13 replies to this topic

[Apnu]

What if PGI dumped Quick Play and Faction Play and instead merged the two into one thing. Imagine using the FP Scouting and Invasion modes to open a planet then factions earned points towards "winning" that planet through games of Assault, Skirmish, Conquest and Domination. Imagine a game where all the game modes mattered on the IS map in some way.

What would you, the loyal FP player think of that?

If you don't like the idea, why don't you like it?

[Chagatay]

Apnu, on 01 June 2016 - 01:27 PM, said:

What if PGI dumped Quick Play and Faction Play and instead merged the two into one thing. Imagine using the FP Scouting and Invasion modes to open a planet then factions earned points towards "winning" that planet through games of Assault, Skirmish, Conquest and Domination. Imagine a game where all the game modes mattered on the IS map in some way.
What would you, the loyal FP player think of that?
If you don't like the idea, why don't you like it?

While FP certainly needs changes*, I don't believe messing with a mode that clearly works is a good idea. Sometimes you just want to hop in a mech and destroy things/run fun builds and there needs to be a place for it and QP is that place.

*lots of changes
- maybe some sort of alliance system to concentrate population and improve FP wait times.
- maybe rewards for loyalists at the higher tiers of loyalty
- possible changes into team balancing (might be EXTREMELY unpopular but change always is)
- more

Edited by Chagatay, 01 June 2016 - 02:03 PM.

[fiskarsmurfen]

I love it. Have been thinking the same thing for a while but not made a post yet. One thing I don't like about FP is that all there is to it is to "kill the gun" so to say. There should be more factors involved in capturing a planet than just "opening it up for invasion" as we are doing right now. I would like to keep the Invasion and Scouting modes to decide which planet gets opened for attack. But after an attack phase, the planets that were previously "opened" (conquered with todays mechanic) will be open for Quickplay games. The faction that wins the most quickplay games wins the planet. Simple. I don't know if quickplay games should gain RP or LP, but I guess so since they are a part of taking a planet. Might as well reward the players who work towards it.

We would need to get rid of lonewolves for this to work though. EVERYONE would be forced to pick a faction, loyalist or merc. To compensate, the mercenary path should be opened to soloists.

[Helsbane]

The largest obstacle any sort of merging or other means of improving the game has is Russ and Paul. In order to make any headway, they either need to A.) actually open communication channels with the players and LISTEN TO THEM, -or- B.) sell the IP to a competent game design company, because PGI isn't one. Personally, I hope it's the latter of the two options.

[Tarl Cabot]

Clearly, you are a Fedrat.. The major issue is how would a Clanner use his IS mechs, while IS uses his Clan mechs? That would mean opening up the door on cross tech with at least mechs.

Many had expected QP to simply be the stepping stone, that the primary game mode would be FP and the current QP method would transition to Solaris. There are several threads that have come up over the years concerning that. But since PGI may be moving to a new engine in the near future I do not see them making any major changes to the current engine.

[Aylward]

No, Apnu, that is the exact opposite direction we should be going.... Faction play should be a mode that when you are ready, you join a unit and start playing with the organized crowd... You've done this...you know it. Planetary warfare is/should be a game for teams... and if pilots want to play it, they should be part of an active military (unit) that is fighting in it. The whole let any individual climb into end game content from any point is just ridiculous and CONTINUES to fail to this day.. The queue separation was a joke on so many levels i cant even detail them all.. it was meant to fail because they didnt really want to deal with it.

The chaos here is not having a half-dozen "practice" planets out on the periphery where non-unit pilots can get a taste of Faction warfare (on planets that can be turned by a red/blue kind of system or such, but then reset each week or such) and have Faction play be unit only, which would then encourage them to join a unit and the main fight on the inner sphere map.. Have a path to progress from lone wolf pilot to Veteran mechwarrior fighting for one of the great houses, clans or merc units.. PGI ignoring/not having that path is a glaring hole in the design here...don't make it worse by trying to make them mash together everything we have here into one muddy ball... Just NO !!

I know you don't like faction warfare as it is, but this is not the solution, Apnu.. If they expanded on the faction attack lane voting function and allowed them to also vote on a choice of several planets along that attack front as well, giving the factions even the slightest amount of steering control, Make the merc teams have to work for factions and not be just free floating factions that can destabilize the map at will, knock the wait times in half across the board...(Everyone agrees 10 mins is too long to queue for a match, we'll take the "consequences" of shorter waits , which is nothing really since you can't turn more than one planet a cycle anyway).. watch this map take off on the FW side..

Along with that, bring forth solaris finally to give solos a place to shine, setup some practice FW planets for aspiring pilots on the periphery that we arent using...and set a path to playing the "end game content" as it should be..

All of this could be done without throwing out the existing structure, which we know they wont do.. This is what we should be looking at and lobbying for..

Edited by Aylward, 03 June 2016 - 04:57 AM.

[Willard Phule]

Clearly, you wish to perpetuate the mechanic of "the better you are, the harder you have to carry."

Merging the two guarantees that new players will be in general population moreso than they are now. No separation based on skill means that you will end up with PUGstomps every single match. Or haven't you experienced this yet?

[The Basilisk]

For me the main reason not to play FW matches is the sad fact I got 20fps less on invasion maps...so I simply can't play effectively anymore.
Before last summer CW still worked for me but it just did not pay of rewards where just a joke.

Scout missions, while early on sounding like a good idea are far to unbalanced for my taste.
Tryed a few and got my *** handed in so much painfull ways in such a short time for such a pittyfull reward that it realy seems like a wase of time.

So...what if...well the moment it is announced I would return my pending mechpacks and would try to get my already delivered stuff refunded...thats what if.

Edited by The Basilisk, 04 June 2016 - 02:54 AM.

[AWOL 01]

Implement QP-style queues into FP in the following way:

1) Players queue up under the FP tab in either 4v4 (scouting), 8v8 (skirmish between heavies/assaults), and 12v12 (current FP invasion mode)
2) Matchmaker arranges players similar to in QP
3) Instead of voting for a map and gamemode, players vote for the planet currently being attacked, or for the planets that need to be defended
4) Loyalists have 3x multiplier, Mercs have 2x, Freelancers have 1x
5) After 24 hours, faction with most wins owns the planet

Players can still vote for which planet to attack during the attack phase. I've posted this a couple other places and it's just a rough idea but what do you guys think?

[Baulven]

If you want to get more people slinging in faction warfare it would require two simple fixes.

First make alliances of two clan or three IS factions to reduce the number of groups.

Second, and more importantly, give something to people that play matches consistently. C-Bills are only really useful for starting players or people who haven't played in a while. Make it something like play in clan warfare 2 scouting missions and an inva- sion 12 times in a month and get a free random module. If they play a lot more frequently have a second and much higher requirement that gives them something special (like play 28 days at least 2 scouts and 2 invasions get a free mech bay.) This would make faction play a lot more viable to the majority of people.

[Randy Poffo]

QP has matchmaking and FW does not. If you merge the two, will your merged system have matchmaking?

If it does, the FW players will quit the game entirely.

If it doesn't, everyone else will quit the game entirely.

[TWIAFU]

No.

CW is made for Units utilizing teamwork and communication.

QP is, well, not.

One is made for teamwork and one is not. You put people who are solo-rambos into an arena where teamwork is key the stomping would be worse then it is now. Put 12 with no teamwork, no communication, no history of playing together vs 12 that do, will only take a few drops of 48-0 before the no teamwork pilots go back to doing what they do best, solo-rambos out for only themselves.

Mix Trial dropdeck with inexperienced pilots with mastered dropdecks with experienced pilots and the tears will fill oceans.

QP should and needs to be used to gain experience and knowledge about MWO for the new player BEFORE they enter end-game. They must be prepared for it, understand what they will be facing, and have a grasp of the game.


But if this suggestion is to take seal-clubbin to an epic level, it will do that in spades.

[Karl the Plumber]

Helsbane, on 01 June 2016 - 03:05 PM, said:

... sell the IP to a competent game design company, because PGI isn't one. Personally, I hope it's the latter of the two options.

I know we've all got some issues with certain elements of the game, but I'd just like to remind you of the dark, dark times when the IP languished in vaporland and there were NO new battletech/MW games to be had. We had to wait almost a decade for LL, and that was the community having to make its own game because no software developer thought the BT/MW universe was worth the money. MWO's not perfect, but at least PGI is keeping the servers on.

Edited by Karl the Plumber, 11 June 2016 - 07:03 AM.

[Tarl Cabot]

Truth ^^^

What PGI needs to decide its road map, what is the next plateau it needs to hit, as well as the feasibility of it. Making the game too easy does not help with duration/retention, as well as the character of the game. We have mechs galore, tech still needs a bit of work but what is lacking is the environment to wreck them in. They have added some new maps but many are major upgrades to the original maps, which are removed instead of keeping them in play. Nor are maps being pumped out.

If AI is to become a part of the game, it should be done to fill gaps (opponents) in the FP to start off with. In FP though, the planetary percentage needs to be changed from 63 wedges to an actual percentage that can be that way a win/loss vs AI would not have as great an impact as a PVP, then with planetary ownership changing only if the attacker occupies 75%+ and holds it there (if PGI keeps the intervals).

Add a rolling newsreel showing what major unit is attacking a planet. Pure pugs/skittles would simply be noted as co-op forces. Defenders can drop on a planet only if there is an attacker queued up or the planet is not at 100%.