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PATCH #16
Upcoming Patch - Tuesday, April 29th @ 10AM – 1PM PDT
Patch Number: 1.3.286
Change Log
UPDATE
Greetings MechWarriors,
We're hyped to bring you the Launch Module update! This package of features brings an overhaul to the matchmaker for public games and offers the opportunity to carry out private matches. Whether it's a fan tournament, grudge match, or even a place to film in-game: How you use a Private Match is now in your hands!
Private matches allow you to choose who you play against and modify the rules of the match. Depending on your Premium Time status: You can change the game mode, the map, tonnage rules, and more!
Public matches now have a rule of three's: All weight classes will be restricted to 3 per side. By also prioritizing tonnage totals and factoring in ELO: Those who play in 2-4 or 12-player Groups may notice immediately some of the changes in matchmaking behavior. Lone Wolves can still simply select "Public Match" after "PLAY NOW" to drop right into the action! We hope that these changes will provide a more consistent and balanced experience for all pilots.
Our thanks go out once more to all MechWarriors who took part in the Public Test event for this module. Those who completed 5 Public Matches during that test are being awarded a free day of Premium Time to further enjoy these new systems. If you missed this opportunity to take part, please stay tuned for Announcements regarding future Public Tests.
Added to the private lobby is the ability to replenish purchased consumable modules, while those in the public queue now have the ability to cancel out of the matchmaker while searching. Other changes we are including are the ability to turn off cockpit glass, film grain and depth-of-field options through the user-config files as well as a bug fix to allow retention of the game mode selection. You can check out the notes below for more specifics on how the Launch module works as well as other bug fixes!
We thank you and look forward to seeing you on the battlefield!
- The MechWarrior® Online™ Team
Matchmaker for Public Matches
The new match maker brings a new Mech weight class restriction to team building:
- The Rule of Threes (3-3-3-3): Inside of a public match there must be no more than 3 of a given weight class.
- 3 Lights, 3 Mediums, 3 Heavies, and 3 Assaults.
- The matchmaker will fill public matches according to this rule.
- When balancing teams based on weight class, the match maker also tries to prioritize tonnage when matching to keep tonnage close to each other on each team.
- ELO is quietly factored in to better match players with similar statistical skill levels against one another wherever possible.
- Public matches still contain exactly 24 players in any case.
- Players can now cancel from Searching for a match.
What does this mean for the Lone Wolf player?
- To enter a game as a Lone Wolf you click on PLAY NOW and select Public Match from the drop down. The normal behavior of the public queue is the same from this point on.
Group Launching
When it comes to groups a few restrictions apply:
- Groups can only be 2 – 4 players or 12 players.
- For launching into a public game a group needs to stay within the rule of only 3 'Mechs per Class.
- The Rule of Threes (3-3-3-3) also applies for 12 player groups.
- Private matches are not affected by the 'Mech class regulations.
- When it comes to groups, the matchmaker assigns these first.
- There cannot be more than one group on a team.
- (Known Issue: Currently it is possible to have more than one group on a team.)
- The system tries to match the groups on both teams as close as possible depending on availability.
- After the group's missing spots are filled up with solo players, maintaining the 3-3-3-3 rule.
- 12 player groups always play against 12 player groups while following the 3-3-3-3 rule.
Creating a Private Match
- To create a private match, click on PLAYNOW and choose the option Private Match from the pop-up.
- Only the lobby creator can modify the game options. See below for more details.
- 2-4 and 12 Player Group Leaders can also start a Private Match while they are in that group.
- While in a group, the group leader would click the Group Launch button and select Private Match from the pop-up window. This will bring up the Private Match Lobby just like the above method would, but this time all the players in the group would be brought into the Lobby simultaneously.
- After a match has completed, all players are returned to the Lobby.
- Game Options- If the Lobby creator has Premium time, they will have access to change:
- Map: Sets the map for the match.
- Tonnage Rules: Sets the tonnage window a team has to stay within.
- Match Time: Sets the time for the match.
- View Mode: Free to the player or restricts the view mode to either option.
- In order to adjust the option FULL TEAMS, the lobby creator and the Company Commander of the opposite team must have active Premium Time on their accounts. If this option is set to NO you are able to form teams of any size as long as there is at least one player on each team.
Invitations to a Private Match
There are three ways that players can invite other players to a private match.
- The first way is to invite players from the leader’s social friends list.
- Clicking a player name on the friends list will bring up the option to invite that player to the Lobby.
- The second way is to invite a player by typing their name into the invitation box.
- This is accessed from a button on the bottom of the friends list.
- The third way is to invite the leader of a group.
- In order to do this, the player who created the lobby must know who the leader of the external group is.
- The invite to the group leader is accomplished by one of the two above means; If the group leader accepts the lobby leader’s invite, the entire group is brought into the lobby.
While Group leaders can be invited, group members cannot. In order for a group to take on an invitation: Every member of the group must be set to ‘Ready’. Once the group leader accepts the invitation, the whole group is taken into the private match lobby.
It is not possible to invite a player if:
- The invited player is offline.
- The invited player is a member of a group but not the leader.
It is not possible to accept an invitation if:
- The private match lobby does not exist anymore.
- There are not enough free spots for all players of the invited group in the private match lobby.
- The private match lobby already started a match. In this case, the invitation can be accepted again once the match is over and the players return to the private match lobby.
Managing Players in the Private Lobby
- The Lobby creator has the ability to move any player into any slot in the Lobby player list.
- The leader of team 2 will also have the ability to move players to any slot within their own team.
- The Lobby creator has the ability to kick any player from the Lobby.
- The Lobby creator is the only player that is able to change the options for the match.
Modifying Consumables
- Players will be able to change/replenish their consumable between matches while in the Lobby.
Bug Fixes
- Previous game mode selection will now carry between matches if the player is in a group.
- Fixed a server side issue where explosion effects were being queued across multiple frames resulting in damage being applied at the wrong time.
- Fixed an issue where players on 'High' or 'Very High' experience graphical corruption when viewing refraction of terrain far away and smoke
- Fixed an issue where ballistics have no collision visual effects with water within 250 meters.
Known Issues
- It is possible to have more than one 2-4 person group on a team in a Public Match.
- Lance and Team Commander status selection is not carried over from lobby to in-game.
- Members of a Private Lobby will not see a 'Searching' prompt when the leader launches.
- Start in 3rd-person option is not functional causing players to always start in 1st person.
General
The following configuration variables have been exposed for tuning in your user.cfg file. To add these to your user.cfg file navigate to C:\Program Files (x86)\Piranha Games\MechWarrior Online (or your custom installation location) and if it doesn't exist, create a file user.cfg containing these settings as desired. Don't forget to set the value desired.
- gp_option_ShowCockpitGlass=0/1 (off/on)
- r_DepthOfField=0/1 (off/on)
- r_HDRGrainAmount=0.0-1.0 (film grain amount)
We thank you for your patience and we look forward to seeing you on the battlefield!
The MechWarrior® Online™ Team
It is now ok to remove certain items using config file modification such as cockpit glass, Depth of Field Grain amount. As you know there was a huge Youtube issue with this before.
So have fun and play on.
Edited by Egomane, 29 April 2014 - 10:35 AM.
