53 replies to this topic

[joker1974]

Short and dirty reply: it sucks. PUGging is a nightmare now. Lances get steamrolled left and right.

[WM Jeri]

Jun Watarase, on 03 December 2013 - 01:42 PM, said:

Pros : Eliminates most of the pointless walking time. Promotes lance teamwork.

Cons : Leaves lances isolated and unable to support each other. Initial combat is then very much dependant on lance composition. A lance of 4 assaults will steamroll a lance of 4 mediums/heavies. After the initial fights, surviving lances are often left confused as to where the enemy is, and where they should go. They either stay put at their cap point or wander around lost. The isolated nature of combat also makes it much harder to get saviour/defensive rewards, and consequently, less xp/c-bills. The smaller fights also result in less xp/c-bills overall as more resource wins occur and damage done is more spread out among team members, rather than concentrated in a few top performing players.

Jun just saw this could not agree more on less XP/c-bills exactly what I saw and just from the ancedotal reviews of players being spread out what one can infer. I am curious if they even considered the unintended consequence...(or was it) of doing this.

With the economy adjustment of the 12v12 put in I would hope they would have had the foresight to consider the impact this change would have on the economics of the game and how it will negatively impact primarily the new player.

[Helsbane]

WM Jeri, on 04 December 2013 - 10:43 AM, said:

Jun just saw this could not agree more on less XP/c-bills exactly what I saw and just from the ancedotal reviews of players being spread out what one can infer. I am curious if they even considered the unintended consequence...(or was it) of doing this.

With the economy adjustment of the 12v12 put in I would hope they would have had the foresight to consider the impact this change would have on the economics of the game and how it will negatively impact primarily the new player.

You used the word 'foresight' in a post related to a PGI decision. See where you went wrong there?

[Ransack]

I will say this. starting at different locations has given some of these maps a "new" feel to them. I think this was sorely needed. I approve of this change.

[TinFoilHat]

Definately a change with the new drop points, however sticking at least one lance either miles away from the rest of the group or immediately within firing range of the opposing team is a complete nightmare, especially when pugging as you barely get anyone to listen at the best of times, nevermind when people are trying to work out where the hell they are in the first place.

[Kyria Clearwater]

The majority of the spawn/base point changes have been fine, haven't played Alpine Peaks yet, so cant see, say what changes that went through however the Terra Therma spawn points in conquest/assault are pretty brutal for one lance on each team, as the spawn locations seem to ensure that one lance is almost on top of one enemy lance and the second enemy lance is closer to them.
You are also the furthest lance away from friendlies, so what iv seen every time i drop on that map is that one lance on each team gets clobbered by twice their numbers, then it reverts to the hunt and brawl between the remaining teams.

[Sable Dove]

It seems like a good idea on paper. One of the first games I played with the new system each lance went to a different cap and met an enemy lance, and it was a lot of fun, because 4v4 offers a lot more opportunity for tactics than 12v12, and combat tends to last longer (about three times longer for frontline mechs).

And the very next game, our whole team just blobbed up and we absolutely crushed the enemy because they split up, and the game is designed in such a way that the blob is almost always the best tactic.

[Nightcrept]

Sable Dove, on 04 December 2013 - 01:21 PM, said:

It seems like a good idea on paper. One of the first games I played with the new system each lance went to a different cap and met an enemy lance, and it was a lot of fun, because 4v4 offers a lot more opportunity for tactics than 12v12, and combat tends to last longer (about three times longer for frontline mechs).

And the very next game, our whole team just blobbed up and we absolutely crushed the enemy because they split up, and the game is designed in such a way that the blob is almost always the best tactic.

Just like real life.

He who has the most concentrated fire wins.

[Saobh]

This game already suffered from poor teamwork and this has only made it worse as what is the point of communicating when you know the enemy is a couple of seconds from getting to you and regrouping with your team for actuall tactical positioning means leaving your back open to the either sniping/ light rush.

Considering the new cap positions and the fact that the new spawn positions PGI with this update has gone into the direction of "less tactial maneuvers/planning" and more "jump into a quick brawl which is over in 5-6 minutes" be it their intention or not this is going in the direction of pleasing/attracting more of the Attention Deficit Disorder crowd rather then the more in depth tactical players. But I guess the numbers play to the growing ADD crowd.

If this is indeed their intention they might as well start proposing that the Mechs wear hats because this is just going to become a TF2 clone (which is a fun game rythm wise but Battletech/mechwarrior is not well suited for that)

Edited by Saobh, 04 December 2013 - 01:43 PM.

[MrTarget]

Until you can choose what lance drops at which spawn point, change them back.

[CooSHee]

The new spawn system might work for competitive play,but for the game setup you are running now it is horrible.

In general: Games usualy end up as a steamrol, one group easely blowing away the other with hardly any casualties.
My opinion because of premade lances easely destroying a pug lance and then balance is already gone.
Usualy when its a one sided balanced lance, all heavies, or lights, covered by 1 ecm user.

-Rivercity and frozen city are effectively halved in effective map size.
No prep time at all to get into a position, combat garanteed within 30seconds.
Forget trying to be tactical in a slow mech, you wont have the time to get anywhere in time.

- Terra Crappa. its an insane huge map already, but placing a lance spawn straight into the firing line of the enemy is not the solution.
This is also treu for Tourmaline desert, not funny spawning behind a small rock with enemy line of sight/fire covering the rock front and back. Its slapstick comedy seeing 4 mechs trying to hide behind a small outcropping while 8 heavies firing down at ya while the lights/mediums come running in smelling wounded prey.

The only maps it not completely a failure are: Crimson Strait and mmm i cant think of another one.
just reroll to previous mode, copy paste the assault mode and remove the base cap option, call it Team Death Match and we will try to forget about this small fuckup.

well now i vented enough, Thank you otherwise for a great game, keep up the good work.
And can we please get more game modes/maps before even more mechs.
A Payload mode would be an awsum addition.

Edited by CooSHee, 04 December 2013 - 02:13 PM.

[Jun Watarase]

At first i saw lances working together to attack the cap point closest to them.

Now im seeing another trend.

Usually half of the lance decides to join the main blob in the center. They will either refuse to respond in any way, or start trash talking (how dare you tell me what to do!).

The other half of the lance is then left with the choice of mounting a sucidal attack on a vastly stronger force or walking 2 km+ to the main blob in the center and letting the enemy get a free cap. This is even worse when you have slow assaults that spend most of the battle trying to get back to the main blob...

Also premades are steamrolling even more with the new spawn locations. 4 premades vs 4 randoms is no contest really.

[Pataine]

Well Alpine Conquest is pointless. All you whiners got your way. All Caps are in the middle of the map so no way lights can cap now. Three cap points within 1000 meters of each other. Hold those caps and ya win. PGI has made it clear they don't want fast mechs in the game. Just take all lights and mediums out and make us run Heavy and Assults as ya want us to do.

[R Razor]

The issues aren't just with River City.............the idea of random spawns are great, but as usual the powers that be managed to screw things up. Now instead of randomly dropping your TEAM the Lances are randomly dropped............so for instance on Alpine Peaks your TEAM is scattered over half the map with zero chance of regrouping before some cap warrior light lance has blitzed your base while his equally talentless buddies with their LRM's rain hell on your team mates as they try to group up to meet the threat.