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[InnerSphereNews]

Upcoming Patch - 11 December 2018 @ 10AM – 1PM PDT

Patch Number: 1.4.190.0

Patch Size: ~314MB

Direct Download:

http://patcher.mwomercs.com/patch/Production/frontend/FrontendPatch_349.zip

You can check out the Countdown post for more details about the Charger 'Mech and Hatamoto-Chi 'Mech as they are released!

Order them in the Store page here!

Bolt-ons have been added to the following mechs:

• Javelin 11F(L)
  
• Rifleman 8D(L)
  
• Warhammer 4L(L)
  
• Night Gyr H(L)
  
• Marauder IIC(L)
  

The following 'Mech chassis have been retrofitted for Bolt-on support:

• Vapor Eagle
  
• Archer
  
• Marauder
  
• Phoenix Hawk
  

Some requested improvements have made it into Faction Play and the Friends List this patch:

• Reinstated Faction Queue data on Conflicts Panel in Faction Play.
  
• Added Refresh button to Friends List.
  
• Added Favorites column to Friends List and entry in context menu.
  
• Added column sorting Friends List.
  

Stay tuned in 2019 for more Faction Play improvements!

An update post from Paul Inouye has been posted on the forums regarding Faction Play status: https://mwomercs.com/forums/topic/270497-faction-play-update-post-mechcon-2018/

Heat System:

• Destroyed Heat Sinks and Clan XL / IS Light Engine side torso destruction penalties now removes total heat threshold from the top of the available heat pool rather then from the bottom.

• This will mean that instead of limiting the amount of heat your bar can be reduced to, redlining to the edge of the shutdown threshold will result in a shutdown or an overridden state if an enemy destroys Heat Sinks or damages an engine out from under you.
  

Heat System Design Notes: We have decided to make some back end changes to the way the heat threshold system is calculated in order to address a number of heat related display bugs that resulted in irregular heat bar behavior when components where destroyed out from under a player while they still had accumulated heat. While this change is mostly targeted to remove these heat display bugs, this will carry with it some shifts to the way that the heat system works. Especially when it comes to 'Mechs that are redlining and have their components blown out from under them. We felt this change adds a slight bit more to the risk / reward factor for those that redline their 'Mechs close to the shutdown threshold, and is most apparent when a Clan XL or Inner Sphere Light side torso destruction penalty kicks in.

Stealth Armor:

• Stealth Armor now continually produces 1.5 heat per second while activated.

• Active Stealth Armor no longer removes heat dissipation while active.
  

Stealth Armor Design Notes: With the recent shift in heat systems that directly resulted in overall lower shutdown thresholds, we felt that these changes drastically impacted the way we wanted to see Stealth Armor utilized. Before, additional Heat Sinks added to Stealth Armor builds would gradually add larger amounts of threshold allowing for wider windows of operation before needing to disable the system. With Threshold being greatly toned down at the Heat Sink level due to the recent heat system changes, most Stealth Armor builds were left in a situation where there was next to no way to gain additional operational time through higher threshold values. Additionally, with dissipation being the larger focal point with the recent overhaul of the heat system, having Stealth Armor cut 100% of your dissipation resulted in additional Heat Sinks on Stealth Armor feeling like wasted tonnage since they now barely affected your window of operation, but magnified the drawbacks by cutting off larger amounts of dissipation.

To this end, we are shifting Stealth Armor away from utilizing a threshold window and will instead move it to a raw heat per second value that will eat into your per-second dissipation. We hope to see this result in more varied load-outs outside of ballistics feel more rewarding to play with Stealth Armor. As well as have it be a bit more feasible to utilize on heavier 'Mechs. While this will mean that you will be able to utilize Stealth Armor almost indefinitely on some builds that excelled at Stealth Armor before when a 'Mech is operating at full efficiency, we do have to highlight that when Heat Sinks or Light Engines get damaged / destroyed, there is now the potential that active Stealth Armor will result in you perpetually gaining heat in some instances if you do not have the engine / external Heat Sinks to cover the continuous 1.5 heat per second generation while the Stealth Armor is activated. Resulting in much more usability at peak efficiency, but with the potential to be a bit more detrimental depending on how your heat dissipation degrades through battle attrition.

Quirks:

Kintaro

• KTO-19: added a new Weapon Heat Gen -5% quirk
  
• All variants will receive moderate mobility boosts across all attributes.
  

Kintaro Design Notes: While the primary focus of this patch remains the mobility attributes, we wanted to provide a bit of a boost to the under utilized KTO-19 variant. This will be the only non-mobility quirk assignment this month.

This month's primary focus was to cut through as much of the backlog on the recent mobility passes on 'Mechs. While there are a small amount of stragglers who have yet to receive mobility increases, this patch will bring the vast majority of 'Mechs into the spot we wish to target for mobility. The following chassis received updates to one or more of their variants with this pass:

• Osiris
  
• Spider
  
• Cicada
  
• Blackjack
  
• Centurion
  
• Hunchback
  
• Trebuchet
  
• Griffin
  
• Kintaro
  
• Shadow Hawk
  
• Wolverine
  
• JagerMech
  
• Orion
  
• Victor
  
• BattleMaster
  
• Highlander
  
• Black Lanner
  
• Orion IIC
  
• Highlander IIC
  
• Supernova
  

Full Breakdown of the changes can be found in the following PDF:

https://static.mwome...2_PatchQuirks(2).pdf

• Fixed a bug where the Jump Jet effects geometry was missing on the RFL-8D(L).
  
• Fixed a bug where heat drops when destroying the torso of a 'Mech equipped with a Light Engine.
  
• Fixed a bug where the vertical weapon group highlight is too short if the 'Mech has Stealth Armor equipped.
  
• Fixed a bug where the LCT-1V and LCT-1V(P) have structure quirks instead of armor quirks.
  
• Fixed a bug where 'Mechs can get stuck on cell F10 in Grim Plexus.
  
• Fixed an art issue where the Dazzle camo pattern in inconsistent on Hunchback 'Mech compared to other chassis.
  
• Fixed an art issue where the Hunchback HBK-4SP and HBK-4P(C) camo patterns did not cover the shoulder mounts.
  

Patch Files (Direct Download)

To make the patching process easier for players with limited download caps, we'll be providing direct download links for the patch file(s) that comprise this patch. This will allow you to download the patch file(s) elsewhere, for manual injection into the MWO patcher through a Patch Cache folder.

Aside from allowing you to download the patch file(s) elsewhere, on another connection, there are no additional benefits to performing the patch this way; the patching process itself will be the same.

This direct patch download process will only work for players running the standalone client. It does not apply to players running MWO through Steam.

Patch File(s): To be provided on patch day

How to use these patch files

• Download the above file(s)

• For sake of ease we recommend creating a dedicated folder for the patch file(s), such as 'MWO Patch Cache'

• You do not need to unzip or unpack the patch file(s)

• Launch the MWO Portal

• Select the three horizontal lines in the top left of the Portal Window

• Choose the 'Specify Patch File Cache' option

• In the field that appears, paste or enter the location in which you saved the patch file(s) and hit OK

• For example, C:\Users\<username>\Documents\MWO Patch Cache

• Click the blue Patch button

• The launcher will now check the Patch Cache folder you defined. If it locates the required patch files, it will unpack and use those files to apply the patch.

• Once the patch is complete, launch the game

[Xeno Phalcon]

InnerSphereNews, on 07 December 2018 - 06:14 PM, said:

Quirks:



Kintaro

• KTO-19: added a new Weapon Heat Gen -5% quirk
  
• All variants will receive moderate mobility boosts across all attributes.

Kintaro Design Notes: While the primary focus of this patch remains the mobility attributes, we wanted to provide a bit of a boost to the under utilized KTO-19 variant. This will be the only non-mobility quirk assignment this month.

Bwuahaha I grow even stronger!

[C337Skymaster]

I hope the art fixes for the hunchback affect the Mech Con 2017 pattern, as well. It worked at first (as evidenced in the thumbnails that haven't changed since), but currently the pattern comes out nearly completely black, with only a few tiny spots of color on the hunch and upper torso.

[Rhialto]

Again another patch and still not fixed:

[Dungeon 206]

PGI,

could we please have the cockpit items for these 2 mechs shown in the patch notes too please?
you guys used to include it but i dont know why it stopped?

[Khalcruth]

From the October Patch Notes

Quote

• Heat Containment Skill Tree Skills

[indent]
Through our investigations into these heat system changes, we have uncovered that there is a bug in the way that heat containment skills are distributing their benefits. As they currently operate, they are unevenly distributing their benefits towards external heat sinks over internal heat sinks. With us constricting external heatsink heat capacity values, these skill tree nodes will feel less impactful in the incoming heat system overhaul compared to what they are now, or through the PTS series. Although they will still provide some benefit over not taking them at all.
We will be looking to address this behavior and ensure that it's benefits will be more evenly distributed towards all 'Mechs in a future patch.
[/indent]

Unless I've missed something, that's the only time that particular "feature" has been mentioned. So, two months later...how's that fix going?

[FupDup]

Mechs like the Blackjack and Shadow Hawk don't need to twist faster, they need to twist further. Having 90 degrees or lower for your max twist radius is extremely sad for IS mediums. Driving a Shadow Hawk is like wearing a straight jacket.

Edited by FupDup, 07 December 2018 - 07:51 PM.

[Oils]

THANKYOU PGI

[Appogee]

Has the Heat Containment Node bug - introduced two months ago - been fixed yet?

It seems not.

FFS.

[TAPAH 483-K]

IS buffs again and again
but for refresh button to friend list thanks

[Arkhangel]

GweNTLeR, on 07 December 2018 - 09:07 PM, said:

Do I understand correctly, when you are running 90% heat mech and your side torso is destroyed, you WILL shutdown unless you have override? If so, this is quite a nerf to those engine types.

Charger 1A1 has different set of quirks here in quirk doc and in countdown post (specifically small laser cooldown vs std duration).

to be blunt, this is why people should learn to manage their heat. mean, if you're going to 90% constantly, your build really shouldn't be viable anyways, specially as one guy with a flamer could tip you over in a second.

really only a problem metagamers would care about. anyone who's half decent at making their own builds would work around it pretty easy. Mean, personally, I never run anything with a heat management unless it's roughly 1.2 (higher on heavy energy builds, occasionally slightly lower if the main weapons of the mech aren't heat pigs, I.E. Gauss/Heavy Gauss).

if nothing else, the change around'll stimulate people to actually get a little more inventive with their builds.

[Dee Eight]

Rhialto, on 07 December 2018 - 06:57 PM, said:

Again another patch and still not fixed:

And it'll likely never be fixed because in no way are bouncing shadows a priority to 99% of the players. If it bothers YOU so much, adjust your video advanced settings to shadows LOW, and presto... no shadows of mechs bouncing around. This will also lighten up every dark area of the map, making it so that you can clearly, for example, see that all black painted stealth assassin standing against the wall behind you.

[Y E O N N E]

Arkhangel, on 08 December 2018 - 12:52 AM, said:

to be blunt, this is why people should learn to manage their heat. mean, if you're going to 90% constantly, your build really shouldn't be viable anyways, specially as one guy with a flamer could tip you over in a second.

really only a problem metagamers would care about. anyone who's half decent at making their own builds would work around it pretty easy. Mean, personally, I never run anything with a heat management unless it's roughly 1.2 (higher on heavy energy builds, occasionally slightly lower if the main weapons of the mech aren't heat pigs, I.E. Gauss/Heavy Gauss).

if nothing else, the change around'll stimulate people to actually get a little more inventive with their builds.

True meta-gamers are inherently better at managing the heat than non-meta-gamers; that's why they are meta-gaming. If you aren't squeezing maximum potential out of your builds, you are playing at an inferior level. As this is a function of mathematics (boiled down simply to more damage out over time), it is not debatable.

This change isn't going to impact much except how we judge shot timing, especially since us meta-gamers are going to be running with override on anyway.

[Mister Maf]

Centurion and Highlander torso twist buffs, thank you based PGI

[dr3dnought]

InnerSphereNews, on 07 December 2018 - 06:14 PM, said:

you will be able to utilize Stealth Armor almost indefinably

Apart from the weird typo, this seems like fun

[tutzdes]

Arkhangel, on 08 December 2018 - 12:52 AM, said:

to be blunt, this is why people should learn to manage their heat. mean, if you're going to 90% constantly, your build really shouldn't be viable anyways, specially as one guy with a flamer could tip you over in a second.

If you're very hot constantly, then it means you are using your mech at full potential. If your mech is always cool, then it is either a suboptimal build with way higher cooling than it needed or you are just not contributing.

Flamers are only able to get you to 90% and not any higher.

You should probably learn more about the heat and how to manage it.

[ZortPointNarf]

Live by the heatsink, die by the heatsink. I am looking forward to this change, I've always felt that losing a torso (specifically on a clam mech) did not really slow me down all that much.

@PGI, I am very glad to see that you are no longer treating back-end logic as a holy cow that shall not be touched. I look forward to future changes and new maps (had to)

Re: Maps, any chance we can have some more barriers that could prevent NASCAR; it really is killing the game.

Edited by ZortPointNarf, 08 December 2018 - 05:04 AM.

[Bud Crue]

On the one hand, I doubt I will notice many of the agility changes given the fairly minor level of changes in most of my mechs, on the other hand, this is certainly nice to see.

I believe this is the third patch since skill tree was introduced where PGI has decided not to nerf something, and instead only buffed things. Hope to see more of these.

[Shanrak]

The only issue with the engine changes is a potential drop in kills and increase in suicides. It'd be nice if it's possible for the torso shooter to get credit for the kill through overheat.

[Kuaron]

Bud Crue, on 08 December 2018 - 05:10 AM, said:

I believe this is the third patch since skill tree was introduced where PGI has decided not to nerf something, and instead only buffed things. Hope to see more of these.

I don’t hope so.

Edited by Kuaron, 08 December 2018 - 06:07 AM.