184 replies to this topic

[AaronWolf]

Silent, on 10 January 2014 - 09:26 PM, said:

Hey AaronWolf we aren't in KTown oh wait this is just how you normally post hahaha.

[rolly]

This is getting old hat fast. The Harvester isn't the only new player who's posted his feedback on this. We need a program to retain new players and not have them burn out. Something needs to be done when even our most modest members get fed up.

[AaronWolf]

rolly, on 15 January 2014 - 06:03 AM, said:

This is getting old hat fast. The Harvester isn't the only new player who's posted his feedback on this. We need a program to retain new players and not have them burn out. Something needs to be done when even our most modest members get fed up.

In general, a lot of new players love this game. I have invited close to 30+ people now in the last few days, and their all having fun so far. Lots of them also are becoming NGNG fans and looking for IS factions to join before the Clans come in.

It depends on the person and player itself.

There is a lot of very happy players out there, just a lot of them don't bother with the forums and just play.

Though I still have some oldies who are holding back till UI 2.0 is out. And I can agree that there is a huge learning curve. (Which should be a slow ramp, rather then a harsh drop as it is) That is why people are here to help. The New Players Forum is full of us who want to help ease those who are having a hard time in, until it gets more evened out for new players by the new features being put in by PGI.

[JC Daxion]

War Beast, on 10 January 2014 - 10:19 PM, said:

The game has been "live" for 1.5 years now. I dont think things are evening out at all. In fact I'm sure if you were to do some post research, you find staggeringly sad numbers.

And just from a personal perspective I'm part of a local gaming club. Out of the 11 people who have tried it, NO ONE has stayed with the game. I'm the only current player. One other member still plays occassionally but is no longer "active". He's the one who got me to try it. And sadly based on my readings and my experiences, I'm going to break off and hope it gets better in a year.

So out of 11 players in my local circle who've spent time with the game - that makes 11 players who have stopped. 2 of us hoping for better developments. The rest were fairly pissy about the experience.

Those are sucky numbers too.

Well, you are off a bit here, While the game was "founded" 1.5 years ago, It really wasn't even called "live" until a few months back. Technically the game is really still in beta. If playing a game in this state is not for you, By all means take a step back.

I am Not a pvper.. Outside of playing starcraft back in the late 90's I have never played a game that had any sort of pvp. I do not play shooters, I never played battle field, call of duty, counter strike, Or anything that remotely resembles a shooter. I play strategy games, and RPG's. well, all but mech games. I played the single player campaign's in Mech warrior 3, and 4.. Made it to the end of each once..

But some reason this game calls, me.. Even if i do not always have great games.. I have many matches that i do under 100 points of damage, Sometimes i just get killed, i am having an off night, Or you can tell you are getting rolled by great teams/players. Others, i have great matches, and we are really evened out.

I have over 500 matches, and i still get those under 100 damage games.. I also now have games that my play was what won the match.

You say, you have a group of 11 people, So why not try getting on teamspeak, and grouping up, and playing together? Even if you guys loose you are doing it together, and who knows you might actually enjoy yourself. I know i have often enjoyed losses more than wins from time to time. Sure getting the 12-0 roll, sucks... But then you get those games that you are down 5 mechs, and come back and win the game.

The other side of it, is your mech.. You really need to find something that fit's your play style..

Do you like to run around, and dodge, take a pot shot, and then run and hopes people chase you to an ambush? play a light...

Do you hate lights with a passion, or like to have a fast mech with a bit more fire power.. Play a light hunting medium, or a lance support mech..

Do you want more fire power, but still have maneuverability? Play that heavy..

Do you want to lead a team, soak up damage, and dish it out? Play that assault..

My point is, even in this game, there are so many different ways to play each class, and that is not even touching on how different builds work.



You need to be cautious, this game is deadly.. and you can die in seconds.. Learning cover, learning when to move out into danger, and when not is just as important as learning when to fire.


Lastly i will say.. Lately i have been playing a medium mech, with a fast engine, medium lasers, and a pair of streaks, with a BAP to counter ECM.. I have been having an absolute blast with this mech..

My over all kill ratio is still .64, though my two best mechs are .80. (i swear i never get the killing blow!) I really wish the game kept track of assists, but till then i will just have to deal. I have had a few people say i suck, and i have had people say great job... it all depends on the night, the team, the situation, and many other things i can't even keep track of.


My point is, the game is a lotta fun, even for a person like me that Has never even played a pvp game before this... I just have to say ohh well when i have a match that i get 30 damage points.. (granted part of this is a do scout a lot, and help cap, support, flank ect) Or a match like i had the other night that i got my highest score ever.. (i have never had over 550, till this match, and typically i am in the 300 or so range in a medium) But this one match i scored a 125, and 997 points of damage, was the last mech left, and won the game for my team in a 1v1 brawl with a victor the final mech and i pulled it out) I ended the night on that match cause there is nothing like going out on a high note..


My point is, you will have bad matches.. very bad matches, and those aren't are a ton of fun.. other times it will be a blast..


I will also add that time of day i have noticed makes a big difference.. evenings EST is definatly harder, as is the weekends.. If you can, play in those off hours, i find i get much better matches for my skill level. Or we are just not playing against those awesome teams that drop and are on team speak that makes a huge difference

Edited by JC Daxion, 15 January 2014 - 06:36 AM.

[PawPaWuFF]

its a rough grind my advice is to not let the stomps upset you and just enjoy playing get as much damage out as you can before you die, look into getting a mech to master (you'll need 2 extra variants to max out your pilot tree) and spend a few million cbills on each upgrading heatsinks/weapons/engines (dont go for an assault for you first chasis to master theyre so damn expensive) live long and prosper

[Mott]

I've introduced 5 players to MWO (3 of them BT lore fans and 2 of them past MW3/4 players) and none of them were suitably impressed to keep with it.

None of them are FPS players, so they weren't looking for a quick 'n easy game. All of them are seasoned mmog vets so the grind wasn't a surprise. And all of them were interested in a strategic, simulation shooter.

Sure, the unintuitive trial mechs weren't very fun to pilot and the regular stomping of noobs didn't help.

But the fault of their true disappointment lies somewhat with me. I really pimped the game and the community warfare BEFORE i knew it didn't exist yet. My friends were very excited to be part of actual units, fighting cohesively, to protect, capture and control various properties in the Inner Sphere.

Without that... these gamers who are far more serious about overall game experience than me (they're logging 200hrs+ of game time per month)... lost interest after just a dozen or so matches.

[AaronWolf]

Mott, on 15 January 2014 - 07:38 AM, said:

I've introduced 5 players to MWO (3 of them BT lore fans and 2 of them past MW3/4 players) and none of them were suitably impressed to keep with it.

None of them are FPS players, so they weren't looking for a quick 'n easy game. All of them are seasoned mmog vets so the grind wasn't a surprise. And all of them were interested in a strategic, simulation shooter.

Sure, the unintuitive trial mechs weren't very fun to pilot and the regular stomping of noobs didn't help.

But the fault of their true disappointment lies somewhat with me. I really pimped the game and the community warfare BEFORE i knew it didn't exist yet. My friends were very excited to be part of actual units, fighting cohesively, to protect, capture and control various properties in the Inner Sphere.

Without that... these gamers who are far more serious about overall game experience than me (they're logging 200hrs+ of game time per month)... lost interest after just a dozen or so matches.

Like some of mine, they are probably going to come back once CW is in for awhile. If they are as hardcore as you say, its hard to stay away from a game like this with that kinda featured instilled.

Till then it is a waiting game.

/hug

[cleghorn6]

The Harvester, on 14 January 2014 - 07:49 PM, said:

GXP comes excrutiatingly slow, so it seems like it'll be forever before I can start to reap any benefits there (I just cracked 1,000 GXP after 57 matches, and you have to be in the several thousands before you can use them if I'm interpreting things correctly in the interface... sheesh).

Dude, I just checked my stats, I've played just over 800 matches since they started counting and I've been playing since mid-CB. Literally yesterday I had enough GXP to get my third module, and I'm not buying the expensive ones. Modules are very much end-game content (if you have an actual life and aren't playing 20 hours a day), don't get tied up in them.

Glad to see you stuck around, seems to me like you have found the right attitude.

See you on the field.

[Mott]

AaronWolf, on 15 January 2014 - 07:46 AM, said:

Like some of mine, they are probably going to come back once CW is in for awhile. If they are as hardcore as you say, its hard to stay away from a game like this with that kinda featured instilled.

Till then it is a waiting game.

/hug

They are hardcore gamers... not hardcore BT gamers. They'll go wherever the offerings are best. And for the subscription fees they're paying and the hours they're logging, I can't blame them.

If i was putting that kind of time and money into video games, i'd expect to get top notch entertainment and experience too.

[AaronWolf]

Mott, on 15 January 2014 - 08:15 AM, said:

They are hardcore gamers... not hardcore BT gamers. They'll go wherever the offerings are best. And for the subscription fees they're paying and the hours they're logging, I can't blame them.

If i was putting that kind of time and money into video games, i'd expect to get top notch entertainment and experience too.

Ahhhh. Thought they were BT-fans. My fup up.

Edited by AaronWolf, 15 January 2014 - 08:19 AM.

[IraqiWalker]

rolly, on 15 January 2014 - 06:03 AM, said:

This is getting old hat fast. The Harvester isn't the only new player who's posted his feedback on this. We need a program to retain new players and not have them burn out. Something needs to be done when even our most modest members get fed up.

What's getting old hat fast is people expecting to dominate from the get go, or even be good from drop 1.

When I first started I played a commando trial mech. This was before Champion mechs were even a dream. My first 25 drops, 0 kills and a few assists (assists in the sense of dealing 20 damage for the duration of the match) it took me a looooong time to get "not [scrappy]" as a player.

People need patience, and need to learn to handle getting a loss. Yes, a new player only queue would mitigate that, but that requires re-writing the matchmaker, and they are already doing that, so I don't know what they're re-writing into it. Who knows?

For the record, my Win/Loss ratio is 0.514 (987Wins/932Losses) with a KDR of 0.41, as a Commando pilot.

[Triforceelf]

I too, am a new player with past experience on tabletop and MW, and I agree that this game is REALLY hard to get into. I was helped by the fact that my first drops were with my brother, who really made the difference between me continuing to play or not. Even then though, this game was hard to get into and confusing. If I hadn't had someone to explain to me how to do something simple like activate 1st person or what a good choice for a mech would be for me, I would have quit. I agree that PGI could really spruce up the new player experience, and from what I have heard they are working on it which is a Good Thing.

Once you're over the initial "hump" of learning how to play, this game does provide a unique, rewarding experience. I can't stand the hyper paced gameplay of most FPS games, nor do I enjoy the cookie cutter mentality that plagues MOBAs. I hope the toxicity that has leached into LoL and DoTA doesn't infest this game as well, but it looks like we are well on the way to that. I hope the idea that you can build a mech how you want and still be at least somewhat successful will be around so that new players can experiment without completely gimping themselves. (That said, I understand there will always be optimized builds. That's fine, as long as people don't start screaming at you to run them).

[Amsro]

The Harvester, on 14 January 2014 - 07:49 PM, said:

Hey all... Just thought I'd update you on progress. Figured out how to spend the c-bills I'd been earning and picked up a Quickdraw that I've been tinkering with the loadout on. Still under the learning curve a good bit in terms of maneuvering for combat effectiveness. Found the MWO youTube channel, so I did some learning there. Discovered how to use weapon grouping today, which is coming in handy. Still seems like opponents can put an awful lot of steel on me before I can respond with effective fire, so that's still a point of frustration. I've stuck mostly to energy weapons for simplicity's sake, but I think I'm gonna have to branch out to missles & ballistic weapons to get some reach. Mech movement is getting more second-nature, so more progress there. GXP comes excrutiatingly slow, so it seems like it'll be forever before I can start to reap any benefits there (I just cracked 1,000 GXP after 57 matches, and you have to be in the several thousands before you can use them if I'm interpreting things correctly in the interface... sheesh).

Anyway... Hanging in there and getting seat time, which is what gets things better. Will check back in later. Hope to see some of you downrange...

As far as GXP goes, save it up for pilot trees. Don't use GXP on your mech ever, you will regret the purchase.

GXP is a % of your EXP earned. The more you make on your mech the more GXP you get.

If you're diving into ballistics I would recommend the AC/5 (works great in pairs or more), good speed range and damage.

[Barkem Squirrel]

The Harvester, on 10 January 2014 - 04:34 PM, said:

To all... Thanks for all the input, suggestions, and frankly, the call outs on me letting my frustration get the better of me. I had forgotten how long it took me to become a very proficient pilot in the old non-online MW games. So, as I mentioned to Shar (my original nemesis) above, I'm gonna keep plugging away at it and work to get a feel for the game and its play mechanics. I actually went thru a few more drops yesterday evening and finally scored a kill, so that was encouraging. It can be done!

Also to all the posters here... Now I definitely feel welcomed to the community, and I really appreciate that. I'll look forward to going downrange with some of you at some point, and I'll also look forward to seeing how the game continues to evolve since some of the folks mentioned things were still being developed.

Having said all that, I think I need to go blow some up some virtual stuff, so it's off to the mech bays... Keep your guns in the fight, gentlemen...

Thanks, for your decision. Then for the rest of you commenting on this.

I have seen a few new players in matches almost everyday and when one identifies himself, most people are willing to help.


A few things that I am seeing are:

• new players need a separate area for more than 25 matches and 100 or 200 might be more beneficial for new player retention. (it took me just over 6 months and a low of 0.04 KDR before I got better.) I will not mention the win/loss ratio, but I am a lot higher now.
  
• possibly increase the available trial mech selection for the first 100 matches. Different types of mechs may be needed to explore the many roles in this game.
  
• there is no easy mode.
  
• Stock mechs, well they are good for target practice, and do not have the amount of ammo or armor to last long in the games.
  
• Would PGI develop a trainer mode for some guidance for the new players, that allows a seasoned pilot to be a 13th person in a drop with no mech but can observe and make comments? I would also look into having a program to see who you allow to do this, but I have a feeling that many people would want to do this to help the game through development of new players. It would also allow for some factions to recruit new players into groups.

In the Army there was a saying: Shoot, move, communicate.

It was not all wrong, and with the computer systems that were added to the combat vehicles we realized it was communicate, move and then shoot. this is what applies here.

Hope to see you in match maker and give you some LRM support, but if you are on the other side I will still freely give you some LRMs .

[Amsro]

IraqiWalker, on 15 January 2014 - 08:43 AM, said:

What's getting old hat fast is people expecting to dominate from the get go, or even be good from drop 1.

Its not the lack of winning or being an amazing pilot, its the lack of accessible info for the game. Heck we all now get our updates from Twitter. (side note; Twit almost feels like that sometimes. )

-Ghost Heat (nothing is mentioned ANYWHERE)
-Arm Lock (this should not be default, self gimp is bad)
-3rd Person View (almost any other button then F4 would have kept people from trolling. ALT+F4 to get out of 3rd person . "soandso" Disconnected. )
-Mechlab (I'll save the reasons because UI2.0 is on the way.)

Unless your a forum junky you will not find any useful info the help you learn the hidden mechanics in the game.

I do hope PGI has been paying attention and fixes this with UI2.0.

[Buckminster]

The Harvester, on 14 January 2014 - 07:49 PM, said:

...I've stuck mostly to energy weapons for simplicity's sake, but I think I'm gonna have to branch out to missles & ballistic weapons to get some reach. Mech movement is getting more second-nature, so more progress there. GXP comes excrutiatingly slow, so it seems like it'll be forever before I can start to reap any benefits there (I just cracked 1,000 GXP after 57 matches, and you have to be in the several thousands before you can use them if I'm interpreting things correctly in the interface... sheesh).

Using primarily lasers can hurt you - their damage over time beam style means that they are easy to hit with, but can be hard to hit effectively with. It doesn't take much for the 5 damage medium laser to turn into 1 damage to CT, 1 damage to RT and 3 damage to a rock.

With ballistics (and PPCs, since they act like ballistics) the hardest thing to learn is the effect of the projectile speed. Gauss and AC/2s are fast and don't require as much lead, but AC/20s are a whole different ball game. If it's something you want to play with, maybe swap a PPC on your Quickdraw - they fill energy hard points, and don't require ammo. Just remember that if you have more than two you need to be careful of ghost heat.

And GXP are god-awful slow to earn, but fortunately that only impacts your modules. You'll still earn plenty of mech XP, which you can use to unlock your efficiencies.

[IraqiWalker]

Amsro, on 15 January 2014 - 09:26 AM, said:

Its not the lack of winning or being an amazing pilot, its the lack of accessible info for the game. Heck we all now get our updates from Twitter. (side note; Twit almost feels like that sometimes. )

-Ghost Heat (nothing is mentioned ANYWHERE)
-Arm Lock (this should not be default, self gimp is bad)
-3rd Person View (almost any other button then F4 would have kept people from trolling. ALT+F4 to get out of 3rd person . "soandso" Disconnected. )
-Mechlab (I'll save the reasons because UI2.0 is on the way.)

Unless your a forum junky you will not find any useful info the help you learn the hidden mechanics in the game.

I do hope PGI has been paying attention and fixes this with UI2.0.

You know what. I completely agree with what you wrote there. No jokes or sarcasm.

[Redshift2k5]

The Harvester, on 09 January 2014 - 06:08 PM, said:

Any time I've gotten into a skirmish with another mech, I get the fire blasted out of me every.... single... time. It's impossible to keep a reticle on target for any length of time, certainly not long enough to get a meaningful shot off.

Clearly the mech that killed you had no trouble keeping his reticule on target. I think this clearly illustrates that you are doing something wrong. you can either fix it (ask for help, practice, adjusting settings like mouse sensitivity, improving your hardware, etc) or complain about it.

[Amsro]

Redshift2k5, on 15 January 2014 - 09:49 AM, said:

Clearly the mech that killed you had no trouble keeping his reticule on target. I think this clearly illustrates that you are doing something wrong. you can either fix it (ask for help, practice, adjusting settings like mouse sensitivity, improving your hardware, etc) or complain about it.

The venting is complete, Harvester is actually accepting the challenge and learning the game match by match. The first 100 matches are always a rough time.

[990Dreams]

How many s is the Cadet bonus?