51 replies to this topic

[StalkinWolf]

Hi guys how are you? I'm sorry for asking such a question but I've been away from MechWarrior/Battletech for over a decade now...
I'd like to start playing as a claner but I see that people keep complaining about nerfs and such.
Is this game on a decline or something? Are people not really happy anymore?
I'd like to be a claner because back in the day thats all I was always. I have nothing against IS mechs at all.
I might end up asking more questions if you guys don't mind. Feedback is greatly needed.
Thank you everyone, best of luck to all!

[Surn]

The game has flaws but it is fun.

[Tesunie]

StalkinWolf, on 23 May 2015 - 09:14 AM, said:

Hi guys how are you? I'm sorry for asking such a question but I've been away from MechWarrior/Battletech for over a decade now...
I'd like to start playing as a claner but I see that people keep complaining about nerfs and such.
Is this game on a decline or something? Are people not really happy anymore?
I'd like to be a claner because back in the day thats all I was always. I have nothing against IS mechs at all.
I might end up asking more questions if you guys don't mind. Feedback is greatly needed.
Thank you everyone, best of luck to all!

This depends upon your own personal enjoyment of the game. If you enjoy the game, and have the money, then by all means do as you please.

Do realize that, like most every online game out there, things will change over time with this game, such as nerfs, buffs or out right changes as PGI feels is needed for the balance of the game. If you can handle a game that tries to balance items out in the game from time to time, then this game should be fine for you. If you want all your stuff to "only be buffed", then be cautious.

So, my question is, for the term "all the way", what exactly do you mean? Spending real money on the game? Or just playing only clan mechs and the clan side of CW?

[Elizander]

Most games get nerfs. Changes happen. Shoot stuff. Have fun. Pew.

Edit:

MWO also has the usual "Sky is falling+I hate this game but I still play it+Negative Nancy Forum Warrior that doesn't play anymore" crowd that most other online games have as well.

But if you ask for help most people will try to give you advice and just recently people gave away free codes in the forums so the community can't be that bad.

Edited by Elizander, 23 May 2015 - 09:28 AM.

[Anunknownlurker]

Give it a go, see if you like it; you can play the trial mechs for 25 games and pick up enough in game cash to buy a few mechs (probably only 1 if you go clan.

Yes there are problems - CW is a mess, matchmaking is a bit...odd, mech balance can be questionable sometimes and I think the game is currently at a tipping point but:

• PGI tries to change things and does respond to the players quite often (although this can be both positive and negative).
  
• It is extremely hard to turn a tabletop game where two players (usually) control a large number of units, into a team-based first-person, online shooter. On the whole I feel PGI has done a hell of a good job balancing the strengths/weaknesses of individual mechs; yep, there are a lot of mistakes but at least they do try to fix them which is a LOT more than many other, similar games do.
  
• The community, with some exceptions, is one of the friendliest and most helpful I have met online for many years.
  
• Given the relatively small player-base it can seem like the forums are full of negativity but, with a little bit of hunting you can find just as many positive posts.
  
• The Clan nerfs are not that big. I am a high-average player now (it's taken time and effort to get there but here I am!) and I have noticed a small drop in overall damage and dps in my Timber Wolves but it's still one of the best chassis in the game, just not the "I-win" button it maybe was.
  
• Driving big stompy robots is FUN

Most importantly, I enjoy playing MWO, I have fun playing MWO and if you find the same, well, you are in for a good time!

Hopefully see you on the battlefield.

[StalkinWolf]

Thank you for replies guys yes by going all the way I mean investing real money into the game. Would you suggest doing prem or playing the game for free?

Also I am ok with changes since I've been though something likethat in game like World of Tanks where if you know about that game a thing or two things like artillery is unplayable which turned me off from that game completely

Edited by StalkinWolf, 23 May 2015 - 09:42 AM.

[Elizander]

Depends on your patience/free time really. There are many who play for free and you can get mechbays from Community Warfare and weekend events that they run frequently.

Premium speeds things up decently as well as a Hero mech (but you won't always be playing a hero mech since you are leveling others). Try playing normally and see if the grind after 25 matches (when your cadet bonuses run out) is fast enough or if you need the boost from premium.

Everyone has their threshold so gotta decide if you're an F2P or premium time kinda guy.

The game will tell you anyway how much more you would have earned in XP/C-bills if you have premium.

Edited by Elizander, 23 May 2015 - 09:44 AM.

[Tesunie]

StalkinWolf, on 23 May 2015 - 09:39 AM, said:

Thank you for replies guys yes by going all the way I mean investing real money into the game. Would you suggest doing prem or playing the game for free?

Also I am ok with changes since I've been though something likethat in game like World of Tanks where if you know about that game a thing or two things like artillery is unplayable which turned me off from that game completely

Paying real money only gets you:
- A faster way to gain experience.
- Faster way to gain C-bills.
- Get some stuff before the free players do (preorder mech packs).
- Vanity items. (Paint. Cammo. Cockpit items. Etc.)
- Additional Mechbays. (Which are used to hold more mechs for you to play with. You can now earn many Mechbays in the game, but it never hurts to have extra.)

Paying money into this game is a good way to show support for the game and keep it going. I tend to pay for mech packs, so I get mechs before other players do. (Mostly because I'm impatient, than anything else.) Premium time is nice, as it helps reduce the grind to purchase new gear and boost your mechs skills faster by generating more experience.

Most mech packs give you additional colors, so they can often be worth it as a double bonus.


In the end, it's up to you. If you wish to avoid grinding and playing the game for new stuff, then you can easily skip that by purchasing things with real money. Just be warned, PGI may change how things work for one of the mechs you buy. This isn't a bad thing, but some people feel they are entitled to buffs only because "I paid for this". If you can't handle things changing from time to time, then avoid the headache you may get when they alter your mech you bought. (Overall though, PGI doesn't do too bad of a job balancing mechs and things. Some people I feel just overreact before they even try out the changes.)

I personally like buying mech packs when I can. I like the game. I like PGI (even if they sometimes make mistakes). I like to support them when I have the money to do so. (If you are looking for clans, Wave 1 and 2 are already in the game. Buy one of those packs (at any level) and they will be useable almost instantly. You want to wait a bit for new mechs, Wave 3 mechs are up for preorder, and soon to be introduced into the game. You'd have first use of those mechs if you preorder (for a couple of months) before they get sold for in game C-bills.)

[Nothing Whatsoever]

StalkinWolf, on 23 May 2015 - 09:14 AM, said:

Hi guys how are you? I'm sorry for asking such a question but I've been away from MechWarrior/Battletech for over a decade now...
I'd like to start playing as a claner but I see that people keep complaining about nerfs and such.

Nah, those are just a few voicing displeasure over very minor changes really. IMHO, the problem is lack of actual info in-game and how those values are displayed compared to actual performance.

For example, recently there was quirks that increased beam duration and cooldown. The net effect was slightly decreasing DPS and improving HPS due to current game mechanics. So tweaking builds around a tad is what was commonly happening (such as ironically adding an extra laser or two to builds).

And with specific numbers, the displayed net for example could be as high as 30% for duration and cooldown.

So an ERLL (one weapon most affected) would go from a 1.50 beam duration to 1.95, a difference of 0.45.
And without Fast Fire or the Cooldown Module, Cooldown went from 3.25 to 4.23 a difference of 0.98.
So having Fast Fire and the Cooldown Module should only see that go from 3.25 to ~3.67

Quote

Is this game on a decline or something? Are people not really happy anymore?
I'd like to be a claner because back in the day thats all I was always. I have nothing against IS mechs at all.
I might end up asking more questions if you guys don't mind. Feedback is greatly needed.
Thank you everyone, best of luck to all!

People will find something to be unhappy about if that's what they're looking for! So don't worry about that.

I've been, over time, running as many mechs as I can and finally getting around to trying Mad Dogs, so I can safely say that Clan mechs are plenty viable, and can be built for different roles and intents.

That's what this area is for after all helping out new (and returning) players, so be not afraid to ask away.

StalkinWolf, on 23 May 2015 - 09:39 AM, said:

Thank you for replies guys yes by going all the way I mean investing real money into the game. Would you suggest doing prem or playing the game for free?

Also I am ok with changes since I've been though something likethat in game like World of Tanks where if you know about that game a thing or two things like artillery is unplayable which turned me off from that game completely

MWO's balance is rough around the edges, but the game is still quite playable once you get a feel for the basics. I see your account has been around for a while, so if you were away for a while, we can fill you in on game mechanics and other advice.

Also, if there is any particular mechs you really like and are having fun with what's here in MWO, I'd safely say it's a good idea to spend a little bit. Overall the best value is buying Mech Bays and Premium Time, so that you can get more mechs with C-Bills and earn more per match.

[Levi Porphyrogenitus]

StalkinWolf, on 23 May 2015 - 09:14 AM, said:

Hi guys how are you? I'm sorry for asking such a question but I've been away from MechWarrior/Battletech for over a decade now...
I'd like to start playing as a claner but I see that people keep complaining about nerfs and such.
Is this game on a decline or something? Are people not really happy anymore?
I'd like to be a claner because back in the day thats all I was always. I have nothing against IS mechs at all.
I might end up asking more questions if you guys don't mind. Feedback is greatly needed.
Thank you everyone, best of luck to all!

A bunch of entitle Clan players are complaining because the two best mechs in the game are now only way better than the others instead of way, WAY better like they used to be.

Also, if you have IS stuff on this account, I recommend you create an alt to run your Clan stuff with. This is less important if you don't plan on going all-in as a faction loyalist, and if you've already spent money on mixed tech then you're pretty much stuck.

[StalkinWolf]

That is very true I created my account a while back but just never got around to even trying this game up until now I am currently trying to do "Testing Grounds" to get use to the controls, so much to remember, I don't remember MW3 or MW4 being this complex at all lol. Things are getting better I just got to remember where everything is. What do you guys use to pilot your mechs? KB and Mouse or something else?

[Vanguard319]

StalkinWolf, on 23 May 2015 - 09:14 AM, said:

Hi guys how are you? I'm sorry for asking such a question but I've been away from MechWarrior/Battletech for over a decade now...
I'd like to start playing as a claner but I see that people keep complaining about nerfs and such.
Is this game on a decline or something? Are people not really happy anymore?
I'd like to be a claner because back in the day thats all I was always. I have nothing against IS mechs at all.
I might end up asking more questions if you guys don't mind. Feedback is greatly needed.
Thank you everyone, best of luck to all!

To be honest, there was a recent scandal involving hacking and cheating among the "competitive scene." (so much for skill) This is just the tip of a very large iceberg. If you want to play the game, I won't try to dissuade you, or tell you not to play, as the choice to do so is ultimately yours. However, if you are interested in hearing why people left, and why there's so much negativity towards the game as a whole, I would suggest reading this thread.

[Mark of Caine]

Something you should be made aware of though for clan mechs:

Fixed items. Many, if not all, of the clan mechs have fixed items in their different components, such as structure, armor, XL engines and heat sinks. The Adder has a fixed Flamer in the CT. Not sure about other mechs if they have fixed weapons.

Best way to find out these things is to go to the Mechlab, select Purchaseable in the drop down menu on the upper left, and then when you select a mech, it will show up on the right with a blue Mech details button. Here you can see a layout of everything in the mech and where the hardpoints are, as well as where all the fixed items are. This can be truly important if you want to try certain builds.

As an example, when I bought my Lokis, I was hoping to use a twin gauss build, but found out to my dismay that there just isn't enough free tonnage to do it. Just one of many examples to be aware of.

So remember, when it comes to clan mechs, buyer beware. If you can, try to take advantage of the 35% sale. I saved 11 million Cbills with 2 Warhawks yesterday. That's quite significant for my pocketbook.

Edited by Caine2112, 23 May 2015 - 04:37 PM.

[Naduk]

StalkinWolf, on 23 May 2015 - 09:14 AM, said:

Hi guys how are you? I'm sorry for asking such a question but I've been away from MechWarrior/Battletech for over a decade now...
I'd like to start playing as a claner but I see that people keep complaining about nerfs and such.
Is this game on a decline or something? Are people not really happy anymore?
I'd like to be a claner because back in the day thats all I was always. I have nothing against IS mechs at all.
I might end up asking more questions if you guys don't mind. Feedback is greatly needed.
Thank you everyone, best of luck to all!

just download and play
there are lots of clan mechs for you to use in the Trial section
so even as a beginner you can be Clan out of the gate

game is not in decline any more than anything else
people come and go it is the same with all things (its doing a lot better than battlefield 4 lol)

the forums are never really going to be a happy place
the happy people are to busy shooting lasers and launching LRMs to come to the forums
people here are either stuck at work, something else or having a rage quit for the day

sure there are plenty of valid concerns and arguments on the forums but for the most part its just a whine fest in gen pop, take for example when PPC's got nerfed the complaints were endless "game is dead" "gg PGI" "never playing again" where thrown around like confetti
but the game is still here, still strong and those people are still playing and people still use PPC's (a lot), it happened with the gauss, LRM,SRM and pretty much every other weapon
basically it happens any time stats on anything get changed, people come and complain because most people in the world do not like change

Nerfs
this is a PVP game, has been from day 1 will be for ever more, even if they make a PVE mode it will still be balanced as a PVP game, this means when something is performing above its target intent it gets nerfs, when something is not doing well enough it gets buffs
PGI typically take a while to do balance passes because they collect lots of data and try to factor in the entire product not just one persons feelings about how mech/weapon X should be op and stay that way
they want all of their clients to have fun, not just people who own mech X
many people argue that the worst thing to happen to battletech was the introduction of the clans, PGI seeks to rectify that by making them "different not better" but using this approach they will feel powerful and awesome, making you a badass clan warrior but not via ridiculous over power gear and tech, instead you will rely on your skills just like everyone else

the fact that its actively balanced means the game will have a long life as people can play the way they want to instead of being forced to use a small selection of OP items that produce very stale and boring game play
MWO is not immune to imbalance but it is in a better state than majority of PVP games on the market

lastly its free, so jump in and have a go
shoot those clan weapons about and if you enjoy it we will see you on the field

also its dangerous to go alone so take this
http://mwo.smurfy-net.de/mechlab

[Rogue Jedi]

StalkinWolf, on 23 May 2015 - 09:14 AM, said:

Hi guys how are you? I'm sorry for asking such a question but I've been away from MechWarrior/Battletech for over a decade now...
I'd like to start playing as a claner but I see that people keep complaining about nerfs and such.
Is this game on a decline or something? Are people not really happy anymore?
I'd like to be a claner because back in the day thats all I was always. I have nothing against IS mechs at all.
I might end up asking more questions if you guys don't mind. Feedback is greatly needed.
Thank you everyone, best of luck to all!

the Nerfs people are complaining about were Laser beam duration on the Timber Wolf and Stormcrow, basically a 3% increase to laser duration for each energy hardpoint so if you have 10 energy hardpoints you have a 30% increase in beam duration, the less hardpoints you use (and you can chose the number by swopping omnipods) the shorter the duration increase is, my favorite Timber Wolf build got a 12% increase to its 4 MPLs, that is barely noticeable.

the Clan tech is not significantly over powered, they have been balanced by increasing duration on all Clan weapons Clan Lasers take longer to discharge than IS lasers, Clan LRMs fire in a streem rather than all at once on an IS Mech, Clan Autocannons are burst fire rather than single shot for the IS
most Mechs have quirks designed to bring all Mechs to roughly equal strength, and as others have mentioned there is no Mixed Tech and Omnimechs (at current the Clans only have Omnimechs available) have fixed unremovable equipment.

some people are unhappy because it has taken PGI longer than expected to deliver on some of its promises and many have been upset by the addition of things like 3rd person view.
MWO beta started about 3 years ago, in that time some people have became board and left

[Leone]

Caine2112, on 23 May 2015 - 04:34 PM, said:

As an example, when I bought my Lokis, I was hoping to use a twin gauss build, but found out to my dismay that there just isn't enough free tonnage to do it. Just one of many examples to be aware of.

Just so you know, it can be done. You just hafta lose the armour. I think I'm at, like half the armour tonnage on mine, but you can take four tons of ammo, or three an an ECM.

And yes, I have taken the ECM version into CW and run dry. Something about 30 points of pinpoint damage to anyone looking at you just helps keep it alive I guess. Still, some teams know to focus me, so it's not something I bring everyday.

Edit: @Nightshade24 to be fair, I learnt the Gauss Mechanic on a Firestarter, so it's no worst than I'm used to, and twice as good actually. But yes, when I finally break down an get a Jager, I hope to be downright scary.

Also, @OP. I don't know how much your money/time importance ratio works. But here's what I do know. There's a little button on the lower right. Looks like three little people silhouettes. Click that. took me a month to notice it. Friend me on there, ask to drop with me, if we're on at the same time. I would be more than happy to drop with you and/or demo my builds of any NVA, HBR, TBR, SCR, or GAR-D. (Still working on getting two more man'o'wars to skill up my GAR-D.)

Edited by Leone, 24 May 2015 - 03:32 AM.

[Mazzyplz]

i am happy but not happy also... the game is a bit repetitive.
some of the mechs are a bit too powerful, though not as much as you'd think by reading this forum
and the community warfare feature was a dud. i think we waited not for much honestly. they did a good effort but the long corridor/chokepoint maps favor a distinct kind of mechs and it's not fun to drive one hour and do matches that take so long!

those are my complaints, what is there though, is solid.

[Nightshade24]

Leone, on 24 May 2015 - 02:14 AM, said:

Just so you know, it can be done. You just hafta lose the armour. I think I'm at, like half the armour tonnage on mine, but you can take four tons of ammo, or three an an ECM.

And yes, I have taken the ECM version into CW and run dry. Something about 30 points of pinpoint damage to anyone looking at you just helps keep it alive I guess. Still, some teams know to focus me, so it's not something I bring everyday.

that makes the duel gauss mad dog look good and make the duel gauss jager look like an unholy being o-O

[Levi Porphyrogenitus]

StalkinWolf, on 23 May 2015 - 03:53 PM, said:

That is very true I created my account a while back but just never got around to even trying this game up until now I am currently trying to do "Testing Grounds" to get use to the controls, so much to remember, I don't remember MW3 or MW4 being this complex at all lol. Things are getting better I just got to remember where everything is. What do you guys use to pilot your mechs? KB and Mouse or something else?

I think most players run keyboard/mouse, though a few do keyboard/flight stick, or mouse/flight stick, or even specialized setups using a throttle controller and flight stick. Generally, though, you get the best amount of control and responsiveness with the standard keyboard/mouse setup.

Consider also that, by default, throttle decay, arm lock, and 3rd person view are set to "on" in your options. I recommend turning all three off. It might take a game or two to get used to how your mech handles after doing this, but your overall game will improve dramatically once you start to get comfortable.

[StalkinWolf]

Very very helpful information thank you very much guys I am a little less overwhelmed now thanks to all of you!