215 replies to this topic

[Suvara]

Does anyone have a problem with mouse sensitivity setting? Mine doesn't seem to apply.

Edited by Suvara, 25 August 2018 - 12:17 PM.

[East Indy]

Navid A1, on 25 August 2018 - 11:33 AM, said:

Firing a single alpha while standing still in the testing grounds is not a good measuring stick... you should test your builds in situations when your targets fire back and try to close the distance.

If by firing back you mean medium-long trading, a 50-point cap is not significantly different from live.

What the question of short-range engagement needs for a better answer are a few organized matches of x Deathstrikes/Hellbringers against x traditional brawlers of the same weight class. Everyone's on the same page to see if dissipation actually allows brawlers to overwhelm poke-and-trade alpha builds.

[ShooteyMcShooterson]

Suvara, on 25 August 2018 - 12:03 PM, said:

Does anyone have a problem with mouse sensitivity setting? Mine doesn't seem to apply.

I think it's because many mechs have higher torso twisting from mobility buffs. So that makes it seem like aiming is more sensitive. I imagine that PGI would have to adjust base mouse sensitivity, otherwise the relative values of their sensitivity scale will be shifted higher.

[SFC174]

East Indy, on 25 August 2018 - 12:29 PM, said:

If by firing back you mean medium-long trading, a 50-point cap is not significantly different from live.

What the question of short-range engagement needs for a better answer are a few organized matches of x Deathstrikes/Hellbringers against x traditional brawlers of the same weight class. Everyone's on the same page to see if dissipation actually allows brawlers to overwhelm poke-and-trade alpha builds.

I had enough matches with both sides having 2-3 assaults and the rest heavies to say, yes, on PTS 2.1 brawlers will easily overwhelm poke alpha builds. Especially if the brawlers are ballistic oriented IS assaults vs. Clan laser or gaussvomit poke builds.

Even on a map like Polar Highlands, those heavy brawler builds are closing the range by 100-150m between every poke. More if they're in cover. Considering that the effective poke range is probably 700m (unless you go sniper build) and the brawlers are at full effectiveness by 300m, you only get a couple alphas before they're on you and you're toast. And if those brawlers are running ACs in the 5 and 10 class, they can still be dishing out serious dmg even at 500m.

The poke meta only works if there are a lot of mechs on your team and targets are being focused. Lance v lance engagements really don't favor poking of any style TBH. But in this case, even if 2 mechs are focusing 1 target at range, they're still going to be able to close on you.

What PTS 2.1 really does is make clan energy pokes require more consideration and planning. A wasted alpha means more early in the engagement. On the backend it does allow those mechs to be a little more useful when pushed, but it doesn't change the outcome, at least in small unit engagements.

If anyone has observed otherwise, please share. I'd like to hear.

[Cy Mitchell]

Navid A1, on 25 August 2018 - 11:33 AM, said:

I kindly advise people who think 50 heat cap is too much to actually build a famous laser vomit mech and, Play A Match!

Firing a single alpha while standing still in the testing grounds is not a good measuring stick... you should test your builds in situations when your targets fire back and try to close the distance.

Agreed that you cannot go into testing grounds and stand still and shoot targets and really feel the effects of the changes. Movement adds up to 6-7% heat to the heat scale. However, going on the hottest map, running at full speed while firing at targets is a good way to get an idea of how the changes will affect heat and damage. Going into 4x4 matches with a 70+% population of Assaults and Heavies and brawling range being the norm will also not give you a clear idea of how the heat cap will play out on Live.

That is why I do both but even then I know the Live environment will be different. We really need to be able to test these changes in a 12v12 setting or at least 8v8.

[ZortPointNarf]

So I tried mostly mediums and the nova is badly hampered by this. Ballistic builds seem to be ok, but energy weapons will need a slight tweak or heat needs to be per chassis or some quirks for some.
This addresses the problem of alpha spamming, but needs a little more tweaking, maybe raising the clan heat by 5 as it did not seem my IS mechs were as badly impacted.
It will take some getting used to, but is most definitely a step in the right direction.
If it were to be implemented as is, I would be happy with it, even considering issues raised above, would just mean finding new builds for my mechs.

[DontStandBehindMe]

While this round of PTS is much better than previous rounds as far as heavy/assault agility goes some mechs still handle terribly even after 20+ mobility skill points (night gyr feels no more mobile than it does in live to me, but Timberwolf feels almost like it did before engine desync). When it comes to mechs that can only run energy there is only a slight improvement from from PTS 2.0...but all energy still remains mostly unplayable for an average guy like me even with a 1.34 heat rating (while I don't overheat on an alpha like I did with a 1.41 heat rating on 2.0, in 2.1 I can apha once but staggered I overheat on the second fire...the build was 2clpl+4cerml skilled the same in both PTS 2.0 and 2.1 on the same map heat rating 1.41 PTS 2.0 overheat on alpha, PTS 2.1 heat rating 1.34 no overheat on alpha but fire 2clpl, 4cml, 2clpl then overheat).
My conclusion: energy weapons still a tad too high, some heavys and assaults need a little more mobility to be viable but otherwise agility seems to be good even for 100t mechs

[Xaat Xuun]

Apollo777, on 25 August 2018 - 07:48 AM, said:

I wish PTS was always online!
It's the ideal place to try new builds/mechs before spending any C-Bills/MC.

any mechs that are available for C-Bill & or MC, you can do that, from the in-game store, build it test it, only thing you could not test is how you take damage. with the code system for sharing makes this even better, get that build dialed in, copy code, buy mech, use code.

but Yeah, theory crafting can only take you so far, until they become available for MC/C-Bills.

wouldn't mind at all, when a new mech is coming out, there is a brief time on PTS to play with it.
I don't know about others, but that could be the thing for me if I'm willing to purchase before it's available for C-Bills, so it comes with a good thing and/or a bad outcome

Edited by Xaat Xuun, 25 August 2018 - 05:08 PM.

[doctormanuse]

Quote

Rewards

To thank you for your time and feedback, we will be sending out a reward for your participation in this Public Test Session 2.1 to all players who have played at least 10 matches with a minimum of 50 Match Score over this weekend.


The reward for this round of testing will allow you to unlock up to 45 Skill Nodes for a 'Mech and will be distributed on Monday to your live client account:

• 36,000 GXP
  
• 2100,000 C-bills

I did complete the 10 matches, claimed the reward in the event tab and got it in the pts account... which makes no sense. When will the reward be hitting my account on the "real" server?

[Rho Treska]

I tested several builds and quite enjoyed them:
*Marauder IIC with 3 ERPPCs and 4 ERML - toasty 100% heat from the PPCs ghost heat, but if you spread your fire out it deals quite well.
*Blood Asps in several configurations, all of them including twin ERPPCs and/or a sixpack of M-class lasers. - No issues.
*Archer with MRM60 and 6 ML - That one always was toasty, and it made me think about my laser use even more.
*Warhammer with 2 PPCs, 4 ML and an SRM6 - Fluffy non-meta build of limited effectiveness, but it held up to the heat stress quite well with some management.
*Stormcrow with 2 ERPPCs and 6 HSL - one of my favorite builds, and it held up well with proper fire discipline.
*Nova with 6 HSL and 6 Flamers - ha, no. The initial heat of the flamers totally killed it, adding 20-25% on the heat scale with every tap of the button. Even on a 'mech chock full of DHS. I gained more heat from firing those things than my target gained from getting hit.
*Nova with 2 HLL and 12 ERMicros. - it worked. Fire discipline is the key again.

I'm overall happy with these changes,

BUT

Please run a PTS with a 30 or 40 heat cap and no Ghost Heat.

[GROLSCH]

I'd like to test the locust 1E, 3M and PB chassis, but it appears that they were buffed straight out of the game

Edited by GROLSCH, 26 August 2018 - 12:50 AM.

[Khobai]

Jackal Noble, on 24 August 2018 - 07:39 PM, said:

I will say this, however; If this PTS2.1 is a deliberate attempt to allow high heat alphas succeed in order to see what the "ceiling" is then fine. Otherwise this is the wrong direction.

Its also the wrong direction to say a light should have the same alphastrike potential as an assault. Because assaults risk way more when poking out than lights, so they should rightfully get bigger alphas.

Whether its 40 or 50, having the same heat cap for every weight class is wrong.

Also mechs that can only use energy weapons are going to be really really bad with an oppressive heat cap. So theyre going to need quirks that raise their heatcap as well.

Heatcap is something that needs to be handled on a weight-class/mech-by-mech basis. There should not be a universal heatcap for all mechs. Because not all mechs are identical, some mechs NEED to run hotter.

Edited by Khobai, 26 August 2018 - 03:37 AM.

[GweNTLeR]

Tested a few mediums and heavys. I didn't feel any restrictions. TBQH, most of my vomit builds were functioning just fine even on previous PTS, so I believe that you could reduce heat cap a bit.

[MurghSharduk]

Overall liked the feel very much, tested only my hottedt IS builds (en, ball, msl) and they actually worked better than in regular game. Easy to keep firing without overheating, so direction is good but lower the heatcap.

[Jonathan8883]

I posted in the PTS forum, but since there's little dev feedback, I don't know what gets read and what does not. So:

1) This PTS is an unqualified success. The numbers may need to be tinkered with +-10%, but if this went live, I'd be comfortable with it as is, as an improvement to gameplay and fun across the board.
2) The quick fun of 4v4 makes me think 8v8 may be worth a try.
3) PTS Matches actually seem more balanced when it comes to player skill. I no longer feel like I'm one of the Team Potatoes 50% of the time. PSR reset/rework is still needed.

[ShooteyMcShooterson]

Am I correct that it's possible to PTS in FP if you lasso up the 24 players to drop in the queue?

[Asuka la Roja]

My triple RAC shadowhawk is now limited much more by heat than by jam chance, but still works very well. 2xPPC shadowcat feels better overall, easier to manage.

[Yulri]

I am loving the mobility changes! The King Crab and Atlas both have improved performance and the Atlas can actually shield with its arms! I believe the increase in the heat threshold from 40 to 50 is spot on. While it doesn't limit energy builds too much, it does so just enough to check my aggressive play style. The build example I used in the 2.0 and 2.1 for the heat management are as follows:

BL-7-KNT with 2x LPL and 5x ML
https://mwo.smurfy-n...5ce03ed38b392be

LBK-A with 8x Hvy ML
https://mwo.smurfy-n...db7889857e81907

KGC-0000 with Dual-UAC/20, 2x SRM4, 2x SRM6
https://mwo.smurfy-n...054e37b685f4f94

BL-7-KNT

-2.0-With spitting my weapons into 3 groups instead of 2, I was able to fire each group 1.5 times successively prior to hiding to cool. I could alpha once and fire off the LPLs again before shutting down with minimal damage from heat


-2.1-While I still split weapons into 3 groups to limit heat liability, I was able to perform 2 full alphas before before overheating. I still received damage from overheating, but the increased heat dissipation really helped with the heat levels.


LBK-A

-2.0-Because this builds is boating 8 Heavy Medium Lasers, performing an Alpha strike is not a good idea because you will shutdown and you will receive heat damage in addition to any damage received from other players. I had to split the lasers into 4 groups of 2 lasers.This forced me to divide my fire in a manner that actually forced me to drop two lasers for more C-DHS. It could be argued that this was the intent of the heat management change, though I believe the amount of heat damage received was not conducive to playing a highly aggressive build.


-2.1-With the Heat threshold at 50, I was still only able to get one alpha out prior to overheating but was not faced with the same heat damage penalty. I was able to form two weapon groups and fire each individually without fear of overheating, but I did have to either cool shot, hide, or both after one volly from each group (even with fully spec'd into cooling, heat gen, and heat management).


KGC-0000

-2.0-Because of the lack of community participation, I was unable to test this build during the 2.0 round of PTS. However, I played a few games with this bad boy yesterday and was amazed at the changes in mobility.

-2.1-The increased mobility of the torso could be a game changer for the King Crab. I was just getting past mediocre with this mech when the PTS released the mobility changes and all I can really say is "I loooov eeeeet!" Because the dual-UAC/20 build can get toasty, I thought I should run this on the PTS. This build is fun and can be scary from the other end. A word of advice, DO NOT fire both UAC/20s simultaneously or you will not be firing the SRMs out of fear of overheating. I split the weapons into 4 different groups: Group1-Left arm UAC/20, Group2-Right arm UAC/20, Group3-SRM4/6, Group4-SRM4/6.
If I alternated my firing pattern to 1, 3, 2, 4, I was able to stretch the heat threshold a bit. If things got really dicey, I could fire 1/3 then 2/4 concurrently. Everything considered, I only overheated once in the 3 games i played with this build.

Overall
The changes in mobility and heat management present in the 2.1 PTS are, in my opinion, fantastic! I hope to see these changes transferred to the live game.

doctormanuse, on 25 August 2018 - 11:30 PM, said:

I did complete the 10 matches, claimed the reward in the event tab and got it in the pts account... which makes no sense. When will the reward be hitting my account on the "real" server?

This also happened to me. Injecting this into the PTS account makes absolutely no sense.

Edited by Yulri, 26 August 2018 - 12:34 PM.

[BARRY SHlTPEAS]

Some of the Locust variants are missing from this PTS.

LCT - PB
LCT - 1E
LCT - 1E(C)
LCT - 3M

[Hiten Bongz]

doctormanuse, on 25 August 2018 - 11:30 PM, said:

I did complete the 10 matches, claimed the reward in the event tab and got it in the pts account... which makes no sense. When will the reward be hitting my account on the "real" server?

Dude, the answer to your question is literally in the text you quoted, lol:

InnerSphereNews, on 22 August 2018 - 04:00 PM, said:

The reward for this round of testing will allow you to unlock up to 45 Skill Nodes for a 'Mech and will be distributed on Monday to your live client account