66 replies to this topic

[Hawkeye 72]

Quote

Team Leader: Has the development team put serious consideration on how to "balance" clan tech, without outright nerfing it? Or are they not at that bridge to cross it? Or, no questions on the clans yet either?

A: Yes. But we’re not ready to discuss clans until Fall.

Our worst fears have been confirmed. According to this, the Clan announcements have slipped from "April/May" to late September at the earliest. No Rasalhague, no Twycross, no Wolcott, no waves 1-4.

I am still optomistic about the game, but I was really hoping to see the Clans during the summer.

Obviously nothing is set in stone or absolutely 100% concrete, but given how the game has progressed, announcement and implementation are two different things, and one can expect there to be a time delay between "fall" and when the Clans are actually added to the game.

If you know your fiction, you know the invasion is halted after October 31st with the death of Leo Showers. At this point all the Clans withdraw their elite units and reinforce their Inner Sphere holdings with garrison units. Fall of this year sets a very narrow window. So unless we start fighting the Inner Sphere as lowly solhama units, it will be awhile until we are given the glory of conquering the Inner Sphere.

Now we wait and bide our time idly standing by with dust gathering on our Timberwolves.

Edited by Hawkeye 72, 10 April 2013 - 06:35 AM.

[TibsVT]

This does seem like rather depressing news. Extremely upsetting to hear this knowing the windows of the invasion. At this point in time it would seem as though PGI are more inclined to dump us all in the same pond as the Inner Sphere rabble. I'd say at this point we won't see anything until closer to if not next year.

Guess that removes my reasons to keep playing for the remainder of the year. As fun as bashing around in my Catapult, and on the odd occasion my Atlas, is. I didn't really sign up for Inner Sphere Online as this side of the fence has never really appealed to me.

Break time I thinks.

Edited by KelesK, 08 April 2013 - 11:36 PM.

[Mild Monkey]

Darling, we will always have Luthien...

[EarlGrey83]

Thats a blast. I turn Solhama in november, I´d really like to do some front line battles before.

On the better side, the Hunchback IIc is a nice Mech for an old man, so I´m looking forward to my Solhama life.

Edited by EarlGrey83, 09 April 2013 - 01:10 AM.

[Illuzian Pryde]

Yeah I am gutted by this. Based on the fiction I think PGI has let the community down. 1:1 timeline fail.

[Thorn Hallis]

From a gameplay point of view it actually makes sense to start at the end of wave 4. The actual planetary invasion feature of community warfare should be available then and the Clans will have aquired enough planets to have some sort of "border" to fight over.

Plus, PGI could add second line 'Mechs first, which will be probably easier to balance, and continue to refine their concept of Omni'Mechs until the beginning of wave 5.

[TibsVT]

Thorn Hallis, on 09 April 2013 - 01:23 AM, said:

Plus, PGI could add second line 'Mechs first, which will be probably easier to balance, and continue to refine their concept of Omni'Mechs until the beginning of wave 5.

Wouldn't that just salt an ever-opening wound...

[AlaskanAssassin]

this frustrates me a little...

[Thorn Hallis]

KelesK, on 09 April 2013 - 02:15 AM, said:

Wouldn't that just salt an ever-opening wound...

Seeing how many people name 'Mechs like the Kodiak, Black Python or Bane as their favourite Clan'Mechs, I don't think so.

[TibsVT]

Thorn Hallis, on 09 April 2013 - 03:14 AM, said:

Seeing how many people name 'Mechs like the Kodiak, Black Python or Bane as their favourite Clan'Mechs, I don't think so.

While I am a fan of the Kodiak, the problem is that as far as we - The Clanners - go the Timber Wolf is the single most iconic thing about taking up the side we chose much alike the Atlas is for the IS.

I'm not saying that I never wish to see those chassis introduced I'm just saying it would really sting to see them out before the Dire Wolf, Timber Wolf, Summoner, Mad Dog, Hellbringer, etc. Especially after this. It would really be a kick in the guts.

[Lucian Nostra]

The thing that disturbs me about that ask the devs answer is DISCUSS the clans till fall. Could be winter easy before they come out if that's the case or invasion timeline in 3051

[Dan Nashe]

The most iconic inner sphere mech is the warhammer or marauder imo. So I feel your pain about the marauder catapault hybrid.

I'm torn :-). Clans could break the game, so delay is good on the one hand, but on the o. ther hand, not knowing if they will break the game until 6 months after release is a little concerning :-). But I guess clanners are almost people too, so I suppose I can support them having fun too...

Edited by DanNashe, 09 April 2013 - 06:20 AM.

[M4NTiC0R3X]

I keep telling myself patience and you guys keep making me write chapters about how I'm impatient and sick 'n tired of the beta trollercoaster bs! Stop reading these, I feel the same, stop reading these, I feel the same.

[Hawkeye 72]

Thorn Hallis, on 09 April 2013 - 01:23 AM, said:

From a gameplay point of view it actually makes sense to start at the end of wave 4. The actual planetary invasion feature of community warfare should be available then and the Clans will have aquired enough planets to have some sort of "border" to fight over.

Plus, PGI could add second line 'Mechs first, which will be probably easier to balance, and continue to refine their concept of Omni'Mechs until the beginning of wave 5.

From a gameplay perspective it makes sense and will work just fine for wave five. I, like many other people, had hopes we could participate in the opening waves as well. The whole concept of surprise Clan drops in the middle of normal matches seemed like a goldmine. Obviously this gives them more time to refine and perfect their inclusion, but it is a bit of a letdown because it appears PGI intended for us to fight the Clans in March originally.

Remember, CW was originally due last fall, and that was pushed back. Then in an Ask the Devs earlier this year, March/April was when we were originally to have an announcement/reveal about the Clans. Obviously delays occur in development and I am understanding of this. PGI has made a great game so far and I am pleased. I just hoped this was one feature that would not slip

[TibsVT]

DanNashe, on 09 April 2013 - 06:19 AM, said:

The most iconic inner sphere mech is the warhammer or marauder imo. So I feel your pain about the marauder catapault hybrid.

I was planning on saying that but I had to give it some thought due to not everyone being TT peoples. I thought the Atlas may have been a safer bet.

And with them not even planning to discuss the Clans until later this year I doubt we will see them until much later on. Makes all the waiting and hoping patiently seem redundant really. At least it makes the IS players happy though I guess.

[Strum Wealh]

Wasn't planning on going Clan, though it's good to keep abreast of developments concerning them (see: the Sun Tzu quote about knowing onself vs knowing one's opponent).

Personally, I'm not surprised by this development...

Strum Wealh, on 14 December 2012 - 07:31 PM, said:

The thing about it is, the invasion of the IS proper (that is, not the Periphery) starts in March of 3050, and proceeds in several stages.

Notably, there is a one-year lull (from Oct. 31, 3050 to Nov. 3051) where the invasion is halted due to Tyra Miraborg's slaying of ilKhan Leo Showers.

What I would expect to happen is something along the lines of:

• We initially see ISN posts in the announcement section about worlds falling to "mysterious invaders" and such. (March-April 2013)
  
• We see the concept art reveals of the Invasion-era Clan OmniMechs. (March-July 2013, assuming 1-week intervals)
  
• Later, we see ISN posts in the announcement section regarding key battles with the Clans (e.g. the fall of Trell I, the first and second Battles of Twycross, the fall of planet Rasalhague, etc), as well as more information about them. (April-October 2013)
  
• We see PGI/IGP staff and their relations (e.g. "Friends and Family Beta" participants) appear in-game in Clan OmniMechs for special "Fight Against the Invaders!" events. (August-October 2013)
  
• "Leo Showers is killed! Clans halt their advance and fortify holdings!"; separate Clan servers are set up and the general playerbase is allowed to create Clan accounts. (October-November 2013)
  
• One year of isolated tech matches (Clan vs Clan, IS vs IS) allows both sides to practice with their available tech, establish units, and build up XP. (November 2013 - November 2014)
  
• "Fifth wave of the Clan Invasion begins!"; Clan and IS players are able to fight against each other. (November 2014)

I think that such a plan would work in PGI's favor because it would allow them plenty of time and opportunity to create, observe, analyze. and adjust Clan-related content as needed.

Though, it should be noted that the above is my personal musing, and that I do not (currently) know how PGI will implement the Clan Invasion.

My personal musings are that the Clans probably shouldn't be expected to be playable until around November (at the beginning of the Year of Peace) with IS vs Clan CommWar matches taking place the following November (at the end of the Year of Peace), with the YOP period being used by PGI to observe and tweak Clan Tech as needed.

[Ragor]

[TibsVT]

If PGI were to hold out until 3051(2014) or worse-case, 3052 (2015), I don't think I'd bother coming back from hiatus. That's blatantly too long and simply insulting and disrespectful to all of us.

Edited by KelesK, 09 April 2013 - 05:56 PM.

[Jaroth Corbett]

I greet this news with gladness. I rather wait a little longer & have it done right, than rushed only to be frustrated. After having waited so long for a new MW game since MW4, I do not mind waiting a bit longer.

[BlueSanta]

Community Warfare is so much more important to the success of this game because right now there is no meta. You Clanners need to have some patience. Everyone knows how important the Clans are in terms of both presentation and balance, so you should be FLATTERED PGI is taking the time they are to hopefully not screw the pooch.

The 1:1 timeline is kind of a joke at this point and they've already expressed hesitation to try to reenact famous battles, so you're probably not going to get quite the experience you had hoped for, but you will get your Timber Wolf eventually.