382 replies to this topic

[Manboobs-sama]

Of all the problems on all the maps the one thing that frustrates me the most is the hitboxes for the assets on Tourmaline. Have blasted thousands and thousands of damage that should have gone into a mech into invisible walls. The rocks, the debris, it's just so frustrating. I would trade all the new maps made in the last 2 years to have a Tourmaline that actually works like it should. If I can see a mech, I should be able to shoot it. And now that these same assets are being used in Ceres Metal Scrapyard, I have already experienced several instances of egregious hitbox mishaps.

Definitely should be something to look into if it's something that's possible to fix.

[CwStrife]

C337Skymaster, on 03 August 2023 - 03:53 AM, said:

Go play Faction a few times. Particularly, go play against a coordinated opposing team. Then go play a few QP matches where you get stomped, 12-2, or 12-0. Now consider you got stomped 12-0, and you've got three more waves of 'mechs you have to fight those same opponents with, before you can be released to go to another game. This is why Faction Play died the way it did: you get a group of Pugs who just want to play the mode and have fun, and they get matched against a team that's there to win as hard as possible, and the end-of-match kill ratio is something like 18-48, and 6 of the 18 were ejections because they ran out of ammo.

QP lived while other modes died because of exactly that scenario, which is why it's a very bad idea to bring that scenario to QP.

So you either get stomped one time or 4 times in a match if you were to make a Faction mode type Quick play.... Whats the difference than what already happens?

I played FP exclusively for quite a while, and the unit I was with wasn't bad, but overall, the objectives and everything that needed to be achieved with FP made the mode die, they could try and spruce it up just doing QP maps with a drop deck selection, this way once you die you're not out of the action. And what about all the matches where the game is 12-10 and if the team had another drop it might change the outcome? I think it would.

It's better for PGI to try something than to leave faction play as a completely dead mode that not a soul plays. FYI I doubt you could even get a FP drop at this point unless there is an event, the queue is beyond dead and has been, it's never going to come back in it's current form.

[Deadboy57]

Please remove the mushroom kingdom from FWC. Two many matches spent trying to get one light down the top of one of them. Put in a couple of decent looking terrain features for some cover instead.

[Lunatic_Asylum]

All of the maps need an increase in temperature (or a decrease in air thermal conductivity). Players should work on heat management more.
Some of the maps have spots that are not well-suited for an STD100 Stalker (19.1 kmph), which cannot even walk over slight ramps.

Edited by Lunatic_Asylum, 03 August 2023 - 11:21 AM.

[Mechwarrior2342356]

Lunatic_Asylum, on 03 August 2023 - 11:18 AM, said:

All of the maps need an increase in temperature (or a decrease in air thermal conductivity). Players should work on heat management more.
Some of the maps have spots that are not well-suited for an STD100 Stalker (19.1 kmph), which cannot even walk over slight ramps.

I didn't know you could even RUN an engine that puts your speed lower than 32.4, and I don't know why you would want to?

E: Omg you can.

Point stands re: why? You'll have to devote so much space to DHS that the crit savings are lost from the STD, the survivability of a mech slower than a stock Annie is bad STD-friendly hitboxes or no, the weight savings from lowballing the engine don't matter because what could you possibly run that eats few crits (which you need for the DHS) but is so heavy that you can use that spared tonnage?

Edited by the check engine light, 03 August 2023 - 01:34 PM.

[MercJ]

Incursion needs to be removed or made a faction play specific mode (with drop decks). It's pointless in Quick Play. Just take it out.

Domination could be adjusted on certain maps. Conquest is the most balanced for all mechs and play styles, imo. Everything is skirmish anyway, at least Conquest avoids the one last mech hiding for the whole match. Assault is pointless as well (especially depending on the map). Remove Assault, make it Incursion (only in Faction play - even though Faction play should JUST be siege maps, but anyway...)

MWO needs to decide what kind of game it is. The big "simulation" maps don't really have a place with how the matches currently play out. Since it's based on earning C-bills, the smaller maps with more action are always going to feel better. Making players spend five minutes walking to the same spots time after time is terrible for gameplay - just drop them closer.

[Grey Hook]

Thank you PGI for launching this poll and attempting to discern what the player base is thinking. With so many differing opinions- many of them communicated as though they were objective facts- I strongly suspect that ANY action you take will generate more complaints. I don't envy you.
As you requested that we add our reasoning in the comments, I will add mine here. Apologies in advance for the long text:

Maps:
The main thing I struggle with on the maps I dislike is poor visibility. I find maps like Solaris City, Caustic Valley, the snowstorm version of Frozen City, every version of Terra Therma, and the new scrapyard map to be too dark or foggy to be fun. I know, the mechs have night vison and heat vision, but both have pretty severe compromises that make the game less enjoyable to me.
The new Ceres Metal Scrapyard map seems like a cool layout with a lot of visual interest, but I wish we could see it. A daytime version of it was featured as the backdrop in many of the posted pictures of the new assault mechs and it looked amazing- but in game the visual details and textures might as well not be there, which is kinda sad for the designer.

Modes:
I have two small gripes regarding modes. First, Incursion mode offers one more example of a complicated in-game system that is not explained anywhere in the game or its website. Players have to try to piece it together themselves, so there are always teammates that honestly do not know what the additional symbols littering their HUD are or how to prioritize their multiple objectives. I like the idea of there being more than one way to win a match. I don’t like the frustration – felt by both the experienced toward the new player, and by the new player themselves- of not understanding what those ways are.
My second gripe relates to the first- that is, that in Skirmish mode- the one mode with no secondary objectives- it is exceedingly frustrating to play or watch as the last remaining mech goes and hides without penalty while the others have to wander around looking for it. I’m not sure the best way to remedy this. I understand that some players value their k/d ratio above all else and WILL do this, regardless of the feedback they receive. But I suspect that even those players who hide do not enjoy being on the other side of a game that ends that way.

Maps, Modes, and Mechs:
The final issue I have with the maps- and the modes- is the fact that one must select their mech without any idea of the mission they are going on. This is jarringly unrealistic, even within the fictional setting. Humans don’t act like this. Even "way back in the 21rst century" we understand that one shouldn’t bring a knife to a gun fight. Why then would anyone choose to bring an expensive LRM platform to fight in Solaris City, or an expensive brawling mech to hike up Alpine Peaks, or a slow moving assault mech on a mission that depends on quickly capturing multiple resource points? If the game presents players as mechwarriors who own multiple mechs, what possible reason are we given for the “blind date” method of choosing mech first, then map/mode? The complaints from players who end up feeling like they brought the wrong mech for the mission seem very common, which feels ridiculous and frustrating.
I’m not a programmer so I acknowledge that my simple-sounding suggestion may, in fact, be incredibly difficult to implement, but: Couldn’t the order simply be reversed? Something like this:
1) Player selects which weight class they would like to play in that round, for matchmaking purposes.
2) Player votes for the map/mode they like from the preselected options.
3) Once the map and mode are announced, Player selects which of their mechs (from their stated weight class) they want to drop in.

Again, I truly appreciate all the work the PGI team continues to put into an older, free-to-play game that a lot of people really enjoy playing. I hope this survey gives you some clear insight into ways to continue improving things. Keep up the great work.

[PublicWifi]

Lunatic_Asylum, on 03 August 2023 - 11:18 AM, said:

Some of the maps have spots that are not well-suited for an STD100 Stalker (19.1 kmph), which cannot even walk over slight ramps.

LOL

You want a handicapped accessible map?

[LordNothing]

W4R GOD, on 02 August 2023 - 05:32 PM, said:

Kraz did an awesome job on the new map. Small tweaks and its perfect.

Delete Alpine Peaks, its garbage and always was.

Siege mode, best mode.

i kind of like it, works in both ranged and brawly matches, its a good all rounder.

[Kaiju-Killer]

I voted for Hellbore when it came to least favorite medium map but it was only because I just don't play it very often. I'm used to (and kind of like) every other medium sized map, but when Hellbore is in the options for voting it just never gets picked. Plus every time I play that map someone is running a light with some form of PPCs and can constantly wail on the entirety of my team while we get stuck in one place trying to push the other team. And out of all the modes I don't get why people are complaining so much abt Incursion, it's a fun mode coz of the variety of strategies that can win the match. Unlike Conquest where you can just have light mechs run around and cap all the points until the game is over (it happens all the time, playing in a heavier mech and trying to actually have fun and fight and then the game abruptly ends because their light/medium mechs were "objective gamers" and capped all the points. I'd say this is especially prevalent in higher tier matches because the players actually know what they are doing, being in tier 3 gets you a mix of both high and low tier matches.) Suffice to say honestly that Hellbore isn't a bad map but it's not the greatest map of all time and conquest takes the fun out of actually getting to fight in the epic team vs team battles that people probably play MWO for. Sorry for the text chunk in advance.

[Kaiju-Killer]

Also Solaris City is a good map and people who only run lurmboat builds and don't have to actually fight and just rack up matchscore without a second thought shouldn't be able to complain about how "unfair it is" that they can't just as mentioned before, sit there and lurmspam players who are trying to have fun with the game and not get put into lurmhell. It's already pretty annoying as is having a light or medium mech with a TON of JJs get on top of one of the really tall buildings and just camp there the entire game, it happens often enough (at least to me) to be a problem that keeps the game from being that fun. It's basically the same thing where in skirmish players can just hide somewhere on the map and not be found just to preserve their K/D ratio. (also part of why large maps are so annoying to play on)

[GeneralDestroyer]

I like forest colony that is all that I want to say

Edited by GeneralDestroyer, 03 August 2023 - 04:00 PM.

[Mechwarrior2342356]

GeneralDestroyer, on 03 August 2023 - 03:06 PM, said:

I like forest colony that is all that I want to say

It's really so darn pretty and has so many great details. That stream with rapids and waterfalls, the little wave breaking barriers around the water hoodoos.

[Agiordantx]

You know, it just occurred to me, why don't we have more traditional urban maps? Like, just take the outskirts of Solaris City and make it it's own map, but with more pathways/a bit taller buildings, etc etc. Something similar to river city, but the fighting doesn't take place in the open parts of a river. No giant fields/rivers to cross,no mega skyscrapers, and buildings tall enough to provide cover in some places for the tallest mechs, but short enough for most mechs to jump up on. Something to really encapsulate that old Mechwarrior 5 trailer from 2011. Simple city grid pattern.

[Canis Black]

So, I'm recently returned and wasn't particularly good when I left being mostly cannon fodder in my BJ-1 Blackjack. I like to think I've gotten a bit better since I returned but I wanted to offer my two cents on something.

The Incursion Game Mode. It's the poster-child for "One of these is not like the others" in the Quick Play game modes. This feels like it should be limited to - or perhaps be the main mode - of the Faction play mode. With victory possible via 12 v 12 knockout there's rarely any reason to go for the objectives and most of the time I end up in that mode it ends up being a slugfest where one team knocks out the other rather than any real attempts at completing the objectives. Moving it to an environment where you're potentially looking at having to rack up 48 kills to win the match makes going for the objectives (especially if the 15 minute timer is kept) a much more attractive path to victory. Especially if objective completion is what the timeout victory condition looks at rather than the number of enemy kills.

[Voice of Kerensky]

Natural maps in the game are quite enough now.
There are some city maps.
There are only three and a half industrial cards (and even then with some stretch). Perhaps the new map could look like some kind of factory (factory shops or factory territory).
Sniper-friendly maps are enough at the moment. I would like to have a little more maps for brawlers. Which would allow brawlers, moving from cover to cover, to go to close range to realize their firepower. The new map (Ceres Metal Scrapyard ) in this aspect is quite good.
I like maps that have several levels for the game (old HPG, Vitric Station, Rubellit, Solaris city).
I don't like Francois-style maps. I'm talking about bowl-shaped maps where some random cover is scattered in the low center and the edges are raised for better positioning of snipers (new HPG, new Polar Highlands, new Caustic, Emerald Valley).
One of the key problems in existing game modes, I see the absolute symmetry of tasks for teams. The game itself does not set a clear task for the teams: attack or defend. Because of this, the game is a complete mess. From the very beginning, people in teams do not understand at all what role they will play the battle in (this is especially acute in the Conquest, Assault and Invasion modes).
In the current conditions of a virtually non-existent matchmaker, my least favorite game mode is Conquest. In the vast majority of cases, one team gets more fast mechs in their roster.

Edited by Voice of Kerensky, 04 August 2023 - 12:23 AM.

[Magnus Santini]

Can tell from the responses that people who "get" Alpine Peaks love it, and people who don't, don't. Since these are mechs and not turrets, it is a contest of fire and maneuver. Not surprised that a lot of T1 players don't seem to get it, because that is how things disappear in this game. For quick fights and practicing peeking, players can go look for a small map. To practice small unit mech tactics, you need a big map. Listen, this is -fun.- The map is big and you need to decide where you want to fight and go there. The enemy also gets a say and you may end up looking for a good fighting spot in between the two side's initial choices. Slow mechs will lag behind. You cannot always see your whole team nor the enemy on the minimap. Enemies cannot see each other's movement unless they send light mechs to scout, and not just for a second, but for the whole route. Fast mechs can claim a spot they have no business trying to hold against a larger enemy group while reinforcements plod along, but you can skirmish off a superior force with some bravado and guts. There are maneuvers which have lances taking supporting positions which need comms use to coordinate, including isolated elements of your team calling for help. Was your battle plan too ambitious? Do it differently next time.

[LordNothing]

Kroont, on 03 August 2023 - 07:51 AM, said:

Bring back the ESCORT mode....
( uuuuuh, but that is not fair....., YES RIGHT , WAR IS NEVER FAIR !! )

only if we replace the atlas for a super heavy that can shoot back.

[AjerWerklWerkl]

Thank you so much, @Frost_Byte, for your efforts and for this poll.

Please do read this previous thread about rotating spawn points to maximize all the effort that's gone into building maps.

Many people agreed that it made sense, so I hope you'll consider it. Thank you!

[LhommeX]

Incursion is a great mode...Xept for the STUPID battery that you have to fetch in Zimbabwe to make your radar work for a minute...
The way it should work:
-Radar and jammer should always be on (DUH!!!), unless you manage to destroy the towers.
-Dropship should do 1 or 2 fly by an opponents base only if you manage to put a UAV inside it.
-Double the durability of everything inside the base (including the walls and turrets)

If you think about it, aside from skirmish and siege, incursion is the only mode that feels like there is a real objective and not something totally artificial like standing in a "fictitious circle" to win a fight... (that's 1980's video games rules)

Incursion maybe better suited for faction play. (if it was programmed properly). In fact FP should only be siege (that is what most FP players really want) with the occasional skirmish and incursion to mixed it up a litlle. The other modes (design for QP) are very frustrating especially in FP 4 mechs drop.

Edited by LhommeX, 03 August 2023 - 09:41 PM.