3
https://soundcloud.c...g-110-karl-berg
Recorded: 7 May 2014
Aired: 9 May 2014
This episode is less an interview and more a podcast with Karl sitting in. There is far more discussion than question/answer and so I won't classify this as a 'summary of an interview.' It is also why there is so much commentary in the way of footnotes from me. It's less informational/newsworthy stuff and more hypothetical/discussion and like so many of you, I MUST troll the forums with my comments. MUST, I say, MUST.... The good news is, my comments are mostly segregated so you know when these guys are speaking and don't take my words for theirs.
Disclaimer: I do not work for PGI, or NGNG. My intention is to provide a thorough summary of this interview for people who cannot or will not listen but still want the information. Also, I have nothing against Hungarians. (clarifications are in parenthesis) [My editorial comments are in brackets -Peiper] There is bias in this summary. In trying to take all those words and present them in a concise, written format, I quote very little and reword most everything. It is impossible for my personality or thought processes to not tilt the meaning toward my own understanding of what was said. If there are inconsistencies between what I write and what is fact, please say so in a private message.
LAUNCH MODULE
3:00 The cast relays the woes of the first couple hours of the launch modules.
5:01 Sean says 'exspecially.' [Sean, exspecially is not a word.-Peiper] [Footnote 6]
6:00 Karl: That we cannot access the mechlab from the private lobbies was a 'design call.' It was not an oversight, but he doesn't know WHY we cannot.
7:25 It is hypothesized that there is no mechlab/private lobby connection in order to cut down on the dev time. It was the responsibility of the already backlogged U.I. Team. “Bringing in the full UI 2.0 mechlab would have been kind of sketchy.” [Peiper's theory: see footnote 1]
8:10 Sean points out that while public matches might be not working as intended, but the private lobbies are working rather flawlessly.
11:10 Karl: One premade per team may not be viable. We'll have to go back to the user statistics to see who is dropping so that wait times aren't forever. 3's definitely should be viable. The current matchmaker algorithm is old, and has been reworked a few times. So they're looking at a matchmaker rewrite to make 3's work properly. It's high priority and they're 'on it right now.'
12:00 The cast hypothesizes that 3/3/3/3 (weight limits) influence win/loss factors more than the number of premades per team. The question discussed is: If you had to choose which: premade numbers or weight limits, what would you choose? [Footnote 2]
14:07 Karl: PGI is in the middle of trying to figure out how to balance groups in drops.
JUMP JETS
15:00 Sean proposes that more heat be added to jump jets as a balance out for their bonuses in movement (to balance them against mechs who have much more limited movement because they can't jump). He proposes the longer you hold down the jump jet trigger, the more heat they produce. The example he uses is the number of jump-snipes a brawler would have to face while they try to work their way toward their targets would be lessened because the jump sniper would be overheating. [Footnote 3] The cast then agrees with him and each other.
19:20 Tyler (I think): proposes leg damage from landing. [Footnote 4] Karl says fall/drop damage hasn't been tuned at all, but it's something designers are looking at.
MECH TREE/PILOT TREE
20:30 Sean talks about how he'd like to see quirks built into the mech trees: so that rather than having the generic 8/4/1 skill tree we have now, have a skill tree appropriate for the mech or the role the mech is designed to play. Maybe have several traits to choose from, but only be able to take say 3 of 6 possible. This might help make some more maligned mechs more valuable or playable. You could even take the physical parts of the mech into account: this mech has a shield on the left arm, sloped armor here, oversized part there. [Footnote 5] Is this what PGI envisions?
20:20 Karl: would prefer to see a revised skill system. He would rather see the skill system reflect player style and preferences rather than have every mech/player the same.
23:30 Karl: When the skill sets were created, they were designed to work cross-variant, and by necessity had to be rather generic. Hopefully we'll see more unique options in the future. He doesn't want to see any type of 'RNG.' Example: buying something for the Awesome 8Q that has a 50% chance to reduce PPC heat by 50%. (RNG=random number generator)
25:00 Sean talks about how every mech in a weight class feels/acts the same. Example, a Jenner is as nimble as a Locust despite being near twice the tonnage. Also suggests that the Kintaro and Shadowhawk are both 55 tons, but one does not have jump jets – so why take the Kintaro over the Shadowhawk? Perhaps design quirks that would make the Kintaro more attractive would help balance out the bonuses of the Shadowhawk's jump jets. [Good idea. -Peiper] Another cast member points out that engine size determines move and turn speed. Perhaps capping the movement bonuses for larger engines could be considered. [Footnote 7]
28:00 Karl: would like to see at minimum, each weight class have their own mech tree. Lights have agility based skills, assaults have other stuff.
MODULE SYTEM
28:35 Sean points out that the higher ELO you go, the more air/arty strikes you see. Sometimes 20 plus strikes in a match, making it a rather constant thing. Another problem is that modules for the most part are not role specific.
29:45 Karl: Remember Bryan talking about having different types of module slots. So you might have one pilot module, but have 3 weapons modules available based on role/mech type. There's already stuff in a design document regarding revamping the module system (internal PGI doc.), but there's still a lot of missing stuff there, for sure. Sean points out that right now, many modules, and especially weapons modules, are generally useless – partly because there's no reason to take them over arty/air strikes an other consumables. They generally agree on segregating module types to encourage people to take different modules, and less consumables. When weapon modules cost as much as a new mech to use, why would people bother buying them?
34:15 Karl: The weapon modules were supposed to be in addition to the current modules, but those hard(soft)points haven't been added in yet.
36:00 Karl: Module system and mech quirks are in the works (with clans). Pilot tree not currently being worked on.
36:30 Sean: Modules cost way too much. He'd rather buy several of the same module for less and equip it on every mech than buy one and have to move it around every time he switches mech. [I echo Bombadil's 'amen' on that. -Peiper]
38:18 Any new modules coming out, or current ones altered? Karl: would like to see arty/airstrike damage brought down or more spread out. Sean suggests dropping damage 25-35% and remove the possibility of a headshot. (currently AC40's from the sky) But even with that, people would still probably use arty/airstrikes because you make C-bills from damage and not so much with other modules. Karl agrees.
40:20 Karl: would like to see advanced target decay revamped, since the LRM buff, but now it's even more powerful than ever. Sean: proposes UAV's should stay up way longer, at least considering the cost of the module/consumable. The module system was a good placeholder but needs to be reworked. And Sean points out that cool shot is still a big mistake. [Throw money into the ether and coolant is magically replaced in your mech! It makes NO SENSE in Battletech or this game. -Peiper] Consumables shouldn't cause damage, but it's cool that they can be use to manipulate the battlefield (like arty forcing people off hilltops).
MWO TOURNAMENT SERIES
45:35 Sean points out that there is an application process to get into the tournament. Who determines who gets in? He thinks the tournament should be basketball bracket style, and everyone should get in: no playing favorites, no first come-first serve. PGI should tell the team captains when the match is scheduled and if you snooze you lose. He understands this is beta, but what about teams scheduling their own fights with each other? Too much grey area, and time zones play a huge factor in team participation.
FREE CAMERA for filming reviewed.
48:00 Free camera described. When flying around, teams clearly defined, you see pilot, mech, health percentage, with top-down view to watch how all mechs are moving with the option to pick a pilot and hop into the cockpit. Thanks to Brian Buckton and Carl Berg for the work with that.
__________________________________________________
Footnote 1: You know how mechlab is a flash player thing, and everything is compartmentalized as to not have too much stuff happening at once? Example: the social tab is separate from the store which is separate from the mechlab. Adding or reworking the layers may make the game cumbersome and slow things down? IDK. I'm not a tech guy, but they segregated all the parts of UI 2.0 for a reason. Putting them all in the same basket again may be a step backwards in their design/attempts to streamline the game. Not that they made any attempt to streamline the mechlab. I still fracking hate the damed UI 2.0 mechlab. It WAS essential that they put in module selection for private lobbies. No one would ever drop if after every match the groups had to break up. Not that people can afford to replace consumables when they're not making any money in private lobbies anyway! -Peiper
Footnote 2: Why won't weight AND team limits work again? If you had to choose peanut butter or jelly... If they can only enforce weights, then team sizes of more than four should be considered. End the sync drop crap. Maybe make a solo-only queue and an I don't care queue of puggers really care that much. As long as they match team sizes as best they can, then it won't matter to puggers. They'll either get the benefit of being on a good team or not. In either case, how is that different than the pug lottery we have right now? I think pugs benefit from having premades on their team, but then again, I'm not stupid enough to drop alone and whine about being alone. This is a freaking TEAM GAME no matter how much they reward people for individual action over teamwork. I'm pretty sick of walls of assault mechs in drops, though. I will agree that 3/3/3/3 is more important than team numbers just for variety's sake. -Peiper
Footnote 3: Jump snipers would be less effective if they didn't allow us to frankenmech high-alpha long range builds. Same with having to weather blizzards of missiles or a 3 pack of gauss cats/boom jaggers. Again PGI's insistence on allowing the greatest possible customization for mechs kicks their own ass. I know... beating a dead horse. It does make me jealous that Sean Lang and the gang can sit and have a chat with a dev about their ideas, but our smoke signals on the island are rarely acknowledged. -Peiper
Footnote 4: Maybe if falling were factor in the game would I agree, along with death from above. But jump jet capable mechs are DESIGNED to jump and land without falling apart. I would like to see large mechs take damage more proportionally from falling/sliding down mountains as compared to smaller mechs. It doesn't make sense that the lighter the mech, the more damage it takes from landing/falling/sliding down. But JUMPING mechs should not take damage from LANDING if they are landing from a height no greater than the greatest arch of flight they were designed for. Now if a mech jumps high off a cliff, then they should take damage as they're falling much further down then the are designed to jump up! -Peiper
Footnote 5: SIZED hardpoints might make some mechs more viable too. The hunchback might be more interesting if it is the ONLY medium mech that can sport an AC/20? Geezus... You guys have no idea how frustrating it is to listen to these guys ignore such a basic issue as what makes a chassis unique to begin with. Ghost heat would be unnecessary, overpowered/exclusive ECM could be reworked, etc... It's all down to frankenmechs and how we can abuse them. So fracking frustrating to see what is a simple solution instead of endless bandaids. If you have a headache, don't break your fingers to make your headache go away! -Peiper
Footnote 6: It's a pet peeve, not meant to put Sean down. I like Sean and appreciate what he does for the community. Something bugs everyone, and sometimes it's better to make light of it than scratching your eyes out. Example: every Battletech novel I've ever read includes something like “Marjory chews her lower lip.” It's gotta be an unspoken agreement among the authors to include that description, because the only time I ever see anyone chewing their lower lips are in porn, or even more graphically, in the old movie 'Dune' whether the mentaths compulsively chew their lips as a side effect to taking spice. So, when I read the passage about a Battletech character chewing their lower lip, I picture the character compulsively munching on their bruised and irritated lower lips like the drug-addled mentaths of Dune. Drives me nuts. But I still respect the authors and if I ever finish my own Battletech novel, you bet one of them is going to be chewing their lower lip at one time or another: “Exspecially” if there's a chance of it being added to canon/published! -Peiper
Footnote 7: In tabletop mech design rules, mechs could only be given specific engines based on their tonnage multiplied by the number of hexes they moved (walking speed). Example: a 100 ton Atlas could be given a 100, 200, 300 or 400 rated engine. It's why the Awesome comes with a 240 and not a 250 or 275. In MWO we can give battlemechs ANY engine within a certain range. This significantly impacts frankenmech designs. Currently, many Jenners use 300XL's, though mine uses a 295XL in order to stuff a BAP in there and keep full armor. Under Battletech rules, a Jenner could only have engines rated at 35 ton increments. So, I could put a 280 or a 315 in there, but not a 295 or 300. Implementing the battletech scale to mech creation could make a significant impact on metabuilds. I'm sure there would still be optimal builds, but maybe with a little study, we would see how taking a 45 ton mech might be better for a certain build than a 50 ton, etc... Similar to how players may choose an 80 ton jumper over an 85 tonner, because jump jets cost 2 tons each at 85 tons. -Peiper
_________________________
The following is NGNG's own list of subject matter. This will be replaced in due time with my summary. -Peiper
NGNG#110
* Hosts: Phil "Sean Lang", Daeron "Bombadil"
* Co-Hosts: Brandon "Cattra Kell", Tyler "JagerXII"
* Special Guest: Karl Berg, Senior Systems Engineer @ Piranha Games
* Discussion Topic: Launch Module
* 3-3-3-3 and only 1 premade per random battle
* Private Matches
* Want access to 'Mech Lab in Private Matches
* Discussion Topic: Jump Jets
* Do they need a downside to their obvious advantages?
* Add more heat?
* More fall damage?
* Discussion Topic: 'Mech Tree
* Could this be improved? How?
* Discussion Topic: Module System
* Could modules be used to help facilitate role-warfare?
* Ideas and possibilities
* PGI announces official FIRST ENGAGEMENT Team Tournament (Beta)
* Alpha version of Spectator Mode is receiving upgrades
* BattleMaster T-Shirt pre-orders shipping next week and will be in-stock
Edited by Peiper, 09 May 2014 - 09:25 AM.
activated "Use first tag as prefix "
