19 replies to this topic

[Odanan]

In this interview, Russ says they are working on a standalone game similar to MW5.


Guys, I think they are doing Mechwarrior 6: The Clan Invasion (or something like that).

[KursedVixen]

Odanan, on 10 January 2023 - 07:24 AM, said:

In this interview, Russ says they are working on a standalone game similar to MW5.


Guys, I think they are doing Mechwarrior 6: The Clan Invasion (or something like that).

considering what I know of PGI I'm not getting my hopes up... Probably won't even let us play the clan side or if they do clans will suck.

[Lightfoot]

I am sure it is the Clan Invasion. All the DLC content has carefully skirted the Clans when we all know that would be the most popular option for an expansion.

My advice is this time include MechLab. We voted on Mechlab for MWO and it was like more than 80 percent wanted Mechlab. For players that want stock mechs only there has traditionally been a setting for that. You would just check a box, and shazaam, no Mechlab for that drop or campaign. For MW5 I have been forced to run some very nice Mods that add Mechlab to it. MW5 was very repetitive and pointless before that. Mechlab gives players quests and purpose that is lacking otherwise.

Also MW5's limited Mechlab thinks a Gauss Rifle takes more critical slots than an AC 10 and it does not. BattleTech says they both require 7 crits. So PGI uses non-lore Mech designs in MW5. Anyway, disappointed that the MW5 Orion can't carry a Gauss Rifle except for the Protector Hero mech.

I do like a lot of the player made Mods. Thank you all. I would just like PGI to try to make a MechLab also. One that is more or less true to the lore Mech construction guidelines in BattleTech.

[Gas Guzzler]

IMO, "MWO6" should be a super-DLC where there is a Clan campaign available... OR you can experience the invasion from the other side as a mercenary unit and make it a continuation of the current open galaxy campaign. There could be a LONG series of missions fighting off the Clans, and then options for more DLC down the road. Tukayyid, Refusal War, Operation Bulldog, Task force serpent... all kinds of options. There isn't really a need to rewrite the game that is MW5, seems like it was designed to have content and new missions added to it. Just need a save no later than mid 3040's.

And of course with the Refusal War they will need a Turkina model, so... they are losing money not making that one a MWO mechpack, just saying.

Edited by Gas Guzzler, 30 January 2023 - 08:38 AM.

[sycocys]

I'm sure its basically MW5 with clans and maybe a slightly different overworld game loop. No idea why they wouldn't just integrate it with MW5 rather than separating everything out - do one initial "expansion" sell, then continue with their mech pack dlc plan.

[s0da72]

I would like to see a Clans invasion. But I would rather wait for that especially if it is going to be a whole new game.

What is going to happen with MW5 going forward? Is DLC4 the last DLC? I hoped they would continue updating and improving MW5 for several years. Given how small the dev team is they wont have the resources to work on both games. The moment they release MW6 (or whatever they call it) that is mostly like it for MW5 content.

Each DLC they've released has added small improvements. Maybe at the very least consider doing a DLC5 that focuses on adding some of the 'popular mod' content as being officially a part of the game. I think most console players would probably find a lot of value in that.

[Gas Guzzler]

s0da72, on 30 January 2023 - 02:19 PM, said:

I would like to see a Clans invasion. But I would rather wait for that especially if it is going to be a whole new game.

What is going to happen with MW5 going forward? Is DLC4 the last DLC? I hoped they would continue updating and improving MW5 for several years. Given how small the dev team is they wont have the resources to work on both games. The moment they release MW6 (or whatever they call it) that is mostly like it for MW5 content.

Each DLC they've released has added small improvements. Maybe at the very least consider doing a DLC5 that focuses on adding some of the 'popular mod' content as being officially a part of the game. I think most console players would probably find a lot of value in that.

This is part of the reason why I think MW6 can just be a extra large DLC that basically brings a whole new game of content but doesn't require them to reinvent the wheel. Not going to lie, I would love to continue my current career through the Clans invasion. Imagine all that juicy salvaged Clan tech

[Vellron2005]

It would be great, if it's the clan invasion, to experience it from both sides. You could continue directly on the story of MW5, fight as an IS Merc in the beginning, then get captured, and since you had a famous "daddy", become a Bondsman to a clanner. Then learn and adopt their ways, while given more and more freedom to act on your own, and in the end, at Tukayyid, be given a choice which side you want to fight for.

And yeah, when you get captured, your current Leopard is toast, Ryanna and Fahad die, and you get new coworkers with more meaningful dialogues. Maybe a romance arc with a hot clanner goth chick. And you get a bigger Union-C dropship.

[sycocys]

When I boot it up, I'm usually still trying to understand how/why there's not 40-50+ small quest expansions to net the hero mechs at the least. The assets are already there, just put together a string of 5-10 missions and sell it in a few dollar pack and 5/10 mission bundles.

Christ they could have made a large chunk of MWO's sales all over again just by adding mission packs to heroes and a more direct method to salvage particular chassis.

Then there's the whole periphery space that's never explored again, and instead of building on a good game base they want to make a completely new release.

[Thorqemada]

Yeah, i really think there is still quite some Milk and Honey in this game!

[Vellron2005]

Whatever they do, I just hope they use Unreal Engine 5... That thing makes photorealistic environments now.. it's off the chain awesome.. and just imagine what a really creative Dev team could do with it in the Battletech setting... OMG..

[BatshitBatman]

TLDR: Any future mechwarrior game needs to learn from MW5's mods. Not only the mechlab but also the coyote mission pack and pilot overhauls. They absolutely need a 'engage targets' command for the AI so that they can behave with some sense of self preservation rather than mindlessly following the player(despite being shot in the back) or mindlessly attacking a single target (despite being shot in the back). Enemy AI should have a similar 'engage targets' behavior so that they stop getting locked on to one target regardless of how much fire they're taking. More than anything they need to use the tools available to create more emotionally evocative content.

Specifically:
The mission pack mods add dynamic events to missions that give a great deal more character, they also add events going on before your team arrives. No, I don't mean a base being defended by 1-3 completely armorless mechs. I mean large scale battlefields that allow for some tactical decision-making. Do you want to join up with the allied mechs to make a murderball or do you want to loop around and risk being isolated in order to hit the foes from the rear? The way MW5 works the universe is static, not only on a global scale with your missions doing nothing to sway battle lines, but also on a level scale where maps feel empty and lifeless. If I'm hired to help in a war I want to see the war going on.

We need more drama and more consistent characters. I want my mercenary liaisons for a faction to be limited and filled with more personality. A Kurita one could be strict and dismissive toward mercenaries, but as affinity grows he could see your company as a useful tool that he reluctantly needs. A Liao liaison could 'omit' key details and be surprised when you survive. A Steiner one could talk about how his noble forces could do better. A Davion one could talk about fighting for the people's chosen Duke or Lord. A Marik one could talk about unity and independence under the orders of parliament. A Taurian liaison could discuss kicking the hell out of the inner sphere ******** with barely contained excitement. A Canopian liaison would discuss extra compensation for good work. There's all kinds of personality in battletech and MW5 did very little to make you care about one faction over another. They're all text boxes with minor variation and the same set of completely consistent pay/objectives. I would greatly prefer a map that's mostly empty save for specific hot-zones like MW4 had, mini-campaigns is a great way to structure a game like this and gives the best of open world choice along with feeling the impact of your actions and accumulating a 'history' for your mercenary company.

Secondary objectives other than 'do your job good' would be nice to add as well. In MW5 secondaries were things like keep x amount of the base you're defending standing. Which is your job. Or destroy artillery, which you just need to do. Or destroy satellite dishes to allow landing parties, which is your job. There should be secondary bases, nobles hiding in bunkers, fleeing transports, escort missions, or other events to provide side objectives that you may not always be able to address on a battlefield.

Additional lances of mechs feels like a natural progression that I'd like to see. At the point where you have a dozen 100 ton mechs in storage it feels insane that you can't slap pilots in them and get 'em onto the field. Now the AI in MW5 would likely have broken quickly at that point, but it's pretty broken now even after all the patches. Still they pulled it off in MW4 with hardly any trouble so it seems like a strange limitation and a strangely important part of the game to just shrug and say 'good enough' regarding. In general the AI seems like a step down from MW4 which is crazy given how many years have passed. Seriously the 'engage freely' command is basic functionality that just never got implemented and may be the most frustrating thing about the whole game to me. Mods added it in, but I've been unable to get said mods playing nice with my other ones and the DLC's. Heck, once your company is large enough it could reach wolf's dragoons levels of scale and begin running planetary conquests on its own, completing mission chains simultaneously with multiple lances of mechs accomplishing (or failing) different objectives while you continue to lead from the front.

Pilots were among the more dissapointing aspects of MW5. Either have a pilots have set skills and be disposable or level up over time. The way they did it is the worst of both worlds. Pilots level up but have limits? What the f$%k is that. So you mandatorily have to rid yourself of the pilots that have been with your company from the start because they become ineffective, but the new aces you hire also have to be trained up to reach the same level as the people you just fired. Mods again come in with a good answer: Quirks. Have pilots all have the same max levels, but gain different quirks either to start with or over time that make them better or worse in various situations. Said mods also include a mech affinity that makes pilots better with certain mechs the more missions that they've run in their chosen mechs. Mech affinity makes lots of sense and is a nice additional thing to manage. The quirks are necessary though, otherwise pilots are just an irritating piece of equipment for the mechs rather than an ace that's had your back since the company was small. Pilot backstory text blurbs are fine but not a substitute for voice acting, personality, and mechanical difference. I want my pilots dying to hurt. Also I want them to be able to die so that I care whether or not they make it through a mission.

For the love of god just get community members to voice pilots. I've got a ****** mic but that's perfect for a mech pilot and I'd do the work for free. MW4 and mech commander were some of the best uses of in game video actors ever. So not even voice acting most of the dialogue in MW5 is a gut punch. Voice Everything in MW6 or any future expansions. Everything. Camp is mechwarrior, being without it is like trying to run a marathon after chopping a leg off.

What got made in MW5 is sufficient, but even people who enjoy it always follow their recommendations with caveats. The community shouldn't be able to mod your game and make it 10x better in a matter of months.

[Odanan]

Mechwarrior 6: Clan Invasion indeed!

https://youtu.be/7D-CjNlI9U0

[The6thMessenger]

Truthfully, I hope not, and would rather they just fix MW5.

[Odanan]

The6thMessenger, on 25 July 2023 - 02:11 PM, said:

Truthfully, I hope not, and would rather they just fix MW5.

They are fixing. One DLC at a time.

[Quicksilver Aberration]

Odanan, on 02 August 2023 - 02:50 AM, said:

They are fixing. One DLC at a time.

I don't know that they are fixing, seems like DLCs are slowly becoming mechpacks. They aren't fixing fundamental issues with the game. They aren't adding mechanics (weapons or otherwise) or new interesting things. The different mission types still all blur together. One can only hope that they make missiles actually worth having given the next DLC is effectively a Longbow mechpack.

[Hawk819]

Well, it's not MW6. Rather its this: https://x.com/Th3b33...7288541402?s=20

[s0da72]

When I first saw the '5' in the title I thought they were going to do it as a DLC. Oh well. I'll wait for the reviews first before jumping in. Listening to NoGutsNoGalaxy video on it, it sounded like this was going to use hand crafted stories not procedural.

However after playing Starfield I'm bit spoiled now. I love the way you can pick your landing destinations on a planet. I just couldn't help think of how great that would have been if Mechwarrior 5 worked in a similar way. I know Starfield has gotten a lot of flack from the player base about the fast travel stuff, but compared to Mechwarrior 5 it's way better. Just seems more immersive in comparison.

[KAYHOTIC]

KursedVixen, on 10 January 2023 - 07:35 AM, said:

considering what I know of PGI I'm not getting my hopes up... Probably won't even let us play the clan side or if they do clans will suck.

you probably feel really stupid right about now, huh?

[Nevermore223]

I hope EG7 dosen't pour a bunch of money into this...get a decent player base established and drop it like microsoft did when they bought out FASA. The only reason MW4 lasted as long as it did was because the player base funded servers themselves. Evil Cow spent a lot of time and money keeping that game going as well. I know Russ and the rest of the PGI team probablly spent a lot of sleepless nights worrying about work load, delivery dates, payroll and a million other things that they figured would fall by the way side because of time constraints. I think a lot of people overlook, or just dont understand that aspect of running a buisness. Russ, I hope for all of our sakes, your choice was a good one. I am not dead yet...and I damn sure ain't ready to quit playin MW.