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The Gauss / Particle Projection Directive - Feedback


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#981 IraqiWalker

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Posted 05 August 2014 - 01:43 PM

View PostHammerMaster, on 05 August 2014 - 01:33 PM, said:


My point is, had mechs been stock and balanced properly. You would not have needed "GOOD" champion mechs to get by in. That is the abomintation.

Stock mechs get killed in short order 90% of the time.

They usually run SHS, no endo, little armor (SHD-2D has a total of 144 armor on it), big STD engines that are inefficient on lights and most mediums, and don't use half their hardpoints.

There is no world where a stock build beats an efficiently customized build of the same mech when piloted by pilots of identical skill level

#982 Haji1096

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Posted 05 August 2014 - 01:49 PM

PGI's design decision's make no sense and are totally without logic. When the Dire Wolf was released, PGI had to know that the first build anyone would try is 2 Gauss and 2 ERPPC. Why ? Because its the most efficient way to destroy a target.
What is the next build to be nerfed ? Where do you draw the line ?

PGI wouldn't have to play whack a mole with specific mech builds if game play mechanics weren't broken.

http://www.qqmercs.com/?p=3987

#983 MechB Kotare

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Posted 05 August 2014 - 01:51 PM

His Highness Energy has spoken. Nothing else to discuss.

I still think that totall redo of JJ mechanics would eliminate poptarting, promote actual jump sniping, (with advantage and disadvantage)

Poptarting is only form of Jump sniping when you abuse broken mechanics of the game, in order to lower your exposure.

#984 n r g

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Posted 05 August 2014 - 01:52 PM

View PostHaji1096, on 05 August 2014 - 01:49 PM, said:

PGI's design decision's make no sense and are totally without logic. When the Dire Wolf was released, PGI had to know that the first build anyone would try is 2 Gauss and 2 ERPPC. Why ? Because its the most efficient way to destroy a target.
What is the next build to be nerfed ? Where do you draw the line ?

PGI wouldn't have to play whack a mole with specific mech builds if game play mechanics weren't broken.

http://www.qqmercs.com/?p=3987


Right on target my friend.

But they do though, to save a dying a game. A game where competition may not even be existent soon, and where the only thing keeping it afloat is the funds $$$ from the mainstream casual player base, who spend 500$ on novelty mech skins.

There merely trying to appease the main players producing income for them at this point, even I can't blame them for that. Though, gameplay with decay in the process and say goodbye to any hopes of a structure, highly skilled and adaptive competition scene.

#985 IraqiWalker

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Posted 05 August 2014 - 02:04 PM

View PostMechB Kotare, on 05 August 2014 - 01:51 PM, said:

His Highness Energy has spoken. Nothing else to discuss.

I still think that totall redo of JJ mechanics would eliminate poptarting, promote actual jump sniping, (with advantage and disadvantage)

Poptarting is only form of Jump sniping when you abuse broken mechanics of the game, in order to lower your exposure.


If they made JJs have the power they used to have in the actual specs (30 meters per JJ), with heavy shake. Things would improve a lot. Making them not dead weight and worth having for the purpose of mobility, and making snap fire while jump jetting a very difficult thing to do.

#986 MechB Kotare

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Posted 05 August 2014 - 02:07 PM

View PostIraqiWalker, on 05 August 2014 - 02:04 PM, said:


If they made JJs have the power they used to have in the actual specs (30 meters per JJ), with heavy shake. Things would improve a lot. Making them not dead weight and worth having for the purpose of mobility, and making snap fire while jump jetting a very difficult thing to do.


http://youtu.be/zuJYupdkGsw?t=7m16s

I'm probably annoying, but yet again i must point on MWLL jj mechanics.7:16 elevation from one single short space bar tap.
Without instant fall down.

That would force High pinpint FLDs Jump snipers to think twice before Jumping.

It would definitely make the 'Pop-tarting" harder to perform imho.

Edited by MechB Kotare, 05 August 2014 - 02:08 PM.


#987 P e n u m b r a

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Posted 05 August 2014 - 02:19 PM

What if I told you there is a new meta round the corner that only the gauss and ppc can really compete with and keep at bay remove that and it will be far far worse.

#988 IraqiWalker

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Posted 05 August 2014 - 02:24 PM

View PostMechB Kotare, on 05 August 2014 - 02:07 PM, said:


http://youtu.be/zuJYupdkGsw?t=7m16s

I'm probably annoying, but yet again i must point on MWLL jj mechanics.7:16 elevation from one single short space bar tap.
Without instant fall down.

That would force High pinpint FLDs Jump snipers to think twice before Jumping.

It would definitely make the 'Pop-tarting" harder to perform imho.


Hell yeah!

Poptarting dominated because you could control how much you expose of your mech to an insane degree. The JJs shouldn't have been made weaker, but rather much stronger! That's what I believe would have been a better fix.

View PostL e 0, on 05 August 2014 - 02:19 PM, said:

What if I told you there is a new meta round the corner that only the gauss and ppc can really compete with and keep at bay remove that and it will be far far worse.

What would that be? 5xSRM6 Kintaros?

#989 Nightmare1

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Posted 05 August 2014 - 02:33 PM

Gauss was a problem, so it got nerfed.

Then, PPCs and ACs were a problem, so they got nerfed.

Now, Gauss and PPCs together are a problem, so they will be nerfed together yet again.

Everyone gets penalized with the proposed PPC speed reduction, which isn't fair to those of us that don't use Gauss.

How about PGI giving the IS the Devastator and letting it go at that? The IS would then have an effective counter to the Clan's Daishi since the Devastator is capable of the same build. This gives equal footing to Assault pilots and keeps the rest of us from getting penalized.

...Or, PGI can just introduce the next chapter of NerfWarrior Online, which won't go over too well in light of the long history of nerfs. :)

It's time for new content, not nerfs! Let the new content do the balancing!

#990 ReXspec

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Posted 05 August 2014 - 02:47 PM

Oh? A would-be philosopher, eh? Well, Lord E N E R G Y, I would just like to inform you that your rebuttal was not a rebuttal. Actually, it was what is known as "red herring." You really weren't addressing the issue, you were questioning reality, which doesn't lead to any form of discourse, it leads to circular logic.

Please try to give a legitimate answer.

"Not a fact" based on what evidence? Again, you have not given a rebuttal, you have just given presumptuous hot-air.

View PostE N E R G Y, on 05 August 2014 - 01:29 PM, said:

Subjective. It can be argued that the "knights" is less dangerous (to use your metaphor). In Mech Warrior Online, there are already multiple features that makes this game different that the latest installment of MechWarrior (MW4), and actually caters to brawlers, <em><strong>not</strong></em> snipers. The heat scale is much higher in this game (making it harder to fight at range and continually fire whilst a brawler is closing the distance), weapons like ppcs and their ghost heat(again, the main weapon of a sniper is completely limited due to heat, allowing brawlers to close the distance), mechs now have exo-armor, making it more difficult to pull off 1v2, 1v3, or 1v4+ engagements (these were totally possible in MW4), the guass has a charge (just another attack at the sniper in MW), and of course the jump jet heat.


We're not talking about who is more/less dangerous, we're talking about who's job is harder.

If the sniper has a Gauss as a rest weapon, and can do anywhere from 30 - 60 points of damage, that doesn't matter. Plus, your assuming all brawlers can close the distance at over 60 - 70kph, while taking the best possible flanking route to the sniper. If the sniper can't reposition to compensate for this, that isn't an explanation, it's a cop-out. Unless the sniper is alone, and front lines have completely degenerated, a sniper always has an oppurtunity to reposition behind the safety of cover or his friends. And don't try to tell me otherwise. I've been in the military and I have buddies who practice vehicular combat who tell me of similar tactics.

View PostE N E R G Y, on 05 August 2014 - 01:29 PM, said:

These categories are all made up, personally I don't agree with them. You can dissect any playstyle and categorize it as you like. For example, by your logic, I could say that light spotting takes more skill because it requires X amount of categories: 1) positioning 2) flanking 3)intelligence 4) avoiding being killed 5) risky combat 6) firing on the move 7) strategist for the team 8) high risk/low reward


The truth hurts, pseudo-lord E N E R G Y. You're over-complicating a snipers job with non-specific terms. What you are referring to is the basics of piloting, which, presumably the average player at least has some idea of (note: I didn't say new or bad players). And yes, a light's job is arguably harder because it does involve those elements that you just mentioned.

View PostE N E R G Y, on 05 August 2014 - 01:29 PM, said:

Second of all, I rarely ever used meta.

Bullsh*t.

View PostE N E R G Y, on 05 August 2014 - 01:29 PM, said:

I've been using lasers for the past few months. Lasers will be the new "meta" soon, as your pea-brain categorizes it.


We know you have an ego the size of the moon, and we know you think of yourself as God's gift to the Mechwarrior community. Stay on topic, please, and don't water your point down with petty insults. It doesn't discredit me, it discredits you.

PLEASE stop with the red herrings. We're dealing with the issues in game. Right now. And P.G.I. has readily admitted the issues mentioned in this thread need to be fixed. IF you have no suggestions to add, then say the game is fine where it is and be done with it and continue to impart your "gaming expertise" elsewhere.

View PostE N E R G Y, on 05 August 2014 - 01:29 PM, said:

MechWarrior can be whatever it wants to be. Just because MechWarrior may be labeled as a &simulation or RPG does NOT mean it can't have FPS elements, that's silly. You are focusing much too much on &facts and categories, and limiting many things due to your imaginary labels.


Those aren't "imaginary labels" those are called "industry categories" or "industry standards." Stop talking out of your a*s in an asinine attempt to discredit me, and everyone else who recognizes PP damage and convergence as a problem. This isn't a L2P issue, this is a gameplay issue. Stop thinking like a psuedo-intellectual and start thinking in terms of development practicality. If the franchise is advertised as a "31st Century, vehicular combat simulator" then the devs should make their game as such. You can't advertise your game as a boardgame, when it's actually an FPS. That's simply bad business and bad game design.

View PostE N E R G Y, on 05 August 2014 - 01:29 PM, said:

Do you even play competitive? I'd wager to put you don't even play competitive mechwarrior online, nor ever have in any other series. It's hard to respond to that comment because it's so blatantly ignorant and incorrect. Of course MechWarrior involves robots and gauss rifles and CounterStrike ak's and soldiers, but if you read what I wrote I clearly indicated it was the games core values that set it apart from many other games in this era, FPS or NOT, and that every gaming company could only wish to have the success they've had for so many years, let alone the competitive scene or fan base.Obviously, there are others as-well, i.e. Dota 2 It's always possible to make comparisons because despite the games being different they at the core are the same.


And WE DON'T HAVE TO DO THAT BY RIPPING OFF CONCEPTS FROM OTHER GAMES! You have to recognize that this game is apart of another genre and the ONLY similarities of the competitive scenes between all three of those games and this one is the fact that phenomal DOUCHEBAGS like you exist and add /nothing/ to the concept of gameplay balance!

Again, we don't need to rip-off other games to create a successful competitive scene. Moreover, we don't need to turn this game into CS:GO to do so. And insulting the community of GO? No. If I'm insulting anyone, it's only people like you who have heads ten times bigger then their normal size.

View PostE N E R G Y, on 05 August 2014 - 01:29 PM, said:

Sniping is merely a style of play. Shooting and getting behind cover. It's done in any game. ANY GAME. You're not trying to eliminate &quot;sniping&quot;, you indirectly trying to eliminate a strategy done in almost any competitive online game and doing so by trying to nerf all weapons and functions that aid to it. I would argue it's actually intelligent gameplay (i.e. who stands in the open and shoots and stays in the open to take return fire?). It's OK, I know you aren't aware of what you are doing, I'm sure this is your first online PC game, and possibly MechWarrior is the only game you have ever touched in your life. You also probably read the Battletech books aswell.


Correction: Sniping is a DOMINANT style of play right now because it is the lowest risk and highest reward.

And really? More c*ck-waving to try to discredit me?

Do I REALLY need to tell you that I've play CS for longer then a lot of people have been alive? That I played the BF series and beta-tested ALL OF THEM? Including the collossal, un-optimized failure of a release that was BF4? Do I really need to state that I have had to read the rulebooks for both TT and the RPG? And that I have read a few of the books? Granted, my memory of the rules are rusty, but my memory of those rules are probably better then yours, dude.

The fact that you try to play me off with your own ego is telling, E N E R G Y. Again, if you have nothing to add to this discussion but fallacious arrogance, then just say this game is fine, and leave. I'm sure P.G.I. will be grateful for it.

I don't competitive game anymore because it was turning me into a COLOSSAL douchebag like you. No. In point of fact, I did Q.A. testing for CS:GO, but dropped that project immediately because there were a lot of elements in it that were awful.

View PostE N E R G Y, on 05 August 2014 - 01:29 PM, said:

Oh, and we should listen to you? Some "beta tester" community college reject? You don't even HAVE the first person experience in terms of gaming regarding game dynamics. Let me ask you something - have you ever "figured" a game out" Have you ever mastered or have been "good" at a game? I can tell you right now your grasp on MechWarrior, especially for have played all those older versions (or did you?) or WEAK at best. Maybe you SHOULD download CS:GO, and get a taste of real competition, maybe expand your cosmic horizons a bit.


It's my career to test games, not compare d*ck sizes with elitists like yourself.

"Reject?" That's not a presumptuous title at all. So who did you talk to, E N E R G Y? Talk to my guidance counselor? Or did you look at a book containing my full life's story?

Drop the f*cking attitude. I'm not making any personal attacks against you, so act like an adult, and do the same.

And download CS:GO? Why would I continue to participate in a colossal waste like that game? I don't need to wave my c*ck around to prove my point, unlike you.

View PostE N E R G Y, on 05 August 2014 - 01:29 PM, said:

I'm not white-knighting a particular playstyle.


Yes you are. You are the very definition of a white-knight for P.G.I.

View PostE N E R G Y, on 05 August 2014 - 01:29 PM, said:

In conclusion, regardless of this trivial "meta" fodder conversation, or even the ppc/projectile/guass upcoming nerf - - It WON'T make any difference. Yep, that's right, I said it. It won't. I know it. All the best players in this game know it. Want to know why? It's because for the longest time, and even know, the casual base or other unintelligable gamers FAIL to recognize the intelligence behind competitive and skilled gameplay. You point your fingers at the "face" value, seemingly visible scapegoats, like mechs (i.e. dragonslayer) or weapons (i.e. ppc/guass) or tactics (i.e. pop sniping with JJ's), but you never realize behind all that is an intelligent, competition grade gamer who will, WILL, find another suitable tactic as soon as the current is diminished. Evolution 101 my friends, kill or be killed. If tomorrow, sniping is killed off, you will see a new style of play by the same top players (i.e. LORDS, SJR, CSJ, etc..) and it will be dubbed the "new meta".

Believe it or not, with Mechwarrior, it IS possible to create the rock-paper-scissors gameplay that this game so desperately needs. I keep holding out hope that at least SOME good people in P.G.I. will hear us, which is why I'm still here. The only "meta" that should exist, is good player and team behavior. Not jump-sniping, not high-damage, pinpoint alphas. THAT is the truest definition of "player skill:" The ability to do well with a weapon system, not because the weapon system itself is strong, but because the player behind it knows how to wield it. The "cycle" only continues because people like you continue to accentuate it.

Then if it's "trivial," don't respond. Say the game is fine and move on. Again, I'm sure P.G.I. will thank you for it.

Besides that, if you do leave, then it is for the better.

We don't need a Mechwarrior like you.

Edited by ReXspec, 05 August 2014 - 03:26 PM.


#991 ReXspec

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Posted 05 August 2014 - 02:52 PM

View PostNightmare1, on 05 August 2014 - 02:33 PM, said:

Gauss was a problem, so it got nerfed.

Then, PPCs and ACs were a problem, so they got nerfed.

Now, Gauss and PPCs together are a problem, so they will be nerfed together yet again.

Everyone gets penalized with the proposed PPC speed reduction, which isn't fair to those of us that don't use Gauss.

How about PGI giving the IS the Devastator and letting it go at that? The IS would then have an effective counter to the Clan's Daishi since the Devastator is capable of the same build. This gives equal footing to Assault pilots and keeps the rest of us from getting penalized.

...Or, PGI can just introduce the next chapter of NerfWarrior Online, which won't go over too well in light of the long history of nerfs. :)

It's time for new content, not nerfs! Let the new content do the balancing!


The proposal you JUST made is "Icefrog's" method of balancing: Fight broken with broken. I'd argue that is probably the most effective method of balancing.

#992 Prince V

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Posted 05 August 2014 - 02:58 PM

Here's my two cents for the pile of growing-ly off-topic forum posts that will likely be buried and forgotten. (Seriously, if I were a Dev, I wouldn't want to dig through this heap of scrap and you-know-what measuring either. Too bad it's their job :/)

My vote: Neither. Please for the love of all that is good, do NOT introduce yet another needlessly complex, undocumented, band-aid, partial fix for another weapon combo that is nothing more than a symptom of the problem.
Please FIX THE PROBLEM. That problem(s) is/are time-to-kill, pinpoint damage, high alpha-strikes, and long weapon cooldowns.

Sounds like four problems right? Here's the thing; they're all the same actually and I can prove it with a couple silly analogies:
If someone handed you an ax and an assault rifle and said "Chop down this tree and then go kill that person over there" Would you machine-gun the tree trunk and then try to chase down the person with an axe? Of course not, right tool for the right job, right?
Similarly, if someone tossed you in a gladiator-style combat match and told you "The other guy's got a gun, would you like a gun or a sword?" You'd choose the gun, wouldn't you? More versatile, and most importantly, less intrinsic risk to yourself. If someone told you it was a magic sword and all you had to do was touch the other guy with it and he'd die or whatever, basically guaranteed victory in close combat... you'd probably think to yourself "I still have to get there without getting shot dead, no thanks. Not worth the risk."
What I'm getting at here is that what we see in the "Meta" is simply the logical conclusion of what we have; it's the most effective tool to get the job done, most often in the most situations.

Point 1: Front-loaded damage, long cooldowns, and the high-alpha meta.
High heat caps and long cooldowns on the most effective weapons(More on that in the other points) naturally promote a cover-based playstyle. No reason to expose yourself if you don't have to right? Even less reason to expose yourself when not firing. Why stand in the open while you wait 3 seconds for your PPC to recycle? Or the 4.whatever seconds for your Gauss rifle? You don't give people free shots when you don't have to. If you were in a firefight you wouldn't stand out in the open to reload either, it's just common sense, especially when you can be just as effective while staying safe too.
Conclusion: There is no advantage to remaining engaged with the enemy rather than firing and hiding until you can fire again.

Point 2: Versatility and 'The Range Delusion'.
Why did mankind invent the spork? Simple, because it's better to be able to do more with less, and because it's better to be able to adapt to as many situations as possible, as quickly, easily, and efficiently as possible.
There is a common misbelief, which I call the "Range Delusion", where-in people assume a sort of balance, a trade-off of effectiveness, a 'specialization' of sorts into a certain profile; 'Long-range/sniper' or 'brawler' with the expectation that one will be optimized for, and thrive in, a certain setting at the cost of losing effectiveness in others. That, is what I like to call, a filthy-rotten lie.
The sad fact is, 'long-range' weapons aren't 'long-range'... they're 'long-medium-short' range weapons. In most cases, 'long-range' weapons like AC5s/AC2s, PPCs and LLs are just as effective up close as they are at range, so why bother with anything else. Sure, 'short-ranged' weaponry might have a slight edge in heat efficiency, or a very slight edge in DPS, but barely, and certainly nowhere near enough to justify the risk of getting killed/crippled by other weapons while trying to close into range. Remember the gun vs magic sword bit from before? Well guess what, his gun is just as effective up close as your sword. Sucks don't it? Not a whole lotta reason for it anymore huh?
Add to that, that this also usually puts you in a positional nightmare of vulnerability, often close to and outnumbered by the opposing force and far removed from the safety of your blob-o-death err I mean your team. >.>
Conclusion: The rewards for going 'against the meta' are slim to none and demand a high-rish, low-reward playstyle attempted only by the incredibly foolish, incredibly brave, or incredibly bored.

Point 3: The necessity of pinpoint damage.
Which is better, two partially damaged mechs shooting at you, or one un-damaged mech after you've killed the other one? Well, partially damaged usually means they have most if not all of their weaponry still intact so basically... DPS of one mech or DPS of two mechs? Anyone with some grey matter 'tween their ears will immediately say "one".(while the rest gurgle something unintelligible most likely)
This is why we focus fire. Now lets take that team mechanic and apply it to a smaller firefight, one mech vs another. Even newbies, if they pay attention, will quickly notice that with very very few exceptions, the kill-shot is the best choice - Aim CT, drill it out as fast as possible. It's pointless to try to 'take a mech apart' in almost all cases other than 'oblong' builds such as the stock HBK or CENT where 90% of it's damage is in a single, easily targetable, component. In 95% or more of all firefights, you'll take less damage overall from an opposing mech by killing it outright, than picking it apart while it continues to shoot you the entire time with what weapons it has left. And seeing as how it's hard to win with your face shot off, the goal is usually to take as little damage as possible. So; fewest hits taken accomplished by fastest kill time -> fastest kill-time accomplished by most shots/damage correctly focused on CT(killshot location). So those 'optimized brawler' weapons from earlier still lose out to the kings of pinpoint damage becausssseeeeeee.....
Spread damage is in almost all cases, wasted damage. So lasers are out in most cases, usually just filler for when you can't fit another cannon/PPC etc. SRMs not only suffer from the same spread but also pitiful range in a battlefield dominated by weapons that are more accurate and less risky. MGs and Flamers? Puh-lease -__-
80 damage spread across a mech is a mech that's still very much alive and shooting you even if it's as small as a Medium, 80 damage in the CT is a dead mech even if it's a Heavy in most cases. Big difference.
It all boils down to this: A good weapon is not a weapon that does it's job well, it's a weapon that gets done the job that needs doing. Grenades are fantastic weapons; light, easy to use, devastatingly powerful... and totally useless when you need to stop a robber standing in the middle of a dozen innocent people.
Conclusion: Though weapons may be balanced in terms of weight-heat-DPS-range-etc, they are most certainly NOT balanced in terms of getting done the job of killing enemy mechs; some are simply better suited to it.

Now, before you all think I went on a tirade(I did a tiny bit) This is relevant to the topic matter, in that; the proposed 'solutions' do nothing to fix and of the shortcomings I listed, nor do they do anything preemptive about that next wonder-wombo-combo of weapons that will inevitably spring up, cultivated by the same circumstances listed above. If it's not Gauss-PPCs, it'll be the next best thing. Hell, AC5/PPC is already running rampant, I see at least 2-3 AC/PPC boats PER TEAM in most pubs, is that going to be next? What then? Gauss/AC? OneGauss, one PPC, one AC5? People are going to keep going for the same 'thing' no matter how many times you whack that mole or band-aid that latest symptom! That's why I made that long-ass post, because people need to realize that these Meta-boats aren't a bunch of cheesers or try-hards or whatever, they're not a 'problem' to stamp out, they're simply competitive people following a logical progression to it's logical conclusion. Want to change the outcome? Change the equation.

My suggestions? Halve heat-cap, double dissipation: this would force a sustained DPS (and therefore sustained exposure) and spread damage meta.
And/or...
Re-implement convergence, this would help stop mechs from getting glaring weaknesses of holes blown through their armor before ever getting close to the enemy. (And if not, could you PLEASE get it out of the mech tree? Seriously it's been like a year...)
And/or...
Implement a cone-of-fire effect for Alpha-strikes/more than say 3-4 weapons(tunable obviously) fired together or less than say .5 seconds(tunable obviously) apart from each other.
And/or...
Implement a recoil effect for certain weapons like Gauss, large-bore ACs, etc.
And/or...
Pretty much anything but what was suggested, because if you do, I promise you, you'll be looking at another instance of the same -Redacted- problem in another month or two, in a different form.
And please.... please please please don't nerf the poor PPC anymore, that poor thing has been beaten by the nerf bat so much that it now resembles oatmeal gone so very very wrong.

#993 n r g

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Posted 05 August 2014 - 03:07 PM

View PostReXspec, on 05 August 2014 - 02:47 PM, said:


Oh? A would-be philosopher, eh? Well, Lord E N E R G Y, I would just like to inform you that your rebuttal was not a rebuttal. Actually, it was what is known as "red herring." You really weren't addressing the issue, you were questioning reality, which doesn't lead to any form of discourse, it leads to circular logic.

Please try to give a legitimate answer.

Not a fact based on what evidence? Again, you have not given a rebuttal, you have just given presumptuous hot-air.

If the sniper has a Gauss as a rest weapon, and can do anywhere from 30 - 60 points of damage, that doesn't matter. Plus, your assuming all brawlers can close the distance at over 60 - 70kph, while taking the best possible flanking route to the sniper. If the sniper can't reposition to compensate for this, that isn't an explanation, it's a cop-out. Unless the sniper is alone, and front lines have completely degenerated, a sniper always has an oppurtunity to reposition behind the safety of cover or his friends. And don't try to tell me otherwise. I've been in the military and I have buddies who practice vehicular combat who tell me of similar tactics.

You're over-complicating a snipers job with non-specific terms. What you are referring to is the basics of piloting, which, presumably the average player at least has some idea of (note: I didn't say new or bad players). And yes, a light's job is arguably harder because it does involve those elements that you just mentioned.

Keep the insults out of this discussion, ENERGY. We know you have an ego the size of the moon, and we know you think of yourself as God's gift to the Mechwarrior community. Stay on topic, please, and don't water your point down with petty insults. It doesn't discredit me, it discredits you.

PLEASE stop with the red herrings. We're dealing with the issues in game. Right now. And P.G.I. has readily admitted the issues mentioned in this thread need to be fixed. IF you have no suggestions to add, then say the game is fine where it is and be done with it and continue to impart your "gaming expertise" elsewhere.

Those aren't "imaginary labels" those are called "industry categories" or "industry standards." Stop talking out of your a*s in an asinine attempt to discredit me, and everyone else who recognizes PP damage and convergence as a problem. This isn't a L2P issue, this is a gameplay issue. Stop thinking like a psuedo-intellectual and start thinking in terms of development practicality. If the franchise is advertised as a "31st Century, vehicular combat simulator" then the devs should make their game as such. You can't advertise your game as a boardgame, when it's actually an FPS. That's simply bad business and bad game design.

And WE DON'T HAVE TO DO THAT BY RIPPING OFF CONCEPTS FROM OTHER GAMES! You have to recognize that this game is apart of another genre and the ONLY similarities of the competitive scenes between all three of those games and this one is the fact that phenomal DOUCHEBAGS like you exist and add /nothing/ to the concept of gameplay balance!

Again, we don't need to rip-off other games to create a successful competitive scene. Moreover, we don't need to turn this game into CS:GO to do so. And insulting the community of GO? No. If I'm insulting anyone, it's only people like you who have heads ten times bigger then their normal size.

Correction: Sniping is a DOMINANT style of play right now because it is the lowest risk and highest reward.

And really? More c*ck-waving to try to discredit me?

Do I REALLY need to tell you that I've play CS for longer then a lot of people have been alive? That I played the BF series and beta-tested ALL OF THEM? Including the collossal, un-optimized failure of a release that was BF4?

The fact that you try to play me off with your own ego is telling, E N E R G Y. Again, if you have nothing to add to this discussion but fallacious arrogance, then just say this game is fine, and leave. I'm sure P.G.I. will be grateful for it.

I don't competitive game anymore because it was turning me into a COLOSSAL douchebag like you. No. In point of fact, I did Q.A. testing for CS:GO, but dropped that project immediately because there were a lot of elements in it that were awful.

Yes. I have. And your arrogance doesn't disprove that, Lord E N E R G Y. It's my career to test games, not compare d*ck sizes with elitists like yourself.

"Dropout?" That's not a presumptuous title at all. So who did you talk to, E N E R G Y? My guidance counseler? Or did you look at a book containing my full life's story?

DROP THE F*CKING ATTITUDE. I'm not making any personal attacks against you, so act like an adult, and do the same.

And download CS:GO? Why would I continue to participate in a colossal waste like that game? I don't need to wave my c*ck around to prove my point, unlike you.

Believe it or not, with Mechwarrior, it IS possible to create the rock-paper-scissors gameplay that this game so desperately needs. I keep holding out hope that at least SOME good people in P.G.I. will hear us, which is why I'm still here. The only "meta" that should exist, is good player and team behavior. Not jump-sniping, not high-damage, pinpoint alphas. THAT is the truest definition of "player skill:" The ability to do well with a weapon system, not because the weapon system itself is strong, but because the player behind it knows how to wield it. The "cycle" only continues because people like you continue to accentuate it.

Then if it's "trivial," don't respond. Say the game is fine and move on. Again, I'm sure P.G.I. will thank you for it.

Besides that, if you do leave, then it is for the better.

We don't need a Mechwarrior like you.


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#994 RailGunner13F

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Posted 05 August 2014 - 03:18 PM

don't slow down the ppc. it will hurt all ppc builds just to level set the ppc gauss combos. I prefer the weapon lockout fix.

An even better idea would be to change the aiming mechanic to prevent perfect convergance of all weapons. I don't mean the arm/torso convergence, i mean the convergence of multiple weapons on a single body part. For example in a "real" mech 6 lasers mounted all on your torso would have some non-perfect alignment issues and have some amount of spread at distance. that would fix all of the highly focused hits that one shot you at full armor 30 seconds into the match. Go for the root cause instead of complicating the user interaction.

#995 Sandpit

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Posted 05 August 2014 - 03:18 PM

so does anyone want to help me count up the votes in this thread? Count no's and yes' and see what 50 pages of feedback have actually come up with as far as a consensus. A cursory glance shows an seemingly overwhelming "no" vote to both options. So anyone want to take the first 25 pages and I'll take the rest? Only count the "first" yes or no from players who have posted multiple times?

#996 ReXspec

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Posted 05 August 2014 - 03:34 PM

View PostE N E R G Y, on 05 August 2014 - 03:07 PM, said:

<snip>


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Edited by ReXspec, 05 August 2014 - 03:36 PM.


#997 IraqiWalker

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Posted 05 August 2014 - 03:37 PM

View PostSandpit, on 05 August 2014 - 03:18 PM, said:

so does anyone want to help me count up the votes in this thread? Count no's and yes' and see what 50 pages of feedback have actually come up with as far as a consensus. A cursory glance shows an seemingly overwhelming "no" vote to both options. So anyone want to take the first 25 pages and I'll take the rest? Only count the "first" yes or no from players who have posted multiple times?


Actually the vote so far seems to be 100% no to the second one, and almost 100% no to the first one (some people have proposed some weird tweaks and some such to idea no.1)

View PostPrince V, on 05 August 2014 - 02:58 PM, said:

Here's my two cents for the pile of growing-ly off-topic forum posts that will likely be buried and forgotten. (Seriously, if I were a Dev, I wouldn't want to dig through this heap of scrap and you-know-what measuring either. Too bad it's their job :/)

My vote: Neither. Please for the love of all that is good, do NOT introduce yet another needlessly complex, undocumented, band-aid, partial fix for another weapon combo that is nothing more than a symptom of the problem.
Please FIX THE PROBLEM. That problem(s) is/are time-to-kill, pinpoint damage, high alpha-strikes, and long weapon cooldowns.

Sounds like four problems right? Here's the thing; they're all the same actually and I can prove it with a couple silly analogies:
If someone handed you an ax and an assault rifle and said "Chop down this tree and then go kill that person over there" Would you machine-gun the tree trunk and then try to chase down the person with an axe? Of course not, right tool for the right job, right?
Similarly, if someone tossed you in a gladiator-style combat match and told you "The other guy's got a gun, would you like a gun or a sword?" You'd choose the gun, wouldn't you? More versatile, and most importantly, less intrinsic risk to yourself. If someone told you it was a magic sword and all you had to do was touch the other guy with it and he'd die or whatever, basically guaranteed victory in close combat... you'd probably think to yourself "I still have to get there without getting shot dead, no thanks. Not worth the risk."
What I'm getting at here is that what we see in the "Meta" is simply the logical conclusion of what we have; it's the most effective tool to get the job done, most often in the most situations.

Point 1: Front-loaded damage, long cooldowns, and the high-alpha meta.
High heat caps and long cooldowns on the most effective weapons(More on that in the other points) naturally promote a cover-based playstyle. No reason to expose yourself if you don't have to right? Even less reason to expose yourself when not firing. Why stand in the open while you wait 3 seconds for your PPC to recycle? Or the 4.whatever seconds for your Gauss rifle? You don't give people free shots when you don't have to. If you were in a firefight you wouldn't stand out in the open to reload either, it's just common sense, especially when you can be just as effective while staying safe too.
Conclusion: There is no advantage to remaining engaged with the enemy rather than firing and hiding until you can fire again.

Point 2: Versatility and 'The Range Delusion'.
Why did mankind invent the spork? Simple, because it's better to be able to do more with less, and because it's better to be able to adapt to as many situations as possible, as quickly, easily, and efficiently as possible.
There is a common misbelief, which I call the "Range Delusion", where-in people assume a sort of balance, a trade-off of effectiveness, a 'specialization' of sorts into a certain profile; 'Long-range/sniper' or 'brawler' with the expectation that one will be optimized for, and thrive in, a certain setting at the cost of losing effectiveness in others. That, is what I like to call, a filthy-rotten lie.
The sad fact is, 'long-range' weapons aren't 'long-range'... they're 'long-medium-short' range weapons. In most cases, 'long-range' weapons like AC5s/AC2s, PPCs and LLs are just as effective up close as they are at range, so why bother with anything else. Sure, 'short-ranged' weaponry might have a slight edge in heat efficiency, or a very slight edge in DPS, but barely, and certainly nowhere near enough to justify the risk of getting killed/crippled by other weapons while trying to close into range. Remember the gun vs magic sword bit from before? Well guess what, his gun is just as effective up close as your sword. Sucks don't it? Not a whole lotta reason for it anymore huh?
Add to that, that this also usually puts you in a positional nightmare of vulnerability, often close to and outnumbered by the opposing force and far removed from the safety of your blob-o-death err I mean your team. >.>
Conclusion: The rewards for going 'against the meta' are slim to none and demand a high-rish, low-reward playstyle attempted only by the incredibly foolish, incredibly brave, or incredibly bored.

Point 3: The necessity of pinpoint damage.
Which is better, two partially damaged mechs shooting at you, or one un-damaged mech after you've killed the other one? Well, partially damaged usually means they have most if not all of their weaponry still intact so basically... DPS of one mech or DPS of two mechs? Anyone with some grey matter 'tween their ears will immediately say "one".(while the rest gurgle something unintelligible most likely)
This is why we focus fire. Now lets take that team mechanic and apply it to a smaller firefight, one mech vs another. Even newbies, if they pay attention, will quickly notice that with very very few exceptions, the kill-shot is the best choice - Aim CT, drill it out as fast as possible. It's pointless to try to 'take a mech apart' in almost all cases other than 'oblong' builds such as the stock HBK or CENT where 90% of it's damage is in a single, easily targetable, component. In 95% or more of all firefights, you'll take less damage overall from an opposing mech by killing it outright, than picking it apart while it continues to shoot you the entire time with what weapons it has left. And seeing as how it's hard to win with your face shot off, the goal is usually to take as little damage as possible. So; fewest hits taken accomplished by fastest kill time -> fastest kill-time accomplished by most shots/damage correctly focused on CT(killshot location). So those 'optimized brawler' weapons from earlier still lose out to the kings of pinpoint damage becausssseeeeeee.....
Spread damage is in almost all cases, wasted damage. So lasers are out in most cases, usually just filler for when you can't fit another cannon/PPC etc. SRMs not only suffer from the same spread but also pitiful range in a battlefield dominated by weapons that are more accurate and less risky. MGs and Flamers? Puh-lease -__-
80 damage spread across a mech is a mech that's still very much alive and shooting you even if it's as small as a Medium, 80 damage in the CT is a dead mech even if it's a Heavy in most cases. Big difference.
It all boils down to this: A good weapon is not a weapon that does it's job well, it's a weapon that gets done the job that needs doing. Grenades are fantastic weapons; light, easy to use, devastatingly powerful... and totally useless when you need to stop a robber standing in the middle of a dozen innocent people.
Conclusion: Though weapons may be balanced in terms of weight-heat-DPS-range-etc, they are most certainly NOT balanced in terms of getting done the job of killing enemy mechs; some are simply better suited to it.

Now, before you all think I went on a tirade(I did a tiny bit) This is relevant to the topic matter, in that; the proposed 'solutions' do nothing to fix and of the shortcomings I listed, nor do they do anything preemptive about that next wonder-wombo-combo of weapons that will inevitably spring up, cultivated by the same circumstances listed above. If it's not Gauss-PPCs, it'll be the next best thing. Hell, AC5/PPC is already running rampant, I see at least 2-3 AC/PPC boats PER TEAM in most pubs, is that going to be next? What then? Gauss/AC? OneGauss, one PPC, one AC5? People are going to keep going for the same 'thing' no matter how many times you whack that mole or band-aid that latest symptom! That's why I made that long-ass post, because people need to realize that these Meta-boats aren't a bunch of cheesers or try-hards or whatever, they're not a 'problem' to stamp out, they're simply competitive people following a logical progression to it's logical conclusion. Want to change the outcome? Change the equation.

My suggestions? Halve heat-cap, double dissipation: this would force a sustained DPS (and therefore sustained exposure) and spread damage meta.
And/or...
Re-implement convergence, this would help stop mechs from getting glaring weaknesses of holes blown through their armor before ever getting close to the enemy. (And if not, could you PLEASE get it out of the mech tree? Seriously it's been like a year...)
And/or...
Implement a cone-of-fire effect for Alpha-strikes/more than say 3-4 weapons(tunable obviously) fired together or less than say .5 seconds(tunable obviously) apart from each other.
And/or...
Implement a recoil effect for certain weapons like Gauss, large-bore ACs, etc.
And/or...
Pretty much anything but what was suggested, because if you do, I promise you, you'll be looking at another instance of the same -Redacted- problem in another month or two, in a different form.
And please.... please please please don't nerf the poor PPC anymore, that poor thing has been beaten by the nerf bat so much that it now resembles oatmeal gone so very very wrong.


Or just introduce the Devastator, and implement scaling convergence+speed impacted reticle shake.

#998 Solis Obscuri

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Posted 05 August 2014 - 03:38 PM

PPCs and Gauss... phew. Where to begin...

Individually, I don't think that PPCs or Gauss rifles (or AC/5s, or UACs) were in terrible balance shape as of even a year ago, but (because the fabled "convergence" system never really came about) alpha-builds using pinpoint weapons with similar projectile speeds have become a recurring issue. Lasers were pretty quickly nerfed for this with long beam durations, but to avoid making PPCs and ballistics into "worse lasers", they use a different mechanism. And I think different mechanisms are fine. But better desynching of projectiles is essential to the overall balance/health of the game, otherwise it remains Assault Alphastrike Online, and the notion of armored combat goes out the window when TTK for most units medium or smaller can be reduced to a single volley.

I think, in a perfect world, the best idea is to scrap the layered debuffs of Ghost Heat and charge times and to develop an actual divergence system for alpha-strikes, in order to make them more of a "tactical choice" than an every-time go-to option. I suggested one such system, Homeless Bill has written rather vociferously on the subject as well.

Barring that, if it is for some reason actually unfeasible, I'd comment on the individual weapons:

First, PPCs; some people like them, others hate them and blame them entirely for the problem; I'm inclined to say that, on their own, they are fine, and harsh heat penalties heavily limit the use of PPCs alone. The issue has continually been projectile speed and firing synchronization. Essentially, it's damn hard to take three weapons that are canonically high-velocity cannons and separate their projectile speeds by a degree that is meaningful contrasted to targets that are frequently moving at 13m/s or less. The values for PPCs, Gauss Rifles, and AC/5 (and UAC/5 and AC/2 and AC/20) projectiles have been tweaked at least twice in recent memory, and every time it has only resulted in a new FotM build emerging a few weeks later. I don't see further projectile speed changes as a very fruitful route to pursue. I also don't think that "closing the gap" matters a lot given how much of the current game meta revolves around "trench warfare" between opposing groups in the 800m-400m range anyway, outside of effective brawling distance but well in the sweet spot of Gauss Rifles and PPCs. The only map which is a consistent exception to this is Alpine (aka King of the Hill).

As regards Gauss Rifles... I have mixed feelings about these. The charge mechanic is inconvenient, particularly for 'mechs that cannot afford to expose themselves to enemy fire for the charge duration, but it hasn't really precluded their use in tandem with PPCs on assault sniper/jumpsniper builds. That said, Gauss Rifles were so much better than either autocannons or PPCs in terms of range, damage concentration, and heat efficiency, taking the Gauss down a peg was long overdue (in fact, it was long overdue by the time Closed Beta had ended). I do like the idea of linking the charge time between Gauss and PPCs. With that done correctly, Gauss Rifles and PPCs could have a similar high velocity and still not synch in a single massive alpha (and PPCs could have enough separation from ACs not to synch well there, either).

In the broader context, better game balance in terms of long range weapons can also be a helping tool. The NARC improvements (and slow string of counters in the forms of BAP, UAV, and TAG) have made LRMs a fairly useful tool for suppressing snipers, and I think that un-nerfing the AC/2 a bit would also help with that - between slower rate of fire and the terrible heat penalties on it, they aren't very worthwhile to bring, but back in the early days of the PPC+Gauss FotM, AC/2 boats made nasty fire suppression units.

There still remains the AC/40 Jaeger (and occasionally Cat) builds. Those need to be dealt with at some point, as bringing the game into close combat will inevitably just bring an increase in the dual AC/20 boating. And I really can't think of much to do with those except a COF divergence penalty... which goes back to my first paragraph. I really still think that unexplored route holds the best potential for dealing with the high-alpha meta that has dominated MWO for the past year-and-a-half.

#999 n r g

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Posted 05 August 2014 - 03:43 PM

View PostReXspec, on 05 August 2014 - 03:34 PM, said:


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#1000 IraqiWalker

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Posted 05 August 2014 - 03:48 PM

View PostE N E R G Y, on 05 August 2014 - 03:07 PM, said:


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View PostReXspec, on 05 August 2014 - 03:34 PM, said:


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View PostE N E R G Y, on 05 August 2014 - 03:43 PM, said:


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Okay. Both of you need to stop, right now.

This has become too childish, immature, and borderline offensive.

You're both in the wrong now, since "he did it first" doesn't absolve you of sin. So stop.





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