10 replies to this topic

[Ground Pounder]

To deal with the LRM backlash:

We truly need map that make LRMs a hindrance instead of an asset. A Map or two with lots of 150 meter corners and tall buildings. Think a New York City style city fight mazes with no/Very few LRM arcs or long straight aways. Make people, via the map, create different tactics other than LRM rain. Use scenario as balance and not never ending tweaks to weaponry and chassis. Another possibility is AMS turrets in bases.

ECM team unbalance:

All too often, ECM is piled onto one side, leaving the other without its protective curtain. There is a very simple solution to this. Make ECM modules permanent fixtures in Chassis designed to carry them instead of a removable/requiring purchase option. You then add a limit of ECM in the Matchmaker program per side (3 per side...one per lance).

Team drops Vs Pugs:

It is very common and often quite unfair for an organized 8-12 man drop with battle comms and organization to be dropped in with a group of random Pugs and wipe them out as the Pugs are forced to "type chat" with no real battle comms or ability to rapidly coordinate. To fix this issue, create "Company" battles similar to world of Tanks where anything larger than a lance must que up in that option and not be allowed to club "blind dumb baby seals" AKA: Random Pug groups. The other option is to implement an ingame voice chat/ping system that allows un-interrupted play and communication. Communication Macros connected to the map for messages like "Help!" or "Attack THIS target" would also help. The large group combat NEEDS to be Separate from Lance/Random Pug combat.

Light Mechs hiding UNDER larger Mechs:

Recently, an annoying happening has been taking place. Light mechs walk up behind larger mechs and stop them as they unload their arsenals at pt blank range. With the added boosts in spotting exp/C bill bonuses, scouting, spotting and the like...Its time to rethink the idea of light mechs in both size (the models are well undersized ratio wise to other mechs....they are almost protomech size) and durability. A slight increase in model size where a light can't literally hide under an assault mech is due. This will also help fix the "hit reg" issue. Along with this (or as an alternate of), Light Mechs are far too durable (couple this with the increased capacity of Chassis in MechWarrior to carry LOTS of weaponry and it creates an issue). In Canon, Lights are protected by speed, stealth and pilot skill....In MWO, they are protected by almost as much armor as Mediums and almost equivalent firepower. Now, it is indeed easy to slaughter inexperienced light mech pilots, especially when they stop or get hung up...thus to be good at lights, they need skill. But coupled with the model size ratio, speed AND armor protection, Lights get the vast Majority of benefits in the game. A broken record but one that needs to be polished.

Repair and Replace as it pertains to Balance:

Tired of Power Build Meta Mechs? Make it expensive to run those endosteel, double heat sink, XL engine monstrosities (as it is in Canon....Ever wonder why EVERY Kell Hound or DCMS mech isn't kitted to the gills? ITS EXPENSIVE and hard to replace). This will have a two fold effect. You will see more conservative builds where tactics and pilot skill are required over just massive firepower death balls. Armor will mean more, heat conservation will mean more, ammo consumption will mean more etc etc....The game will improve. Second, it will assist PGI in selling many of their farming mechs as those people who want to run those expensive top end Solaris VII specials will have to pay for them. They either grind Cbills or they spend actual dollars to convert MCs





There are good things about this game and bad things about this game. Keep working PGI. We all have hope that you get it right.

[Redshift2k5]

The problem with making a whole map to counter a particular playstyle (in this case LRMs) is that it would be pretty punishing to a specific playstyle since we have random maps. Imagine you are a new player with LRMs and you land on such a map s few times in a row!

Most of the maps have specific places you can get really good LRM cover, so that's something you'll need to find and learn to useon your own.

[AlmightyAeng]

1) I think that everyone scrambling to try out their new Atlas, Centurion, Shadowhawks and Stormcrows means that you're seeing more LRM's and fewer ECM mechs IN CONJUNCTION with people trying out the new NARC and TAG bonuses. I think that's exacerbating the 'LRM backlash.'

2) On every map right now there are places that LRM's aren't useful. If we have a map focused on making LRM's are downright pathetic, we also need a map where the vertical spaces are so differentiated that most 'mechs have trouble using direct-fire to aim up and down.

3) Yes. Light mechs should take more damage from bigger mechs running into them. I'm not saying bring back the broken knockback...but scaling mech-to-mech damage using the same calculations of tonnage difference and speed would be welcome.

[Kalimaster]

Ghost Badger is right. The new Free Mech holds an LRM 10 and no ECM. Been using it ever since I got it. Love that AC 20 whap!

[Nightmare1]

LRM:
How about a map that has large iron and mineral deposits with magnetic activities that interfere with sensors? The deposits could act like ECM, interfering with a Mech's ability to lock targets or acquire IFF data. It would make for some pretty interesting battles and would provide one, solid anti-LRM map.

ECM:
As for ECM, I don't want to see it locked onto a Mech's chassis. To me, that is antithetical to a MechWarrior game; customization is key! However, having the matchmaker balance ECM would be a nice feature.

Team Vs. Pug:
Your Team vs. Pug drops doesn't make sense. Teams haven't been able to drop against Puggers for quite a while now. When you say "Pugs," are you referring to the true Pug queue (solo) or are you attempting to imply that three 4-Mans against an 8-Man and a 4-Man constitutes "Clubbing Baby Seals?" To be frank, I like the current group dropping mechanics. I've seen 8 and 12 -Mans get ROFLStomped by teams where the biggest group size was a 4-Man.

Lights:
Lights are too fragile to increase their size. No resizing! However, it would be nice if knock-down where reintroduced to protect Assaults from parking-curbbing Lights. I'll admit that I'm guilty of planting my Locust behind an Atlas's legs and stopping it from moving. The Atlas is so tall that he can't hit me when he turns around; same goes for the Stalker and nearly every other Assault. If something that's over 80 tons pushes something weighing less than 40 (half the weight!), then it should knock it on its butt and be able to walk over it, in my opinion.

...That's not to say we need a "dance on someone's face mechanic!" Just bring back knock-down. That will fix the parking-curb Lights and it will also fix it so that we don't desync upon bumping each other. It would also give a bit more functionality to sticks.

Repair:
No. The grind is long enough, even with all the snazzy new rewards we're earning. Frankly, I'm sitting at 20 million right now; I usually don't have more than 5 million. If I try to buy two Atlases so that I can Master the free one, then I'll be broke! I still remember how awful the grind was with my HBKs back during the days of Repair and Rearm. New pilots already report having trouble learning how to make the most of the new Rewards System which results in longer grinds for them. Anyone who thinks bringing Repair and Rearm back is a good idea should have their rose colored glasses surgically removed.

Besides, you can't stop metas. As soon as PGI nerfs something into the ground because enough people whine about it being meta, the meta players go and find a new meta. Frankly, I just wish people would accept it and deal with it. I don't run metas, but my Mechs have pretty much every weapon system represented on some chassis or another (Ex: dual AC/5s on a TDR with MLs). Every time meta Mechs and weapons get nerfed, it means that at least some of my Mechs are affected, and I have to go retool them. In short, I get punished for the "sins" of others and it's getting really old.

No repair and rearm. No nerfs.

Redshift2k5, on 24 October 2014 - 05:48 AM, said:

The problem with making a whole map to counter a particular playstyle (in this case LRMs) is that it would be pretty punishing to a specific playstyle since we have random maps. Imagine you are a new player with LRMs and you land on such a map s few times in a row!

Most of the maps have specific places you can get really good LRM cover, so that's something you'll need to find and learn to useon your own.

Normally I would agree with you, but I'd like a map to counter Caustic Valley. That map is the best LRM one I've ever seen; there's no cover! Simply pop a UAV and LRM away to your heart's desire.

[Ground Pounder]

Redshift2k5, on 24 October 2014 - 05:48 AM, said:

The problem with making a whole map to counter a particular playstyle (in this case LRMs) is that it would be pretty punishing to a specific playstyle since we have random maps. Imagine you are a new player with LRMs and you land on such a map s few times in a row!

Most of the maps have specific places you can get really good LRM cover, so that's something you'll need to find and learn to useon your own.

Actually Red, in my view, it would do exactly what it is supposed to and thats deter people from boating and encourage making multi roll mechs (as most Mechs in the Battle Tech Universe are). If you knew that 3 maps in the rotation were long range LRM friendly, and 3 maps in the rotation were City fight/Close Brawl LRM unfriendly, you are more apt ensure that you have useful weapons for all probable theaters in the game. If you decide to gamble and take a Brawl configuration on a long range map, you then have to suffer the consequences. If you decide to gamble and take all LRMs and you end up in a Close Quarters map, you then suffer the consequences. Eventually, when enough people get tired of being hamstrung because they brought the wrong mech to the wrong battlefield, the loadouts will change (of course in theory).\

Very Respectfully,
Ground Pounder

[Ground Pounder]

Ghost Badger, on 24 October 2014 - 06:01 AM, said:

1) I think that everyone scrambling to try out their new Atlas, Centurion, Shadowhawks and Stormcrows means that you're seeing more LRM's and fewer ECM mechs IN CONJUNCTION with people trying out the new NARC and TAG bonuses. I think that's exacerbating the 'LRM backlash.'

2) On every map right now there are places that LRM's aren't useful. If we have a map focused on making LRM's are downright pathetic, we also need a map where the vertical spaces are so differentiated that most 'mechs have trouble using direct-fire to aim up and down.

3) Yes. Light mechs should take more damage from bigger mechs running into them. I'm not saying bring back the broken knockback...but scaling mech-to-mech damage using the same calculations of tonnage difference and speed would be welcome.

You are sexy Badger...you know it

1.) The LRM storm has been here for a bit and in my opinion, it keeps people honest and makes them keep their heads down or blown off. That being said, A major part of any Battletech/Mechwarrior game is understanding that not all loadouts are optimal for all maps. At the moment though, LRM loadouts are pretty much effective everywhere. Something needs to happen, other than flooding with ECM (which should be regulated as stated above) to induce folks into taking more balanced and multi roll loadouts to offer a more tactical and universe true game. Again, totally IMHO.

2.) While there are places on every map where LRMS are hampered, those places can be avoided and there is no map where LRMS are predominately ineffective. What this leads to is the good odds gamble that if someone takes LRMS and LRMS alone, they will still be useful on every map at some point. With maps in the rotation that accomplish a reduction in effectiveness of LRM boats, the tendency towards secondary weapon systems and balance loadouts should increase. And also, I agree...There are maps where differing terrain makes it hard to track targets though right now, the mining colony does well for this effect. Lights/mediums with Jump Jets on the higher buildings are really a pain to all but the most flexable arm and torso mechs. What we need is less tweaking of quirks and perks and more use of tactical situational bonuses and penalties for balance.

3.) I agree and as long as the damage taken by smaller chassis is significant to stop this "leg humping" it would greatly help. I still believe that increasing the size of the mech models to more accurately show the ratio in size between lights and larger mechs is the best method as it will also accomplish improved hit registration with larger hit boxes (its getting annoying that 2 years after release we are still seeing ravens and spiders take full spreads of lasers and autocannons and register nothing).

we will see what happens.
There is alot of work left to do.

Very Respectfully,
*butt gropes Badger*,
Ground Pounder

[Ground Pounder]

Another Idea:

Solaris Arena Tournament Circuit game mode with MC rewards to top placers.

^ This one needs to happen

[Firewuff]

Repair and rearm does not punish groups or high ELO players. They run the fully kitted out mechs. Take less damage and get more kills everyone else especially noobs suffer from r&r because they are more likely to die and if they cant afford to run dhs and endo then they are at an even bigger disadvantage.

[Ground Pounder]

Firewuff...It should not "punish" anyone. Its an integral part of the Battletech and MechWarrior Universe. It is an effective balance system as even good players lose their mechs often to damage and are more apt to be conservative and tactical instead of death balling an sacrificing the first mechs over the hill if the repair bills pile up. It encourages skill and more interesting battles over bum rushes.

Also, Good Players may do more damage before hand and earn more money, but that's the cost reward for being a better player. The game should encourage skill and not reward mediocrity. Want to be able to afford those high end mech set ups...Get better.

As far as "noob" players. Learning how to run base set ups for mechs while improving skill so they can maintain high end chassis setups is the goal.

Along with this, another balancing effect is the keeping larger groups out of the base pug drop and set apart into company battles. Lances and lonewolfs drop in one setup and Tonnage based companies drop in another. Keeps those 8-12 mans from bashing the brains out of the non-comm, uncoordinated noobs.

The current trend of never ending tweaks, buffs and debuffs and the like is unsustainable. Its time for a new method 2 years in.

Very Respectfully,
Ground Pounder

[AlmightyAeng]

Firewuff, on 25 October 2014 - 10:31 PM, said:

Repair and rearm does not punish groups or high ELO players. They run the fully kitted out mechs. Take less damage and get more kills everyone else especially noobs suffer from r&r because they are more likely to die and if they cant afford to run dhs and endo then they are at an even bigger disadvantage.

To be fair a lot of "old timers" have expended that pot of gold snapping up the first round of Clan mechs with CBills and kitting them all out. Ya know...the ones PGI made 3 times more expensive than the IS?