101 replies to this topic

[wwiiogre]

I really do not think the community here in MWO has really grasped the importance of the new launch module.

http://mwomercs.com/...28#entry3185728

This will change the way we see and play MWO.

What does the Launch Module allow us to do:

1. Private Free Matches
2. Premium Private Matches

What can we do as the community with these two things.

We can now have team Solaris battles.
We can now have private leagues and ladders.
We can now even run roleplaying campaigns based on different timelines. (3025 anyone?)

To me this is the biggest step PGI have made and an amazing step allowing the players (us) to take control of how we play the game.

I personally will be buying premium time, because I want to run a campaign based around 3045 and bring my players and the opfor towards 3050. Start them with 3025 mechs, move them thru 3039 mechs and then into 3050 and eventually up against the clan.

In otherwords I would like to make it possible for a group of players to have a story line campaign unavailable except as single player campaigns in all the previous MW titles. Think about what this opens up.

While I am happy with the new balance of tonnage classes for solo pug dropping. I am excited about the possibilities that the Launch Module gives us.

Thank You PGI, this was well done and much appreciated.

Chris

[Joseph Mallan]

It means all those teams trying to sync drop shot themselves in the foot!

[wwiiogre]

Why sync drop when you can private free match? or premium private match. It means we will need better community communication so matches of teams will be easier to find. What it will really mean is something like the Marik Civil War campaign will be much easier to run and easier to setup instead of the blind 12 man sync drops in the past. Having the lobby, gets everyone ready, in the mech, connected to the game and less chance of a blind drop or a short drop.

Can't wait to see this go live.

Only collisions or melee coming could make me more excited. Still want to do a DFA. Or kick a firestarter while in my Atlas.

Chris

Edited by wwiiogre, 28 February 2014 - 08:56 AM.

[Joseph Mallan]

The data used to decide how the modules would work was manipulated buy units trying to sync drop... Unless teams really have lost that much faith in the game.

[wwiiogre]

So Joseph,

what things about private free and private premium matches can you and your merc corps do?

In other words, what power does the launch module give your unit or other units or the community?

I see a big chance here for the community to create things and do things that were not possible. Want team solaris battles, organize it. Want private matches and world team ladders? Organize it?

Want a 2man, 4man, 8man, 5man league, organize it. Want to run 12 IS vs 10 clan mechs, organize it. This has given us a lot of power. Hopefully, some amazing community organizers will step forward and run with this come April.

Chris

[PhoenixFire55]

You can do it all ... as long as you pay for it. If you don't pay for it all you have is same old PUGwarrior.

[Nicholas Carlyle]

PhoenixFire55, on 28 February 2014 - 09:05 AM, said:

You can do it all ... as long as you pay for it. If you don't pay for it all you have is same old PUGwarrior.

Uh no? What part of "Private Free Matches" are we not understanding?

[Triordinant]

wwiiogre, on 28 February 2014 - 08:52 AM, said:

I personally will be buying premium time, because I want to run a campaign based around 3045 and bring my players and the opfor towards 3050. Start them with 3025 mechs, move them thru 3039 mechs and then into 3050 and eventually up against the clan.

I, for one, would be interested in a Battletech universe RPG campaign. Starting with 3025 mechs that we can customize using only 3025 tech sounds awesome.

[Khobai]

my stalker only has two module slots so I cant use the launch module :\

[Bhael Fire]

The launch module will be a much need breath of fresh air.

Just wish the "solo" queue was truly solo (as it no doubt will eventually be).

Khobai, on 28 February 2014 - 09:10 AM, said:

my stalker only has two module slots so I cant use the launch module :\

lololol...damn guess you can't launch.

[AlmightyAeng]

To be fair, the 'free' private matches consist of 12-mans. Anything involving varying amounts of players is a perk of premium.

It also requires a lot of background legwork...I'd appreciate a means or queue (even if it's tied to premium) that allows you to drop with any buddies you want, that fills in with whoever, and anyone who drops in that same queue KNOWS that it fills in with groups of any size.

Call it wildcard if you want...I'd play it with any group size, 5 or 11...even if WE get stomped, I'd be able to include all my buddies online.

That matters MORE to me than league play.

Edited by Ghost Badger, 28 February 2014 - 09:13 AM.

[PhoenixFire55]

Nicholas Carlyle, on 28 February 2014 - 09:07 AM, said:

Uh no? What part of "Private Free Matches" are we not understanding?

That part where I need to have 23 people to do it? Not sure about you but I don't always have 23 friends online at the same time. Nor do I always want to do 12 v 12 arena matches all the time.

[wwiiogre]

In what I hope to pull off for a campaign using the private free and premium versions is to start with 3025 mechs, and slowly move them forward thru the 4th succession War (3039 era) and then into the race to upgrade (3045-3050) and then finally into the current era 3050+ and then into taking on the clan.

The great thing about the Launch Module is you could truly recreate some of the epic battles from the BT lore. Gonna be really doing some homework on this and seeing how easy it is going to be to run a campaign. Because I would really be running multiple campaigns and interweaving each side against the other. Allowing all sides to slowly move forward along the timeline.

Including each side to scavenge battlefields after wards for salvage and then allowing them to frankenstein their mech between matches and slowly but surely upgrade it. To me, this is the one thing that has taken hold of my imagination. And for once I would be in control and my players would be in control by letting me know what they want.

So, I am looking forward to this challenge. Of not only attempting to run a campaign, but hopefully finding others willing to run their own campaigns or leagues.

Chris

[Bhael Fire]

Ghost Badger, on 28 February 2014 - 09:13 AM, said:

To be fair, the 'free' private matches consist of 12-mans. Anything involving varying amounts of players is a perk of premium.

And to be fair to premium private matches, they only require that two people (one on each team) have active premium time. Pretty sure anyone that takes the game seriously enough to care will have active premium time.

[Voivode]

wwiiogre, on 28 February 2014 - 08:56 AM, said:

Why sync drop when you can private free match? or premium private match. It means we will need better community communication so matches of teams will be easier to find. What it will really mean is something like the Marik Civil War campaign will be much easier to run and easier to setup instead of the blind 12 man sync drops in the past. Having the lobby, gets everyone ready, in the mech, connected to the game and less chance of a blind drop or a short drop.

Can't wait to see this go live.

Only collisions or melee coming could make me more excited. Still want to do a DFA. Or kick a firestarter while in my Atlas.

Chris

As someone who was a part of some of that Marik Civil War campaign, let me tell you how annoying it was to have our unit schedule a drop with another unit and have everyone get their pilots to show up at the allotted time and then set up the drop build, communicate the mutual readiness of between the groups attempting to face each other, and then attempt to sync drop.....only to get some random other unit.

I too applaud this launch module containing a strong private matchmaker. I understand people's frustration with lack of 5-11 size groups for random public drops, but I also understand the reasoning behind not having them. I agree that people latched on to that and really missed the more important bit of news in the announcement.

[wwiiogre]

Or in the future may require a one time mc charge for the person setting it up. I hope PGI does not attempt to charge everyone in a private premium match a one time mc charge, that would kill this idea completely.

But I would be willing to buy premium time to make this happen and hopefully I would be able to get others to do so as well. But that is in the future and we really do not know quite how all this is going to work. But it does give me a glimmer of hope that the community can make CW happen sooner than PGI. And show how it can be done by streaming some of these encounters or fraps'ing them and then posting them on the forums for PGI to see what could be.

Chris

[IceSerpent]

wwiiogre, on 28 February 2014 - 08:52 AM, said:

What can we do as the community with these two things.

We can now have team Solaris battles.
We can now have private leagues and ladders.
We can now even run roleplaying campaigns based on different timelines. (3025 anyone?)

Chris, all this is good and is indeed a big step, but there are two big problems with participating in private matches only:

1. You can't unlock efficiencies
2. You can't participate in CW (this one is somewhat remedied by abillity to participate in palyer-run leagues instead)

This means that you have to drop in public matches and PGI's proposed implementation of those matches is utter {Scrap}. Which is exactly what people are complaining about. If we could play the whole game without ever touching public matches, it would be fine even if it's a P2P game mode, but as long as we have to deal with MM, it needs to work right.

[PhoenixFire55]

Bhael Fire, on 28 February 2014 - 09:18 AM, said:

Pretty sure anyone that takes the game seriously enough to care will have active premium time.

No.

[Bhael Fire]

PhoenixFire55, on 28 February 2014 - 09:40 AM, said:

No.

No, what? You don't take the game seriously enough to care about private matches? Or no, you refuse to pay money no matter how reasonable it is?

I don't always have premium time active because I reserve it for times when I think it's most useful and worth it. I think having active premium time to allow a few (non-paying) friends of mine to have private matches set by our OWN rules is pretty much the definition of "worth it."

[wwiiogre]

IceSerpent,

Not counting all the games I lost during all the wipes I still have thousands and thousands of drops. I will still grind mechs in pub matches. But, this gives me the ability to do more, I could care less if I am not grinding xp or cbills in my private matches. At least I am playing in a style that I like, against like minded individuals. To me that is worth paying for.

Now, until we see where MM goes, all we can do is hope it is better than the current one. As far as I can see, unless they screw up the programming, it is already better. I will no longer face a tonnage difference of 400+ tons in most of the games I play. That means it is better already, I will no longer face two premades on oneside while having all pugs on the other. Better again.

Chris

PhoenixFire is a naysayer against most of what PGI does, can't blame him, they have broken so many promises it hurts. But, overall this game is still the best MW ever. They are slowly but surely getting balance right. Is it perfect, no, will it ever be perfect, no. Are they trying to make it better, obviously. Are they slower than molasses in winter time, yep, but I am still here and will be until the close their doors or someone makes a better MW game, which as of now is not possible since they locked the license up.

Chris