290 replies to this topic

[Daeron Katz]

In this thread, lets discuss ideas for updating or adding to our current maps in MechWarrior Online, such as:

• New Community-Driven Map (Community input from start to finish)
  
• Update Unbalanced Maps
  
• Spawn Point Fixes

[Crashburn]

Not sure if this totally fits in this category, but it deals with maps so...

I have one suggestion for the map selection screen. How about toning down the frequency of the cold maps that pop up in selection choices! Basically every time I drop 1 of the 4 maps includes an iteration of a cold map. I don't mind that if that's as bad as it would get. Unfortunately, 60% of the time the random 4 maps that pop up are usually 2 or more of the cold maps. Usually it's frozen city/Polar/Hibernal Rift the majority of the time.

I just played 10 straight drops and got a cold map on almost every drop and sometimes the selections to choose from were 4 cold maps. I think in all 10 drop selection screens I didn't see Mining Collective, Viridian Bog, Canyon Network, Grim Plexus, HPG, a single time! It should never be that skewed!Yet several times the selection screen was 4 choices of a cold map.

Also as a side note 2 separate times it was Forest Colony Classic (both classic in one selection) and Frozen City Classic (both selections in one 4 map choice) Those are the same maps just different visibilities, or snow/no snow. They should never be in the same 4 map selection. At that point you're basically choosing from 3 maps...and then it skews the remaining options. Should be some way to code the selection screen that if one of the Forest Colony Classic or Frozen Classic maps get randomly selected the other version of that same Classic map is not randomly selected in the choice of 4.

I don't think those would be hard fixes. I know during a past event, the Terra Therma frequency was increased so it would come up more often. So it sounds like it's not too difficult to accomplish.

The main reason I bring this up; A lot of the cold maps tend to gravitate toward more stagnant/long range play (Frozen City Classic not so much). Whereas the maps that I mentioned above that don't appear so often are more close range maps. It would be nice to have more variety.

I don't mind the long range maps, but when you get the same few maps 15 times in a row. It gets old. I understand it all depends on the group you get matched up w/ and their preferences. But when the options that are randomly chosen favor one group of maps more than others...it really starts to skew what maps you end up playing in the end.

Edited by Crashburn, 16 November 2020 - 06:17 PM.

[Crashburn]

As for a map update:

Hibernal Rift in regards to quick play. I can't think of another map that devolves into a Nascar every single match! Everyone does circles around the center spire no matter what.

Perhaps if that map had the downed dropship moved from the ditch on the right of the Spire (Theta), over to the left of the Spire on the high ground, which would seal off the counter-clockwise rotation around the center. That might improve gameplay in itself. Or perhaps structures(base) in that area. I just suggested moving the dropship because maybe that's the easiest thing to do, without redesigning the terrain.

I see this map get voted a lot. Nearly every drop I've played on it, is either my team or the opponent team getting rolled. <- Either result I don't find very enjoyable. I know there are some in the game that love the 12-0 stomps when they are on the winning team. But when the enemy evaporates so quick you have to run full bore just to get shots in before it's over...for me that's boring. Very rarely have I had even drops on this map (i.e. 12-10 result). Also, it's not like the team makeups in those matches were skewed to one side or the other.

I know every map will have some players/teams that will try to nascar; but in my opinion, on this map it's out of control.

Edited by Crashburn, 16 November 2020 - 06:52 PM.

[Sheridan Mackison]

Add sandstorms to the “dry” maps like tourmaline desert and canyon network. This would add reduced visibility similar to snow on the frozen maps. Also add rain to forest maps and viridian bog.

[LordNothing]

just no more snow maps. the alaskan weather is depressing enough, i dont need it in my escapism.

use some of the seldom used tile sets like terra therma, viridian bog, sulfurous rift, or hellbore springs.

perhaps retrofit some of the fp maps to be playable in qp.

Edited by LordNothing, 16 November 2020 - 07:37 PM.

[Windscape]

When map changes are being made, taking the time to adjust the clippings of the map to remove invisible walls (most egregious on tourmaline and rubellite), would be greatly appreciated as well.

Would like to see spawn changes ASAP.

[Big-G]

NASCAR proof all the maps.

- That is all...

[Galahad2030]

My map suggestion:

Rolling Plains in 22C (70F) temperature.

My map dynamic mechanic suggestion:

Low-G and Zero-G gravity effects on maps that are based in space (HPG).
Perhaps voteable on the map selection choices.

[yrrot]

For existing map updates, are we talking Canyon->Hibernal updates or actual changes to map terrain geometry?

Hibernal certainly seems to offer a bit of options to deal a bit with Canyon's nascar, but didn't solve them. Adding additional cover, etc may not either. Something a little more drastic like lowering the center plateau to allow more trading from the opposing ridgelines and adjusting some sight lines and adding ramps may be needed. From what Russ had said when Hibernal was put together, changing the base geometry was a more risky/time consuming problem, so it'd be good to know if that's "worth it" or if we should look for alternative solutions to improve map flow.

[Vampyreq]

Map vote:
Drop selection from 4 down to 3, or maybe even 2. At least less popular maps will get to see gameplay.

I understand it may be to represent snow blindness but balance the brightness of snow maps please. Polar Highlands is okay, but the remaining maps are impossible to play without thermal vision, and my monitor brightness is already 0.

Spawn points need to be fixed ASAP. It's not fun for a lance of assaults spawn across enemy lights. Or they have to walk across some open area and get rained on and die to walking, think tourmaline desert. Or that 1 assault who spawns in a lance of 3 lights and gets left behind to be devoured. I've seen a drop where there's only 4 assaults, but 3 are in a lance and 1 remaining assault is in another lance. While me a medium spawns with the 3 assaults. Maybe it was a group queue at work, not too sure.

We can have a type of spawn where it's all 12 players spawning together in a 1X3 grid. Like A1 A2 A3 for instance.

For map ideas, I do want to see a really small map where players can just drop and duke it out. 5X5 size.

Map size guidelines, I will say a max of 40 seconds of walking to see the first enemy. It sometimes takes 2 minutes of walking in Polar Highlands before any shooting can occur.

[yrrot]

For a new map, I'm thinking something like a ruined city. There's a rough idea in the MW5 credits with sand buildup around the buildings.

General thoughts:

• Toppled buildings and ruins provide a city fighting experience with options for more verticality (upper floors of buildings, etc)
  
• Sand allows for more diverse sight lines with various dunes, more natural ramps to walk up onto fallen ruins, and may reduce textures required for base map.
  
• General building size would be more similar to outskirts of Solaris or a MW5 urban garrison tile.
  
• Overall layout should have a few very long sight lines down open streets or across shorter buildings, but flanking routes through more cover with a mix of short and medium sight lines.
  
• Domination point would be a large ruined building footprint (minimal walls remaining, open in middle, able to trade across sides)
  
• Conquest points (if there has to be 5) would be one near each teams spawn, one at domination point, and 2 on either side of middle (think power node placement for incursion). Side points would need some places to shoot across middle or for scouting.
  
• Bomb craters, debris/wreckage, and oasis bits could be added for interest

Here's the background of the MW5 credits just for theme I'm thinking. Making a little more city with some buildings fallen over as ramps/highground, etc and having it be a little more city grid like as a base:

Spoiler

Edited by yrrot, 17 November 2020 - 06:21 PM.

[Der BierVampiR]

Hello there,

i believe a lot of the maps in the game have a general problem with invisible walls. Sometimes this "walls" are quite hugh and this is really bad no matter if one wants to brawl or do some sniping. I suggest that all maps should get an overhaul in terms of removing those "walls".

And in terms of new maps: Have you ever thought about calling out a map dev challenge? Talented map designer could send in maps they have specially designed for MWO. Those maps could then maybe get tested by the community and the devs on the testserver. Those maps who are liked most by the community could get choosen to make it in the game then.
This would remove work from the devs i believe and maybe we will see some cool maps non the less.
And the map designers could get a mc bundle or so as a thank you.

Edited by Der BierVampiR, 16 November 2020 - 08:42 PM.

[Galahad2030]

Most maps teams gather up first then start playing. Remove the unneeded logistical gathering time by placing lances closer together, but perhaps group spawning in a different location each time.

This might encourage deathballing/nascaring, but it solves for slow assaults being left behind and uneven blue and red lance pairings when we start so far apart. By placing the whole group at one spawn point, but making that spawn point diverse on the map we would be introducing a new spawn mechanic.

[Ragedog4]

Big Grand Canyon type setting. The map is Thinner Long, not round, straight shot from one end to another. Cliffs surround you on the left and right of the entire map, spawn point "walls" are just out of bounds areas. You all go straight to the enemy...Except...there are dozens and dozens of really tall rock spires and stalagmites all over, some with flat tops, some connecting as tall, tall archways, but THIN enough where only the lights and thin mediums could get cover, all other mechs can get a side exposed. So it both exposes you AND gives you cover. So a PPC might get clipped, a LRM might only deal half damage, and cover is limited yet everywhere.

This would give a Brand NEW map experience in-which weapons will be played different, movement would be treated a bit different and if you Nascar its not like you have a designed path to go, its spires EVERYWHERE so its harder to just go one path (Think of a Plinko Machine)

[Ragedog4]

Spawn Points have a simple fix, we ALL know the one spawn that kills the assaults, just move that one on each map closer to the rest so the assaults can be clear of any early unfair damage.

For unfair unbalanced maps we have to go to each one. Like HPG one side benefits by the bridge slightly, maybe in a reskin we can just make it a full exact copy of that bridge on the other side or without it (just mirror the whole map, its the best one to do that with). For Torm Dessert just give the other side a added hill that blocks eye line so they cant early snipe or target. Each one we will have to go over, but adding one little thing might fix it.

[50 50]

Happy to see some new maps.

For the existing ones:

Spawn Point locations
Is it possible to have some different setups for spawn locations without needing to have duplicates of the maps to save of database size etc?
There was a good suggestion about this in the forums a while back about having a single map with multiple different configurations for the starting spawn locations so we increase the variety of play on each map simply by altering where we start.

Adjustable out of bounds
This ties in with the spawn point idea but also lends towards a potential new type of mission and even team sizes for the matches.
With much of the game play in the matches taking place in some common areas, if we adjusted the spawn locations we could also adjust the out of bounds area to move combat into sections of the map that may rarely be used.
eg: What if the area we had to fight in on the new forest colony map was only around the very northern and eastern edges of the map from C6,D6,E6 around the beaches and islands to K10,K11,K12?

See here for reference: https://mwo.smurfy-n...lony&m=skirmish

If that could be done pre map selection along with spawn points we can multiply map use.

To lend that idea to a new type of mission, what if capturing a point on the map then changed the out of bounds area dynamically in game allowing a sort of territory control style of mission within a single match?
Take Incursion as an example and the battery locations instead opened specific corridors to the enemy base while protecting that same corridor to your own base while your team controlled that point all by building functionality into the out of bounds.

I'd like to know if that would be possible.

[Galahad2030]

suggestion: stop dropping my mech facing out of bounds or backwards from the map.

[Ragedog4]

Easy Maps: Reskins. I would love to see a Farm Lands version of Polar Highlands where you can hide behind a few small towns and mini forests or equipment. It would look Gorgeous that's for sure. (oh and Polar needs to have deeper paths for the assaults' or make the assaults' smaller so they can actually get some cover from LRMS, thx)

Another Reskin that would be cool is Caustic Valley is a active non-lava volcano where you cannot go into the center at all but also one side has a huge thermal powerplant blocking a quick Nascar (unless all your mechs where Vipers and Spiders) because of the tall steam silos in the way (and close together so you cannot go between them, you have to go all the way around)

Reskin River city where you take away most of the buildings, no water, bridge is gone, and its just a desert international airport.

Reskin Torm Desert to be a vast non-bog jungle like in the Chinese mountains, Steep green mountains (make those black spires rock colored and put plants on them, maybe add one more in the middle of the wide open area or something)

Rekins are just a quick easy way to get more maps. Lets do it!

[thievingmagpi]

Invisible wall/collision pass.

Spawn point update.

New maps using existing assets (some players have probably never seen Vitric Forge before etc) taking what makes Rubelite such a good map into account- choice. Lots of different angles, verticality, flanking, control points.

[Dogstar]

Major suggestion - entirely remove the map & mode selection process

It slows each match down by 30 odd tedious seconds, allows players with minmaxed builds to avoid the flaws of their builds, and results in uneven player experience.

As far as I'm aware every other game like MWO has random map/mode choice. It's not a feature that's needed, it is a feature that can be 'exploited', and it's annoying as well.

While we're at it cut the post choice loading time down too!