308 replies to this topic

[CDLord HHGD]

I didn't run the test server.

Last night was my first night of play since the patch.

I ran my CN9-NCIX and HBK-4G unskilled. Play was great. No insta kills, no time I felt the meta was extreme or crazy. I skilled them both up and ran again, same results. Both pure PUG and in group PUG. I didn't feel like I was dominating (with my anti-meta mindset I rarely feel this way), but I didn't get dominated either.

All in all, I really like the change so far.

[C E Dwyer]

Undecided

The clicking isn't something i'm looking forward to.

I've played one match since it went live, put off by the number of clicks I'll have to do, but that doesn't put my in the nay side.

If there were less nodes, less skill points, the module skills we never used removed, but each node gave a bigger percentage, I'd probably be in the yes column, but as it stands I can't put my self there yet.

I guess I'm opinion pending

[Summon3r]

initially yay

after a number of games i am now a NAY

[I L L]

So I like to keep an eye on the steam chart for this game, primarily selfishly so that i know when search times might be shorter. And I know, quite a few people still play on the old client and I take that into account. At peak after patch on the first day, we hit 2000 players for the first time since August 2016, yes even more than Tukkayid 3 brought in. Impressive, right? Until the second day, at the same time fully 600 fewer players had logged in. For a game that struggles to maintain an average of 1000 players being logged in at a time, 600 is a very significant number of people who looked at the skill tree once and decided to log out again. That's a pretty strong NAY in my books.

See the data for yourself, 2 days after patch and we're back to "normal" player levels: http://steamcharts.com/app/342200


Edit:

Also, the Steam chart is a MUCH better indication of newer player interest than the old client would be.


Second edit: 17:00 today and 200 fewer players than the day before, for a total loss of 800 players in 48 hours.

Edited by I L L, 18 May 2017 - 01:34 PM.

[Summon3r]

I L L, on 18 May 2017 - 07:06 AM, said:

So I like to keep an eye on the steam chart for this game, primarily selfishly so that i know when search times might be shorter. And I know, quite a few people still play on the old client and I take that into account. At peak after patch on the first day, we hit 2000 players for the first time since August 2016, yes even more than Tukkayid 3 brought in. Impressive, right? Until the second day, at the same time fully 600 fewer players had logged in. For a game that struggles to maintain an average of 1000 players being logged in at a time, 600 is a very significant number of people who looked at the skill tree once and decided to log out again. That's a pretty strong NAY in my books.

See the data for yourself, 2 days after patch and we're back to "normal" player levels: http://steamcharts.com/app/342200

i wonder how non steam users there are, i dont run the game through steam. regardless those numbers are not encouraging what so ever.

[TercieI]

I L L, on 18 May 2017 - 07:06 AM, said:

So I like to keep an eye on the steam chart for this game, primarily selfishly so that i know when search times might be shorter. And I know, quite a few people still play on the old client and I take that into account. At peak after patch on the first day, we hit 2000 players for the first time since August 2016, yes even more than Tukkayid 3 brought in. Impressive, right? Until the second day, at the same time fully 600 fewer players had logged in. For a game that struggles to maintain an average of 1000 players being logged in at a time, 600 is a very significant number of people who looked at the skill tree once and decided to log out again. That's a pretty strong NAY in my books.

See the data for yourself, 2 days after patch and we're back to "normal" player levels: http://steamcharts.com/app/342200

Yeah, it's killed my motivation. Game has edging to "not fun" for awhile and this did not help at all.

[Grimlock Magnus]

100% Yay. As I'm learning the skill tree it gets better and easier to use. It now takes me about 2 minutes to make a mech I need (and that's not just opening up an entire tree, it is selectively using the nodes I need). And I live the customization options. I just reverted a Marauder IIC from a tanking laserboat to a fast striker.

[Amatsukaze]

YAY

If I would have replied to this thread a few hours after patch release I would have voted nay but now that I have some time with it I am starting to enjoy it. The fact is the old MWO is gone. This is a brand new game with the skill tree. From the mechs that I had mastered & now built with the skill tree I would have to say overall they are less capable then they were under the old system with modules but now they are better at their intended roles then with modules.

[I L L]

TercieI, on 18 May 2017 - 08:57 AM, said:

Yeah, it's killed my motivation. Game has edging to "not fun" for awhile and this did not help at all.

I've basically done up my PPC Summoner, Gauss NG and am waiting to see the drop decks for MRBC this week before I waste more of my time.

[Closet Treadhead]

Yay, cautiously. I like it that I don't have to buy 3 variants to skill mechs any more, I like it that I can choose individual skill paths for my mechs. The feedback on the results of your choices is not nearly as obvious as the old skill tree, which I don't like. Old skill tree was clear-cut, I believe fewer options would be better here. More than the old skill tree, less than the new one, maybe make it 60 nodes total instead of the 200 or so it is?

Getting your SP to the point where you can use them is confusing, a step-by-step screenshot guide would be helpful for newer players, hint hint PGI. Also was hoping I wouldn't have to pay C-bills for more SP, I was hoping to acquire them automatically, as in I play several matches, build up enough points, gain a SP, repeat.

The big thing that keeps me in this is that I can pick and choose the mechs I want now (counting myself lucky I'm a newish player, about 1.5 years here, with only 10 mechs in my garage), that I have friends here in MWO, and that the Civil War patch is coming up. Looking forward to that.

To recap. Yay, not perfect, but yay.

[Humpday]

YAY, def YAY....though I'm having some trouble adjusting to the tankiness part, I can no longer one shot someone with an open ct. Which kinda gets me into bad situations...ie over extending to secure blood rage kill.

My kill secures are lower right now...but it is freaking super fun tweaking mechs. I'm even finding myself not taking speed tweak on many mechs in favor or other nodes.

[Humpday]

Also, i'm struggling a bit to score high consistently now(500+ damage)...I'm not sure if its in my head or my play style has shifted/changed. Match scores have dove down since the release. I'mma call this season a wash an focus on adjusting to this thing.

[TercieI]

I L L, on 18 May 2017 - 09:27 AM, said:

I've basically done up my PPC Summoner, Gauss NG and am waiting to see the drop decks for MRBC this week before I waste more of my time.

Yep. I should be testing stuff for comp, but just can't find the interest.

[Tiewolf]

Initialy nay but after i got a hang on it YAY! Still c-bill cost for skillnodes and 6 different xp forms NAY.

[crashlogic]

Nay, the whole thing is way convoluted and forces us to take modules we don't want in order to get at things we do. I wasn't a huge fan of the old system, but this costs more, does less and will suck up most of my time rebuilding mechs.
I think the last is my biggest issue. This takes ten times as long as the old system and therefore sucks up my game play. I'm no longer hardcore on this game, and if I have to spent 1hr ******* around with my mech out of a two hour session, i'd rather not play. I mean this system not only nerfs my mechs (I think-not sure) but it forces me to learn a new system and thereby UNDOES ALL THE WORK AND KNOWLEdGE ACCUMULATION I HAVE DONE IN THIS GAME SO FAR.
thanks but no thanks on the skill tree system.

Hopefully the turn based battletech will get its **** together, and I can just play that.

[Jackal Noble]

Humpday, on 18 May 2017 - 09:34 AM, said:

Also, i'm struggling a bit to score high consistently now(500+ damage)...I'm not sure if its in my head or my play style has shifted/changed. Match scores have dove down since the release. I'mma call this season a wash an focus on adjusting to this thing.

Ya same, but I have a sneaking suspicion that is more of a global happening and not just affecting you. I too, noticed that. Might not be a bad thing (lower scores mean nothing ultimately, if everyone is scoring lower on average), we'll have to see how this thing evolves in the next few weeks/month.

[kuma8877]

JackalBeast, on 18 May 2017 - 10:16 AM, said:

Ya same, but I have a sneaking suspicion that is more of a global happening and not just affecting you. I too, noticed that. Might not be a bad thing (lower scores mean nothing ultimately, if everyone is scoring lower on average), we'll have to see how this thing evolves in the next few weeks/month.

Same experience here. Muscle memory/timing adjustment required, even if slight, it has been factor for sure. That, and having to counter LRM's more actively, with AMS not working properly and ECM bubbles being smaller on average, they are much more of an effective suppression weapon again. I'm not complaining mind you, but I have been pushed out of my normal game plan a lot more because of it.

[I L L]

Humpday, on 18 May 2017 - 09:34 AM, said:

Also, i'm struggling a bit to score high consistently now(500+ damage)...I'm not sure if its in my head or my play style has shifted/changed. Match scores have dove down since the release. I'mma call this season a wash an focus on adjusting to this thing.

Actually having the opposite experience. I regularly score over 700 damage a match with my heavies, but now it's getting much closer to and average of 1000. Not sure if this is a product of two air strikes, or players that haven't played in a while playing again, or people testing new builds against my meta builds, or mechs just having more armor and structure because of the tree. But It is very easy for me to get 1000 damage in my PPC Summoner or Gauss NG where it used to take actual concentration.

Edited by I L L, 18 May 2017 - 10:46 AM.

[Vonbach]

Initially yay. Now after some matches a huge nay. The patch is just a buff to clans and a nerf to IS.
The skill tree just makes the current sniper meta even worse. Only now poptarting is back and clans
are faster and have even more firepower than ever before. With the engine decouple torso twisting is harder
meaning your mechs die much faster. Its a giant mess.

[Sjorpha]

Yay.

I have very serious objections to the design philosophy employed in the skill tree, and there are some facepalm worthy things like all the different types of XP and SP and whatnot used in the transition. Why couldn't we just get refunded in GXP and XP and make nodes unlockable by only XP, so much simpler and cleaner that would have been.

But anyways, on the whole I think this is a good change. Which is interesting, because I thought I would hate it.

The engine decoupling is good, a lot more low engine and standard builds are viable now, it's good for the weight class balance. Assaults and heavies feel more like big mechs t drive now which is great.

The Skill tree itself...well I have to say I don't hate it as much as I thought I would. I really like the fact that I don't have to search for modules, and you do actually want quite different skills on different mechs and builds, so there is some real customization in there which was my main worry that it would be the same optimal nodes for all mechs. I would still prefer a linear solution where the variety came from the nodes being balanced in power rather than being obstructed by less powerful nodes, but I don't hate it. It's actually fun to skill mechs up IMO.

Lastly the Victor brawler is back! That alone is soo wonderful.

Now the big question is about balance. I like the described direction form the Q&A to actually balance Clan vs IS engines and weapons etc, I really hope they will do that. My future opinion of this patch is going to be very much dependent on whether they can do good work on balance in the following months.