29 replies to this topic

[Scyther]

At first the idea sounds good to me, and it would help promote more mech/chassis sales for PGI. Which to me is a good thing. I've given them my money, I'd like to see lots and LOTS of other people have good reason to do the same.

But then I think of everyone keeping an LRM variant on hand for certain maps, and a Gauss/sniper variant for other maps, and a Laser/PPCvomit for cold maps... and I get chills.

So yeah, lovely sounding idea, which I think would lead to horrible gameplay results.

[Champion of Khorne Lord of Blood]

MadBadger, on 29 April 2017 - 08:55 AM, said:

At first the idea sounds good to me, and it would help promote more mech/chassis sales for PGI. Which to me is a good thing. I've given them my money, I'd like to see lots and LOTS of other people have good reason to do the same.

But then I think of everyone keeping an LRM variant on hand for certain maps, and a Gauss/sniper variant for other maps, and a Laser/PPCvomit for cold maps... and I get chills.

So yeah, lovely sounding idea, which I think would lead to horrible gameplay results.

I still say its better than having just one ERPPC+Gauss variant for all maps.

[Nesutizale]

Again is it realy just this, Gauss+PPC all over?
I don't see it quite that much, maybe two or three mechs at a time. Is this problem maybe not more related to Tier1+2 matches?

[LordNothing]

qp decks. you get 4 decks, each one with 4 mechs of the same weight class. you pick a deck and drop. on the voting results screen, allow players to choose one mech out of their selected deck they will use for the drop.

[Nesutizale]

I would like to see a mode where you select a dropdeck and the enemy selects a mech for you to play...that would be fun.

[Nameless King]

Zookeeper Dan, on 28 April 2017 - 05:09 PM, said:

So I got this idea after listing to the latest NGNG podcast. They were talking of being able to select your mech (within 5-10 tons) after map and game mode voting.

A tweak on that would be to chose your chassis when you look for a game but after voting you would get to choose the variant.

This would have big advantages:

With the new skill tree and the end of the "rule of three" there is very little reason to pick up anything other than the best variant of a mech. This would provide a reason to buy other variants (or use all the variants already owned because we had to have them to master the best variant!)

This would not give the matchmaker any problems because all your choices would be the same weight.

It would add to loadout diversity. Instead of one mech that does okay in all situations you could specialize mechs for game modes and maps.

It would add to map and game mode diversity. If you have a lazervomit mech of course you don't want a hot map, but if players had had a cooler running variant maps like Terra Therma might show up more often.

Example:
I love ShadowHawks. My default would be my 2D2 with an AC10 and SRM4's, it works well on just about any map. If a city map shows up I could then choose my Grey Death with and AC20 and 4ML's for brawling hit and runs. For cold maps I could go with my 2K with 3 ERLL's. For hot maps I would go with my 2H with 2AC5's and SRM's. I might even buy more variants: A ShadowHawk with LRM's for Polar Highlands, one with a max engine for conquest, max Jump Jets for Incursion, etc...

Any thoughts I'd love to hear them!

NO its a horrible idea.

[Champion of Khorne Lord of Blood]

Nesutizale, on 29 April 2017 - 09:58 AM, said:

Again is it realy just this, Gauss+PPC all over?
I don't see it quite that much, maybe two or three mechs at a time. Is this problem maybe not more related to Tier1+2 matches?

Well, people are worried about min-maxing for certain maps, the only people who will be min maxing those maps are the same people you see running gauss+PPC right now.

[PhoenixFire55]

... or actually make a loadout system that has been present in all previous MW games.

[Bud Crue]

BumbleBee, on 28 April 2017 - 07:47 PM, said:

If you want your Mech to perform on the map that comes up, either learn to use your Mech outside it's comfort zone, or build it with a mixed loadout so you can do a bit of both.

On the one hand, when I see a post like that I think to myself. "Then what the hell do I need diversity for?" Why have a brawler, or a sniper or a harraser or any other mech but this heat neutral, all ranges mixed build mech?"

On the other hand, I have to agree with the premise expressed by others above that allowing us to choose mechs specially designed for a map, once we have selected that map would be a meta induced nightmare I suspect I would rather not play, at least not on a regular basis. It is essentially turning every match in to a comp style engagement. And I don't think I would like that too much.

So how about a mix of both the current system and one in which at set frequencies (on the hour?) through out the day the system provides something akin to the "call to arms" function which identifies a map and the number of seconds (counting down) "Polar Highlands Combat: 2:00" so that if desired players can play on that map with whatever mech they want to their hearts content. This would not split the queue for more than this small window and the MM would put together as many matches as warranted by the population clicking this "call to map" (if you will). Give the MM some set window of time to build the match and if unsuccessful due to insufficient numbers or whatever participants are dumped back in the regular game with only a few minutes or so lost.

Is such a thing feesible?

[Anjian]

Map voting should just be removed, period.

Not only does it limit variety of play, it also wastes time and is a time sink.

Map + pick your set up <- This is the standard format for most games. This isn't unique. Its common. And its proven. Its acceptable for much of the player audience.

Do note however, that the history of bad design in MWO is catching up with this one.

With other games, there are provisions for both brawling and sniping in the same map. They are designed with areas that are open, and areas that have cover. So, whether you are brawler or sniper, there is a place for you in the map. Not only that, but it also allows for diverse tactics in the map by offering more ways to approach victory for the map. A map that only offers one play style is a badly designed map, and is ultimately boring.

The other problem lies in the franchise technology itself. It isn't heat neutral. A tank in a tank game, is heat neutral. It doesn't matter if they are fighting in the icy steepes or the sandy deserts, because there is no heat factor in those games. So in a cold map, everyone brings lasers and PPCs, in a hot map, ballistics and missiles, in open maps, LRMs, in closed maps, your brawling setup.

Its long long too late to do everything now, but long time ago, every map on this game should have been heat neutral at room temperature.

But that's way too late to change now.

I say random maps, then pick a variant from one mech type. You can have a five Mad Cats, for example, all configured differently in a drop deck. But that's all you have to pick.

I thought about picking a mech via class. If you entered the game with a light mech, then you can choose from any of the mechs within the same weight class (Light/Medium/Heavy/Assault). But to let people do that, that's going to sink time.

You have to make this choosing process fast, easy, simple and quick. So I would go with the Type level rather than on the Class level, then pick a variant of the Type.

This also encourages sales of three mech sets through utility, rather than force three mech set sales via the required skill grind like we have now. This also supports mech sets where we have an energy intensive variant, a ballistic variant, and a missile variant, as well as all purpose ones.