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I've added pictures visually explaining some of the functionality I'm sugesting, those are hidden in the spoiler buttons.
I’ve been playing this game for some years now, and even though the game have developed in certain aspects since I started playing, it also have a lot of unrealized potential. I also feel the game have moved a little away from the slogan PGI used to have, “MWO: A Thinking Person’s Shooter”. In this post I’ll describe how I’d like the development to make a turn from the current slightly fast pased arena shooter into a more tactical, and even strategical, oriented mech simulation.
I’ll also keep focus on the gameplay part for the game, the fighting if you like. There are other threads looking at CW between the drops elements written by other players that are great reads.
And before we kick off this post for real, I’d also like to add that I try to make as huge a move towards my target as possible without actually demanding to many and big changes to the game as it is. We can all dream, but let’s be honest. PGI is not going to rebuild the game to fit those dreams.
I like to start with some references to make you start thinking slightly in the direction I want to go with this. When MWO first started development, there was another Mechwarrior game out, the fan made Mechwarrior: Living Legends. I don’t want MWO to become this game, but LL had a few things going for it, and the most noticeable was the map size and more realistic buildup of the terrain. Now, some of you have played Living Legends, and even more have seen it on Youtube. For those who have not I’ll include this vid for reference.
As I wrote I liked the scale and realism of LL better, and things like good transition between running and walking movement was all quite interesting features. The more in depth sensors and focus on roles and classes was a plus. I could go on, but dare I just say it was more the tactical MechWarrior I imagined MWO would become as well. But to be fair, LL was not perfect by far.
Now, MWO have a lot going for it, especially the models are good, as well as most the effects and over all the graphics are better. MWO could, with few changes, easily be the best MW game ever.
My main issue with MWO is the scale, and total lack of mech roles and tactical gameplay. There are simply not enough room or time to make use of any of those. Making a 20 sec maneuver to the left is not tactics. Instead, we have nerfing of larger mechs and weapons so they can fit in the smaller arena style maps with the smaller mechs in the current rock, scissors and paper game. The new maps are bigger than before, but the new areas are not actually being used, both due to map design and objectives.
I also like the fact MWO only have mechs, not tanks and aircraft, as drivable units unlike LL. Many do not agrea with me here, but I think we should continue focusing on piloting mechs only.
As a reference to explain my toughts as well, this is from the King Crab description on Sarna.
"Its primary weapons, super-heavy autocannons mounted in its arms, can strip the armor off of any 'Mech in a few bursts." "The only reliable way to destroy a King Crab is with overwhelming numbers of heavy and assault 'Mechs, and casualties will be suffered in the attempt."
Needless to say, assaults in MWO cannot be what they are supposed to be, there is simply no way to balance the gameplay as there is no room to do any kind of real tactical maneuvers on the current maps, and there is little focus on roles and no use of cooperation between classes and roles.
Today, every single match is about making contact in the exact same location on the map and fight to the death. This is pretty much true in every game mode. The only reason one could call lights spotters is because they are faster and gets there 20 sec before the rest. They do not spot however; instead, they run circles around heavies/assaults or do occasional hit and runs. Actually, many players actually avoid targeting as much as possible. More often than not lights will have done the most damage and have more kills.
With assaults being real badass, lights would have a huge role just in locating, tracking and spotting, not running circles being the assaults worst enemy. Being able to move about without the enemy team knowing would become just as important as tracking the other team. Thus, the enemy spotters would need to be held off while key units are placed at key target areas.
I guess you know where I’m going with this, but I would like PGI to turn the ship a little, and bring us in the direction of Living Legends scale with huge maps and more role based gameplay. With mechs preforming how they should within the different classes and roles. Change the clash in the center arena maps with real terrain. Make more use of sensors.
In short I want a more sim and less arcade game. This would change the timeframe of each match, but in my opinion this is not a bad thing. Let’s take a look at how we and PGI can achieve this while not doing super big changes to the game.
So, what could be done to bring the game up to new standards?
Larger map size and new game mode with selectable drop zones that can be captured.
Having larger maps means further traveling distances, what’s the fun in that? Now, in Conquest, capping only gives points, and Assault is just about moving past the enemy instead of fighting. If you do, chances are the enemy team are not there to defend but on the other side capturing your base.
I’d like to blend Conquest with Assault into a new game mode. Where the goal is to capture the enemy base like in Assault. However, around the map there are drop points that can be captured like in Conquest. Controlling these drop points could let players drop at select locations. Then the team need to decide if they should defend these drop points, or use all mechs in attacks etc. Perhaps choosing select drop points to support a given maneuver, or to fall back into a defense. However, not keeping eyes on drop points could let the enemy drop in for a flank.
Tactics and strategy. Only downside of this would of course be the time it takes to finish a round. Sometimes it’s OK to sit down for 15 minutes just to play one round, but I’ll gladly sacrifice this for a more combat simulator kind of game and roles.
Multiple drops per round, and asymetric drop numbers.
Above I wrote about DZ’s that could be captured, and I realize the current game only lets you drop once. But the multi mech drop and weight limits from CW could be used in larger scale quick play maches as well. However, I would like to make a few changes. First I would make a 300 ton drop limit, then up the max number of mechs droped to 8. That’s 8 35 ton mechs or 3 100 ton mechs per player.
One match could then be 96 35 ton mechs against 36 100 ton mechs, with maximum 12 players ingame at any time, although I’d would perhaps prefer less drops and more players ingame if the maps were big enough. Each drop would also let players choose from the mech bay freely, as long as the tonnage limit is not exceeded, and mech have not already been destroyed this match. Trial mechs would have unlimited number of drops within the max 8 drops and 300 ton limit.
Another thing to consider is the Clan tech. We all know how Clan mechs should be a lot more powerfull than IS mechs, but fewer in numbers. Claners would sometimes need to make use of updated IS chassis, like the newly released IIC’s. So, to balance the game to account for tech differences I’d like to give all mechs efficiency points (EP) based on a base variable and to some degree actual game data, and then have a maximum EP for each game.
If we had an Efficiency Point max value of 400, where the Clan Direwolf maxes out with the highest number for a single mech at 250, and the IS Atlas could get an value of 130 a single player would not be able to drop with more than one Direwolf each match, whereas an IS player could still drop three times with an Atlas. The King Crab could be given a value of 200, opening for two drops.
These numbers are just examples, but doing something like this could make the game more like mechwarrior should be and in line with the BT universe where assault mechs were really powerfull but relatively few in numbers.
Max tonnage and EP values could also be different from map to map and/or game mode to game mode. Or even have some degree of randomization to force changes between other ways similar matches.
As a team is about to lose, dropping in an Atlas as last line of defense at home base could just turn the tide.
So, just by making the maps bigger, having more objectives, and opening for more drop options per match, the classes and roles in Mechwarrior could really shine where they were intended to, while each match would be more unreliable and more tactical driven.
In "quick drop" people would be able to drop with both IS and Clan mechs. In CW they would be locked to either Clan or IS depending on their contracts. This system would scale for both.
Yes, at the cost of 15 minute drop in matches. Then again, if this is your flavor, go play Hawken.
Active and passive radar, Sensors, and how they could work.
Kicking down the lights from the role as Assaullts, as some of them aparently are today, they would need other objectives.
My thought is still not to change existing key functionality to much at once. However, a few touches here and there could make for some extended use of scouting, tracking and intelligence gathering roles, with increased bonuses for playing out those roles. In addition, I do realize such changes might break with some rules here and there, but I also believe the game could benefit somewhat from them.
Note that this can be considered phase one, but I think it will buff the value of teamwork a little. It might not be lore, but I try thinking gameplay as well.
All mechs starts match with radar in passive mode.
- No enemy mechs will be targeted before radar is activated or data is relayed from other friendlies.
- When a mech is scanned by enemy radar it will know the direction of the enemy mech, but not the range.
Spoiler
Active Radar With basic sensors, can be carried by all mechs:
- Would track all enemy mechs not hidden by obstacles.
- Range equals current sensor range.
- All enemies would show up as red triangles on minimap like today, for mech with active radar.
- The mech can target and lock for its own weapons, and get targeting data.
- Enemy positions are relied to friendlies, but as dots only and with no targeting data.
- The mech cannot guide friendly mechs weapon systems, like LRM.
- When a mech is scanned by enemy radar it will know the direction of the enemy mech, but not the range. This includes mechs with longer radar range or mechs protected by ECM.
- The minimap shows a line with the direction to the source of the radar.
Spoiler
Active Radar with advanced sensors, can be carried by certain mechs (like the raven):
- All features of Active Radar with extended range.
- Enemy positions are relied to friendlies with full targeting data.
- Equipped mech relay targeting data to friendly mechs and can guide friendly weapon systems like LRM.
- Mechs with ECM still shows up on map, but data collection and weapons guidance is prevented.
Spoiler
- When two mechs with advanced sensors are scanned by enemy radar they can triangulate the source location.
- Triangulated data is relayed to friendlies and show enemy on minimap as a dot.
- This also works with radar in passive mode.
- Triangulated mech cannot be targeted.
Spoiler
ECM (How ECM should work can be discussed, but I use the existing ECM functionality as base)
- Blocks enemy radar like today, no targeting possible.
- Will not block radars with advanced sensors, but will prevent locks. Dots on enemy minimap.
- Counter mode will break enemy ECM within its bubble, nullifying it.
- Prevents enemy units within range to relay data to friendlies.
Tag laser
- Targets enemy mechs for own lock on, even with passive radar and if enemy is protected by ECM.
- Do not collect data about targeted mech.
- All mechs can relay data for lock on to friendly mechs as long as the targeted mech is not in enemy ECM bubble.
- Mech with Advanced Sensors can relay data for lock on, even if the targeted mech is in enemy ECM bubble.
- Tag laser is only visible trough night vision.
Spoiler
NARC
- Lets all mechs lock on to NARCed enemy, even with their radar in passive mode.
- If NARCed mech is protected by ECM, mechs with passive radar will not be able to target.
- If NARCed mech is protected by ECM, active radars will be able to pick up on the signal from NARC and lock on to target.
- Mechs with Standard Sensors would not be able to relay targeting data from NARCed enemy with ECM to others.
- Mechs with Advanced Sensors will be able to relay targeting from ECM protected enemies to friendly mechs as long as the NARC is active.
- NARC do not provide any data about mech.
Environmental hazards and weather
In addition, I’d like environmental hazards. No, not earthquakes and such, but walking in lava should not be healthy for your mech.
Make nights pitch black forcing night or heat vision.
Have blizzards with close to zero visibility forcing heat vision, still with low visibility. Powered down mechs looses their heat signature making them increasingly more difficult to spot over a period of 60 sec. etc. Cold objects do not show before 50m away, active mechs up to 400 etc. Just play with things like this, some might work, others not so much.
I think this could be a good place to start.
I’m just dropping thoughts as I write here. Might be going over board, but there you go….
Changelog
19.01.2016: Brushed up the post to be up to date relative to the current state of the game, but only smaller changes.
20.10.2016: Added images showing how radars could work, with passive, active and advanced sensors. Press spoiler buttons in the Radar and Sensors section. Did some changes in the multiple/asymetric drops section.
21.10.2016: Added image showing triangulation of enemies using passive radars with advanced sensors and image showing usage of the TAG laser.
08.04.2017: Changed the LL video with a newer one showing the map landscape and layout better. As well as weapons and explosions.
Edited by Serpentbane, 26 October 2018 - 06:18 AM.
