174 replies to this topic

[Cato Zilks]

Kamikaze Viking, on 05 April 2016 - 07:01 PM, said:

Is there really a need to have a locked Client that wont receive new Mechs and updates? It would make sense for a short lived tournament, but since this is going to take the greater part of the year, why not just let the tournament client keep up to date with the patches of the main client?

Yes, because there is money on the line PGI cannot change any thing once the tourney starts. They would face serious lawsuits for changing the strength of mechs between matches. Imagine if a good team lost early on a match that came down to a Griffin and a Centurion, but by later matches the quirks changed in such a way that the results might have been different.

[White Bear 84]

live1991, on 05 April 2016 - 05:01 PM, said:

Changes i would make
.....

First thing I did when I heard about this was to ask Russ if they would consider taking into account existing competitive models and how successful they are.. ..I have my doubt's they will..

Still, your suggestion is great.

[Cato Zilks]

MattEdge, on 05 April 2016 - 04:48 PM, said:

Below copied from reddit post by VVonka:

• Roster Size: 12 - This thing goes for 6+months and includes flying out to Canada in December. We should be able to have a roster of ~18 and CHOOSE which 8 to fly out. I think realistically we need to choose 10 to fly out but since that is a cost I understand that.
  
• Mouse and hardware - We have a guy on our team who has been using a trackball since he came out of the womb (I know I know). We also have a guy who uses a special vertical mouse for carpel tunnel. Of course that is not even considering the fact that it takes tons of time to tune your hardware properly. They are scared of Macros built into Mice, and I get that. So simple solution is to inspect the mice before hand, there will only be 24 people there for the finals and if they are BANNED and therefore team eliminated if they have macros on their device, I doubt anyone would risk it.

1) If you can't commit, then don't sign up.

2) PGI should make a list of mice that they player can pick from that also have left and right handed versions. If you cannot adapt, that is your problem. This is the single best way to ensure fairness at the main tournament in Vancouver.

live1991, on 05 April 2016 - 05:01 PM, said:

Changes i would make

Roster size to 16/18 - 6 Months is too long. ( only 8 are paid for finals)

Game Mode: Conquest
Player Count: 8 versus 8
Match Timer: 15 Minutes
Map:
D1 - Viridian Bog
D2 - Mining collective
D3- Canyon network
D4 - Polar Highlands
D5 - Tourmaline desert

- Region: What region you are in, Finals in NA
- Time of Day: Day
- View Mode: First Person Only
- Tonnage Rules:
D1 350 T
D2 450 T
D3 550 T
D4 600 T
D5 700T

Regions have it locked to 90% local players or get rid of the regions. 51% = teams moving to "easier' Regions

1) pay is not for the 8, it is to be divided up however the captain sees fit. That may include the extra members. It might all go to charity.

2) They should use more of the game modes at least one of which should be skirmish.
Lets have matches be best of three.

• Match one, conquest with a 430 ton drop cap.
  
• Match two, domination with a 580 ton drop cap.
  
• Match three, skirmish with a 475 ton drop cap.
  
  • Tie Breaker, Assault with a 450 ton drop cap. Takes as many rounds as needed to find a winner.

It pushes several different play styles.

3) I don't think pre-planning the maps is a good idea. force the teams to adapt like we have to every time we play the game. Like CW, you get a small window to change your mech after the map is picked. A good team can deal with Terra Therma and Polar Highlands.

4) yes, they need to lock down regions. 76% has been mentioned and it seems totally reasonable.

LordSkyKnight, on 05 April 2016 - 06:01 PM, said:

Then you shouldn't ever need to save during match day. The tourney client will (hopefully) have enough money to build every variation of everything you could be running along with modules. There's no reason at all that anyone should ever have to save 'mechs in between matches. Come prepared before match day. This is supposed to be the big leagues and there's no excuse for not being organized.

I would really hope they do not put in that much money. Just enough to get 5-7 fully equipped mechs. These players dont need 20 mechs to choose from, they need a set group that they play and practice with.

Kamikaze Viking, on 05 April 2016 - 07:01 PM, said:

I'm surprised there is not a Div A, B, C setup. Obviously the big $ goes to Div A, but there needs to be other motivations too. Otherwise the lower level teams will get knocked out and ask themselves why did they even bother joining the tournament to get stomped by top teams.

Agreed, some lower tiers would be great. Teams that lose in the early round should have an option to enter lower brackets for MC.

Edited by Cato Zilks, 05 April 2016 - 09:03 PM.

[lpmagic]

Hawk819, on 05 April 2016 - 06:10 PM, said:

I'm going to try, and go for the MechCon. Who's with me?

on a team that makes it or not, I'm going to Vancouver for that, so I will see you there

[DriveMe]

Looking to join a serious Team. Message me.

DriveMe

[Cy Mitchell]

Suggestions:
8 v 8
Modes should be Conquest and new Assault
Do not pre-announce maps
Max tonnage 560 per drop.
Qualifiers and Preliminary rounds Best of Three.
Semi Finals and Finals Best of Five
Roster limit of 14 with 8 paid to finals. Everyone on roster must have played in a previous match in order to qualify for final 8.
Team members for Finals must be 75% from Team's region.
No player may participate on multiple teams.

Every participating Team(all players) in tournament gets in game bonuses, displayable badges and special Mech decal.
Top 3 Teams travel to finals to participate in Tournament.
Semi-Finals are Round Robin
Best two records play in Final Match (head to head breaks ties as to who qualifies for finals)

[Liveish]

Cato Zilks, on 05 April 2016 - 08:59 PM, said:

1) pay is not for the 8, it is to be divided up however the captain sees fit. That may include the extra members. It might all go to charity.

Sorry i mean PGI only pay to fly 8 people.

how each player gets the money is up for team

Cato Zilks, on 05 April 2016 - 08:59 PM, said:

2) They should use more of the game modes at least one of which should be skirmish.
Lets have matches be best of three.
Match one, conquest with a 430 ton drop cap.
Match two, domination with a 580 ton drop cap.
Match three, skirmish with a 475 ton drop cap.
Tie Breaker, Assault with a 450 ton drop cap. Takes as many rounds as needed to find a winner.
It pushes several different play styles.

That is what tonnage base drops do.

Cato Zilks, on 05 April 2016 - 08:59 PM, said:

3) I don't think pre-planning the maps is a good idea. force the teams to adapt like we have to every time we play the game. Like CW, you get a small window to change your mech after the map is picked. A good team can deal with Terra Therma and Polar Highlands.

That is a bad idea, we want teams to train on maps, come up with tricks, hinding spots Ect Ect.

There is more to MWO than Shooting Skill.

Edited by live1991, 05 April 2016 - 10:05 PM.

[Tylerchu]

8 gauss KCG incoming. Remember B33F's video of that? Devastating.

[Juju Shinobi]

Is the age restriction of 19 a typo? Was it meant to be 18? This greatly concerns me as I am not 19 years of age yet but I am turning 19 this year.

And if the age restriction is 19, will I still be able to participate since I turn 19 years old this year but just not in time for the sign ups?

[Cato Zilks]

live1991, on 05 April 2016 - 10:00 PM, said:

That is a bad idea, we want teams to train on maps, come up with tricks, hinding spots Ect Ect.

There is more to MWO than Shooting Skill.

I agree, but there are not so many maps so teams can just train on all of them. Having mechs perfectly crafted for each match makes it boring; we will see the same mechs face off against each other between uber-comp teams. Instead, make things interesting by forcing players to have some flexibility in their deck. If you only have 7-8 mechs and you need to be ready for any map, it necessitates having flexible builds.

Edited by Cato Zilks, 05 April 2016 - 10:43 PM.

[Juju Shinobi]

MattEdge, on 05 April 2016 - 04:48 PM, said:

Below copied from reddit post by VVonka:

He openly said restrictions haven't been posted yet, I think the 0-1200 is just a lobby setting he is talking about so that wont interfere with the actual choices for the drops. So more info is coming here.

HOWEVER there are two BIG issues I have that we need to all make twitter noise about:

• Roster Size: 12 - This thing goes for 6+months and includes flying out to Canada in December. We should be able to have a roster of ~18 and CHOOSE which 8 to fly out. I think realistically we need to choose 10 to fly out but since that is a cost I understand that.
  
• Mouse and hardware - We have a guy on our team who has been using a trackball since he came out of the womb (I know I know). We also have a guy who uses a special vertical mouse for carpel tunnel. Of course that is not even considering the fact that it takes tons of time to tune your hardware properly. They are scared of Macros built into Mice, and I get that. So simple solution is to inspect the mice before hand, there will only be 24 people there for the finals and if they are BANNED and therefore team eliminated if they have macros on their device, I doubt anyone would risk it.

So check the mouse for macro profiles and if one exists, either have them remove it or disqualify them? Sounds really easy and idk why it escapes PGI

[Cato Zilks]

JujuShinobi, on 05 April 2016 - 10:26 PM, said:

Is the age restriction of 19 a typo? Was it meant to be 18? This greatly concerns me as I am not 19 years of age yet but I am turning 19 this year.

And if the age restriction is 19, will I still be able to participate since I turn 19 years old this year but just not in time for the sign ups?

19 is the Canadian drinking age. There will be alcohol there.

[MaxFool]

Cato Zilks, on 05 April 2016 - 10:29 PM, said:

I agree, but there are not so many maps so teams can just train on all of them. Having mechs perfectly crafted for each match makes it boring; we will see the same mechs face off against each other between uber-comp teams. Instead, make things interesting by forcing players to have some flexibility in their deck. If you only have 7-8 mechs and you need to be ready for any map, it necessitates having flexible builds.

I feel it's the opposite, not knowing map makes teams use their generic meta mechs which tend to be the same for all teams. Crafting a map specific strat against particular opponent can result in hugely diverse decks for opposing teams.

[N0MAD]

Ok so who is paying for the Flights over and back?, PGI, the players, who? i would assume accommodation food etc will be players.
Is the prize money 100k Canadian or US $.
How much of that does the Canadian Tax department want?.
Do Canadian Visa laws/permits allow Players to earn money while visiting..
What are the tax laws concerning prize winnings in Canada, players country?. (only team leader subject to this, as he is being paid)
What are the gift tax laws in Canada and players country?( leader will be gifting money to others)
What are the Players countries laws about bringing in cash to that country?.
Lots of other legal questions maybe PGI and players should consider.
Its not as easy as going over there collecting a pocket full cash and then going home.
Leaders of team especially need to consider their legal/tax obligations carefully.

PS. If prize is Canadian $, it may not cover the cost of the hotel/food for the stay.
Thats sort of half a joke...

[Cato Zilks]

MaxFool, on 05 April 2016 - 10:48 PM, said:

I feel it's the opposite, not knowing map makes teams use their generic meta mechs which tend to be the same for all teams. Crafting a map specific strat against particular opponent can result in hugely diverse decks for opposing teams.

If terra therma is a real risk, ERLL, PPC, and LPL builds become a hindrance. Flamers become a must for every team and Dakka is really important. The risk of Polar Highlands means at least someone on the team should bring a Lrm boat and someone should pack a Narc. A team can run the gambit and not build one of these, but that is risky. I say announce the map and give the teams 2 minutes to set their deck. By limiting the builds, and randomizing the maps, teams have another layer of strategy.

I think some teams might rebel if they knew ahead of time that they would get both of those maps, but the risk makes things interesting.

[Juju Shinobi]

Cato Zilks, on 05 April 2016 - 10:30 PM, said:

19 is the Canadian drinking age. There will be alcohol there.

Thanks for the info man. I turn 19 before the finals so I should be good...?

[MechWarrior414712]

How do I accept a team invite? I see the bell with a red notification, but when I click it nothing happens. Clicking anything related to teams on the tournament page brings me to the page where you can create your own team.

[Cato Zilks]

JujuShinobi, on 05 April 2016 - 11:16 PM, said:

Thanks for the info man. I turn 19 before the finals so I should be good...?

I would think so.

PGI weigh in on this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[MaxFool]

Cato Zilks, on 05 April 2016 - 11:15 PM, said:

If terra therma is a real risk

Terra therma should not be a risk. That map is just stupid stupid stupid for competitive play. If they listen to competitive scene at all this map is simply never going to be used. Because, you know, we have tried it, seen how it goes, and we will probably never try it again. If it's in rotation for this tournament it proves that PGI simply ignores everything we have learned from tournament play so far.

HPG manifold should also not be used. As such, I'm not considering anything involving these two maps.

Cato Zilks, on 05 April 2016 - 11:15 PM, said:

The risk of Polar Highlands means at least someone on the team should bring a Lrm boat and someone should pack a Narc. A team can run the gambit and not build one of these, but that is risky. I say announce the map and give the teams 2 minutes to set their deck. By limiting the builds, and randomizing the maps, teams have another layer of strategy.

If you watch MRBC videos from this season you can see that many teams use (successfully) same mechs they use in every other drop. LRMs are not a must. Some teams may use special builds made specifically for this map, but it's not a must. And if a map is so different from others that you have to consider special mechs and strats for it, then teams will do just that, doesn't matter if it's kept secret if this map is going to be used or not.

There is just no upside to keeping it a secret if teams will develop their strats for it the same way if they'd know it's used. Still, knowing it's used only increases chances that some teams will actually try harder to come up with some surprises and not the generic strats. Again, not knowing the maps beforehand just makes the generic meta strats more likely, if you want surprises you gotta give teams a chance to develop those surprises.

Edited by MaxFool, 05 April 2016 - 11:52 PM.

[Legend_]

The ratio for non-regional players needs to be stricter.

Currently, 51% or however you want to look at it is going to allow for some shenanigans.

Lock it to 20%. 1 non-regional player playing in a match, 2 total non-regional players allowed in the team (1 playing, 1 sub), otherwise what's the point in having regionals at all when half your team can come from another region?

Edited by chiXu, 06 April 2016 - 01:56 AM.