93 replies to this topic

[Soy]

Ok, so, I've thought about this for a long time. Long time. Since beta.

The game could (like every game) always use new players, right?

Then explain to me how it's a good idea to bring a friend to the game, have him group with you, 2 man drop into group queue, with your Elo, which may be high, while said player uses a trial mech and gets ***-pumped.

Has this ever been properly explained?

When the best way to get a friend to try the game with you is to make an alt account to derp around with... is that a problem to anyone?

Edited by Soy, 21 April 2015 - 04:37 PM.

[Xetelian]

Group queue is punishment for 2 mans.

Which is why I'm for putting 2mans in the solo queue, just like League of Legends does.

2 guys can wreck together but they hardly make any more difference than just 1 good player.

I forever alone since no one I know wants to play group queue with 2.

[Haji1096]

Its definitely an issue.

I don't have a good solution.

[Saint Scarlett Johan]

Yup. It's been an issue since they split the queues. It's a great way to have a friend uninstall and never come back.

That's why when I get a friend new to come in, I find another friend who is also running premium time to take the new guy into private lobbies and teach him the basics there. Then I log into one of my alts and group with him/her until they grasp the game enough to start playing for realzies.

It's a terrible way to do it. But it's been what works for me until PGI fixes it.

[mailin]

I agree. It would be great if 2 man groups were in the solo queue, but then, how would it work for a group of 10? Would PGI need to eliminate 10 mans as an option, like they did for 11 man groups?

If they could do this it would definitely make it easier on me to drop with my 13 year old. Right now, I go in knowing we'll probably get rolled.

[Kenyon Burguess]

ive found Is vrs IS cw matches are good for dragging a friend in to learn. theres 11 teachers and they get tactics at the same time as gameplay. plus teamspeak is funny and helps bring them into the community faster.

[TLBFestus]

PGI doesn't want new players, they just want the existing suckers, I mean paying players, to spend more money.

I boggles the mind that they still have a New player Experience that is so completely unwelcoming to new blood. The only way to explain this is what I stated above.

[Hotthedd]

They could conversely allow solo drops and 2-man drops to check off Group queue, Solo queue, or either. That way 10-player (and even 11-player) groups could drop together.

[Mechwarrior Buddah]

Lord Scarlett Johan, on 21 April 2015 - 04:48 PM, said:

Yup. It's been an issue since they split the queues. It's a great way to have a friend uninstall and never come back.

That's why when I get a friend new to come in, I find another friend who is also running premium time to take the new guy into private lobbies and teach him the basics there. Then I log into one of my alts and group with him/her until they grasp the game enough to start playing for realzies.

It's a terrible way to do it. But it's been what works for me until PGI fixes it.

Hasnt the new player experience historically BEEN horrifying in general?

[Fuggles]

yeah it sucks, you have to have a scrub account or scrub weight class. you can also sometimes get dragged down to their elo where people just stand in one spot like grazing cattle and dont move, the games take 10 minutes just to start and then the last 5 is like some special needs cripple fight.

yes i realize i sound like an a-hole saying this.

[Saint Scarlett Johan]

Mechwarrior Buddah, on 21 April 2015 - 06:21 PM, said:

Hasnt the new player experience historically BEEN horrifying in general?

There was this one time in CB, back when we only have 8 chassis to pick from and you made 1 million CBills per match, win or lose. It was also at the time I got in. So in basically, 10 matches I had my first mech and had it fully customized.

[Mcgral18]

I imagine the 'issue' would be two competent players grouping and and stomping the PUGs.

I'm indifferent about it. Perhaps if one player is sub 100 matches. 25 simply isn't enough to get a solid grasp of the game.

[Mechwarrior Buddah]

Lord Scarlett Johan, on 21 April 2015 - 06:31 PM, said:

There was this one time in CB, back when we only have 8 chassis to pick from and you made 1 million CBills per match, win or lose. It was also at the time I got in. So in basically, 10 matches I had my first mech and had it fully customized.

I kind of meant after the Paulconomy, IE after CB/OB, IE back when the game was fun

[One Medic Army]

mailin, on 21 April 2015 - 04:51 PM, said:

I agree. It would be great if 2 man groups were in the solo queue, but then, how would it work for a group of 10? Would PGI need to eliminate 10 mans as an option, like they did for 11 man groups?

If they could do this it would definitely make it easier on me to drop with my 13 year old. Right now, I go in knowing we'll probably get rolled.

Seeing as 10mans roflstomp the group queue in my experience... I wouldn't necessarily be against making group queue for 3-8 or 3-9 and letting 2mans go play in the solo queue. Heck, now that there's VOIP in the solo queue you could probably let 3 mans in there without totally screwing it up.

[Sundervine]

I agree with this point completely. Trying to get a friend to play and stay is about impossible. I believe their needs to be some way to keep friends in pug matches when grouped somehow. I have tried to get others to play and well one day is it usually. We will get in and after that they never want to play again. That really is a problem.

You cannot expand your player base while making it so hard to get good enough to compete.


MWO needs to be in this pic with Eve. Its about the same except eve has a carebear zone and MWO doesnt.

[Mechwarrior Buddah]

Sundervine, on 21 April 2015 - 06:39 PM, said:

I agree with this point completely. Trying to get a friend to play and stay is about impossible. I believe their needs to be some way to keep friends in pug matches when grouped somehow. I have tried to get others to play and well one day is it usually. We will get in and after that they never want to play again. That really is a problem.

You cannot expand your player base while making it so hard to get good enough to compete.


MWO needs to be in this pic with Eve. Its about the same except eve has a carebear zone and MWO doesnt.

THIS is NOWHERE near as complex. Nowhere

[Soy]

Mcgral18, on 21 April 2015 - 06:33 PM, said:

I imagine the 'issue' would be two competent players grouping and and stomping the PUGs.

I'm indifferent about it. Perhaps if one player is sub 100 matches. 25 simply isn't enough to get a solid grasp of the game.

...as I said in the OP...

...the example is, getting a friend who wants to try out MWO, who doesn't know BT/MW to this game, wants to group with you otherwise he's not interested in playing the game, you're in the position of grouping up with this person and watching them get obliterated.

There's no "sub 100" we're talking, day 1, sub nothing, brand spanking new, and they cannot get a good impression of the game with people who are established. Thus, that's a difficult way in particular to bring in new people, it's not exactly encouraging.

In reality I said to my friend, do solo drops and sit on TS with me and just chat about whats going on, you'll get more out of it to be honest. And he did. Which sucks, cuz he (and I) would like to play together without the round being a face-****. After he has some rounds under his belt then yeah we do some CW drops and it's bangbang, fun, good stuff, he has a mech, understands whats goin on, etc. But to go 2 man in public group queue right off the bat? Like what would I be doing, trying to make him quit as fast as possible?

Truth of the matter is, there are people who don't just jump into online multiplayer games with insane backlore and also arbitrary convoluted systems that make things even more convoluted than they already are, they want to wet their feet with someone holding their hand. And holding their hand means you'll be holding only a hand, cuz the rest of their body has evaporated into a bloody mist the second you look away at a dorito on peripheral.

Edited by Soy, 21 April 2015 - 07:18 PM.

[Goose]

Your only choice is to make a smurf account to play along with your friend, for however long he's willing to try.

Even then, Teh Release Valves will have their pound of flesh …

Group-Size Bonus? Ain't nobody got servers for that!

[Primetimex]

PGI doesn't care really - they're busy planning and making the next round of mech gift-shop sales - that's all really propped up by faction camo sales and color sales and knick knack sales.

Lately, I have seen completely new and green players thrown together with the likes of my unit 228, EmP, and other regular veterans like PHI, 4 20, and I have seen one particular player who is clearly new repeatedly dying within the first few moments of the game - can't be fun - and I'm willing to bet he/she will put down the game quicksmart.

Then there's a guy in RVN-2X - maybe spurred on by the latest quirk-hype that it's now a good light mech - this guy was literally walking very slowly for a light mech - possibly at 40kph or 50kph, nevertheless he did not survive very long ...

These new and green players are now more the usual than exception in our group games where there often multiples or even 8-12man vets - nuff said.

Edited by GetterRobo, 21 April 2015 - 07:22 PM.

[DaZur]

Interesting... Let me draw a real-world comparative to your premise and issue.

You are a good Poker player. Your friends are good Poker players. Your friend who is aspires to be a good Poker player decides to join you and your friends for a night of Texas Hold'm. Your friend finds himself getting schooled by your friends and loses his ass...

Questions:

• Should your friends have taken it easy on him because for all intent and purpose he was way out of his league playing with you and your friends for real money?
  
• Should you and your friend went down to the local community center and played a pick-up game with equally unskilled players?
  
• Would you have taken it easy on those pick-up players like you might expect your friends should have?

This is a competitive game, you largely knew by virtue of your Elo you were dragging him into the deep end of the pool. The results were as you anticipated yet you continue to play with your seasoned mechs versus maybe joining him with an alt. account... As such I see you as culpable for your friends experience as the environment that fostered this same experience.

I'm a good Poker player... I would never let my inexperience friends play with me and my friends because well... I'd like to keep them as my friends.