I've started to make reviews of games on my youtube channel and wanted to make one about mechwarrior.. I have some ideas but wanted everyone's thoughts of the good and bad points of this game in general. I will make one bad and one good as I know both have almost equal quality's and can improve or stay the same depending on the situation, so i'm reaching out to a great group of fans of the game that know whats going on.
To let you know I've played Mechwarrior Online from beta and also the RPG/board game from 1982 when it was called BattleDroids not battletech to let you know my experience..
Thanks
Lets hear your thoughts
2
The Good And The Bad
Started by Oldbob10025, May 31 2016 07:46 AM
20 replies to this topic
#2
-
-
- The Tip of the Spear
- 754 posts
Member
- LocationBetween the last bottle and the next.
Posted 31 May 2016 - 07:49 AM
First off, make sure to dress up as your favourite mech for the review and film yourself in costume.
#3
-
-
- Veteran Founder
- 4,242 posts
Member
- LocationLouisville, KY
Posted 31 May 2016 - 07:53 AM
Good: Fairly competent Battletch themed arena shooter
Bad: Not the simulator I was promised when I gave PGI my founder's money
Bad: Not the simulator I was promised when I gave PGI my founder's money
#4
Posted 31 May 2016 - 07:55 AM
Ryllen Kriel, on 31 May 2016 - 07:49 AM, said:
First off, make sure to dress up as your favourite mech for the review and film yourself in costume.
yea I know angry joe does that LOL
#5
-
-
- Bad Company
- 1,601 posts
Member
- LocationGermany
Posted 31 May 2016 - 07:58 AM
The good:
Basic gameplay is spot on and fun.
Big selection of available mechs.
Customization.
The bad:
PERFORMANCE
Lacks complexity (gamemodes play too similar, Information Warfare too shallow)
Performance
Toxic community at times.
Performance
The Neutral:
Small but (mostly) loyal playerbase. Even most of the moaners stay and still play.
Basic gameplay is spot on and fun.
Big selection of available mechs.
Customization.
The bad:
PERFORMANCE
Lacks complexity (gamemodes play too similar, Information Warfare too shallow)
Performance
Toxic community at times.
Performance
The Neutral:
Small but (mostly) loyal playerbase. Even most of the moaners stay and still play.
#6
-
-
- Overlord
- 815 posts
Member
Posted 31 May 2016 - 08:01 AM
Don't forget to use memes, sarcasm, shouting and hyperbolae to wow the current generation. If it's not got a cat video in it then my millennial brethren will quickly switch off.
#7
-
-
- Overlord
- 1,057 posts
Member
Posted 31 May 2016 - 08:21 AM
The good.
It's battetech. Fans of the IP play it just for that.
Quick pvp. You don't need to devote an hour to finish a match, like say dota.
Alex has some great designs. I like the look of a lot of mechs WAY MORE than the original art.
The bad.
12v12 team deathmatch and 4v4 try-to-find-the-enemy-and-maybe-get-a-fight are the only match options. Domination/skirmish/conquest/assault all devolve into 12v12 team deathmatch so there's no real reason to count those as separate modes.
Pricing model. While the 20 dollar chassis packages are an improvement, the older 4 mech packages were horrendously ****. 120 bucks for 4 chassis that you'll probably only like one, if that. I get that a more niche game like MWO requires charging more but omfg that's gouging. I've spent so much money on this game it's ridiculous, and that's not because I can't live without the products....it's me doing my part to keep the game alive for as long as possible because I want it to do well.
Mech/weapon diversity isn't there. Viable loadouts are few. The game really needs constant adjustment in mech/weapon balance. For instance, laser vomit is king right now, and has been for quite some time with no real changes made to make other loadouts more attractive.
Changes to the game come slowly. We're talking glacier speed. CW and scouting mode were hinted at for ages before they made it into the game. People have been talking about solaris matches breathing new life into the game but if you've been around for a while you'd know that we'll be lucky to see it by the end of next year.
It's battetech. Fans of the IP play it just for that.
Quick pvp. You don't need to devote an hour to finish a match, like say dota.
Alex has some great designs. I like the look of a lot of mechs WAY MORE than the original art.
The bad.
12v12 team deathmatch and 4v4 try-to-find-the-enemy-and-maybe-get-a-fight are the only match options. Domination/skirmish/conquest/assault all devolve into 12v12 team deathmatch so there's no real reason to count those as separate modes.
Pricing model. While the 20 dollar chassis packages are an improvement, the older 4 mech packages were horrendously ****. 120 bucks for 4 chassis that you'll probably only like one, if that. I get that a more niche game like MWO requires charging more but omfg that's gouging. I've spent so much money on this game it's ridiculous, and that's not because I can't live without the products....it's me doing my part to keep the game alive for as long as possible because I want it to do well.
Mech/weapon diversity isn't there. Viable loadouts are few. The game really needs constant adjustment in mech/weapon balance. For instance, laser vomit is king right now, and has been for quite some time with no real changes made to make other loadouts more attractive.
Changes to the game come slowly. We're talking glacier speed. CW and scouting mode were hinted at for ages before they made it into the game. People have been talking about solaris matches breathing new life into the game but if you've been around for a while you'd know that we'll be lucky to see it by the end of next year.
#8
-
-
- Rage
- 9,883 posts
Member
- LocationOn the farm in central Minnesota
Posted 31 May 2016 - 08:27 AM
A review:
MWO: A game that attempts to give the player a nostalgia fix for those craving a taste of the 80's era BattleTech table top game as well as the subsequent MechWarrior2 series of PC video games. The game attempts to feed that fix and just barely succeeds. Game play is merely reminiscent of the MW2 series, and lacks any of those previous games unique settings or modes, any notable sense of achievement or player progress, interactivity with NP game elements or terrain, and many other aspects of those previous games that would be taken for granted if re-released today. MWO does provide full customization of player's mechs as well as a fairly intuitive interface for doing so. The game also is an excellent resource for teaching patience as it often can take several minutes for the game to assemble sufficient player numbers for a match. All in all, MWO succeeds in being the only BattleTech themed FPS in existence. Whether its oft cited moniker of "a thinking man's shooter" is accurate, is a mater of much debated opinion.
MWO: A game that attempts to give the player a nostalgia fix for those craving a taste of the 80's era BattleTech table top game as well as the subsequent MechWarrior2 series of PC video games. The game attempts to feed that fix and just barely succeeds. Game play is merely reminiscent of the MW2 series, and lacks any of those previous games unique settings or modes, any notable sense of achievement or player progress, interactivity with NP game elements or terrain, and many other aspects of those previous games that would be taken for granted if re-released today. MWO does provide full customization of player's mechs as well as a fairly intuitive interface for doing so. The game also is an excellent resource for teaching patience as it often can take several minutes for the game to assemble sufficient player numbers for a match. All in all, MWO succeeds in being the only BattleTech themed FPS in existence. Whether its oft cited moniker of "a thinking man's shooter" is accurate, is a mater of much debated opinion.
#9
-
-
- FP Veteran - Beta 1
- 1,125 posts
Member
- LocationThe biggest party you have ever seen
Posted 31 May 2016 - 08:33 AM
The Good:
Big robots smashing each other to scrap.
The Bad:
It's not a Battletech game as it lacks many aspects of the Btech universe.
Big robots smashing each other to scrap.
The Bad:
It's not a Battletech game as it lacks many aspects of the Btech universe.
Edited by GonaDie, 04 June 2016 - 08:18 AM.
#10
-
-
- The Vicious
- 1,904 posts
Member
- Twitch: Link
- LocationHillsboro, OR
Posted 31 May 2016 - 08:52 AM
Good:
-Mech combat.
-Arena 12 v 12
-Cosmetic Customization - colors, patterns
-Variety of maps
-Lots of Mechs
Bad:
-Lack of vision, no follow through on original concept pitched by Dev's, CW
-Skill tree - largely pointless, cannot customize strengths or quirks for mechs
-Quirks - Dictate builds and often times are over-sweeping
-Community engagement tools, no chat lobbies, no real reason to join a unit unless you like playing in group queue
-Maps - poorly designed choke point forced
-Game modes - all play the same (TDM) lack of vision and implementation concerning these for sure
-Lots of Mechs - Over-saturation creates redundancy, power-creep, older chassis obsoleted and forgotten in terms of balance
-Balance - nonsensical broad sweeping changes at time
-Incentive to play - Nothing to hook players long term
-PGI - Becoming haughty towards the player base, admits to not needing our input, lack of features in game that have been tried and true for at least the last decade of gaming
-Mech combat.
-Arena 12 v 12
-Cosmetic Customization - colors, patterns
-Variety of maps
-Lots of Mechs
Bad:
-Lack of vision, no follow through on original concept pitched by Dev's, CW
-Skill tree - largely pointless, cannot customize strengths or quirks for mechs
-Quirks - Dictate builds and often times are over-sweeping
-Community engagement tools, no chat lobbies, no real reason to join a unit unless you like playing in group queue
-Maps - poorly designed choke point forced
-Game modes - all play the same (TDM) lack of vision and implementation concerning these for sure
-Lots of Mechs - Over-saturation creates redundancy, power-creep, older chassis obsoleted and forgotten in terms of balance
-Balance - nonsensical broad sweeping changes at time
-Incentive to play - Nothing to hook players long term
-PGI - Becoming haughty towards the player base, admits to not needing our input, lack of features in game that have been tried and true for at least the last decade of gaming
Edited by GRiPSViGiL, 31 May 2016 - 08:53 AM.
#11
Posted 31 May 2016 - 08:53 AM
GonaDie, on 31 May 2016 - 08:33 AM, said:
The Good:
Big robots smashing each other to scrap.
The Bad:
It's not a Battletech game as it lacks mane aspects of the Btech universe.
Big robots smashing each other to scrap.
The Bad:
It's not a Battletech game as it lacks mane aspects of the Btech universe.
Yea that was one of my notes was its lack of being part of the Battle Tech Universe
#12
-
-
- Little Helper
- 2,030 posts
Member
Posted 31 May 2016 - 08:54 AM
The Good:
Movement mechanics are good (animations could use some work - put back in some of the nice details like inverse kinematics). Cockpit interface is intuitive and easy to use.
Mech art overall is fantastic. Some designs I don't prefer, but overall a majority of players seem to like most of the designs, which is extremely difficult to achieve.
Fairly stable multiplayer environment (I know, some will call foul here, but compared with some other larger scale games, it's definitely in the acceptable-good range for me).
Mech Lab UI has gotten a lot better (the lab part is good, borderline great). Although the mech-select and other parts could use some changes, the screen for building the mech itself is in a very good place.
The Bad:
Too much arcade-style play. Not a bad business move, but bad for me. A lot of this is driven by trying to compete with FPS games that are geared towards competitive tournaments (i.e., "E-Sports"). I don't care if they try to do E-Sports here, but I don't want it to drive the game development.
Not enough information given in the mechlab. Charts are tiny and not useful (e.g., no options to overlay multiple weapons on the same damage vs range chart to compare them). Ghost heat system is so complex and not explained in any detail in the mechlab - can't figure out heat behavior of weapons fire unless you go to the testing grounds and see for yourself. Why not an option to calculate heat output in % based on clicking checkboxes on loaded weapons (e.g., firing weapons 1, 2, 3, and 5 at the same time will generate x% heat). Heat scale itself is weird being in % and not just absolute numbers. I really don't like how this whole system that is meant to balance the weapons is the most difficult to learn.
Glacial pace of changes. Because of competitive environment focus, devs are hesitant to make changes that could upset balance. Rather than try things rapidly and converge on an acceptable solution faster, they move very slowly in an attempt to get the perfect solution (but often too late to keep up with new mechs, maps, etc.).
No immersion - FW is just another arcade-mode with more mechs. There's almost nothing interesting to do outside of the actual fights. I remember spending hours in MW2: Mercs reading the news feeds, looking at all the different screens available. The writing wasn't spectacular, but it was decent enough.
No lobby system & very little reason for running private matches. They need to implement custom ruleset options for private matches and a general lobby system to talk to people who are online and invite others who you may not have on your friends list. The social tools in this game are abysmal and really need some work. I'd put this as priority #1 if it were my game.
Movement mechanics are good (animations could use some work - put back in some of the nice details like inverse kinematics). Cockpit interface is intuitive and easy to use.
Mech art overall is fantastic. Some designs I don't prefer, but overall a majority of players seem to like most of the designs, which is extremely difficult to achieve.
Fairly stable multiplayer environment (I know, some will call foul here, but compared with some other larger scale games, it's definitely in the acceptable-good range for me).
Mech Lab UI has gotten a lot better (the lab part is good, borderline great). Although the mech-select and other parts could use some changes, the screen for building the mech itself is in a very good place.
The Bad:
Too much arcade-style play. Not a bad business move, but bad for me. A lot of this is driven by trying to compete with FPS games that are geared towards competitive tournaments (i.e., "E-Sports"). I don't care if they try to do E-Sports here, but I don't want it to drive the game development.
Not enough information given in the mechlab. Charts are tiny and not useful (e.g., no options to overlay multiple weapons on the same damage vs range chart to compare them). Ghost heat system is so complex and not explained in any detail in the mechlab - can't figure out heat behavior of weapons fire unless you go to the testing grounds and see for yourself. Why not an option to calculate heat output in % based on clicking checkboxes on loaded weapons (e.g., firing weapons 1, 2, 3, and 5 at the same time will generate x% heat). Heat scale itself is weird being in % and not just absolute numbers. I really don't like how this whole system that is meant to balance the weapons is the most difficult to learn.
Glacial pace of changes. Because of competitive environment focus, devs are hesitant to make changes that could upset balance. Rather than try things rapidly and converge on an acceptable solution faster, they move very slowly in an attempt to get the perfect solution (but often too late to keep up with new mechs, maps, etc.).
No immersion - FW is just another arcade-mode with more mechs. There's almost nothing interesting to do outside of the actual fights. I remember spending hours in MW2: Mercs reading the news feeds, looking at all the different screens available. The writing wasn't spectacular, but it was decent enough.
No lobby system & very little reason for running private matches. They need to implement custom ruleset options for private matches and a general lobby system to talk to people who are online and invite others who you may not have on your friends list. The social tools in this game are abysmal and really need some work. I'd put this as priority #1 if it were my game.
#13
Posted 31 May 2016 - 08:59 AM
Oldbob10025, on 31 May 2016 - 07:55 AM, said:
yea I know angry joe does that LOL
I don't like Angry Joe. I don't know if it's just him, or the persona he puts forth, or whatever, but I avoid his material. It's just not for me.
Keep that in mind. Do your material in a fashion you are comfortable with. Make something you would enjoy watching. Some people won't like it, and there's nothing wrong with that.
As for "the good" of MWO: Giant robot shooter with a deep customization system.
"the bad": Relatively slow development rate (development of non-mech assets has been very slow), almost no single-player content (just the bare-bones training academy and testing grounds, which still requires you to be online), poor new player experience (training grounds and cadet bonus c-bills are nice, but not near enough), no in-game documentation of the customization system, very little content that does anything to bring the Battletech universe to the player.
Basically, it's a great game for those already familiar with the Battletech/Mechwarrior franchise, but a rough game to try to introduce people to that franchise with.
#14
-
-
- Mercenary
- 4,763 posts
Member
- LocationAurora, Indiana, USA, North America, Earth, Sol, Milky Way
Posted 31 May 2016 - 09:09 AM
The good:
1 - Art direction, especially mech concepts.
2 - Gameplay fundamentals.
3 - Helpful community.
4 - Free.
5 - Best IP in computer gaming.
The bad:
1 - Slow or nonexistent balance tweaks.
2 - Community bad apples (but what game doesn't have those?).
3 - Prices are high if you decide to pay for content.
4 - 12v12 makes Quick Play very unforgiving.
1 - Art direction, especially mech concepts.
2 - Gameplay fundamentals.
3 - Helpful community.
4 - Free.
5 - Best IP in computer gaming.
The bad:
1 - Slow or nonexistent balance tweaks.
2 - Community bad apples (but what game doesn't have those?).
3 - Prices are high if you decide to pay for content.
4 - 12v12 makes Quick Play very unforgiving.
#15
-
-
- The Privateer
- 2,688 posts
Member
Posted 31 May 2016 - 09:55 AM
The Good:
-Big Beautiful Mechs
-BattleTech/MechWarrior IP
-Some lore present
-Free to Play (if you are patient)
-Quick Play where you can drop in for a casual game or you can play for hours.
-Mech Lab where you can customize your Mech to suit your play style within certain parameters. This can be entertaining in itself
- Very playable with a decent computer and internet connection.
-Fun to shoot other Mechwarriors alone, with a friend or in groups.
The Not so Good:
-Plays too much like a generic first person shooter with too fast time to kill for an armored combat game. Firing all weapons at once should not be the norm. It should be a desperation move and there should be negative ramifications for the pilot doing it.
-Not enough maps (if you buy a shiny sports car you want lots of nice roads to drive it on. If you buy a shiny new Mech then you should have lots of nice Maps to drive it on.
-No AI controlled combined arms assets.
-Quirks. These are used to balance Mechs that were never meant to be balanced. Mechs should have roles to play not quirks.
-MechLab - Yes, this is both a good and not so good. While customizing your Mech is fun it wreaks havoc on balance. Thus it becomes a double edged sword for the game when the tendency is to ignore hardpoint diversity and boat weapons. It also has a tendency to narrow Mech diversity by making certain Mechs overpowered in comparison to other similar chassis. Current Mech roles are for the most part reduced to all lasers, all ballistics, all short ranged missiles or a combination using two of the three. All -Mechs are judged by how much damage they can deal while firing all their weapons at once multiple times.
-Most game modes end up being variations of attrition ( this is slowly improving as some people actually play the objectives)
-No real roles for Mechs other than kill-kill-kill.
-Faction Play (FP) is a disaster with low population, too many factions and no easy way for newcomers to transition into the mode. Getting crushed by organized units when trying to learn the mode results in new players becoming frustrated and leaving FP for good.
-Not enough lore present and no real sense of accomplishment for FP.
The Bad:
-There is nothing terrible about the game. It just has a lot of untapped potential and PGI is slow to realize and make use of that potential. There is some question as to who the target audience they are trying to reach really is.
-Big Beautiful Mechs
-BattleTech/MechWarrior IP
-Some lore present
-Free to Play (if you are patient)
-Quick Play where you can drop in for a casual game or you can play for hours.
-Mech Lab where you can customize your Mech to suit your play style within certain parameters. This can be entertaining in itself
- Very playable with a decent computer and internet connection.
-Fun to shoot other Mechwarriors alone, with a friend or in groups.
The Not so Good:
-Plays too much like a generic first person shooter with too fast time to kill for an armored combat game. Firing all weapons at once should not be the norm. It should be a desperation move and there should be negative ramifications for the pilot doing it.
-Not enough maps (if you buy a shiny sports car you want lots of nice roads to drive it on. If you buy a shiny new Mech then you should have lots of nice Maps to drive it on.
-No AI controlled combined arms assets.
-Quirks. These are used to balance Mechs that were never meant to be balanced. Mechs should have roles to play not quirks.
-MechLab - Yes, this is both a good and not so good. While customizing your Mech is fun it wreaks havoc on balance. Thus it becomes a double edged sword for the game when the tendency is to ignore hardpoint diversity and boat weapons. It also has a tendency to narrow Mech diversity by making certain Mechs overpowered in comparison to other similar chassis. Current Mech roles are for the most part reduced to all lasers, all ballistics, all short ranged missiles or a combination using two of the three. All -Mechs are judged by how much damage they can deal while firing all their weapons at once multiple times.
-Most game modes end up being variations of attrition ( this is slowly improving as some people actually play the objectives)
-No real roles for Mechs other than kill-kill-kill.
-Faction Play (FP) is a disaster with low population, too many factions and no easy way for newcomers to transition into the mode. Getting crushed by organized units when trying to learn the mode results in new players becoming frustrated and leaving FP for good.
-Not enough lore present and no real sense of accomplishment for FP.
The Bad:
-There is nothing terrible about the game. It just has a lot of untapped potential and PGI is slow to realize and make use of that potential. There is some question as to who the target audience they are trying to reach really is.
#16
Posted 31 May 2016 - 11:12 AM
I was expecting a few comments but this is overwhelming and I would like to add one thing to the list of good
1)Great group of players that are dedicated to the game and willing to help anyone with the game I've played World of tanks for many years and if you dont do good they will come over to your house and murder your family for not wining the game. The help i've gotten with my music videos for mechwarrior or just to get some footage for a intro has been great and would like to say the community is awesome..
Everyone should pat themselves on the back about that...
1)Great group of players that are dedicated to the game and willing to help anyone with the game I've played World of tanks for many years and if you dont do good they will come over to your house and murder your family for not wining the game. The help i've gotten with my music videos for mechwarrior or just to get some footage for a intro has been great and would like to say the community is awesome..
Everyone should pat themselves on the back about that...
#18
-
-
- Stone Cold
- 488 posts
Member
Posted 31 May 2016 - 04:15 PM
Decent video. But you use the word "plentora", when you mean "plethora". I think that the worst problem MWO experiences is what you covered as a lack of social tools.
#19
-
-
- Bad Company
- 4,316 posts
Member
- LocationLinoleum.
Posted 31 May 2016 - 04:24 PM
GOOD
-Big "robots" with lots of customisability and with different weight class each with different feels and role to help keep piloting interesting.
-Great, microtransaction based, system to paint your mech with good freedom.
-Giant robots shooting lasers yo.
-Content always is implemented. *
BAD
-Fear of making changes for balance even if just to test things for a few weeks.
-I doubt we will ever get anything thats not small arena fight. We arent getting a planet side style of play.
-Only starting to create a friendly environment for new players with a tutorial.
* -Content trickle slowly, community rarely has something to say about it, hence a lot of the "content" usually polish something lacking or repair something broken.
you made your vid 8 hours after asking for ideas? okay...
-Big "robots" with lots of customisability and with different weight class each with different feels and role to help keep piloting interesting.
-Great, microtransaction based, system to paint your mech with good freedom.
-Giant robots shooting lasers yo.
-Content always is implemented. *
BAD
-Fear of making changes for balance even if just to test things for a few weeks.
-I doubt we will ever get anything thats not small arena fight. We arent getting a planet side style of play.
-Only starting to create a friendly environment for new players with a tutorial.
* -Content trickle slowly, community rarely has something to say about it, hence a lot of the "content" usually polish something lacking or repair something broken.
Oldbob10025, on 31 May 2016 - 03:48 PM, said:
Ok I made it and here it is for you all .. thank you for your input and I used several ones from that...
you made your vid 8 hours after asking for ideas? okay...
Edited by DAYLEET, 31 May 2016 - 04:27 PM.
#20
Posted 31 May 2016 - 04:39 PM
DAYLEET, on 31 May 2016 - 04:24 PM, said:
GOOD
-Big "robots" with lots of customisability and with different weight class each with different feels and role to help keep piloting interesting.
-Great, microtransaction based, system to paint your mech with good freedom.
-Giant robots shooting lasers yo.
-Content always is implemented. *
BAD
-Fear of making changes for balance even if just to test things for a few weeks.
-I doubt we will ever get anything thats not small arena fight. We arent getting a planet side style of play.
-Only starting to create a friendly environment for new players with a tutorial.
* -Content trickle slowly, community rarely has something to say about it, hence a lot of the "content" usually polish something lacking or repair something broken.
you made your vid 8 hours after asking for ideas? okay...
-Big "robots" with lots of customisability and with different weight class each with different feels and role to help keep piloting interesting.
-Great, microtransaction based, system to paint your mech with good freedom.
-Giant robots shooting lasers yo.
-Content always is implemented. *
BAD
-Fear of making changes for balance even if just to test things for a few weeks.
-I doubt we will ever get anything thats not small arena fight. We arent getting a planet side style of play.
-Only starting to create a friendly environment for new players with a tutorial.
* -Content trickle slowly, community rarely has something to say about it, hence a lot of the "content" usually polish something lacking or repair something broken.
you made your vid 8 hours after asking for ideas? okay...
Like I said I had most of it done already just asking the community if anything else I might have missed and added some more itens.. Editing is not that hard to put something in...
1 user(s) are reading this topic
0 members, 1 guests, 0 anonymous users
