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[InnerSphereNews]

Table of Contents Structure of this Public Test Victory Conditions Team Bases Fuel Cells and Generators Defense Towers Performance Rewards Incursion Maps New Loading Screens

Greetings MechWarriors,

March 31st Update: The Incursion Public Test Sessions is now offline. Work will continue on the Mode as we approach its release in the April 18th patch! You can check out some of the changes you can expect in our update post here.

Welcome to the Incursion Game Mode Public Test Session!

Incursion is a brand-new Quick Play Game Mode coming soon to the battlefields of the Inner Sphere. To achieve victory teams must not only launch offensives against entrenched Enemy forces, but contend for control of centralized Fuel Cell Generators to power key Defensive Systems.

Currently planned for release in the April 18th patch, upon release the Incursion Game Mode will be available in standard Quick Play matches. It will not be featured in Faction Play.

This Public Test will be running until further notice, so jump into the fray and give us your feedback!

As usual, this Public Test contains a cloned version of the main player account database. This clone was created on March 22nd 2017 at approximately 10AM UTC. As a result, upon logging into Public Test your account will appear as it did at the time of the clone.

• If your account was created after that time you will be unable to access this Public Test.

• If your login credentials were changed after that time you will need to login to this PTS using your original credentials.

• If your account was temporarily suspended at that time please contact moderation@mwomercs.com to resolve the suspension on PTS.

• All Quick Play matches are currently 8v8. While this will result in longer matchmaking times compared to the 4v4 format typically used for Public Test Sessions, accurately testing and providing feedback for Incursion will greatly benefit from larger teams. If PTS traffic allows for it we'll expand to the full 12v12 to ensure optimal matches.

• Private Matches will be accessible.

• Feel free to post in this announcement thread or in the PTS sub-forum if you'd like to find other players for a Private Lobby.

• The standard Quick Play voting system will still be in place, but Incursion should be a guaranteed voting option for every match.

• Solo and Group Queue matches will be supported. However, you will need to Group up in groups of 2 or 4 to find a match.

• The matchmaker will not be in effect (no PSR or Weight Class matching).

• Please do not contact Support regarding any PTS questions or feedback. Please direct all PTS-related content to the dedicated Discussion Forum.

• Destroy the Enemy base (or)

• Destroy all Enemy combatants and have a Base Damage advantage* (or)

• Have a Base Damage advantage when the match timer expires

* Enemy Base has less health than your Team Base

River City Base West

Each Team controls one Base on either side of the map. Each Base contains the following elements:

• 4 Destructible Mobile Field Bases

• 3 Destructible Defense Towers

• Air Control Tower

• Radar Tower

• Jamming Tower

• Destructible Base Walls
• Destructible Base Turrets

The Mobile Field Bases and Defense Towers contribute to the overall health of the base. Destroying or damaging any of those Base elements will reduce the overall health of the Enemy base and bring your Team closer to victory.

Base Walls do not count toward the health of the Base, but destroying them can provide your forces with a new vector of attack. Base Turrets also do not count toward the health of the Base.

At the start of an Incursion Match all Defense Towers are inoperable. Players must locate Fuel Cell Generators on the map, retrieve their Fuel Cells, and return them to a Defense Tower for installation.

Mobile Field Base

Each Incursion map contains three Fuel Cell Generators, separated from each other and roughly equidistant between the two Bases.

These Generators provide battlefield forces with Fuel Cells; reliable means of powering operational facilities, monitoring equipment, and defensive systems in the absence of reactor-based options. Players must use these Fuel Cells to power the Defense Towers located in their Team Base. Fuel Cells retrieved from any of the Generators can be placed into any friendly Defense Tower you wish.

At the start of each match all three Generators will contain fully charged Fuel Cells waiting to be retrieved.
These Generators cannot be damaged.

Fully-charged Fuel Cell awaiting retrieval

Retrieving a Fuel Cell

Fuel Cell retrieved / New Cell being fabricated and charged

Each Fuel Cell Generator requires 2 minutes to charge a Fuel Cell. Once a Fuel Cell has been fully charged the Generator will make the Cell accessible for retrieval. Fuel Cells do not deplete while they are still in the Generator.

Once a Fuel Cell is retrieved the Generator will reactivate and begin charging a new Fuel Cell.

To retrieve a charged Fuel Cell from a Generator a ‘Mech must stand within 5 meters of the Generator. Retrieval time is 3 seconds.

If two friendly ‘Mechs are both within range the Fuel Cell will be received by the first player to have entered range.

Fuel Cells cannot be retrieved if an Enemy ‘Mech is also within range. Destroying the Enemy ‘Mech in such a scenario will trigger the start of the standard 3s retrieval time.

Fuel Cells do not deplete when they are retrieved from the Generator and being carried by a 'Mech. They will only deplete after being installed into a Defense Tower.

A ‘Mech can only carry 1 Fuel Cell at a time, and Fuel Cells cannot be transferred between ‘Mechs. If a ‘Mech carrying a Fuel Cell is destroyed, the Fuel Cell is destroyed with it.

Friendly and Enemy 'Mechs will display an associated icon in the standard targeting information while holding a Fuel Cell. When carrying a Cell you will also see the associated icon in your HUD.

To install a Fuel Cell into a Defense Tower the ‘Mech must stand within 5 meters of the Tower. Installation time is 3 seconds.

Once installed a Fuel Cell will immediately start providing the Defense Tower with 2 minutes of power.

After 2 minutes the Fuel Cell will be depleted and consumed, allowing another Cell to be installed.

Once consumed a Fuel Cell is considered destroyed and does not need to be returned to the Generator. Each Fuel Cell Generator acts as its own fabrication unit, creating and charging new Fuel Cells.

Only the upper module of the Defense Towers can be damaged, such as the jamming sphere, the radar platform, and the air control booth. The scaffolding and tower structure itself cannot be damaged.

Defense Tower Generator

A Tower Generator can only hold one Fuel Cell at a time. Replacing a partially-drained Fuel Cell with a fully-charged Fuel Cell will not provide the Tower with an ‘extra’ amount of power; it will simply provide the Tower with the standard full charge of a Fuel Cell (2 minutes).

Air Control Tower

When powered, the Air Control Tower will call in a friendly DropShip to hover over the Team Base and engage Enemy forces at a range of 540 meters.

The DropShip will maintain this defensive pattern for a period of 5 seconds before departing.

A new Dropship will arrive every 7-17 seconds, depending on the map, for as long as the Air Control Tower has power (2 minutes per Fuel Cell).

Radar Tower

When powered, the Radar Tower conducts a full radar sweep of the battlefield, displaying Enemy positions for a duration of 5 seconds. This sweep re-occurs every 25 seconds for as long as the Radar Tower has power (2 minutes per Fuel Cell).

Radar sweeps will not detect ‘Mechs under protection from ECM.

Jamming Tower

When powered, the Jamming Tower will issue a jamming signal, extending in a raius roughly half-way between the Tower and the Fuel Cell Generators, to counteract Enemy radar and targeting systems. This Jamming signal is perpetually active for as long as the Tower has power (2 minutes per Fuel Cell).

Players can receive Rewards for performing the following actions in the Incursion Game Mode:

Retrieving a Fuel Cell

• 10XP and 500 C-Bills

Installing a Fuel Cell

• 50XP and 1,500 C-Bills

Destroying an Enemy Defense Tower or Mobile Field Base

• 100 XP and 10,000 C-Bills

The following maps are currently supported for the Incursion Game Mode:

• Caustic Valley

• Crimson Strait

• Forest Colony

• Frozen City

• Grim Plexus

• HPG Manifold

• Polar Highlands

• River City

• Tourmaline Desert

In addition to Incursion, this Public Test build features a new style of loading screen.

[Deathlike]

Figured something was up on the PTS since it had patching options yesterday.

[Aramuside]

Looks interesting.

[Wolfengel]

Nice, Could be funny. Is definitely an interesting approach.

To reduce waiting times, possibly go from 12v12 to 8v8

Edited by Wolfengel, 24 March 2017 - 03:21 PM.

[The Unstoppable Puggernaut]

Wish I could help out on this, this mode meant the most to me. Unfortunately it's hit me at the wrong time. I hope this all goes well.

[Tarogato]

Deathlike, on 24 March 2017 - 03:08 PM, said:

Figured something was up on the PTS since it had patching options yesterday.

Waaaat. I accidentally opened the PTS yesterday instead of the live client and it was definitely offline and no patching options. =P

[Bud Crue]

Alas, I hardly played this week and I want to get tome loot bags while I still can. I've participated in, posted on and argued about every PTS and every iterative change to every PTS to date. Someone else can do my part this time. Hope it goes well.

[ZoeMega]

@Alexander Garden

I am looking forward to testing out this game mode!

I sure wish the queue times were shorter. If only there was a way to incentivise playing on the test server, some sort of an event reward. Nah, that would be too hard. Nevermind.

I'll just sit in the queue.

[Deathlike]

Tarogato, on 24 March 2017 - 03:25 PM, said:

Waaaat. I accidentally opened the PTS yesterday instead of the live client and it was definitely offline and no patching options. =P

I did this a lot later at night (I patched during midnight EDT).


This vaguely looks a lot like Fractured Space's default gamemode.

[Cy Mitchell]

It will be interesting to try this. After reading through the notes and description I am a bit wary that it will simply be another Skirmish mode centered around the Fuel Cell Generators.

Things that I like and appreciate:

Rewards for doing objectives
New mode
Destructible structures
Inclusion of Tower benefits
A capture the flag type mechanic

[K19]

Well well. This is very strange!!!! I think these ideas are from MWLL but why do you want to use here in MWO lack of players ??? And why this was not used in 2011 or 2010 and gives birth to MWLL ????? . But it's ok. I give my opinion improved when testing.

1º We can destroy them for the enemy not to use the "Fuel Cell".

2º Some of the maps are small and poorly designed to use this style of play and its tactics.

3º Why repair all mech and their hit points weapons. Before moving forward with new ideas ????

Edited by K19, 24 March 2017 - 03:41 PM.

[I cant want to]

starting to worry about the future of mining collective and the bog - yet another game mode where they are not supported

[Ninjah]

Looks interesting, going to give it a go.

[Deathlike]

When actually reading this, the DropshipJesus beacon (assuming a few things about their builds) is probably the strongest of them all.

[Winther]

Destroy all Enemy combatants and have a Base Damage advantage*

Does this mean the match ends as soon as all mechs on one side are destroyed, or does the side with mechs left then need to just do some damage to the other base?

If the match just ends, I can imagine suiciding if you are in the damage lead being a thing to do.

If the match does not end, then it could turn into an irritating wait-two-minutes-for-the-dropship-to-leave snoozefest.

I really like the concept of this game mode, and am eager to see how things work out.

Edited by Winther, 24 March 2017 - 03:57 PM.

[Tarogato]

Deathlike, on 24 March 2017 - 03:36 PM, said:

This vaguely looks a lot like Fractured Space's default gamemode.

Conquest? I don't think so... that mode is more like MWO's Assault, except with a caveat that you can only get to the enemy's base by pushing through the left or right flank and capturing their auxiliary bases to unlock access to the enemy's main base. And then there's a center section whose capture provides combat oriented buffs, but only available for capture every 5 minutes or something.

[Deathlike]

Tarogato, on 24 March 2017 - 03:53 PM, said:

Conquest? I don't think so... that mode is more like MWO's Assault, except with a caveat that you can only get to the enemy's base by pushing through the left or right flank and capturing their auxiliary bases to unlock access to the enemy's main base. And then there's a center section whose capture provides combat oriented buffs, but only available for capture every 5 minutes or something.

I meant to edit that, but they actually have that other mode "Frontline", which is actually closer to this.

I did mention the word "vaguely" even in that particular statement.

[- Pestilence -]

Seems like great game mode but you know what people will choose ? Assault or Skirmish on Crimson Strait. Dear PGI first you need to get rid of map voting system or we will never be able to play this.

[Sky Hawk]

Sounds interesting.. So.. I just walk there.. and LRM all the Base structures into pixels.. Done!...

But the Fuel Cells part...I don't get it... Why should I bother with that? ... Hmm..


Anyway.... We'll see... Thanks!

Edited by Sky Hawk, 24 March 2017 - 04:07 PM.

[Glaive-]

The whole fuel cell thing seems very.... un-mechwarrior. But we'll see how it plays out.

I hope that the dropships aren't the same old neutered Leopard dropships with their med laser spam.
Those things need their actual BT loadouts, and have their weapons be destructible. Less aim-boty AI would be very good as well.