36 replies to this topic

[Commander A9]

So, I've been thinking something about Community Warfare.

The going opinion seems to be that Community Warfare offers no incentive to play it. However, perhaps there is an incentive in playing with the people who actually play it?

What if we were to change up our mindset to say "the incentive...is us?"

The incentive of playing Community Warfare could be to play as a team, with other people, those of your team, and those you don't know.

When I log into Mechwarrior Online, the second thing I do is activate my Teamspeak, and get into the hub of my team, find who's on, organize a drop team, and launch the match.

So, perhaps we should focus on the very idea of Community, of gatherings of players, of playing Community Warfare for the sake of playing with others, especially if you belong to a team.

Therefore, if you belong to a team, chat with your buddies about playing together for the sake of playing together as a team. If you need a new team, or if your buddies aren't online, find other people to play with! Plenty still do.

I began my "Enough Whining" topic with the idea that the individual is responsible for his own circumstances of success or failure. Applying the same logic, the individual is responsible for his decision to play alone, or play with others. So, seek out your buddies, and your team, and let us consider playing for the sake of team play.

Edited by Commander A9, 29 August 2016 - 03:27 PM.

[Jack Booted Thug]

The people I play with is 90% of the reason I still play.

I would like to say it's the people and a fantastic, deep, engaging mode that I enjoy.

But in reality, it's pretty much just the people and a very small part is blowing up robots.

[A Shoddy Rental Mech]

I only play when I get dragged into it.
As long as they alow group play in QP, no real reason to play FW right now.

[ShiftySWP and the Pleated Pants]

I like your positive spin.

Unfortunately, I have yet to find that right fit group that drops consistently in FP.... so I'll just fight on in QP and drop in my massive unit of 1 for FP.

Edited by ShiftySWP and the Pleated Pants, 29 August 2016 - 06:16 PM.

[Djinnhammer]

Trouble is it seems, the majority don't want other people. They just want to "do what I want" on their own. They don't want teams or social play.
Every time you suggest the idea of groups or units you can almost sense the tension/anxiety/ border line hatred through the screen.

[Commander A9]

Well, MercStar is always playing for the most part. I don't mean to recruit, but it's an option.

Although, sure, you're going to get some people that are individualistic. They'll learn fast that Community Warfare is a team-based mode. And if they don't want to play like a team, they can leave.

[Terrorsdawn]

I totally agree with Comander A9.

It was only last night I logged into MWO and it was pretty quite. The Kurita TS was empty not a soul to be found.

It took me all of 5mins to find a match defending a Kurita planet and it was none other then MS with Comander A9 at the helm. They shared their TS info with me and I was on Coms with them and ready to rock in no time. I was made to feel welcome and a part of the team. We had a good match some good laughs and went our separate ways.

The point is, there are a lot of good people playing MWO. A lot of good units willing to work with others. It only takes a few mins and a little effort on everyone's part to make FP fun even if PGI is dropping the ball.

In the unit I am part of, COMA, we have opened our doors to every other unit or player that wants to drop in FP.

[nagdamnit]

Commander A9, on 29 August 2016 - 06:57 PM, said:

Although, sure, you're going to get some people that are individualistic. They'll learn fast that Community Warfare is a team-based mode. And if they don't want to play like a team, they can leave.

It appears they have learned as they are leaving in their droves. As you well know.

You can throw around all the positive thinking you like, but suggesting strangers get together and be nice to eachother, as you stomp over skittles in another MS 12 man, is about as helpful as an AC20 round to the face.

[Daidachi]

nagdamnit, on 30 August 2016 - 03:50 AM, said:

It appears they have learned as they are leaving in their droves. As you well know.

You can throw around all the positive thinking you like, but suggesting strangers get together and be nice to eachother, as you stomp over skittles in another MS 12 man, is about as helpful as an AC20 round to the face.

The problem is, that's how all of our units formed. People being nice to each other and grouping up on drops. The rest flowed from there.

Without better tools to assist players in grouping up (what we have now is really barebone basics), or incentivising forming a group up prior to dropping (something like the cadet bonus for players doing their first few FW matches maybe?), you won't get any traction. Premades have the opportunity to tailor their drop decks before dropping, skittles don't. Until that happens - whether by extending the time before drop, allowing labels to be applied to FP groups (IE -all mechs 70kph plus, no dire wolves on attack) or such, you'll always have this problem (which I guess you could look at as being a benefit to grouping up before dropping).

[xX PUG Xx]

@ Nags'

The thing is the majority of 12 man drops will stomp a pure PuG drop, on occasion there will be a selection of really good pilots in that group of "skittles" and give the premade group a good fight but we both know that is a tiny percentage of drops.

As for strangers and being nice, we are probably nicer to them than the players we know..... well it seems that way when I'm in a group of "friends". Or maybe you all just like picking on me

In all seriousness though, the minimalistic tools are there to find groups but neither the solo players nor the groups use them very often. I think so many of the "old hands' are now used to grouping up by using external communication sources such as the faction teamspeak hubs and friendly unit teamspeak servers that we often forget that a lot of the "new guys" don't know these even exist.

A global faction chat may go a long way to helping players coordinate their efforts but I'm not sure how easy that would be to implement.

Edited by xX PUG Xx, 30 August 2016 - 08:19 PM.

[Commander A9]

Terrorsdawn, on 29 August 2016 - 08:22 PM, said:

I totally agree with Comander A9.

It was only last night I logged into MWO and it was pretty quite. The Kurita TS was empty not a soul to be found.

It took me all of 5mins to find a match defending a Kurita planet and it was none other then MS with Comander A9 at the helm. They shared their TS info with me and I was on Coms with them and ready to rock in no time. I was made to feel welcome and a part of the team. We had a good match some good laughs and went our separate ways.

The point is, there are a lot of good people playing MWO. A lot of good units willing to work with others. It only takes a few mins and a little effort on everyone's part to make FP fun even if PGI is dropping the ball.

In the unit I am part of, COMA, we have opened our doors to every other unit or player that wants to drop in FP.

Thanks, man! I remember you!

Although I wasn't calling-I believe Zangief was.

But, sure! Anyone can pop on over and check us out! We always drop!

TS: 67.23.26.161:8344

[H I A S]

Quote

Therefore, if you belong to a team, chat with your buddies about playing together for the sake of playing together as a team. If you need a new team, or if your buddies aren't online, find other people to play with! Plenty still do.

thx for the good advice.
i will do that in QP with better maps o7

[Commander A9]

That works too.

Also, to say that skittles or pugs can't tailor their mechs to prepare for a community warfare drop is wrong. They most certainly can!

Use LFG to form said group, then chat about which mechs you'd like to use or fit.

At its core guys, the biggest difference between a 12-man team and 12 pugs is how they coordinate. Mechs, weapons, tactics, all that good stuff can all be discussed prior to, in group chat, in Teamspeak, wherever!

Group up! Drop in! Let's do this and do this together!

[Maker L106]

This is actually exactly what I've been pitching to a few friends lately as the reason they SHOULD try FW. Granted they've been around since year one and have seen stuff that I haven't so I'm sure there's some aversion to trying again there. And while yeah an organized 12 man will usually stomp a regular bunched together group, its typical of communication /coordination between people who actively chat and those who don't. Talent and skill win you 1v1's or in some cases 1vX if you're really good. Combine talent / skill with teamwork and that's a hard wall to crack.

This said I've never dabbled in FW but once i get my mechs together for it I'd like to try. Filling out the drop decks can be a daunting task to a new player. That might also be a part of the current issue though being able to manage them in the Mechbay may help with that somewhat as it certainly opened my eyes to how woefully unprepared my current mechs are.

[Commander A9]

Now might be the best time more than ever to try to embrace Community Warfare. We all know it's in dire straits and we can't rely upon the developers to fix it. We must suck it up and make it fun in other ways.

So play for the people! Play for your buddies and your team! Play to play!

The alternative is to let it fade out...

...and do we really want that?

[Bud Crue]

Commander A9, on 12 October 2016 - 03:24 PM, said:

Now might be the best time more than ever to try to embrace Community Warfare. We all know it's in dire straits and we can't rely upon the developers to fix it. We must suck it up and make it fun in other ways.

So play for the people! Play for your buddies and your team! Play to play!

The alternative is to let it fade out...

...and do we really want that?

No, but it appears that PGI does. "Fight the power" and all that, but Russ has spoken and the future appears to be 8 planet quick play with re-spawns. Almost everyone I know who used to play CW has left; either due to their particular beefs with Phase 3, or out of a pure sense of defeat in response to Russ's attitude and various pronouncements regarding its future. Only way to "play for the people" is to join em in the group queue in QP since that's where they all went (at least those who still play). Don't worry though, given the plans for CW that Russ has stated you too will be in the QP queue soon enough! Once he has rid us, once and for all, of this trite "community" and "faction" nonsense, this game will finally and magically become the glorious, premier e-sports franchise that he always knew it could be. Alleluia!

[Commander A9]

God help us all.

If they want to make e-sports out of it, they should just give us Solaris.

Hell, I still play Mechwarrior 4 simply for Solaris with Clan Coyote on GameRanger.

[Crockdaddy]

I never sign out of TS. I am usually signed into 3 to 5 unit TS at any given time. If it wasn't for the people I'd have moved on long ago. Even the fact Night Stalker's has been a Battletech group for about 15 years it is the people. It is why sometimes I put a few hundred hours into that grindy game called ARK

[xX PUG Xx]

Yup, I've said it before but I'll say it again; if it wasn't for the friends I've made over the last four years I would be long gone. My bank balance may have been better off but the fun I've had is priceless, I will drop with those friends in FP until REALLY becomes a ghost town and then we'll do QP until all we have left is private lobbies.

I do wish FP was more immersive but right now the game is only as fun as WE make it. The framework is there and the players ARE the content, so let's just enjoy it as much as we can for as long as we can.

[Willard Phule]

And here I am thinking "so much of the truly die-hard BT/MW fanbase are grown up now, with jobs and responsibilities and such."

I remember, back in the day, being part of units. Back when I didn't have teenagers to try to keep herd on, or bills to pay. Personally, I like the concept of FW. It's kind of half-done, and with what I saw done with Mechwarrior:Legends, I'm surprised that this game hasn't incorporated some of the better things about it's gameplay.

Armored infantry, vehicles...even launching from a mech bay....all those things could have been used. Nope, we went for the whole "Playstation/Xbox" interface sorta deal. Even with the annoying "beep beep beep" stuff.

I just don't have the time or the desire to engage in it anymore. Not worth the effort.