117 replies to this topic

[Alistair Winter]

I don't even know if the Steam release is 100% certain, but let's just assume MWO is released on Steam before Christmas. 6 months from today, December 15th. How do you predict it will go down?

• What kind of changes will be made in-game before Steam release? (Tutorials, UI, game modes, etc)
  
• What kind of changes will be made to the website before Steam release? (It's pretty outdated)
  
• How do you think MWO will be received on Steam, given your predicted changes?

Personally, I'm predicting that the UI will be pretty good by Christmas. I think the tutorials will be ready too. PGI has mentioned Solaris, PVE and 4v4, but I think 4v4 is the only likely addition to the game before Christmas. And we'll get a new Assault mode. That's pretty much all the major changes I predict before Steam release. I don't think the website will see any major changes, really, although I'd love to be wrong about that. I don't really have a prediction for how the game will be received on Steam, I don't know enough about gaming trends and stuff like that.

NOTE: I'm not asking for what you think needs to be improved. I'm asking you to give a prediction for what will actually happen. And then we can bump this thread in 6 months (maybe) and compare our predictions with reality.

Edited by Alistair Winter, 15 June 2015 - 05:14 AM.

[Torric]

A mess, of course.

Overwhelmingly negative reviews withing the first 48 hours, pretty much regardless of what the people at PGI do before then.

They can try all they want, i think the past has shown often enough that they are either too ignorant or just blatantly incapable of even patchworking together an UI that meets todays standards. Not to mention the first player experience and the absence of ANYTHING to do other than grinding out mechs via the superbland mech skill list.

[TexAce]

I really hope they do something to explain what this is **** is all about. A bit of lore wouldn't hurt. It could even get some of them hooked to BT, right now that would not happen. Probably hooked to MW, but not BT.

Without real tutorials it will be a fail. It also need quick commands. Something nearly every multiplayer has.

In short: If it misses ANYTHING that is normal for steam people to have in a multiplayer shooter, it will get torn apart. A lot of stuff that is common sense is missing in MWO. Quick commands would be that for me for example. VOIP is cool and all, I do use it often, but sometimes I'd rather not talk because reasons but still share important information.

Oh and they need to widen the cadet bonus out to 100 matches and at least 25million cbills. Otherwise the grind is just too much

Oh and fix the damn pilot skill tree! Convergence perk?! REALLY? STILL SINCE 2013 UNFIXED?!!

Just IMAGINE a reaction of a steam player to that. It will be glorious.

Edited by TexAss, 15 June 2015 - 05:06 AM.

[Elizander]

In-depth tutorial.
Slightly less painless NPE. You want these guys sticking around 7-30 days at least aside from coming back after day 1.
Refund System for purchases (Steam just updated their super awesome refund policy due to EU)
More meat behind the basic gameplay (up for discussion because everyone has their own opinion about it)

Website needs overhaul. No one will argue that it's super outdated.
Knowledge Base for newbies.

I don't see MWO blowing up significantly because there's a well-defined line between what casuals want and what hardcore fans want. Hawken went to Steam and pretty much stayed under 500-1k users due to lack of support and updates. Dunno how it's doing now. Some other sci-fi games (spaceships) aren't doing so well either but they are not F2P.

I would like to say the addition of some form of fun co-op so you can invite your friends to try it out without needing to grind and get massacred in CW/Group Queue (PvE or Party Mode where only selected fixed mechs can be used) will go a long way with Steam users inviting their friends over to try it out.

[TyphonCh]

Something about a Knowledge Base was mentioned as well. Even if just has some info on equipment, weapon systems and mechs with links to Sarna it's better than nothing. Couldn't be that hard to throw together either, hopefully it's done before December

[EvilCow]

It will be farming time.

[TWIAFU]

Considering what self proclaimed BT fans have have done in calling for changes to MWO that are not in line with BT, I fear what players with no knowledge of BT will try to do.

Seen hints of it already and will only become more proclaimed with the flood of steamtards.

It is going to be a long fight with them to keep MWO as close to BT as possible while they try to change it into Generic Robot Shooter #188324.

EvilCow, on 15 June 2015 - 05:02 AM, said:

It will be farming time.

You get more c-bills, you get more c-bills, and you get more c-bills!

C-bills for everyone!



Any new title for hitting 1% for the 4th time?

[Elizander]

Team Chevy86, on 15 June 2015 - 05:02 AM, said:

Something about a Knowledge Base was mentioned as well. Even if just has some info on equipment, weapon systems and mechs with links to Sarna it's better than nothing. Couldn't be that hard to throw together either, hopefully it's done before December

Honestly a team of 2-3 people can have it up and running in a week with most of the basic entries then just add as you go along. That is assuming the person you assigned to make it actually knows what a Knowledge Base is and is familiar with the product.

[NephyrisX]

Improved Tutorial, more maps and mechs etc.

However, I predict it doesn't matter in the end. MWO is still balls-hard to get into, and bittervets and players who are intimidated by the game's mechanics will churn out negative reviews until they bankrupt all the salt companies in the world.

[Speedy Plysitkos]

total shitt*storm on forum. noone has idea, how bad it will be here. a warzone.

[Torric]

TWIAFU, on 15 June 2015 - 05:04 AM, said:

Considering what self proclaimed BT fans have have done in calling for changes to MWO that are not in line with BT, I fear what players with no knowledge of BT will try to do.

Seen hints of it already and will only become more proclaimed with the flood of steamtards.

It is going to be a long fight with them to keep MWO as close to BT as possible while they try to change it into Generic Robot Shooter #188324.



You get more c-bills, you get more c-bills, and you get more c-bills!

C-bills for everyone!



Any new title for hitting 1% for the 4th time?

In the absolutely unlikely case that any significant number of players not already familiar with the Battletech universe will give this game even a second glance, much less stay and visit the forums.

[Sjorpha]

It just another distrubution platform to buy the game through, I don't think it will be such a huge deal.

[Elizander]

Sjorpha, on 15 June 2015 - 05:09 AM, said:

It just another distrubution platform to buy the game through, I don't think it will be such a huge deal.

It can be a huge deal. Tera went from half-dead to servers so full you wait 1 hour in queue to log into your previously low pop server.

Tera also asked Youtubers to feature their game so it all happened at the same time. I think they gave out codes and stuff. People who ONLY review Steam games also made videos about it.

[NephyrisX]

Sjorpha, on 15 June 2015 - 05:09 AM, said:

It just another distrubution platform to buy the game through, I don't think it will be such a huge deal.

It will still bring attention since Steam is pretty much synonymous with PC gaming. I just hope that the negative image MWO has cultivate over the years won't outright destroy any goodwill towards this game.

[Torric]

Sjorpha, on 15 June 2015 - 05:09 AM, said:

It just another distrubution platform to buy the game through, I don't think it will be such a huge deal.

You misspelled "the biggest distribution platform" there, buddy.

[Gunner Kisiel]

NPE will need to be improved.

Planets will need to have more significance in CW.

There should be some kind of big Win in CW. IS vs Clan should have an end game of some sort which would lead to a map reset

Lore should be included in game for those who want to learn about it.

Solo queue is actually pretty good with ELO I think. Though some kind of training would be hugely beneficial. This training should be included in the NPE. Even if it is against turrets.

[NephyrisX]

The biggest issue MWO has now is the lack of immersion.

I know a few who are turned off from the game simply because of the lack of fluff.

Edited by NephyrisX, 15 June 2015 - 05:16 AM.

[Speedy Plysitkos]

NephyrisX, on 15 June 2015 - 05:15 AM, said:

The biggest issue MWO has now is the lack of immersion.

I know a few who are turned off from the game simply because of the lack of fluff.

CW , they say

[sycocys]

One of the town halls claimed late summer, so if they stick to that -

River City Update tuning (because the new areas will undoubtedly have plenty of bugged spaces)
Forest Colony Update release
Invasion like Assault mode for standard
possibly 4v4 - but there's been no mention of it for a good while now so it may have been canned
a real Tutorial - it has to happen before a steam launch to a potentially massive uptick
they mentioned a knowledge base of some sort
other than that I'd expect to see a couple dozen new mech variants in steam launch packs, possibly some new and a mixture of some new older models

Other than the database I don't expect much in the way of huge website changes unless they maybe choose to archive/wipe the forums to make an attempt to start with a good foot forward. That could go either way unless some meaningful communication happens prior to it.

As far as the steam launch goes, I personally suspect Russ's notion that there's a lot of game for new players to ingest before they find it to be lacking depth will hurt it big time in the reviews. Plus the buy-in/support the game costs weighed against that will make a lot of people very salty.
I would genuinely be amazed if the game had 50% positive reviews still after the first couple months, which unfortunately I think will steer this game even further from the BT/MW foundation as it continues to struggle ahead. They "might" buy a little time if they can get the game stuck under early access, if it doesn't cause a meltdown among the players that have been around for some time.

I'll give it a few months after before I put up my steam review, right now it would be neutral and I suspect not much about it or the game will change over the next year.
"Reasonably solid core fps, unreasonably slow progression in production. Lacks the depth of all prior MW titles, but looks mostly better. Borrows enough from the franchise to keep veterans interested for some time, but misses the mark on giving players a sense of immersion into the setting. Overall : Not terrible, but not great. It just sits somewhere in the middle, in a limbo waiting to hit its stride and become a game to reinvigorate the Mechwarrior franchise."

Might even give it a slightly positive review simply because they secured the IP and made a game, even if lacking it is still a Mechwarrior game.

[Sir Wulfrick]

EvilCow, on 15 June 2015 - 05:02 AM, said:

It will be farming time.

Indeed it will, but if we want MWO to have any sort of viable future, that particular outcome needs to be avoided at all costs.

I'd say that the following will be absolutely necessary as a minimum prior to a Steam launch:

• Proper tutorials, to include actual battlefield employment tutorials.
  
• A vastly updated new player experience. Any new player being thrown to the wolves and instantly eaten alive by us vets, match after match as soon as they leave their cadet period, is highly unlikely to stick around and contribute financially to the game.
  
• Very significant update to the web site. Most new Steam players will have zero exposure to the Battletech universe. Without significant background information, fluff and explanations new players won't have a clue why many things work in the way in which they do. Besides, they'll be missing out on the incredibly rich history of the universe which would be a great shame.

A Steam launch could be a real shot in the arm for MWO and could potentially bring with it thousands of new players, thus providing the finance for PGI to potentially hire more people to really supercharge the speed of game development. If on the other hand it's mis-handled it will be a disaster, one from which there will probably be no recovery.

One doesn't get a second chance at Steam releases...

Edited by Sir Wulfrick, 15 June 2015 - 06:30 AM.