10 replies to this topic

[Besh]

Do TrialMechs rotate, if so, is it fixed schedule or how ?
Also, are there previews usually if a new set of Trial 'Mechs is coming up ?

I am asking because I am thinking of setting up a small test run of a 1v1 or 2v2 duelling competition, and one of the options I am considering is making it Trial Mechs only .

Edited by Besh, 30 January 2024 - 11:12 PM.

[Horseman]

They used to rotate, but that was back when (C)hampions were used as the Trial builds instead of the current dedicated (T)rials.
Even then, the rotation was more of a "whenever PGI feels like it" thing.
In the present state, a new set of trial builds would have to be devised along with their skill trees first.

Edited by Horseman, 31 January 2024 - 01:14 AM.

[Besh]

Horseman, on 31 January 2024 - 01:09 AM, said:

They used to rotate, but that was back when (C)hampions were used as the Trial builds instead of the current dedicated (T)rials.
Even then, the rotation was more of a "whenever PGI feels like it" thing.
In the present state, a new set of trial builds would have to be devised along with their skill trees first.

Thanks . Do we know who are the people involved in devising Trial Mechs ? Like, are for instance some of the grimmechs people involved ? Asking because they might know whether a new set is in the works .

I would kindof hate getting a Trial only duelling League on the way just for Trials to be changed while a season is on .

[Horseman]

I believe Cauldron was involved last time. Best person to ask is probably Tiy0s/Frost_Byte. He's got the unique position of being both part of Cauldron and a PGI employee.

Besh, on 31 January 2024 - 01:40 AM, said:

I would kindof hate getting a Trial only duelling League on the way just for Trials to be changed while a season is on .

You could solve that by having both players use the same chassis. Whether it's decided randomly, through a ban list or some combination is up to you.

[Navid A1]

Besh, on 31 January 2024 - 01:40 AM, said:

Thanks . Do we know who are the people involved in devising Trial Mechs ? Like, are for instance some of the grimmechs people involved ? Asking because they might know whether a new set is in the works .

I would kindof hate getting a Trial only duelling League on the way just for Trials to be changed while a season is on .

Trial mech builds and their baked in skill trees are made/suggested by the Cauldron. Multiple people contributed based on their experience with chassis and weight classes.

We tried to cover a wide range of roles and weapons and tried to select mechs that have a solid placement in the meta so that they don't get left far behind where the baseline performance is as balance efforts moves on.

Edited by Navid A1, 31 January 2024 - 02:29 PM.

[Besh]

Navid A1, on 31 January 2024 - 02:28 PM, said:

Trial mech builds and their baked in skill trees are made/suggested by the Cauldron. Multiple people contributed based on their experience with chassis and weight classes.

We tried to cover a wide range of roles and weapons and tried to select mechs that have a solid placement in the meta so that they don't get left far behind where the baseline performance is as balance efforts moves on.

Thanks .

[VeeOt Dragon]

honestly i haven't used a trial mech or even looked at them in years. i do remember being a little aggravated that most were pure meta builds and not necessarily new player player friendly ones. then again getting the cauldron to consider the new player experience and not just the top 1% is near impossible. might take a look at the trials next time i am on and see if they differ (though having some skills on them is nice at least but i would have to see if they are more build for new player friendly or simply meta)

[Curccu]

VeeOt Dragon, on 03 February 2024 - 07:33 AM, said:

honestly i haven't used a trial mech or even looked at them in years. i do remember being a little aggravated that most were pure meta builds and not necessarily new player player friendly ones. then again getting the cauldron to consider the new player experience and not just the top 1% is near impossible. might take a look at the trials next time i am on and see if they differ (though having some skills on them is nice at least but i would have to see if they are more build for new player friendly or simply meta)

What kind of meta build doesn't work for beginners? Usually meta builds are pretty damn simple easy to use 1-2 weapon groups.

[CFC Conky]

The Trial mech are in a good place right now, imo.

Good hunting,
CFC Conky

[Alexander of Macedon]

Curccu, on 03 February 2024 - 08:22 AM, said:

What kind of meta build doesn't work for beginners? Usually meta builds are pretty damn simple easy to use 1-2 weapon groups.

High-alpha meta builds (generally speaking, not necessarily bleeding-edge current meta) tend to:
a ) run hot as hell
b ) have jamming weapons
c ) require specific mechanical skills, e.g. poptarting, sync firing gauss + PPCs, closing to brawling range without losing all your armor, &c.

IMO it's good to have at least some trial 'mechs be relatively cool and straightforward, e.g. standard IS ACs + MLas, because not every new player is going to intuitively handle riding the heat scale efficiently without shutting down, know that override exists, or similar.

A HBK-4G trial, for example, is just about bulletproof. Decently fast, decently durable, high damage potential, lowish heat. In other words, easy to learn and very forgiving.

Edited by Alexander of Macedon, 04 February 2024 - 03:38 AM.

[Curccu]

Alexander of Macedon, on 04 February 2024 - 03:37 AM, said:

High-alpha meta builds (generally speaking, not necessarily bleeding-edge current meta) tend to:
a ) run hot as hell
b ) have jamming weapons
c ) require specific mechanical skills, e.g. poptarting, sync firing gauss + PPCs, closing to brawling range without losing all your armor, &c.

a) IMO hot builds are not issue, builds that have massive ghost heat triggering possibility is issue for people that don't understand that mechanism.

b ) I don't see issue with jamming either really. and usually those mechs considered meta have pretty good quirks for jamming.

c) Poptarting is bonus, pretty much all mechs that can do that work well in low tiers even without doing it.
Gauss PPC mixing is blast from the past that has nothing to do with meta since Gauss/ppc desync patch Years ago.
And lastly I don't think any slow brawlers are meta.

So IMO meta builds are not bad for beginners really.

Edited by Curccu, 04 February 2024 - 04:31 AM.