290 replies to this topic

[Horseman]

IMO something to account for the frequency certain maps are voted for is to dynamically reduce their frequency based on what maps the players in the match have recently played at. Ideally the four maps up for voting would not be repeats for more than 1-2 players if that. Big brain scope: adjust map frequency globally based on how often it was voted in the past hour.

Lieutenant Hedgehog, on 17 November 2020 - 07:36 AM, said:

Imagine like a CAVE level, which severely limited the power of LRMs!

Solaris City already does that

[Greyhart]

I hope I have a simple suggestion to ensure people pick different maps.

As we know with the voting system the same maps get picked over and over again. Others are almost never picked.

To help the less liked maps they should receive a c-bill and XP bonus for everyone. Say 100% extra c-bills and XP.

This can rotate so every month the maps with the least play get the bonus for the month.

[Hunka Junk]

Either we get to choose the mech based on what map is going to be used or scrap map voting altogether.

I no longer even vote. I've stopped caring. Just load the game and let's play.

Don't even tell me what map is coming up. Surprise me.

Just make it load faster.

Have a new map that is flat as a pancake with no obstacles. Drop us randomly on that map with the teams mixed up and dropping near each other.

[Gold13]

Crashburn, on 16 November 2020 - 06:13 PM, said:

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.

Sorry to break it to you but by my count, 7 of the 21 maps currently in rotation are snow maps, so on average you would expect 1-2 of the 4 options to be snow maps.

A big reason for this obviously is the separation of frozen city and forest colony... would be fine IMO if there was just a single option each for Forest Colony Classic and Frozen City Classic, and then the game can randomly choose between the two sub-options (not sure if people have strong opinions between them... personally I don't really care).

[Alreech]

Maps:
Winter / Spring / Summer / Fall Variants for certain maps - not a complete redesign as done with Canyon Network, just different climates for existing maps as done with Forrest Colony.
IMHO possible with: Crimson Strait, Caustic Valley, Canyon Network, River City, Alpine Peaks (green grass & cold lakes), Solaris City,
Variable Skyboxes / Light presets. Same map, different skies & suns = different planets
or for events a Set of maps with the same sky box & sun = same planet

Map Design general:
Use Leopard Dropships only for one team (Attacker)
Use Solaris Style Mechhangars for the other team if the spawn in a base (Defender)

Use more MWO & MW 5 assets for more variety of objectives:
Don't use always the drilling plattform as objectiv in Conquest, use other models like the Power Sources & mobile HQs from Incursion or the Artillery Pieces from the new Mechwarrior 5 DLC
Don't use always the big satelitte dish as central objective in Domination, use the Union Dropship from Mechwarrior 5 instead if it's fit.

Game modes, improve team coordiantion:
Clear Attacker / Defender roles in Assault & Incursion, not both teams doing both.
Just on base on each map, 2 variants of base location based on the locations now.
Use Voice Messages at the start of the match to inform the team of their status as Defender / Attacker.

Attackers spawn with Leopard Dropships in the "Landing Zone"
Defenders spawn in Solaris Style Mechhangars in the "Base"
Use MWO turrets for the Defenders Base, and immobile MW5 Tanks as turrets in the Attackers Landing zone if needed to prevent spawn camping.

Keep the Attacker / Defender designation also in symetric game modes (Concquest, Domination, Skirmish) for immersion.
For Faction Play: put the Defenders faction decals on the map, for example with Banners hanging from buildings, Flags, Statues, Propaganda Posters,...

Edited by Alreech, 17 November 2020 - 12:08 PM.

[FearThePaladin]

New Map suggestions:

1. Suburban map, ie small town
2. River map (rolling terrain, couple of bridge crossings)
3. Underground map (kinda like the original tunnel in forest colony. ( think winding tunnels with several main caverns for missile mechs and jump jets, Solaris has a close map to this.
4. Deep Swamp map, nothing like mud on the tires and deep water pits.
5. Underwater map?
7. Star-port Map
8. Asteroid Map
9. Ancient Civilization Map (Think Central America, Aztecs etc.)
10. Multi Level Rock Spires ( Think Pirates of the Caribbean seen with Dep and the Kabob stick) Plenty of ups and downs around a few peeks.
11. The deep pit, nothing like a deep pit with the sides all pocketed with caves to spring a trap from...

These are just a few map ideas...

Edited by FearThePaladin, 17 November 2020 - 12:12 PM.

[Lieutenant Hedgehog]

Horseman, on 17 November 2020 - 11:42 AM, said:

Solaris City already does that

Yeah I'm aware, I'm picturing more something completely closed-in/closed-off, like the basement in HPG or the Tunnel in Crimson Straight, where you'd actually have to account for ceiling height for large parts of the level. Another close quarters map like Solaris. Could have stalagmites coming from the ceiling, wider open chambers, and multiple tunnels you could run through for sneaking around.

FearThePaladin, on 17 November 2020 - 12:11 PM, said:

New Map suggestions:

1. Suburban map, ie small town
2. River map (rolling terrain, couple of bridge crossings)
3. Underground map (kinda like the original tunnel in forest colony. ( think winding tunnels with several main caverns for missile mechs and jump jets, Solaris has a close map to this.
4. Deep Swamp map, nothing like mud on the tires and deep water pits.
5. Underwater map?
7. Star-port Map
8. Asteroid Map
9. Ancient Civilization Map (Think Central America, Aztecs etc.)
10. Multi Level Rock Spires ( Think Pirates of the Caribbean seen with Dep and the Kabob stick) Plenty of ups and downs around a few peeks.
11. The deep pit, nothing like a deep pit with the sides all pocketed with caves to spring a trap from...

Um ALL of this ?? Haha


I think we need more details on what's feasible and what's realistically being looked at. Definitely some recurring ideas and productive feedback here, but until we get some firm plans and direction, space cadets like me are just spitballing whatever sounds cool without really knowing what's feasible. (yes I've listened to the podcasts as well)

Edited by Lieutenant Hedgehog, 17 November 2020 - 12:25 PM.

[Taifune]

Daeron Katz, on 16 November 2020 - 01:08 PM, said:

• Spawn Point Fixes

Frozen City Night (Classic)
Assault & Conquest
Team 1, Charlie Lance spawns in the Canyon in A3 - as an assault, you are almost certainly dead when you spawn here. - What are the statistics of which team wins here?

In general, do the statistics show for some maps that either of the teams wins significantly more often? Should be easy to get the numbers...

[JD Wack]

Several people already mention making QP versions of FP maps, which I think is an absolutely great - and obvious - idea. Not just the variety in different maps, but also in sceneries. Some of those FP maps are downright beautyful, others are stark in lighting contrasts and really makes for an out-in-space impression. Not mentioning adding all those hugely differing, gorgeous colours to the palette of the average gameplay experience. I think that kind of diversity would keep the game fresh for a longer time to new players.

[JD Wack]

Another suggestion along the same lines, while also adding a lot of variety to the tactical aspect of running a mech, would be to make differences in environment really come trough. Especially am I wondering about how gravity would impact the game. Heavy gravity playing havoc with ballistic range and damage, missile range - but leaving energy weapons virtually untouched. Low gravity environs where spamming the jumpjets would send a lightmech into orbit and mechs shudder with recoil from firering their ballistic weapons. Designing maps around specially low- or high gravity maps, like a section of a debris ring of destroyed spaceships in orbit around a planet.

[Delta503rd]

LARGER MAPS - Most folks are perfectly happy playing a brawler mentality game (don't wanna walk far, etc), but some would like to see the game be a little more tactically challenging; because truthfully all the maps are so small that the matches predominately devolve into mind numbing brawls. You guys will know the average play time of a match, but my guess is that it is easily less than half the allotted 15 minutes. People mostly just "run to center - get shot" in a thoughtless "ring around the rosie" dance; it gets boring. Too many small maps just keeps the entire scope of the game too small - grouping up is almost frivolous because "putting your heads" together to improve your play has almost no effect, its pointless, there's no room (IMO it's a major reason for the failure of group play and lower player numbers in general).

[Galahad2030]

Low gravity should add skidding effects while manuevering. like drifting in a car.

Zero-G - like a boarding party on a giant space freighter could have maglocked feet so jumping would float you away into infinity (out of bounds), or you can manuever with your JJs in freeform space.

Heavy-G could shorten JJ time and accelerate speeds down hills and slow mechs going uphill.

There are a lot of other potential effects that could be dreamt up and implemented. These are the ones I can conjure at the moment.

[XDevilsChariotX]

I'm not sure whoever made Rubellite but they did a decent job of limiting the Nascar. I think all maps should be gone over that have a central location where it turns into a Nascar. Block off these areas or add objects into the map that get rid of the Nascar best as possible.

[JD Wack]

Galahad2030, on 17 November 2020 - 12:58 PM, said:

Low gravity should add skidding effects while manuevering. like drifting in a car.

Zero-G - like a boarding party on a giant space freighter could have maglocked feet so jumping would float you away into infinity (out of bounds), or you can manuever with your JJs in freeform space.

Heavy-G could shorten JJ time and accelerate speeds down hills and slow mechs going uphill.

There are a lot of other potential effects that could be dreamt up and implemented. These are the ones I can conjure at the moment.

I remember i Quake II, there was a multiplayer map with zero gravity and it was just so insanely fun zipping around on a trail of rocket exhaust every once in a while when that map came up in the cycle. Completely off-topic, sorta.

[Jables McBarty]

Ballistic Panicmode, on 17 November 2020 - 11:30 AM, said:

Something that's been on my wish list for a few years: QP maps based on the forested hills part of Emerald Taiga and the cratered area of Vitric Forge.

Agree 100%.

I think there's space to make 2 QP maps out of most of the FP maps:

• Taiga City
  
• Taiga Hills
  
• Grim Portico City
  
• Hellebore Springs CItadel (C3 to G3)
  
• Hellebore Springs Landing Zone (G5 to C5)
  
• Sulfrous Rift CIty (including the 4 line)
  
• Sulfrous Rift Landing Zone (5 line to 8 line)
  
• Vitric Forge - City
  
• Vitric Forge - Craters
  
• Possibly Boreal Vault w/ all the doors open.

[Jables McBarty]

XDevilsChariotX, on 17 November 2020 - 01:11 PM, said:

I'm not sure whoever made Rubellite but they did a decent job of limiting the Nascar. I think all maps should be gone over that have a central location where it turns into a Nascar. Block off these areas or add objects into the map that get rid of the Nascar best as possible.

100%

Most of what I'll call "phase 2 maps" (those that came out before PH, post-redo of FC/RC) suffer from One Central Feature, which gameplay always revolves around:

RC Citadel; CV Caldera; Forest Colony Butte in H5/H6; HPG Radar Dish; Canyon Network/Hibernal Rift Theta; VB Central Butte (E5); Mining Collective upper city; Solaris City Downtown.

Frozen City Redux added the giant canyon, which was different but essentially the same.

Even TT2 failed to fix the main problem (IMO) with Terra Therma, which was that everyone was funneled to the center!

Grim Plexus and Rubellite Oasis break this up with a number of different strategic points that can be held or raided.

Edited by Jables McBarty, 17 November 2020 - 02:29 PM.

[Gamrick]

I couldn't find an appropriate topic for this idea so I went with Maps. As an idea I was thinking of missions as a game mode, were a group of 8 or 12 mechs went up against an A.I.

[SoulRcannon]

If a re-scale of mechs occurred, some maps would suddenly have more cover. It's not gonna fix Polar Highlands, some trenches and more hard cover locations would be appreciated there, but some maps might have more going for them then.

A lot of maps revolve around a central location. Solaris City could be looked at for performance issues regarding material load or the glaring graphic tearing on some of the light sources, but while you're at it, if something else was in the middle of that map it'd be so much better. Vertical fighting and dipping through alleys in some locations has the potential to be a lot of fun on that map, but the focus is never going to be in these places if the centre has something to constantly draw players into (which oddly enough for SC is just a killbox, but people keep going there anyway).

Please consider maybe throwing a competition where the “prize” is that parts of the idea are taken and then implemented in-game, to allow everyone from modders, artists or maybe even just someone with some clear diagrams can help. And if these things need more funding, consider something like the Tournament Supporter Pack with associated bonuses of in-game stuff to get it.

Any maps made like Hibernal Rift would be welcome, like for example a Grim Plexus re-skin combining beach/coast aspects from Forest Colony or Steiner Colosseum and desert elements from Canyon Network, for an actual Oasis surrounded by mesas. You have Faction Play and Solaris Maps that could be altered in size, with some notably different features, then utilised in the list of maps to possibly include.

Perhaps more level design elements to consider to make more areas of existing/new maps more attractive to take/keep, and to make it harder to nascar if possible, like giving clearer viable alternatives to the central features of many maps. Easier said than done though, I think.

Edited by SoulRcannon, 17 November 2020 - 03:41 PM.

[Le_Mac]

for new map suggestion i would ask for a new planet with a new type of geological formation and add a Vitric Forge/HPG Manifold type constructions at both ends and have one team spawning out of a garage door like in solaris and the other one to drop from space like usual. This, or a simplified version Vitric Forge since ppl didnt like how wide and complex it was.

for map fixes id say snowmaps pop way too often in the vote screen or iterations of the same maps like 3 different forest colony and 1 snowmap. and spawn points on grim plexus are way too far 3 out of 4 games in a slow mech i have to ask players to waste too much time escorting assaults to the fight, its okay to have some spawn a bit further but new players always go the wrong way and end up spending 5 minutes just to regroup. finding a way to securise the begining of the match on grim plexus is what i wrote on my list to santa claus this year this and a new planet map !!!

[Sheridan Mackison]

Galahad2030, on 16 November 2020 - 08:03 PM, said:

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.

I like the idea of rolling plains. Having tall prairie grass to provide an new type of cover would be interesting.

Edited by Sheridan Mackison, 17 November 2020 - 04:20 PM.