72 replies to this topic

[NephyrisX]

I ask this because of the constant vitriol and negativity that surround and infest the forums like a poisionous miasma, yet MWO still retains a rather widespread and loyal fan base, so obviously that means MWO still offers something that is pleasing to all of us.

My question, then, is what? What do you guys like about MWO such that you stick, or at least keep an eye on, during the turbulent times the game has faced over the few years since it began?

[Nothing Whatsoever]

The Mechs.



Edit: Also don't rely on any forums as a weather vane for the community at large, many don't visit and plenty don't bother posting if they do read the forums.

Edited by Praetor Knight, 02 December 2014 - 09:53 PM.

[Troutmonkey]

Cool looking Giant Stompy Robots.

Cool sounding weapons.

Depth of combat.
Sure, we basically just have death match right now but the variety of mechs and weapon systems makes each engagement different and exciting. No other game offers the diversity of engagements that MWO can offer.

[Revorn]

I think Forums are fine atm, there where Moments in the Past, man i could tell ya.

But to answer your Question. Game, even at its hardest Times, offers fantastic intense Battles. And driving a Big Stompy One, customized by yourself.... well, is fun, at least for me.

Edited by Revorn, 02 December 2014 - 10:50 PM.

[SaltBeef]

The look of the mechs and the sound effects. Glad it has Computer elements and not geared for console with power ups and childish stuff. Good immersion.

Still needs work in the IS vs Clan department. Group play can lead to endless stomps. Not very balanced there either.

[L Y N X]

Why dont you go necro the other dozen threads same as this one... oh too lazy to look? fine, MWO is the finest BT/MW sim to date. No other Mechwarrior title had as many mechs in a commercial product.

Now if we just had something to tie the matches together to give the results meaning... oh right CW Dec 16th!!! Right on!

And if we could ease the new player experience so that we do not eat so many of our young ones.

[Tezcatli]

It feels like mech combat. Not another twitchy FPS masquerading as a mech game.

[Elizander]

People might not realize it but they get more invested in MWO when they customize their robots as opposed to other FPS games cause you do a lot more things to build your battle machine. Unlike in other games where you stop picking skills once you reach the top, MWO lets you fiddle and tinker with your robot as much as you want even if it is all maxed out and that is part of what keeps people hooked.

It's not the only reason but it's one of the reasons.

[Arkbird_]

NephyrisX, on 02 December 2014 - 09:42 PM, said:

MWO still offers something that is pleasing to all of us.

My question, then, is what? What do you guys like about MWO such that you stick, or at least keep an eye on, during the turbulent times the game has faced over the few years since it began?

In the absolute simplest terms: It is Mechwarrior.

As for sticking around? To see what the next date CW is being pushed back to... with fingers crossed every time that this is the last time...

[Brody319]

1. Mech designs. The art team has done a wonderful job, especially since a lot of the time, mechs look ******* silly in other depictions. (catapult). Even though they did do some strange design choices like the Catapult's ears and the Koshi's arms
2. Sound, I always feel like I am in a mech and shooting giant guns when I hear those sounds. They sound really good and I am eager to see how they handle it when new weapons show up.
3. Gameplay. Despite the many inbalances and the weapons that annoy me. I really do keep coming back for the gameplay. Its fun and interesting, and I don't think I know of a game like it with such a diverse group of combatants using such a relatively small pool of weapons so differently. I mean you got laser boats, ballistic machines, LRM boats, and everything in between and while some are not as viable, they can all do good when the stars aline.
4. The support PGI gives. They seem to be listening and giving feedback much faster than any other company. Even TF2 which updates like at least once a week doesn't get to balance as fast in most cases. They had almost an entire patch at one point just dedicated to fixing weapons and some of these weapons were broken for months or more.

[Moonlander]

1. Robutts
2. Lazrbeemz
3. Dakka
4. Sounding like a can opener when I run around.
5. Arguing with grown men who act like they're 13
6. Acting like I'm 13
7. I'm physically disabled and don't do anything except sit in a wheelchair all day anyway... so why not?
8. Played TT for a very long time
9. The drive it gives me to find 10 reasons why... but I can't think!

[Lefty Lucy]

It's a fun shooter with interesting weapon mechanics and a focus on team play.

A game having fun combat used to be enough for people to want to play it back in the ancient times of quake, counterstrike, team fortress, etc.

[ColdPsyker1]

I like destroying the freebirth scum that oppose me.


Been hooked since Mechwarrior 3 (played 2 and GBL, but I was a little too young to properly "get" it)

And this game? It makes you feel as though you are in a battlemech in the 31st century.

[Johnny Z]

+1 for Mechwarrior sim

[GreyNovember]

The joy of getting behind an assault and coring it out from the back with a light, or bull rushing a long ranged heavy and blinding him with sustained laser fire.

The element of lights being useful in mechwarrior was never really a thing, except here. I would sacrifice all my speed for the ability to alpha quad PPCs in MW4.

[Kirkland Langue]

NephyrisX, on 02 December 2014 - 09:42 PM, said:

MWO still retains a rather widespread and loyal fan base

You start with this premise, so I have to wonder what "widespread" and "loyal" mean to you. I suppose the reason that this sentence jumped out at me is because Mechwarrior games have actually always been thought of as having a "niche" following.

What determines whether a game has a Niche fan base or a Widespread one? How does MWO compare to whatever your definition is for these terms?

[Ursh]

It satisfies my itch for lasers, cannons, and missiles once or twice every two weeks or so.

Been playing it for two years, and overall I've liked the devs less and less and less as time has gone on, which is why it is unlikely to be anything other than a casual and infrequent indulgence for the foreseeable future.

[NephyrisX]

Kirkland Langue, on 02 December 2014 - 10:35 PM, said:

[/size]

You start with this premise, so I have to wonder what "widespread" and "loyal" mean to you. I suppose the reason that this sentence jumped out at me is because Mechwarrior games have actually always been thought of as having a "niche" following.

What determines whether a game has a Niche fan base or a Widespread one? How does MWO compare to whatever your definition is for these terms?

Widespread in the sense thy there is relatively high player traffic despite being a slightly obscure game by today's gaming standards.

Loyal since many still stick by the game despite MWO's numerous issues over the years.

At least, that's what I think in my opinion.

Or maybe I simply botched up the meaning of those terms :X

[TLBFestus]

The "constant vitriol and negativity" to which you refer is actually pretty benign these days, at least for the past 3-4 months.

Prior to that it was much, much worse, but PGI has made some strides towards improving Community relations recently.

I don't know how much time you spent on the forums since you joined in 2012, but the history of PGI and it's relationship with the player base would make some good reading.

Here is the TL:DR version;

Long time Mechwarrior players and fans find out about the start of MWO and fund it to the tune of 5 or 6 million dollars (Im sure someone will correct me with the proper amount). Being a venerated and long absent franchise it taps into a long standing group who over the past several decades have played the Computer games and tabletop.

The level of excitement and optimism is high, with tons of players on the forums listening to promises made by the Developers and contributing lots of feedback and suggestions (mostly positive).

PGI begins to make a series of decisions that anger and alienate a significant portion of the Community, compounded by repeated delays to the much anticipated "Community Warfare". Core pillars of the game, some would say promises were broken and the (inexperienced?) Devs make some poorly thought out comments that feeds the spiral of anger with respect to the state of the game. This period lasts the better part of 18-24 months.

PGI gains independence from its publisher, IGP, and branches out and tries to develop another game, "Transverse", which is based on a similar crowd funding model as the original release of MWO, that fails spectacularly. At or around the same there are some encouraging signs with respect to the development of the game;

-PGI begins hitting several stated deadlines ( a rare occurrence previously)
-A significantly improved effort to communicate with the player base helps create some dialog.
-despite an aborted attempt by the then Community Manager to "clean house" on the forums, some damage with players is mended and some banned or voluntarily removed players return to the forums, specifically because of an Olive branch and dialog with Russ Bullock that is a good step forward.
-PGI begins a series of regular events providing players with increased opportunity to get free goodies etc..

There are still "White Knights that protect the game, and there are still "Black Knights" that are leery and suspicious that the improved state of affairs can't last (based on past experience), but a degree of civility is back on the forums. It might not seem like it to you, OP, but it's positively friendly in here these days.

Personally I believe a lot is riding on the promise of CW in the next week weeks, something that if missed will not be received well and will likely open a few old wounds on both sides.

It was shown with a brief, but intense series of discussions about player input into ECM( was it ECM? My memory is failing...) that was "sponsored" by Russ Bullock that even the most negative players want to help make this game succeed. If PGI can tap into the Community and engage them things should continue to improve, however it's not an easy path.

Edited by TLBFestus, 02 December 2014 - 11:05 PM.

[Rear Admiral Tier 6]

Moonlander, on 02 December 2014 - 10:17 PM, said:

1. Robutts
2. Lazrbeemz

this