24 replies to this topic

[Tarogato]

We got to see them in the NGNG stream today, any first impressions?

I'm afraid they'll be a bit *too* flat and open. I like that there are hills for hill-humpers and vertical walls for side-peekers, but I feel like the gameplay will be rather stale and Press-W-to-win. Will be interesting once they're in the game so we can actually try them and see how they pan out.

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I also decided to recreate one of them in CrySDK to play around with it. Who knows, might be able to mock up some feedback for PGI. This is the first time the community will really get to have a hand in map development, so I'm excited for the possibilities.







Anybody have ideas on what sort of aesthetics should be applied to a map like this?

Edited by Tarogato, 15 February 2016 - 07:24 PM.

[1Grimbane]

heck lets let the blank ones go live for a bit in solo.. not sure about anyone else but i think it'd be fun playing on these for the time being till PGI gets what ever test reports they are after. reminds me of old Doom comp maps

Edited by 1Grimbane, 15 February 2016 - 08:53 PM.

[Wolfways]

With Polar maps started to go in the right direction (battlefields) and then this...
Don't we have enough arenas?

[1Grimbane]

i will say as i've said in the past hpg manifold is our only true arena map so to speak, polar is awesome in it's size however i'd like some truly large symmetrical maps for a massive arena feel. it would be different maybe better suited for comp play but for us solo players that only dabble in CW i'd like to see some comp oriented maps thrown the solo queue way... not sure how that would be received but i think it would be fun

[WrathOfDeadguy]

Let 'em go live for private matches only. They're unfinished, and therefore immersion-breaking, but they do offer some interesting scenarios. So let people drop on them if they want to, but otherwise keep them out of the normal rotation.

[Johnny Z]

They look good. Some with different levels and paths.

Edited by Johnny Z, 16 February 2016 - 12:16 AM.

[Kassatsu]

WrathOfDeadguy, on 15 February 2016 - 10:54 PM, said:

Let 'em go live for private matches only. They're unfinished, and therefore immersion-breaking, but they do offer some interesting scenarios. So let people drop on them if they want to, but otherwise keep them out of the normal rotation.

What immersion? Mechs feel like they're gliding on air with only a slight bounce from their invisible antigravity propulsion systems pushing them along, and a slight tilt when they turn. There is literally no feeling of impact if you slam into a wall at 150kph. To say nothing of two mechs running into each other head-on at those speeds doing little more than odd warping, glitching and general bad netcode issues rather than massive damage and an instant knockdown for both of them. And who can forget the miniscule impacts of massive weapons like AC20s? I suppose this is another topic entirely, but immersion is probably the least of this game's issues at this point. By which I mean this game has so little immersion it can't even be considered an issue at this point, because there is no way to restore it in the first place.

Also they're already going to be made available only for private matches of very specific player counts.

[jaxjace]

I cant wait to try these out.

[Alistair Winter]

Is that a 4v4 map? I hope it's a 1v1 map.

My main concern is that there's not enough cover and different paths. This is the major objection I have with most MWO maps. Huge open area, 4-5 buildings in the middle.

Not really a lot of alternatives for how to attack the enemy, which is usually the problem with MWO maps. It leads to predictable, repetitive gameplay. There aren't really any ways to surprise the enemy, at all, unless they forget to watch one of their flanks completely.

If it's a 1v1 or 2v2 map, I guess it's slightly better, but still looks fairly predictable. No surprises, no stealth, nothing. Just "lets brawl bro".

You could still get some sniping going, along the center x- and y-axis firing lanes. Also, buildings could provide opportunities for sniping, if they had both elevation and some degree of cover.

Edited by Alistair Winter, 16 February 2016 - 04:15 AM.

[Tarogato]

Alistair Winter, on 16 February 2016 - 04:00 AM, said:

Is that a 4v4 map? I hope it's a 1v1 map.

My main concern is that there's not enough cover and different paths. This is the major objection I have with most MWO maps. Huge open area, 4-5 buildings in the middle.

Not really a lot of alternatives for how to attack the enemy, which is usually the problem with MWO maps. It leads to predictable, repetitive gameplay. There aren't really any ways to surprise the enemy, at all, unless they forget to watch one of their flanks completely.

If it's a 1v1 or 2v2 map, I guess it's slightly better, but still looks fairly predictable. No surprises, no stealth, nothing. Just "lets brawl bro".

Nope, that's one of the 4v4 maps.





The other one is a larger version of the Hazen Arena from MW2 but with annoying holes in the platforms that will probably need to be removed.

[Red Shrike]

Wolfways, on 15 February 2016 - 10:44 PM, said:

With Polar maps started to go in the right direction (battlefields) and then this...
Don't we have enough arenas?

This. MWO is not a MOBA, nor should it be.

Edited by Red Shrike, 16 February 2016 - 04:46 AM.

[Tarogato]

Alistair Winter, on 16 February 2016 - 04:00 AM, said:

Is that a 4v4 map? I hope it's a 1v1 map.

My main concern is that there's not enough cover and different paths. This is the major objection I have with most MWO maps. Huge open area, 4-5 buildings in the middle.
Not really a lot of alternatives for how to attack the enemy, which is usually the problem with MWO maps. It leads to predictable, repetitive gameplay. There aren't really any ways to surprise the enemy, at all, unless they forget to watch one of their flanks completely.

If it's a 1v1 or 2v2 map, I guess it's slightly better, but still looks fairly predictable. No surprises, no stealth, nothing. Just "lets brawl bro".

You could still get some sniping going, along the center x- and y-axis firing lanes. Also, buildings could provide opportunities for sniping, if they had both elevation and some degree of cover.

I already started doing mock ups. My beef with most maps is they don't allow sufficient area around the perimeter for groups to flank or set up from unsuspecting angles. You get funneled into the enemy the same way every match. So with that problem in mind, I've come up with this so far:

[Mcgral18]

4 VS 4 B is something I like, at a glance.

It has the second story which can encourage HoverJets™

It also looks like an Arena.

[Deathlike]

4v4 B is the best one.

It almost reminded me of the MW2 Jade Falcon TOPs (Trial of Position).

I could not give a damn about the others.

[Tarogato]

I thought I'd play around with the 1v1 size map. I felt it was too small, so I added a perimeter, and I added a shallow ravine that separates its from the inner section. Here's a before and after:

[Alistair Winter]

Tarogato, on 16 February 2016 - 04:51 PM, said:

I already started doing mock ups. My beef with most maps is they don't allow sufficient area around the perimeter for groups to flank or set up from unsuspecting angles. You get funneled into the enemy the same way every match. So with that problem in mind, I've come up with this so far:

That's kind of the same thing that I was going for, except slightly more open. The good news, I suppose, is that it would make LRMs more viable than in my version.

[LordNothing]

i kinda want to play them. no premium time till kodiak though. events comming up and a day of premium time is one of the prizes so it will have to wait a couple days.

[Tarogato]

Following some discussion on Reddit, I've been playing with 4v4a a little bit more. Here's a few new angles of my update:

[sycocys]

From the video that was posted last week they all looked like they were pulled from Mario Cart's battle mode.

They already have some great small team arena maps that actually fit the game - original Forest Colony, Frozen City, and Caustic Valley. All just about perfect maps for 8v8 or smaller.

[Bud Crue]

One of em totally looked and felt like an old Mario Cart map. We ran around in the trial Jenners expecting to see banana peals and mushrooms. Alas.

Joking aside, the maps look promising. The odd one out being the one with the very slight rise in the middle (columns around the perimeter). Not sure what sort of game play value that has.