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Suggestions For New Players/expanding The Player Base


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#1 Shayashi

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Posted 12 February 2019 - 04:42 PM

So as a new player to MWO myself (a fan of the series since MW2) I have a little over a week of gameplay - but close to 70 hours in said week, and as someone who has recruited every possible person at work to come join the experience, even though most of them have either only graced the title in the past or are a generation behind the fulfilling feel of Laser and AC combat (7 additional downloads and counting) I felt it remiss for me not to make a few suggestions regarding new players to the game and to the series.

I know a lot of people's reactions are going to initially be "oh great another new player who thinks he knows how to fix the worlds problems", I get it - honestly I really do - I've dealt with them before myself; but to cede this initial dismissal I can offer an introduction to myself. If you don't care to read this part (developer and gamer alike) feel free to skip to the numbered suggestions. I am a gamer in a two person household where my better half has accepted the fact that she will have to share me with the pixel world in which I was raised. I have built 3 computers for myself over 3 different decades to play 3 different generations of MechWarrior - My first being a Windows '95 PC when I was 12 because I saw the glistening crash of a PPC out of the love of my life, the Marauder IIc. I have brushed many titles in my day from FPS to MMoRPGs including but not limited to Battlefield (2800+hrs BF3), Assassin's Creed (1000+hrs across the series), Guild Wars (7+ years), Aion (7+years) and Final Fantasy (god only knows). I have also GM'd (moderated) when I was in my 20's for several lesser MMo's including a private server Aion. Now here we are, at age 34 soon to be 35 in the midst of the game that honestly outside of a few console games started my habitual office chair sitting and face-time with the window to the pixel heavens. I owe it all to you Jordan Weisman and Russ Bullock; without your vision of resurrecting a series the evil bloodied hand Microsoft buried and left for dead, I would be left a heart half full. As for the rest of you at Piranha Games and memories of FASA (I'm sorry but MC is still in my heart) thank you for your contributions to the series and keeping my memories alive...

That being said here we go on the suggestions

1) 30% Damage Received Reduction for your first 25 games (same duration as achievement bonus) - You guys clearly have a number of game tracking system in place... Well, new players die a lot... and quick... While it may be a learning experience for some, it tends to be a little discouraging for newer players unfamiliar with the series... I've had to hand hold some people at work and say seriously its fine... You may be dead but you put out like 250 damage, you helped your team, don't feel bad...

2) 30% Damage Output Reduction for your first 25 games (...) - We all know people are devious at heart... Smurfs exist... People will see the 30% damage received reduction as an excuse to exploit, I know it... Let's not reward it... It is strictly their to keep new players from feeling like a permanent spectator

3) C-bill x 50% for First 50 Losses or First 35 Wins (whichever comes first) - It takes a while to get good... I'm sure we can all agree that being able to buy and test new Mechs is what makes this series fun and exciting and what brought us to MechWarrior to begin with... I understand there's an Achievement bonus after your first 25 games - we'll get to that... As new players however, many of my coworkers have said to me "wow I only got 40,000 for that loss" or "hmmm at 105,000 for a win, that's a long time for a 8 million dollar Mech - that's like 80+ games and that's if we're winning"... They're right... It is... For a player just starting out the disparity between Mech Cost and In-game Earnings is very high... I'd say it wasn't until my 20th game or so that I hit my first 220K+ C-Bill game... Rather than discourage a player base, why not encourage players to buy a Mech Bay for real money currency because they were able to buy their 5th or 6th Mech in a month?

or...

4) First 2 Medium or Heavy Mechs 50% Off - Again I state it takes a while to get good... Hell it takes a while to get average... Why not indirectly direct new players to take the roles that are least detrimental to team comp for the entire team? A sub-par Heavy or Medium a team can recover from... Even two... A team spawns in with Light that isn't scouting properly or an Assault that is too far on the flank to be defended, that's almost an immediate push and loss for a Tier 5 game... I think it would aggravate core players less, as well as giving a new player the perk of getting to try out a cheap new Mech... Plus the discount adds to the "Hmmm, I'm out of Mech Bays - what the hell it's only like 2 bucks" model...

5) Legion Color Bundles - Colors need to come in Price Bundles, Like REASONABLE Price Bundles; I'm sorry it's true... When I was first asked "Hey can we paint these cool Mechs?" I was straight up embarrassed to answer... "Yeah but it's like $7-$10 for just one color"... I get you guys have a job to do, and you have to get paid, I really do, honestly... Rather than count on whales to pay your paycheck though, what if we all did? At reasonable prices? I know players can argue sale this and sale that but why not a steady income of Smoke Jaguar bundles at $10 or Jade Falcon colors $10 for the lot, permanently... I know I'd pick something up...

6) New Trial Mechs Every Week - I know its more work from a hotfix/maintenance/just one more thing to do stand point... Changing up Mechs every week however might expand interest from new players as well as increasing odds of them finding something they like for purchase, be it a +30% Chassis or a Mech Bay to house their new joy...

7) New Mech Sale Every Week - From what I've heard from Veteran players, you guys have been doing more sales than ever, so maybe this is already being implemented but it only makes sense... The only advice I have received from anybody outside of positioning in-game, is to wait for Mech Sales... Well if that's the case, have a sale every week... There's 101 Mechs out there so far, excluding Hata, Rifle IIc & Marauder IIc - That's close to a perfect 3 month cycle rotation of 8 Mechs per week... Boost reward and inventory for player, boost revenue in house...

I know the last seven have been for us as players, a little for your revenue I suppose... But this last one is for you guys...

8) Have Fun and Drop With Us - Maybe I'm just an old-school MMo'er at heart but join us - we are your people... Maybe you already are and I just don't know because I'm still fairly new to the community where I don't recognize a crazy number of gamertags yet... On the other hand, throw a [GM] or [PGI] tag on a screen name and hop in a couple games a week with us... I know it's not as glowing as it was when I was 17 where we would be enamored to see a [GM] in game, but at 34 I'd be in the range of "Nice to see these guys support their project and are happy to participate and communicate with us"... I do understand there would be people who would try to hound you with questions or requests - but a simple "I'm here to game with you, if you can't handle that you're on mute" would be reasonable...

Well if you have read thus far, I appreciate your ear and your patience; and as I have said if any of this is already being implemented, I apologize for the redundancy... I shall be editing and adding to this as I think of more, just had a lot of feedback from my guys at work and figured I'd throw it on paper, rather pixel, for you to digest... Good luck, God bless and Good Hunting...

*Special Shout-out and Thanks to Sean Lang and the No Guts No Galaxy gang for keeping my Mech appetite sufficed until I was able to get my crap together and finally build my PC to join in - you guys rock*

** For those who were interested (Five years late but...)
i7 8700
Asus Prime z390
Asus RStx - RTX 2070
Gskill 3200s
Samsung 860 Evo
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#2 D V Devnull

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Posted 13 February 2019 - 04:05 AM

Hi there, Shayashi. I saw your post, and after reading had a few return notes come to mind. Since I don't want to be too long-winded (even though I'll likely be... sorry in advance), I'll just get to it... :mellow:



View PostShayashi, on 12 February 2019 - 04:42 PM, said:

1) 30% Damage Received Reduction for your first 25 games (same duration as achievement bonus) - You guys clearly have a number of game tracking system in place... Well, new players die a lot... and quick... While it may be a learning experience for some, it tends to be a little discouraging for newer players unfamiliar with the series... I've had to hand hold some people at work and say seriously its fine... You may be dead but you put out like 250 damage, you helped your team, don't feel bad...

2) 30% Damage Output Reduction for your first 25 games (...) - We all know people are devious at heart... Smurfs exist... People will see the 30% damage received reduction as an excuse to exploit, I know it... Let's not reward it... It is strictly their to keep new players from feeling like a permanent spectator

I can see what you were going for with these, but it's really not a good idea to make them quite that big. Maybe a 10% Received Damage Reduction at most, and avoid the Damage Output Reduction, but only during the Cadet Period. Further, have it turn down the Received Damage Reduction in a linear effect over those 25 games, so by the 13th game there is only a 5% Received Damage Reduction, and by the 26th game there isn't any Received Damage Reduction at all. The simple truth is that if a Completely New Player creates an Account, and then finds that they are rendered ineffective by the quote-unquote "training wheels" during their Cadet Period only because of the game's design hampering their efforts and stealing from them, even though they may happen to honestly be aiming perfectly and actually hitting with every shot, then they won't find MWO to be fun enough to stick around. Only their own personal failures should result in their inability to achieve what they should be able to get during their first 25 games, which I personally found when I began MWO to be an insanely critical time in getting the hang of things enough to not give up directly at the start, and I would have thrown in the towel if I had found I was being undercut on my earnings by hidden game coding. I get that you were trying to Counter the Manipulative Veteran Players who might try to do coldly mischievous things through making an Alternate Account for themselves. But, the problem simply stands glaringly that such hidden coding for Damage Output Reduction would hurt the Completely New Player to a far worse extent, while really having little to no effect on a Manipulative Veteran who could already compensate for this setback easily, and therefore this problem would damage the chance of the Player Base being able to gain more people. Let's not make it trouble to grow the Player Base from the Completely New Player who comes past the Website, alright? :(



[#3 & #4 Skipped because I really just can't understand from reading them what intent you were going for with them. Particularly #3... :wacko: ... Maybe you can enlighten me with more details about this?]


View PostShayashi, on 12 February 2019 - 04:42 PM, said:

5) Legion Color Bundles - Colors need to come in Price Bundles, Like REASONABLE Price Bundles; I'm sorry it's true... When I was first asked "Hey can we paint these cool Mechs?" I was straight up embarrassed to answer... "Yeah but it's like $7-$10 for just one color"... I get you guys have a job to do, and you have to get paid, I really do, honestly... Rather than count on whales to pay your paycheck though, what if we all did? At reasonable prices? I know players can argue sale this and sale that but why not a steady income of Smoke Jaguar bundles at $10 or Jade Falcon colors $10 for the lot, permanently... I know I'd pick something up...

Actually, there are colors that do not cost you any 'Real $$$' and/or (MC) at all! You're likely very unaware of this, but PLEASE go to your MWO Client's Home Screen, and then do the following items...
  • click into the 'MechLab' (button up top)
  • click into the 'Camo Spec' screen (button on the left)
  • "ALL" radio button in dialog on the right
  • click into the Drop Down List in dialog on the right that says "ALL"
  • scroll down the Drop Down List in dialog on the right
  • click on "Basic" in the Drop Down List in dialog on the right
...in order to see that one of these Paint Colors ("Basic Green") came unlocked when you began MWO, as well as find that there are other Paint Colors to choose from. Further, take notice that those minor few Paint Colors which you're seeing happen to instead cost (C-Bills) ONLY in order to purchase a One-Time Permanent Unlock that lets you use the Paint Color literally forever (as long as you don't somehow trash your MWO Account, anyway), and thankfully not so many as to be severely deterring. Yes, they're not very shiny/glossy/bright/dark/etc. (Geez, how many qualities can I describe those as NOT having?), but at least you're not totally limited to just that drab "Basic Green" Paint Color as you begin to own some Mechs in your own happy little Garage's area. ^_^

With that said, and you now know about the "Basic" Paint Colors, if you want some other Color Packages for 'Real $$$' and/or (MC), well... I'll hope that PGI eventually grants your request to be able to directly purchase them with 'Real $$$' instead of having to buy (MC) first to purchase Paint Colors with. It does seem a little clunky, huh? B)



View PostShayashi, on 12 February 2019 - 04:42 PM, said:

6) New Trial Mechs Every Week - I know its more work from a hotfix/maintenance/just one more thing to do stand point... Changing up Mechs every week however might expand interest from new players as well as increasing odds of them finding something they like for purchase, be it a +30% Chassis or a Mech Bay to house their new joy...

It's a bit worse than that. They have to shut down the Servers and Patch them, then force everyone to load a Patch on their end to the Game Client, and then everyone can get running again. This got to becoming an utter headache on a twice-a-Month basis, and was downcycled to once-a-Month in order to meet the Player Base's demands that people not constantly get shoved out of the game. Extra HotFixes also have to be run through Steam's own Validation Processes in order to cover everyone when a Game Update happens. So it takes quite a lot to get a Game Update done, more than would allow for almost frivolously doing these on a weekly interval, as this 'CryEngine v3'-based game does NOT download the Trial Mech List remotely from the MWO servers, but is actively certified by the Remote Server End in order to somewhat prevent Cheating by the Player Base that could have happened. If we were on something like 'Unreal Engine v4'-series for the underlying subsystem, it might be more adaptable to handling that, but 'CryEngine v3'-series is simply not. Sorry that I had to burst your bubble on this one. :unsure:

Also of one other note, those who are doing the Game Balancing control what is being chosen as options for the available Trial Mechs, and they wouldn't take too well to having to re-choose them weekly. The options are not on a randomizer of any kind. Further, they have to be careful what options they make available for Trial Mechs, and not rotate them too often in order to allow time to even understand what any of them are like. It personally took me several months to have any ability to get a grip on them when I was first starting out on MWO, and if they had been changing as fast as you're suggesting, I would have given up due to not getting any time to really learn Mech Design and piloting characteristics. Please trust me when I tell you that a Completely New Player is seriously NOT going to want to have to fight with what could be called the "ADHD-style" kind of Trial Mech List Changes which you propose. -_-



View PostShayashi, on 12 February 2019 - 04:42 PM, said:

7) New Mech Sale Every Week - From what I've heard from Veteran players, you guys have been doing more sales than ever, so maybe this is already being implemented but it only makes sense... The only advice I have received from anybody outside of positioning in-game, is to wait for Mech Sales... Well if that's the case, have a sale every week... There's 101 Mechs out there so far, excluding Hata, Rifle IIc & Marauder IIc - That's close to a perfect 3 month cycle rotation of 8 Mechs per week... Boost reward and inventory for player, boost revenue in house...

Heh... Just keep watching... Mech Sales vary with the Events that are running, but they're really already happening every so often. However, Matt Newman (a.k.a. "Mr. Awesome" -- and PGI's Public Relations for the Game Events) has to manually set them up and prevent them from having any unintended effects, so please don't be impatient and/or surprised about them being so irregular. They will ultimately come, so just watch for the Chassis and Variants which you happen to want to build upon, and catch them when they're on the Sale Rack for purchasing. In the meantime, poke around the In-Game Store, understand Mech Quirks, and pre-design the Loadouts which you'll want for future use. ;)



...and now that I've likely generated something on the order of FOUR pages worth of text off of my thoughts, I'm going to wish you a nice day and then scram. I hope that I've given you a bit to think about, and some smiles to be had, even though I have likely burned down a couple of things in your stuff rather hard... for which I do apologize on having been potentially harsh. It just so happens that I've also got a background of growing up with the well-known MechWarrior 2&3 Basic Campaigns, and I spent many tons of hours playing and re-playing through those. Here on MWO, I'm seriously trying to make sure that the Player Base keeps growing, and I'm trying my absolute best to ensure that nothing causes the Player Base to shrink any more than the past has caused of it. So here's to looking forward at a brighter future, all while I ninja about these Forums and the discussions within. Keep looking around, because you'll easily find me in other places. :ph34r:

~Mr. D. V. "one who finds even Initial Non-GamePlay Technical Aspects have big discussions & issues attached" Devnull

#3 Shayashi

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Posted 15 February 2019 - 05:59 PM

While I do appreciate the reply, I do regretfully take some of what was said as being talked down to - particularly - "You're likely very unaware [of 5 free colors]" and "don't be impatient [for game events]" and dumbing down of server protocol that I can guarantee you I've witnessed and been a part of for many years, as I'm sure you read in my background, but I'll accustom this to the inability of the internet to convey tone. I suppose I could reiterate, that while I may not have the gameplay hours compared to some of the five year players on the MWO circuit, I am neither new to MechWarrior as a whole nor gaming at it's core. While my first line stated 70 hours of MWO gameplay and counting - I do realize to some that will seem negligible in five years of gameplay, on the other hand, I hope to appeal to others where it will seem like fresh perspective from someone (rather 8 people) who are what you are no longer - a new player. I'm sure a veteran player such as yourself wouldn't want to just keep the status quo for no reason, and I can respect that - it works, as you become accustomed to it. Can you honestly say everything has always been perfect the entire time, or has it evolved to what it is today through adaptation from suggestions from fans and players who had not yet reached five years under their belt? Battlefield V tried to be something it was not this year and they paid for it... But I, like you, am not about overhauling a game to appease the masses - but rather possible marketing strategies that are able to be swallowed by more than just the 5%, to extend the financial lifeline of a series that raised me. So to this I would like to clarify the points one by one.

1) 30% Received Damage Reduction for first 25 matches - (Mind you 30% was a number to start a discussion not end it) you said 10% would be the max and it would have to be receding. It all comes down to the math... To avoid further assumption I will state that I understand I am simplifying a slightly more complex damage system (range degradation/shared hit boxes/splash damage etc)... Let's say for case of argument a new player named 'Sarah' has a 42 point Torso section... Sarah takes 5 direct hits from an AC/10 inside optimum... That Torso section is shredded... Give her a 10% received damage reduction she takes 45 damage and that Torso is still down to internals... Still the same 10 second window of mistake that turns a new player from 'Hey this could be cool' to 'This is dumb I'm going back to Overwatch'... Trust me I'm trying to resell it back to someone I've gamed with for 10 years+ and they're one of the best cooperative play players I've ever met... On the other hand with a 30% received damage reduction that same 50 points turns into 35 damage and takes an extra hit to break the shell... It's only an extra couple seconds sure, but for a new player learning controls, feeling Mech screen-shake for the first time and facing the options of 'do I try to turn around, do I run past, can I outshoot him?' Sometimes a few seconds is all it takes to start making the right decision...

2) 30% Damage Output Reduction - If Received Damage is implemented you HAVE to dampen the output... A new player (especially new to MechWarrior altogether) naturally is going to have a lower accuracy count as well as a lesser understanding of the damage model and formulas used to calculate, worrying about whether they notice did I break him open in 5 shots or 6 is of lesser concern especially as short a period the reductions are being suggested for. I'll be completely honest, I spent the first 10 matches testing out projectile speeds and how to stay alive longer and this is coming from someone who has played every game in the first person series with exception to MWLL. If you can tell me you were putting out 450 damage every match since your first I mean then I can say I'm wrong for sure.

3) & 4) Just have to deal with starting funds. While it's nice receiving the achievement bonus 12.5kk C-bills, it doesn't feel the same as earning them. Strictly a compensatory way of increasing match to match income temporarily while still learning the income to damage/objective model.

5) Where I start to get mildly offended (had no problem with you saying my points were poor and wrong) - If you read the post as thoroughly as you claimed, you would acknowledge the fact this wasn't hastily put together, nor was it out of ignorance or stupidity. Yes, there are five 'free' colors. If you honestly believe after 70 hours of gameplay 'you're likely very' sure I haven't figured out a simple drop down menu or my inability to use Google to search 'MWO Colors', much less on this very forum I signed up for, then it would be indicative of the level of respect you have for other players' intelligence in this community. I grew up in pixel land surrounded by pixel boxes with pixel questions on them. I've learned in my day to click these boxes to take me to places off screen I couldn't even imagine. If you re-read 5) I specifically state "Legion Color bundles" as the term clan would apply, well, to the clans only. I suppose in future iterations I could strictly use the term non-basic bundles to help discern my intent, but I was also using it as a way to suggest bundling them based on their origin. I do admit the way it was worded at the end it could be confused that I was asking for bundles at real world currency, but with the comment I relayed from my coworker that 'colors are $7-$10 each' I was hoping people would deduce I was speaking at MC value since colors are not currently sold to my knowledge in terms of US dollars... Thus making the bundles I was suggesting 1500MC a bundle or ~$10.

6) & 7) Yes I do realize the weekly event updates and trial mech implementations would most likely require a weekly client side patch thus why I apologized in advance for suggesting extra work of the PGI staff while I know they are busy with MW5. My unfamiliarity with MWO based patch processes have me basing my knowledge on my lengthy experience with several other FPS and MMo servers including NCsoft servers (Yes, Aion was also CryEngine, granted CE1 not CE3) which on average had 15-30 minute server downtime (an hour if combined with restart maintenance) and a 5 minute or less client patch per week (holiday events led to slightly longer downtime). At an established time every week combining patching and any server maintenance that needs to be done, it would be no different than Aion, Guild Wars, Battlefield, pretty much any other major game running on their own servers. (including mobile phone games) I mean I've haven't met a community yet that went up in arms over an hour a week to make a game run smoother while adding content. None of this is out of a lack of patience as you suggest but rather suggestions to stir interest in content new players may be unfamiliar with to suck them into the series. Not everyone was as fortunate as us to have the Clan repertoire to pilot freely as with MW2. Would you have loved MW2 as much if you were told you'd be piloting only the initial Mad Dog through your first 40 missions about half of those missions with you dying before even getting your first kill? Suppose you could change mechs but only if you paid $25. Kind of puts some things in perspective, don'tcha think?

Edited by Shayashi, 15 February 2019 - 06:01 PM.


#4 D V Devnull

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Posted 17 February 2019 - 04:53 AM

View PostShayashi, on 15 February 2019 - 05:59 PM, said:

While I do appreciate the reply, I do regretfully take some of what was said as being talked down to - particularly - "You're likely very unaware [of 5 free colors]" and "don't be impatient [for game events]" and dumbing down of server protocol that I can guarantee you I've witnessed and been a part of for many years, as I'm sure you read in my background, but I'll accustom this to the inability of the internet to convey tone. I suppose I could reiterate, that while I may not have the gameplay hours compared to some of the five year players on the MWO circuit, I am neither new to MechWarrior as a whole nor gaming at it's core. While my first line stated 70 hours of MWO gameplay and counting - I do realize to some that will seem negligible in five years of gameplay, on the other hand, I hope to appeal to others where it will seem like fresh perspective from someone (rather 8 people) who are what you are no longer - a new player. I'm sure a veteran player such as yourself wouldn't want to just keep the status quo for no reason, and I can respect that - it works, as you become accustomed to it. Can you honestly say everything has always been perfect the entire time, or has it evolved to what it is today through adaptation from suggestions from fans and players who had not yet reached five years under their belt? Battlefield V tried to be something it was not this year and they paid for it... But I, like you, am not about overhauling a game to appease the masses - but rather possible marketing strategies that are able to be swallowed by more than just the 5%, to extend the financial lifeline of a series that raised me. So to this I would like to clarify the points one by one.

Hi again, Shayashi... Glad to be having the discussion. Sorry about any of my previous post sounding like as if I was being mean (and/or "talking down") to you. I really never intended it that way, and I was hoping that the emoji which I used would help defray the issue a bit. Thanks for realizing that my ability to convey tone over the internet is a bit constricted. It's always been hard to pick just the right emoji to uniquely go with each and every paragraph that I post, particularly when I'm trying to pick an average based on the paragraph's content. Which I should probably note that the lack of emoji on this post is because I exceeded what the Forums would allow me to use in one post, so I stripped them before I posted. I apologize in advance if anything comes off sounding offensive, as that's really not my intent.

By the way, while I may not be a 'fresh off the boat' player, I do remember at least somewhat about when I was new. I was drawing off of my thoughts a bit about the time of back then, combined with an internal mental comparison to how things are in the Current Day. I also don't exactly consider myself an outrightly Veteran player either, even though I've been at this MWO madness for a little over three years now. Things to me, while they were not perfect back then, seem like they were better than they are now in some areas, while potentially worse in others. Please consider me as being "somewhere in the middle" still?

Also, I'm glad to see we're somewhat on the same intent about not sticking too heavily to the 'status quo' on things. There are some things I have also seen which are likely needing a 'Change & Repair' in MWO, and I'll probably be starting a thread or two regarding changing some of those things rather soon.



View PostShayashi, on 15 February 2019 - 05:59 PM, said:

1) 30% Received Damage Reduction for first 25 matches - (Mind you 30% was a number to start a discussion not end it) you said 10% would be the max and it would have to be receding. It all comes down to the math... To avoid further assumption I will state that I understand I am simplifying a slightly more complex damage system (range degradation/shared hit boxes/splash damage etc)... Let's say for case of argument a new player named 'Sarah' has a 42 point Torso section... Sarah takes 5 direct hits from an AC/10 inside optimum... That Torso section is shredded... Give her a 10% received damage reduction she takes 45 damage and that Torso is still down to internals... Still the same 10 second window of mistake that turns a new player from 'Hey this could be cool' to 'This is dumb I'm going back to Overwatch'... Trust me I'm trying to resell it back to someone I've gamed with for 10 years+ and they're one of the best cooperative play players I've ever met... On the other hand with a 30% received damage reduction that same 50 points turns into 35 damage and takes an extra hit to break the shell... It's only an extra couple seconds sure, but for a new player learning controls, feeling Mech screen-shake for the first time and facing the options of 'do I try to turn around, do I run past, can I outshoot him?' Sometimes a few seconds is all it takes to start making the right decision...

2) 30% Damage Output Reduction - If Received Damage is implemented you HAVE to dampen the output... A new player (especially new to MechWarrior altogether) naturally is going to have a lower accuracy count as well as a lesser understanding of the damage model and formulas used to calculate, worrying about whether they notice did I break him open in 5 shots or 6 is of lesser concern especially as short a period the reductions are being suggested for. I'll be completely honest, I spent the first 10 matches testing out projectile speeds and how to stay alive longer and this is coming from someone who has played every game in the first person series with exception to MWLL. If you can tell me you were putting out 450 damage every match since your first I mean then I can say I'm wrong for sure.

Hmmm... I saw where you were going with this on your previous post. Yes, a longer life at the cost of reduced damage initially does sound like a nice concept. Please don't take my thoughts here in an awful manner, but where I find myself confused and question it is that if someone uses, for example, the Enforcer ENF-4R(C) when it is up as a "Trial Mech", it is supposed to have a 35 Damage Alpha, and it is supposed to deal that damage properly when everything is in Optimal Range and somehow a Newbie manages to get lucky and hit accurately. (Each of the 5 Medium Lasers their 5 Damage, and the AC/10 it's self-evident 10 Damage.) At the same time, there's also the entire opposing 12-man Enemy Team to have to worry over getting insta-focused to death by, and if they suddenly do while you're unable to properly put out that Damage, then it's like you're just sitting there suffering for about an extra second or two, and probably not even that. Focused damage, as I figure you're aware, really just blows right through anyone and everyone even if there is a 'Damage Received Reduction', and even if you're given extra time to react, sometimes you still just can't get out of the way and instead die. I feel like we should avoid taking away a Newbie's ability to deal damage and compete for survival, because they're only going to get one chance in each of their Matches which they play, and it's hard for them to learn if they're unable to have the intended impact of MWO's Weapons Lineup as designed. Maybe I'm crazy, but it just seems like stealing to not let them make the opposing side hurt just as hard as their fellow Teammates can do upon the Enemy Team. (That, and I remember when I was first starting out, at least in the first several months, that I was able to give more powerful players a run for their [C-Bills] under the state of Game Balance that was present back then. If we go and Nerf someone because they're a Newbie, then they don't get the joy of being able to do that at all.) Plus, the idea of having to explain to a Newbie that their ability to help on the battlefields is also stunted because they're still starting out just doesn't sit right with me. I'm sure from my own past experiences that anyone who hears such a thing would instantly get angry (possibly even assault me in Real Life, with reasonable cause to do so) and leave MWO behind immediately, just because they feel disrespected for even trying to touch it in the first place. What I would end up hearing is something along the lines of...

Speaking to me, a Newbie could have said:

"That's not right! If I'm hitting squarely with my Mech's Weapons, then I should have proper effect! Why should I be Nerfed, when THEY are the Veterans? Why should it be ME dying easily, with my Weapons not allowed to do FULL Damage? Why aren't THEY being Nerfed temporarily, or more than I am, while I am STILL starting out? Telling me to take a back seat just because I'm new is wrongful discrimination! Screw this!"

... and they would be more than justified & right to totally let me have it for even trying to get them into MWO with such a 'Training Wheels System' present. I would be short of a proverbial 'leg to stand on', discussion-wise at that point.

Of course, I'll admit I'm probably talking about the 'worst-case scenario' here. I still remember that my own few first games varied a little wildly too, as I was limited by lack of things like Consumables and such, and I didn't have the best aim in the world either. That, and my Ballistic Weapons knowledge was poor back then, so I stuck more to Lock-On Weapons and Lasers, which probably helped my Initial Matches a bit. But, I could also swear that I remember people being more willing to work together back then too, so my Damage numbers were less basement-level than they probably could have been. As it so happens that I got started in Mid-'Tier 4', and I only remember having barely slipped into 'Tier 5' briefly, I likely had a better start back when, compared to what anyone since about April 2016 has had. If only the "Faction Warfare, Phase 3" Release and Future Versions since hadn't caused an exodus from MWO that blew the Player Base Size and MatchMaking, things might be a bit less cold and unstable now, and thus I wouldn't be so reluctant to touch implementing such a 'Training Wheels System' on top of Current Game Mechanics that are already in-play. Of course, it might be as equally likely that such an addition would be totally unnecessary if we still had the Past Friendly Climate of Player Base, as it seemed like people did better at keeping each other alive back then too.



View PostShayashi, on 15 February 2019 - 05:59 PM, said:

3) & 4) Just have to deal with starting funds. While it's nice receiving the achievement bonus 12.5kk C-bills, it doesn't feel the same as earning them. Strictly a compensatory way of increasing match to match income temporarily while still learning the income to damage/objective model.

Okay... But I'm still confused, even though I think I get what you're saying, so I want to make sure here... You said "(C-Bills) X 50%" on your earlier post. Did you mean "(C-Bills) + 50%" or "(C-Bills) X 150%" instead? Sorry for the misread here, as I was brought up with a certain mentality and approach to Math and its' Real Life applicability.



View PostShayashi, on 15 February 2019 - 05:59 PM, said:

5) Where I start to get mildly offended (had no problem with you saying my points were poor and wrong) - If you read the post as thoroughly as you claimed, you would acknowledge the fact this wasn't hastily put together, nor was it out of ignorance or stupidity. Yes, there are five 'free' colors. If you honestly believe after 70 hours of gameplay 'you're likely very' sure I haven't figured out a simple drop down menu or my inability to use Google to search 'MWO Colors', much less on this very forum I signed up for, then it would be indicative of the level of respect you have for other players' intelligence in this community. I grew up in pixel land surrounded by pixel boxes with pixel questions on them. I've learned in my day to click these boxes to take me to places off screen I couldn't even imagine. If you re-read 5) I specifically state "Legion Color bundles" as the term clan would apply, well, to the clans only. I suppose in future iterations I could strictly use the term non-basic bundles to help discern my intent, but I was also using it as a way to suggest bundling them based on their origin. I do admit the way it was worded at the end it could be confused that I was asking for bundles at real world currency, but with the comment I relayed from my coworker that 'colors are $7-$10 each' I was hoping people would deduce I was speaking at MC value since colors are not currently sold to my knowledge in terms of US dollars... Thus making the bundles I was suggesting 1500MC a bundle or ~$10.

Eh, I was NOT thinking you were ignorant/stupid, neither did I intend any disrespect for your intelligence, and I'm very sorry for any indication as if I sounded that way. When I read your opening post, I didn't see any hint that you had told your co-worker about the (C-Bills) Basic Colors. Further, it took me quite a while when I first started out to become aware, as I had to learn a lot about MWO from scratch even with my MW2&MW3 Background, that those Basic Colors had even existed. I didn't have the help of others to find it, so I just thought that it would be worth being courteous and kindly pointing those out (As that was how I intended it ... Darn Internet messing up indication of vocal posting tone!), just in-case you had accidentally somehow missed it. It so happens over the 3+ years that I've been here, there were many who were around for a while and didn't know of those either, who then thanked me when I mentioned those existed.

I like your idea of the usage of the term "Non-Basic Bundles" for indication of intent. Please go with it, as that will prevent a lot of confusion.

While it may not have been part of your original intent, you still also have a good idea there of allowing further methods of Paint Color Purchase (no drug puns intended) through "Real $$$ Bundling", alongside the Current (MC) Option which already exists. PGI could probably also launch another Sale on Colors through the In-Game Interfaces too, such as they have done in the past.

The addition of Paint Color Bundles for (MC) is a little more steep, however. It's definitely a good idea, though. The only hitch is that it will require some new entries in the "Bundles" Section of the In-Game Store, alongside the "Inner Sphere Mech Mastery Packs" and "(C-Bills) Conversion Packs" which reside there at current. They can also go further than just the Clans in terms of Legions, because they could also put together Bundles for the Inner Sphere too. But, PGI will have to be really careful on how they price those. Otherwise they'll accidentally undercut themselves in an unwanted manner, should they fall afoul of a mass of people who wanted those exact sets (or are just willing to accept extra options showing up in their "Owned" choices) but weren't willing to pay full price. What do you think then, something along the lines of Three Paint Colors for each of those Paint Color Bundles, in order to add up to the 1500 (MC) which you were building the idea around, unless things like the Faction-Based Paint Colors cost 1000 (MC) each?



View PostShayashi, on 15 February 2019 - 05:59 PM, said:

6) & 7) Yes I do realize the weekly event updates and trial mech implementations would most likely require a weekly client side patch thus why I apologized in advance for suggesting extra work of the PGI staff while I know they are busy with MW5. My unfamiliarity with MWO based patch processes have me basing my knowledge on my lengthy experience with several other FPS and MMo servers including NCsoft servers (Yes, Aion was also CryEngine, granted CE1 not CE3) which on average had 15-30 minute server downtime (an hour if combined with restart maintenance) and a 5 minute or less client patch per week (holiday events led to slightly longer downtime). At an established time every week combining patching and any server maintenance that needs to be done, it would be no different than Aion, Guild Wars, Battlefield, pretty much any other major game running on their own servers. (including mobile phone games) I mean I've haven't met a community yet that went up in arms over an hour a week to make a game run smoother while adding content. None of this is out of a lack of patience as you suggest but rather suggestions to stir interest in content new players may be unfamiliar with to suck them into the series. Not everyone was as fortunate as us to have the Clan repertoire to pilot freely as with MW2. Would you have loved MW2 as much if you were told you'd be piloting only the initial Mad Dog through your first 40 missions about half of those missions with you dying before even getting your first kill? Suppose you could change mechs but only if you paid $25. Kind of puts some things in perspective, don'tcha think?

I get the feeling you're firing at me all too well.

Of note, I totally did not know that "Aion" was a CryEngine-based (albeit v1) game, though. I'll most certainly have to look that up on Wikipedia or something later.

As for Patching MWO when an Update happens, I've had to deal with repeatedly missing (and/or badly delayed) Patch Download Links, and versus fighting with my ISP's backend operations, been pushed into Downtime equivalent to 3 hours or more every single time to Patch MWO in order to continue using it. That includes stopping to provide details in the Forums as to what I had to grab to get it done, just to be helpful and courteous to others. I actually have to grab the Patch File with my Web Browser first, and then side-load it into a directory for MWO to pick up, or risk the MWO Patch Download File getting messed with in-transit by the Portal's Direct Download Routine trying to work on it. What a mess that I have to fight with if PGI doesn't just post the Patch Download Link for an immediate grab... Not their fault that I'm limited in such a way, but nothing I can really do about it either. Had a better ISP when I began playing MWO, but ended up with a worse one because the first one left the area, instead selling me off to the other ISP and their shenanigans. So, rather sadly, I find that the more Patch Files which I have to load, the more battlefield time I get slammed out of in the long run, and it has been utterly costly for me.

In regard to the old MW2 game, if that had been loaded full of DLC purchases at obnoxious pricing, I would have never gotten into the Single-Player Campaign which was all that I could play at the time. I never even would have pointed it out to the parent who got it for our family to play at the time, as I was that young back then too but at least had a little common sense on my tiny shoulders. Heck, back then, DLC would have been considered a very dirty word. Had something to do with regard to how a game should be delivered complete in the first place, unlike how things are these days.

Having talked about these things DOES however bring me to a thought. For a couple years now, it has constantly seemed like PGI does NOT make the Trial Mech Rack filled with enough options. Maybe they should enlarge the number of Trial Mechs from the Current 16 to an Increased Baseline of 24, 32, or possibly more?




Okay, pardon me while I scoot again. It seems like every time that I am offline from the Forums for more than a day, the catch-up on discussions gets rather hefty. Heck, I'm backlogged!

~Mr. D. V. "Sorry for ANY unintentional mean/rude tone! We may differ in opinion, but we both want the best for MWO." Devnull





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