80 replies to this topic

[Asrrin]

Adding my post from another thread here for visibility, here are my initial impressions so far:

I too would like to see the return of the current Live view of the mech selection rather than the public test mech select screen, and move into the new mechlab when customizing the mech. It is much more intuitive to click on portraits of mechs rather than scrolling through line after line of chassis and having to maximize them, click on them, and then select them. Reduce the number of button presses!

Also I want to be able to purchase mechs as in the Live version! I have never once used the store to purchase mechs, and have always used the mech select screen. Bring back that functionality!

Edit: another thing, because the Live version of the mech select is not in game, I can't seem to find a way to view total number of mechs and total empty mech bays!

Edit 2: The mechlab itself is very nice! it's fairly intuitive to make a build, and most of the information is immediately available. I would like to see if there is some way to toggle being able to view the full paperdoll like the mockup in the Live version, but it's a feature I can get used to living without.

Edit 3: Just found the expand feature in the warehouse, ignore edit 2! It's wonderful! If I could just go back to selecting mechs like in live, this would be damn near perfect!

Edited by Asrrin, 07 May 2015 - 07:59 PM.

[BerserX]

When highlighting my engine in my Victor Dragon Slayer, a box pops up that says: "Chat only to unit officers". What is this? I assume it's not supposed to be there. I've attached a picture.





Also, selecting and deselecting the weapon type icons could be a little bit more intuitive. Maybe just use simple checkboxes next to the type icons, instead of thin green boxes? Would also like the individual weapon and equipment icons back, if possible. Was kinda' cool looking at the guns, and I got to where I was selecting appropriate weapons based on their associated visual and not the name (gauss and LBX are so awesome-looking).

[Hawk819]

I'd like to see an easier way to get the `Mechs. Like a `MechBay tab up top minus the configure button. What an annoying thing it was.

Plus, I would love to see a little large text/font for better reading.

Or better still, use the current icons we have now in-game.

Edited by Hawk819, 07 May 2015 - 08:13 PM.

[Jack Shayu Walker]

I'm inclined to agree with BerserX I want the weapon images back if possible. With the new mechlab we have so much sorting power that it seems un-necessary to make the weapon icons in the list so small. If you make the items in the list larger you can make the text more readable and you may be able to fit in a smaller version of the weapon picture icons. from the current mechlab.

[Navid A1]

Dragging items across the screen is not very convenient. would like to see an equip button on the item list.

Also dropping an omnipod in such a small box is not very good.

[Kinski Orlawisch]

I miss the overview how many mechbays owned.

[Jack Shayu Walker]

Navid A1, on 07 May 2015 - 08:29 PM, said:

Dragging items across the screen is not very convenient. would like to see an equip button on the item list.

Also dropping an omnipod in such a small box is not very good.

A good point, I think PGI assumes most people will be using expanded view, lol.

[Jemdeamon]

Things I like about the new system:

1. The function tabs that allow you to pick what is being displayed for equipment on the mech. For example I can select only energy weapons to be displayed and that is all that will be displayed. However The secondary buttons (Laser, PPC, Tag) are kinda redundant dont feel the need for them and dont use them. The lists are short enough that they really arent needed.
2. Being able to pull up quirk and stat info at will while I am working on the mech. Makes it very convenient for me to figure out the best load out for my machine. Especially if I am using the quirks to their fullest. Only thing I would like changed about it is to change it from a click function to a scroll over function. Means a little bit more strain on the GPU but then it isnt in the way contently.
3. Selection buttons on what kind of mech i want to display during "Select a Mech" I like the ability to tell the computer to eliminate mechs based on if they are trial or clan or if I own them. Means a lot less looking for the specific one I want to play. Also the added information about what the mech has on it is great for figuring out where modules are located.
4. When using the expanded display option for mech lab, being able to click on a mech area and have the list auto update to only things that will fit in that area based on specs for that area. IE what weapon hard points it has, if the engine goes there, etc.
5. The engine rating slider on the center torso section. This allows for a lot of tweaking and testing to see where the max engine can get pushed on an IS machine. Very nice.


Things I dont like.

1. The massive select-a-mech list for finding a mech to mechbay/mech to play from the home screen. I am very much a fan of the old UI 2.0 mechbay where every mech was displayed with a picture and whatever designation it happen to have.
2. The Column layout in the mechbay. As it stands right now that style of system isnt exactly user friendly. To many button clicks and to small an area to work with. Would much rather keep the Expanded layout with the filter changes to the component list.


Something I am looking forward to if it is being implemented is the potential for the switch out system that is mentioned if you scroll over the arrow symbols on items in the equipment area. That could and will make respecing a mech very very streamlined.

[Jack Shayu Walker]

Allow me to extrapolate my previous point. If I was looking for a Gauss rifle in the weapons list to add to my battlemech, having small text in order to fit more items on screen is not the optimal way to speed up the process.

If I was a new player, this would be a sure fire way of making things look more complicated to me.




Let's instead make use of the other new feature you have added to the new mechlab, improved sorting. If I'm looking for a Gauss Rifle to stick on my Hunchback, I probably know that a Gauss Rifle is a ballistic weapon, so I'll sort for only ballistics. Once I've singled out ballistic weapons, it's clear that this tiny text is redundant.

[McMatt]

Xenithos, on 07 May 2015 - 07:49 PM, said:

Too many Clicks. Still...

Really important: Under Modules, in Warehouse, It should let you see ALL the modules you own, including those on other mechs. And what mech they are on. These should be at the bottom of the list for organization's sake. And we should have the ability to click, Remove. So it removes that module from the other mech without us having to leave the current mech we are working on.

Also, If i CLICK an area in expanded or column view, (especially under modules, or other named items, such as clicking on cockpit, it should automatically pull up equipment) it should bring up the sub-menu MOST related to that area, unless previously looking at something. So, if i click WEAPON MODULES - it pulls up modules, and the modules with only weapon modules.

This!

[Jack Shayu Walker]

Next I'd like to go into a few of the redundancies in the sorting system. These redundancies make the mech lab appear more archaic and complex to new players.



I am going to start with the recommendation that you set up the system to run as such:
-These four fields above should be dis-selected by default.
-When ALL FOUR of these fields are dis-selected, all of the weapons should be displayed rather than none.
-Only when one of the fields IS selected should weapons be filtered out.

If you set up the system to run like this, the player can click ONE button and instantly be presented with the type of weapon he is looking for. With the current system he'd have to click THREE buttons to DIS-SELECT the fields he WASN'T looking for.


-----


From There I will move onto another one of my gripes with the sorting system, namely the redundancy.

Sure these sub-fields allow you to sort weapons more specifically; maybe I want to look at PPCs and Autocannons at the same time, and nothing else, with these fields I can do that! It must be considered however that for a new player, it makes the mechlab look that much more intimidating. Heck even for a veteran player all the extra info displaying all at once on the page can be hard on the eyes.

I would argue that having these extra filters is not worth the trade-off. 9 times out of 10 players are not looking for two different weapons at the same time anyway.


-----



My final gripe is that there is plenty of room to make THESE filters bigger. Bigger icons would make the filters easier to click and they would make the mechlab seem just a bit simpler.

Actually that advice can be extrapolated to the new mechlab as a whole. There are plenty of cool new features, but cut the redundancies and take the saved space and make the remaining stuff bigger and easier to read. More on this as I continue digging through the new mechlab.

Edited by Jack Shayu Walker, 07 May 2015 - 10:29 PM.

[Omi_]

AMS and TAG are specific enough to probably be combined together under a UTILITY filter. Using the mechlab, I feel the urge to remove TAG from my energy options frequently. On that note, it would be awesome to be able to split pulse lasers from beam lasers as well. LASERS is way too generic a tag within the energy department.

Edited by Hornsby, 07 May 2015 - 10:48 PM.

[Ang3lsDem0n]

I do personally think that the filter system needs to be reworked just slightly. As it is right now just going from one thing you're looking for specifically to another requires a lot of checking and unchecking of the "boxes". This of course applies to every filter currently there.

An example is if I am working on a clan mech and only want to look at omnipods for the left arm, I'll have to make sure the other boxes are not checked and then I know i'm only seeing left arm omnipods. However next I want to work on the left torso, So I have to uncheck the left arm box and then check the left torso box. This action continues as I decide to change omnipods around. Now this does include having to check and uncheck the different boxes for weapons, equipment, so on and so forth.

The current system you're using while sadly only being able to work on one part of your mech at a time, is a nice filter system. One click and I only see what I am looking for. Click on omnipod for left arm and get all the omnipods for the left arm, Click on energy and get all the energy weapons.

Edited by Ang3lsDem0n, 07 May 2015 - 11:21 PM.

[Navid A1]

Where is the "mech details" button?

One-click mech details window is currently a good feature. Why should i go through multiple clicks and a drop down list to see an smurfy over view of my mech.

[Varvar86]

"Select mech" is BAD - overloaded with clicks, and buttons, not presenting all mechs you have.
UI 2.0 - go mehlab - scroll for choose + click to Configure = done in 3 clicks. Never used "select mech" in Ui 2.0 too because its same hard to use - always choose mechs from mechlab.

This one is 20 steps longer and looks very confusing to use. please, dont make us to use this awful menu.

****

Weapons that are not fit on tonnage are marked by red color. Red letters on the dark-grey backgound. Thats really HEARTS PEOPLE EYES --- please change that.
Sorry can't make a screenshot - all trys to "print screen" apperar to be just fill black screen If anyone knows how to make screenshot of these please tell me in private message - thx.

****

omnipod filter icons confusing.
On mech layout mech is facing towards to me - so mech left arm on my right arm. However omnipod filter menu icons are different - left arm shown as im watching on mechs back so its actually left to my left. My mind is confused, for the long time I get used to Mechwarrior view when mech is showed facing to me - so its left/right is opposite to mine. Now in left i got familiar mech layout - and on the rigth opossite filters. And thats confusing my mind lots. Agrr... i wishto do the screenshot to illustrate.

Edited by Varvar86, 08 May 2015 - 01:38 AM.

[BladeXXL]

as for expandible "mech stats" plese implement a button called expand/collapse OR icons (instead of the chekbox) with arrows to the top-left for expand (if collapsed) and down-right for collapse (if expanded)

edit: also added to my initial post:
http://mwomercs.com/...ost__p__4414417

Edited by BladeXXL, 08 May 2015 - 01:38 AM.

[Willystone]

My suggestion: Add interactions with mechs in the column view, like the 1.0 UI, I can select the arms or torsos and see the hitbox and configurations. It will be more friendly to non-native speakers. Furthermore, I think it is a waste of a mech just standing there

Edited by Willystone, 08 May 2015 - 01:54 AM.

[Benjamin Davion]

Haven't had the chance to play with this yet, but reading over people's responses and from a couple years experience, a few suggestions:

• Strip Cockpit Items Button.
  
• A screen that shows where all of your modules are even while equipped to a mech. 'Where the hell are ALL 6 OF MY RADAR DERPS?! Oh, there's one, Shadowhawk 2D...'
  
• Add the ability to save loadouts. Swap between two or three saved builds on the same chassis, provided the equipment is available. (Would this be too memory intensive/bog down the UI? My UI already moves kinda slow with 155 mechs sitting around, would it flat out DIE if it had to remember 465 loadouts? I remember the original roll out of UI 2.0, SavingLoadoutWarrior:Online. Let's not go back there...)
  
• Insert some kind of functionality to allow sending a snapshot of a build via Unit/Group/Faction chat. Basically add a 'share' button to the 'Mech Details' screen. Eliminates the need to minimized the game, whip up a Smurfy, and send the link. Streamlines exchanging builds in-game.
  
• Highlight weapons/items under the tab that are specifically affected by a mech's quirks. For instance, this would not highlight ALL energy weapons for the Thunderbolt 5SS, but it WOULD highlight the MPL because of specific quirks. Have the weapon stats adjust on-screen for the mech's quirks.
  
• Some kind of very obvious differentiation on screen between IS and Clan mechs. Best friend started playing the game recently, joins my Davion/SLDF unit. First 3 mechs he grabs, all Clan. Very confusing for new players not familiar with the lore.
  
• Might not fall under the UI update, but the ability to save multiple Dropships for CW. My unit designs our dropdecks off a Google spreadsheet, planning across all four waves for each pilot. Would be really nice for them to just be able to swap between 2-4 pre-saved dropships for different missions.

[Danielio97]

So yeah, that "Click to view faction details" window won't disappear no matter what I do, it stays on, even in training grounds.

I guess things like the text is too small and things like that I don't even need to write anymore. I think that weapon icons should be added.

Also, weapons that are affected by quirks should be highlighted. I mean weapon specific quirks.

Edited by Danielio97, 08 May 2015 - 02:16 AM.

[Varvar86]

mech stats menu in mechlab
Floating numbers of the same colors. Too thick and close to each other as result Hard to read. I think old bars illustrating those numbers in graphical ways are better than numbers only - they like visual lines that helps to divide different stats from each other. Now we got yellow numbers, with yellow stats names, with yellow dots and "\" - its all looks the same so it needs additional time to focus and find needed numbers.
Main --- need those bars -- -looks better and easier to read differents stats together with numbers.

Edited by Varvar86, 08 May 2015 - 02:48 AM.