6 replies to this topic

[Chopsaw]

Probably been suggested before. Have a drop deck for non-CW matches. When the map is revealed, pick one mech that fits the map.

Really hate bringing an SRM build to alpine heights, or an er-LL build to the smaller brawling maps.

[Egomane]

No mechs specialized for specific maps please. It will only lead to mono-builds for those maps and very boring gameplay.

And yes, this has been suggested before.

[CyclonerM]

Egomane, on 19 March 2015 - 05:27 AM, said:

No mechs specialized for specific maps please. It will only lead to mono-builds for those maps and very boring gameplay.

And yes, this has been suggested before.

Why not?

At least OmniMechs should be able to be quickly reconfigured to suit the needs of the battle, as it would take only a few hours to switch pods. Why your dropship pilot would you drop in a battle without even telling you if you are dropping in a frozen plain, an arid desert or a city? I would call that "useful info".

The IS meta has often been just what "is good for any map". For example, LL,PPC+AC/5. Indeed, people do not like to bring SRMs and small pulse lasers in Alpine, so many used to use the meta that could have been effective in most maps.

The problem are IS BattleMechs, but PGI brought it on itself with their ubercustomizable battlemechs, so they have had to deal with Ghost Heat and all that stuff, so they will have to deal with this too..

I would like to see more of the "it makes sense" philosophy in MWO's game design.

[Karl Streiger]

Well i really had hope for the OmniMechs to be exactly that: Switch Loadout in the ready screen. But we got "another" MechLab.

Anyhow - i don't need to know on wich map i drop, why should you?

[CyclonerM]

Karl Streiger, on 19 March 2015 - 06:00 AM, said:

Anyhow - i don't need to know on wich map i drop, why should you?

-If i am dropping on a hot map, i would rather take my Gauss+ERML Timber Wolf than my ERPPC+SRM one.

-If i am dropping on a big map, i could decide to take my long range Mist Lynx than my short range one.

-If i am dropping on certain maps, i could decide to use my short-med range Mad Dog, in others i would rather use my Stormcrow.

-In CW there are a whole lot of other factors that slightly influence my choice of 'Mechs to bring, which means more variety rather than bringing the same meta Timber Wolf/Scrow every time.
These are the first reasons that come in my mind.

[Egomane]

CyclonerM, on 19 March 2015 - 05:54 AM, said:

At least OmniMechs should be able to be quickly reconfigured to suit the needs of the battle, as it would take only a few hours to switch pods.

For an OmniMech this might make sense, but it will still create boring gameplay when everyone always has completly optimized builds for the maps.

CyclonerM, on 19 March 2015 - 05:54 AM, said:

Why your dropship pilot would you drop in a battle without even telling you if you are dropping in a frozen plain, an arid desert or a city? I would call that "useful info".

Because in the Battletech universe you usually don't have a full dropship for a single mechjock. A clanner would view that as a waste of ressources to carry that much dead weight and to burn excess fuel for nothing. And clanners hate wasting ressources.

Even if you had several mechs for your pilot, you still don't know the terrain you'll drop in when your dropships lifts off. At that point you are at least a week away from your target, which is a whole planet. Just look how many terrain types our good old earth has and now tell me how you want to preapre for that with a specialized loadout.

Unless you are raiding one specific point of the target planet, there is absolutly no chance to prepare. You might argue that this is the case as we always fight on the same maps, but then I want to suggest a change to those maps, as by now they should be covered in dozens of meters of scrap metal.

CyclonerM, on 19 March 2015 - 05:54 AM, said:

I would like to see more of the "it makes sense" philosophy in MWO's game design.

It makes sense in which way?
That we have completly customizable mechs, unlike what the lore is telling us?
That each one of us is space rich with battalions of mechs to choose from, depending on your mood, unlike the single mech (if they are lucky) pilots in the lore?

From a Battletech universe point of view those things don't make sense at all. To travel with a lance of mechs per pilot is costly and ineffective. Make use with what you got. The only sense I see you arguing from, is from the viewpoint of a players needs.

From my point of view, those random maps represent the fact that you can not know where you make landfall on the planet or where you will find your opponent, that you are set out to fight against. You launch with one mech from the spaceport (press the launch button), make a jump (loading the random map) and fight at the point where you find your opponent (start the match). Everything inbetween is space sickness and boredom and no capabilities to switch your mech or loadout.

Edited by Egomane, 19 March 2015 - 06:51 AM.

[CyclonerM]

Quote

Because in the Battletech universe you usually don't have a full dropship for a single mechjock. A clanner would view that as a waste of ressources to carry that much dead weight and to burn excess fuel for nothing. And clanners hate wasting ressources.

Nor would an Inner Sphere unit do it. By the way, there is always fresh meat coming out of the MechWarrior academies of all the Inner Sphere

No need to remind me of that.. I dislike the immersion breaking that it provides. I would rather have repair bays (i know, that is not how it works, but if i have to choose between things that do not make sense, i would choose them) and having a single mech then bringing 4 'Mechs with me. It feels even more stupid to me if you choose to interpretate it as "being" 4 different 'MechWarriors, each part of a reinforcement wave..

Egomane, on 19 March 2015 - 06:46 AM, said:

For an OmniMech this might make sense, but it will still create boring gameplay when everyone always has completly optimized builds for the maps.

As i said, i remember when everyone who could just brought ppcs+ac/5, in any map. It was pretty much the same build for ALL the maps, and it was very boring. So it was not that different..

And while i realize it may have an impact on variety.. And here, you are the one advocating the needs of players instead of what "might make sense". Why? Let me explain.

Quote

Even if you had several mechs for your pilot, you still don't know the terrain you'll drop in when your dropships lifts off. At that point you are at least a week away from your target, which is a whole planet. Just look how many terrain types our good old earth has and now tell me how you want to preapre for that with a specialized loadout.

Unless you are raiding one specific point of the target planet, there is absolutly no chance to prepare. You might argue that this is the case as we always fight on the same maps, but then I want to suggest a change to those maps, as by now they should be covered in dozens of meters of scrap metal.

From my point of view, those random maps represent the fact that you can not know where you make landfall on the planet or where you will find your opponent, that you are set out to fight against. You launch with one mech from the spaceport (press the launch button), make a jump (loading the random map) and fight at the point where you find your opponent (start the match). Everything inbetween is space sickness and boredom and no capabilities to switch your mech or loadout.

Not necessarily true.

1) The Clans should have their old star maps and info about the planets of the Inner Sphere. They may be centuries-old, but unless they have become nuclear wastelands during the Succession Wars or suffered cataclysms or natural changes, they should still be up to date enough. This would include the location of the SDSs, the "orbital guns" we destroy in CW missions, since they date back to the Star League. Since they know it, basically they know which guns are in a snowy area, which in a canyion area, etc.

2)Even if the star maps where not updated, at first ComStar did work with the Clans, so they (and the bondsmen from the IS like Phelan Kell) could have given intel and insight on IS targets.

3)I am sure it would not be hard for an IS realm's military leaders to find basic geographic info about the planets they are going to attack. Thus, even BattleMechs would have the time to be refitted to fit the needs of a campaign.. Of course, that would be quite impractical and expensive.

The only way to make it have 100% sense is making IS 'Mechs not customizable until you reach a certain % of loyalty points AND have it take some time, money, expert techs and involving risks.

But many would not gladly see the customization they are used to in too many games taken way from them..

Btw, i would have to check to be sure, but i remember i read somewhere in the BT forums that DropShips do have some kind of repair/refit facilities, of course not quite the same that you would find in a factory, but it should be no trouble switching some pods on an OmniMech at least..

Quote

It makes sense in which way?
That we have completly customizable mechs, unlike what the lore is telling us?
That each one of us is space rich with battalions of mechs to choose from, depending on your mood, unlike the single mech (if they are lucky) pilots in the lore?

From a Battletech universe point of view those things don't make sense at all. To travel with a lance of mechs per pilot is costly and ineffective. Make use with what you got. The only sense I see you arguing from, is from the viewpoint of a players needs.

All the opposite. I like what makes sense from a realistic or BT universe point of view (BT > realism).

But as i said, some things like pokemech, 4 'Mechs dropships, and most of all, ultra-customizable IS mechs. The latter is the cause of a lot of MWO's issues which have been "fixed" with things like Ghost Heat instead of an actual "targeting computer" with a cone of fire, which could also have included heat penalties for running hot and all that stuff that is present in BT..

Such a wasted chance.

P.S. if you read my last thread you will see what i mean by "makes sense".

Edited by CyclonerM, 19 March 2015 - 08:48 AM.