10 replies to this topic

[Dago Red]

Ok not so much a new player as someone who dropped off around when the Urbie dropped and got the itch again finally.

So since April of 2015 have there any big systemic changes or under the counter ghost heat like tweaks that are new and I should know about.

Did the ever do anything about ECM and or are LRM"s actually useful right now? Was dual Gaus ever whacked with something strange or does that still work?

How are SRM's feeling these days?

Do you still have to tap fire uac's or can you hold down at full fore rate again?

You know general stuff.

Especially since I have some IRL friends who are dipping their toe in as fresh meat and I'd like to not give then wildly out of date data and advice.

I see they made the mechlab not atrocious again so that's cool.

[Aleksandr Sergeyevich Kerensky]

I dont know how much has changed since you left, since i had a longer break then you I believe. But ill try to answer your questions based on a rough estimate of time.

ECM range is halved, i think 90 (down from 180).

Gauss cooldown timer is longer then it used to be years ago.

I cant comment on LRMs, I'll leave that to those that know more about this subject then me.

SRMs are being fielded quite frequently, especially since the mech resize hit. The new smaller catapult is a very very popular srm boat now.

(Almost all mechs have been resized in some form, catapults and novas have shrunk quite dramatically).

Uacs are still double tap

The mini-map is very different- its been zoomed out and doritos have been replaced by diamonds that show weight class instead of facing.

In game voice commands have been implemented (default key is E).

Frozen city has been reworked, as well as forest colony. There are a couple new maps, viridian bog, polar highlands, and grim plexas.

Theres a new game mode- domination. Basically theres a green circle in the middle of the map... And uh... Its hard to explain... So... Ill leave that for someone else- (que Koniving!!!).

Of course, there are new mechs as well...

And i might edit if I can think of anything else

Edited by Aleksandr Sergeyevich Kerensky, 30 June 2016 - 09:28 AM.

[Dago Red]

Aleksandr Sergeyevich Kerensky, on 30 June 2016 - 09:26 AM, said:

(Almost all mechs have been resized in some form, catapults and novas have shrunk quite dramatically).

Frozen city has been reworked, as well as forest colony. There are a couple new maps, viridian bog, polar highlands, and grim plexas.

Really they finally went in and rescaled things? Never thought they'd actually do it.


What did they do to frozen city and forest colony? Frozen city was always one of my favorites.

[S 0 L E N Y A]

quirk changes. quirk changes, quirk changes.
The re-scale.
The mini-map has changed. It is slightly less zoomed in, and no longer displays directional arrows for enemy or friendly mechs. It does however display what weight class they are.

Faction play (aka community warfare) got spruced up a little bit. It has a new scouting game mode which is 4v4, medium and lights only. The result of the scouting match can give bonuses to the full on invasion match, such as mech ID, temporary UAV scans, or long tong arty strikes.

Unit coffers now actually do something. It costs the unit money to recruit new members. The bigger the unit the higher the cost. Unit coffers can also be used to add extra grid squares to a planet that the unit controls, effectively making it harder for an enemy faction to take.

Units can now also earn MC by holding planets for a duration of time.

That is about it.

p.s. to answer your specific questions that were not answered

LRM cooldown times got increased, but their velocity increased. Not practical change really.
SRM velocity got increased, very noticeable positive change

Edited by Boogie138, 30 June 2016 - 11:45 AM.

[jss78]

Boogie138, on 30 June 2016 - 11:43 AM, said:

SRM velocity got increased, very noticeable positive change

Compared to a year ago, their grouping also got tighter. And hit-reg has improved. SRM's are actually fielded a lot these days. Many scouting matches are basically SRM city.

[Aleksandr Sergeyevich Kerensky]

Dago Red, on 30 June 2016 - 11:13 AM, said:

Really they finally went in and rescaled things? Never thought they'd actually do it.


What did they do to frozen city and forest colony? Frozen city was always one of my favorites.

Well... Frozen city its huge... Like wide open area huge... Like... Dont go into the center unless you want to get shot from every angle and die a horrible horrible death huge...

Forest colony, hmmm got bigger... And there is no more cave of "Ultimate Darkness Get Stuck on Rock" anymore.

And yah... Rescale... Uhm... The Nova is a cute little "Destroy Your Face" bunny rabbit of a mech... And the catapult is a "Small Height Make You Think Its a Light" mech that seems only bearly bigger then a wolfhound

Anyway... Words cannot describe that which must be experienced! So hope in a mech, and strap in your seat belts... Cuz your in for a Wiiiiiild riiiiiiiiide!

[p4r4g0n]

Aleksandr Sergeyevich Kerensky, on 30 June 2016 - 09:26 AM, said:

-snip-
In game voice commands have been implemented (default key is E).
-snip-

Minor clarification:
VOIP available, push to talk only - default key "Capslock"
Command Wheel implemented - Hit "E" to bring it up, put mouse pointer on command, release "E" key. Still needs some refinement.

Dago Red, on 30 June 2016 - 11:13 AM, said:

-snip-
What did they do to frozen city and forest colony? Frozen city was always one of my favorites.

Go to "Testing Grounds" and check it out.

[NuclearPanda]

Good morning everyone. I also have kinda dropped off the face of playing for probably a good 18 months. I am a Founder and have been around since like May 2012 (lol.... crazy to think about now that I look back).

Seems like some pretty significant changes. I remember when SRMs were broken as all heck and worthless. I still have an old picture that I made in MS Paint when I was complaining about it for years, saying basically that they were like shooting puppies and rainbows at your opponents since they did nothing (hit-reg issues, damage issues, spread, etc). I'm glad to see they're making improvements, but at least it gives me a reason to post this again haha.

[Rogue Jedi]

Just for clarification with regards to changes to UAC, if you hold down the fire button you will never jam but you will also never get the faster rate of fire, to "double tap" a UAC you must tap fire


Also there are now some Mechs with quirks to reduce UAC jam chance.

Edited by Rogue Jedi, 01 July 2016 - 08:26 AM.

[Dago Red]

Ok thanks for the feedback. Guess there haven't been any huge under the hood changes for good or ill so there's that.

After screwing around in the testing ground I'm not sure what I think of the new battle grid for good or ill. It seems like it completely ignores showing you where natural ridges block the path on some of the maps which is a little wack.

VERY much not a fan of what they did to frozen city. Doesn't even feel like the same map which is a shame seeing as it was one of my favorites. RIP cowards ridge. Undecided on Forest colony though once again it just straight up is so different it might as well not have the same name.

SRM's feel pretty damn good now which I'm into seeing as I heavily used them before they were improved.

Don't have time to poke at real matches until next week so live testing will have to wait.

One last question how is hit reg in general these days? Do lights still have the lag shields they used to?

[Aleksandr Sergeyevich Kerensky]

Dago Red, on 01 July 2016 - 08:54 AM, said:

One last question how is hit reg in general these days? Do lights still have the lag shields they used to?

Well, its better then it was years ago... And a lot of problematic lights are larger, so light mechs are much easier to destroy then from years ago... But... Its a give and take, since there are some devstatingly powerful lights running around the battlefield that (while in the hands of a good pilot) will also do their fair share of killing!

Some light mechs to be mindful of:
Jenner Oxide
Jenner IIC
Arctic Cheetah
Of course all light mechs are dangerous by nature, but those three get honorable mention due to high popularity among many pilots.