13 replies to this topic

[Kaeb Odellas]

Yeah, the skill tree is kind of a mess, but that doesn't mean it can't be improved. Post any simple quality of life improvements you'd like to see.

I'll start:

• On the Enhancements list, please color quirks differently from skills so it is easier to tell them apart.
  
• For ammo capacity skills, only list capacity upgrades that are actually relevant to the current loadout. For example, if you are a UAC5 boat, only list the UAC5 Ammo Capacity upgrade instead of listing all of them. Same for missiles
  
• Replace the Armor/Heat/Tonnage/Firepower diamond on the mech select stat sheet with more useful information, like heat dissipation, heat capacity, max heat generation, alpha damage, DPS, etc.
  
• Display equipped ammo under the weapon lists.
  
• Display total combined structure for a mech on its stats sheet.
  
• Don't put Torso Pitch skills as gatekeepers on the mobility tree. My JR7-F does not benefit from Torso Pitch, but needs Speed Tweak.

[Scyther]

Grabbing my notes from another thread...

1. The 'Current Mech Enhancements' window should be either longer, or resizable. So I can drag the bottom down and see more of my current values in the list. Draggable window position would help also.

2. It should show the number of nodes currently selected but not allocated in Tree summary at the top - the 0 / 0 / 35 place. If you are only working on one tree at a time, this shows up as the 'Allocated SP' in the Enhancements window. If you are working more than one tree at a time, it becomes harder to see where your allocation budget is.

3. Having almost all the nodes the same faded blue is visually unappealing, and also harder to spot the nodes you are looking to make a path to. All the nodes of one type (Heat Gen, Cool Run etc) should either have distinct borders, a visible icon worked into the background, or be shaded/colored like the FirePower tree has for Missile Spread, Laser Durations, and UAC Jam. Why they colored 3 types out of dozens is a mystery...

4. Of course, after all the complaining about literally thousands of clicks for some players, it really should have a Save Tree/Load Tree function

5. It would be nice if the Mech Enhancements list was organized somehow. I currently have Mobility entries showing at the top and bottom of the list (Torso Yaw Speed, Turn Rate) and Firepower bonuses listed at the top and bottom (Heat/Range, Laser Duration). Group them by tree, or by function, or heck, even alphabetically. I've no idea what sort of grouping they use now.

6. Also, when the Mech Enhacements list is open, or just the skill tree, it would help if you could click on an entry in the list or right-click a node, and have it 'highlight' all the nodes of that type with a bit of extra glow around the border.

[Chound]

MadBadger, on 17 May 2017 - 01:56 AM, said:

Grabbing my notes from another thread...

5. It would be nice if the Mech Enhancements list was organized somehow. I currently have Mobility entries showing at the top and bottom of the list (Torso Yaw Speed, Turn Rate) and Firepower bonuses listed at the top and bottom (Heat/Range, Laser Duration). Group them by tree, or by function, or heck, even alphabetically. I've no idea what sort of grouping they use now.

this particular arrangement is by value so it's very hard to get all of the populaar skills without taking extra nodes this is why speed tweek is on the very bottom of the list and radar derp is split into so many pieces. They want mastering the mech to be hard as it that was an important goal in the game not a stepping stone. PGI figures the only reason you play is go get XP and money to master the mech, and after that you stop playing. not that a mastered mech is a better tool to win games which is the goal for some people pgi needs to be careful because there are other mech games available

[Kinski Orlawisch]

[S p a n i a r d]

Imo, using a "tree" as the graphical representation of the mech improvements is an unnecessary complication of the system. They could have just used a simple tabulated form similar to Mass Effect 2 (don't flame me lol) where you have ability points, and you assign them to the abilities/improvements that you want, e.g.

5 Ability Points > can be distributed into Heat Dissipation (2% per point max 5) or Speed Tweak (1.5% per point max 5)

The pathing in a skill tree is just a nuisance at this point in time.

Other than that, I like the new system. Mechs will be more specialized now.

Edited by S p a n i a r d, 17 May 2017 - 02:42 AM.

[Bud Crue]

Quality of life improvement?

How about a "save and name branch" function followed by a "apply saved branch" function? Charge me MC for more than 12 if need be, but get this functionality in the game...yesterday.

Edited by Bud Crue, 17 May 2017 - 02:41 AM.

[Scyther]

Couple more:

-Not sure if this happens to other people. I click 16 or so nodes in a tree, they're all lit. Then I click Add SP, add 16 SP. Apply Changes. Suddenly 3-5 of those nodes dim out, and show the lock symbol on them. I can switch trees or do a little mouse-waving over the nodes, and they will flicker and dim in/out and then finally light up as properly purchased nodes again. Seems sloppy.

-As mentioned in another thread, %Based skill nodes should have a minimum absolute effect, or a variable effect based on weight class (like Armor does for Lights/Mediums etc). Reason being that Fatlas, Direslug etc are hit very hard by mobility issues, yet buying even 6 Hard Brake or Kinetic Burst nodes, or 4 Anchor Turn, does almost nothing for them.

Comparison:

Cyclops 11-A = Acc: 24.63 / Dec: 18.88
Direwolf Prime = Acc: 6.19 / Dec: 11

With 6 Hard Brake/Kinetic, Cyclops goes to 29.8 Acc / 22.8 Dec. Direwolf goes to 7.5 / 13.3. The percent change is the same, the 'absolute' effect difference is significant for the Cyclops, unnoticeable for the Dire. If these nodes had a minimum value, say 0.5, then at least 6 nodes would make a 3.0 Accel/Decel difference for the Dire, which begins to be at least noticeable.

[LORD ORION]

+ammo shows WAY too much info in the right hand window that shows accumulated bonuses.
Please only show +ammo for weapons equipped on the mech.

Please color code each different bonus type so they are easier to find.

Also Velocity 5 position needs to be considered in reference to PPCs.
You're going to end up taking a skill that does not help PPCs to get it.

Skill tree tabs have different names than the skill tree itself.
Firepower : Weapons
Survival : Armor Structure
Mobility : Agility
Etc...

Edited by LORD ORION, 17 May 2017 - 02:53 PM.

[Scyther]

LordNothing made some good QoL suggestions here:

https://mwomercs.com...ropped-5-times/

[mike29tw]

Mouse over one node to highlight all of the same node in the current tree.

[Scyther]

Another good idea, for pre-made Skill Templates for mechs:

https://mwomercs.com...-would-be-cool/

[Damnedtroll]

MadBadger, on 17 May 2017 - 02:20 PM, said:

Couple more:

-Not sure if this happens to other people. I click 16 or so nodes in a tree, they're all lit. Then I click Add SP, add 16 SP. Apply Changes. Suddenly 3-5 of those nodes dim out, and show the lock symbol on them. I can switch trees or do a little mouse-waving over the nodes, and they will flicker and dim in/out and then finally light up as properly purchased nodes again. Seems sloppy.

-As mentioned in another thread, %Based skill nodes should have a minimum absolute effect, or a variable effect based on weight class (like Armor does for Lights/Mediums etc). Reason being that Fatlas, Direslug etc are hit very hard by mobility issues, yet buying even 6 Hard Brake or Kinetic Burst nodes, or 4 Anchor Turn, does almost nothing for them.

Comparison:

Cyclops 11-A = Acc: 24.63 / Dec: 18.88
Direwolf Prime = Acc: 6.19 / Dec: 11

With 6 Hard Brake/Kinetic, Cyclops goes to 29.8 Acc / 22.8 Dec. Direwolf goes to 7.5 / 13.3. The percent change is the same, the 'absolute' effect difference is significant for the Cyclops, unnoticeable for the Dire. If these nodes had a minimum value, say 0.5, then at least 6 nodes would make a 3.0 Accel/Decel difference for the Dire, which begins to be at least noticeable.

A big disparity of agility for not a big one in tonnage... that's the problem with assault presently. Some are total bricks, others not and for 5 tons differences. Some had buff before but not three times more deg/sec buff

[GotShotALot]

I would like to see my Mech XP when I am in the Select Mech window. Before Skill Tree, if you clicked on a mech, in the window at lower left where it says Current Battlemech/Name/Designation, you could also see your current XP for that mech. You could just click the mech picture, see its XP, click the next mech, see it's xp, etc.

Now you have to click the mech, click Skills to get a very large cluttered screen, check your XP over on far right, and click Back to get to the Select window for the next mech.

If I am playing 6-10 different mechs, and trying to progress in them, and since I rarely see how my last battle turned out since I leave and start the next one when I die, then I keep having to go into Skills, Back, Select Mech, Skills, Back, Select Mech... in order to see which mech still needs more XP. It's an unnecessary awkward step in an already overly-clicky system.

[Kaeb Odellas]

Thought of 2 more:

-Please reduce the threshold for detecting a click-and-drag command on the skill tree. It is difficult to rapidly fill out skill nodes as the quickly clicking on several nodes is often detected as a drag command.

-Allow us to add SP with the Apply Changes button if we have allocated more nodes than we have SP.