Bishop Steiner, on 08 April 2016 - 01:23 PM, said:
Moving a timeline, without updating the available tech, is a halfass expedient, that will cause more complaints and issues than it solves. Sure, IF it includes the mkII, it'll hopefully mollify Imperius, (unless it turns out to be less amazing than hoped), but that alone ain't the point of a timeshift.
And anything that includes even adding the new introduced tech, even to your precious 3059 (which is not a guaranteed waypoint, no matter how much you reiterate it). will require months of meeting, coding in house testing and balance, etc. Just liek it did for the Clan INvasion. Maybe not as intensive since they don't have to cosmetically create a whole new look/feel, but it's not just fudging lines on a map.
If it were me... the way I'd introduce new tech on either side would be one new piece at a time, introduced by including one mech at a time that uses the new tech. So, say you want to introduce MRMs to the game. Find a new mech you like that features MRMs, and introduce that mech and the weapon to go with it. This gives a few advantages. First, it makes new tech just as exciting to see dropped as new mechs. "OMG, Heavy Large Lasers drop in June!" Second, it allows you to introduce a single balancing variable at a time, and see how it plays out against the rest of what's already available.
Keeping balance while introducing one piece of tech at a time would be infinitely easier than adding a whole lot of tech into the game at once. It's much easier to get the balancing right if you're only changing one thing at a time. It would also be a lot easier on the art and design departments, easier in testing, and so on.
But you have to move the timeline forward first and foremost. Otherwise the it's a moot point.
Now, I say 3059 for a couple of reasons. First, it's past the introduction dates for most new tech. It makes nearly all mechs available from a tech perspective. Second, it's still within the Invasion era, which is the only era during which you can cleanly divide the galaxy into two opposed sides. That doesn't work in any other era. Third is, of course, because no real IS vs Clan combat happens between 3053 and 3059. And fourth, probably best of all, 3059 is the start of Operation Bulldog, which is the definitive and ultimately concluding campaign set of the war. It is by far the best era to be set at in terms of what works for CW. Far better than 3050.
With CW set in 3050, you have one single end-game scenario... either the Clans get to Terra, or they don't. With CW set in 3059, you can have 3 end-game scenarios. Clans get to Terra, IS gets to Strana Mechty, or a stalemate forcing a Great Refusal. So instead of sitting in a stalemate scenario for months on end, as is the case with CW now, you could break that stalemate and provide a definitive end to each CW session with a Great Refusal style "tournament" to decide the overall winner. This let's us have what other games have in modes similar to CW... multiple sessions a year with clear endings. Having that is both more satisfying, but inevitably helps with balance by providing a constant reset to your system in which to test changes.
3059 is just much better for CW. In fact, it's really the only timeline that truly works for how that mode is set up.
Also, if it makes you feel any better, since the Lyrans seceded from the Federated Commonwealth in 3057, it now makes more sense for Steiner and Davion to fight.
Edited by ScarecrowES, 08 April 2016 - 01:51 PM.
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. Then again I also prefer the MW4 mechlab overall so meh.
