33 replies to this topic

[DJFrost]

PGI, I want to hear from YOU on why I should spend money on this game. I have been playing for a few weeks straight now and have noticed quite a few things horribly wrong with the way you are running things. First off I am just going to stay away from obvious things like charging $500 for a gold colored mech and just focus on one main thing here: Your match maker.

I just finished playing today, in the public servers, after spending today and yesterday confined to about 2 or 3 maps over and over. Now that is annoying on its own, but even worse is the utter unbalanced nature of each match. I have read numerous times and have been told by numerous players that it has been fixed, but those players all seem to be part of teams and are not dropping solo. I would love to drop in with a group, but seeing as I don't have a whole lot of time to hop on the forums and beg groups to join into it's not really an option. I have quite a few friends who would love to be playing along with me but they sit and watch me in matches and see what kind of crap goes on and just don't want to be bothered. Not much point in playing a game you can't survive in long enough to actually learn.

If private matches were an option we would be playing in there for practice and be able to hone up our skills enough to matter in the public servers. But you want to charge money for premium time for BOTH players to do this. How can you justify this? Why should I spend money on a game that seems to not give a **** about new players? Sure, I can drop in a testing ground map and fight against static mechs...that teaches you a lot........

New players need free small private matches badly. You will attract more players that way, as friends will be able to drop together and actually have some fun rather than being slaughtered by 12 man extermination groups of vet players.

Until that gets implemented, I don't see why should I spend ANY money on this game. I would love to be able to support the game and company who brought it back, but not while they are treating players like this.

Please PGI, reply and renew my faith.

[rolly]

I wouldn't hold your breath for this. The jilted feeling you have isn't just exclusive to new players, its new and old, fans of MW and of the Table top.

Sadly I, like many other fans of this franchise started out very optimistic when I signed on in closed beta.
Aside from a few frills, mech content, a new map once in a while. Very little progress have been made in fleshing out this shell of a game.

I also don't recommend bringing your friends in to play this. My entire gaming group has joined up and within three months abandoned this game. The feedback I provided on why they left was left unaddressed. In the past I've shelled out for things like the Phoenix Pack, but with little content, rudimentary (or lack of) features, maps, game modes, even a robust team communication system and repeated over promise and missed self imposed deadlines; its gotten very stale fast. For me and my associates its simply no worth nor enjoyable spending.

I strongly recommend not getting too deep into this game. Check back in once in a while maybe in 6-12 months. This game simply isn't finished to merit investment. I'd go into the details, but you'll soon find out more than you've already experienced.

Extra Credit makes a great video about Free to Play and why its not being implemented well. Something we've been asking PGI to heed for quite some time.



(Special thanks and credit to one of the veteran members for bringing this vid to light)

Edited by rolly, 12 May 2014 - 06:35 AM.

[Troutmonkey]

In short, don't spend your money.
Play for free when you feel like it, or just come back much later. Maybe one or two things might be fixed.

I put $80 into the game when the Misery launched, a nice time when everything seemed to be progressing well. Nothing much has changed since then, except ghost heat and more mechs being added. Oh, and a ****** new UI.

They really, really need to fix the UI, patch out a crap tonne of obvious bugs, fix some rather obvious balance issues and add some actual content and features.

[KingCobra]

Well DJ like rolly I have been here since the start of closed beta and all your points in your topic were covered 3 years ago. Many times PGI/IGP has had the chance to turn this game around and make it a winner but they reluctantly hold on to this =( IF WORLD OF TANKS CAN DO IT WE CAN) philosophy that just does not work well for MechWarrior in general.

MechWarrior always had the most players and best community when freedom to implement private matches for free and community members were able to make and run private leagues with varying mode types=(stock, planetary,Solaris) .PGI should stick to what works for them making mechs and buyable trinkets, camos. etc. and let the community do the rest.

It would give them more time to polish there game fix many bugs and balance issues and just let the community build back up and enjoy and pay into the game without a forced to pay issue to be competitive and have fun.

[Harbinger Prime]

KingCobra, on 12 May 2014 - 06:54 AM, said:

Well DJ like rolly I have been here since the start of closed beta and all your points in your topic were covered 3 years ago. Many times PGI/IGP has had the chance to turn this game around and make it a winner but they reluctantly hold on to this =( IF WORLD OF TANKS CAN DO IT WE CAN) philosophy that just does not work well for MechWarrior in general.

MechWarrior always had the most players and best community when freedom to implement private matches for free and community members were able to make and run private leagues with varying mode types=(stock, planetary,Solaris) .PGI should stick to what works for them making mechs and buyable trinkets, camos. etc. and let the community do the rest.

It would give them more time to polish there game fix many bugs and balance issues and just let the community build back up and enjoy and pay into the game without a forced to pay issue to be competitive and have fun.

Not quite sure what you mean by "IF WORLD OF TANKS CAN DO IT WE CAN" I have played both World of Tanks and World of Warplanes since the closed beta and as much as I like to complain about War Gaming, I have to say compared to PGI they are the gold standard. I mean before a update gets released, it is on a test server for the community to play and evaluate for weeks, if there is a repeatable bug they fix it, patch the update on test server and we will go through several iterations before it is ready for release on the main server. Compare that to PGI where they have an 8 hour test then only allowing 24 hrs to report the bugs after which they lock the thread. Then even though repeatable bugs or problems that manage get reported do not get fixed and they just go ahead and release it.

Based on PGI's performance I wish FASA had teamed up with War Gaming we would have a working game with clan wars and the main thing we would be complaining about is the match maker and LRM's Mechwarrior's equivalent to artillery.

[o0Marduk0o]

Harbinger Prime, on 12 May 2014 - 09:07 AM, said:

I mean before a update gets released, it is on a test server for the community to play and evaluate for weeks,

Test servers are not attractive because you invest your time while getting nothing as reward. Only a minority bothers to test something. Furthermore events like 1day premium lead to making a few games to grab the bonus and then switching to live server.

[Harbinger Prime]

o0Marduk0o, on 12 May 2014 - 09:31 AM, said:

Test servers are not attractive because you invest your time while getting nothing as reward. Only a minority bothers to test something. Furthermore events like 1day premium lead to making a few games to grab the bonus and then switching to live server.

So what you are saying is WarGaming it the exception and not the rule when it comes to testing updates before they are released? No one else has super testers?

If you are talking from the perspective of the player, the incentive for the players should be to make sure things like UI2.0 do not see the light of day until it is fixed. I can only speak from personal experience but I have rarely been on a test server that there were not enough people to adequately test the update. Also if you are going use time vs invested as a determining factor being a alpha or a beta tester would be a non-starter, yet there are thousands that do so with very little reward, hell with Star Citizen aside from those who just donated because they believed in Mr Roberts, payed for the privilege of being an alpha tester to the tune of 43 mil.

Edited by Harbinger Prime, 15 May 2014 - 09:30 AM.

[Rasc4l]

DJFrost, on 12 May 2014 - 06:13 AM, said:

New players need free small private matches badly. You will attract more players that way, as friends will be able to drop together and actually have some fun rather than being slaughtered by 12 man extermination groups of vet players.

It would indeed be wise of PGI to allow FREE PRIVATE MATCHES during the CADET BONUS PERIOD in the beginning.

Good points in general, OP.

EDIT: And I'll just re-iterate what I've already said at least twice that private matches up to 4 players should be doable with only 1 premium account. If PGI really can't do that, then at least up to 2 players. Come on, throw your new players a bone.

Edited by Rasc4l, 12 May 2014 - 10:13 AM.

[KingCobra]

(Not quite sure what you mean by "IF WORLD OF TANKS CAN DO IT WE CAN" ) What I meant was the devs practically cloned MWO from World Of Tanks it was a good idea but MechWarrior is not the type of game that works very well with that type of game model.

MWO should have been built like the PC MechWarrior2-MechWarrior4's game model but updated with all the new technology advancements and a MSN GAMMING ZONE Built into the game itself.

Edited by KingCobra, 12 May 2014 - 01:17 PM.

[Rebas Kradd]

You should put money into the game because it won't improve otherwise.

People leaving should surprise nobody. Russ couldn't get people to play the game at tradeshows and assumed the problem was a need for third-person cameras. The reality is that 90% of gamers won't commit to anything that isn't a simplistic shooter. MWO is a niche game and always will be. That reality is also making things difficult for the matchmaker now.

Add to the fact that Bugs Happen™ and have weeded out the impatient, difficult-to-please hardcore gamers have left for greener pastures, and it's easy to understand why the delays have put a dent in the population. My group is still holding strong at 100+.

[Werewolf486 ScorpS]

DJFrost, on 12 May 2014 - 06:13 AM, said:

Please PGI, reply and renew my faith.

Since you're new to this let me just say that you should in no way expect to get any sort of response formal or other from PGI as they make it a practice never to engage the community on their forums, but would rather leave it up to IGP people to moderate away anything too hurtful.

also thanks for the laugh!

[Rebas Kradd]

Werewolf486, on 12 May 2014 - 01:30 PM, said:

Since you're new to this let me just say that you should in no way expect to get any sort of response formal or other from PGI as they make it a practice never to engage the community on their forums, but would rather leave it up to IGP people to moderate away anything too hurtful.

also thanks for the laugh!

http://mwomercs.com/...courtesy-phone/

[Opus]

[rolly]

Rebas Kradd, on 12 May 2014 - 01:23 PM, said:

You should put money into the game because it won't improve otherwise.

Add to the fact that Bugs Happen™ and have weeded out the impatient, difficult-to-please hardcore gamers have left for greener pastures, and it's easy to understand why the delays have put a dent in the population. My group is still holding strong at 100+.

There is such a thing as throwing good money after bad. This is one of those cases. No one in their right mind would buy a car, house, leather jacket, motorcycle, gaming console or appliance that is isn't complete, or is 100% functional. Those "difficult to please" diehard fans you are referring to are the ones that spend thousands of dollars on games that delivery their content promised. Case in point: FASA has existed for a very long time because of these fans.
These fans are difficult to please the BT/MW franchise has been around for about 25 years plus. It has a history and lore we've come to expect. If they are difficult to please its because its a sign that PGI isn't delivering on a game that has a lot of potential.

Investing in a game is fine if it shows continuous improvement. If it doesn't in a reasonable amount of time and misses several key promised deadlines, (Oh, say TWO years) its time to stop investing.

Also your NIMBY-ism is exactly part of the problem in this community and why this forum is so full of partisan view points.

Edited by rolly, 14 May 2014 - 08:10 AM.

[Tigreen]

Only reason I can give to give PGI money is to get a few mech bays if you happen to want to get more then the four they let you have for free.

Personally, I would not recommend spending anything until they show some progress on CW or other promised features. I for one will not put another cent into PGI's coffers. Not until I see some progression or a shift in how they do business.

The game play is really fun but they move so slow on getting content out that the fun game play just can't carry the load in the long run.

They either need to figure out how to get content out on a reasonable schedule or create some method of player created content. In my opinion, content is going to be the breaking point. Playing the same maps over and over with stale game modes got old a while ago.

I lost faith in PGI a while ago as they can't seem to do the simple stuff like bug fixing so stuff like CW just looks to be out side their ability. If I'm wrong then we all win...

[That Dawg]

No one from our original group 10 or so is still around. I think there is 3-4 of us who play a couple of times a week...but a year ago, a half dozen or more on comms all friday or saturday night to this? We often had enough for 12 man drops...not any more. I pop in, dont see anyone and visit the forums hoping to see a flood YAY PGI posts
sadness how the pooch go screwed last couple of patches. Its like they hired their talent using craigslist or post it notes on some college dorm

[n r g]

DJFrost, on 12 May 2014 - 06:13 AM, said:

PGI, I want to hear from YOU on why I should spend money on this game. I have been playing for a few weeks straight now and have noticed quite a few things horribly wrong with the way you are running things. First off I am just going to stay away from obvious things like charging $500 for a gold colored mech and just focus on one main thing here: Your match maker.

I just finished playing today, in the public servers, after spending today and yesterday confined to about 2 or 3 maps over and over. Now that is annoying on its own, but even worse is the utter unbalanced nature of each match. I have read numerous times and have been told by numerous players that it has been fixed, but those players all seem to be part of teams and are not dropping solo. I would love to drop in with a group, but seeing as I don't have a whole lot of time to hop on the forums and beg groups to join into it's not really an option. I have quite a few friends who would love to be playing along with me but they sit and watch me in matches and see what kind of crap goes on and just don't want to be bothered. Not much point in playing a game you can't survive in long enough to actually learn.

If private matches were an option we would be playing in there for practice and be able to hone up our skills enough to matter in the public servers. But you want to charge money for premium time for BOTH players to do this. How can you justify this? Why should I spend money on a game that seems to not give a **** about new players? Sure, I can drop in a testing ground map and fight against static mechs...that teaches you a lot........

New players need free small private matches badly. You will attract more players that way, as friends will be able to drop together and actually have some fun rather than being slaughtered by 12 man extermination groups of vet players.

Until that gets implemented, I don't see why should I spend ANY money on this game. I would love to be able to support the game and company who brought it back, but not while they are treating players like this.

Please PGI, reply and renew my faith.

[Troutmonkey]

Rebas Kradd, on 12 May 2014 - 01:23 PM, said:

Add to the fact that Bugs Happen™ and have weeded out the impatient, difficult-to-please hardcore gamers have left for greener pastures, and it's easy to understand why the delays have put a dent in the population. My group is still holding strong at 100+.

Rebas Kradd, on 12 May 2014 - 01:23 PM, said:

impatient, difficult-to-please

Um, the majority of complaints are existing problems from months ago. It would take only a small amount of progress to please me, but so far there has been none. Every single problem with UI 2.0 was pointed out during the first public test in December last year, and yet they have to address any single issue. Balance is another problem, with flamers being broken since their inception, and more recently ( > 6 months) PPCs have outclassed every other energy weapon.

I'm personally not even fazed about the Clan Invasion or Community Warfare, I'm just pissed that so many of the same simple bugs that were happening during Open Beta are still happening today. Fix the bugs and I'm happy

Edited by Troutmonkey, 14 May 2014 - 05:21 AM.

[Magna Canus]

PGI needs YOUR money because I stopped giving them any of MINE, so throw it all at them.

On a serious note. The only reason I could think of is mech bays right now and that in the lowest quantity necessary. People who have spent a lot of time and money on this game already have either stopped spending (on MWO) or stopped playing, mainly due to a complete lack of faith. Those that remain are happy with the game as is (bugs/lack of content and all), have yet to realize the games real issues, or are just sad specters feeding off the shadow of the dream that was once MWO.

[Torgun]

If you still like playing sometimes and want to get a couple mechs, then mechbays are basically the only thing worth spending real money on. On the other hand, the people buying gold mechs, that's just.... wow.