Patch Notes - 1.4.81 - 23-AUG-2016

by Alexander Garden in [ Patch Notes ] on, Aug 19, 2016 8:00 PM UTC 139  comments



Upcoming Patch - Tuesday August 23rd @ 10AM PDT - 1PM PDT
Patch Number: 1.4.81
Patch Size: ~860 MB (Standalone Client) ~1.3 GB (Steam)
Please note that due to compression differences the Steam patch size may be larger than the standalone client patch size.

Quick Links

• Cyclops
• 'Mechs Available for MC
• New Cockpit Items, Titles, and Badges
• Decals
• Multiple Drop Decks
• Favorite 'Mechs Systems
• In-Game Store Cart
• Supply Caches
• Crimson Strait Art Update
• Gameplay
• Map Fixes and Changes
• 'Mech Pattern Retrofits
• 'Mech Fixes and Changes
• Other Fixes and Changes
• Patch Files (Direct Download)


Greetings MechWarriors,

The Cyclops has arrived, and is now en-route to the MechBays of eligible MechWarriors. Though some of its variants are relatively under-armored compared to other Assault BattleMechs of a similar tonnage, the above-average top speed of the Cyclops combined with the inherent Sensor Range boost of 150m for itself - and 100m for any allies within its radius - suits the Cyclops chassis toward a focus on front-line command and support.

The multiple Drop Deck system is now available for Faction Play! By default each player is provided with two Drop Deck slots already unlocked for both Scouting and Invasion respectively. Two additional slots can be purchased with MC for each mode, allowing for a total of 4 Drop Decks each for both Scouting and Invasion.

The in-game Store now has a Cart-based system to make purchasing easier and faster, particularly when purchasing multiple items at once. Once items have been added to the Cart you can increment their quantity (when applicable), rename a 'Mech, and swap between your choice of currency to use for each item individually. As part of this new Cart system we have also set the default currency in the Store to use C-Bills (when applicable), instead of the previous default of MC.

Crimson Strait has received an art update in this patch, featuring Time of Day, partially destructible columns under the saddle, and an array of other improvements to make the map more visually dynamic and pleasing. Aside from collision clean-ups and LOD improvements, Crimson Strait has undergone no layout or major gameplay-affecting changes.

92 new Decals are arriving in this patch, spread across the Basic (180 MC) and Special (500 MC) categories. A number of improvements to the Decal system are also included, such as the ability to flip a Decal when placing it. Equipped Decals can also now be swapped between slots to allow for easy layering adjustments. Check out the Decal section of these Patch Notes for all the changes.

The Art team are continuing to work on Pattern retrofits for the remaining 'Mechs without full Pattern support. In this patch the Atlas, Awesome, Centurion, Commando, Dragon, and Hunchback 'Mechs are the latest to receive Faction Pattern retrofits.

Rounding out the patch we have an array of map fixes and 'Mech fixes, including a Pattern fix for the Adder chassis and an improvement to shadow culling across all maps and all quality specs, rarity indicators for Supply Cache items, Category filtering for Decals and Cockpit Items, a Favorites system for the Select 'Mech menu to allow for quick filtering of your most-used 'Mechs, an improvement to connection times when returning from a match, and much, much more!

Read on for all the details, and we'll see you on the battlefield!

- The MechWarrior Team




Cyclops (Assault)

Per Star League Defense Force Quartermaster’s request, Stormvanger Assemblies, Unlimited delivered an assault command platform for Regular Army forces operating in swift, mobile offensives. Its above-average speed for a ninety-ton BattleMech—sixty-four kilometers per hour—superb command capabilities in its Tacticon B-2000 Battle Computer, and Olmstead 8400 communications system covered the requested specifications in spades. Unfortunately, many SLDF commanders often tried using the Cyclops as an assault BattleMech along the lines of more heavily armored Awesomes or Stalkers, only to find themselves outgunned with below-average armor. This earned it an unfair reputation, leaving it an unusual BattleMech, with most having lost their Tacticon long ago due to poor repairs and lack of supplies.

Release Date for MC: November 1st 2016
Release Date for C-Bills: December 6th 2016

Cyclops Module Slots (all variants)

• 'Mech Module Slot(s): 1
• Weapon Module Slot(s): 2
• Consumable Slot(s): 2
• 'Mech/Weapon Slot(s): 1 (only available after unlocking that variants Mastery Skill tier)

Cyclops Variants

• CP-11-A [S]
The CP-11-A [S] is a Special version of the CP-11-A, featuring a unique Pattern and a 30% boost to C-Bill earnings. The CP-11-A [S] is only available through the Collector Cyclops Pack, and will not be made available for purchase in-game.

• CP-11-A
The CP-11-A is the standard version of the CP-11-A [S]. It does not possess the 30% C-Bill boost or the unique Pattern of its [S] counterpart. Until its release date for in-game purchase the standard CP-11-A is only available through the Standard Cyclops Pack.

• CP-10-Q
Until its release date for in-game purchase the CP-10-Q is only available through the Standard or Collector Cylops Pack.

• CP-10-Z
Until its release date for in-game purchase the CP-10-Z is only available through the Standard or Collector Cyclops Pack.

• CP-11-A-DC (Reinforcements Add-On)
Until its release date for in-game purchase the CP-11-A-DC is only available as a Reinforcement Add-On to an existing Standard or Collector Cyclops Pack. 

• CP-11-P (Reinforcements Add-On)
Until its release date for in-game purchase the CP-11-P is only available as a Reinforcement Add-On to an existing Standard or Collector Cyclops Pack. 

• CP-S "Sleipnir" (Hero Add-On)
The CP-S is the Hero variant of the Cyclops, featuring a unique Hero Pattern and a 30% boost to C-Bill earnings. Until its release date for in-game purchase the CP-S is only available as a Hero Add-On to an existing Standard or Collector Cylops Pack.



The base variants that comprised the stable of 2015 Loyalty 'Mechs are now available for purchase in-game with MC.
The Loadouts of these 'Mechs are identical to their 2015 Loyalty Variants, but they do not possess the +30% C-Bill Boost or the special Loyalty Armor Pattern of their 2015 Loyalty 'Mech counterparts.

• Cicada CDA-3F: 3,095 MC
• Executioner EXE-C: 7,200 MC
• Nova NVA-D: 3,640 MC
• Wolverine WVR-7D: 3,170 MC
• Zeus ZEU-9S2: 4,515 MC

Release Date for C-Bills: September 20th 2016



Along with their complimentary delivery to eligible Cyclops owners, the following Cockpit Items are also now available for purchase in-game:


Cyclops Bobblehead (Cyclops Standing Item): 750 MC


Armillary Globe (Cyclops Hanging Item): 750 MC


Cyclops Warhorn (Cyclops Warhorn): 500 MC


Chess Knight (Early Adopter Hanging Item): 500 MC



Cyclops Standard Pack (and Collector Pack)


"The Ogre"

Cyclops Collector Pack


"The All Seeing"

These Titles and Badges are only available through their associated Cyclops Pack. The Collector Pack comes with both.



• 92 Decals have been added in this patch, spread across the Basic (180 MC) and Special (500 MC) categories.
• Equipped Decals can now be switched between Slots directly by dragging and dropping them from one Slot onto another. This will allow you to adjust Decal layering without needing to manually re-apply the Decals.
• Decals can now be flipped with the 'F' key.
• Decals can now be filtered by Category.
• Fixed an issue where certain Black colors could appear invisible over certain areas of a 'Mech.
• Fixed an issue where Decals could project onto environment geometry.
• Fixed an issue where environment Decals could project onto 'Mechs. The environment Decals removed in the July patch to mitigate that issue have now been restored.
• Fixed an issue where switching a colorable Decal (with a custom Color already applied) to a non-colorable Decal, and then back to a colorable Decal, would reset the custom Color to default.
• When switching to the Colors tab from the Decals tab, the Decal Colors window will now be selected by default.
• When switching to the Colors tab from the Pattern tab, the Pattern Colors window will continue to be selected by default.



A multiple Drop Deck system is now available for Faction Play. By default each player is provided with two Drop Deck slots already unlocked for both Scouting and Invasion respectively. Two additional slots can be purchased with MC for each mode, allowing for a total of 4 Drop Decks each for both Scouting and Invasion.

An additional Scouting Drop Deck costs 300 MC.
An additional Invasion Drop Deck costs 1,200 MC.

You can access the Drop Deck system through the 'Manage Drop Decks' button found on the Home, MechLab, and Faction Play screens.
Each Drop Deck can be given a name for easy classification and identification. The Current Tonnage of each Drop Deck is also listed.

Editing a Drop Deck uses the standard Select 'Mech system used elsewhere in MechLab.

For Mercenaries and Loyalists, Drop Deck management is currently restricted according to your allegiance. In other words if you are currently aligned with an Inner Sphere Faction you will be unable to create a Drop Deck featuring Clan 'Mechs, and vice versa. Switching allegiances will still retain any Drop Decks you have already created. The Inner Sphere Drop Deck you created would still be present if you switched to Clans, for example. You could then either create a new Clan Drop Deck in another slot, or edit your existing Drop Deck.

As a Freelancer, adding an Inner Sphere or Clan 'Mech as the first 'Mech in a Drop Deck will then automatically filter your Select 'Mech list according to the Inner Sphere or Clan alignment of that first 'Mech.



'Mech variants can now be added to a Favorites filter within the Select 'Mech menu for easy filtering of your most-used 'Mechs. Once you've Favorited a 'Mech by clicking the Star icon in its portrait that 'Mech will appear in your Favorites filter within the Select 'Mech screen.


Purchasing multiple items through the in-game Store, such as 'Mechs, Consumables, or Supply Cache Keys, will now be simpler through the use of a new Cart system. When purchasing 'Mechs you can easily toggle which currency you intend to use. Certain items can be purchased in bulk by increasing their Quantity in your Cart.

In addition to the introduction of this Cart, purchasing a 'Mech will now use C-Bills as the default currency in the Purchase Confirmation window, when applicable. 


Once an Item has been added to the Cart, a Cart icon will appear on the right side of your screen. Click on this icon to see the current state of your Cart and its items.




Items within a Supply Cache are now highlighted to indicate their Rarity type. Common Items have the highest chance of being received from a Supply Cache, while Ultra Rare Items will have the lowest chance of being received.

Items will have the same level of Rarity across all Caches they appear in. For example, a 7 Day Premium Time reward will always be Ultra Rare.

Please note however that there is currently a Known Issue in this patch related to Supply Cache rarity highlights for specific Caches. Certain Supply Caches are currently listing 1 Day Premium Time items with different Rarity levels across different Caches.





Hover your mouse over the above image to view a Time of Day timelapse of the updated Crimson Strait.

Unlike our previous map updates, the changes you'll see in this patch for Crimson Strait are purely cosmetic.

Terrain

 Updated rock geometry
 Updated foliage (grass, bushes, etc.)
 Updated terrain textures
 Added small trees
 Updated terrain shadows

Breakables

 Small trees
 Cars, small container, trucks
 Cargo lifts - underside of platform ceiling
 Fork lifts - on and under platform
 Platform pillars now take cosmetic damage
 Railings, fences, etc.
 Surface rocks

Other Additions

 Rails & rail cars
 Off-shore Freighters
 Harbour entrance
 Spot lights
 Street lights
 24-hour Time of Day Cycle

Fixes

 Cleaned up instances of misaligned geometry
 Cleaned up instances of floating geometry (trees, rocks, etc).
 Improved various LOD's
 Tightened up collisions throughout the map
 Slightly raised the ocean bottom



 Center Legs/Arm Lock: Fixed an issue where centering your legs while the camera is moving quickly would cause the camera to snap to the reticle if Arm Lock is off.
 Chainfire: Fixed an issue where players were unable to rapidly fire a Weapon Group set to Chainfire while simultaneously firing another Weapon Group.
 UAV: Fixed an issue where UAV rewards would only be provided to the player who most recently deployed a UAV, when more than one UAVs are deployed in the same area in quick succession.

Mini-Map and BattleGrid Changes

Map edges now have a black gradient applied.
Maps will now use either light or dark gridlines and sector designations to better accommodate map brightness.
Visibility of map details, including out of bound areas, has been improved.
Gridlines and sector designations now extend beyond the gameplay boundaries to accommodate the improved visibility for out of bounds map areas and details. As a result, the layout of sector designations may have changed on certain maps from their previous layout. For example, C3 on Mining Collective is now D4.
Gridlines, sector designations, and player torso cone are now slightly more transparent.
Command icons have been resized to match the size of 'Mech icons on which they are placed.
Leg orientation of Enemy 'Mechs will now be displayed when they are in range of a UAV or when they are Tagged. These directional indicators snap along the 8 cardinal directions.



All Maps: Minor improvements to shadow culling across all Quality specs. This will lead to very minor performance improvements on most maps, with more noticeable improvements on others, such as Viridian Bog.
 Canyon Network: E4 - Fixed an issue where weapons could be fired through the bridge geometry from one side.
 Forest Colony: Reduced 'pop-in' of shadows, textures, and geometry.
 Forest Colony: Fixed an issue where water immersion effects could appear while inside the DropShips.
 Forest Colony: D4 - Fixed a floating tree root.
 Forest Colony: F7 - Fixed an invisible wall.
 Forest Colony: E7 - Fixed an invisible wall.
 Forest Colony: F8 - Fixed an area where 'Mech feet could clip through a rock.
 Forest Colony: G8 - Fixed an issue where the Base clipped through the building.
 Frozen City: Fixed an issue where the DropShips could still be visible.
 Grim Plexus: Environment Decals removed in the July patch have been restored.
 Grim Portico: Environment Decals removed in the July patch have been restored.
 Hellebore Springs: B3/E2 - Fixed an issue where 'Mechs could get stuck on generators.
HPG Manifold: Environment Decals removed in the July patch have been restored.
 River City: E3 - Fixed an issue where 'Mechs could get stuck.
Tourmaline Desert: Environment Decals removed in the July patch have been restored.
Viridian Bog: Improved the LOD implementation for foliage, small rocks, and plants.
• Vitric Forge: Environment Decals removed in the July patch have been restored.



 Atlas (all variants): Can now equip all Inner Sphere Faction Camo Patterns.
 Awesome (all variants): Can now equip all Inner Sphere Faction Camo Patterns.
 Centurion (all variants): Can now equip all Inner Sphere Faction Camo Patterns.
 Commando (all variants): Can now equip all Inner Sphere Faction Camo Patterns.
• Dragon (all variants): Can now equip all Inner Sphere Faction Camo Patterns.
Hunchback (all variants): Can now equip all Inner Sphere Faction Camo Patterns.




 Adder (all variants): Fixed an issue where the default Camo Pattern would underlay any custom Patterns.
 Adder (ADR-Prime 'Invasion'): Adjusted RGB values on the Adder Invasion Pattern.
 Arctic Cheetah (all variants): Fixed an issue where certain Hanging Cockpit Items were not attached properly.
 Catapult (all variants): Fixed an issue where Flamers could deal no damage to the Center Torso.
 Commando (all variants): Fixed an issue where certain Hanging Cockpit Items were not attached properly.
 Dire Wolf (certain variants): Fixed an issue where the Gold and Invasion Patterns were missing textures on their chest geometry. 
 Ebon Jaguar (all variants): Fixed an issue where the Right Foot could appear offset when viewed at a distance.
 Executioner (all variants): Fixed an issue where the 'Mech could appear to twitch while rotating on the spot.
 Grasshopper (all variants): Fixed an issue where Decals could shift with 'Mech movement.
 Hunchback IIC (HBK-IIC-B): Fixed an issue where LRM-10's would appear indented when equipped in Right Torso.
 JagerMech (all variants): Fixed an issue where Decals could shift with 'Mech movement.
 Jenner (all variants): Fixed an issue where Decals could shift with 'Mech movement.
 Jenner IIC (all variants): Fixed an issue where Decals could shift with 'Mech movement.
Kintaro (all variants): Fixed an issue where the CT wouldn't take damage under certain conditions.
 Nova (all variants): Fixed an issue where the 'Mech could appear to twitch while rotating on the spot.
 Raven (all variants): Fixed an issue where Decals could shift with 'Mech movement.
 Shadow Cat (all variants): Fixed an issue where the Right Arm would not take Color if a Hand Actuator is equipped.
 Spider (all variants): Cleaned up some seams visible from inside the Cockpit.
 Stalker (all variants): Moved the Warhorn attachment to a more visible area.
 Stalker (all variants): Fixed an issue where Decals could shift with 'Mech movement.
Thunderbolt (all variants): Fixed an issue where the Cockpit Glass tint did not cover the entirety of the glass.
 UrbanMech (all variants): Fixed an issue where Decals could shift with 'Mech movement.
 Viper (all variants): Fixed an issue where Weapon Quirks were not being displayed correctly when hovering over an equipped Weapon in MechLab.
 Zeus (all variants): Removed the flipped Simplified Chinese characters from the Liao Pattern.



 Cockpit Item Screen: Standing, Hanging, and Mounted tabs can now be filtered by Category (Standing>Country Flags, Hanging>Medallions, etc).
 Connecting: Minor improvements have been made to the Connecting duration when returning to MechLab from a match, Testing Grounds, or Academy session. Further improvements to this system will be implemented in future patches.
 Faction Chat: Fixed an issue where Faction Chat could not be scrolled with the mouse wheel.
 Inventory Screen (OmniPods): Fixed an issue where the OmniPods tab could display multiple entries with a Quantity of 0.
 Leaderboards: Fixed an issue where names with special characters could not be searched for.
 Leaderboards: Fixed an issue where searching for a Pilot while on any page beyond the first, and then clicking over to the next page, would revert you to whichever page you were on originally.
 MechLab: Fixed an issue where equipping the Ferro Fibrous Upgrade could display the incorrect Tonnage if the 'Mech does not have max Armor points applied.
 MechLab: Fixed an issue where you could not hold down the mouse button to increase Armor values.
 'Mech Stats window: Restored tooltips for various items in the 'Mech Stats window that had been previously disabled.
 Spectating: Fixed an issue where being forced into the 1PV spectator view from 3PV play view could cause the camera to be placed further back than normal.
 Store: Fixed an issue where the sales tab would not update quickly enough when a sale had ended.
 Store: Purchasing a 'Mech will now use C-Bills as the default currency in the Purchase Confirmation window, when applicable.
 Store: Purchasing a 'Mech without an available Mech Bay will now ask you if you wish to purchase one directly.
 Supply Cache Keys: Standardized all instances of the confirmation window that appears when purchasing or being prompted to purchase a Supply Cache Key.
 Testing Grounds: Fixed an issue where getting a kill in Testing Grounds would register as a kill for the Red Team.
 Trial 'Mechs: Fixed an issue where Trial Champion 'Mechs would still display the +30% XP boost of their non-Trial counterpart.
 Warhorn: Fixed an issue where the Clan Hex Warhorn would play the Ghost Bear Warhorn audio while in 3PV.
 Weapon Groups: Fixed an issue where un-binding the Weapon Group keymaps would cause Joystick mappings to appear inside the Weapon Groups screen.
 Weapon Groups: Fixed an issue where the information tooltip, when clicking on Missile Weaponry, would not reflect the actual stats of that Weaponry.
 Fixed some minor window alignment and overlap issues throughout the frontend.


Known Issues

 Cockpit Item Screen: Upon accessing the Cockpit Item screen for the first time in your current game session, the 'Owned' and 'Sale' filters inside the Standing category will not function. Changing to Hanging or Mounted will restore the functionality of these filters, however. This will be fixed in the next patch.
 Supply Caches: Certain Supply Caches containing the 1 Day Premium Time reward item are listing the item at a different Rarity level. This will be fixed in the next patch.


Patch Files (Direct Download)

To make the patching process easier for players with limited download caps, we'll be providing direct download links for the patch file(s) that comprise this patch. This will allow you to download the patch file(s) elsewhere, for manual injection into the MWO patcher through a Patch Cache folder.
Aside from allowing you to download the patch file(s) elsewhere, on another connection, there are no additional benefits to performing the patch this way; the patching process itself will be the same.

This direct patch download process will only work for players running the standalone client. It does not apply to players running MWO through Steam.

Patch File(s): http://patcher.mwomercs.com/patch/Production/frontend/FrontendPatch_277.zip

How to use these patch files

• Download the above file(s)
• For sake of ease we recommend creating a dedicated folder for the patch file(s), such as 'MWO Patch Cache'
• You do not need to unzip or unpack the patch file(s)
• Launch the standard MWO launcher
• Click the gear icon in the top right of the launcher window
• Choose the 'Specify Patch File Cache' option
• In the field that appears, paste or enter the location in which you saved the patch file(s) and hit OK
• For example, C:\Users\<username>\Documents\MWO Patch Cache
• Click the blue Patch button
• The launcher will now check the Patch Cache folder you defined. If it locates the required patch files, it will unpack and use those files to apply the patch.
• Once the patch is complete, launch the game!

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