Monday Mechwarrior Update With Daeron #02
#161
Posted 10 November 2020 - 04:43 PM
#162
Posted 10 November 2020 - 04:50 PM
MaschineGott, on 10 November 2020 - 04:12 PM, said:
I expect we'll see the Blackjack and Centurion before Templar and Avatar.
#163
Posted 10 November 2020 - 04:58 PM
Buenaventura, on 10 November 2020 - 04:33 PM, said:
Sorry for the nitpick, another missed one (that has so few variants that we won't see it in MWO anyway):
Gunslinger GUN-1ERD
It's rear firing MPLs are in the legs. I only remembered that one because I had it for a while in our unit.
...holy cow how did I miss that? I love the Gunslinger!
I must have just eventually started assuming all the lasers were in the shoulders like the Battlemaster (since it's a very close design to a Battlemaster, and I don't get to play tabletop very often).
#164
Posted 10 November 2020 - 05:12 PM
#165
Posted 10 November 2020 - 05:23 PM
udoshi, on 10 November 2020 - 03:20 PM, said:
Thats it.
Lastly, and I forgot this as the most important one:
you need an advertising budget. also a QA budget.
PGI: No matter what you do, no matter how you fix the game, somehow, you -have to- have tono uncertain ifs and ors buts
Promote the game somehow. that's going to take some investment to figure out how and where you're going to do it.
You are also gonna need a fresh-eyes QA pass and to make sure that management has open and fresh minds about turning their stuff around, and that the game is fun and the progression isn't crap.
As long as you can manage these things and the message is backed up by fact and not a thin coat of lies over going back to your old ways after a player boom, you will succeed, but the message has to be backed up and unified across the board.
#166
Posted 10 November 2020 - 05:39 PM
udoshi, on 10 November 2020 - 05:23 PM, said:
Lastly, and I forgot this as the most important one:
you need an advertising budget. also a QA budget.
PGI: No matter what you do, no matter how you fix the game, somehow, you -have to- have tono uncertain ifs and ors buts
Promote the game somehow. that's going to take some investment to figure out how and where you're going to do it.
You are also gonna need a fresh-eyes QA pass and to make sure that management has open and fresh minds about turning their stuff around, and that the game is fun and the progression isn't crap.
As long as you can manage these things and the message is backed up by fact and not a thin coat of lies over going back to your old ways after a player boom, you will succeed, but the message has to be backed up and unified across the board.
This.
I have NEVER seen an ad for MWO. Everything I have EVER seen has been word of mouth or through mechwarrior lore/BT Universe people.
Word of mouth is not enough for a game like this.
AND DO NOT DO ADS THAT TARGET JUST BTU FANS, make sure they appeal to people who may have NEVER heard of Mechwarrior/BattleTech.
#167
Posted 10 November 2020 - 06:31 PM
First off, commentary on the bullets listed within your original post:
NEW PLAYER EXPERIENCE
FEATURES
MAPS
MECHS
MODES
SOCIAL . . . skipping this section because I have no opinion here and don't really care as long as whatever is done doesn't take too many resources away from other facets of improvement.
NEW FEATURES
MONETIZATION
As for things not mentioned within the main thread, these are things I'd like to add into the discussion:
- MWO to MW5 monetization. Again, collector's editions of mech packs could come with DLC codes to put the chassis into MW5 as well as putting up DLC for MW5 to get the mechs into the game standalone.
- AI should be looked into for the game, and not just for use in tutorials. To put emphasis on this, online games such as Smite, League of Legends, Paladins, Overwatch, and For Honor have PVE or single-player-esque modes with reduced rewards that let them get used to the game or just play more casually. Yet these people still often spend money either while getting used to the game or because it caters to a play style they like. There are even MW5 mods that take the simple, but clean, AI of MW5 and enhance it greatly. See if you can utilize that and build upon it further.
- Engine upgrades NEED to put put onto the long-term roadmap. If you don't push forward with an engine upgrade now, then you're already conceding defeat and that you'll lose the license in a few years; and Microsoft will see that right away. Every long-term online game goes through engine upgrades if it wants to survive. Start planning now if you're serious about keeping MWO alive past the 5 year mark.
- Melee and knockdowns go hand in hand and should be looked into. It was brought up as a possibility, but seems to have been looked over. Are we just going to ignore it?
- Also I'd love to see investigation into quad mechs. I think the current mech lab can support it, and implementing them mechanically I don't think is as difficult as it seems. Destroying 1 leg = 80% speed, destroying 2 legs = 40% speed, destroying 3 legs = dead.
Edited by Sereglach, 10 November 2020 - 07:05 PM.
#168
Posted 10 November 2020 - 06:33 PM
udoshi, on 10 November 2020 - 05:23 PM, said:
Lastly, and I forgot this as the most important one:
you need an advertising budget. also a QA budget.
PGI: No matter what you do, no matter how you fix the game, somehow, you -have to- have tono uncertain ifs and ors buts
Promote the game somehow. that's going to take some investment to figure out how and where you're going to do it.
You are also gonna need a fresh-eyes QA pass and to make sure that management has open and fresh minds about turning their stuff around, and that the game is fun and the progression isn't crap.
As long as you can manage these things and the message is backed up by fact and not a thin coat of lies over going back to your old ways after a player boom, you will succeed, but the message has to be backed up and unified across the board.
any advertising is going to have to come after some serious improvements have been made to the new player experience and general level of polish, potentially even a complete re-launch on a new engine. the game in its current state simply isn't very palatable even to the relatively niche audience it may appeal to.
#169
Posted 10 November 2020 - 07:14 PM
#170
Posted 10 November 2020 - 08:08 PM
Jackal Noble, on 10 November 2020 - 04:25 AM, said:
above mechs - Dragonfire (credit to jjm1), Brigand (credit to jjm1), UrbanmechIIC (seriously low hanging fruit), Bane/Kraken (because it's BA). Bonus mention - CRUSADER. Extra Bonus - FLASHMAN
Honorable Mention -
Also some people think IS Omnis like the raptor would be good, but whatever.
Fix accel/deccel (no mech should float)
Fix Torso Speed (scalar)
Fix Torso Range (flat range across all mechs)
Revamp skill tree
Seriously figure out how to convert to UE4 without pissing off too many people. Regardless, the general pop is going to moan about it, but it is the right thing to do moving forward especially business wise; if you want to bring more than piecemeal new players into the fold bringing the tech base up is first and foremost. Come up with some sort of player loyalty program that provides former MWO 1 players with premium time/ decals/ bonus extras based on actual $ invested. Hardcore F2P players can suck it up and grind from the fresh because they don't actually contribute outside of appeasing their own whims.
More worried about the concern of the license running out in 5 years, 2025 ( major red flag). How can you expect to stay in business if your plan is to milk a 10 year old game engine?
Monetization will be done by actually showing excitement and new development for the product, rather than the downward spiral/maintenance routine of the last 3 years. Face the music, get !@#$ done.
New Map - Sand/Desert with Volcano in ocean ala Crimson Strait
New Map - Grasslands with Monuments
New Map - Daytime sprawling low level city w/o a central point.
Shutup and take my c-bills!
#171
Posted 10 November 2020 - 08:28 PM
https://mwomercs.com...gestion-thread/
https://mwomercs.com...love-then-what/
Happy to see a lot of what's discussed being on the table. I'll try to keep this a little more brief.
Let's put the most important bit first; as many have said in this thread, there are things that need to be addressed ASAP, preferably before the Steam release of MW5. Some of the New Player Experience points need to be pushed through fast. Then with the steam release you could add a link to a MWO page on the MW5 main menu.
Now onto some other stuff. I'm not a fan of the custom laser colours idea. Have you considered making these "metallic paints" you mention another layer (perhaps labelled "finish") in the camo tab? It's already in the game - variants or camo patterns having a metallic sheen to them, or being more glossy or matte. You could then sell differently tinted metallic sheens to use with colours/camo players already have, alongside more pearlescent, gloss or matte finishes to give the player the opportunity to change/remove their finish on patterns where that finish was once fixed. A matte finish would be a nice choice for those who like to paint their mechs "tactically" too!
It would be really disappointing if the "Faction Play solution" ends up relegating a mode with more depth than most of the game to being partially active in the "event queue". Please don't shelve Faction Play for your event queue. If group queue comes back, I think that that'd be the place to screw with mutators or special event bonuses for 48h-or-so periods. At least in that case Faction Play would still be there for people who want that sort of thing more.
If IS Omnis are being considered, IS XL (or all mech engine) mechanics need revising. My suggestion is to add a bonus to STD engines (a carefully considered -% crit chance, or +% CT structure), make IS XL behave like cXL/LFE does now, then on cXL/LFE cut by between a third and half the current effect ST loss has on speed, dissipation and heatcap. It should fit in well alongside moves like more agility passes or scaling mechs smaller/better to increase the TTK (these latter things raising the skill ceiling more than the former lowers it). Seems like everyone likes getting rid of the heatspike too, which is nice.
If more mechs are coming, consider working on them alongside development of MW5 content. And please try to move away from the old mech pack model, at the very least it needs to be priced down and have GSP thrown in with it. MW5 synchronised events and bundles would mean more IS mechs in the immediate timeframe, but there's no reason why it can't also be done alongside real potential money making chassis like the Urbie-IIC, Bane or the Phoenix Hawk-IIC. It's not like IS doesn't still have some lovely classic chassis to rustle up either, stuff like the Wasp, Valkyrie, Wyvern, Crusader, Guillotine, Flashman, Longbow, Devastator... the list goes on.
Finally, would you like an idea for a theme pack? You could go a couple of ways with this, could be Goldilocks-like, could be like Pokemon evolutions, could be a "don't talk to me or my son again" father's day pack... At any rate, look at the Urbie IIC, Flashman and Imp next to one another and try telling me they don't resemble each other a little bit.
So much for brief... I'll leave it on that note, hope things will work out well
Edited by SoulRcannon, 10 November 2020 - 08:32 PM.
#172
Posted 10 November 2020 - 08:39 PM
#173
Posted 10 November 2020 - 08:51 PM
#174
Posted 10 November 2020 - 09:47 PM
Joshua McEvedy, on 10 November 2020 - 05:14 AM, said:
Dude, you don't seem to understand. The current low game population cannot withstand separating the queues. It's why Paul merged them in the first place---the matchmaker had quit working and player loss was accelerating because of it.
You know. I've been in the game since 2016. Never during this time have I seen a matchmaker have problems in solo quick play. The maximum waiting time for a match was no more than two minutes during my playing time (and I have the worst playing time, when North America has mostly stopped playing and Europe has not started yet).
Perhaps you are now talking about the dead the group game? Well, yes, she died a long time ago. But is her death a reason to also kill a solo quick play?
I'm certainly not sure ... maybe my head is some kind of defect. But something whispers to me that group play for those who want to fight group against group, group play has a considerable sporting component. A solo game for those who want to quickly play a match, perhaps with a bottle of beer, just relax. I repeat, maybe I have problems with my head, but it still seems to me that mixing the above two things is simply illogical.
The main mistake of the PGI will be that they will probably listen to the whining of people who say simply: "And I want to run with my friend with a bottle of beer in this game in the evening. We just like to spend time this way." At the same time, these people for some reason forget that there is a faction play in MWO, where you can go with even 11 friends.
Best regards, your Voice of Kerensky
Edited by Voice of Kerensky, 10 November 2020 - 10:28 PM.
#175
Posted 10 November 2020 - 11:19 PM
Quote
Advance the Timeline
No. We have next to ZERO reason to actually advance the timeline right now into the Jihad era.
However, there's still plenty that can be added to the game within the current timeline era. There are lots of mechs, equipment, etc. that aren't too far off from where we are and still within the current timeline. Including, but not limited to, ER Flamers, Plasma Rifles, Plasma Cannons, Mech Rifles, HAG systems, Mag Shots, AP Gauss, Mech Mortars, XL Gyros, Compact Gyros, Small Cockpits, Heavy Ferro Fibrous, Heat Resistant Armor, Reactive Armor, Reflective Armor, and Hardened Armor.
That's not even mentioning the HORDE of mech chassis we still have to pull from; and with PGI making their own variants there's really no reason to be ignoring any possibility at this point for the "3 variant rule".
If the community isn't for advancing the timeline, adding new weapons and armor types as you have above is a great idea. It's a way to bring new life to old mechs, and bring back old players. And open up new variants and mechs. And shake up the meta.
#176
Posted 10 November 2020 - 11:28 PM
#177
Posted 11 November 2020 - 12:27 AM
239 total nodes currently.
51 total nodes without the JJ tree
55 total nodes with the JJ tree. < rather see this removed and global buff to JJ's
There are two ways we can all look at this. 1) Have PGI pick a number of skill points were allowed.
2) This will be the new "Mastery System" where we unlock all the nodes once and were done with it.
3) With either option chosen, we should not have to follow a certain line, just pick whatever nodes we need.
The 2nd option is what I'm most hoping for. I also imagine the %'s would have to be tweaked?, but I think it's a start. I cut down the number of nodes the best I could. Thoughts? For me right off the bat I see this could help a ton with Mobility across the board.
Will post this in an official thread about the skill tree if we get one as well.
Edited: Made a change to weapon tree layout and Armor from a suggestion here in the forums.
Edited for Proposal 2 with New Player experience in mind.
Edited by XDevilsChariotX, 12 November 2020 - 11:21 AM.
#178
Posted 11 November 2020 - 01:39 AM
Where i have to use nodes i don´t need.
Can´t we just have the nodes?
#179
Posted 11 November 2020 - 01:45 AM
Wishmast3r, on 11 November 2020 - 01:39 AM, said:
Where i have to use nodes i don´t need.
Can´t we just have the nodes?
That wouldn't be off the table at all if the 1st option in my post was chosen. Set number of nodes allowed and we could pick any nodes without having to follow a certain line in the tree. I guess that could be used as well in the 2nd option. Good idea!
PS: edited my post to include your suggestion.
Edited by XDevilsChariotX, 11 November 2020 - 01:49 AM.
#180
Posted 11 November 2020 - 01:51 AM
Can you finally allow members of units to use the Cbills in the unit coffers for personal needs outside of FP?
iirc that's how the coffers were originally supposed to work
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