31 replies to this topic

[The Ratfink]

These are all ideas I like that have been mentioned before in discussions:

1. Fix heat scale. Lower the heat thresh hold and increase dissipation. Separate double and single heat sinks by making double heat sinks increase dissipation and singles increase capacity. This will separate DPS and alpha builds.

2. Encourage role warfare via the skill tree. Make the skill tree different for each weight class. Lights would focus on speed/sensors, Medium agility/heat , Heavies damage/heat , Assaults Tanking. As part of this I would lower the sensor range as you go up the classes to encourage lights and mediums for scouting.

3. Fix Upgrades, make ferro be an upgrade to your armour 10-15%, endo lowers structure 15-25%, this would give a reason to take standard structure and fero to go tanky, endo to free up more weight for more DPS. This would also balance out current Mechs that use both as they gain armour but lose structure. Would also allow building for dps/tanking.

4. Lower the cost of modules, I would support them being upgrades instead of items. So you would pay 500k - 1 mil for each.

5. Allow 2 man groups into the solo queue, This allows people to play with a single friend without being ROFL stomped in group queue.

6. Make the nuub period longer, maybe 50 games, have an achievements panel where new players unlock maybe a basic Mech of each weight class for playing x games as that weight. Grant them some simple rewards including a little premium like our events. Have them where possible drop with other nuubs. Interactive tutorials against first turrets and tanks, then AI mechs. Have them reward the user with a choice of a mech if you do them all. As a wise drug dealer once said: Give them the first Rock for free and they will be hooked for life.

7. Introduce 4v4 and 8v8 on the smaller maps with increased rewards within the nuub period to allow for a higher TTK while they learn the game.

8. Add an increase in rewards if you play the weight class currently at the lowest percentage. I bet this would even the queue out massively.

9. Lower the costs for some older mechs, in other games like LOL you can buy starter packs with most of the classics in them. There has to be items at an attractive price for non whales. Even if its just the other variants of the ones you earn in tutorials. This would help people not get killed off by the grind of buying and leveling their first couple of Mechs.

10. Overhaul the consumables, Introduce more, allow it to be a specialization in skills/upgrades. Be able to summon turret, tank, air support, Artillery maybe even infantry, they would just be another type of turret TBH.

What do you think?

Edited by The Ratfink, 02 May 2015 - 03:20 AM.

[Gagis]

I have a 2-point plan:

1. Cut all $/€ prices to 1/4th so they are of the same magnitude as DLC:s in other Steam games.

2. Release MWO on Steam. It is ready enough.

[zagibu]

Gagis, on 02 May 2015 - 03:31 AM, said:

2. Release MWO on Steam. It is ready enough.

Best joke 2015.

I like OP's points, lots of good ideas.

[MechWarrior414712]

Good ideas, though I think #3's problem is locked endo/ferro on omnimechs. Also nay to more consumables.

[Weeny Machine]

My plan:
1. Grap popcorn
2. Read the forums here and on Steam

[9thDeathscream]

I think the game can come out soon.

Main issue will be new player retention.
If they come in get owned continuously and realize that its going to take days to get the Mech they wan't then they will leave.

1 Difficulty for New players.
2 In game economics.

[Gagis]

zagibu, on 02 May 2015 - 03:33 AM, said:

Best joke 2015.

I like OP's points, lots of good ideas.

I strongly suspect that the bar for when something should be ready for steam is kept at unreasonably high levels on these forums.

I would not be surprised if the bar kept being raised as the game develops further, so it is never good enough for steam in yoru eyes.

[martian]

The Ratfink, on 02 May 2015 - 03:20 AM, said:

2. Encourage role warfare via the skill tree. Make the skill tree different for each weight class. Lights would focus on speed/sensors, Medium agility/heat , Heavies damage/heat , Assaults Tanking. As part of this I would lower the sensor range as you go up the classes to encourage lights and mediums for scouting.

Why should Lights focus on speed or sensors, if their battlefield role is not to scout? Lights such as Panther or Hollander were designed for fire support, not for speed and scouting. Or UrbanMech - hardly a typical scout.

Or take Assaults. You know, not all assaults are brawlers. Why should LRM-boats such LGB-7Q Longbow, MAL-1R Mauler or AWS-8R Awesome concentrate on tanking damage?

etc.

[The Ratfink]

martian, on 02 May 2015 - 04:02 AM, said:

Why should Lights focus on speed or sensors, if their battlefield role is not to scout? Lights such as Panther or Hollander were designed for fire support, not for speed and scouting. Or UrbanMech - hardly a typical scout.

Or take Assaults. You know, not all assaults are brawlers. Why should LRM-boats such LGB-7Q Longbow, MAL-1R Mauler or AWS-8R Awesome concentrate on tanking damage?

etc.

Good points, maybe give a choice in the skills. One concern is heavies being faster than mediums due to speed tweek. Assaults not being tanky enough. Why not have skill tracks like talent tracks in other games.

[zagibu]

Gagis, on 02 May 2015 - 03:51 AM, said:

I strongly suspect that the bar for when something should be ready for steam is kept at unreasonably high levels on these forums.

I would not be surprised if the bar kept being raised as the game develops further, so it is never good enough for steam in yoru eyes.

Sorry, but if they launch with this "new player experience" that they currently have, the effort will be wasted. Also, the CW event has shown that the servers can't even handle the current population, what do you think will happen on the release day?

[The Ratfink]

I thought all the CW issues were due to population differences. Were there other problems.

I do worry pgi has no reason to encourage a massive increase in true f2p players who won't spend much but take server resources. Would they prefer a lower population of whales.

[stjobe]

The Ratfink, on 02 May 2015 - 04:08 AM, said:

Good points, maybe give a choice in the skills.

Read this and weep. It was what they had planned for pilot skills back in CB, but have since abandoned in favour of the current system - which was originally just a place holder until that system could be implemented.

As for a Steam release... No, the game isn't ready. Unless a miracle happens, it never will be.

[Gagis]

stjobe, on 02 May 2015 - 04:28 AM, said:

As for a Steam release... No, the game isn't ready. Unless a miracle happens, it never will be.

Steam is full of games with less features than MWO.

It is not some exclusive club for AAA titles. I really do not understand where this whole "Steam ready" concept even comes from. It is just a convenient distribution platform.

[The Ratfink]

Lol aye that's exactly what we need. Nice spot.

[stjobe]

Gagis, on 02 May 2015 - 04:31 AM, said:

Steam is full of games with less features than MWO.

It is not some exclusive club for AAA titles. I really do not understand where this whole "Steam ready" concept even comes from. It is just a convenient distribution platform.

The "steam ready" concept comes from the probably well-founded concern that exposing MWO's many faults to an audience as large as the one on Steam would garner some rather sharp criticism and a hell of a lot of bad reviews.

Do you remember the last time MWO had a review anywhere? Imagine what the average Steam player will think once he drops a few times in 12-0 stomps in PUGlandia. Do you think they'll write a favourable review?

[The Ratfink]

Gagis, on 02 May 2015 - 04:31 AM, said:

Steam is full of games with less features than MWO.

It is not some exclusive club for AAA titles. I really do not understand where this whole "Steam ready" concept even comes from. It is just a convenient distribution platform.

I think the issue is steam games live and die because if player reviews and a games feedback. I think everyone knows for non fan boys this game is hard and unforgiving. You only get one chance to make a first impression.

[theta123]

i think after a noob course, i believe that players should be rewarded with a mech or 2 for their own use. A fixed selection of one IS and one Clan mech

[sycocys]

Bush Hopper, on 02 May 2015 - 03:43 AM, said:

My plan:
1. Grap popcorn
2. Read the forums here and on Steam

0.0 - I totally forgot there were forums on steam!

[xImmortalx]

The Ratfink, on 02 May 2015 - 03:20 AM, said:

These are all ideas I like that have been mentioned before in discussions:

1. Fix heat scale. Lower the heat thresh hold and increase dissipation. Separate double and single heat sinks by making double heat sinks increase dissipation and singles increase capacity. This will separate DPS and alpha builds.

2. Encourage role warfare via the skill tree. Make the skill tree different for each weight class. Lights would focus on speed/sensors, Medium agility/heat , Heavies damage/heat , Assaults Tanking. As part of this I would lower the sensor range as you go up the classes to encourage lights and mediums for scouting.

3. Fix Upgrades, make ferro be an upgrade to your armour 10-15%, endo lowers structure 15-25%, this would give a reason to take standard structure and fero to go tanky, endo to free up more weight for more DPS. This would also balance out current Mechs that use both as they gain armour but lose structure. Would also allow building for dps/tanking.

4. Lower the cost of modules, I would support them being upgrades instead of items. So you would pay 500k - 1 mil for each.

5. Allow 2 man groups into the solo queue, This allows people to play with a single friend without being ROFL stomped in group queue.

6. Make the nuub period longer, maybe 50 games, have an achievements panel where new players unlock maybe a basic Mech of each weight class for playing x games as that weight. Grant them some simple rewards including a little premium like our events. Have them where possible drop with other nuubs. Interactive tutorials against first turrets and tanks, then AI mechs. Have them reward the user with a choice of a mech if you do them all. As a wise drug dealer once said: Give them the first Rock for free and they will be hooked for life.

7. Introduce 4v4 and 8v8 on the smaller maps with increased rewards within the nuub period to allow for a higher TTK while they learn the game.

8. Add an increase in rewards if you play the weight class currently at the lowest percentage. I bet this would even the queue out massively.

9. Lower the costs for some older mechs, in other games like LOL you can buy starter packs with most of the classics in them. There has to be items at an attractive price for non whales. Even if its just the other variants of the ones you earn in tutorials. This would help people not get killed off by the grind of buying and leveling their first couple of Mechs.

10. Overhaul the consumables, Introduce more, allow it to be a specialization in skills/upgrades. Be able to summon turret, tank, air support, Artillery maybe even infantry, they would just be another type of turret TBH.

What do you think?

Agreed with everything up there. On #4 I would add that certain modules (Advanced Zoom, hi) should be turned into skill tree upgrades since they're not likely to ever take the place of Radar Deprivation or Seismic in a serious build.

Gagis, on 02 May 2015 - 03:51 AM, said:

I strongly suspect that the bar for when something should be ready for steam is kept at unreasonably high levels on these forums.

I would not be surprised if the bar kept being raised as the game develops further, so it is never good enough for steam in yoru eyes.

You do realize that a bad Steam release pretty much kills any chance that this game will be a success, right?

[TLBFestus]

Many of the suggestions are interesting and at least the OP seems to have put more thought into this than PGI.