67 replies to this topic

[Elizander]

If they add respawn to quick play and everyone can use 4 mechs then they can switch from selling 3 of the same to 4 different kinds that fit the drop deck tonnage ranges for quick play.

I think they can keep the round duration the same or at worst bump it up to 20 minutes, but most matches don't last 15 minutes anyway. I'd rather that 'quick' play matches not take 30 minutes, but I'll probably deal with a 30 minute match if that makes it better.

The thing is they'd need to set an absolute floor for Drop Deck tonnage say - never go below 240 or 250 tons and set the drop deck packs at that weight limit or else you're gonna get complaints of purchased drop decks being invalidated. All drop deck packs must be usable in a drop deck at all times despite tonnage changes so don't change it below that standard.

As for extras... I don't know. Maybe set it so that drop deck packs give an extra 10%-20% c-bills, xp and loyalty when used together. Go figure something out.

As an extra note, non-paying players would be able to make multiple accounts for drop decks without worrying about progress lost from not being able to transfer modules over from multiple accounts once the 3-to-master rule is gone along with modules. 1 account - 1 drop deck and no need to worry about mech bays limiting your pokemech fun. The only limit is you can't mix and match mechs from different accounts which is still a good enough reason to keep it all in 1 account and buy some mech bays.

[VirtualRiot]

Elizander, on 28 March 2017 - 03:51 AM, said:

If they add respawn to quick play and everyone can use 4 mechs then they can switch from selling 3 of the same to 4 different kinds that fit the drop deck tonnage ranges for quick play.

I think they can keep the round duration the same or at worst bump it up to 20 minutes, but most matches don't last 15 minutes anyway. I'd rather that 'quick' play matches not take 30 minutes, but I'll probably deal with a 30 minute match if that makes it better.

Are you suggesting that QM matches would require a drop deck of 4 mechs? Look, to me this would be fine, but I remember when I first started playing this game and how ******* long it took me to get my first 3 mechs. If a full drop deck was 4? I don't know if new players are still important to this game, but I feel like this would really leave them in the dust.
Also I don't like the idea of matches lasting 4x what they do now, often I don't have time in my day for a match that long. I just sit down, play one round of QM on my lunch break, and continue on with my day.

[WarHippy]

NO.
I do not want anything to do with this at all.
That sounds terrible.
etc.
etc.

[Scyther]

I would probably be OK with a 2-mech drop deck for a certain type of Quick Play match. Say add a Reinforcement match style to the usual rounds. It would have a set tonnage, say 150 tons, and you would need to set up your QP drop deck in advance.

Actually, I am changing my mind as I type. It should still be 150 tons, 2 mechs (for fast games, 4 mechs is too many for anything but suicide rushes). However it would be all the same QP maps and same QP modes, just with 2 mechs to drop with. You would click on Quick Play for single mech matches, Dual Play for Drop Deck matches, and Faction Play for faction matches.

The downside to this (which would be the killer) would be further splitting match queues that are currently barely populated enough for a decent match. If we had 2-3 times the playerbase it could work.

Edited by MadBadger, 28 March 2017 - 04:31 AM.

[Black Ivan]

Horrible idea. New players already have a big grind and medicore at best NPE.

[Iron Heel]

If..

When..?

Bla bla bla..

[Anjian]

I prefer not to have weight limits either maximum or minimum, so players can bring all assault, all light presets if they choose. You should not be constrained by weight, rather, you choose what roles you want to play in.

On another game I play aside, I got a five robot preset, one long range, one long range hit and run, one missileer, and two brawlers. Sometimes, I set it to one robot for super long range, another for midrange, always one missileer, and two brawlers. The random map determines which robot I will drop first, which tends to be the long range or the missileer, then once they are expended, I would chew through with the brawlers.

Edited by Anjian, 28 March 2017 - 04:52 AM.

[Appogee]

I have this nagging feeling they might not discontinue the Rule-of-Three, now that they are re-working the Skill Tree.

Mech Packs have been their main moneyspinner. To walk away from that revenue stream into an untested alternative ... would take, let's call it 'courage'.

But I don't want QP respawn. I have always wanted this to be more of a simulator than BF3050. In fact (see my recent thread) I wish PGI had developed pilot personas with unique skills that you would need to use during your 4 QP drops, so that magic respawn didn't even exist in FP.

[R Valentine]

Anything that means all game modes might not be skirmish is a big no no with this community. The, "NO RESPAWNS IN QP!" crowd is already packing in.

[justcallme A S H]

Elizander, on 28 March 2017 - 03:51 AM, said:

If they add respawn to quick play and everyone can use 4 mechs then they can switch from selling 3 of the same to 4 different kinds that fit the drop deck tonnage ranges for quick play.

I think they can keep the round duration the same or at worst bump it up to 20 minutes, but most matches don't last 15 minutes anyway. I'd rather that 'quick' play matches not take 30 minutes, but I'll probably deal with a 30 minute match if that makes it better.

The thing is they'd need to set an absolute floor for Drop Deck tonnage say - never go below 240 or 250 tons and set the drop deck packs at that weight limit or else you're gonna get complaints of purchased drop decks being invalidated. All drop deck packs must be usable in a drop deck at all times despite tonnage changes so don't change it below that standard.

Quick pkay with drop decks and respawns...

Are you thst oblivious to the button next to "Quick Play"?

From memory, I believe, it says "Faction Play" and in that mode I think you might be able to run drop decks with multi mechs on QP maps.


The above might not be true, I'm just going off rumours

Edited by justcallme A S H, 28 March 2017 - 05:28 AM.

[Appogee]

Kiran Yagami, on 28 March 2017 - 05:05 AM, said:

Anything that means all game modes might not be skirmish is a big no no with this community. The, "NO RESPAWNS IN QP!" crowd is already packing in.

In what way do you think respawns would make any difference to all game modes playing out as Skirmish?

[R Valentine]

Appogee, on 28 March 2017 - 05:29 AM, said:

In what way do you think respawns would make any difference to all game modes playing out as Skirmish?

Because then just killing all the enemies wouldn't be a win condition. Right now it doesn't even matter where you kill your enemies or what positions you hold. As long as you get them all down you can play the minigame at your leisure afterwards. If they respawn then you can't do that. You can't just find the one good spot on the map and hold it until there's no one left to shoot. There are always going to be people to shoot and shoot back, so you'll actually have to mosey on down to an objective. And rolling in murder balls won't be the only viable tactic. If you make a gamble at taking a point solo and get murdered your entire team won't have to pay for that mistake for the rest of the game. In fact, if you delay the murder ball long enough it might even work to their benefit. Right now the murder ball just says, "1 down, 11 to go". They like seeing soloers.

[Elizander]

Kiran Yagami, on 28 March 2017 - 05:05 AM, said:

Anything that means all game modes might not be skirmish is a big no no with this community. The, "NO RESPAWNS IN QP!" crowd is already packing in.

Don't worry, they are certainly expected. I posted this on Reddit as well and they are piling in hard on there.

[R Valentine]

Wildstreak, on 28 March 2017 - 06:03 AM, said:

• Respawns will not change the All Modes are Skirmish mentality, anyone who has played Faction Play knows this.
  
• Respawns will shrink the playerbase more.

Be better off asking for a new Private Match feature with Respawns and allowing use of Faction Play Modes. Then you get 2 benefits.

• Those who want Respawns without FP can just get together enough people and play a Private Match with it.
  
• Those who want to train others for FP can do so.

What are you even talking about? Faction play and quick play share nothing in common, so saying "well just look at faction play!" is a poor argument.

Faction play is laced with 12 man premades. Faction play is stacked with competitive players using meta builds. Quick play has more casual players who play what they like. Faction play throws any semblance of matchmaking out the window. Quick play at least attempts to match players according to PSR and is premade free. Faction play does not have respawns. It has drop decks, but the number of mechs you have to kill is still finite. It still ends up being skirmish/damage farm, only longer. Faction play also has game modes quick play knows not of. The two aren't even remotely similar and even adding a drop deck, which isn't even the best fix IMO, wouldn't make them similar. Dropping solo in faction play is sheer agony. Dropping solo in quick play is the same as everyone else.

[Wildstreak]

Kiran Yagami, on 28 March 2017 - 06:11 AM, said:

What are you even talking about? Faction play and quick play share nothing in common, so saying "well just look at faction play!" is a poor argument.

The poor argument is yours, the OP's and anyone who agrees with you.
I have done FP not only in PUGs against teams, also PUGs against PUGs. That last one is where I KNOW I am right and your side is not.
PUG vs PUG in FP boils down to PUGs on both sides using QP tactics.

• Camp spots
  
• Snipe while preserving armor
  
• Focus on killing enemies instead of objectives.

Seen it, played it, know it to be true.
PUG vs PUG FP is Skirmish all the time.
Respawns do NOT change the habits of PUGs, they just drag it out over 3 more Mechs.

Maybe now FP is all PUGs vs Units, I have not touched it since Spring last year but I have seen it.
Validates everything I said.
Just because you never saw PUG vs PUG in FP doesn't make you right.

[R Valentine]

Wildstreak, on 28 March 2017 - 06:16 AM, said:

The poor argument is yours, the OP's and anyone who agrees with you.
I have done FP not only in PUGs against teams, also PUGs against PUGs. That last one is where I KNOW I am right and your side is not.
PUG vs PUG in FP boils down to PUGs on both sides using QP tactics.

• Camp spots
  
• Snipe while preserving armor
  
• Focus on killing enemies instead of objectives.

Seen it, played it, know it to be true.

PUG vs PUG FP is Skirmish all the time.
Respawns do NOT change the habits of PUGs, they just drag it out over 3 more Mechs.

Maybe now FP is all PUGs vs Units, I have not touched it since Spring last year but I have seen it.
Validates everything I said.
Just because you never saw PUG vs PUG in FP doesn't make you right.

FP is rarely PUG, that's the whole point. The mode plays nothing like QP. It was never intended to be QP and it will never be anything like QP. Adding a drop deck to QP won't make QP even similar to FP. There is no FP solo queue and FP has modes that don't even exist in QP. Just because you once saw PUG vs PUG in FP a year ago doesn't make you right.

The poor argument is yours and anyone who agrees with you.

[CK16]

If we need respawns in QP for some game mode. Just have it be you spawn in the mech you dropped in first. No need for a drop deck ect.

[R Valentine]

CK16, on 28 March 2017 - 06:25 AM, said:

If we need respawns in QP for some game mode. Just have it be you spawn in the mech you dropped in first. No need for a drop deck ect.

Pretty much my opinion. Adding drop decks puts all the strain on the new players struggling to fit their first mech. The other problem with FP and drop decks is that FP increases the timer well beyond the normal 15 minutes. It's pointless to add more lives if you still have the time to "kill them all, play the minigame afterwards". The whole point is to make it impossible to wipe the map clean of enemies in time to still capture every objective. You have to be forced allocate a large portion of your time to doing objectives under enemy fire.

[Appogee]

Kiran Yagami, on 28 March 2017 - 05:53 AM, said:

Right now it doesn't even matter where you kill your enemies or what positions you hold. As long as you get them all down you can play the minigame at your leisure afterwards. If they respawn then you can't do that. You can't just find the one good spot on the map and hold it until there's no one left to shoot. There are always going to be people to shoot and shoot back, so you'll actually have to mosey on down to an objective. And rolling in murder balls won't be the only viable tactic. If you make a gamble at taking a point solo and get murdered your entire team won't have to pay for that mistake for the rest of the game. In fact, if you delay the murder ball long enough it might even work to their benefit. Right now the murder ball just says, "1 down, 11 to go". They like seeing soloers.

I believe an alternative scenario would probably play out...

Leeroys would load up their highest alpha Mechs with minimal ammo loadouts and barrel head on into the enemy firing line, release one salvo, and die in a hail of enemy fire.

Lurmtatoes would take whichever Mech can manage the most LRM tubes, and sit outside spawn firing missiles at remote locks, until they ran out of missiles. Then they'd waddle off into the enemy firing line so they could die, get a new Mechload of missiles, and do it all over again.

Neither of them would care less about the number of tickets consumed, winning the match, playing to a strategy.

In short, respawn would make the game less tactical, not more. I honestly can't think of a less attractive development.

Edited by Appogee, 28 March 2017 - 06:41 AM.

[R Valentine]

Appogee, on 28 March 2017 - 06:38 AM, said:

I believe an alternative scenario would probably play out...

Leeroys would load up their highest alpha Mechs with minimal ammo loadouts and barrel head on into the enemy firing line, release one salvo, and die in a hail of enemy fire.

Lurmtatoes would take whichever Mech can manage the most LRM tubes, and sit outside spawn firing missiles at remove locks, until they ran out of missiles. Then they'd waddle off into the enemy firing line so they could die, get a new Mechload of missiles, and do it all over again.

Net of the above: respawn will make the game less tactical, not more.

That's all stuff that already happens, though. Leeroys will always be Leeroys and Lurmers will always be Lurmers. Only now it doesn't mater how hard you Leeroy or how hard you Lurm, because killing mechs alone won't win you the game. All the Lurms in the world won't cap a point if you can't be bothered to stand in the square, and with enemies virtually infinite you either have to get in the square under enemy fire or not at all. You'll still have to find time to cap a point or waddle your mech into the circle or the game ends in the enemy's favor.