2 replies to this topic

[Apnu]

Here's a few thoughts I had on improving CW.

First off, let me commit a small act of heresy and say this: Most of the games in MWO should involve CW in some way. If most of the games played in MWO are CW related, we would see instant balance on the IS map and factions that aren't in fashion at the moment (Kurita, Liao, Wolf) would have a better chance against the more fashionable factions (GB, Smoke Jag).

What that means is, the meaningless, c-bill grinding, pub queue should go away. Get rid of it. Move Assault, Conquest, and Skirmish into CW. Make players choose a faction and they should only be able to group with that faction. So what I'm saying is have faction queues, form up groups there then send them off to the MM for a game.

What if a player is a Lone Wolf? No biggie, before they drop, make them get a contract from one of the factions to drop into that faction's queue. Maybe even have a 1 game contact they can get.

Let the solo and small group players fill up in games of Skirmish, Conquest and Assault, and have the victories generate both LP but also points to flipping sectors on a planet.

As for the Invasion mode, keep it, but have it be something for the dedicated, organized 12 man groups and large units that can muster 12 in a group. Let that mode be worth more in terms of sector scoring because of the effort and organization alone to make a match is a sub-game on its own.

As for the ghost victories that happen and will continue to happen. Here's a simple solution: have those "wins" be worth less than an actual match "win" when adding up faction points for a sector.

But what about players who insist on grouping up mixed tech? Toss together a Solaris mode that's 4v4v4 team deathmatch or 24 player deathmatch and be done with it.
I believe changing CW like this will truly make CW a pillar of the game, while deepeing and widening the game play and the community, and give equal space for the solo player, small group, large groups, plus competitive units and casual units.

There's space at the table for everybody in CW, we just need to make a bit of room for each.

What are your thoughts?

[Helsbane]

Not bad thoughts really Apnu. It would be nice to see the standard modes affect CW in some way, even if only slightly.

As for making CW better, I think PGI should test the 'one of each weight class' format over the '240 ton limit' format. It would cut the number of light zerg rushes dramatically and increase the number of stand up fights.

More maps, and alterations to the existing maps, are sorely needed. Seriously, we need something changed up just to keep things interesting. I've stopped dropping CW as often simply because it's become a horribly repetitive experience. 'Oh look, light zerg incoming at Alpha....' /shockedface

At this point, most of the guys I drop with have tried CW, gotten over its 'new & shiny' factor, and have returned to PuG drops, simply because it pays better, they have limited time and PuG drops are faster (They actually get to play instead of wait in queue), and CW has become stale and boring after only being here for what, two or so months? Combine that with the CW PuG lottery being akin to a root canal, and you see why folks are going back to normal mode.

[oldradagast]

A few ideas:

1) CW tutorials: First, add the CW maps - with the generators - to the Testing Grounds. Or, better yet, add a simple CW tutorial where the player must blow up a gate generator and then the other generators. Then, have the game throw a warning message to the user if he or she tries to enter a CW match without first having been through that tutorial. This should end the frustration new players experience in CW where they literally have no idea what they are doing or which piece of scenery they should be shooting.

2) Keep brand new players out of CW: Still on a cadet bonus and don't own a single mech? Stay out of CW - you'll just get mauled and hate it.

3) New maps that are worth something: The current maps are a joke. Obvious kill zones, nearly zero room for flanking tactics, very limited use for scouting other than "watch the gates where the attackers will obviously enter." Somehow, they managed to create CW maps with LESS need for role-warfare than the basic game, which is depressing. CW maps should be grand, deep, and interesting... not "shoot the obvious gates, walk through the kill-zone, shoot the NPC, die, repeat the process."

4) New missions: Search and destroy, rescue missions, hold territory (not guard a base - take over regions of the map and control it for X amount of time) and so on. Something more than simplistic beat-down on a static objective with repeatable and dull tactics.

5) A way to take player skill and grouping into accounting (optional matchmaker, etc.): CW badly needs some way to reduce the number of pointless rolls. Too many games are decided at team pairings before the game starts, and any game mode that does that regularly is just wasting everyone's time. The 12-man gets to shoot fish in a barrel, which gets old, and the helpless PUG's get slaughtered, quit CW, and quite possibly MWO entirely, taking their cash with them. It's a terrible situation; 80%+ of the game's players are casual, so why is CW - the "next big thing" - designed to keep them out? That's just bad business.

Edited by oldradagast, 01 February 2015 - 01:09 PM.