567 replies to this topic

[Chauneko]

You can take my thermal vision so long as you promise I'll actually be able to see mechs out at 1300 meters and beyond in normal vision. As it is now you don't even load mechs on alpine some of the time until they're within 1200 meters. I find it frustrating that I can't provide intel to my allies without getting in range of the enemy gunning me down. Big maps can't be capitalized upon unless we can see our enemies out to 3km or more!

Adridos, on 07 March 2013 - 10:10 PM, said:

You have to increase you Object Detail setting then.

I have an NVidia GTX 670, the settings are maxed across the board. I have user config tweaks in even to max my sight range. Alpine normally loads mechs at about 1600m for me but sometimes things get wonky for unknown reasons. Regardless, even 1600m isn't good enough for my tastes. There's no good reason why I shouldn't be able to spot a mech at 3km out if I have line of sight on its position.

Edited by Chauneko, 08 March 2013 - 07:46 AM.

[Valdor Constantine]

I have to say i like these changes, one not overpowering the other but each better suited to its roll than before.

[Karr285]

Love the changes, especially that thermal (IR) looks like it should!

[Little Nemo]

These screenshots looks so clean. Can we please get an option to remove all the graphics noise? I just want nice AA and smooth lines.

[Adridos]

Chauneko, on 07 March 2013 - 09:45 PM, said:

As it is now you don't even load mechs on alpine some of the time until they're within 1200 meters. I find it frustrating that I can't provide intel to my allies without getting in range of the enemy gunning me down.

You have to increase you Object Detail setting then.

Edited by Adridos, 07 March 2013 - 10:10 PM.

[Wizard Steve]

Loving the new look.

It's clear that we're going to have to chop and change between all three modes as the tactical situation demands. This is a good thing.

[Suprentus]

I like the new modes. Here's a suggestion though. Instead of the modes filling the entire cockpit, how about if they just fill the cockpit window?

For example, here's the normal pic:



Here's the proposed Night Vision pic:



And here's my suggestion:



It's crude, but with some slight green ambient lighting coming off the cockpit canopy into the cockpit itself and it'll look much better than making EVERYTHING night vision.

Same principle for heat vision too, of course.

[TaintedDoughnut]

Horrible ideas. Before this change ECM needs to be adjusted. As is thermal vision is the only reliable way to combat it's epic OPness. Removing the ability to pick out mechs under ECM shroud at distance is a bad idea on a good day and might be the worst thing I have seen PGI suggest since the failure that is ECM.
With out a reliable way to see a mech at any distance it will further drive the game to ECM shroud close in brawls and nothing else. This is not tactics this is not role warfare this is who ever brings the most E(nhanced) C(heating) M(ode) wins. Removing the one reliable way to see and engage said Easy mode players at distance is the worst idea since ECM. Balance whats in the game before moving on. If I hadn't spend MC before ECM came out I would seriously be considering wanting my money back if this change in visions mode goes though and drasticly reduces visibility as the picture seem to be showing I will go out of my way to tell people to NOT play MWO since I can't very well get my money back so I can get some sort of satisfaction in return.
This is not the game I was promised when I became a legendary founder these changes force it closer to Call of Duty and further from mechwarrior. It seems all the devs want is inside 400 m Assault brawls. Now if they make normal vision mode reliable at the same range as thermal(I doubt this will happen. I think a balanced US government budget is more likely) than these changes will be okay. With out that ability to see a mech at 1200+m this is a BAD idea and just is another subtle buff to what already decides more matches than skill ECM.

[Tuku]

I love it but I wonder about something.


When I hop into frozen city normal I just turn thermal on and don't turn it off due to not being able to see so well in the blizzard . With this new thermal that option will be off the table since it wont show the outlines of the buildings as well any more. Without thermal that map is....well I wouldn't say un-playable but I will say that it is annoying at best.

I wonder if we would just have to deal with it after these changes or will other things change to give us some visibility in that white out condition?

[grayson marik]

From a military pov, I must admit, that your changes are good.

The only thing on thermal is, that you can even tell where the engine is on a car normally.
So heated parts should indeed "shine" a little in the monochrome environment.

True is indeed, that a cool mech, should be visible almost exactly as you have it now. Maybe with a very light glow.

So over all... good stuff!
Maybe send one of your artist guys to a military base and let him watch himself through some night goggles and a thermal vision system to grasp the last nuances to a real authentic vision mode.

[DegeneratePervert]

Looks excellent! I was getting tired of using smurf-vision all the time.

I especially like what you've done with Night Vision. Looks very, very, very, very good.

[GMan129]

Well this sounds like it'll be great for color blind people....

[MayGay]

I love it except, on a cold map, spotting a 'mech with a core temperature of over 700 kelvin, and an average surface temp of over 30 degrees Celsius, would not a system designed to pick out objects hotter than their surroundings be more effective than in an urban environment?

Also what will this mean for Frozen City and, to a lesser extent, Forest Colony where visibility is poor? Will we have to drone around in near zero visibility relying on a short range thermal detection system? And if so would that not greatly unbalance SSRMs which only need line of effect and not line of sight and LRMs that don`t really need either but are still as accurate?

Lastly, but unrelated, in the maps with poor weather, namely Forest Colony and Frozen City, it`d be great if the weather effects stopped once you entered the caves

[TK42Kahn]

PGI YOU DO SO GOOOOOOOOD!

[Psikez]

So...instead of clearing up some of the environment particles we just nerf other vision in line with how bad regular vision is?

[80sGlamRockSensation David Bowie]

[SpajN]

I like it

[darkfall13]

They do look nice and have their own unique advantages without trumping another. But my biggest concern is Frozen City when there's the blizzard, it would appear all vision modes would be useless. But maybe that's the point?

[Hitman85]

Suprentus, on 07 March 2013 - 10:17 PM, said:

I like the new modes. Here's a suggestion though. Instead of the modes filling the entire cockpit, how about if they just fill the cockpit window?

For example, here's the normal pic:



Here's the proposed Night Vision pic:



And here's my suggestion:



It's crude, but with some slight green ambient lighting coming off the cockpit canopy into the cockpit itself and it'll look much better than making EVERYTHING night vision.

Same principle for heat vision too, of course.

Very good idea:)

[Extirpator]

I personally like the current visuals, although I admit the bloom is a bit much.

Thermal as it is, looks 'thermal' from the hot/cold colours. I know technology (in real world) case display such images in any colour combo, but for popular fiction thermal imaging is associated with the current red/blue 'Predator' feel. The greyscale, however practical looks dull.

With regard to play and balancing, on a icy cold map a hot mech should stand out like a sore thumb on thermal imaging whereas on a hot map the contrast is smaller. Rather than nerf the optics I suggest the following changes to the game which would, I believe, balance the utility of the different optics.

1) Add more burning wrecks, hot springs/gysers etc to the maps. These create other heat sources the cause thermal obsuration, false targets and most importantly, allow players to tactically hide their hot mech against the background of a hot wreck. I've tried myself to park in front of a hot object so as not to be seen but there arnt that many of them to be found

2) Add 'camo' items. Specifically, thermal blankets (which exist today). Fit a mech with one of these and its heat signature drops massively (no idea how many slots/tonnage this should take). Those who want to try and hide can now do so. However, while its thermal signature has dropped, it's still a big hunking object which is super obvious on visual/NV optics. Equally, there could be a 'super dark' plating which helps against NV optics... maybe it all could be fitted but at the expense of several fittings. Players can now choose to be that slow, poorly armoured but stealthy sniper build

3) Allow 'electronically enhanced' visuals to be disrupted by PPCs, possibly ECM (although technically I cant see how). If this is too much which I suspect it is (giving PPCs this advantage would bias the ranged fight) then I suggest making a new weapon. Some sort of 'radio frequency gun'. Stats are that it does rather poor damage but completely messes up the electronics in enemy mechs for a short period of time - hell maybe permamently until they do a shutdown/reboot of their mech. (electronics such as optics, HUD, ECM etc)

These choices I suggest allow for more player self balancing by giving choices and options to counter and exploit advantages. If anything is too good, players can do something to stop it and 'self balance' it.

Thoughts?

Edited by Extirpator, 07 March 2013 - 11:30 PM.