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Dev Update Jan 2021


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#41 AnAnachronismAlive

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Posted 16 January 2021 - 11:42 PM

That much and partially even very sophisticated feedback simply left un-commented (except for blank platitudes), un-discussed, un-moderated, un-refined and un-processed => Disheartening and tiresome at best!

Let em learn, or let em die (Bukowski) ... metaphorically about time now, so fare thee well!

Edited by AnAnachronismAlive, 16 January 2021 - 11:43 PM.


#42 Coffeeghoul

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Posted 17 January 2021 - 01:52 AM

Some thoughts:

1) Fix spawn points
On some maps there is a big disadvantage right from the beginning. Like spawning in an assault in bravo(?) lance on HPG for example. Losing mechs early due to map issues in a game with the snowball system is a no-no.

2) new variant with hard points on the left
To reduce the urge to nascar, bring new variants of mechs, that are a) good and B) left stacked. Maybe they will be played and can balance this playstyle a bit without just reversing it.

3) fix stealth armor
Anything that counters ECM may change stealth into regular ECM maybe?

4) fix the overheating mechanic
Losing a ST at mx heat = instant death. This isn't fun at all.

5) premium time
I'd like to mange the PT by myself. There are times when I just can't play and have to let this time run out, even with redeeming it when it fits best. Is this 14 days expiring date after an event really needed?

6) solo q drop deck
Give us the ability to choose from 2 mechs of the same weight class (selected after launching and before selecting a map) after a map is picked. There is this ready screen anyway where we just wait. We don't like it to drop in a slow SRM brawler on Alpine Peaks skirmish.

7) Matchmaker
I guess the people who wrote it are no longer employees of PGI. Nonthelesse, there has to be done SOMETHING. Why not using the average match score to determine which tier someone is in? There are people in T1 with 250, 300, 350, 400+ in the same tier. This just cannot work.

For me, the last two points are my biggest issues with the game. No balance - no fun.

#43 K4I 4LL4RD LI4O

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Posted 17 January 2021 - 02:00 AM

Hey Matt, Daeron and all at PGI.
There is a lot of ranting going on and it sure feels like you are not keeping up on your end.BUT I for myself am gratefull that I can play this game. I want to thank you from all my heart for keeping it up, because this game and its community is one of the last few good things left in those dark times. I am sitting at home 24/7 waiting for my wife who is a doctor in a clinic to come home with here horrifying stories of all those poor people dying from covid and this game is what takes the edge of for me, what gives me pleasent memories and some fun in my live when I can't see family and friends, when I am worried sick about my wife. So again, keep up the work no matter how, it helps a lot, at least it helps me and again thank you all!!!
Stay save stay healthy!

P.S.: Special thanks to the support team, you guys are awesome!!!

#44 Alreech

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Posted 17 January 2021 - 02:16 AM

View PostGorn Commander, on 16 January 2021 - 04:29 PM, said:

My buddy shot a flea in the back with four LBX10s at point blank range, and the flea ran off.
I'm aware this isn't plain ole battletech, but stuff like that makes me question what you guys are thinking when it comes to this game. That should've popped him like a zit instantly. Moreover, clan mechs, as much as I hate the clans, are supposed to be superior to invasion era IS mechs in nearly every way.
Something something balance, yeah whatever. Why does my 45 ton phoenix hawk tank far
more damage than my 60 ton hellfire? Its just goofy.
Thats all the ranting I have. I love this game, even if it nearly makes my brain melt every time I watch a 20 ton mech effortlessly slaughter an Annihilator.

MWO is a 12 vs 12 deathmatch game with random teams, no respawns and no factions.
Small expendable Mechs what get killed fast don't have a place on such a game.

Same with "clan superority".
With no respawns and random team asymetric balancing (few players in superior Clan Mechs vs man players in IS Mechs) didn't work.

If you wan't to play with your squishy Flea against a Dire Wolf and get killed fast wait for the Mechwarrior Clan DCL, MWOs NASCAR is the wrong game for that.

Edited by Alreech, 17 January 2021 - 02:17 AM.


#45 K19

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Posted 17 January 2021 - 09:56 AM

Make tools to change the graphical settings in the Portal application to help players using APUs. Since the use of the config file is considered cheating. plz Posted Image

#46 Xaius

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Posted 17 January 2021 - 03:06 PM

I personally don't like bolt-ons, so as long as we can turn them off.
And can we condense the old maps that were brought back? It's annoying when I get the choice of Frozen City, Frozen City, Frozen City, or Terra Therma. Also, I just don't like the old maps in general, so I don't like how over-represented they are.

Really looking forwards to seeing more life put into this game though, and thanks for listening to us, it feels great.

Oh, and the number one change on my list of things I'd like to see is getting side torso destruction changed, so that when you lose one your percentage of max heat stays the same instead of your static numeric heat.

#47 50 50

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Posted 17 January 2021 - 03:41 PM

Good to see a few changes coming and some of those easy items getting added quickly.
Didn't see mention of adding Classic Terra Therma in there so would like to raise that.

Time of Day Changes.
I would hope that this could be randomised so we get different varieties of time to play those maps on.
It doesn't need to change during the course of the matches, but having some variety is always nice.
Personally I don't really care if one team gets a supposed advantage with having the sun behind their backs, it simply changes things up.

Variants of existing mechs.
Sure.
Though this might be pretty slim pickings. Most of the chassis have enough variants to cover a few different builds and then typically if you cannot make build on a certain mech, there is another one of the same or similar tonnage that can.
At this stage in the game, particularly if we do see a timeline jump for new tech, then adding in variants from outside of the current timeline I would be perfectly happy with.

I suspect the reason we are not seeing any new camo schemes in the game is due to the sheer number of mechs we have that would need to be worked on to apply these schemes. However, what about adding in some special variants that could have some camo schemes for various factions in and out of the game currently? Chuck in a few extra decals as well?
eg: We have 3 clans with no camo scheme at the moment. What about making some special variants for them?
eg 2: What about some periphery camo schemes on some select mechs, or Comstar, St Ives Compact and so on?

Unit recruitment costs.
Ok.
Probably only an issue for new units. Pretty sure anyone else will have more c-bills than they know what to do with.
However, this is as good a time as any to put a cap on unit size.
I'd actually like to see this 'recruitment cost' as more of an unlock for units.
EG: A starting unit might only have a max of 4 players.
That fits the lance structure.
It fits a single Leopard Dropship.
We spend the unit coffer c-bills to unlock a second lance, then a third to bring the unit up to 'Company' Strength.
And so on.
A Battalion is 3 companies (36 players) and might be a good cap for Units. Particularly mercenary units.
A Regiment, which starts at 3 Battalions (108 players) might be too big, but perhaps that could be a difference between mercenary and loyalist units or even a way to get different loyalist units to be recognised together under the banner of a particular regiment.
IE: Put some more structure and social features into the units!!!! AND: Get back to recognising the factions!!!!
Yay.

Looking forward to hearing what else is on the way in a later update but happy to see that some of these smaller items are looking to be done in a patch soonish.

#48 Javin

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Posted 17 January 2021 - 04:07 PM

MAPS! New maps please.

Relooking current mechs and tweaking obsolete mechs hard points and quirks.

New Maps.

Let units give members c-bills. Or at least give the ability to give C-bills from unit coffers.

New Maps.

Have all mechs face the enemy drop zones on drop.

New MapS.

i like your events. Keep that up please.

New maps.

Edited by Javin, 17 January 2021 - 04:55 PM.


#49 Kestrel Atreides

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Posted 17 January 2021 - 06:50 PM

Real issue with cadet bonuses is that cadets take their earnings and by useless chassis, the stock build is horrid, and they don't know it. (Why do stock builds push bracket-builds anyway.)

View PostJavin, on 17 January 2021 - 04:07 PM, said:


Let units give members c-bills. Or at least give the ability to give C-bills from unit coffers.



This would make farm accounts possible, which is bad. (Meaning, a person can create a new account, and because it would be in tier 5, make a bunch of c-bills, etc., and transfer them to their main account. Not good for the game; bad idea.)

Edited by Kestrel Atreides, 17 January 2021 - 07:00 PM.


#50 Beadhanger

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Posted 17 January 2021 - 07:39 PM

I was told there´d be a whole new team dedicated to work on MWO due to new money influx...and now i have to read this "cant do anything because MW5 " stuff again...i was really excited to see new things beeing done for the game but this is a sad joke...sorry but im a bit pissed off here

#51 Voice of Kerensky

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Posted 17 January 2021 - 09:08 PM

I finally waited for the translation of this conversation into Russian.
I wanted to leave a big message here with an analysis of the current situation. And even translated it into English. And then he decided that it would not lead to anything anyway. PGI are deaf.
The impressions after reading this conversation are very difficult.
Brief conclusion: deception, personnel hunger, greed and laziness.
What did I think while reading this thesis?

View PostZephrym, on 16 January 2021 - 01:27 AM, said:

It was stated that technical resources and support are hard to come by at the moment due to the demands of MW5 development. It is anticipated that more resources will become available as the year progresses but these will need to be planned and negotiated.


PGI said that the release of DLC MW5 was postponed (which logic means that DLC is actually and technically ready) only because of the release of Cyberpunk 2077. But does the quoted message mean that DLC is not really ready? Was it a lie?
Everything else (the groups from the solo quick play will not be abolished, there will be no matchmaker, there will be no improvement in the faction play, there will be no solution to the accumulated technical problems, there will be no new maps, there will be no new mechs, there will be no new weapons and equipment, there will be only cosmetic repair) is either staff shortage in the developer's company, or their laziness, or their greed. Or maybe all together.
It is very sad from all this.

#52 Sereglach

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Posted 17 January 2021 - 10:17 PM

Well, nothing outright negative came out of the video; and that in and of itself is somewhat surprising. However, the first thing that came to mind as a disappointment was absolutely zero mention of weapon and equipment tuning/adjustments/overhauls or the skill tree or any of the other desired changes. Are they thumbs up or down? Are they going to be mentioned on the roadmap? Is the roadmap going to include more than a one year plan, seeing as PGI was setting the stage for a 5 year plan? Is it worth trying to build up any hope that more than "low hanging fruit" will really be touched in the first year?

Again, while nothing in the video was outright negative, it still felt like it left a whole lot unanswered.

#53 Chutoy89

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Posted 17 January 2021 - 10:28 PM

This doesn't pertain to 'mech variants, but that is only because I don't know of other 'mechs in the MechWarrior universe.

If you're willing, a simple, but great alteration would be to allow 'mech selection AFTER map selection is made in order to select optimized builds for the map. This alteration *even* makes sense from the perspective of real-world situations, as people are generally always allowed to make selections before entering a situation - military or otherwise - only after receiving information on where they will be going, and what environment they will be entering.

If not for this patch, then I hope that this change will be included in a future patch - especially soon, and especially if the change is relatively easy to implement. Such a change would make many people happier with substantially more optimized selections.

Thanks, and I hope to see the change soon. Best of luck with the new 'mech variants.

#54 SilentScreamer

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Posted 18 January 2021 - 06:21 AM

One thing I would really like to see is for MWO to move away from the idea that mechs of equal tonnage should be balanced. Back when we had 3-4 chasis per weight class and rarely more than 3 variants for that chasis it made sense. Now there are hundreds of mechs in game. Especially in among Inner Sphere mechs, several share the same tonnage and similiar, if not identical hardpoints. We have mechs with huge bonuses to armor, weapon cooldown, etc, that still don't get used because they are still under-performing.

My suggestion - Move to a point-based system for mechs instead of deciding trying to balance them by tonnage.

Step 1 - preparation
Each mech variant should be assigned a numerical value. To keep things identical to the current gameplay, that value should be equal to the mechs tonnage. Ex: Locust 20 points; Blackjack 45 points; Awesome 80 points. This avoids changing anything significant to the matchmaker and minimizes the changes to groups that join for quick matches.

Step 2 - data collection
Collect data on each variant of a chasis based on typical performance in-match is probably someone PGI can do very easily (I'd recommend basing this on Tier 1 and Tier 2 player performance only).

Step 3 - make small, but regular changes
Find the gross under-performers and the gross over-performers. Knock them up 5 points or down 5 points. Begin another evaluation peroid after a month of cooll down and wait for at least another month of data before considering changing mechs again. The Enforcer 5D may end up at 45 points, whereas the 4R improves to 55 points and other variants stay at 50 points.

Pointing out the obvious:
Yes, I've proposed this before (Why Cling to Balance on Tonnage?)
Yes, there will still be a meta toward the "strongest" builds.

In the past there have been patches which have had dramatic changes in quirks. Example the Commando getting a energy range +50% quirk, which did happen during Community Warfare Beta 1. This is the type of "balance" I do not want to see return to MWO. So I've put forth this suggestion.

As an old "stock mech" player, I would also say, eventually PGI could include a seperate point value for mechs fielded :
1) As "Trial" mechs in Champion build. These won't have advantages of a fully-skilled mech owned by a veteran player
2) as "stock"
I believe this would be highly advantageous for players just starting out and improve the new player experience.

Edited by SilentScreamer, 18 January 2021 - 06:39 AM.


#55 AlphaPiAlpha

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Posted 18 January 2021 - 07:17 AM

Stuff announced that should have been fixed 5 years ago, all minor stuff... going back to sleep...
RIP MWO

#56 Alan Hicks

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Posted 18 January 2021 - 07:24 AM

Cool update but there are plenty of issues unanswered. Besides, you cant even comment on YouTube, only here... why ? Posted Image

I just hope more new people (or old that left MWO behind) come around to play the game Posted Image !

#57 Knight Captain Morgan

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Posted 18 January 2021 - 10:17 AM

no mention of improving the match maker to prioritize putting groups against groups and solos against solos...

#58 Kestrel Atreides

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Posted 18 January 2021 - 01:26 PM

Biggest issue with MWO: having to choose your mech before you know the map and mode. Why is that a thing.

#59 Flanking Boy

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Posted 18 January 2021 - 02:11 PM

View PostKestrel Atreides, on 18 January 2021 - 01:26 PM, said:

Biggest issue with MWO: having to choose your mech before you know the map and mode. Why is that a thing.

I think it have something to do with, if you knew witch map, for example it was polar it would be nothing but lrm boat, or if it was a city map you would only short range mech ect.
i think it would be better if you could deselect a map or two instead of.

#60 SoulRcannon

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Posted 18 January 2021 - 02:24 PM

Sorry to hear the hesitancy regarding those XML edits that could've been done sooner rather than later.

This talk of bugs wasn't there a couple of years ago when the last few balance passes went through. Adding the cXL/LFE heat-spike on ST destruction was touted at the time of implementation as an effort to end the desync/heat bug, but it didn't take and we're still stuck with both. I mention the heat-spike as something that I felt had almost unanimous support for removing, and as something that could be added to the first set of changes as something more substantially beneficial.

No mention of rescale, requirkening, agility... Hmmm... Best of luck to the MW5 dlc and the new IP, I guess.

Edited by SoulRcannon, 18 January 2021 - 03:17 PM.






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