit again.

[apocrypha]

OK, they've got an engine, they've got a load of art assets, they've hopefully got a pile of money from this.

Would it be beyond the realms of possibility for them to make a single player, campaign driven game, à la MW4 etc? And if they did do you think it would have a market? I know I'd be interested (unless it sucked wet farts out of dead pigeons).

[Ironwood]

Not a chance.  Nowhere near enough resources.

[satael]

Not a chance.  Nowhere near enough resources.

Maybe they could kickstarter it (I mean they probably got most of their profit for mwo from founder packages so kickstarting should be right up their alley) 

[Arthur_Parker]

They have been very careful not to rule PVE out, IF MWO is a success then anything is possible.

[Falconeer]

While I am very, very happy with finally haveing a multiplayer Mechwarrior, it's not like I wouldn't be extremely happy with a new singple player game, too. Who would?

I am sure they are thinking about it, for the future, given enough resources.

[satael]

Not a chance.  Nowhere near enough resources.

Maybe they could kickstarter it (I mean they probably got most of their profit for mwo from founder packages so kickstarting should be right up their alley) 

...and just yesterday someone started a mech game kickstarter (though it seems to aim at multiplayer/e-sport segment instead of a single-player game)

[Falconeer]

That's not a mech game. It's a mecha game.

[Falconeer]

Looks like Jump Jets will make your crosshair shake.

[Ironwood]

You know what else does that ?

Six PPCs to the fucking face.

[Falconeer]

The most annoying thing is that 5 PPCs do the same thing. And even 4, which happen to be very viable, are insanely devastating. Anyway, anti-boating heat-scale incoming, right?

[Falconeer]

Here's the Blackjack trailer.

[Arthur_Parker]

http://mwomercs.com/forums/topic/118540-patch-may-21st-server-downtime-at-10am-pdt/

[Ironwood]

LRM's working again.

 

[Falconeer]

Better damage, better speed, better tools to support it. BUT, it comes with a buff to AMS. I guess we have to wait and see how it works. I am worried though. Everything they touch breaks something else.

[Arthur_Parker]

I'm lrm'ing the fuck out of anyone with a ppc.

[Ironwood]

This cannot be stressed enough :  Put your AMS THE FUCK BACK IN.

 

[Merusk]

Glad I never took it off!   Laziness once again proves to be my benefactor in gaming! 

[Falconeer]

This whole thing turned that Stalker with double AMS into a lovely machine.

[Ironwood]

I bought a Highlander C before the patch that I put LRMs in just for fun.  Never got anywhere with it.

Tonight, I've maxed the perks.  Jesus Christ, the death.  And watching those little 2 PPC fucks die ?  Priceless.

[Merusk]

Sounds like it's time for my Stalker 5M and Founder's Catapult to take a little walkabout once more.

[Kail]

Not a chance.  Nowhere near enough resources.

Maybe they could kickstarter it (I mean they probably got most of their profit for mwo from founder packages so kickstarting should be right up their alley) 

...and just yesterday someone started a mech game kickstarter (though it seems to aim at multiplayer/e-sport segment instead of a single-player game)

Holy shit, Heavy Gear!  Wow, that takes me back.  I love that setting.  Thanks for linking this, would have totally missed it otherwise.