33 replies to this topic

[Rahnu]

And by that I mean, you know, fixing some of the weapons that have been inferior since forever, like the pulse lasers, flamers, machineguns, and the LB X-10

Frankly, I don't even understand what's going on with the pulse lasers. They are so obviously inferior to regular lasers it's mind-boggling.

In exchange for a slightly shorter duration and SLIGHTLY more damage (1 point except for smalls), pulse lasers weigh more, generate more heat, and have a 33% shorter range (again, except for smalls). I can hardly believe anyone could think this to be a reasonable trade-off. The range decrease alone would suggest that the pulse lasers should run cooler, not hotter! If they're not going to run cooler then they should at least justify the range decrease with a proportionately higher damage output, because the shorter duration is not cutting it.

In fact, the fact that they still have a duration is a bloody joke when you consider them next to PPCs which deal their damage instantaneously and are thus superior weapons all-around, especially when they weigh the same as large pulses and generate about the same amount of heat, and PPCs have a range of 540m - nearly double that of large pulses! There is absolutely no logic here. It's mind-boggling, frankly.

The fact that SRMs do such poor damage wouldn't even be an issue if players just had a brawling alternative, which is what pulse lasers should be. But they aren't. They don't offer nearly enough to offset their massive disadvantages, and that's terrible. (Btw, SRMs still need more damage.)

Flamers and machineguns have been beaten to absolute death, so I won't even touch on those here.

The LB X-10 needs something to incentivize its use over an AC/10 (1 less ton, 1 less slot, and less heat generation are all thoroughly ignorable advantages). The thing that really grinds my gears is the fact that it doesn't do any more damage despite being a bloody shotgun! It's a SHOTGUN. It has SPREAD. Consider for a moment that the most powerful weapons in the game are all weapons that allow you to put damage in a single location with 100% accuracy (Gauss rifle, AC/20, PPCs), and it becomes clear that a weapon that, by its very nature, CANNOT put all of its damage in one location should have an enormous damage boost to offset its disadvantage.

I must apologize for my tone, but honestly? I'm pissed that these things are still issues. Pissed that they remain largely unaddressed patch after patch after patch after patch, and PGI has shown absolutely no signs of even recognizing that they are issues. How is that even possible? Even the usage metrics should tell you that something is wrong (NOBODY uses pulse lasers! NOBODY)!

And then of course you still have to deal with things like the borked heat scale (way too much capacity, no penalties at higher heat levels, etc.), the stupidly accurate convergence, the fact that there is essentially zero incentive to stick with single heat sinks, and so on and so forth. If none of these get addressed before launch, well, frankly, I'm seriously considering dropping the game entirely (and I know there are plenty who already have, bless their tortured souls).

Please, somehow, somewhere, someone must get through to the devs at some point! PGI can't keep ignoring these issues forever. Just what is going on inside that company?

[Raso]

Of all the things you mentioned I want pulse lasers to get a pass the most. They're nothing more than beam lasers with a shorter range, hardly noticeable extra damage and a good deal extra heat. They need a complete over haul. That's just me, though.

These are all outstanding issues that should be addressed. Hopefully as "launch" approaches we'll see an increase in balance passes.

[TheFlyingScotsman]

I agree. PGI has taken a very Blizzard approach to bugs, and have begun chasing "issues" mouthbreathers are complaining about that are not actually issues, and pushing content over fixes. When fixes come through, they seem off-subject, poorly considered and usually are vain, shortsighted attempts to fix problems in entirely the wrong way.

SSRMs and the ineffectuality of beam laser and ballistics convergence need to be top priorities. Adding rediculous amounts of jj shake while ignoring the alpha/assault stacking meta is not game balance, it's slapping a dirty bandaid you found on the ground over cancer.

[Jun Watarase]

I remember people mentioning all of these in the closed beta last year. We never got official word on any of these issues.

I came back after a hiatus to play a few games and see how MWO has evolved over the last few months. Very impressed with things like netcode and UI, not so much on weapon balance. In particular, i'm really dissapointed that LRMs are completley invalidated by one or two ECM mechs hiding behind cover while the rest of their team focus fires any enemy ECM mechs that can disrupt their ECM umbrella. Nothing makes a match more lop sided than a team with LRMs vs a team with a ECM mech.

[Rahnu]

Just played a game where I got cored in two salvos by a Jagermech sporting AC/40s.



I am absolutely sick of this junk. Something is very, very wrong when Hawken does a better job of keeping the TTK reasonable and making you feel like you're in a walking tank (as opposed to a walking glass cannon). It also makes a running joke of the devs' paranoid fear of reasonably powerful machineguns, medium laser boats, and so on. Would normal, functional 2.0 double heat sinks and medium lasers with reasonable heat generation actually be worse than dying in a couple salvos from AC/40 and PPC boats? Somehow, I doubt it.

[MaddMaxx]

Jun Watarase, on 05 June 2013 - 07:47 AM, said:

I remember people mentioning all of these in the closed beta last year. We never got official word on any of these issues.

I came back after a hiatus

snip

Nothing makes a match more lop sided than a team with LRMs vs a team with a ECM mech.

You have been away a long time indeed dude. You might want to play another Match...lol

[jakucha]

Raso, on 05 June 2013 - 07:36 AM, said:

Of all the things you mentioned I want pulse lasers to get a pass the most. They're nothing more than beam lasers with a shorter range, hardly noticeable extra damage and a good deal extra heat. They need a complete over haul. That's just me, though.

These are all outstanding issues that should be addressed. Hopefully as "launch" approaches we'll see an increase in balance passes.

To me large pulse are in a nice spot. The reduction in time you have to keep them on the enemy is noticeable to me, but the smaller ones could use some adjusting.

Zyrusticae, on 05 June 2013 - 09:58 AM, said:

Just played a game where I got cored in two salvos by a Jagermech sporting AC/40s.



I am absolutely sick of this junk. Something is very, very wrong when Hawken does a better job of keeping the TTK reasonable and making you feel like you're in a walking tank (as opposed to a walking glass cannon). It also makes a running joke of the devs' paranoid fear of reasonably powerful machineguns, medium laser boats, and so on. Would normal, functional 2.0 double heat sinks and medium lasers with reasonable heat generation actually be worse than dying in a couple salvos from AC/40 and PPC boats? Somehow, I doubt it.

You're just one giant hitbox in Hawken, you have fewer weapons usually and you have a lot more health. That combined with the fact that most mechs are fast makes it take longer. I do agree the highest damage weapons are getting alpha'd too much. The devs agree and are looking into ways to reduce this, so we'll see.

Edited by jakucha, 05 June 2013 - 10:05 AM.

[Damocles69]

More stamping of feet and arm failing is required in this temper tantrum. MOAR I say!

[Rahnu]

Haha, okay, even a single lance of mechs with one PPC/Gauss boat (with tag for spotting) and 3 LRM boats makes this game impossible to play. You get spotted, you get hit by 120+ missiles and a 35+ alpha, or you can hide away and wait and hope they eventually try to close in on you. Either way is NOT FUN. Trying to close the distance is obviously impossible since you will get spotted and killed for exposing yourself for even a few seconds. Yes, a few seconds. I thought this was a Battletech game, not a deathmatch shooter!

I don't even know how brawling is supposed to work in this kind of environment. Brawling weapons, SRMs included, simply don't have any major advantages over the long-range weapons unless they get within their minimum range (which ER PPCs and Gauss rifles do not have), and if you're in minimum range you're in full view of every single one of their teammates. If only highly coordinated teams are capable of closing the distance, something is very, very wrong.

At this point I think I'm going insane. After all, nothing is changing for the better, regardless of how long I wait or how many times I try to fight against the tide. And yet I still keep throwing myself at this game, for what? I don't even know anymore, man.

[CancR]

We are talking about a game company that can't even program holding backspace for deleting. A GAME IN 2013 YOU HAVE TO PRESS BACKSPACE THE NUMBER OF TIMES YOU NEED SOMETHING DELETED INSTEAD OF JUST HOLDING IT DOWN.

[stjobe]

CancR, on 07 June 2013 - 01:21 PM, said:

We are talking about a game company that can't even program holding backspace for deleting. A GAME IN 2013 YOU HAVE TO PRESS BACKSPACE THE NUMBER OF TIMES YOU NEED SOMETHING DELETED INSTEAD OF JUST HOLDING IT DOWN.

It's staggering, it surely is. Especially since other keys seem to repeat just fine.

While they work out how to make the chatbox regain the power of repeating key-presses, you can use these workarounds:
1. Hit Ctrl-A and then delete to delete everything
2. Hit Esc twice, it'll also delete everything from the chatbox.
3. Shift+Arrow keys will mark characters, and delete will delete them.

Oh, and to stay on topic of long-standing bugs: Isn't it time to fix the CT bias of Streaks now? It's getting kind of old getting CT- cored by Streaks in match after match, with all other armour only just into orange.

Anyone who has the temerity to say "Streaks don't bias towards CT" clearly hasn't played in a light lately. And that includes the devs who say it. To those devs I say: Stop looking at the code and go play a game in a Commando against a Streak-mounting opponent. THEN go back to the code and stop it doing whatever it is you cannot see it doing from just looking at the code.

It's not just splash damage, or I wouldn't get cored through my thickest armour every single time I go up against someone with Streaks.

Edited by stjobe, 07 June 2013 - 02:21 PM.

[Deathlike]

This entire post can be answered in one word:

NEVAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

If PGI played its own meta like a serious gamer, they would notice. They don't, so someone has to whine about it until the dogs and cats are singing at night.

[Stoicblitzer]

they fixed the HUD bugs. give credit where it's due.

[General Taskeen]

That and Streaks are auto-bots. Funny how it all it takes is giving them turn time and max angle turns like MW:LL. Problem solved!

[Deathlike]

Stoicblitzer, on 07 June 2013 - 02:26 PM, said:

they fixed the HUD bugs. give credit where it's due.

He's talking more about balance issues than actual bugs... not that they don't deserve credit to fixing serious bugs.

[General Taskeen]

Indeed, the game is less buggy than it was in Closed Beta. But, truly, weapon passes like the ones mentioned need more than tiny tweaks every 2 months or more that really do nothing.

[One Medic Army]

General Taskeen, on 07 June 2013 - 02:34 PM, said:

That and Streaks are auto-bots. Funny how it all it takes is giving them turn time and max angle turns like MW:LL. Problem solved!

Funny, that's how they used to work before the forums complained about how they didn't hit 100% of the time like in TT...

And they have fixed a staggering amount of things:
Yellow screen bug
HUD bugs
A good number of crash bugs
HSR made huge advances in hit recognition and aiming
To mention a few.

Edited by One Medic Army, 07 June 2013 - 03:06 PM.

[Trauglodyte]

CancR, on 07 June 2013 - 01:21 PM, said:

We are talking about a game company that can't even program holding backspace for deleting. A GAME IN 2013 YOU HAVE TO PRESS BACKSPACE THE NUMBER OF TIMES YOU NEED SOMETHING DELETED INSTEAD OF JUST HOLDING IT DOWN.

Staggering indeed. I mean, its almost like you could shift-control-home and then press delete to remove ALL of the text. How long have you been using a computer?

[Thuzel]

stjobe, on 07 June 2013 - 02:16 PM, said:

Oh, and to stay on topic of long-standing bugs: Isn't it time to fix the CT bias of Streaks now? It's getting kind of old getting CT- cored by Streaks in match after match, with all other armour only just into orange.

That horse is dead, buried, used as fertilizer for a tree, cut down, shaped into a club, and then used to beat another completely unrelated horse.

But yes, it still needs to be fixed.

[CancR]

Trauglodyte, on 07 June 2013 - 03:32 PM, said:

Staggering indeed. I mean, its almost like you could shift-control-home and then press delete to remove ALL of the text. How long have you been using a computer?

I love how the CoD kids try to defend this poor programming with work arounds that are even more trouble then the problem. If I need to backspace to delete the last two words in a sentence, i'd rather spam the delete button to fix it rather then find the button combo to delete everything and re type the whole damn thing.

Staggering, I know..Like CoD is your first video game and you wouldn't know half way decent programming choices if they bite you in the bullocks.