13 replies to this topic

[wamX]

Alright people, I'm out of having surgery and I had an Idea while under the knife.

Ejecting 2.0

We got our eject function finally...but...playing a game like MWO that tries to immerse you as much as possible into the mechwarrior universe...the current ejecting system is well... BORING AND LAME. To say the least.

It has one function and one function only, which for anyone who watches food networks "Good Eats" knows there is only one uni-tasker allowed ever anywhere, and I don't see the benefit of a fire extinguisher in a mech with a reactor running a buh-million degrees.

Childish words aside, here's the idea.

As soon as you press that eject button you are forfeiting the ability to play, and on a bad respawn timer... that can be up to a minute plus that your team doesn't have you on the field and if you are IS like me, the clanners just roll on over the rest of whose left. So lets break it down.

First, you realize the mech you are in is banged up and useless so you decide to eject.

You have to:
1. Find a spot to safely eject
2. Push the forsaken button and hold it forever
3. wait for the computer to say 3...2...1...
4. finally eject only to be greeted by a 30 second respawn (not always 30 sec but lets be honest here, that sucks).

you wasted all that time just to get a new mech, you could of suicide ran into enemies and been back in that time!

No. I don't want people (even the clanners) to waste time waiting to die when they could be playing MWO like a boss.

So how does ejecting 2.0 work?

Well first, no ejecting at 100% because you brought the wrong mech.
And, just because the mech is dead, doesn't mean the pilot is. (LIFE SUPPORT PEOPLE IT'S A THING)

Ejecting first becomes available at 49% integrity (total mech health) OR when Critical Damage is achieved. Betty would promptly announce

"Hull integrity compromised, Ejection enabled"

So a Battlemaster with a standard engine thats lost both torsos, arms, and a leg is well under 50% they could eject, or that same Battlemaster with 95% but a cherry red cockpit they could also eject.

So ejection is now an option for our doomed mechwarrior, well maybe not doomed. Because EJT2.0 has more in store!

In ejection 2.0 you push that button to punch out you DO NOT FORFEIT PLAYING FOR A BIT.

You push that button and are treated to a 3 second animation of the pilot smacking a button or two in the cockpit, then pulling the lever. At that point the inside and outside of the cockpit windows look a lot like the Hunchbacks in game model. I.E. metal slabs across the glass, meaning the cockpit is now a pod that's about to leave the mech.

Then you eject. However, you are far from waiting to respawn just yet. The mech's cockpit fires out of the mech and your HUD now updates you have a pitch indicator, hull integrity monitor, distance counter, altimeter, and a few other digital things that might be deemed useful.

Now you are in the air, and you have another job to do. Pilot the ejection pod THE HECKIE OUT OF THERE. Keep the pitch indicator in the green zone until you hit a target altitude and you successfully ejected out of your mech to safety, ready for the next mech.

But why implement this? All this sounds like is a fancy light show based minigame for people who die on the battlefield.

Your answer? Pushing power.

Pilots dont die in a dead mech (no engine) they have life support. No, your mech may get destroyed, but you are still first person in it. Up close to the ground, waiting to eject. How does this create pushing power? Simple. Kill the pilot.

When the ejection pod is launched it is no more than a metal ball with some circuits in it. And note, the direction that the mechs cockpit faces determines the pod launching angle, hence why the pitch indicator. No armor. No weapons. Just a pilot and some gadgets. And it has a little bit of a lag in it after the initial ejection as the thruster takes over. A perfect opportunity to rip that pilot out of the sky.

The pod itself has (for numbers sake) 25 hitpoints (maybe more maybe less) A mech or two depending on their load outs could power through that, destroying the pod and killing the pilot inside. This generates pushing power because now that player has a set respawn time that could be a bit longer than others, allowing a team with more pilots kept alive to push on a team with dead pilots and thus complete objectives. (O-Gens destroyed or Capture points taken)

On launch the pod creates a chafe effect, any missiles guided toward the mech lose lock and fall elsewhere. The pod also has a one time flare use, its a live targetable thing much like a UAV is and anyone who has 5896849685 LRM5's is going to capitalize on that target. The flares do what they do now, confuse missiles and force them off target. This balances hopefully the pods journey as it attempts to leave the battlefield.

Successful ejections earn small survival bonuses and perhaps smaller respawn times, while pilots KIA have longer respawn times and their killer receives a large bonus.

This also means that ejecting can be implemented into PUG NON CW games with the benefits of incredible rewards/achievements/titles/ cockpit items even!

Now in skirmish the goal is "Remove all opposition". Much like in Titanfall, you can leave your titan and go do other stuff. The titan sits on its own and acts on its own, that isnt the point here, other than a kill board update. Someone destroys my Atlas and the kill board reads:

Enemy has killed Atlas (wamX)

much like in Titanfall, killing the robot but not the pilot earned you:

wamX [weapon] Enemy Auto-Titan

So my Atlas is down, but I'm still inside, looking at the dirt. So I'm going to eject. It's going to end one of two ways.

wamX has Ejected. (safely ejected)

or

Enemy has killed wamX (Pod Destroyed, pilot killed)

Skirmish now ends when either all pilots are dead or have ejected off the battlefield, the same going for conquest and assault with their additonal win conditions.

And I apologize ahead of time, but yes I made this in paint, no Im not a artist, my girlfriend is and shes teaching me how to draw on paper, digital is much different. But here is a mock concept of the ejection pod for a raven.

[EgoSlayer]

PGI doesn't even have the time/resources to generate an Ejection animation, let alone create a new mini-game for <1% of the game play.

No, just no. So many other things are more important.

[wamX]

EgoSlayer, on 07 August 2015 - 04:21 PM, said:

PGI doesn't even have the time/resources to generate an Ejection animation, let alone create a new mini-game for <1% of the game play.

No, just no. So many other things are more important.

You stated the beginning of an argument, but you failed to finish it. What is currently on the list of important things to add? Ive seen so many ghost heat idea fixes, weapon nerfing, weapon buffing, chassis geometry changing, but they all are looking at a tiny fraction of the game as well on the same level as what I have idealized here in the OP. I mean are these other things important to you alone? The game? What makes them prime targets for creation?

If you are going to say the idea sucks, at least give a bloody better reason than "other things are more important".

[RedlineHunter]

I think something like this would be kool.

[Bogkesh]

I think the eject system is a good idea

[TwentyOne]

If they had more ANIMATORS THEY COULD DO IT JUST FINE. HIRE MORE PEOPLE PLZ PGI

[EgoSlayer]

wamX, on 08 August 2015 - 05:14 PM, said:

If you are going to say the idea sucks, at least give a bloody better reason than "other things are more important".

I neither said, nor implied that the idea sucks. Go back and read my statement again, you even quoted it. The reason I didn't go into more details is because they are clearly evident. PGI states that only 15 (13?) percent of the population play CW. This suggestion is specific to CW, and it is a very small subset of CW play itself.

If you want the list of more important things just look at the general forum. Not everyone's list is going to be the same and it's why I didn't list any, but I guarantee that if you polled the entire player base of issues that need to be fixed this wouldn't make the top 20. You want a list? Fine.

General game fixes:

Ones that would consume the same resources as the OP's suggestion:

A full New Player Experience (NPE). Training missions, videos, PvE training, game mechanics, mech construction and build options, tutorials, tool tips, etc. 1000% times more important to the longevity of the game, especially with the up coming Steam launch.

Fix Hit Registration (hit-reg).

Redo the mech skill trees.

More maps.

More game modes (PvE, 4v4, 8v8, attack/defend, king of the hill, etc).

Fix the Oceanic servers.

Etc.

How about CW Specific fixes?

Give solo players a reason to play instead of the meat grinder it is now.

More maps with better game modes than the MOBA style we have now

Make planets worth something other than a unit tag on the galactic map/ Better rewards.

Fix the planet flip mechanic so that is isn't just who owns it last and every battle has meaning instead of just the last few before ceasefire.

Add some logistics so you can't just switch factions on a whim.

Give faction loyalists *and* mercenaries a reason to exist and play instead of just the loyalty points.

Etc.

Every single one of these ideas does more for the player base as a whole, be it new players or for player retention than a new ejection game mechanic that is a very small part of a very small part of what the player base is actually playing.

But never did I say the idea sucked. But on the priority list of things that need to be addressed is low compared to core game mechanics that still need work.

wamX, on 08 August 2015 - 05:14 PM, said:

You stated the beginning of an argument, but you failed to finish it. What is currently on the list of important things to add? Ive seen so many ghost heat idea fixes, weapon nerfing, weapon buffing, chassis geometry changing, but they all are looking at a tiny fraction of the game as well on the same level as what I have idealized here in the OP. I mean are these other things important to you alone? The game? What makes them prime targets for creation?

Seriously? You are saying that the core heat capacity/heat generation/heat dissipation mechanic (that lead to the creation of Heat Scale AKA Ghost heat) is a tiny fraction of the game? Something that affects every mech, in every match and every play mode? Weapon balance is a fraction of the game? This aren't idealized issues, every single thing you listed are fundamental core mechanics that for the most part *are not explained in game* and have an effect on every mech, in every game mode.
Again, seriously are you trolling? Or is this further proof of how desperately a proper NPE is needed?

[wamX]

EgoSlayer, on 08 August 2015 - 09:33 PM, said:

General game fixes:

How about CW Specific fixes?

Again, seriously are you trolling? Or is this further proof of how desperately a proper NPE is needed?

The direction of the OP was to expand into other non CW game types and bring a new idea to the large percentage of the solo pilots that aren't in the meat grinder and those that are have less of a MOBA feel because then the action of ejecting actually means something.

And upon saying small fractions of the game, Ghost heat and the like, referring to their respective elements alone and not their impacts. Its MECH warrior. not GHOST HEAT warrior. Every little idea that pops up can open up so much for the further development of the game itself.

Example

Lets take a step back and go through a thought process. Maybe my own thought process, but one nonetheless.

Ok. Lets go ahead and implement the new ejection system across all game types. Now players that have been around for a bit have the mindset: Kill pilots! More money! More power!!!

This influx of people now going for the pilots demands a better hitbox implementation, so people aren't getting shot in the legs and the pilot dying. So now we have an improved hitbox/hitreg system queued for development.

So pilot death is now a thing, what does this impact, how about CW? Killing a pilot invokes a longer respawn, and then adds meaning to CW, you want to play tactically and you want to play with a group so you work together.

Take it a step further, joining a unit has real bonuses. Give a standard pug player out in the InnerSphere six pilots to live on per say. They play CW, They lose a mech but the pilot lives, no consequence like we have now. But wait! That pug LOST a pilot in the battle. Now they have 5 pilots. Why is this important? If you don't have pilots, you don't fight! You make each battle meaningful because losing a pilot hurts your ability to help in the fight! Now take that pug player and put him in a unit. They work up the ranks a bit and earn an additional two pilots for use in CW kind of like a permanent boost for individual players in a unit. Now look at the unit as a whole, add funds from unit coffers to reinforce a planet, now all players of that unit get a big bonus (say six additional pilots), all players of that faction get a bonus (say 3 additional pilots) and any InnerSphere supporting pilot gets one additional pilot. Units and allied merc groups fund their planets to hold control of their space, and ensure they outlast the enemy to keep the planet. These bonuses would only generate after longer periods of time with a faction, keeping people in the same place for longer.

lets revisit pilot death a moment. Ghost heat. Lasers, ballistics, and missiles generate it and can overheat your mech. Overheating your mech can cause pilots to die, forcing a improvement to the heat system to be queued.

lets take another step back, new players.

Now there is incentive to create more training videos, alert pilots about the fact they can kill themselves or other pilots, both to generate rewards and help their faction of choice, but to be warned of the consequences of failure. There is a reason for new players to learn things now, a unit that loses all their pilots wont ever be effective. It creates the idea of: yeah you can go solo, but you'll find the biggest rewards with friends but either way gets the job done. Your unit chooses to do something because you have the tactics to pull it off, or your merc skills are refined enough to jump in whenever.

Thus lets look at how that affects mech/pilot trees. More things can be added and now its possible to change the order of operations. Maybe dump the Basic/Elite/Master idea and allow any of the upgrades to be done on a new tier system, Much like how there are 5 tiers for a weapon cooldown. This then allows players a more custom approach to their mechs and thus how they help their unit and how the InnerShere eventually wins. Your best scouters for a unit dump their mech XP into speed tweak tiers, with tier one being 2.5% increase and tier five being a 12.5% increase, but the mech can only handle say 21 tiers of upgrades, so you either dump all five tiers into four slots or spread it out. Now new players could really begin to understand how they play and make choices accordingly to the best they can so when they make that first step out of Pugs into a unit and then into CW it no longer is the meat grinder that we all know and hate. Thus boosting CW play population and now having your tag on a planet indicates your strength as a unit and as a player, no longer just a placard "of hey we did stuff right before the ceasefire!"

So no. I'm not trolling, I've been in MWO long enough not to need a NPE. I learned in the beta. Yet, it looks like I made a big dent in your list on the basis of changing how a chair works.

But that is just a thought process. Unless someone acts on it.

[RoboPatton]

I agree with you to an extent OP. I think they can add a generic ejection animation to all mechs tho, and call it a day.

I'd like to see the mechs do it automatically when destroyed in any game mode, randomly, and with no additional gameplay impact beyond adding flavor.

[Khobai]

this idea is dumb

moving on...

[Squirg]

There just needs to be a generic eject animation, that's it. The rest of your ideas are honestly frivolous.

wamX, on 09 August 2015 - 12:07 AM, said:

The direction of the OP was to expand into other non CW game types and bring a new idea to the large percentage of the solo pilots that aren't in the meat grinder and those that are have less of a MOBA feel because then the action of ejecting actually means something.

Take it a step further, joining a unit has real bonuses. Give a standard pug player out in the InnerSphere six pilots to live on per say. They play CW, They lose a mech but the pilot lives, no consequence like we have now. But wait! That pug LOST a pilot in the battle. Now they have 5 pilots. Why is this important? If you don't have pilots, you don't fight!...

Not even going to touch this because it's such a horrible idea I don't even know where to begin.

[Armored Yokai]

you can actually see someone else eject

[Yellonet]

Sounds like it would be a fun addition to the game.

[Scratx]

Sounds like the OP thinks every battlemech comes equipped with full head ejection systems.

That out of the way... that's really not how ejections from BT mechs work. At all. In fact, I recall that mechs will automatically eject their pilots under many conditions (like, hey, the ammo is exploding, GTFO pls)

All we really need is an animation, that's it. And it's relatively unimportant in the grand scheme of things.

The rest of the OP's ideas... umm, no, please.