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[Dagadegatto]

Huge walking robots covered in guns has always been the core of the MW games. These battlemechs are what set these games apart. They are MWO's strongest selling point and most unique feature.

Piloting a battlemech is a very simple and pure power fantasy. It consists of multiple elements and many of those (destroying opponents, shooting powerful weapons, outsmarting the enemy) are shared with other games but the potent element of towering over your environment in a giant battlemech is very special and no other game has done it quite like MW.

I would like to suggest that more effort is directed towards reinforcing the giant robot element of this fantasy. By doing so MWO would be playing to one of it's strengths and reinforcing it's unique* position.

There are multiple ways to approach this challenge but I think the most straight-forward and least destructive (no core changes) would be through level design. The current selection of maps offers varying experiences of scale. Unsurprisingly the city maps are the most successful at communicating the giant size of the battlemechs, while maps like HPG Manifold and Mining Collective are more ambiguous in their feel.

Being a game developer myself I am aware that his is a difficult task but one that I hope your Level Designers can see as an interesting and exciting professional challenge.

Thank you for reading.

*Of course mechs in one form or another are not unique to MW, but their treatment and design in MW is very special and their size is one of the most distinguishing features.


Some other posts on this topic:
http://mwomercs.com/...-de-koning-plz/
http://mwomercs.com/...he-maps-sheesh/
http://mwomercs.com/...ng-seems-wrong/
http://mwomercs.com/...f-scale-in-mwo/
http://mwomercs.com/...t-we-have-this/

[Trashhead]

I agree.
I have a hard time imagining myself in the cockpit of 'Mech several stories high.
Objects like cars would add to the feeling of being in a hug 'Mech, but unfortunately you can't see them anymore once you are close.

I think adding objects that everyone is familiar with, but that are also high enough to be seen from your cockpit when you are close to them would help.
Regular houses like we have today (not multistory ones like in River City) could do this, but since this is the FUTURE, so even a regular Bungalow would look unfamiliar.

Same goes for powerlines.
Trees might do the trick, but since trees come in different sizes at least _I_ have no idea if the trees in Forest Colony are tall or small. For me, they are doing nothing towards giving me the feeling to be in a 'Mech.

The very best would be to have regular people all around, to give you a hint.
But the next thing to happen would be everyone shooting at them for fun, Kentares-Style.

So, i'm out of ideas... .