5 replies to this topic

[XxXAbsolutZeroXxX]

Most agree the following are issues.

1. Player retention falling due to consistent 15 game losing streaks.
2. New players retention being low.
3. The high learning curve of this game being problematic to both new and experienced players alike.

People on the forums often use terms like "twitch gaming" in a derogatory sense as if only a small minority of this game's playerbase can be successful at a FPS shooter, throw up decent damage scores or earn kills. Many seem to have the fantasy that a person needs to be a genetically engineered twitch gamer, high on amphetamines and caffeine to jump snipe, brawl with jump jets or battle 12 mans on an even playing field. And that somehow normal people are excluded from being successful under the current implementation and otherwise doomed to an existence where they lose 15 straight games for every single win they're able to enjoy.

I think the views people have about jump sniping and 12 mans are inaccurate. And that with a few key tweaks, changes in builds and some practice anyone who plays this game can be very successful at it. All they need is a little guidance, constructive feedback and positive reinforcement.

Maybe joining a unit would be the best way for people to receive that type of help being that some units specialize in training new players and are already equipped to do so. But for those who dislike the idea of commitment and don't want to be *tied down* maybe some type of mentor program would do well to bridge the gap between the MWO haves and have nots so that everyone can enjoy the wealth.

[ScarecrowES]

I Zeratul I, on 29 June 2015 - 03:46 PM, said:

Most agree the following are issues.

1. Player retention falling due to consistent 15 game losing streaks.
2. New players retention being low.
3. The high learning curve of this game being problematic to both new and experienced players alike.

People on the forums often use terms like "twitch gaming" in a derogatory sense as if only a small minority of this game's playerbase can be successful at a FPS shooter, throw up decent damage scores or earn kills. Many seem to have the fantasy that a person needs to be a genetically engineered twitch gamer, high on amphetamines and caffeine to jump snipe, brawl with jump jets or battle 12 mans on an even playing field. And that somehow normal people are excluded from being successful under the current implementation and otherwise doomed to an existence where they lose 15 straight games for every single win they're able to enjoy.

I think the views people have about jump sniping and 12 mans are inaccurate. And that with a few key tweaks, changes in builds and some practice anyone who plays this game can be very successful at it. All they need is a little guidance, constructive feedback and positive reinforcement.

Maybe joining a unit would be the best way for people to receive that type of help being that some units specialize in training new players and are already equipped to do so. But for those who dislike the idea of commitment and don't want to be *tied down* maybe some type of mentor program would do well to bridge the gap between the MWO haves and have nots so that everyone can enjoy the wealth.

Generally speaking, MWO is the opposite of twitch gaming. Success it determined more by basic tactics, teamwork, and build intelligence than merely pure twitch skill.

But I agree that having some sort unit association in the beginning especially would be greatly beneficial to players learning the game. Perhaps some day, when CW takes off as the "primary" hub mode, unit association might become almost mandatory (freelancers being a unit option) - something like the Mercs games did when you started out... associate to a unit at game start. Players could default to their unit on login, and use fellow faction members as help in chat or group modes.

Even something so simple as this would help develop a sense of community for new players, and put them on the right path.

[InspectorG]

This has been brought up several times previously.

YES!!!! It would help but it would likely need to be community driven.

Units would likely be the best route but how is a newb gonna know where to find a DECENT group of people? Only person i know that does anything like this is Koniving.

[ScarecrowES]

InspectorG, on 29 June 2015 - 03:58 PM, said:

This has been brought up several times previously.

YES!!!! It would help but it would likely need to be community driven.

Units would likely be the best route but how is a newb gonna know where to find a DECENT group of people? Only person i know that does anything like this is Koniving.

In terms of finding individual units, that can be picked out by the individual player. The point is to get them into a faction first, and get them talking to other members of their faction. Recruitment to a unit from within the faction is natural and inevitable. Most units actively recruit directly from faction chat, or when randoms are dropped in with larger unit groups. At least by being shoed into a faction from the get-go, you'll be actively involved with other players in the faction if only through faction chat. The player can introduce himself, as questions, get to know the game modes, tactics, build theories, mechs to buy, etc. Things you aren't likely to have resources to merely flying solo are very simple to get into as soon as you see other players hamming it up in faction chat.

[Escef]

I Zeratul I, on 29 June 2015 - 03:46 PM, said:

Most agree the following are issues.

[Citation Needed]

Nothing personal, but I don't know where you are getting your data from.

[Sir Wulfrick]

MWO isn't even close to being a twitch shooter. I've put something like 8,000 hours in to Unreal Tournament 3 since 2007. >2 million kills later and I can confidently say that there are better players out there, I've even found about 4 of them in the past 8 years. The way in which that game plays, and frankly the physiological effect it has on me after a lengthy playing session, is light years away from MWO.

The closest match to MWO game play is probably one of the more arcade-ish tank sims. Still requires good hand-to-eye co-ordination and still requires alertness, but to compare it to a ultra-high-speed first-person shooter is a false comparison. As an observation, and this will doubtless be controversial, I don't think that MWO should be appealing to the CoD crowd. That certainly wasn't the impression I got when I signed up for closed beta almost 3 years ago. Still, that's a discussion for another day and another thread.

Back on topic, I think that the learning curve issue would be largely solved by a comprehensive set of tutorials, but I also think that a mentoring program, or at the very least having an ability to create private training matches within units, would be an excellent step and would very much help with player retention. More so in the prospective case of Steam players with zero exposure to the Battletech universe and no expectations of how battlemechs behave and handle. Very frequently the solution to NPE woes is touted as being to join a unit. Having such a program and private training sessions would be very useful to aid the process. Good suggestion by the OP.