274 replies to this topic

[Prussian Havoc]

DarthRevis, on 03 April 2015 - 09:01 AM, said:

Take what from here?

Friend DarthRevis, I meant that I would address CruiseMissileCowboy's question in the thread I started.

I apolojize that my intent was not more apparent,

DarthRevis, on 03 April 2015 - 09:01 AM, said:

That CRITICAL FLAW has been known about since about 2 weeks in. How do you think the FACTION YOU WERE PART OF took some many planets with NO POPULATION? We would do the exact same thing...this is not new just glad PGI is finally getting around to doing something about it.

Still a long way to go though before this mode is worth coming back to. Good luck getting peeps to play CW now and good luck ordering other CSJ units around....

The FACT that numeric superiority WINS worlds despite QUALITY winning sectors... is NOT a critical flaw.

ONLY in gaming is there unreasonable "hue and cry" that there must be a "level playing field" and that being outnumbered when defending the ramparts on a given world (out of the 50 worlds in contention) is somehow the DEVELOPER'S FAULT - when it is CEARLY NOT PGI's problem to solve.

#REALISMandIMMERSION is lost each time PGI caters to the minority of gamers who do not care enough to see that BEING OUTNUMBERED is a tactical reality and theirs hound be clear and decisive ADVANTAGE GIVEN to the Faction who INVESTS the necessary COMBAT POWER to have achieved that numeric advantages n the first place.

CSJ is critically stunted in its Factionl Ability to manage multiple fronts.

THAT is a primary reason I took one of my ALT accounts to House KURITA.

Trust me, for the greater bulk of -SA-'s existance (...err.... the "Smoke Alliance" -SA- and NOT the "Smoke Adder" -SA- ... Though I agree that there is LITTLE difference between the two) it has ONLY been a BINARY diplomatic choice for CSJ gamers:

Do I attack House Kurita?

or

Do I attack CGB (and occasionally In the past CW or once for three days I beleive, CJF)?


Not so in House Kurita. With 6, 7 or 8 Fronts and Paul willing to change up planet selection via Twitter, there are entire other Operational and Strategic aspects to the game.

For example: once my "Prussian Havoc" account had provided final payment to MangoBogadog's Antares Scorpions for the 28-day CSJ contract as well as the four planets AS tagged while under contract to me in CSJ Space; my "Connor Sellock" Kurita account picked up the contract option for the AntaresScpions... in part because NO ONE else offered this premier Mercenary Corp Unit ANY supra-PGI-baseline-contract remuneration.

As a result, the stage was set for AS to acheive the following:



Of course AS is a decisive component of TASK FORCE SLAYER:



AS joining House Kurita was a proximate justification to free up a significant portion of House Kurita's PERMCON 6th Rangers, Night Talons (6RNT) gamers to join the 6RNT Special Purpose Unit (SPU) 6th Rangers Expeditionary Company (6REX) and 6REX has since been able to acheive:



So very MUCH is possible when units within a Faction COOPERATE.



IMO that is a strength unique to Factions of the Inner Sphere. After the first three months of Community Warfare and the loss of more than 200 worlds (http://redd.it/31a8o7) to the combined (if sometimes fratricidal) might of the Clans, the Inner Sphere is IMO much more adaptable and opportunistic than the Clans in aggregate.

Last weekend's Challenge in part proved this point.

While the Inner Sphere quickly built up numeric superiority as gamers flooded the CW modes of MWO to get their free Thunderbolt or Stormcrow... a significant number of Clan gamers decided to forego CW until the IS Surge was over and went over to the Public Queue once they earned their Stormcrows... if they even tried to wade through the twenty 80-point matches needed to earn a mech.

Your final statements further prove my point... rather than take this thread for a value-added, if little-followed Factional-service, you clearly interpret it as "orders."

It is a shame I have not been able to communicate the intent of this particular thread more clearly - Having OPORDs and FRAGOs serve a clear military purpose (and has been the source of a refreshing number of complimentary PM's from fellow Armed Forces Servicemembers) but in no way has ANY compelling power in a popular game like MWO... other than occasionally providing an interesting line of though or piece of analysis.

Please take from this thread what is of value and leave the rest.

As ever, I stand by to respond to any comments, question, criticisms or concerns anyone might have.

[Connor Sellock]

It is true, here in House KURITA from my ("Prussian Havoc's") House Kurita PERMCON account (level-12 and counting toward Level-20 prior to the expected Summer '15 Steam Launch of MWO) there has proven to be a high degree of INCLUSION and a superb willingness to improvise at the Operational and Strategic levels of MWO Community Warfare.

[Phaelon Wolf]

It is true, here in 6REX, my ("Prussian Havoc's" TASK FORCE SLAYER) account is currently on a 2-week each (10-week total) Temporary Duty tour of the Inner Sphere that has already netted the FRR tags on 5 formerly Clan-held worlds. More worlds are especial in just a few days as the 6REX moves to House STEINER, specifically to contend with CJF efforts to reestablish an Atack Vector into House Kurita.

[Prussian Havoc]

As the above three posts (all from my family's accounts... my daughters are especially fine gamers in their own right and consent on occassion to family gaming nights each from our own gaming computers!) indicate, there are all manner of depths to the incredibly immersive and entertaining game that PGI provides us on a daily basis.

One facet or another of one or more of my family's accounts are constant sources of gaming-adventure and fun for Becca, Lauren and/or myself.

I have no doubt at some point this summer, that these accounts will take a brief hiatus from their Units and my daughters andI will form our own Mercenary Corps Unit. It will be only a Light Lance (short one Mech, while heavy on tonnage!) but it will be a source of endless nights of family fun... especially after Community Warfare Phase Three comes out (expected to coincide with the Steam Realease I beleive.)


With this being a game and all, some will accept it as that and harbor no ill will as gamers explore all the various nooks and crannies of it... from different Factions and various Units.

Other gamers (rightfully for them) choose to take their Factioal Loyalty a little more seriously, rarely if ever shifting from their homestead Faction.

What is conclusive is that the great bulk of MWO gamers have proven to be inclusive and very accepting of the fact that #GamersWillGame, realizing that we are all just after an immersive and fun respite away from the worries and stress of Real Life.

My thanks to ALL my fellow gamers who manage to keep our efforts here in this and other MWO forums tolerant and inclusive.



Good luck and GOOD HUNTING to ALL!

Edited by Prussian Havoc, 03 April 2015 - 03:59 PM.

[Prussian Havoc]

https://twitter.com/...145148310716416

- though it should be noted that simple retweets should not necessarily be taken as endorsement.

Edited by Prussian Havoc, 03 April 2015 - 08:31 PM.

[Prussian Havoc]

#RealLife and Russ's Tweet (https://twitter.com/...758915370131456) concerning the possibility of a 21APR map reset have refocused effort from the now-scrapped FRAGO to a new OPORD to better focus CSJ preparation efforts to best position Smoke Jaguar and attendant Mercenary Corps Units prior to, at and for a period of time after the now eagerly anticipated 21APR map reset.

In the interim, thought should be paid to securing Mercenary Corps Unit prepositioning within CSJ immediately prior to 21APR.

Just as I have hired the Varangian Guard, 228IBR and Antares Scorpions to take 7, 14 and 28-day contracts respectively with CSJ - there may be other Smoke Jaguar gamers who are similarly willing to donate their own C-bills in order to secure for a time the services of these or other Elite Mercenary Corps Units.



No doubt these and other Elite Mercenary Corps Units are even now receiving supra-contract remuneration offers from private parties. If you are interested in participating in this hiring practice yourselves, establishing rapport earlier rather than later is a good idea.


Good luck and GOOD HUNTING!

Edited by Prussian Havoc, 07 April 2015 - 06:30 PM.

[Prussian Havoc]

Change 001 to the OPORD under revision.

The following points are being used to focus the revision to the DRAFT OPORD (ETA for next OPORD IS 20APR, 5-days before the event described below) in final edits:

- There will be a Capstone Event to BETA Phase 1 afterall. Russ announced it tonight in the Twitch-televised Townhall.

- The Battle of TUKAYYID is now Officially set for 24-27APR weekend.

- 63 Sectors will be up for Battle over a 72-hour period.

- All Clan gamers wil face off against all Inner Sphere gamers.

- PGI will provide feedback after the event. TOP FACTION, TOP UNIT and TOP GAMER are all points of data Russ mentioned as likely to be furnished to the Community once the Event is complete.

- It is important to note that this combat will occur after the patch changing the CW Mode Selection Mechanism. Soon even VASTLY outnumbered Attackers will find they receive "Attack" matches about 50% of the time, up from 00% currently.


* - I can not emphasis strongly enough that while Clan Attacks will be GREATLY facilitated by the upcoming change to the CW Mode Selection Mechanism, the Inner Sphere will ALSO have the same advantage with attacking Clan worlds. Where as the old mechanism worked in our favor previously, Inner Sphere Attacks will be markedly more effective post 21APR patch.

Edited by Prussian Havoc, 17 April 2015 - 08:19 AM.

[CyclonerM]

Prussian Havoc, on 16 April 2015 - 09:27 PM, said:

* - I can not emphasis strongly enough that while Clan Attacks will be GREATLY facilitated by the upcoming change to the CW Mode Selection Mechanism, the Inner Sphere will ALSO have the same advantage with attacking Clan worlds. Where as the old mechanism worked in our favor previously, Inner Sphere Attacks will be markedly more effective post 21APR patch.

I am not very positive about it, indeed.. I think with this new system they should reduce the number of zones a bit.

[Prussian Havoc]

CyclonerM, on 17 April 2015 - 02:32 AM, said:

I am not very positive about it, indeed.. I think with this new system they should reduce the number of zones a bit.

Excellent! Not only should PGI do as you suggest but by varying the number of zones PGI could differentiate between "Hardened/Important Worlds" (with many sectors) and "Fringe/non-Stragetic Worlds" (with fewer sectors.)

Now THAT would be a low-cost/high-value solution/suggestion for PGI.

[CyclonerM]

Prussian Havoc, on 17 April 2015 - 06:35 AM, said:

Excellent! Not only should PGI do as you suggest but by varying the number of zones PGI could differentiate between "Hardened/Important Worlds" (with many sectors) and "Fringe/non-Stragetic Worlds" (with fewer sectors.)

Now THAT would be a low-cost/high-value solution/suggestion for PGI.

Now, that would make a lot of sense too! I thought it also because after this fix attackers would need the physical time to take most of the zones without a huge number advantage AND without employing too many rushes. All considering that people start playing at best 3H before ceasefire ..

Btw, i agree that "low-cost/high-value" suggestions are great, because PGI does not have huge resources, however i still dream of all those things i wrote in my Phase 3 ideas thread you read..

[Repasy Cooper]

Hmmm. Correct me if I'm wrong guys, but when I was listening in on the talks yesterday, I thought they said they were just going to scrap the whole zone idea and replace it with a general win/loss % gauge. The idea being, it won't matter anymore if the game mode is invasion or counter-attack, all matches on a planet will count towards a single gauge, and whichever side wins more games gets control of the planet.

[Prussian Havoc]

Repasy, on 17 April 2015 - 02:41 PM, said:

Hmmm. Correct me if I'm wrong guys, but when I was listening in on the talks yesterday, I thought they said they were just going to scrap the whole zone idea and replace it with a general win/loss % gauge. The idea being, it won't matter anymore if the game mode is invasion or counter-attack, all matches on a planet will count towards a single gauge, and whichever side wins more games gets control of the planet.

You can win the Battles and still lose the War,

The current system reflects this reality of warfare.

The whole fact some gamers can't or won't accept that in a combat simulator you sacrifice realism when you DEMAND an eternal equal footing, is quite sad,

"Sometimes you get the Bull and sometimes the Bull gets you." - this means that "local" numeric overmatch is a combat multiplier that a Faction can acheive through planning as well as Recrutiing/Retention/Return of Legacy Gamers to your Faction.


Sometimes it is NOT PGI's fault your Faction has a habit of losing in CW.

[Repasy Cooper]

Prussian Havoc, on 17 April 2015 - 09:48 PM, said:

You can win the Battles and still lose the War,

The current system reflects this reality of warfare.

The whole fact some gamers can't or won't accept that in a combat simulator you sacrifice realism when you DEMAND an eternal equal footing, is quite sad,

"Sometimes you get the Bull and sometimes the Bull gets you." - this means that "local" numeric overmatch is a combat multiplier that a Faction can acheive through planning as well as Recrutiing/Retention/Return of Legacy Gamers to your Faction.


Sometimes it is NOT PGI's fault your Faction has a habit of losing in CW.

Don't get me wrong! Personally I prefer the nodes better, and with the attack queue bias being fixed I think it would work fine. I'm just saying that's what I thought I heard Russ say.

EDIT:
And to be frank, this IS a game. That's how the majority of MWO's population view it, and thus it is a game and not a combat simulation. So naturally, the best approach for a multiplayer game is to give every player an equal chance. Especially for a free-to-play niche-genre game with a STEEEEEEP learning curve, which is constantly struggling and fighting to find ways to make sure player count keeps from falling AND make money in order to stay in business. Lets face it, most gamers shun away from games when they become complex "battle simulations." Not everybody here is a battletech enthusiast, and we have to accept that.

Sure, I want my perfect Battletech Simulation Universe, but realistically it isn't going to happen for a niche product. Realism trumps idealism.

Edited by Repasy, 17 April 2015 - 11:03 PM.

[Prussian Havoc]

Repasy, on 17 April 2015 - 10:23 PM, said:

Spoiler

Don't get me wrong! Personally I prefer the nodes better, and with the attack queue bias being fixed I think it would work fine. I'm just saying that's what I thought I heard Russ say.

EDIT:
And to be frank, this IS a game. That's how the majority of MWO's population view it, and thus it is a game and not a combat simulation. So naturally, the best approach for a multiplayer game is to give every player an equal chance. Especially for a free-to-play niche-genre game with a STEEEEEEP learning curve, which is constantly struggling and fighting to find ways to make sure player count keeps from falling AND make money in order to stay in business. Lets face it, most gamers shun away from games when they become complex "battle simulations." Not everybody here is a battletech enthusiast, and we have to accept that.

Sure, I want my perfect Battletech Simulation Universe, but realistically it isn't going to happen for a niche product. Realism trumps idealism.

Well that is just the point... let gamers go play Titanfall (if it's servers are even still running!) if they ONLY want mindless Big Stompy Robot action.

MWO is SUPPOSED to be a thinking-gamers title.

While I agree that a MINORITY of gamers want a Fair and Equal chance in their Quest to fight Heimdelight or JagerXII... it ain't gonna happen and someone should break it to them earlier rather than later.


The following chain REALLY needs to be better explained to ALL MWO gamers (and YES it mirrors #RealLifeCombat):

Barbarian Horde < Militia < Regulars < Elite

- Where Barbarians are Soloists / Individualistic Gamers each out for his own, alone and irrespective of even a hint of teamwork... using each other to BAIT the Enemy is about as close as this level of gameplay gets to the ideal of TEAMWORK.

- Where Militia are Small Units most often capable of fielding more than a Lance but less than a 12-man Team. Rudimentary to Solid Fire and Manuever Techniques have been practiced and achieved, while Individual MWO gaming proficiencies have been achieved/excellent at.

- Where Regulars are 12-man capable Units that have crafted synergistic Individual and Wave Interdependant Drop Decks and whites Lance-based Fire and Manuever approcximates exceptionally proficient status on occassion. Within the Unit, several effective and efficient Drop Callers are actively in the process of ruining Unit TTP.

- Where Elites are 12-man Comp Teams who have bent their game-play into CW-specific pattern as and norms. Without exception these teams win 90% or greater of their matches.


This continuum of Warfare as applied to MWO really is quite accurate. While there are exceptions, these exceptions universally prove the Rule valid and accurate. ANY move by PGI to grossly invalidate the game mechanics behind such a continuum so far suspends realism as to degrade ANY immersive value to MWO.


Again, if BattleTech Immersion is NOT what a MWO gamer understands he is buying into... he had better just go play a more "Twitch" gamer-friendly game such as Titanfall.

In my opinion, nothing will degrade the MWO-brand faster than unrealistic gamer expectations of MWO that eventualy drive PGI to cater to "generalist/Twitch" gamer calls for ALL Gamer Equality, ALL the Time.

[Repasy Cooper]

Prussian Havoc, on 18 April 2015 - 12:14 AM, said:

Again, if BattleTech Immersion is NOT what a MWO gamer understands he is buying into... he had better just go play a more "Twitch" gamer-friendly game such as Titanfall.

In my opinion, nothing will degrade the MWO-brand faster than unrealistic gamer expectations of MWO that eventualy drive PGI to cater to "generalist/Twitch" gamer calls for ALL Gamer Equality, ALL the Time.

I get what you're saying, but that attitude will kill this game. PGI has no choice, they either cater to the majority or close shop in one to three years.

Once MWO gains a large, stable playerbase, THEN we can test the waters with more BT immersion. Believe me, I want everything you do, but realistically speaking we have to give people a reason to pay attention to this game before we get what we want. That's just how it is.

[CyclonerM]

Helorn, on 18 April 2015 - 10:09 PM, said:

I don't want to diminish your point at all but I'd just like to point out we are up against a serious challenge. In my humble opinion the IS has a sizable (but still beatable) edge over the Clans at the moment. Whether or not you agree is irrelevant. We will have to work especially hard to counter light rushes in Invasion Mode. I think that is our biggest weakness in this challenge.

We just don't have the range advantage we used to, either. Yes, we have superior range, but not against all IS 'mechs. And IS 'mechs still have serious firepower, just like we do. But just because you have an C-ERLL doesn't mean you should be poking. Try and be aware of what 'mechs you are currently up against.

Perhaps something we can do is compile a list of IS 'mech builds to prioritize fire on, as a reference for people who don't play as much as some of us or just aren't familiar with the quirks system?

Repasy, on 18 April 2015 - 10:16 AM, said:

I get what you're saying, but that attitude will kill this game. PGI has no choice, they either cater to the majority or close shop in one to three years.

Once MWO gains a large, stable playerbase, THEN we can test the waters with more BT immersion. Believe me, I want everything you do, but realistically speaking we have to give people a reason to pay attention to this game before we get what we want. That's just how it is.

It will be hard to gain such a large AND stable playerbase since MWO will always be a niche game. By the time they do it, if they can, they will have lost even more BT veterans and long-term MW fans. Those who have payed for years and would continue to pay. I am no economist, but MW has always had a fairly sized and very dedicated playerbase, that is its strenght, and relying on such a stable and paying crowd imho would be the best choice instead of alienating it and losing a lot of revenue to Steam in order to get people to play the game who may well drop no money and try another game after a month, not understand the MW mechanics and leave bad reviews of the game, etc. That is just too much of a big risk.

Beside, i admit i feel a bit entitled to my BattleTech game. I am not a TT player, unfortunately, i was born too late and probably in the wrong country for that, but i met the franchise and the universe with MW2 and it caught my immagination as a child. Then MW4 made me come back to it and MWO consolidated my passion for BT. I also dropped 100+ € on the game, and while it is not much, most BT fans are 30+ y.o. people with jobs and stable income that they can use to buy MWO stuff.
Nostalgia will be the strongest force that will push them to buy more 'Mechs, as it has always been.

As a Star Wars movies and SW Battlefront fan, i also feel i am entitled to the best Star Wars Battlefront game Dice can give us, for example.

[Prussian Havoc]

CyclonerM, on 19 April 2015 - 04:31 AM, said:

Spoiler

It will be hard to gain such a large AND stable playerbase since MWO will always be a niche game. By the time they do it, if they can, they will have lost even more BT veterans and long-term MW fans. Those who have payed for years and would continue to pay. I am no economist, but MW has always had a fairly sized and very dedicated playerbase, that is its strenght, and relying on such a stable and paying crowd imho would be the best choice instead of alienating it and losing a lot of revenue to Steam in order to get people to play the game who may well drop no money and try another game after a month, not understand the MW mechanics and leave bad reviews of the game, etc. That is just too much of a big risk.

Beside, i admit i feel a bit entitled to my BattleTech game. I am not a TT player, unfortunately, i was born too late and probably in the wrong country for that, but i met the franchise and the universe with MW2 and it caught my immagination as a child. Then MW4 made me come back to it and MWO consolidated my passion for BT. I also dropped 100+ € on the game, and while it is not much, most BT fans are 30+ y.o. people with jobs and stable income that they can use to buy MWO stuff.
Nostalgia will be the strongest force that will push them to buy more 'Mechs, as it has always been.

As a Star Wars movies and SW Battlefront fan, i also feel i am entitled to the best Star Wars Battlefront game Dice can give us, for example.

100% Agreement.
(And I was fortunate enough to have been in on the TT/FASA phase back in 1986-1990. Very fun and oh so nostalgic now!)

Repasy, on 18 April 2015 - 10:16 AM, said:

I get what you're saying, but that attitude will kill this game. PGI has no choice, they either cater to the majority or close shop in one to three years.

Once MWO gains a large, stable playerbase, THEN we can test the waters with more BT immersion. Believe me, I want everything you do, but realistically speaking we have to give people a reason to pay attention to this game before we get what we want. That's just how it is.

In all truth the shelf-life of MWO is running, I keep paying into MWO (better than $2000 now) SPECIFICALLY because I can, and because I have always enjoyed each Battletech/MechWarrior incarnation. ~ And THAT is what PGI's Battletech-attention-to-detail has earned them, my dedication and ducats.

While I will not discount the money that "Twitch" and "Steam" gamers can bring to PGI/MWO (as a matter of fact I hold out great expectations that the MWO Release on Steam will indeed net PGI millions of dollars over 36-months) it is the Franchise-embracing Gamers like myself who will endure as a cornerstone of PGI's market.

A good cross section of that enduring cornerstone (40plus years old with more than $1000per year to spend on our gaming addictions!) is my original 8-member BATTLETECH TableTop circle of friends, 4 have fallen away from the franchise, 2 game occasionally, one diehard is angry at PGI for not being more immersive and has stopped playing and myself, who is retired and now spends WAY TOO MUCH TIME on the forums and in-game feeding his gaming addiction.) Better Battletech immersion would net PGI the return of a close friend, with more disposable income than I. And between the two of us, we would likely be successful resurrecting 2 other gamers interest in our old Sarurday Battletech matches (except this time through MWO.)

And less 40plus Gamers be discounted, I force both my daughter to play MWO with their own Resistance Pack/ Clan Wave 3 accounts... SECOND GEN Battletechers, a FAMILY tradition!


So yes... MWO is a niche game, but depending on the fine balancing act Russ pulls off, he just might gain the Twitch/Steam gamers giving access to a new generation of gamers AND he just might regenerate the enduring base of fans that is part and parcel of ANY MechWarrior game.


I remain very interested in just how Russ approached the upcoming Development goals/integration of PvE, Single Player Campaign, new Tutorials, new Mechlab, CW Phase 3 (as well as Phase 4 and 5 as mentioned by Russ this past Thursday) with the Steam Launch and the Press such a launch will garner ~ all this just might allow Russ to expand considerably MWO's niche.

[Repasy Cooper]

Prussian Havoc, on 19 April 2015 - 06:14 AM, said:

100% Agreement.
(And I was fortunate enough to have been in on the TT/FASA phase back in 1986-1990. Very fun and oh so nostalgic now!)


In all truth the shelf-life of MWO is running, I keep paying into MWO (better than $2000 now) SPECIFICALLY because I can, and because I have always enjoyed each Battletech/MechWarrior incarnation. ~ And THAT is what PGI's Battletech-attention-to-detail has earned them, my dedication and ducats.

While I will not discount the money that "Twitch" and "Steam" gamers can bring to PGI/MWO (as a matter of fact I hold out great expectations that the MWO Release on Steam will indeed net PGI millions of dollars over 36-months) it is the Franchise-embracing Gamers like myself who will endure as a cornerstone of PGI's market.

A good cross section of that enduring cornerstone (40plus years old with more than $1000per year to spend on our gaming addictions!) is my original 8-member BATTLETECH TableTop circle of friends, 4 have fallen away from the franchise, 2 game occasionally, one diehard is angry at PGI for not being more immersive and has stopped playing and myself, who is retired and now spends WAY TOO MUCH TIME on the forums and in-game feeding his gaming addiction.) Better Battletech immersion would net PGI the return of a close friend, with more disposable income than I. And between the two of us, we would likely be successful resurrecting 2 other gamers interest in our old Sarurday Battletech matches (except this time through MWO.)

And less 40plus Gamers be discounted, I force both my daughter to play MWO with their own Resistance Pack/ Clan Wave 3 accounts... SECOND GEN Battletechers, a FAMILY tradition!


So yes... MWO is a niche game, but depending on the fine balancing act Russ pulls off, he just might gain the Twitch/Steam gamers giving access to a new generation of gamers AND he just might regenerate the enduring base of fans that is part and parcel of ANY MechWarrior game.


I remain very interested in just how Russ approached the upcoming Development goals/integration of PvE, Single Player Campaign, new Tutorials, new Mechlab, CW Phase 3 (as well as Phase 4 and 5 as mentioned by Russ this past Thursday) with the Steam Launch and the Press such a launch will garner ~ all this just might allow Russ to expand considerably MWO's niche.

If PGI can grab the attention of Steam's community, we'll be in a better place for sure. At that point, sure, test the waters with a bit more BT immersion. But we can't have everything we want. Most of the new gen you speak of would never bother with a TT action-figure game, so they aren't going to care if it's an accurate BT sim. They will simply treat this game at face value, without any bias or expectations other than having fun right from the get-go. When I try out a new ftp game, I usually give it about an hour before I decide whether it's worth my time. MWO was an exception, bc I've already played MW2 and MW4Mercs, and played around a bit with TT. What I'm trying to say is lets focus on making sure this is a fun experience for new unbiased players before we start nitpicking. Part of that means making sure it's a fair and equal experience for everyone.

[Prussian Havoc]

Repasy, on 19 April 2015 - 09:47 AM, said:

Spoiler

If PGI can grab the attention of Steam's community, we'll be in a better place for sure. At that point, sure, test the waters with a bit more BT immersion. But we can't have everything we want. Most of the new gen you speak of would never bother with a TT action-figure game, so they aren't going to care if it's an accurate BT sim. They will simply treat this game at face value, without any bias or expectations other than having fun right from the get-go. When I try out a new ftp game, I usually give it about an hour before I decide whether it's worth my time. MWO was an exception, bc I've already played MW2 and MW4Mercs, and played around a bit with TT. What I'm trying to say is lets focus on making sure this is a fun experience for new unbiased players before we start nitpicking. Part of that means making sure it's a fair and equal experience for everyone.

Yes, MWO needs to be capable of attracting new PAYING gamers... but the development you speak of can only be accomplished by appealing well to the market niche MOST open to a BattleTech game.

In the HOPES of the former, you can't so far alienate the LATER the reserve of currently PAYING gamers dries up before you tap that well of future new gamers.

I really like your point though.

The best way to accomplish BOTH objectives (placate existing base while appealing to "fair and equal" new gamers) will be Russ's stated #NextFocus4PGI - the "Solarus" Game Mode.

1 v 1

Paired Teams

Troikas

And numerous other, fundamentally "equal footing" modes of gameplay.

Of course better Ping and superior computers will always be a wildcards.

Hacks and such will always be spoilers.

This will always be true... just like some forms of Tactics will be superior and enable 12-TeamSpeak-enabled-gamers to ALWAYS have a much greater chance of winning to the point of having the LUXURY of SpawnCamping the Enemies.

[Prussian Havoc]

26APR3050 - Smoke Jaguar OPORD 15-016

REFERENCES
- Clan Common Defense in accordance with OPN CLAN UNITY (http://mwomercs.com/...ion-clan-unity/)

- The Original Base Order [a five paragraph OPORD (http://en.m.wikipedi...aragraph_order] can be found at: http://mwomercs.com/...ost__p__4123966

- Current Fragmentary Order [standard FRAGO (http://www.armystudy...der-frago.shtml)] can be found at: http://mwomercs.com/...ost__p__4135087

- Clan Smoke Jaguar Command and Control resource: http://www.SmokeAlliance.com

- Community Warfare Situational Awareness Tool: https://mrbcleague.com/cw/index.html - MRBC's Reddit Data Resources for Community Warfare

- Community Warfare Planetary Control Awareness Tool: http://thesilentseventh.enjin.com/CW

- PGI MWO Clock: https://mwomercs.com/clock


SITUATION: PREFACE: While recent Inner Sphere gains have been remarkable in the face of Clan superior technology and Clan Warrior culture/tradition, Clan Wolf retained sufficient presence in and around the FRR world of TUKAYYID to legitimize the on going PGI Battle of TUKAYYID Event.

In truth, Clan Gamers during MWO' Community Warfare Phase 1 have outperformed the Clans of Lore in every measurable category.

With sufficient:

1). Inculcation of Unit Lessons Learned (assessed as unlikely to occur with sufficient uniformity or rigor in most Units.)

2). A solid Recruiting/Retention effort [Steam Launch will be like mana from Heaven if CSJ (any Faction) structures even a basic level of Reception, Staging, Onward-movement and Integration (RSOI) program]

3). And finally some Mercenary Corps Unit support (precisely like my ALT account currently has 228, VRGD and AS all under remunerated contract)

While there are no doubt many other equal or better means for a Unit / Faction to excel during the upcoming Community Warfare transition from BETA Phase One to BETA Phase Two, some minimum level of consideration/effort given toward these three would facilitate a structured transition BOTH maximizing Unit capability to realize and capitalize on emerging opportunities as well as protecting against repeats of prior unsuccessful Unit-level preparations / plans.

CURRENT SITUATION: This OPORD sees PGI's Battle of TUKAYYID event entering its 42nd Hour (and we all know the answer to Live, the Universe and Everything is 42! - my apologies for the cheesy attempt at humor.) there continues to be a seesaw battle for TUKAYYID's 63 Sectors. A pattern is discernible as Clan Wolf's Mercenary Corps Unit "MercStar" leads ALL Units in game (both Clan and Inner Sphere) by better than 20% wins (imo.) INSTA-Drop for the Clans has been a saving grace of PGI's BoT Event coding.

The fact that the Inner Sphere's domination in the category of Light Mechs/Light Mech Tactics/Light Rush has been effectively CASTRATED by the Inner Sphere inability to mount a single "Attack" mission is a second saving grace for CSJ and the Clans.

A third and final saving grace of BoT Event coding is the fact that a single Sector is up for contention at any one time... thus the Clans have a full 10-minutes to source JUST ONE unit in order to once again reset the Ghost Drop timer for the SINGLE sector in contention. The end results of this third saving grace is that there will be ZERO Ghost Drops for the BoT Event (Russ has already confirmed that ZERO ghost drops have occurred thus far in the Event.

While unable to stem the tide of Inner Sphere liberation of captured world's prior to the BoT Event, Clan Common Defensive contributions under OPN CLAN UNITY (http://mwomercs.com/...ost__p__4114431) proved to be a vital component of Community Warfare success... when sufficient gamers cared enough to play CW in the first place.

Moving forward into MWO CW Phase Two, OPN CLAN UNITY should prove a foundational aspect of our operation ESPECIALLY given the change to the Matchmaking Mode Mechanism (M4) and the related vulnerability to Clan World's as Inner Sphere attacks on Clan world's will now be that much more effective thanks to the M4 changes in the 21APR patch.


MISSION: CSJ Units conduct Attack and Hold Territory missions to standard with sufficient repetition in order to contribute measurably to the Clans' victory in PBI's Battle of TUKAYYID Event.


EXECUTION: Enemy Center of Gravity is the preponderance of Mercenary COMP 12-man Teams currently under contract with House KURITA and House Steiner. Opponent mismatch continues to ensure Clan COMP 12-man Teams are unable to locate, engage and dominate their IS counterparts. This inability to "ELO" match ensures the numerically superior IS COMP 12-man Teams steadily engage and overmatch Clan Teams least able to counter IS "Quirk" advantages.

Clan gamers are requested to chose CW mode rather than Public Queue as they have time to game over the next 100-hours prior to BoT Event conclusion at 1720hrs(EST) on Thursday.


TASKS TO SUBORDINATE UNITS: Nothing Significant To Report (NSTR)


ADMINISTRATION/LOGISTICS: Clan Smoke Jaguar efforts at coordination are best represented by the Clan Smoke Jaguar Invasion Corridor website at http://www.SmokeAlliance.com . Smoke Jaguar units and affiliated (or soon-to-be-affiliated) Mercenary Units should have their Leaders and designated representatives apply for access to this resource. Additionally, this thread will remain active until tonight's Ceasefire to provide UNSECURED assessment and battle tracking. SECURED assessments are available at the website/forum, link provided above. As a side note, and in anticipation of PGI's Logistics element for CW Phase Three, I have earmarked 100m C-bills for personal donation to a potential &quot;Faction Reserve Bank&quot; that in turn could be managed by the Faction (mechanics to be recommended later) to lend C-bills to financially-challenged Faction (inclusive of Mercenary) Units in order to ensure ALL Clan Smoke Jaguar Units remain solvent and can maintain offensive capabilities. It must be remembered that as of now, PGI has not yet indicated if a function like a &quot;Faction Reserve Bank&quot;will even be considered as a capability under CW Phase 3. However it does follow that once Units are required to pay for drops in CW, a mechanism like a &quot;Faction Reserve&quot; could be a very useful follow-on economic enhancement in order to maximize gamer/Unit access to CW.)

COMAND AND CONTROL: An excellent resource to foster and maintain MWO CW Situational Awareness is: https://mrbcleague.com/cw/index.html - MRBC's Reddit resource &amp;amp;amp;quot;Data Resources for Community Warfare&amp;amp;amp;quot; takes available API data and provides running graphic depictions of each day's results as well as a bar chart by Unit of which Unit has tagged the most planets. Much historical research and derivative intelligence and assessment is possible with the depth and variety of data provided at this MRBC Reddit site. The following link has also proven to provide exceptionally accurate and timely information, when it has come to tracking planetary control: http://thesilentseventh.enjin.com/CW .

This thread provides a point-from-which-to-deviate, with all current Unit orders remaining in effect. In-game chat as well as common TeamSpeak servers may be used to lift and shift combat focus throughout the day as required. http://www.smokealliance.com and Smoke Jaguar Leadership CW coordination forum threads and message chains will continue and are expected to take this base plan for what it is worth - my contribution to generate a common narrative to inform CSJ MWO forum readers of a general intent and purpose to the day's CW activity. It is expected that this product will be refined to take best advantage of evolving combat opportunities across Clan Space.

BRANCH PLAN ONE - CANCELLED

BRANCH PLAN TWO - CANCELLED


ASSESSMENT: Forty-four hours into the BoT Event, Clan domination has been firmly established. However at certain times of the day, Inner Sphere competitiveness reaches signicant levels. Unfortunately mid to late Euro-cycle (with its German/House Steiner resurgence) has proven to be one such bastion of Inner Sphere superiority - and of course PGI has chosen the conclusion of Thursday's Euro-cycle as the conclusion of the BoT Event. A significant Clan surge will be required to secure a Clan Victory on Thursday imo.


RECOMMENDATION - Within the limitation of #RealLife any gaming over these next 4 days will likely have impact on the final outcome to the BoT Event as neither Clan nor Inner Sphere gamers have proven capable of ZEROING OUT their opponents hold on TUKAYYID, thus one more sector here or there could in theory prove vital to Event conclusion.



- All constructive comments are welcome as I intend to continue with this effort and would like for this thread to be of value to the developing Smoke Jaguar Narrative within the greater context of the MWO CW Beta effort by PGI.