14 replies to this topic

[Riverboat Sam]

I see the complaints about CW and find them just too narrowly focused.

The problem with MWO is that it's just not a complete game. What we have here is a PVP arena match module. CW was supposed to add some story and depth to the game - but it did not. It is just an extension of the existing PVP arena system we already had. An interesting extension, but just more of the same.

The truth is I don't believe MWO can hold the interest of players for more than a year or so. That's about how long it takes to experience all the facets of the game and realize that there's nothing more to do and it's very expensive to keep participating.

It's almost like the game is in perpetual alpha. They give us a mech lab and some PVP play to show us the potential. Then, due to lack of funding or lack of creativity, PGI just stalled out.

Shame.

[Roadbeer]

2013 called, they want their topic back.

Trust me, CW is the most interesting thing to happen to MWO since open beta.

[kesmai]

cw is alive and kicking. All the fuzz, fluff and story the community has created within 3 weeks are a colorful example how alive the game is.
we had mercs going rogue and shifting allegiance because of "ill treatment" from their employees. We had alliances come to existance and we'll seE them crumble. We had individuals and groups stepping forward and lead the crowd etc.if you ask me this game is more alive then the last 1.5 years and i feel it will stay.
comMunity warfare even in the state it is right now was the best thing that could've happen to this game.

[Onmyoudo]

Things CW needs:

• Shorter wait times
  
• Actual LP rewards
  
• A reason to own planets
  
• Logistics
  
• Better maps/more gametypes

With all that? It'll be a really solid game mode.

[LordKnightFandragon]

Onmyoudo, on 29 December 2014 - 01:52 AM, said:

Things CW needs:

• Shorter wait times
  
• Actual LP rewards
  
• A reason to own planets
  
• Logistics
  
• Better maps/more gametypes

With all that? It'll be a really solid game mode.

Only way to get shorter wait times is for more to play CW. As it is, at this very moment, there is fewer then 40 people in the CW Q. I see 13/18 on Planting....

LP Rewards I think will come when PGI figures it out.

Yeah, for sure lol.

Definitely...

Agreed.



And to add to your #1, if MWO ever gets PVE, I think CW and inflating the Q will be a great place to test out AI mechs. Ofc, lets just hope they balance AI+Players vs AI+Players in equal amounts. BUt yeah, I hope for PVE and CW will likely be the place they test them.

Edited by LordKnightFandragon, 29 December 2014 - 02:29 AM.

[Mordin Ashe]

OP, I agree with you but not completely.

Yes, common battles may need some placement in MW/BT space. Something that would give them meaning, like perhaps renaming it into "Solaris Team Deathmatch" or something. From there they could grow, like introduce a deathmatch, attack/defend scenarios for mobile weapon paltforms and so on.

CW is the same case as I already wrote. We have it, it is implemented into BT/MW unvierse quite well. Now it can grow. More maps, better UI, better rewards, things in general. Perhaps we could (in time) make our faction choice more meaningful by getting some points (perhaps even LPs) from common drops as well for, I don't know, representing your house in Solaris battles? More skins, Mechs, discounts, perhaps even choice to spend some of LPs for timed buffs like + credit gain for few days, you know, something that would be obsolete when compared to premium time but more meaningful in keeping you playing. Even unique in-game items would be nice.

PVE is another thing they probably can do in some time, given they already have the assets (Mechs, engine, map aspects, balancing). It would require a whole extra team for making the plot and to put it all together but I think that can happen in time, if MWO is successful enough.

See, ideas are many and I am no hypocrite, I know that PGI has more creative people than I am and those people come up with much better ideas than I do in much larger quantities.

What is PGI's job is to make things happen. That requires time, dedication and keeping MWO prosperous. I see that since the split from IGP PGI is doing great so they have the dedication part covered. Time, that pases by by itself and scratch this christmas break they are putting their time to good use. In half a year we may have a really good game, in one year we may have even better game - what we have now is much better than what we ever had. And the money? Well, keep paying for what you like and we will get there.

In all these areas MWO can grow and improve itself. But I strongly disagree with that "PVP arena match module" part, not because it isn't true but because you made it sound like it is something bad. What is WOT if not PVP arena match module? What is TF2 if not exactly that? What is LOL if not exactly that? There is nothing wrong on arena PVP, it makes games great and even greater if they can't build up on that, which MWO clearly can.

[Thorqemada]

What about MWO is any expensive?

If you are not a Founder or Packateer you can play this game for nothing but some lifetime...

[Kjudoon]

No offense OP, but what makes you think this is the finished product?

Roadbeer nailed it: 2013 called and they want their topic back. What amazes me is that I can see where you are coming from, but it requires everything to remain STATUS QUO. It's not. Remember, PGI is out on holiday till probably the third, if they don't come back for a day or two before then. Expect us to be in limbo till that time, but the second week of January, I expect to start hearing more, and with all the outstanding (and nonsensical) input from the community... I think we're going to get some large positive changes.

Also realize 2014 was overshadowed by 4 things that slowed development.

1. IGP
2. UI 2.0 disasters
3. CW's initial loss
4. Transverse

IGP is now gone and PGI has revved up and done far better at both communicating AND delivering on promises. A political issue has been removed from their plate allowing them to focus on the game.

Having to redo the entire client interface was a huge issue because so much was needed to make things work better (no they're not perfect, but it's a far cry better under the hood if you believe what PGI says and allows for more functionality in the future. Now that the foundation is laid, the rest of the work can raise the house.

CW... Getting the basics done was THE challenge, and now done, they can focus on fixing issues and expanding it.

Then thankfully, the distraction known as Transverse died a quick and merciful death that effectively saved MWO and maybe laid the groundwork for Aerotech for the future (nudge nudge PGI)

I agree that PGI needs to think grand scale to make this more than a little pew pew shooter with no real richness from the source material. I mean, it's like going to a buffet and only having mashed potatoes without even gravy. At least now those options may receive the resources in which to do it.

So I have to disagree if only for the fundamental reason, things are not static, and 2015 has a ton more potential than what we saw this time last year.

[Nightshade24]

Onmyoudo, on 29 December 2014 - 01:52 AM, said:

Things CW needs:

• Shorter wait times
  
• Actual LP rewards
  
• A reason to own planets
  
• Logistics
  
• Better maps/more gametypes

With all that? It'll be a really solid game mode.

I think there should be an option for people to have a way to get to own a planet then using 12 man drops 24/7.

I mean in lore you got people who only got 8 mechs, 2 lances that took a planet once and owned it for good.

I mean what's the whole point of coffers and reinforcing your planet defenses when in a realistic situation most groups can't even acquire a planet? (I would like just 1 planet under my units name just 1.... otherwise allow us to use our coffers as a means to gift other members C-bills)



Anyway CW is far from complete.

There will be more features coming soon and it does tell a bit off the lore and stuff.

If we compaire this to a game called War Thunder.

Right now pug matches is the "Arcade Battles".
And the Community warfare matches is the "Realistic/ Simulator battles".

We are just now waiting for more depth into CW and all the above to be fixed and then we got yourself the "World war mode" we want.

I've been playing for nearly 2 years now and I remember back when the Raven was considered a New mech and before champion and hero mechs were born. This game held my interest for a long time and this past few months is just getting more and more interesting!

[RG Notch]

Roadbeer, on 29 December 2014 - 12:53 AM, said:

2013 called, they want their topic back.

Trust me, CW is the most interesting thing to happen to MWO since open beta.

That's not exactly an impressive claim. Talk about damning something with faint praise. I agree it's the most interesting, but it's really not all that interesting, just more than anything else they've done.

[Riverboat Sam]

Mordin Ashe, on 29 December 2014 - 03:09 AM, said:

In all these areas MWO can grow and improve itself. But I strongly disagree with that "PVP arena match module" part, not because it isn't true but because you made it sound like it is something bad. What is WOT if not PVP arena match module? What is TF2 if not exactly that? What is LOL if not exactly that? There is nothing wrong on arena PVP, it makes games great and even greater if they can't build up on that, which MWO clearly can.

You are absolutely correct. It's pretty obvious that when MWO was created the backers were looking for a way to rip off the success of WOT. They chose Battletech as their base. What they did not understand is that WOT is fundamentally different from Battletech.

Tanks are very easy to understand. Turret. Tracks. Gun. Go! WOT does not need an extensive tutorial. Mechs are much, much more complex than tanks.

Pretty much every kid has a favorite tank. WOT was able to leverage that into a super simple central game mechanic - grind until you get your favorite tank. If you want it sooner, well, pay up. Cha Ching! The money rolls in to this day. Most Battletech fans do have favorite mechs, but it's not the same. Mechs never actually existed. The WOT designers went to great lengths to design their virtual tanks to match real life existing machines. They did a good job and it makes for a cool gaming experience. The MWO designers had to start right off with compromises because Mechs just aren't real so there is no way to simulate their, "actual performance".

No. They came out the gate with a blatant attempt to rip off the success of WOT. They did NOT understand that it can not work because the two universes are so fundamentally different. Now that IGP has abandoned ship PGI is left holding the bag and trying to make something out of this. At least PGI seems to understand that the one and only thing they have going for them are the legions of die hard Battletech fans.

No one will listen, but this is my humble suggestion for how they could transition from a bad start to something great:

1. Add a player vs. NPC campaign. Use it as a tutorial to introduce new players and a place where they can earn their Cadet bonus without being traumatized by pug stomps. Let anyone play it at any time. Just for fun. Allow C-Bills and XP to be earned.

2. Tone down the crazy amount of grinding it takes to level up mechs. Make their money selling more mech models instead. That's what really works for them anyway.

3. Keep the PVP death match module. It's fun. It would function just like Solaris in the lore - a place to go and fight arena battles to earn cash.

4. Grow CW into lore based multi-mission battles that allow for either single co-op fighting against NPC's, or co-op PVP, or a combination of both. Let the community use the forums to design their own PVP campaigns using the framework of CW. It would be a bit complex to perfect, but it would be an AWESOME heart of the game. Keep developing more and more multi-mission battles.

Make their money by bringing out new and better mechs on a regular basis. That's how they make the majority of their income anyway. Acknowledge it and get on with the show.

[Kjudoon]

1. PvE is going to be discussed for 2015. Russ has stated as much. If interest is high (and there is also high levels of hate and resistance too) they will move in this direction AFTER CW is nailed down.

2. I'd rather them look for new venues to make cash too. Pay 4 Impatience is a good model to use.

3. PvP arena deathmatch is called the PQ-Skirmish mode. I play it only when necessary... aka tournaments or I get accidentally dragged into it. CW is similar, but has campaign/strategic considerations which has driven some players cuckoo for cocoapuffs.

4. See point #1. This is a long way off, but if they do paid for campaigns in PvE environments, I'm game.

Edited by Kjudoon, 29 December 2014 - 06:58 AM.

[HARDKOR]

Wolf Kiarsen, on 20 March 2015 - 09:22 PM, said:

"2013 called,..they want their topic back" Is the most rude, disrespectful and common response Ive heard. Look, this game is great in its goals, creative growth and new ideas. What it lacks is follow though and thought. New players want to (of course) play CW because the idea of it is really cool. The reality, however,..is the worst gaming experience that they will ever find. New players get chewed out for not knowing how to be pros right off the bat. Battered by the other team verbally and game wise,....and fun goes out the window. PGI NEEDS TO SEPERATE COMPETTATIVE PLAYERS AT HIGH SKILL LEVELS FROM THOSE AT LOWER LEVELS! Secondly,...fix your expensive game,...please don't say,.."its free to play",...come on guys. If you play the "free" game you will quit, or become disenchanted quickly playing in CW and may make it after a few months of dedicated play in regular pug drops. The problem with "community" and gaming is, there are way to many people whom really should be in any community, online or not, playing this game and ruining it altogether for the rest of your customers. Solution?
Skill level matching across the board. Completely rethink CW with ALL the feedback from ALL the player levels,..not just gold mech boy who plays 18 hrs a day and craps on new pilots to make himself feel good. TKs or on the rise and I see one now almost daily. This is due to players being pissed at the game, the process, losing without any chance of getting a spec of fun out of the game,..ect,..ect. The "this is hard core level" statement getting tossed around is just "******"design,..and "******" people turning an awesome game into a social experiment gone bad. Second,.....team matching, competitive premade vs pug,....what were you thinking? If you only play premade vs premade and pug vs pug with level matching in place,..you will seriously cut down on new players negative experience, challenge the teams more and retain more customers/players to help pay for more computer nerds to fix a glitch game. If you cant DO these things, or they seem impossible,..hire more nerds,..they fix everything. Also, if they cant fix this gaming catastrophe, ask yourself if you perhaps bit off more than you can chew and let us all down in the process. I wont lie,..Im into this game for about 2.5k between the computer upgrades, just to play it, and trying to buy better mechs to avoid dying all the time. I have a job, a wife and a life so that means I lose a lot. Why? I read the forums, tutorials, watch training videos. Ill tell you why,..my competition has been playing 10 times as much at least and is way better than I am, because im playing people,...WAY ABOVE MY LEVEL OF SKILL. How hard is it to figure out? If your about to comment with some snarky,..."THen don't play" remark,..I would answer,..ITS MY GAME TOO,...I BOUGHT IT! Lets go find some folks that can fix this. (p.s. I speak of nerds in a non derogatory way,..I love em,..need em,..cause im not one, and the term means, really smart technical brain wizard that fixes stuff so forgive if I offended)

If I could never fight another "casual player" outside of the solo cue again, I'd do it. Disorganized opponents with a minimal understanding of the nuances of the game are are great for grinding mechs, but I don't want to see them around when I'm actually trying to play the game.

Long story short, I'm the guy on the other end of the spectrum and I'm bored as hell. The reward system is broken and causes organized groups to only attack, so they never encounter each other. This is broken. Fix it or nothing you can do will save this thing.

[Vassago Rain]

Riverboat Sam, on 29 December 2014 - 12:02 AM, said:

It's almost like the game is in perpetual alpha.

90 or so days since the last addition to CW, so yes.

Funny of you guys to revive this thread from when CW had just been released. How's the 'it's only a beta!'-status working out for you?

Edited by Vassago Rain, 21 March 2015 - 01:20 AM.