EDIT: After posting, I discovered that Bryan Ekman's previous posts had already indicated that current plans will satisfy items 1 and 3. My bad.
I'm not fundamentally opposed to the addition of an in-game, 3rd-person view, and I think it could become an asset to the game (maybe even a big one), but only if its implementation satisfies the following criteria:
1) Shelve 3rd-Person until after the release of in-game help content and HUD improvements
Managing the leg-torso disconnect is not the only thing noobs struggle with, and the kind of person who doesn't have the patience to figure out how to operate a mech in 1st-person is not going to have the patience to sit through the training videos or search the forums for help.
Additionally, I have a very hard time believing the current, mini-map-based indicator is the best way to sort out where one's legs are pointed. It's not horrible, but even for a vet like me it can be frustrating on occasion. I think there are other options to explore, and whether they were as simple as a dedicated, compass-like indicator (preferably viewed isometrically) or as complicated as replacing the current "paper-doll" damage indicators with animated holograms, I suspect they would be easier to implement than a 3rd-person view.
In other words, if making
MWO accessible is the goal, it would be far more effective to provide interactive tutorials, tool-tips, an improved HUD, or even a simple
manual. Starting with 3rd-person is just plain foolish.
2) Do not allow 3rd-Person in Community Warfare.
The gameplay issues mentioned by prior posters are all potentially soluble, but there's one problem that's beyond fixing:
human psychology. There are a significant number of hardcore, vocal, 1st-person-only devotees out there who will not accept
any kind of 3rd-person, and their resentment will have a significant impact on a game-mode as reliant on socialization and group dynamics as CW. Competition is healthy, but contempt is not, and it drives new players away just as surely as difficult controls. The only way to prevent that is isolation.
Thus, the only way to include 3rd-person in CW is to risk a re-enactment of the intro to Dr. Seuss's "The Sneetches" or follow through with King Solomon's threat and cut the baby in half. Either way, you'll be taking a lot of the community out of Community Warfare and compromising the biggest selling point of
MWO.
3) Actively prevent the pop-tarting/peeking issues that plagued MW4.
There are many ways of going about this, and I think the "pulling-in" mechanic mentioned in the OP is certainly a viable option.
Rainbow 6: Vegas used something similar at higher difficulty levels to prevent players from seeing around objects when in 3rd-person. I think it would be trickier to implement in
MWO, but not impossible.
Edited by IrrelevantFish, 25 March 2013 - 12:30 PM.