44 replies to this topic

[Jasta85]

One thing I hope they have is some kind of test grounds where you can try out mechs and weapons. Since you're going to be spending your money to buy new mechs and gear you're probably going to want to be sure they are what you want. I don't know how many games I've played where I saw something that looked really cool on paper but when I bought it, it wasn't what I was looking for.

The basics of a testing ground would be:
You can equip any type of mech and load it with whatever gear you want, then get a chance to run it around and maybe have some dummy mechs to test its weapons on.
This would give people a chance to try out experimental builds and/or new mechs and waepons without having to use actual battles as testing grounds (and potentially ******* off your team mates if you have a build that doesn't work).

Personally I would love this feature as I could test out a bunch of wacky builds to my hearts content (I fully plan to try out an all machine gun heavy mech at some point just for luls).

[Torcip]

I'm sure they could easily add something like this, just make it have like an equipment rental fee. As far as we know though there won't be anything like this at launch.

[MiniChiken]

They had training grounds like this in the books and the battletech cartoon series.

[GHQCommander]

I mentioned a Mech Corps base with a Mech Corps having their own instance for such use. Star Trek Online is about to give fleets their own Starbase, they are no small thing either and it is causing major excitement. It is something players want in MMO's.

In a Mech Corps base we could do as you suggest. But I would bet it would still use our ammo if they ever add it lol

In STO they will eventually be part of Fleet v Fleet. The idea of Mech Corps v Mech Corps in this game, attacking others or defending your own corps base would be bloody fun. A few purchased UrbanMechs and ground troops on the corps pay list

Edited by GHQCommander, 22 June 2012 - 06:47 AM.

[BFalcon]

Yes, like the above posters, having a simple "turkey shoot" map where you can PVE against dummy targets would be an ideal tool for helping to balance mech designs - a design that doesn't look quite right on paper (or in the mech lab) could actually work out quite well. Later, using the same map to make "Battalion HQs" for player groups would be an ideal use of resources... after all, a unit exercise would make good use of a firing range - particularly if you can add both stationery targets and live-firing targets to various parts of the range before the scenario starts. Being able to give real-time commands to NPC mechs would be an excellent late project for the range officer to be able to do - but it's whether or not PGI would want to sink the man-hours into such a tool.

I'd want, ideally, to be able to access the "Test Mech" before buying the parts though, if possible (maybe use of a "simulator" to simulate the mech design that we've been working on). This would help to prevent newer players from wasting money on slapping weapons onto a mech and forgetting about heat buildup or ammo loads.

[FLAKPANZER]

I agree. This would be a great feature to implement at some point.

[McScwizzy]

Yes, I would definitely love something like this.

[BigJim]

Yes, most definitely - Up until this thread I had just assumed this would be included.
An analogy would be like racing games where you can try a new car on a time-trial track or something, no opposition, just a chance to get used to the handling, etc.

I see from the vids that the Mechbay is also where new weapons can be bought, so I don't really mind if you can't "try before you buy" a new mech loudout or chassis, but certainly an option from the main menue to drop into an empty map so you can play around with handling, key-configs, etc.. without being in a live game.



Ps: As an aside, what's this "PVE/PVP" acronymage all about? Do you just mean AI controlled/Multiplayer? (it's a term I keep seeing in threads)

I bet (and I don't want to take this off too far onto a tangent, but) Mechwarrior games are tricky as hell to code good AI for, much harder than a standard FPS with just up/down/left/right/jump/crouch movement for reasons I won't go into here unless it looks like a good discussion topic, but yeah, I'd hate to be in charge of AI for a mech game and I've seen *nothing* from the Devs about AI controlled mechs in this game, which suits me just fine.

Edited by BigJim, 22 June 2012 - 07:34 AM.

[Eiki]

They should have training rooms.. But I want the graphics to look like Mechwarrior

[SideSt3p]

Training rooms and something like www.wowhead.com for MWO are what I'm hoping for...

[TLBFestus]

BigJim, on 22 June 2012 - 07:32 AM, said:

Ps: As an aside, what's this "PVE/PVP" acronymage all about? Do you just mean AI controlled/Multiplayer? (it's a term I keep seeing in threads)

Big Jim;

PVE: Player Versus Environment. Basically Single Player or Co-op mode where your enemy is the AI.

PVP: Player Versus Player. Self explanatory, and the way the MWO is going to be played.


From what I know, the Devs have only implemented PVP in this game, so when you play you will be engaging human opponents controlling the enemy Mechs.

There is some speculation that there will be AI controlled Mechs, perhaps when the Clans arrive, but I'm not so sure about that scenario. I would be very happy if this is successful enough that they create a Single Player Campaign (for those days you feel anti-social or just can't deal with the smacktards you find in every game), and a Co-op mode so you can take on missions with friends.

I see Co-op as the next thing they will implement, as players like it and most Online games have it.

[OfficerTaco]

I doubt at launch, but it would be something nice to add later on.

[BigJim]

Cheers for that Festus, appreciated mate.

Yeah PvP was pretty obvious, but "Environment", I wouldn't have guessed that.

Maybe it's just my way of thinking due to spending so much time breaking old FPSs; To me, anything that can take independent action in the game is a plain old pawn.
That pawn might receive it's input from a player, or from the AI, but in either case it's the same *thing*, just taking orders from one or the other.
Player or AI. AI, or player.

So you get pretty set in your ways of thinking about these things, but I can certainly see where battling the environment would be very apt from the player's point of view & so receives this blanket-term & it does make sense.

Edited by BigJim, 22 June 2012 - 08:10 AM.

[SillyOne]

The other big advantage to a training area is it will help no players keep from getting frustrated. I know that other online games I have played have lost players when the only thing they can do is PVP. Plus, new team members can learn how to work together and not feel like they are a burden on the group.

[RenegadeMaster]

Torcip, on 22 June 2012 - 05:25 AM, said:

I'm sure they could easily add something like this, just make it have like an equipment rental fee. As far as we know though there won't be anything like this at launch.

If I don't have to pay to test drive a car or pay for the gas I use while driving it, I don't think I should have to pay to test drive a mech. Besides, if there aren't as many vehicles in 3049 as there are now, guess what car salesmen are going to be selling instead...

BigJim, on 22 June 2012 - 08:05 AM, said:

Cheers for that Festus, appreciated mate.
Yeah PvP was pretty obvious, but "Environment", I wouldn't have guessed that.
...So you get pretty set in your ways of thinking about these things, but I can certainly see where battling the environment would be very apt from the player's point of view & so receives this blanket-term & it does make sense.

I'm with BigJim on the PvE thing, but that's because this is my first legit MMO. Lumping AI into the definition of "environment" didn't make sense to me at first, but that's probably from various games I have played where it is truly you versus the environment (e.g. outrun the rising lava) In hindsight though, I suppose PvAI (vs AI), PvC (vs Computer), PvNPC (vs non-player charater) just don't quite roll off the tongue as PvE.

[Ezee One]

Honestly, one would think this is a givin'. Imagine a noob w no exp in his first mech w no training. I hope that this will be asked to developers at the next Q & A.

[Bloody Moon]

If this gets implemented it would be for the best if the practice area would be handled by the users' comps since it would reduce the load on the server park atleast until enough servers are available.

[Bongo TauKat]

My concern is key configs. I have a HOTAS setup and definitely do not want to watch my mech get kibbled because I was trying to figure out how to map and utilize my controls.

[BFalcon]

Bongo TauKat Talasko, on 01 July 2012 - 06:41 AM, said:

My concern is key configs. I have a HOTAS setup and definitely do not want to watch my mech get kibbled because I was trying to figure out how to map and utilize my controls.

VERY much agree with this - not least because we'll need to adjust sensitivity on them too, including the mouse control on my throttle.

[Lord Ikka]

Hopefully they will have one, maybe an upcoming dev talk will shine some light on this question.