113 replies to this topic

[Old dirty B]

Mystere, on 21 March 2018 - 02:41 PM, said:

Given that QP game modes are nothing more than different flavors of deathmatch, why do you expect, of all things, 1v1 Solaris to have more depth beyond being another deathmatch mode?

Well, i dont expect anything regarding mwo. But lets say im hoping for a pleasant surprise. If it turns out as a plain and simple deathmatch enhanced by over complex systems too make it look smart then i dont see much in it for me.

[Mechwarrior1441491]

Actually, small team actions aren't niche at all.

If they can figure out how to do FFA you'll probably see the most exciting game mode every created for this game.

1v1 might be "niche" and if it is, that is a glaring acknowledgement that most people who play this game are bad and need others to carry.

2v2 is going to be great.

[Champion of Khorne Lord of Blood]

Everybody who's tired of having to carry 11 players who should be back in T5 will love Solaris, as they alone will be in charge of if they win or lose. Those who play badly themselves may be run off from the mode when forced to face that they have no one to blame. Though the matchmaker should actually be decent in Solaris due to it being 1v1s and 2v2s.

Its also a huge boost to the huge market of just a couple of friends who like playing video games together, as they finally get a mode where its just the two of them instead of the chaos of jumping into a group queue match where you can go up against a fully organized 12 man team or better yet 3 organized 4 man teams while you're just a couple friends trying to play casually together.

[El Bandito]

Let the superman duelists, and hackers flock to Solaris 7. Makes life easier for those in QP and FP.

[Mystere]

Mechwarrior1441491, on 21 March 2018 - 03:46 PM, said:

1v1 might be "niche" and if it is, that is a glaring acknowledgement that most people who play this game are bad and need others to carry.

WUT?

[Papaspud]

Not interested in E-peen warrior online, if you think the game is toxic now, just wait. I'm fairly sure Solaris will be at least as popular as FP............

[N0MAD]

El Bandito, on 21 March 2018 - 03:52 PM, said:

Let the superman duelists, and hackers flock to Solaris 7. Makes life easier for those in QP and FP.

Actually the real good players will play Solaris, players that can handle themselfs without the team back up, i expect to see alot of unknown names, guys not in the high rankings, we will see how the solaris top ranked names match up with say Jarls list or rankings list in game.
As for hackers, solaris will be able to be viewed less chance hackers, they are likely to more prominent in GQ.

I for sure thought you would be all in for solaris being such a leet player and liking flaunting your stats bro,, no like 1v1?

[MW Waldorf Statler]

uninteresting passive Mode ...two or 4 Mechs thats when found not more can doing as firing all Weapons and hope she hase more Firepower and Heatsinks and better Aim by the first Alpha...no great Tactical Play no great Manovers (by same Class) its like two or 4 Godzillas in a Arena

[El Bandito]

N0MAD, on 21 March 2018 - 09:02 PM, said:

Actually the real good players will play Solaris, players that can handle themselfs without the team back up, i expect to see alot of unknown names, guys not in the high rankings, we will see how the solaris top ranked names match up with say Jarls list or rankings list in game.
As for hackers, solaris will be able to be viewed less chance hackers, they are likely to more prominent in GQ.

I for sure thought you would be all in for solaris being such a leet player and liking flaunting your stats bro,, no like 1v1?

It goes without saying that I will play Solaris. I like flaunting my stats. You should try it out too, and prove that your crappy Jarl's list stats is not indicative of how you are. If you can.

Edited by El Bandito, 21 March 2018 - 10:21 PM.

[Vellron2005]

Personally, I would have preferred them putting those dev resources into making a proper Faction Play..

That mode should be "campaign mode" and QP should be "arcade mode" for MWO..

But I do love the bolt-on cosmetics and walk-in mechbay.. As far as solaris goes, I think I'll be using the mode for zellbrigen and teamwork practice..

[Dragonporn]

The only thing I don't understand about Solaris, is how anyone can thing this mode to be fun, if it bogs down to ruling meta with only few mechs and even fewer builds, while running something off would be pointless?

On FP, yes, I'd rather see them put more resources there, since mode has tons of potential. But honestly, the best and easiest thing they can do about it, is introduce solo queue, just like in QP. I'm pretty sure majority doesn't play FP because getting stomped by presets time after time again isn't much fun. And this game doesn't have enough fully dedicated players for all to join units and embrace life of a tryhard just to play FP.

[Champion of Khorne Lord of Blood]

Dragonporn, on 22 March 2018 - 01:11 AM, said:

The only thing I don't understand about Solaris, is how anyone can thing this mode to be fun, if it bogs down to ruling meta with only few mechs and even fewer builds, while running something off would be pointless?

On FP, yes, I'd rather see them put more resources there, since mode has tons of potential. But honestly, the best and easiest thing they can do about it, is introduce solo queue, just like in QP. I'm pretty sure majority doesn't play FP because getting stomped by presets time after time again isn't much fun. And this game doesn't have enough fully dedicated players for all to join units and embrace life of a tryhard just to play FP.

The entire game already boils down to a meta where only a few mechs are worth running and the rest are pointless. Yet you see many people in each match bringing bad mechs and even worse builds. Solaris allows you to do this in a 1v1 environment so you don't bring your team down and can run "fun" builds all you like with about the same level of success.

[Dragonporn]

Champion of Khorne Lord of Blood, on 22 March 2018 - 01:14 AM, said:

The entire game already boils down to a meta where only a few mechs are worth running and the rest are pointless. Yet you see many people in each match bringing bad mechs and even worse builds. Solaris allows you to do this in a 1v1 environment so you don't bring your team down and can run "fun" builds all you like with about the same level of success.

I see so many people missing the main point of QP... This mode is made for casual fun,and it works great. You can get 12 meta mechs on one side, but if another side is more coordinated or one pilot on your side ever slips up, the whole thing crumbles (more often than not into a brutal stomp). If you, or any other player loves to see everyone running meta and be always at 100%, there are units and competitive modes, seriously, what these guys are doing in solo QP is beyond me...

[N0MAD]

El Bandito, on 21 March 2018 - 09:39 PM, said:

It goes without saying that I will play Solaris. I like flaunting my stats. You should try it out too, and prove that your crappy Jarl's list stats is not indicative of how you are. If you can.

Geez i swing you a compliment and you go on to try insult me,, ok.
Ya i bet my jarls stats suck, over the last maybe 8-10 weeks or so ive played mainly group with a mate, after not playing for years, they suckered me in in december to get the 2 free mechs. Its been a nice break from WOWs/Warthunder, but it just gets to me, dont log on for days ata time, just mostly when Wolfy or Max want a game.
Will try Solaris but no kidding i will get destroyed time after time cause you know a 60 year old potato with little meta knowledge isnt gona cut it, so Solo//GQ is where im likely to be.

But dont worry bout my Jarls stats i dont, and if we end up on same team at some point, try carry bit harder for me thanks.

[Bud Crue]

Solaris that we are getting (1v1 and 2v2 ranked play) is not the Solaris people asked for (FFA ala MW4) over the years.
That ship has sailed. Nothing for it.

As to why? Well, the Solaris we are getting is an inevitable result of this games history and PGI's inability or refusal to make serious efforts at addressing its underlying problems. They can't keep a game based on 12v12 going for very much longer if they keep losing player population. As such they have to focus that population into a mode that can more readily deal with reduced numbers.

Consider:
https://leaderboard.isengrim.org/stats

The trends don't lie. That downward slope only reflects the last year and a half of the game. Extrapolate into the future and the losses inevitably will reach the point where we will have insufficient population to keep getting matches in the existing 12 v12 team based modes. Obvious Solution? Refocus the entire game to a 1v1 and 2v2 mode. No need for customers to deal with long wait times getting 24 people together. No more need to worry about balance (we will just move mechs around int their spiffy new, and arbitrary divisions), no more need to worry about tech disparity (same reason, just move things around). Its perfect. Its so perfect, they are even rebranding the whole game to push this very limited, very niche mode in what is already a niche game as THE Game. This, hopefully, buys them a lot more time to keep selling mech packs to the -lets face it- remaining hard core suckers who just want their stompy robot fix. Population might even stabilize at some point if the mode is a success! But a game that requires only 4 players (tops!), at any given time to play, guarantees the perception of viability for a HELL of a lot longer than one with only 12v12 would.

Consider too that PGI has had nothing but frustration trying to make their "end game" team focused mode (Community Faction Warfare Play) the core of the game. Why keep beating their heads here, when by their own assertions only 10% play the mode (with, if I recall correctly 17% during a peak event like Tukayyid). Its just not worth it. From PGI's perspective, it is in their best interest to let that mode die on the vine or at most keep it maintained in the minimally viable format that it has been since they effectively killed it with phase 3. I mean really? From their perspective, why bother doing more at this point?

Go back and look at the trends. Trying to keep the existing modes fresh and interesting (giving them the benefit of the doubt here) is not working. The losses are there and they see them: an inevitable march toward less than minimally viable population,and if they want to keep the MW5 funding coming in (selling us mech packs) they need to do something to focus that remaining population pool, and that something is Solaris.

[Scyther]

PGI has trouble understanding their player market, or apparently any market. They've been flailing about for years pushing buttons at random hoping to hit some combination that ends up with a successful game.

They have implemented a decent FPS mech shooter that has survived this long based on the combination of fairly decent team deathmatch gameplay plus the amazing nostalgia that the remaining hardcore BattleTech fans have for their favorite mechs from the past.

In general they've been "less than successful" at everything else they tried to implement. They are now planning to introduce a mode that will further split the small numbers of players in the queues, which appears to have only mild support among a moderate percentage of the playerbase. (Remember that forum posters are only a small percentage of a games population)

As Bud says above, it is unlikely this will improve anything other than 'incredibly small match making'. Is it the wrong direction? Personally I don't feel it is a good direction to take a declining player base in but we will have to wait and see.

Edit: Putting in a flexible MM able to make 12v12, 8v8, and perhaps 4v4 matches depending on queues, and expanding the maps and possibly modes for QP, imo would have been a good direction. Solaris with the addition of some form of free-for-all, or heck, even a mixed player/AI-npc FFA mode where winner is the high score or something, might have been a good direction. Trimming Solaris down to just 1v1 or 2v2? Not a good direction.

Edited by MadBadger, 22 March 2018 - 03:31 AM.

[arcana75]

Many comp players who think they'll "all that" will bray for 1v1 Solaris then get stomped but fail to realise they were carried by their teams all this while, then come to the forums to whine about how broken S7 is, and bray for the good ole days of FP.

[Nightbird]

1vs1 matches are very personal, casuals won't like it because of that.

In a team death match, every target is a target of opportunity, every attacker is an attacker by chance. Not so in duels, it will feel personal. For example, what if someone is clearly going to win, but instead they disarm the other player completely, and using single fire to whittle away every component and hp possible to pad stats?

Edited by Nightbird, 22 March 2018 - 06:50 AM.

[Mechwarrior1441491]

Let me play for pink slips.

[CJ Daxion]

I want Solaris. I am looking forward to seeing how the mechs are tiered and how the Match maker works. I also like how each level will have a different rating so you could be in a comp level (at any level you choose) and then have a mess around level with your "fun" mechs that you don't care where you are.

I also love how people that want to play with their friends can now do so. It will all come down to many things that i won't know till it comes out and how it all plays out. I think the whole idea of "Meta" is going to be turned on it's head as well, but really who knows.


the biggest thing for me and i think a lot of peoples just get sick of playing in QP as who you are teamed with are a total crap shoot and Group takes a lot of effort to find folks active enough and often people just don't have the play time to really put in that effort.

It will be great for those nights i don't feel like talking, or dealing with people and still want to get my Mech on and the only person i need to worry about is me. I honestly don't know if it will keep me or not, or if it does how much it reduces my QP time, FW i typically only play in events, and even if solaris is just fun durring events or weekend i think in the end it will be a plus to the game.

If it brings in new blood, which i think MWO, mech 5, and BT and now solaris is tons of options.. It very well could lead to lots of growth. That is my hope that it does and i can play these games for another 6+ years and beyond.

Nightbird, on 22 March 2018 - 06:39 AM, said:

1vs1 matches are very personal, casuals won't like it because of that.

This won't be the case IMO, if the match maker is working letting causal players be matched up against other folks of a similar level.. It is far easier to take 24 players and put um into 1v1 matches with some semblance of MMing, than it is for 24.. and if they Cue um up every 5 mins or what ever time frame they use, they could have 300-400 players sitting in the cue ready to match up which should lead to people playing others more at their level.. or at least that is my hope

Edited by CJ Daxion, 22 March 2018 - 07:10 AM.