869 replies to this topic

[Cy Mitchell]

Honiara, on 24 July 2016 - 12:22 PM, said:

There has been some suggestion that PGI may look to remove some of the queues on FW to improve drop times, you should really be looking at getting people in to FW rather than combining the people already in FW. All you are going by combining queues is to move the low population issue further down the time line, you need to make radical game modifications to make people want to play this mode.

Below are some suggestions that would improve the game mode, and bring something more than a longer version of quick play (you can spin FW any way you like, it's just a 4 mech drop deck version of QP with bad maps)

4. Mercenary's they cost money, who's paying them? the Loyalists for a House/Clan should have an input on who they hire, therefore mercenaries go where they are paid not where they want to go, after all they are mercenaries and that's what they do. The payment for these mercenaries can come from the house/clan home-world so no player unit pays the costs. The further back a house/clan gets pushed towards its home-world the more money the home-would would invest in mercenary hires and the more it is willing to pay out for a win, and visa-versa the more planets a clan/house owns the less investment the home-would would be willing to make . Mercenary contracts would not be time based by money based, therefore if Jade Falcon offered 500 million C-bills for a contract the money per game is handed out to the wining Merc unit, once the money has ran dry then the contract expires.

Each house/clan would have a maximum it can spend on mercenaries, and if too many mercenaries are hired then the unpaid mercenaries loose their contract and are back on the free market. Each mercenary unit should have a MRBC rating (based on win/loss and KDR) and the higher the rating the more they cost, Merc units should also cost more for each active FW (therefore units that have 50 members and only 5 active FW members do not get punished) member they have. e.g -MS- would cost the most as its the biggest Merc unit. In the current IS map Jade Falcon would have to let -MS- go due to the range/sprawl of their territory and the amount of money willing to be spend on Mercs. This would force -MS- to move and they could be hired by Ghost Bear who would pay them allot more, -MS- should only be able to choose where they go based on the offers from houses/clans available to them, they are Mercenaries after all. If -MS- don't like it, they they can become Loyalists. If no house/clan could afford -MS- then the unit would have to split up into smaller units, again because mercenaries are only loyal to money.

And now I do not have to post my ideas on Mercenaries. You nailed it. What you wrote is almost verbatim what I had planned to add concerning the hiring and use of Mercenaries. Your ideas on Mercenary payment, Mercenary unit worth, Mercenary quota limits and contract details are spot on in my opinion.

I would also like to see Loyalist alliances added to MWO. This would allow Clans to contract with one another, as in lore and supplement their forces with those of an allied Clan. They would then share conquered territories or resources with that contracted unit. This would open the door to adding additional Clans such as Clan Nova Cat, Clan Diamond Shark and others (Clan Hell's Horse for example) to the fray without the necessity of adding more factions.

I really hope we get some depth added to this game via some of the suggestions players have made in this thread.

[Johnny Z]

Merc alerts being prioritized is a great idea.

[JaxRiot]

Normally I dont like these Town Hall type things since they only take Soft Ball questions followed by vague answers which ends up being a whole lot of Nothing..

But ok. I will bite.

One of the biggest drawbacks of FW is that it is definitely NOT casual/solo friendly which drives away much of the player base away from it

-Are there any plans to bring back a Solo/Group que?
- And if so, will any actual effort be put into making it work, unlike last time when it never had a chance?

Having massive Merc Units that can switch sides every week creates population instability and has a huge Teeter Totter effect on the population. Especially when a new mech pack comes out.

-Are there any plans to regulate Merc Unit sizes or how often they can move between Factions?

Currently there is far more Benefit to being a Merc than a Loyalist.

- Are there any plans to give Loyalists more of a reason to stay or be a Loyalist?

There seems to be far more ques than the population can support in FW. 10 Factions. Each Faction has both an attack and defend que, plus each attack and defend que has a Scouting que for a whopping total of 40 ques.

- Has any thought been put into reducing the number of Ques? Possibly have Factions that are naturally aligned
share attack lanes (as has been suggested by others)?

Currently FW play has little to no Lore when it comes to actual Game Play. Like Clans having Mercs in their Ranks as an example.

- Are there any plans to incorporate more actual Lore into the current FW game play?


As it stands now in FW, the most effective way to take a Planet is to Zerg it with sheer numbers giving very large Units much more of a chance to win the planet through ghost drops.

- Has any thought been put into the mechanics involved in taking or keeping planets other than just whoever
has the biggest unit?

Thats enough for now from me since I doubt any of those questions will be answered. At least not with any real detail.

Kind of doubtful this post will even be read at all honestly.

Edited by JaxRiot, 24 July 2016 - 02:48 PM.

[MovinTarget]

Cato Zilks, on 24 July 2016 - 01:03 PM, said:

228 has 198 members and you want to forbid 182 of them from doing faction play. That is so incredibly counterproductive. I want all 198 of those people in this game mode.

Plant the the less-faction-active core of 228 in some faction as loyalists. Since their focus is QP, it does not matter at all which faction they are in. For those of you in FP that want to bounce around, form a separate sub unit that returns to base.

I think you misunderstand. There are seldom 18+ players online trying to FP at any given time. We are not an NA-only unit so we ourselves can't overwhelm jack squat. If you are looking for that you'd need to look at huge units based in one FP phase.

Unit caps would kill units that have existed since before MWO had units because there are people that played other games together before coming here.

Make it a soft cap that prevents a unit from overly outnumbering others on the same side. Perhaps make it dynamic so that if the opposition exceeds the collective forces of allies (not enough people queuing to attack/defend) then perhaps the cap can be algorithmically adjusted.

Please don't turn this around like I'm trying to hamper my own unit, you clearly don't know the makeup of our unit and I would appreciate you not presuming to know whats best for us.

I am trying to offer a means to balance that will satisfy those that feel threatened by us (for some odd reason) that doesn't force us to break up what some have works years to build.

I don't know why you can understand why this would be unattractive and disheartening to us.

I get that there is no silver bullet that will solve all of FP's problems and make everyone happy, but I guess fear drives some people to adopt radical, heavy-handed measures that will not solve anything.

Suppose you do put a hard cap on units. What will it solve if all those mini-units stick together and follow each other?

Nothing would change. The planet tags might, but it will be the usual suspects that will be taking/defending planets.

Force mercs to be loyalists? Spread the population programatically so we end up unable to play with our friends because we can't be in the same unit? in the same faction/contract?

I'm sorry that does not sound like a solution that people would want.

[MovinTarget]

JaxRiot, on 24 July 2016 - 02:39 PM, said:

One of the biggest drawbacks of FW is that it is definitely NOT casual/solo friendly which drives away much of the player base away from it

FWIW, I did read your post and I singled out this one statement as it is part of the fundamental issue of FP. They have tried to make it all things to all people, but that is not realistic.

Some people want casual and a variation from QP. Others want hard mode elite play to showcase their/their unit's abilities. Others want immersive lore-base play.

They need to figure out who's mode it is and how to make the others happy if they want to keep all of us *and* attract more players.

[Zolaz]

Bombadil, on 22 July 2016 - 07:01 PM, said:

This meeting will be focusing on further-reaching issues, such as player buckets and queue times. If successful, future meetings may focus on other topics, which may or may not include sale requests.

So, PGI is going to throw away what it promised about Faction Warfare when it offered Founder packages? I know things like the Pillars and a multitude of promises have fallen along the Trail of Tears that is MWO. Please tell Russ that a Town Hall isnt where you cherry pick your soft ball questions and wonder why your player base is still upset.

[Johnny Z]

Zolaz, on 24 July 2016 - 03:25 PM, said:

So, PGI is going to throw away what it promised about Faction Warfare when it offered Founder packages? I know things like the Pillars and a multitude of promises have fallen along the Trail of Tears that is MWO. Please tell Russ that a Town Hall isnt where you cherry pick your soft ball questions and wonder why your player base is still upset.

By the way this still looks really good in hind sight to regular players. Sure its changed and grown. But much of the drama on these forums is uncalled for.

Edited by Johnny Z, 24 July 2016 - 03:39 PM.

[Hunka Junk]

As someone who has never even once played FP/CW, I still believe I can contribute to this dialogue.

So, why haven't I played FP/CW?

a. I don't have the gear for my mechs (radar derp, seismic sensei, AND 2 module slots), and I don't truly feel comfy with certain heavy/medium chasses that I might ultimately use for a drop deck.

b. I have been warned that it's where the hardcore pro's hang out and that new people should avoid it.

c. I know nothing about the factions themselves and understand that there are loyalty penalties if I make a bad choice. I also hear that there are factions with no populations.

d. I know that, unless I choose merc, I can only play one type of mech.

e. I hear there are horrendous waits for matches and that solo players tend to get blamed and flamed when things go wrong.

f. I hear that the solo queue was removed.

g. I like light mechs and was excited about scouting until I heard there are no light mechs in scouting….

h. I generally just hear that it “needs a lot of work”, so I'm more inclined to play QP and revisit this at a later date once it's more fuctional.

i. I know all of this because I came upon it while reading about other things. There is no official place where new people get introduced to FP/CW. They will see those call to arms a million times before anyone tells them what it's all about.

j. I think it is distracting to have multiple names for the same thing. Is it FP, CW, KFC, or what?


Not wanting to offer only problems, my solutions are as follow:

a. This is a HUGE amount of cbills, mexp, and gexp in order to just be outfitted. The time involved is considerable. I, of course, realize that these requirements I've stated have come from the player base and are not official, but maybe there should be a tier/area/mode where these requirements are not expected?

b. The tier system seems to work very well in QP to make the game accessible and let newer people get a grip before facing the more seasoned. Could there not be a similar thing for FP/CW? Could factions/units have training camp level temporary/feeder units that let people dip their toes in the water? Note also that it would be more newb-friendly if at least some of the maps were familiar because we've played them in QP.

c. In other games (GW1, is what I'm thinking, but surely there are many faction-based games from which to draw inspiration), there was no penalty for changing factions, but you couldn't gain faction xp for one faction while a member of another. Also, the best units/alliances in each faction were awarded territories that had their name on it based on performance. The biggest units/alliances held the “biggest” (most prestigious) territories, but there were a series of say, 10 territories getting progressively smaller that were up for grabs. If a unit/alliance slacked off in performance, they would lose their territory. I guess what I'm saying here is that a hierarchical series of “thrones” (prestige planets?) might attract people to empty factions (and join a side instead of going merc) if there is a throne sitting there to be claimed. Performance could be based on units' combined/accumulated match scores over a week or some such. I don't really know, my point is just that there are numerous metrics out there for how you might determine who is performing the best. Likewise, things could be divided into longer or shorter “seasons” so that things do not stagnate.

Holding one of these prestige territories could also provide a buff when fighting against Clan/IS (whichever is the opposition). Maybe offer/award unique decals to alliances/units who gain control of a prestige territory?

Maybe instead of actual territories, all of this could be achieved by ranking units on a leaderboard?


d. It seems that the merc population doesn't suffer from the population issues that the factions do at all. What are the actual demographics? How many merc players are there compared to loyalists? If I have to sacrifice half of my mech stable to join a faction, there should be a substantial advantage/reason for doing so.

e. It seems there are too many battlefronts for this population. Let, as others have said, “free passage” that will allow the various houses/clans to cooperate converge on a limited number of hotpoints/flashpoints.

f. No solo queue is contradictory to solo players constantly receiving calls to arms. Better people might be summoned through a call to arms if they could come practice in a sightly less competitive environment. Maybe the solo queue could be an introductory tier before going full-on into FP?

g. FP/CW is burdened by “weightism”. I mastered a light chassis with the intention of using it in CW/FP before I found out that you can't play lights in CP/FW. Why not have drop decks of 1 Light, 1 Medium, 1 Heavy, and 1 Assault? 100 + 75 + 50 + 25=250. If people are true pros, they should be able to adeptly play the full range of weight classes. <<puts on flame-retardant suit>>

At the same time, maybe 4x4 shouldn't be limited to “scouting”. Maybe there should be a variety of 4x4 modes that might see more different mechs involved.

Maybe there should be various 12 x 12 modes exclusively for each weight class. 12 x 12 all light fight could be very interesting. A 12x12 assault fight could be equally interesting.

h. I hope this roundtable is truly round and great things come of it.

i. Introduce this whole thing via advanced tutorials in the academy.

j. Choose a name for it and roll with it


Thank you, Mr. Bombadil and the rest of you developers out there reading.

Edited by Hunka Junk, 24 July 2016 - 03:39 PM.

[Zolaz]

Johnny Z, on 24 July 2016 - 03:27 PM, said:

By the way this still looks really good in hind sight to regular players.

Another video of Russ blowing smoke.

I stopped listening after Russ talked about how developers like NVIDIA and Razor was so happy to work with PGI and develop the game. Like normal Russ was long on promises and short on delivery. The only I have learned about PGI is that I will be disappointed in their direction and development.

[Johnny Z]

Zolaz, on 24 July 2016 - 03:40 PM, said:

Another video of Russ blowing smoke.

I stopped listening after Russ talked about how developers like NVIDIA and Razor was so happy to work with PGI and develop the game. Like normal Russ was long on promises and short on delivery. The only I have learned about PGI is that I will be disappointed in their direction and development.

Your not even on topic. Your trolling and don't even have a point or even trying to make sense.

Just saying "This game is bad" in a topic about constructive conversation is in fact trolling.

More than likely I will be the one that gets a forum ban though somehow.

Edited by Johnny Z, 24 July 2016 - 03:49 PM.

[Will9761]

Well, here are a few things I can think of.

Comstar Intercepts:
To be honest, Comstar Intercepts were the only fun objective about this game. Having notable leaders to talk to the faction loyalists and offer rewards does brighten the light for FW. It needs to be integrated into Phase 3 to keep the faction motivation flowing.

Loyalty Point Boost:
Faction Rivalry- Each faction has their own rivals, so it would make sense to add a Loyalty Boost. For every rival faction player killed, a 50% Loyalty Boost should be granted upon the opposing player. Should a Faction player kill a player not rivaled with their faction, they will not get a bonus.

Allied Boost- Factions also have allies like the Federated Commonwealth (Steiner and Davion) and the Kapteyn Concords (Kurita, Liao, and Marik). If you defend worlds that belong to your faction's allies you will gain a 50% Loyalty Boost. This will allow players to gain more LP without switching factions.

Rewards:
MC, C-Bills, GXP, and Cockpit Items are fine rewards, but they should be more enticing for Loyalists. Faction Colors, Decals, Premium Time, and Patterns should serve as additional rewards for gaining higher ranks.

More Variations of the Scout and Invasion Modes:
One problem that I have with the FW Game modes is that they become repetitive way too quickly. Make the modes more interesting, Invasion doesn't always have to be a "Hey guys let's group up to shoot the back of a gun." type mode. Invasion could been so much more like defending/attacking dropships that are lifting off, destroying/defending military hangars, or destroying/defending dropship gantries for arriving dropships carrying reinforcements. As for Scouting, intel is fine, but rescuing and capturing crews gives us some good variety. So make the game modes feel more like covert or rescue operations.

Miscellaneous:
Yes, these are personal thoughts of what I would like to see in FW, despite it not being game changing, feel free to look though if you are interested.

Spoiler

RP Elements- Just like what PGI did with Captain Adams, it would be nice to see different faction liaisons welcome you into their faction instead of look at a banner with a welcome text attached to it. I'd be more content with having NPCs, whether they are live actors/actresses, 3D models, or still images of people with voice actors/actresses. The NPCs could even be used to tie in with the Comstar Intercepts and war planning.

When it comes to audio, I'd love to hear more diverse Dropship Commanders with IS having different accents or languages, while Clans have commanders with different tones. Something like, "Pounce upon these barbarians with the ferocity of the Smoke Jaguar, Seylah." or "The Draconis High Command instructs you to strike down the orbital swiftly like a dragon. Good luck"

The Return of the Clan Daggerstar- During CW Phase 1, we had the Clan Daggerstar for those who wanted to be represented as a Clan Loyalist, sadly it was removed when Phase 2 debuted. In lore the Clans hated mercenaries and were not lightly, so it never made sense to use the Merc Corp logo on Clan Factions. But Clans did allow units from other clan to join them either through Trials or contract bids(bids that allowed Clan commanders to use units from other clans in their trials). So let the Clan Daggerstar represent the non-big four Clan units, know as a Reserve Clan. It could even share the Mercenary Career. As for the Deserter Tag, make the Clan equivalent as a Bondsman Tag.


Faction Dropships- It would be cool if each faction had their own dropship, with their own decals and color schemes. It should only apply to the attack factions since the defending faction have banners on the gates.

Yes, this is a dropship with Ghost Bear decals. I know this image is blurry, so I apologize.

Edited by Will9761, 27 July 2016 - 02:19 PM.

[Deathlike]

DaFrog, on 24 July 2016 - 02:22 PM, said:

Hey Kell, how's your fun these days ? if you're happy playing the same 200 people over and over with a few seal clubbings, then don't do a dam thing and leave it as is. Must suit you and your bunch of cronies just fine right ?

It's not a question of being afraid, it is a question of more balanced matches. Even in your vaunted Pro tourneys you have A league, B league, C league and so on. So basically what you want is your own little theater to show how badass your unit is ?

Fine, have it and keep it !

The difference is that in leagues, the position of the units is selected by the MRBC officials (or whoever they are), and not by some random arbitrary system (like Tier lists that anyone can get to Tier 1 eventually). While MRBC is doing what is considered arbitrary (no different than the Tier system in MWO), usually by reputation or videos (since MRBC is indirectly allowing self-promotion of the units through the drops themselves - a win-win for both sides involved)... the system is far more reaching and useful than the random "PUGLord" for FW that corrals a few willing partners to club the opfor that can normally consist of "seals".

I'm not sure how you would even properly have an MM, let alone enough players filling a certain skill bracket... when you need simply bodies that are willing to work together to succeed... or at least attempt to.

[Cy Mitchell]

I have seen special decals mentioned several times as rewards. I agree. There should be Faction Play only decals. This could be unit decals, battle decals, theater decals, accomplishment decals, etc. The system could be similar to the ribbons that are issued by military organizations worldwide to build a "board" on your chest to show your accomplishments. Only these service ribbons would be displayable on your Mechs (and possibly in your profile).

And they are no cost rewards. They cannot be purchased. If you want them then you have to play FP to get them.

Edited by Rampage, 24 July 2016 - 04:28 PM.

[White Bear 84]

For some reason I am not holding my breath on this one... #jaded

[N0MAD]

Deathlike, on 24 July 2016 - 03:56 PM, said:

I'm not sure how you would even properly have an MM, let alone enough players filling a certain skill bracket... when you need simply bodies that are willing to work together to succeed... or at least attempt to.

You cant fix things if fundamental problems arent fixed first thats just aplying band aids.
You want to build up the community yet basic tools are missing, how can you have people that are willing to work together when there is no where for the community to come together.
When i log onto say GW and want to find a group to do UW i goto chat and ask, if i want to find a group to play with in Airplanes, ships, tanks startrek, etc etc etc, i goto general chat or guild or alliance chat and ask. If i have problems, questions all sorts of things i goto chat.
Most if not all of my long time gaming friends/guildies i have met in game chat rooms because they or i needed something and it started conversations that turned into long term associations.
MWO does not have this simple very important tool to allow the community to commune, how can you grow a community for any part of the game if the tools are missing?.
There are several fundamental problems in MWO//CW, till you fix those applying bandaids to a head wound isnt going to save you.

[Zoose]

There are some really good ideas and solutions to some issues that the game format currently suffers from. The most positive thing that can be taken from this thread is the amount of people that are interested and wanting to find real solutions.

Unfortunately I will be away at a two day conference completing my mandatory CLE's and cannot attend.

On the long tom I suggest an Orbital EMP strike which shuts down all mechs in the strike area for 20 seconds. This will mean team will need to make choices and work on their timing. Also the timing needs to be changed to every 5 minutes. It occurs to often ATM IMO.

I also quickly jotted down some other points and will post up after this. The are quickly thought out commentary only.

[Deathlike]

N0MAD, on 24 July 2016 - 04:30 PM, said:

You cant fix things if fundamental problems arent fixed first thats just aplying band aids.
You want to build up the community yet basic tools are missing, how can you have people that are willing to work together when there is no where for the community to come together.
When i log onto say GW and want to find a group to do UW i goto chat and ask, if i want to find a group to play with in Airplanes, ships, tanks startrek, etc etc etc, i goto general chat or guild or alliance chat and ask. If i have problems, questions all sorts of things i goto chat.
Most if not all of my long time gaming friends/guildies i have met in game chat rooms because they or i needed something and it started conversations that turned into long term associations.
MWO does not have this simple very important tool to allow the community to commune, how can you grow a community for any part of the game if the tools are missing?.
There are several fundamental problems in MWO//CW, till you fix those applying bandaids to a head wound isnt going to save you.

I think the odd fear is having someone @ PGI (or maybe even volunteer mods) to moderate the entire thing (remember - this would be operational 24/7).

This would actually involve serious work on the interface (mostly because the existing client crashes through buffer overflow last I checked - through their personal messages or a flood of faction chat).

[Cato Zilks]

Rouken Vordermark, on 24 July 2016 - 01:25 PM, said:

That is the point. We don't have the population to support 10 factions right now.

No, I don't in any way want to be fed into a mega IS faction. I don't want fewer lanes. Sharing lanes is a far better solution than condensing them. We need access to more players and places to drop, not fewer places for all of us.

[MovinTarget]

Cato Zilks, on 24 July 2016 - 04:52 PM, said:

No, I don't in any way want to be fed into a mega IS faction. I don't want fewer lanes. Sharing lanes is a far better solution than condensing them. We need access to more players and places to drop, not fewer places for all of us.

I'm with Cato on this, give us some politics, form alliances, then stab 'em in the back!

[Zoose]

I will post up some comments here. While I have spoken with several Kurita members over the years about possible improvements to the game mode I have not really spent any substantial time reflecting on why the game mode is failing as it is now. This will be my first attempt to pen down some problems/issues I see with it currently and historically and hopefully I can suggest some improvements or solutions which offer some ideas at least. Disclaimer this will be in first draft as I do not have the time to polish the narrative.
I will also talk about some of the mechanics or PGI decisions that I believe are creating discontent.

The use of the coffers

This is one of the most under rated systems in the game. The failure to introduce meaningful content around this system bewilders me.

Possible solutions:
Chameleon from 6RNT came up with a really good suggestion which would be to allow units to buy Unit mechs which could be fitted out by the unit and used by unit members. This allows units to upskill new members by supplying them with mechs when they first join and creates a positive team environment and helps get new players into the FP system.

The ability to distribute C-Bills. This would enable players to provide resources to the new players to buy mechs and would allow for teams to repay donations if a player left the unit etc. (pretty sure I just read this was also previously posted)

The ability to create a Unit Decal which is paid for out of unit Coffers and only available to unit members.

Merc Units
These units are controlling the format. Their size and as a consequence power, means that they have the most influence of the game format and in turn the enjoyment of the player group as a whole.

The units have agendas which in turn do not always create circumstances which are good for the community or the balance within the factions. These circumstances which on occasion can detract from the enjoyment of the game for the majority of the community are one of the current problems with the format. If PGI cannot control the ability of these large units from having a negative influence on the game mechanics then PGI will not be able to grow the format or keep it alive long term.

A recent example was the flood of top Merc units into the Jade Falcon faction. Jade had 16% of the population with a -%50 contract bonus but the top Merc units still made the decision to group up and march through the IS front of Steiner. The constant loses combined with the easy wins for the Mercs IMO cannot have had a positive effect on the player numbers.

Possible solutions to Merc power:

I note there are some good solutions mentioned in the thread already and I apologise if i repeat any.

Limit the size of units.

Make a Merc unit request a contract which gets voted on by the loyalists before it’s accepted.

Limit the amount of Merc Units per faction. It hard to control although I could think of several systems that could functionally work including grading Merc units by size. EG only 1 top tier Merc unit could have a contract per faction with Merc units being ranked based off their current stats.



Loyalists
I want to remain a loyalist as I have invested a lot of time into protecting and expanding the borders of Kurita but I have reached Level 20 and the rewards I receive for the effort I put in are limited. Several Merc players have mentioned they align themselves to factions but the merc rewards are to good.

Possible solutions:
Hall pass system where a loyalist faction after spending 90 days can create a merc unit to switch between as long as their members spend 70% of their time in the main unit over a 12 month period. This would give players the ability to tour on occasion and stretch their legs or Clan legs.

Increase the levels so that we get more rewards for the work we are putting in. These could include voting rights or other rewards.

Make a faction mech which is only available to a Loyalist Faction player. EG the Grand Dragon or Dragon II for Loyalist Kurita players. And make these mechs powerful and fun but not over powerful. An example would be something like the Dragon 1N which was one, if not the most used mech in Tukyad 1. This used to be fun and something I would like to see return.

Let each unit choose a home world which they can spend MC or C-bills on improving.

The issue of Borders and planet battles
The border system and inability to find decent matches is creating discontent. There have been large amounts of time when Kurita has not had an active border in which Players left the game or the faction. Any IS should be able to help any other IS attack a clan front and other factions should be able to get their name on other factions planets as this is only for monetary rewards (more on that later).

The defence name rights. These need to be addressed as the majority of units get their name on a planet by this means. You should not be able to defend a planet once or twice and get your units tags on in place of another loyalist unit who took the planet. Taking a planet should mean your tags stay on unless other side successfully defends say 38 slots on the planet as a minimum. Further, stats should be ranked by taking planets followed by combined planet wins.

If a planet is taken to 100% it should automatically turn and another planet should open up for that faction. This would allow for factions to continue with pushes.

Factions should be given the option to vote for three different planets along the border front so they have some say over their direction. Often a planet will be given which is no benefit to the cause of the faction. EG if Kurita wanted to burrow through FRR to open up a front it needs planets in a certain location. So Kurita may opt to attack FRR for that reason but be given a bad planet selection.

Planet Holdings solution
Allow non faction units to get their name on a planet and obtain a reward (if not MC then C-Bills) so for example: a Marik or Kurita unit could defend as a unit on a Steiner world and obtain their name on the Steiner world and an in game financial benefit for holding it. The world would still stay Steiner but the unit would be properly rewarded for the work. This would go some way to solving the Border issue with some units not having a clan front or active front.

These are just a couple of quick ideas and I have read several awesome ideas already in this tread. I think what also needs to be addressed is the elephant in the room and this is not to troll or cause an argument but some of the decisions made so far have caused a lot of players to feel frustrated and leave the game.

Examples of where PGI go wrong:
You created a scouting format and did not give points for completing the objective. If you scout and collect say 18 out of the 20 data points and get off the planet unseen you get little to no reward. The objective reward is great for your faction as this is what you were meant to do but PGI did not code the personal rewards to mirror the objective requirements.

On a similar note: You do not provide damage and bonuses to shooting turrets and the objectives in FP. If a person objective rushes and kills all the turrets and the generators he would get near to no points while the person sitting at the back of the pack not taking damage and using his team mates to shield him while he shots at mechs getting 2000 dmg would get rewarded even if the team loses the match. Again you created a system that does not reward the game format and promotes selfish play in a team oriented game.

The nerfing of mechs (especially mechs paid for with MC)
An example as mentioned above is the Dragon 1N (The Kurita champion of Tuky 1). When you nerfed this mech it became a thing of history and folklore. This is an example of choices PGI continually make that cause players to became disenfranchised and leave. I will touch on it here and provide more commentary on my point later as it is a major issue with the way you PGI creates a negative discourse with the player group. The dragon was a 1 arm XL engine glass cannon which took skill to use and was risky as hell. A skilled clan player new to take the arm off or pop a torso for the kill but it was a hell of a ride and fun to boot. Combined with the right tactics it was used with significant effect by Kurita units in Tuk 1. This fun mech was removed by changing the quirks and the stats in Tuky 2 proved how by how much it had fallen out of favour. Each time you nerf a favourite mech you dismiss the time and effort it takes to find the build, master the use and work on the best way to make it work. You create more work for the player group and require us to find something else to use to enjoy our time. You continually do this as a developer and do not understand the frustration and resentment you cause each time you do it. It is not easy finding a solution to a pack of 12 Merc players running 100 tonne mechs which run at 69klms with 4 Uac10’s.

Example number 2
Now a bigger issue is the change in mechs that are purchased for MC and this brings me to the Huggin (*which has 2x srm4's which is not 5x srm6's like a certain Jenner II). People buy it with real world money. The purchase of the item is for its use as when purchased which includes the current ability to fire weapons quirks etc. This is a contract between you and the Purchaser. We do not buy mechs because they look pretty. The removal of those quirks after the purchase is a fundamental change in the product you sold to us.

This has now become a trend and in Kurita comms an inside joke amongst Kurita players. To my mind it’s a breach of the contractual terms of the purchase as I do not think you could rightfully argue that the player paid real money for something that they thought you would change to become useless. What it definitely is another example of how you are slowly strangling your product and losing community members.

Edited by Zoose, 24 July 2016 - 05:19 PM.