197 replies to this topic

[Scout Derek]

TheArisen, on 19 May 2016 - 03:28 PM, said:

Some hardcore bittervets here.

Personally I get matches within a couple minutes these days and I play during different times.

It's not a new thing for the numbers to dip a little when other big titles come out, Fallout 4, Doom, etc.

But scgt is right, this isn't the place for malcontent. If you don't like the game why bother with the forums? Go outside or something.

The purge...

it intensifies....

Literally though.

[Threat Doc]

TheArisen, on 19 May 2016 - 03:28 PM, said:

But scgt is right, this isn't the place for malcontent. If you don't like the game why bother with the forums? Go outside or something.

Are you daft? I love BattleTech, and this is the closest thing available to it, right now. I want the game to survive, but that's apparently not the consensus, or more folks would still be here. I bother with the forums, because I still believe I can make a change somewhere.

[BoloJoe]

I'm hoping that the remake of Frozen City will be the Metro Ruin map we're talking about.

[TheArisen]

BoloJoe, on 29 May 2016 - 01:30 PM, said:

I'm hoping that the remake of Frozen City will be the Metro Ruin map we're talking about.

That could be pretty awesome.

[CARLTHELLAMA]

I'd be for it as long as the buildings are destructible. Could be handy to knock buildings over on your opponent. Plus, it'd be cool to start with a nice clean city and leave it in smoking ruin.

[NoiseCrypt]

_(bump)

[Miles McQuiston]

I would vote yes if the effort was to make a map that supported all play styles. I read complaints about Polar being LRM friendly and the "city" maps being too small like villages. Maps need to be expansive and have multiple types of terrain. Fixing the battle to favor one type of mech build results in matches being epic successes or epic fails. I would accept a city map where there are large portions that are cities (several [4] grid squares on polar highlands) and open terrain elsewhere (suburb areas connected via highways). You could even have multiple city areas connected via highways. Hence the battlefield creates choices for both teams on where to fight to be most effective. So when you end up on Polar with no ECM and builds optimized for fighting under 300 meters you could move straight to the 360 degree cover of a city. I don't want to drop on a map where an Awesome LRM boat is completely ineffective while a Kodiak Spirit Bear/Atlas S is super effective at face smashing on narrow streets. If a team was optimized for range open terrain would be the better option and intercepting the enemy team while they were en-route to cover would be crucial to success.

Essentially don't get wrapped around fighting in mech factory tunnels/subways and among skyscrapers (or inside them). We don't even have destructible buildings at this point, so a partially destroyed city that doesn't take any further damage does not provide any more depth. If someone can snipe from a building the option to collapse the building on them needs to be available as well.

I would rather see the hours put into making FW worthwhile, as opposed to a ridiculously complex resource intensive map design that will just like every map before it... be loved by some and loathed by others.

[D V Devnull]

Then make sure you vote "Yes", because this is already some of what we're aiming for. We want all kinds of zones in this map, for it to be super-expansive, and with a baseline of city-type temperatures that will then vary massively depending on where you go on the map. You did read the whole thread and see all the input on the topic so far, right? We want this map to be so well-designed and dynamic that people try all kinds of different battle tactics everywhere on the map, and no match ever really takes place in the exact same spot twice. BTW, it would take a 5x5 Polar HighLands grid area to be large enough for just one chunk of what we have in mind with this map we're aiming to get made. We are looking to have a map made that beats them all, but isn't widely temperature-extreme like either Terra Therma, Caustic Valley, Tourmaline Desert, Alpine Peaks, Frozen City, or even Polar HighLands. And the distance across? Think at least 6 KiloMeters from side to side, unlike Polar HighLands 3.5 KM to 4 KM, requiring a map-specific increase in the allowed round time to 24 minutes.

EDIT: Which reminds me... you can change your vote.

~Mr. D. V. "We're already seeking the ultimate map, so hop on board!" Devnull




[Edit by author for a missed thought.]

Edited by D V Devnull, 18 June 2016 - 04:57 AM.

[Threat Doc]

BoloJoe, on 29 May 2016 - 01:30 PM, said:

I'm hoping that the remake of Frozen City will be the Metro Ruin map we're talking about.

If I heard Russ correctly, on last night's Town Hall Meeting, I think you got half your wish... Frozen City will be expanded almost double its present size, and I think more structures are being added, but not many.

D V Devnull, I'm not certain I want a map THAT large... you say you're looking for something five times the size of Polar Highlands? I'm not... that map is absolutely huge, and I don't think I would get something five times Polar Highlands to even run on my recently upgraded computer. That's ridiculously huge. If you're going to have something like that, why not make it so there are multiple objectives so there is at least some manner of direction?

[D V Devnull]

Kay Wolf, on 18 June 2016 - 08:18 AM, said:

D V Devnull, I'm not certain I want a map THAT large... you say you're looking for something five times the size of Polar Highlands? I'm not... that map is absolutely huge, and I don't think I would get something five times Polar Highlands to even run on my recently upgraded computer. That's ridiculously huge. If you're going to have something like that, why not make it so there are multiple objectives so there is at least some manner of direction?

LOL ... You misread what I typed. I was saying regarding your note of chunk size that a small 5x5 chunk of the total current grid of Polar HighLands is the kind of size it would probably take for one properly-sized sector of that kind of map. In all reality, I'm looking for a map whose total size is only around 1.5 times the size of Polar HighLands, but instead with a Metropolitan Ruins theme. Basically, it would have a large chunk setup for the city's various sectors, but would still contain all kinds of nice challenges, no matter what game mode it was being played in. Sorry for the mental confusion, as it is quite understandable when mentally prototyping a design without actual graphics.

Heck, I just realized that this map, if it happened to be created, might even cause PGI to fix what they left hanging in 3rd-person View.

~D. V. "Hopefully that clears up the mess?" Devnull




[Edit by author for a missed wording...]

Edited by D V Devnull, 19 June 2016 - 09:30 AM.

[Johnny Z]

I think this idea is amazing and also a pristine city to with neon lights and everything.

[Threat Doc]

Ah, thank you for the correction, D V, I appreciate it. However, you're still talking about a sizable map; I know you've said there would be all manner of challenges and several different sectors, but just imagine taking the current size of Polar, setting buildings properly sized on it, in blocks like a city, you're going to have an immense number of buildings, I think.

Now, some BattleTech source covers have buildings of different types, which appear strange in design, influenced by the different house themes, if you will... I wonder what it would be like to have those designs on a map such as this?

[D V Devnull]

Kay Wolf, on 19 June 2016 - 12:34 PM, said:

Ah, thank you for the correction, D V, I appreciate it. However, you're still talking about a sizable map; I know you've said there would be all manner of challenges and several different sectors, but just imagine taking the current size of Polar, setting buildings properly sized on it, in blocks like a city, you're going to have an immense number of buildings, I think.

You're welcome. And yes, we're looking here for a high number of buildings, reasonably spaced, as well as some open zones too, because it will create more places for mechs to position themselves. This should be a map where the end result is that no two matches ever play out the same, otherwise it will fall back into the unfortunate "Wash, Rinse, Repeat" format that has caused people to complain and be disgusted with too many of the current maps. Maybe we're just crazy, and maybe we're aiming too high, but we're aiming for what one might call "the perfect map that the community can never be mad at", and would therefore never have a need to be revamped/changed by PGI.

Kay Wolf, on 19 June 2016 - 12:34 PM, said:

Now, some BattleTech source covers have buildings of different types, which appear strange in design, influenced by the different house themes, if you will... I wonder what it would be like to have those designs on a map such as this?

I think you have an awesome thought there! The map could be given some extra lore as well. Imagine a story line that goes something like...

"These 'Metropolitan Ruins' were once a place of peace and harmony in the heyday of the Star League. As the discord amongst the Great Houses grew, battles broke out even in this fine city and reduced it to a state of complete ruin. With the inhabitants gone or murdered, and the buildings now broken down and dilapidated, what was once a great metropolis has become merely a place where haunted souls can only watch in horror."

...and could possibly set the mood for battle on that map. Eh... I think that's my first time actually writing something on the Lore side of things. I really never thought I would land up doing that! First time for everything, right?


~D. V. "And now, back to the battle for me..." Devnull

[Vimpyr]

Would love to see a map like this.

[AWOL 01]

Just watched Sean Lang's stream and the Frozen City remodel is not a metropolitan map for anyone who was hoping it would be... Oh well, we can always hope for the next map.

[Syrkres]

Park should not be in middle (nor any other "central" large object). Because otherwise it will encourage nascar.

Following is not a bad layout, though I would change park in middle to just more city blocks.
Also in starting corners (top left, bottom right) I would possibly raise elevation - sloping hills, which could give clear lanes of fire if a team is pushed back.

Make central island little wider for main brawl area.
River could be used as a fall back, similar to Rivercity water side of citidel.
(problem with rivercity is the citidel, too much nascar, change it with buildings make it wider so each side can fit.

[Strelok7]

Getting warm: ŸLike in an on old Mech Warrior trailer... which one was it?? Mech Warrior 3 I think.
Warmer: Robots hiding inside of the ruined buildings...
Getting hot: Destructible everything... ground crater effects
On fire: Being able to go under water get 3rd p. view uav out, and hide

Ahh there comes a need for a new game engine

[Threat Doc]

Syrkres, on 23 June 2016 - 08:01 AM, said:

Park should not be in middle (nor any other "central" large object). Because otherwise it will encourage nascar.

Following is not a bad layout, though I would change park in middle to just more city blocks.
Also in starting corners (top left, bottom right) I would possibly raise elevation - sloping hills, which could give clear lanes of fire if a team is pushed back.

Make central island little wider for main brawl area.
River could be used as a fall back, similar to Rivercity water side of citidel.
(problem with rivercity is the citidel, too much nascar, change it with buildings make it wider so each side can fit.

Ummm, drool... I could definitely go for something like this!

Strelok7, on 23 June 2016 - 10:45 AM, said:

Getting warm: ŸLike in an on old Mech Warrior trailer... which one was it?? Mech Warrior 3 I think.
Warmer: Robots hiding inside of the ruined buildings...
Getting hot: Destructible everything... ground crater effects
On fire: Being able to go under water get 3rd p. view uav out, and hide

Ahh there comes a need for a new game engine

Yeah, but you're talking years down the road and, like you said, a new engine, which PGI have been considering for a while, anyway, and may yet do, but the company needs to decide how to do it and, I suspect, it requires input and/or permission from Micro$oft. Still, I would love to see ALL of those things implemented. Now, on the old Forest Colony, near the bow of the ship in the water, there was a place that, if you were driving a Jenner under the old size, you could completely submerge, but it was like a single pothole in the road of the lake. I would love to see fights under water, too.

[scgt1]

Getting burried again.....

[TheArisen]

scgt1, on 09 July 2016 - 06:09 PM, said:

Getting burried again.....

Yeah, we want that for the map not the thread.