3 replies to this topic

[Lt Kataren]

Most people know me better around these forums as Tesunie. Bet you didn't know my gamer name had a last name too! Yup. I'm Tesunie Kataren! Now I'm Lt. Kataren! I have rank now! (No, my main account is still Tesunie, so fear not.)

Anyway. Due to plans within the Stock Mech Monday group, and intentions of creating a Stock Mech only Unit, I decided it would be best to create a new account for just the endeavor. This would reset my Elo to that of only my Stock Mechs (which I preform fairly well in anyway), and so that the unit's faction affiliation wouldn't be an issue for my pro-Davion main account.

Now, I'm not a new player, so I didn't have any difficulties with the UI, purchasing, matches, etc. However, I did at least experience some of the new user experience, as well as the changes that have happened during my existence on MW:O.

To start, I'll jump right at the beginning! Sounded like a good place to start. Upon opening the new account, I noticed several nice changes. When you have verified your account via an E-mail link sent to your E-mail account (make sure you use an E-mail you know how to get into people), it links you over to the "download the game" page. I would have preferred an "account activated" message somewhere at the top, so one knows for certain that their account is active and awaiting you to just join the game. However, being directly lead to the download page is very helpful still.

After the client runs for the first time, you get a popup message "Would you like to watch the tutorial?" I selected no, as I've already seen the tutorial when it came out to check what it covered. It's a nice start, but to be honest the game could use far more tutorials to help guide players into productive use of the game. Anything to help cut back on the learning curve would be helpful. Thankfully, this was something this "new user" didn't need... (I did not see if the patcher plays the introduction video. I know when I downloaded the test server patcher, it played a nice video while it was downloading... If the main version does the same, then that's great!)



Now, off to game play! You jump into your mechlab just about first thing (or I did, can't overly recall now). You see many mechs to use, all of which are the trials. The first trial it selected for me was the Firestarter, which probably isn't a bad first choice out of the roster you can select from. However, I selected the Nova Prime to start with, as I have been toying around with it in my main account anyway and was already familiar with it. Out of the other mechs, nothing really caught my fancy. (I know my skills lie in well used LRM attacks, with some close range punch to finish the job/defend myself.) (Also, this account is for Stock mechs only, and none of the Champions are stock, so I went with the stock Nova Prime.)

After playing a couple of matches, I had a questions I decided to ask right then and there about the Nova. It was a question burning in me for a while, but I didn't know the answer for certain. So, I went onto the forums "New Player Help" section and created a thread asking what I needed to know. (By the way, the question was when Ghost Heat applied to laser weaponry, as soon as the weapon starts to shoot, or after the beam is done? The answer is, Ghost Heat wont apply if you shoot your next group of lasers 0.5 seconds after the lasers started to shoot. So, in theory, when your lasers are done shooting, you are set to shoot the next batch as far as Ghost Heat is concerned.) As typical, good old Koniving (don't take the old comment too harshly! It's just a figure of speech) was there and quickly answered the question. (Which I pestered him a bit more once I revealed my true identity! MAHAHAHA!)

After posting my question, I noticed that I had a "Can only post x more posts before September 3rd". Though, I think I can understand this, I don't feel this is conductive to a new user at all. Limit the areas they can post in, but don't limit the number of posts they can make. What if they have questions? Lots of them? I'd suggest this should be changed personally. It seems kinda counter productive to me.

From there, I continued to play, and I did well as I was placed in the locked "New Player Elo", and I am clearly not a new player. However, I can't say I wasn't challenged either and the matches still seemed like fun. Things continued along well, and soon I found myself in my first new mech within 4 matches! (Or thereabouts.)

My first mech I bought was probably what others would call "newbie bait". I bought a Locust 1M (kept in it's stock configuration, no alterations). Call me brave, or foolish. I did feel it was nice to be able to so quickly buy my own new mech from the Cadet Bonus, and I do like how the achievements just flowed in at first. Really made me feel like I was making some quick progress in the game. I feel this is a great addition from back when I joined. (Back then, trial mechs were all stock mechs. There was no Cadet Bonus. R&R was in the game, and you had to earn a mech through more work. I don't know if I should feel like the new system just "gave" me stuff, or if I should feel like I earned it, considering how it use to be.)

Now, I know what I was getting into with purchasing the Locust first, but that was why I chose the 1M. I can be darn sneaky with those LRMs. This was an intentional choice on my end, and wasn't me going for "Newbie Bait". I have a damage goal of 100 damage (which if you do the math is a 5.0 damage to ton per match efficiency). I have often met that goal with the stock locust. Anyway, all things aside, I have seen piloting the 1M as a great learning experience! Did you know? A single Gauss to the Locust's CT will kill it? Yup. I do now! Did you know? A Direwolf need only look near a Locust, and you will lose at least a leg, or more than likely a side torso, an arm, and your CT all in a single tap. Yup. I know that now. Sneak and support? Hit and fad? Attack from the unexpected angles? Work from within the team? Yup. Already knew I needed to do that... but I definitely had to enforce that concept, and embrace it with this Locust. (You want a real challenge of skill? Play a stock Locust! I dare you...)

About the biggest problem I'm currently having with my new account is, the Trial Mechs appear under my Owned Mechs. Though this wasn't a problem at first and its only a minor nuisance on my main account where I own more mechs than there are trials and the trials are all hidden among my owned mechs. For my new account, I own two mechs and I feel that my two mechs I own myself gets lost and hidden among all the champion trial mechs. I can say, if I was a new player, once I have my own mech (and most people would trick it out, unlike me and my stock only challenge), I want to see only my mechs. I want my mechs to be the main focus. Overall, still a rather minor point in the grand scheme of things, but something I felt worth mentioning.



As far as all the technical stuffs and improvements, that is about it. However, there is also the "game play" side to being a new player. Of course, some of this is mitigated by me not actually being a new player and having previous experience (observe age of my main account, already mentioned above). Here is my take in the Cadet Elo rankings.

Personally, I have heard the MOST "This team sucks", "My Teammates are stupid", "You all are morons!" comments in the all/team chat than I have in a LONG time on my main account. I actually almost screened and reported those players it was starting to get so bad! Though there isn't much PGI can do besides policing the offenders after the incident, it really can be disheartening to a new player to just hear this toxin spew out from some highly inconsiderate players. It's offensive, but the offenders don't seem to see it that way. Personally, grip and complain to your monitor all you want. You don't have to make it spill out into all chat. (If you have nothing good to say, then don't say anything at all! Well... kinda true...)

I had been playing on my main account for so long, I actually started to forget what it was like to, I don't know how to exactly say this, have people "stab" me in the back? Let me continue here. In several of my matches when I was playing with my second mech (a Hunchback 4J), I had teammates who decided that the paint on the back of my mech was amazing and they wanted a closer look. Meanwhile, I suddenly need to back up as I see an Atlas walk around the corner. I swing my mech into reverse AND... *Clunk* I move forwards and back again to try and escape the Atlas, who by now is creating is own art on the front of my mech, *Clunk* I turn around to see why I'm not moving back (maybe I'm stuck on some pebble or a cliffside I missed?). Nope. I have a Cataphract who decided to use a Hunchback as a meat shield... Then, I promptly die at my teammates feet from the Atlas who is still lasering his initials into my mech... I have to say, I haven't had that happen in some time! I don't know if I should be happy from the nostalgia it brought up, or disheartened that I was slaughtered and basically stabbed in the back by my teammate... Oh well. It happens, life moves on.

I also had a lot of "shoot the Locust" from teammates. Once I almost lost a leg right at the start, and I was trying to avoid being in front of anyone. Then they "kicked" my leg as they ran right into me... I also almost died at startup from someone who "brushed" my Locust in the rear CT. Nearly killed me with that one hit! (A stock Locust doesn't have much armor to start with, please don't look at me! I might melt!) And yes, I understand the weaknesses of a Locust, and I also understand what it means to play stock only, and yes, I know what it means when I play a Locust stock only... But still. Friendly Fire REALLY hurts no matter what mech you are in, and even more so when it's a Locust!



Overall, I finished my 25 Cadet matches with relative fun. New user experience is finished and I'm now "one of the big boys!" So, lets see how well Stock mechs continue to fair in the real PUG matches! (And maybe even a few group matches too... who knows!) Just providing what feedback I can on the more technical side of the New User Experience, even if I can't re-experience the learning curve as well...

[Ryvucz]

That is a huge wall of text.

[Bishop Steiner]

Lt Kataren, on 03 September 2014 - 07:04 PM, said:

stock stuff

this would be a fun reason to bust out my 3rd acct again.......

Edited by Bishop Steiner, 03 September 2014 - 08:27 PM.

[Tesunie]

[redacted]

Besides the 5 posts that account has now made, it probably wont make any more (except maybe in the Stock Mech Monday thread... maybe...). I don't think it will cause any problems, as I'm not afraid to say it's my second account. (It says so in my alternate accounts location tag.)

I have no intentions of bringing "my rank" (second account, to be clear) into any arguments, which should solve that problem anyway.

(Guess why this account is responding to you?)

Ryvucz, on 03 September 2014 - 08:23 PM, said:

That is a huge wall of text.

Yes. Yes it is. At least I used paragraphs for easier reading?
An experience of 25 matches and "first" impressions on the new system can't so easily be summed up in a couple of words/sentences. So... sorry about it's length? I wanted to be as in depth and through as possible with my feedback.

Bishop Steiner, on 03 September 2014 - 08:26 PM, said:

this would be a fun reason to bust out my 3rd acct again.......

You have three accounts!?!?! I can barely juggle the two I have!

The more the merrier!

Edited by Egomane, 04 September 2014 - 01:45 AM.
responding to removed content