26 replies to this topic

[Racerxintegra2k]

I've had very odd feelings since the skill tree drop in specific. I thought i really liked the changes the skill tree brought. For the most part i do, its a better game.
However i find myself with less desire to play and it shows in the amount of matches played since the skill tree. I find myself logging on looking at my mechs and then logging off. The overwhelming sense of doom when i think about playing for several hours to have little to show for it in the way of cbills is completely demoralizing for me. If i do manage to muster the desire to play i hardly ever play more than 4-5 matches. I used to play for 4-5 hours at a time.


It doesn't make sense i should want to play more not less after a good change right ? While the skill tree was a good change ... was it a fun change ?

How do you guys feel ?

[Vellron2005]

Personally, I love the skill tree, and what it did for this game. I think it's the most monumental change to the game since the introduction of Faction Play (CW).. Definitely a FUN change..

I feel like I'm playing the game over from start on some mechs that are not yet mastered, and like I'm playing professional on the mastered ones.

I've even progressed up the tiers somewhat, and the competition didn't get more difficult for me..

OP, you're looking at this all wrong.. you should not have something to show for playing for some hours.. but you are supposed to have fun playing for hours..

And how don't you have anything to show for it? Mastering a mech is expensive.. and after you're done, there's always more mechs to buy and master..

But the point of this game is not to master mechs.. the point is to have good, simple fun, shooting big stompy robots and proving you're better than the other guy at it.

THAT is what you have to show for it..

if you only have 4 mechs, (1 FP dropdeck) you can have hours of fun with this game..

[Skanderborg]

I really just hate when i buy a new mech for a few games i'm 0/91 against maxed builds , but that's about it.

Edited by Skanderborg, 20 June 2017 - 05:28 AM.

[Gwahlur]

Playing new mechs is really tough yeah

[Roughneck45]

Sounds like burnout to me.

New skill tree brought me out of hibernation for the most part.

[Angel of Annihilation]

Skanderborg, on 20 June 2017 - 05:28 AM, said:

I really just hate when i buy a new mech for a few games i'm 0/91 against maxed builds , but that's about it.

Yeah unlike the old tree where in a very short time, maybe 10 matches, you could have significant upgrades knocked out through unlocking the basic skills, the new skill tree takes forever to get to the same point. In general you need to have 40-50 nodes unlocked before a chassis starts to become competitive. That is 40k XP and 2.25 million C-bills. I am not really going to complain because I know in the long run we are getting a better deal but the game does feel a bit more grindy now, moreso because I am still buying multiple variants of the same mech (Just bought 4 Supernovas for example).

[Novakaine]

Skill treez phu z me like.

[o0m9]

Personally I like the new skilltree. The C-bill grind for three separate mechs was brutal. The grind is still ***, but it's much less *** since you can shoulder it in small chunks (this is particularly true with clan mechs). Even then, all of my top performing mechs right now are mostly unskilled. Picked up one of the Crabs earlier today and have been tearing stuff apart with it; same story with the 6cMPL Hunstman.

I also like the forced trade-offs offered by the new tree, though I'm probably not very good at actually building stuff yet.

Edited by o0m9, 20 June 2017 - 06:01 AM.

[Bud Crue]

Conflicted.
I love the game. I tolerate the skills tree. I'm kinda sick of not knowing how anything will perform on a month to month baisis and like the OP it is draining my desire to play or support the game. The worst part is, is that I am convinced the ever changing nature of the game's mechanics will be the new norm as I am pretty sure that is PGI's new economic model to keep us spending in game currency in the absence of the three mech model.

[Lukoi Banacek]

I've always advocated for more granularity in the decision making of builds and ST delivers that. While not a fan of 91 clicks and overall I believe PGI has hurt the NPE, but in the end I do not dislike what the ST aims to deliver. Now that I've done weeks of personal ingame testing to see what works in application vice pure theorycrafting, I've got a good feel for how to skill a mech that works for me, so skilling a mech when I decide to play one or getting a new one takes less than a minute to do.

I'm a big fan of the lack of "of three" rule that came with it, as I'll be able to buy exactly what I want to try out. I'm looking forward to the next season of MRBC and to see how the comp queue plays out, and how (or if) PGI will incentivize teams that have no chance of reaching the top 12 in that queue against the best teams in the world, to keep playing in that queue once the fun newness wears off.

Overall...I'm playing as much as ever, have a good crew to run with, the competition is fierce and only getting better. Yea, I'm good since ST came out. As Roughneck said....sounds like you might just have some burn out going, which happens to all of us. Just focus on playing for fun when you do play and don't sweat the rest....unless you've got OCD, the skill tree shouldn't have caused you too much angst (I say OCD because the completionist in them might compel them to clickfest every mech they own so they are re-mastered asap).

[Cementi]

Racerxintegra2k, on 20 June 2017 - 04:08 AM, said:

I've had very odd feelings since the skill tree drop in specific. I thought i really liked the changes the skill tree brought. For the most part i do, its a better game.
However i find myself with less desire to play and it shows in the amount of matches played since the skill tree. I find myself logging on looking at my mechs and then logging off. The overwhelming sense of doom when i think about playing for several hours to have little to show for it in the way of cbills is completely demoralizing for me. If i do manage to muster the desire to play i hardly ever play more than 4-5 matches. I used to play for 4-5 hours at a time.


It doesn't make sense i should want to play more not less after a good change right ? While the skill tree was a good change ... was it a fun change ?

How do you guys feel ?

Huh, I am the opposite actually. I find I am playing more and making more money. Probally because I am being rewarded for running AMS which I have always run but more often than not I think it is because small mistakes are no longer as punishing if you are running survivability tree quirks as you get insta gibbed far less.

Skanderborg, on 20 June 2017 - 05:28 AM, said:

I really just hate when i buy a new mech for a few games i'm 0/91 against maxed builds , but that's about it.

Same problem you had before but you had to level up 3 mechs, often two variants of complete trash which made it even more painful.

Roughneck45, on 20 June 2017 - 05:37 AM, said:

Sounds like burnout to me.

New skill tree brought me out of hibernation for the most part.

Very likely, I know in the past features that had me really excited for the game got released but it was not until much later that I finally had the drive to play gain. Finding another game for a bit might help. I personally when I go on breaks tend to play much more relaxed games like Civ or Xcom. I find that helps alot.

[Cementi]

Bud Crue, on 20 June 2017 - 06:20 AM, said:

Conflicted.
I love the game. I tolerate the skills tree. I'm kinda sick of not knowing how anything will perform on a month to month baisis and like the OP it is draining my desire to play or support the game. The worst part is, is that I am convinced the ever changing nature of the game's mechanics will be the new norm as I am pretty sure that is PGI's new economic model to keep us spending in game currency in the absence of the three mech model.

This is really how alot of MMO's do things. The nerf buff cycle is simply a necessary evil one has to accept. MWO for a long time kept buffing things and quite frankly it got out of hand. That's why they have been dialing things back recently. People do not like it but frankly it has to be done.

[Cementi]

Lukoi Banacek, on 20 June 2017 - 06:26 AM, said:

While not a fan of 91 clicks and overall I believe PGI has hurt the NPE, but in the end I do not dislike what the ST aims to deliver. Now that I've done weeks of personal ingame testing to see what works in application vice pure theorycrafting, I've got a good feel for how to skill a mech that works for me, so skilling a mech when I decide to play one or getting a new one takes less than a minute to do.

I know you said for the most part your good with the ST so I am not cropping your post to take away from that just to highlight the 91 clicks complaint that you yourself say takes less than a minute to do. I still do not understand why people have such a big problem with this. It has to be the silliest 1st world complaint that I have ever heard. The old system had you click 13 per mech, 14 if you count clicking into each mech. The old system gave you NO customization, often forced you to play variants you had no interest in and still cost you 42 clicks, 29 if you did not complete two of the variants. Except that did not count your modules which probally adds what another 8 clicks and a boat load of cbills to the cost of each mech.

37 clicks if you take shortcuts
66 clicks if you did everything

So 91 clicks (which Is more like 96 with the extra menu's) lets you play what you want how you want, costs you less cbills, and allows you to effectively have more modules than you could have had in the past without playing module hunter.

I just do not get this complaint.......

[Bud Crue]

Cementi, on 20 June 2017 - 06:32 AM, said:

This is really how alot of MMO's do things. The nerf buff cycle is simply a necessary evil one has to accept. MWO for a long time kept buffing things and quite frankly it got out of hand. That's why they have been dialing things back recently. People do not like it but frankly it has to be done.

I don't play a lot of "MMO's". I play this game, and this game alone. I am okay with minor iterative changes. In fact if they did that consistently I think it would be great. Cutting a weapon relied on by a lot of light mechs that don't have a lot of options by 1/3 is not iterative. It is sudden and shocking and will force players into other things and cause them to respec and or cease playing certain mechs. That isn't balance. Its BS. Moreover, the constant re-shuffle of quirks is not iterative nor do I believe that their data is sufficient to show that of all changes needed, that the data suggests that it is essential to remove structure quirks from the BK-6s and give extra armor to the BK-7s. We are to believe that this change has something to do with making these mechs unique or varied or balanced? Again: BS. These changes do nothing more than nerf one dominant variant so as to drive players into a different variant. That is contrary to PGI's stated goals of the game being about improved player choices. Here it is just a choice of what PGI dictates is the better choice. Longer range sensors on the 6 in exchange for fragility. Yeah. That's a great choice.

Sigh. I could go on. But much like my desire to play me desire to argue about this stuff is fading as well.

[process]

I think I've become adept at quickly filling out the skill tree, so the 91 clicks only takes me a couple minutes.

However, the respec cost suppresses my desire to experiment, and the uncertainty about balance and new tech is also discouraging me from fully re-skilling my hanger. I'll be super booty bothered if PGI ever retools the trees and doesn't issue refunds or a free respec.

[Ced Riggs]

I'm doing quite alright with the changes, but then again, I see changes as challenges.

[Brom96]

Skill tree is just their way of getting more money for a game that has less and less players as times passes. From their point, it is ok, and we can do nothing. Frankly, I am interested of a new player's opinion, if there are any. Do they think it is grind or not. Admittedly, my game has improved, but I don't know if that's because I am getting good in elited mech, or other's are bad.

[El Bandito]

I am excited to test out the post patch ER Larges and CMPL. After I get back from my summer house.

[Coolant]

Racerxintegra2k, on 20 June 2017 - 04:08 AM, said:

The overwhelming sense of doom when i think about playing for several hours to have little to show for it in the way of cbills is completely demoralizing for me.

This should not be the reason you play...what you are describing is a job. You should play because you are having fun. I wish I received more for what I play, but I don't play to get stuff.

[Tordin]

The ST is tons better than the old, headache, placeholder skill system. Needs fine tuning though.