19 replies to this topic

[FirstSeraph]

Alright guys, give it to me straight. I'm interested in coming back cause I really do miss this game sometimes, but before I sink any more of a time/money investment in it I'd like to ask your opinions. What's the current state of this game? How's the playerbase (is it healthy/growing)? Is this game worth coming back to? Thanks in advance.

[Bilbo]

Play a few matches and see if you are into it.

[Alistair Winter]

FirstSeraph, on 13 October 2015 - 01:01 PM, said:

What's the current state of this game?

Same as before, with some new mechs and stuff.

FirstSeraph, on 13 October 2015 - 01:01 PM, said:

How's the playerbase (is it healthy/growing)?

It's ok. Definitely not growing, since the game is 3 years old.

FirstSeraph, on 13 October 2015 - 01:01 PM, said:

Is this game worth coming back to?

Depends why you left.

[PurpleNinja]

Haters are still hating the game, but still playing.
IMHO, MWO is getting better, but some things are still missing, like a stock IS game mode.

Welcome back. GLHF

[Burktross]

Don't come back, we don't even have headbob, which, as we all know, is the key to balancing this game.

[Speedy Plysitkos]

cookies... in T5 , come...

[orcrist86]

Balance is better, but not great. Maps are worlds better. Come on in, you might like it

[Belazaar]

More mechs, more maps, same play style. The biggest change I've noticed is the player attitudes have really gone down hill.

More skilled players of course think nothing is wrong, yet always say we can't do this or that because we don't have enough people playing.

PGI is going to have to go against the form winners and make major changes to bring back more people and hopefully the right people that are willing to pay.

[Dimento Graven]

FirstSeraph, on 13 October 2015 - 01:01 PM, said:

Alright guys, give it to me straight. I'm interested in coming back cause I really do miss this game sometimes, but before I sink any more of a time/money investment in it I'd like to ask your opinions. What's the current state of this game? How's the playerbase (is it healthy/growing)? Is this game worth coming back to? Thanks in advance.

Absolutely suffers from WIP syndrome. Were this being done by a bigger company we'd see faster progress, but probably paying more as well.

Hit registration has improved.
New maps, old maps being remade (River City, Forest Colony, Caustic Valley, remade - destructible terrain objects and dynamic night/day, next map to be remade for some stupid idiotic reason: Alpine Peaks).
CW still a victim of craptastic balance issues. For the most part, not worth playing seriously because for IS vs. Clan, due to the Clan having a minimum %20 OP advantage over IS 'mechs, it requires IS due at least %20 more damage than clans just to keep up, AND, not make any tactical mistakes at all, what so ever, or at a minimum make sure the Clans are making MORE mistakes than the IS is.
New 'mechs, lots and lots of new 'mechs and soon we'll be getting our favorites, Marauder and Warhammer. (Anyone hear what's after the Warhammer?) - Oh yean, and the Urbanmech, we got the urbie!
New ranking system, Elo was replaced with PSR which is supposed to be more representative of your contribution during a match. You only get ONE PSR rank for all your 'mechs. So if you're brilliant with lights and have managed to get to Tier 1 but suck with assaults, when you occasionally make that switch to your FATLAS, you're going to be going against Tier 1-3 pilots, even though in an assault, you might be as bad as a Tier 5 player. Sort of confusing, but sort of good. I've noticed an improvement in matches overall. I'm typically much less frustrated by 'stupid player tricks' than before PSR, that's for DAMN SURE!

Anyway, play on your existing account, get a feel for it, figure out what you wanna do from there.

[FirstSeraph]

Thanks for the input guys, really appreciate it. I originally left cause I was having some performance issues at the time and also because development seemed to be progressing way too slow/behind schedule with things like community warfare and whatnot. There also didn't seem to be that much variety in terms of mechs, but it seems like they've added a lot of new ones recently. I'm also a bit confused that mwo hasn't made it to steam yet, tbh, since I'm sure that would boost awareness of the game a ton. I mean, I pretty much only came back to check on the game because I randomly think about it every once in a while (and keep hoping that they'll come out with Word of Blake Celestials), and I don't think I've ever seen ads for it anywhere. I'll definitely reinstall and try giving it a shot again though, so long as the game's not in danger of dying any time soon.

[zagibu]

I don't think the game will die anytime soon, if they keep adding mechs. There are still quite a few fan favourites missing, probably enough to cover them for another year without moving the timeline ahead much.

[El Bandito]

FirstSeraph, on 13 October 2015 - 01:01 PM, said:

Alright guys, give it to me straight. I'm interested in coming back cause I really do miss this game sometimes, but before I sink any more of a time/money investment in it I'd like to ask your opinions. What's the current state of this game? How's the playerbase (is it healthy/growing)? Is this game worth coming back to? Thanks in advance.

The player base is still crying over changes, no matter how small/big.

[Levi Porphyrogenitus]

FirstSeraph, on 13 October 2015 - 03:29 PM, said:

I'm also a bit confused that mwo hasn't made it to steam yet, tbh, since I'm sure that would boost awareness of the game a ton.

Steam release wasn't really an option until they got out from under IGP and then got their basic funding schema running. Now that both are in place (IGP is dead and gone, and PGI has found that mech packs are their biggest money maker by far), Steam release is not only on the radar but a firm goal for PGI.

That said, the game isn't really in a state fit for Steam yet. The last thing you want to have happen is to go live on Steam, bring in a bunch of new players, and then see them all leave after a few days. PGI is taking steps to prepare for a proper Steam launch that will retain the potential hordes of new players.

First, they added a true tutorial, including a brief pseudo-cinematic and a voice actor for the drill instructor. It has a basic segment with fundamental mech piloting mechanics, as well as extended drills and skill challenges ranging from an obstacle course to a live-fire range to a gauntlet designed to teach twisting to spread hits. It is a work in progress still, and will hopefully be refined several times over the next few months, but even in its current state it's infinitely better than what they had before.

Second, they're beginning to roll out a series of balance changes via the PTS, starting with some sensor quirks last time, with the upcoming PTS trying out some minor heat tweaks, what looks like a significant laser (and especially Clan laser) nerf, and an ECM fix.

Third, they've been redoing maps (as several posters ahead of me mentioned) with much improved features, including destructible trees, lamp posts, statues, etc., as well as significantly improved level design, though there's still much room for improvement on several fronts.

Fourth, the matchmaker has been undergoing changes, from junking Elo in favor of Player Skill Rating and tiers. They're contemplating some further changes to the group queue, which feels a lot worse right now for small groups than the solo queue does for lone players. CW will most likely be getting some changes eventually as well. The one I'm most eager for is the addition of 4v4 Recon drops.

Finally, there is a decent chance that further changes are on the way in other arenas. There may be a Solaris VII update in a while, though that's not on the horizon as far as any of us know, collisions will likely be further iterated upon (the last update reduced warping through mechs a bit and gave us a nice clang and spark effect on impact), and if we're super lucky we may even get some kind of melee (punching, if nothing else, though I'm hoping for an axe-murderer mech pack including the Nightsky, Hatchetman, Axman, and Berserker).

[Troutmonkey]

Game is getting better, slowly but surely.
Since the IGP split, progress is much faster, as in it's more than zero.

New mechs packs are a frequent occurrence, so you'll never be short of new toys to play with.
New features like VOIP, LFG, and the new mechlab are very nice.
The PTS is showing promise with nerfs to ECM and Clan Lasers.

Performance and optimization are still really bad, if you haven't updated your PC the game might even run worse.
Plenty of minor bugs like random command and broken text chat are still here too.
Balance on the live server is a bit average, with most mechs getting quirks to compete with clans and doing more damage at longer ranges.

Theres some good and some bad stuff, so just play and see if it works out for you.

[SwissChris1]

I'm a founding member and stopped playing as soon as the gold mechs were announced. I recently came back to the game and I am HOOKED. Loving (some) of the new maps and mechs. I also got a new computer in the meantime and I just love how this game looks and feels.

Edited by SwissChris1, 14 October 2015 - 01:13 AM.

[FirstSeraph]

Woops, sorry, my week's been pretty busy. It's great to hear about all these new changes, though - hopefully when it drops on steam I'll be able to convince a bunch of my friends to try it!

[Troutmonkey]

FirstSeraph, on 19 October 2015 - 06:52 PM, said:

Woops, sorry, my week's been pretty busy. It's great to hear about all these new changes, though - hopefully when it drops on steam I'll be able to convince a bunch of my friends to try it!

You might be waiting a while. Steam is "SOON" but no date has been posted

[GRiPSViGiL]

The game is the same as you left it more than likely only with new meta and new skins with slightly different geometry. CW is terrible and not worth the time or effort. If you enjoyed team death match ad nauseum then you will still have that. Enjoy.

[Chuck B]

You'll enjoy the solo que, until you hit tier 3 then it gets less enjoyable. Avoid CW until you have a good understanding of the Meta or you'll get rolled most matches. The group que doesn't use the tier system as far as I know so playing with your friends might be less enjoyable then you might hope. Hit reg is quirky ERPPC/PPC's and SRM's suffer the most. Jump jets still don't work right for most mechs. and Lastly NASCAR is still the most common winning tactic and will probably get worse with the new tonnage limits for the group que.

[Torric]

If you only want to get a casual fix of solo FPS battletech gaming, then go ahead. Solo queue is not really any worse than before (while the matchmaking system arguably is).

If you care for the game/battletech IP however, it is my understanding that you have to wait for serious changes to occur in the HR department of PGI or, maybe even better, in the identity of the battletech license holder.