55 replies to this topic

[JC Daxion]

I've loved mech games sence MW3. I can't count the number of hours i played that and mech 4.. all the way till i got my new comp and it seems my video card wont run the game so i've been waiting patiently. I heard rumors of mech 5, and saw leaked videos, and had my hopes up. then i saw this and thought, finally ill be back in the pilots seat again!

Now i keep seeing all this stuff that there is nothing other than mulitplayer pvp. I'm sure for some that is wonderfull, but for me i really am not a fan of pvp, and group pvp even less. My game time is so random, some days its morning, others afternoons, others late night, so getting to play with the same people often just isnt an option. And honestly, the whole pvp thing has always turned me off. Just far to many greifers out theere in the online world for my liking. I like to play a game, enjoy my night and not have to worry about some body else having an effect on my game time, and that exactly what pvp is.

If i want to co-op with a bud from time to time, i do. But i never bother to go find someone to go fight against, its just not my style. It's why i play games to begin with. It's me time, and something to enjoy by myself or with a freind. Im really hoping that there is something for us soloers, and people that don't want to pvp.. or they are really going to be missing a HUGE portion of people that would like to play this game.

Just look at any online game made to date, or atleast any that has had high numbers of sales. Any game i can think of, the number of pve'ers, has outweighed the pvpers 10 fold. Sure there are a handfull of games that are only pvp, but in compairson, take any game that has both options, the pve always has higher numbers.

If this game launches with just a battle feild and pvp cues, i could see myself getting a few freinds to give it a try once or twice.. but if thats all it has to offer, id most likely not be back. But if there is things i can do with a friend, Or solo.. i'd most likely be playing a few nights a week.. Just like i did MW 3-4 for a good 7+ years.. till my old comp broke, and my new comp wont run them..

I guess what im saying, I really hope they give us casual pve players something to do.. cause we like to spend money. Thats what a FTP game needs too. People that want to spend money on things. Pvpers say, i dont want to pay to win!.. pvers say.. Give me more missions, more content, and ill happily shell out some money each month, or a few times a year for more stories, and more unique missions and such.

I could even see letting us making player made missions adding tons to the game. Drop Bots, add mission peramiters, story, ect.. shape the worlds. A player made mission creator+ planet/map editor like say something out of STO.. ( you can create solar systems!!) To me this kinda stuff could really make this game last a long long time and open up the game to so many more, than just the nitch hard core pvpers that are around.

Who knows, maybe some of those casual pvers, may one day become a hard core pvper.. But with out the pve to start, they just dont have a chance.

[Ran Ito]

I'm hoping for an immersive mmo type battletech/mechwarrior experience as well.

Team deathmatch PvP is fun and all, and I wouldn't wish it away. But here's hoping for something more.

[KnowBuddy]

Well, from the FAQ:

[quote name='"FAQ"]This is something we wanted to implement' date=' but right now we are going to focus on multiplayer only.[/quote']

So... sorry?

The sad truth is that noone wanted to publish a single-player MW game, and so the compromise is to create an online, PVP-only MW game that is F2P. This is the only way we're going to get a new MW game. Hopefully, if MWO does well, we will get PVE elements added down the road.

[Korbyn McColl]

It's also important to keep in mind that Battletech was never "single player" in the first place. You either played with a couple of friends against foes controlled by a GM or you played against one another. The MW CRPGs did a decent job of putting some sense of a single player campaign into the game, but most fans of the franchise played in leagues online (purely PvP).

I'd love to see some PvE missions added (maybe with the invasion of the Clans), but I'll take what I can get for now!

[CobraFive]

Battletech was never Single Player, but Mechwarrior (The games) had been since forever.

I'd rather them add difficult Co-Op missions then actual single player. Something to the equivalent of dungeons and raids in MMORPGs or "Spec Ops" in Call of Duty. That kind of thing. Each one a self-contained story, and you'd need multiple classes or "roles" working together to beat them.

[EDMW CSN]

Co-op play might be possible in the future at least, where you can drop in your lance or even company level to do some NPC thrashing like shooting up the occasional pirate raid on a convoy escort etc.


For now I will be happy if they can get just the Team DM, basic salvage, mech rentals and a proper paying scheme down. And oh, the tutorial. Do not forget it !

[CaveHermit]

I'd love to have what they were working on for the 3015 reboot as Downloadable Pay to play "training" missions..

[Psydotek]

Perhaps the Clan invasion will allow for co-op player vs. computer missions later down the road? Depends on if they want to allow players to join the clans or not... Might be the closest to a single player campaign we'll get.

Hopefully they'll have robust training/tutorial single player missions though.

[JC Daxion]

Devil Man, on 23 November 2011 - 01:53 PM, said:

It's also important to keep in mind that Battletech was never "single player" in the first place.

I will definatly argue this point.. I played MW 3-4, which are totally single player games. I will say i logged into a MW4 mutliplayer game a few times, (in a light mech mind you) ONly to get hit by a gauss rifle a few times.. bascially one shot pops.. But it was fun to try atleast.

that said... Single player is what i really loved. even if there isnt single player to start, I will be buying, and i will be voicing my opinion that i want some single player action. Just give us tools, if you dont want to make the single player RPG games, Let us do it for you. Let us make some maps, place objects, write stories.. thats all us PVE'ers want.. Hell if our stuff is good, let us upload it and you charge..

I really want an even pvp game.. Honest i do.. But i really want a great single player aspec.. and if the pvp works.. trust me, the single player will be out of this world.. This game can do nothing but grow.. I really hope the pvers, and the pvpers.. can get along, and make this a wonderfull game.

[Brakkyn]

I am a big fan of single-player. I believe it is what makes most games playable. In the beginning, multiplayer was always playing second fiddle to the single-player; recent years have begun to change this trend.

However, in my opinion, single-player is what makes the games playable. You're the hero, you're the focus, it's all up to you. Multiplayer was always just a way for people to show off their "skills".

Multiplayer, however, seems to be where many classic game franchises are heading, including MechWarrior. We haven't had a large-scale MechWarrior game for years. The modding community and shreds of hope are all that has kept the gaming community alive.

Now we have the opportunity to revitalize the series, and though I regret it will not presently have a single-player component, I can handle that--we're getting another MechWarrior.

[dm5k]

cobrafive, on 23 November 2011 - 01:59 PM, said:

Battletech was never Single Player, but Mechwarrior (The games) had been since forever.

I'd rather them add difficult Co-Op missions then actual single player. Something to the equivalent of dungeons and raids in MMORPGs or "Spec Ops" in Call of Duty. That kind of thing. Each one a self-contained story, and you'd need multiple classes or "roles" working together to beat them.

This! Co-Op missions would be the best idea. Playing tuff missions with friends would go well with MWO. I have played nearly every single player mechwarrior game over and over and I much prefer the single player over multiplayer. I would be happy to pay for a downloadable campaign after MWO releases.

[Bloody]

well you cannot play battletech solo for one thing. It was either pvp or gm vs player if you were playing mechwarrior.

and you cannot be griefed in a pvp tbh, You get killed you kill them. To be grief would be to somehow be tricked into getting PKed when you did not want to. Well it is true that no one really wants to be killed but in a pvp that is pretty much a given.

would love a persistent mmorpg for the pve as well, sorta like the original Mechwarrior by Activsion where you take contracts build up your force and go after the Dark Wing Mercs. That would be great if they added that in and they can ramp up the difficulty so that both pvp and pve is rewarded with different types of tech / rewards / cbills.

[BLeeD]

if they build single player then they will have to take programers away from building the game , in which it will take longer to release. 2nd its a online game made to multiplayer . Kill some real fellows not mindless bots running at you !!! dang son

[Morgenstern]

For single player you need a good ki, but it will never be as good as opponent than a real player. So why bother with programming a ki instead of letting 10 play vs 10 (or more)? Get a close look at World of Tanks for example. It's fun.

[SwordofLight]

Interesting point, though - with bots, I'm able to practice my skills in CounterStrike. I'm also free to play the game alone if, for some unimaginable reason, I find the behavior of other CounterStrike players to be racist, homophobic and vulgar.

However, bots open up a whole new can of worms for the devs - because without intricate routing protocols, without complex decision trees - bots can be stupid verging on brain dead. Because of course, no brains. Oh, look, I'm in a user map, and the modder hasnt routed his bots correctly. The T is 'wall humping' rather than jumping through that window.

The only way for this to work as an online with single player mode would be if theres moddability - and some genius mod came up with mech ... bots. Department of Repetition Department. Day of Defeat had bots because of a modder - and if I have this right, DoD:Source doesnt because that modder was killed in the big tsunami in southeast Asia. So, adding a single player mode in MWO would be cool, but it would have to be a mod, and with that, you couldnt expect a lot of support from the devs. If the modder gets bored, or, as the unfortunate case above illustrates, worse - no support, no updates, no consistency.

Do we know if MWO will have a mod aspect?

-Don

[JC Daxion]

a few of you have made some interesting points.. though, im not sure how the guy that said you can't be griefed in a mulitplayer pvp game. Stalked, harrassed, ect.. there are tons of ways to harrass people in online games, even without pvp.. But thats not really what this thread is about, it was just a point that some people prefer not to deal with that aspec of online play.. Besides not everyone is a pro gamer, and many would rather just mess around witha bud, and gank bots all night, even if they couldnt take a skilled person down even 20 vrs 1..


the person that said, AI will take programing,

thats definatly true. How much time would it take to write good AI? I have no clue, i have never done it, But ive seen moders, improve many games AI over my years. But in some ways thats sorta my point here. If your selling the content for PVE for example, your going to be making money to go into more development. Id be perfectly happy having PVE content, buy only. Perhaps it could include unlocking or the ability to salvage items that you could purchase for multiplayer.

For example, say there is a new missle salvo that you can add to upgrade your mech. (and please lets not side track to pay to win, Im just using this as point of reference for the idea)

you can earn it through points in kills in online play, that takes 10 hours, So not paying you still can get the item. (is that how it will work? i have no clue, just saying as a reference as a way to earn it)

Or you can pay 2 bucks and buy it from the shop.

Or you can pay 10 bucks and buy a 5 mission story arc that has about 2-4 hours of story, (lets say missions take 20-40 mins depending on skill, playstyle, how you go about it) you could play the pve mission story arc, with a chance to salvage it, and perhaps some other items you can earn/buy from the store. But you also have the fun of playing a Campian style mission.

this way, everyone can either earn, buy, or pay extra and get story included. To me that could be win for everyone. you could also part out aspecs of the mission pack as well. Salvage items, mechs, or even even the map itself. Say you can buy the new map for a couple dollars, a missile launcher, and a new mech is included in the mission pack. And fior a bit extra you also get some cool story to go along with it.


Making the tool set, and programing the BOT AI is definatly going to take time. But once thats done making missions and writing story isnt really that time consuming over all. Once all the art, and mechs, and maps exist, its really all a matter of good writing and some minor programing to get it all working right. So a bit of effort on the front end, can in the end really add what could be a lot of money in the long run and that money. Obviously a good player made mission would take some time. I know ive worked on things for 50-100 hours before, and sometimes that could use even more to get everything working right. But that said, a couple man team could be making a mission pack a month. If enough people buy them i can't see how that would be a bad investment on their end.

And all the revenue, could fund even more mechs, more maps, more everything.. Who knows maybe even full on persistant planets, or zones, voice work, ext.. really the sky is the limit, it really all depends on what the players want, and who is shelling out the cash.

I know from my end, on user made missions on games i've played, some even have some AI tweaking ablities. Perhaps with access to the back end on the AI, it could be the community that could help improve it even more.

A tool set, and missions and AI, are definatly going over what the game will be at the start of FTP launch from everything i've read, But i really hope that its in the cards for the future. With the popularity of games like counter strike and halo, and combine it with how popular modding games like oblivion, and then add in the MMO aspecs, that also have modding ablities, (Startrek online, and city of heroes) it just adds so much to the games and gets people playing them for far longer than they would have without the features.

[John Clavell]

I could not be happier that this is not a single player product. Multiplayer is what makes a game.

[Melissia]

I understand their decision to release a light, tightly packed, well rounded multiplayer-only version at first, then add in single player content later. It's a free to play model, after all.


Multiplayer doesn't make a game (most people play single player, despite what many multiplayer players claim), but it DOES provide the developers with plenty of feedback for balancing and bug issues, unlike single player.

Edited by Melissia, 26 November 2011 - 03:53 AM.

[Kalunta]

Nothing against MP, but I'm going to miss a good SP story campaign. I would happily pay for such should it become available in the future. Perhaps it could be published chapter-by-chapter, even with the same story being told by different parts of the BTU (that could be fun!), that we could purchase as we play or buy into a series subscription. This would give the developers the same kind of flexibility as the F2P in development.

As for AI, there is a lot of development that wasn't realistic to implement in the past that is now, e.g. machine learning. Additionally, the only way it is going to move forward and create better AI is with real life projects that engineers interested and adept at this kind of stuff can apply themselves.

[Dlardrageth]

One option for single-player content will always be only a finger's length away... a tutorial. As in "introduction for newbies". Pretty sure PGI will at least consider something along that line.