299 replies to this topic

[ForceUser]

Jman5, on 27 October 2017 - 02:11 PM, said:

Who is telling you this? Because I've never heard anyone saying they don't want the contracts to reset semi-regularly.

Everyone I have talked to are in favor of some sort of Seasonal Contract resets. You're screwing up the entire mercenary contract system and balance of power because of some allegedly active loyalist units with allegedly innactive leadership and no alleged active players with contract assigning powers. Innactive and non-FP players is why the Luthien player numbers were so wildly different than what the in-game population alleges.

This is dysfunctional.

I'm not saying to reset the contracts now in the middle of an event, but you need to do it some time in the near future and keep it a regular thing. These alleged edge-case units can drop freelance until they figure something out. Or you can just tell them to email support if their leadership has abandoned the game.

I know it'd be a huge ball ache in any of the units I've been in and even just contracts expiring had instance where we could not play FW over a weekend because the people who had the rights (multiple not just one) were not available. It's a thing that happens, regularly even.

Just because something isn't true in your small part of the universe doesn't mean it isn't true for other people. Do not project your own experiences on others. Cultivate the ability to empathise.

Dee Eight, on 27 October 2017 - 02:15 PM, said:

So... you're essentially screwing everyone who cannot play their loyalist/contract reward matches in the 2-day period that their turn comes up....instead of just letting it continue as it is thru the first weekend...when there are more people playing and then seeing what the actual results were for matches?! Talk about taking the lazy way out.

How so?

They are extending the event and will be lowering the requirements for the rewards while at the same time putting in a stopgap measure to reduce buckets. How are they screwing people over?

[r4zen]

thanks for the band-aid, enjoy your weekend

[ForceUser]

Chound, on 27 October 2017 - 02:17 PM, said:

No, you would still be able to drop in the IS vs Clan event and HOPEFULLY those matches will count in your score. 50 matches in three days is a bit much

They are extending the loot bag event till the 9th.

[suffocater]

So, I have to play in a timeframe where I a) have to sleep and then have to work to get that diamond shark warhorn.
That is not what I call a solution, not even a bad one. I am stuck at 15/50 since yesterday around this time.

[Marius Evander]

THIS IS HALLOWEEN NOT APRIL FOOLS........ !

I am Wolf for opportunity to get double the rewards because of 2 fights where everyone else has 1, now mid event your going to change the one i was working on to vs falcons instead of us and give the falcons previous one to the bears what chemicals are you on ?

Edited by Cadoazreal, 27 October 2017 - 03:11 PM.

[DAYLEET]

Tarogato, on 27 October 2017 - 02:21 PM, said:

(this screen)

Dammit. My contract is at 40%, i need to invest more skill points in barter and less in mobility.

If every unit member has not played FW for a month it would be fair to "mercs" those units. Single people, in a unit with one or more member should be kicked after 6 months of inactivity. As far as mwo goes, i dont think any of those players are ever coming back anyways and their friend list isnt being cleared.

Edited by DAYLEET, 27 October 2017 - 02:37 PM.

[Mikayshen]

This event makes me very glad I have the Tourny supporter and the Piranha preordered so I don't have to set foot into the mess that is this event's FP.

[Groutknoll]

hi matt,

I don't know if this would be possible for FP events ... If possible have FP scout/invasion ghost drops auto qualify for the event/challenge point or make the match score be higher for ghost drops so that they qualify for the event/challenge.

This way people would be willing to continue in the match queue and not think of ghost drops as a waste of time for events/challenges.

Edited by Groutknoll, 27 October 2017 - 02:47 PM.

[McHoshi]

[Redacted]

Edited by draiocht, 27 October 2017 - 03:26 PM.
unconstructive

[Kodyn]

Rhialto, on 27 October 2017 - 01:51 PM, said:

Why not also replace the 150 value with 100 so everyone will have a chance for the Grand Prize, whatever their game type preference is?

This, please. Save the Faction events for, well, all the times you guys seem to be wanting to do them lately, and leave the holiday events as the classic, fun, easy to accomplish versions we've known for years. These types of events bring back inactive players and keep the community happy. Those of us who despise everything about FW and/or don't even keep dropdecks around anymore are not going to start playing FW just for a free mech, so we just lose out, and therefore are bound to feel negatively about the event and the game.

Even back when we had the grand prize as part of the regular event, my rng was so bad I never won a mech, but at least there was the chance, and everyone else I knew earned them, so it was fun to have that to chase. When you dangle a carrot for players, you need to dangle it somewhere they can reach, again, at least for these holiday events- Halloween, Xmas, etc. Run FW the rest of the year if that's what floats your boat, but keep at least some things simple, the playerbase isn't what it used to be, and you aren't doing your numbers any favors by disenfranchising a large chunk of us.

Thanks for at least trying something, even if it's not a fix many of us are happy with. Even a misguided attempt is an attempt at least, shows you care, if nothing else. Even a tool like me can give credit where due.

[Jman5]

ForceUser, on 27 October 2017 - 02:27 PM, said:

I know it'd be a huge ball ache in any of the units I've been in and even just contracts expiring had instance where we could not play FW over a weekend because the people who had the rights (multiple not just one) were not available. It's a thing that happens, regularly even.

Just because something isn't true in your small part of the universe doesn't mean it isn't true for other people. Do not project your own experiences on others. Cultivate the ability to empathise.

So we should just never have a faction reset ever because some players might have to drop as freelancers for a couple days? We've already done faction contract resets and there were no Earth-Shattering consequences. This isn't a big deal. Announce a week or two ahead of time you will be doing a contract reset. This gives units time to put their ducks in a row.

Again, being factionless does not prevent you from playing Faction Play. You just respond to call to arms as freelancers.

However, the masses of innactive loyalists that have built up since the the last reset is a problem for the mercenary contract system that is supposed to balance out the populations. Doing nothing is worse for the majority of active players.

[Dee Eight]

ForceUser, on 27 October 2017 - 02:27 PM, said:

How so?

They are extending the event and will be lowering the requirements for the rewards while at the same time putting in a stopgap measure to reduce buckets. How are they screwing people over?

Because its NOT really about the loot bags for some players... its about the faction specific cockpit rewards. To get all three, you need FIFTY matches of whatever score pgi sets it to, for that faction vs another faction. So Instead of 50 matches over 11 days... now it because 50 over 2 days. What if you cannot play 50 in those two days ? Then you miss out on those prizes.

[Husker Dude]

Contract cooldown times make these sort of events impossible to run. There isn't high enough of a population in many factions to have an active conflict, and anyone who regularly plays the mode could have told you ahead of time.
Or, at JMan says, reset contracts ahead of time. The more flexibility that people have to pick their side, the easier it will be to actually get matches and play the game.

[Dee Eight]

Rhialto, on 27 October 2017 - 01:51 PM, said:

Why not also replace the 150 value with 100 so everyone will have a chance for the Grand Prize, whatever their game type preference is?

Only in the QP is the require a 150 match score. In faction its merely 100 match score.

[Telemachus -Salt Wife Salt Life-]

InnerSphereNews, on 27 October 2017 - 01:41 PM, said:

What is the current solution?
The current solution is to return to the normal IS vs Clan Conflict, but have a rotation of IS vs IS and Clan VS Clan Conflicts throughout the event (one at a time) with reduced criteria for rewards

Matt Newman, on 27 October 2017 - 02:00 PM, said:

I am lowering the criteria for earning those rewards. You can still participate in the Main IS vs Clans For loot bags.
but yes each faction will have set times to attempt to address the issue of too many simultaneous conflicts/matchmaking ‘buckets’ in Faction Play.

It's not a perfect solution and if you have any concerns over your current progress please contact Support.

Matt N

Matt,

Does this mean that on those two particular days, the factions whose turn it is to be in conflict, are locked into a separate bucket from the regular faction play queue? Or does this only apply for rewards for those particular factions?

If the latter, then whatever, it's just rewards people are missing out on. If it's the former, instead of ruining the play for everyone over the course of 11 days, you've now gone ahead and ruined play (wait-times/no games) for groups of people for 2 days each over the course of the event.

Please try and anticipate and clarify concerns like this in your event posts in the future. Thanks.

Tele

Edited by Telemachus -Salt Wife Salt Life-, 27 October 2017 - 03:06 PM.

[RolandDT]

Dee Eight, on 27 October 2017 - 02:56 PM, said:

Only in the QP is the require a 150 match score. In faction its merely 100 match score.

Incorrect. The requirement is 100 Match score in either playing mode to qualify for Loot Bags and Faction Rewards. The 150 (100 + 50) is the required number of matches, with score over 100, required to obtain the Grand Prize of a free Mech - something many of us were looking forward to accomplishing. With the matchmaking issues, people are looking for a compromise on the required number of matches in order to acquire the Grand Prize. Personally, I feel reducing the requirement from 150 to 100 is a fair move, though certainly not because the players deserve something for nothing. I'm all for events and associated challenges, but this one has been problematic for the majority of players. A little goodwill towards the players (should) could go a long way to easing the tension. Personally, I'm worried I won't get the Faction rewards due to the heavy requirement spread across several days I normally cannot play on. We'll see how it goes.

Thank you for the update Matt, and for your efforts in repairing the event issues.

[Telemachus -Salt Wife Salt Life-]

Also, some general comments:

1. Instead of PGI having internal discussions and then letting the players know about the direction, whether it's in terms of balance or events or content, perhaps make it a collaborative process. Believe it or not, I bet a lot of money that we (individual players) play the game more than anyone at PGI. Lately, and quite a few times in the past, the proposals from PGI's internal deliberation process has been more than lackluster. Before you all decide to do a balance pass or change, a few months in advance, maybe post the idea on the forums in an "upcoming changes" section and see what players have to say. Other games do this. (An example of this would be where you guys have a great idea in your internal meetings and write it down - post the write up on the forums to see if it's actually a good idea; it's kinda like play-testing, but with an idea before you pour resources into it)

2. Make contract resets a regular thing. Have a contract reset day once a month, or once every 2 months. Again, a lot of other games do this for whatever internal system they have that locks in players to something.

Tele

Edited by Telemachus -Salt Wife Salt Life-, 27 October 2017 - 03:20 PM.

[Dee Eight]

RolandDT, on 27 October 2017 - 03:07 PM, said:

Incorrect. The requirement is 100 Match score in either playing mode to qualify for Loot Bags and Faction Rewards.

NOT incorrect. When the event began yesterday, the original match score requirement for the QP side was 150 while for faction it was 100. They've since lowered the bar and begun editing the loot bag event pages. I had just hjit my 25th faction loot bag in the sharks vs wolves bucket without needing PGI's help to mess over the event. Now they've reset the faction vs faction requirements, and I have to only get SIX matches apparently to get the warhorn, when another 25 wasn't presenting itself to be any sort of problem under the original format and seven buckets system.

Edited by Dee Eight, 27 October 2017 - 03:20 PM.

[Matt Newman]

Chound, on 27 October 2017 - 02:17 PM, said:

No, you would still be able to drop in the IS vs Clan event and HOPEFULLY those matches will count in your score. 50 matches in three days is a bit much

Yes the 50 Matches is independent of the conflicts.

[Marius Evander]

InnerSphereNews, on 27 October 2017 - 01:41 PM, said:

Greetings MechWarriors,

We know many of you are having a great time playing IS vs. IS and Clan vs. Clan. Unfortunately, players are having long wait times when searching for matches in Faction Play due to:

• A large portion of players grabbing their 100 loot bags in Quick Play.
  
• Too many simultaneous conflicts/matchmaking ‘buckets’ in Faction Play.

How does the conflicts being simultaneous or split cause long wait times when most can't play in more than 1 of the conflicts anyway, It doesn't, but yeah, limiting peoples window to do it will force people out of QP to try and get it during their allotted window. But for people who are busy on the day you have assigned, you have just made even more people pissed off lol. A better solution would have been 7 days of QP event 7 days of FP event.

InnerSphereNews, on 27 October 2017 - 01:41 PM, said:

What are we doing?
We are working on a solution, but before I explain the solution it is important you know these points:

• Currently, we cannot have multiple sub-factions VS multiple sub-factions within a single Conflict, as many in the community have suggested. For example, three IS Factions can’t face off together in one Conflict against the other 3 IS Factions
  
• Reverting to just a single IS/IS Conflict, and initiating system-wide, automatic Contract Resets are not a solution due to a) some folks not wanting their Contracts reset and the potential for Unit leaders being away for the duration of the Event, with any other members of the Unit not having the necessary Unit permissions for adopting a new Contract. Resetting all Contracts would leave these players with no option but to leave their Unit.

Sad about cant do multiple vs multiple =(

Yeah nah..... that reason for not resetting contracts is bollox, give 2 weeks warning and people can adjust, not resetting contracts and having hundreds of people who havent played in OVER A YEAR counting towards factions populations is far more insane.

InnerSphereNews, on 27 October 2017 - 01:41 PM, said:

IS VS CLAN MAIN CONFLICT REMAINS ACTIVE FOR ENTIRE EVENT
Conflict Event
Clan Wolf vs Clan Diamond Shark
Conflict Event
Marik vs Liao
Conflict Event
Nova Cat vs Ghost Bear
Conflict Event
Steiner vs Davion
Conflict Event
Steal Viper vs Jade Falcon
Conflict Event
FRR vs Kurita
Conflict Event
Smoke Jaguar vs Ghost Bear

Why ?? wut ?? how ?? changing wolves vipers falcons and bears conflicts mid event....... I went wolf for 1 reason only, to get the 2 conflicts, now the bears get it, whats the logic behind that ?

InnerSphereNews, on 27 October 2017 - 01:41 PM, said:

What is the long-term solution for faction play events?

We identified some time ago that Faction Play needed to be 1 matchmaking bucket; which it typically now is with the single IS vs Clan Conflict. We either now need a way for Faction Play Loyalty Pledges and Merc Contracts to be less rigid, empowering players to participate in Faction Play Events outside of their Loyalty and Contract states, or the event system needs to be able to create a Conflict comprised of multiple Factions on each side. For example 3 Clans vs 4 Clans; 3 IS vs 3 IS; 3 Clan and 3 IS vs 4 Clan and 3 IS, or any other potential permutations.

No. PGI did what PGI does best, 1 extreme to the other, from too many bukkits to not enough causing and even bigger player exodus because PGI couldn't/wouldn't make a Solo or Grouped FP system like you have for QP, with a matchmaking system for the solo queue and a MC rewards for the grouped queue which would have resulted in exponential growth of your playerbase and income.

Instead you try out multi bukkits while there is also bonus incentive to be in QP....
With no advanced advertising, during a lull in numbers, if you had done this when civil war weapons went live or tuktuktuk it could have worked out.

Tarogato, on 27 October 2017 - 02:21 PM, said:

Hiya Matt,

Do you guys have any systems in place for monitoring the active population of each faction?

I am under the impression that the numbers we players see that indicate faction population (this screen) include all members of all units that are aligned with each faction. That is, it includes players who are in those units but haven't played the game in months and don't plan to, thus skewing the numbers and throwing wrenches into your planned events. Ideally, only players active in the past couple weeks should be counted as being part of a faction, regardless of contract.

"includes players who are in those units but haven't played the game in months and don't plan to" change "months" to "OVER A YEAR."

Jman5, on 27 October 2017 - 02:53 PM, said:

So we should just never have a faction reset ever because some players might have to drop as freelancers for a couple days? We've already done faction contract resets and there were no Earth-Shattering consequences. This isn't a big deal. Announce a week or two ahead of time you will be doing a contract reset. This gives units time to put their ducks in a row.

Again, being factionless does not prevent you from playing Faction Play. You just respond to call to arms as freelancers.

However, the masses of innactive loyalists that have built up since the the last reset is a problem for the mercenary contract system that is supposed to balance out the populations. Doing nothing is worse for the majority of active players.

What he said, cept the freelancers bit, just rejoin your faction.

Dee Eight, on 27 October 2017 - 02:55 PM, said:

Because its NOT really about the loot bags for some players... its about the faction specific cockpit rewards. To get all three, you need FIFTY matches of whatever score pgi sets it to, for that faction vs another faction. So Instead of 50 matches over 11 days... now it because 50 over 2 days. What if you cannot play 50 in those two days ? Then you miss out on those prizes.

lol 6 games of scouting as opposed to 50....

Still someone assigned a weekday might be pissed they didnt get the weekend window coz they have work and an event that night preventing them from getting their 6 games done. Should have Split the QP window and the FP window, not the individual conflicts windows.

Edited by Cadoazreal, 27 October 2017 - 03:45 PM.