2 replies to this topic

[FREDtheDEAD]

• The mechanics are knife-edge punishing for every variable of a team's composition and decisions.
  
• It's a very difficult game to learn and even when mastered, very difficult to do well in unless you want to join a community organised group with Team Speak. PUG casual players, the majority of players, are in a lot of trouble most of the time. The game can't make up its mind if it's a PUG free-for-all (normal games) or a beta light wieght RPG (CW). CW PUGs are the most insanely futile kind of gameplay available - it's a punishment, not a game.
  
• Why should casual players, the main player base of the game, invest time in something that sees easy victories or crushing defeats 75% of the time? Why does "group think" prevail (possibly players are too scared to risk because of the mechanics - nothing is achievable as a solo player no matter how good the idea is)? Why are battles on each map now almsot exactly the same? People used to use tunnels and go clockwise but we know better now: to risk is to die.
  
• Where do you go if you follow the game? What's to achieve? Why bother to keep going? Where is the result of all of the experience? Where's the recognition for *thousands* of games? Where's the sense of progress when every mech can be bought with cash by newbie players?

[Champion of Khorne Lord of Blood]

Well you've stated some information and questions but have no main question tying it up so I'll see what I can do with answering the little questions throughout.

Xajorkith, on 03 October 2015 - 10:47 PM, said:

Why should casual players, the main player base of the game, invest time in something that sees easy victories or crushing defeats 75% of the time?

For that 25% of the time when its not. That and to just have fun piloting their mech.

Xajorkith, on 03 October 2015 - 10:47 PM, said:

Why does "group think" prevail (possibly players are too scared to risk because of the mechanics - nothing is achievable as a solo player no matter how good the idea is)?

Grouping up makes things easier in general, two people shooting you is more of a threat than one person shooting you. This doesn't mean that a Solo player can't do things, you can kill half the team by yourself as a solo player, I've done it myself, others can get more than that even, I'd like some more elaboration into your point here.

Xajorkith, on 03 October 2015 - 10:47 PM, said:

Why are battles on each map now almsot exactly the same? People used to use tunnels and go clockwise but we know better now: to risk is to die.

Because you didn't do anything different and you didn't take the risk, but you were like many, most people seem too scared now, those who are brave and stupid die, those who are brave and smart... or opportunistic survive. Every time I go on frozen city I go for flanking runs each time I get multiple kills and help the team. On Bog I'll occasionally use my Executioner to go and hunt the LRM boats, took out a Mauler, Dire, and a Timber Wolf before anyone even spotted me, then damaged one more before I had to make a run for it, I died but my contribution was great, maybe next time I won't get greedy and will live to continue doing more damage over time.

Xajorkith, on 03 October 2015 - 10:47 PM, said:

Where do you go if you follow the game?

Here.

Xajorkith, on 03 October 2015 - 10:47 PM, said:

What's to achieve?

There are the ingame achievements and any that you come up with yourself. Maybe you want to be the assist master, maybe you want to kill as many enemies as possible, maybe you want 1000 damage games, maybe you want tier 1, maybe you just want that new mech.

Xajorkith, on 03 October 2015 - 10:47 PM, said:

Why bother to keep going?

This can be said to any thing in life, even life itself. You'll need your own reasons for each.

Xajorkith, on 03 October 2015 - 10:47 PM, said:

Where is the result of all of the experience?

Well, theres the pilot skills ingame and there are the skills you gain as a pilot. After enough games you'll gain enough experience to know things. When I watch the games that my T4 buddy plays I can tell him where every enemy he sees is, will go, what they will do because of what his allies and enemies are doing, and where he should go. When I advise him he survives the whole match and gets multiple kills every time, on average about twice as good as when he plays without my help.

Xajorkith, on 03 October 2015 - 10:47 PM, said:

Where's the recognition for *thousands* of games?

Theres never recognition for anything you never have shown to anyone. If you want recognition then make a youtube channel, start streaming, do something that would give you fame. Having thousands of games is common anymore with the game being out for about 3 years by now.

Xajorkith, on 03 October 2015 - 10:47 PM, said:

Where's the sense of progress when every mech can be bought with cash by newbie players?

Your progress in the game can be measured by your own skills, the completion of pilot skills, how many mechs you have, how well you do in each, and more. Whether or not someone new or old buys a mech has no effect on what you've done.




In general it doesn't seem like you are having much fun. Try to analyze why and fix it, I took a break for over a year, now that I have come back its been pretty great.

[Alistair Winter]

Dakota1000, on 03 October 2015 - 11:20 PM, said:

This can be said to any thing in life, even life itself. You'll need your own reasons for each.

Or no reason at all. Whenever people start talking about long term goals and asking "what's the point", it almost always means they don't enjoy the activity in itself. There are so many activities that just consist of endless repetition, whether it's poker, surfing, rock climbing or even most computer games (FPS games like CounterStrike, RTS games like Starcraft, etc) where you're basically just doing the same thing over and over. You may gain new skills, you may learn more as you go on, but the point is always the activity in itself. If you don't enjoy rock climbing, then setting new goals about new mountains to climb won't help at all.

If anything, I think games with really detailed long term goals, such as MMORPGs where you can unlock all sorts of epic gear, reach level 100, get on the PVP leaderboards and all that jazz, it creates a false sense of satisfaction. It keeps you playing even when you're not really enjoying the game itself, and you end up increasingly frustrated, yet insistent on reaching your goals, just for the sake of the goals.

This is what was so bad about CW phase 1. People were fighting for the long term goals, even though they hated the activity. They didn't really enjoy CW, but they wanted to grind through the matches to win planets for their unit or their faction. And it created an empty accomplishment that ultimately didn't matter, especially because the galaxy map was reset anyway. And then congratulations, you just suffered through hours of gameplay you didn't really enjoy, just to accomplish goals that didn't matter.

Not that goals matter in computer games anyway. I have an epic mount for my Paladin in World of Warcraft. It was a nightmare to finish all the quests for that thing and a lot of people had to spend hours helping me through dungeons to get it. Did it really improve my quality of life? Nope.