227 replies to this topic

[Alekzandar Suvorov]

Ashla Mason, on 30 July 2012 - 01:26 AM, said:

Honestly, I think the trick to balancing the clans is rejigging the economic system for them to reward them for engaging in honorable combat (the dueling style the clans are infamous for) and penalizing them for relying on the "street fight" method favored by the inner sphere. Doing so Balances out their strengths with a rather hefty weakness.

Would have to be severe penalties. If not steep enough many may just street fight because the shorter games will earn them as much as one honorable game.But i can get behind what your sayin

[Arcqueid]

Well thats just great. There goes my Madcat. Ugh well I hope to get a few clan tech things. A Sunder would be awesome. The twist on that thing makes it unstoppable in close.

[Ashla Mason]

Alekzandar Suvorov, on 30 July 2012 - 01:49 AM, said:

Would have to be severe penalties. If not steep enough many may just street fight because the shorter games will earn them as much as one honorable game.But i can get behind what your sayin

They would be steep, but they would also be things that a pilot would have some ability to avoid; shooting rear armor, DFA/Ramming, Ganging, indirect combat... all of these things would stiffly harm the players income.

From my perspective as a fan of the clan way, The function of clantech is a critical to allow them to fight the supperior numbers and underhanded tactics of the IS.

[Leodegrance]

Ashla Mason, on 30 July 2012 - 02:11 AM, said:

From my perspective as a fan of the clan way, The function of clantech is a critical to allow them to fight the supperior numbers and underhanded tactics of the IS.

Well put. Clan tech will always give you the edge in fights because the weaponry and mechs were always much better than the IS. But yes it would be a little, errr......yeah quite heartbreaking to know or even think for that matter that the Mad Cat or even the Vulture may not make their appearences in this game.

[Evinthal]

SakuranoSenshi, on 30 July 2012 - 12:05 AM, said:

Look, fact is we have absolutely no idea. None at all. They have been completely tightlipped on whether Clans will be in the game, much less whether they will be playable in any way. Now, we can speculate a lot; they're iconic and this era going forward from here is pretty much defined by the arrival of the Clans, however, we still have no idea about details and playability and they could branch the timeline and have no Clans for a while, even years.

Actually they haven't been. Go read some of the developer interviews, or my previous post in this thread about this very issue. [Link]

Thorn Hallis, on 29 July 2012 - 11:50 PM, said:

That makes me laugh.

Take your pink glasses off and accept the fact that only an absolutle minority of the community (maybe 1%) cares about the Clans because they are Clans. All the other peeps would go Clan only because of the tech. And if the tech isn't there, then most of them wont care anyway and still play MWO.

And you thinking your opinion is actually the light bringing truth makes me laugh. Just another posterior hurt grognard. Thank you for the knee slapping-side splitting humor.

Also 85.67832% of statistics on the internet are made up...

Rejarial Galatan, on 30 July 2012 - 12:10 AM, said:

Senshi, I agree, in part: our lack of full information on the subject. I do not agree: that they will take years to be seen. First Contact is August with Phelan Kell's abduction. Full contact is 8 months out 20 March 2013/3050. Less than 1 year till invasion, and PGI saying: No PvE content for for seeable Future means: logically we can extrapolate: they will be playable, and my april at the earliest.

Exactly. Again there has been hints at them being such in the developer interviews. People really need to stop being lazy and read some of these.

SakuranoSenshi, on 30 July 2012 - 12:58 AM, said:

As I have pointed out before, this is an offshoot timeline, just because the books you, the player, read say they are here in a few months doesn't mean they will be in this timeline, our game. Sorry. They might be, they might not be but I have at least as much ammunition from dev quotes for saying 'might be years' as you do for your desire that it will be months.

Nope. That quote where they said years was edited to say "actually six months, but who is counting..." so, yeah pretty soon here.

[Enig]

Evinthal, on 28 July 2012 - 06:06 PM, said:

I am going to stop there.

Also: Creator of this thread, A+ for trolololol effort, C- for execution. The Clans are an easy subject to troll with.

*trolololololololol*

Thank you sir

[TyR]

Oh, this topic again. Until PGI comes out and says "Sorry clanners, no Timber Wolf for you!", proceeds to explain how they have added PvE to the game and that the role of clans is their way of implementing it I am not buying it.

From the glancing at this thread I have done I have seen a number of points that I have been making to people who tell me this is going to happen. As with many other topics, lack of evidence (in this case the playable clans hypothesis) does not mean that the crazy hypothesis (OMG clans are PvE content) is correct instead or viable. If that was all we had to go on then guessing that clans will be playable is not much better off than saying they will not be. Sure, some claim there will be balancing issues, but PGI already has to balance weapons and mechs anyway. Add something new to that. Just remember the game is based on BT, but changes to stats, functionality and rules for balance will be made as needed to make it a good experience. Additionally, as has been pointed out, there have been hints from chats about clans being playable. There have also been discussions in irc. They picked a timeline that works perfectly, or as close to as can be when dealing with development timelines, to bring the clans in. As a result, at this point I am leaning a lot more toward clans being in the game than not in the game. Seeing clans as PvE only just seems to be a repeated claim without evidence to stand on.

Oh and btw, since clans having their own section of the forums is supposedly an indication here from the OP I guess we can also assume something crazy like table top, also with its own forum, rules will only apply to a PvE environment. Let us start passing this new idea around for the PvE game!

[SakuranoSenshi]

I wasn't quoting them, I was pointing out that they can go for years regardless because the game doesn't have to slavishly follow the timeline you happen to be familiar with and you could do your own research and see where I pointed this out before, too. Here it is again, though, from that very same FAQ:

"MechWarrior® Online™ is running an offset timeline of the BattleTech® Universe. As of this writing it is 2011 and the year is 3048 within the game. In 2012, when the game is launched, it will be 3049."

I can read just fine and the only solid thing you have is that they are talking about bring Clan mechs into the game. That still doesn't mean Clans will be playable or that it will happen in a few months. You refuted absolutely nothing and misunderstood what I actually said in the first place. *slow clap*

More seriously (and I'm not by any means angry with you or anyone else, please take this all in the spirit of vigorous chat about topics we care about) I fully expect to see the Clans, after all this period is defined by their return to the IS, however, I think people are getting way ahead of themselves and expecting things that I personally am unconvinced either will or should happen.

[Jaroth Corbett]

Joe Lean, on 28 July 2012 - 03:31 PM, said:

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the idea that Clan play would most likely be initially Clan vs. Clan, not Clan vs. Inner Sphere. This would be most true to Canon, qui aff?

Mechwarrior 2 (non-mercenaries) was all Clan vs. Clan - Falcons & Wolves, then Ghost Bear's Legacy. That's why so many somewhat older Clan players like Clan... it's what they were probably first introduced to with MW2.

Even the majority of Clan-related fiction novels had both the "protagonists" and "antagonists" (as they were) as Clan characters.

So, if I operate under the assumption that players will eventually be able to go be Clan players, I would not be at all surprised if it was mostly Clan vs. Clan, Trials of Position, and that sort of thing, especially at first. Warden vs. Crusader, perhaps. Only challenge I see with this would be fitting it properly into the timeline.

That being said... I can't think of a Mechwarrior game since MW2 in which players played as Clan - other than MechAssault 1 & 2.

Well said. As someone else mentioned in this thread & in others, this is make or break for me. For those of you who played MW2, you need to go to the back of the line. At least you got a taste. I had to endure MW3, MW3:PM, MW4:V, MW4:BK & MW4:M playing as IS. If I cannot play the Clans, I am out.

I also proposed the Clans be launched separately as well as ideas for how the Clans should be handled after launch.

http://mwomercs.com/...960#entry221960

http://mwomercs.com/...ocess-1st-draft

TG Xarbala, on 29 July 2012 - 11:33 AM, said:

Okay, this is at least a day old, but:



Counterpoint: Wars of Reaving. Wherein the Clans commit more genocide than the Word of Blake against each other in the name of Clanner Purity. Also the Snow Ravens commit cold-blooded genocide against a number of DC worlds because the Combine was framed for a terror attack by the Wobbies and the Ravens' Clan Watch was too incompetent to realize the truth.

This is one of the few honestly interesting things the Clans have done since Losing By Cultural Deus Ex Machina (Tukayyid).

Granted, you're a Ghost Bear fan, and Ghost Bears are generally cool. But the Clans as a whole are as much villains as any Spheroid leader, perhaps more so because unlike even the Master of the Word of Blake, they're delusional enough to believe they're right.

Uh but WoB thought they were right. Why do you think they did what they did? They thought ComStar had strayed from the path. Especially after the recovery of the Blake Documents. What have you been reading? Get your facts right.

Edited by Jaroth Winson, 30 July 2012 - 04:19 PM.

[Joanna Conners]

Jaroth is the perfect example of what I said earlier. If Clan fans don't get what they want this time out then they're gone. That's a substantial amount of players to lose. It isn't worth ignoring them.

Besides, IS fans want to fight against them. It's what we've always wanted in a MechWarrior online game. Us vs. Them.

[Evinthal]

SakuranoSenshi, on 30 July 2012 - 02:20 PM, said:

I wasn't quoting them, I was pointing out that they can go for years regardless because the game doesn't have to slavishly follow the timeline you happen to be familiar with and you could do your own research and see where I pointed this out before, too. Here it is again, though, from that very same FAQ:

"MechWarrior® Online™ is running an offset timeline of the BattleTech® Universe. As of this writing it is 2011 and the year is 3048 within the game. In 2012, when the game is launched, it will be 3049."

I can read just fine and the only solid thing you have is that they are talking about bring Clan mechs into the game. That still doesn't mean Clans will be playable or that it will happen in a few months. You refuted absolutely nothing and misunderstood what I actually said in the first place. *slow clap*

More seriously (and I'm not by any means angry with you or anyone else, please take this all in the spirit of vigorous chat about topics we care about) I fully expect to see the Clans, after all this period is defined by their return to the IS, however, I think people are getting way ahead of themselves and expecting things that I personally am unconvinced either will or should happen.

Bravo, and nice try.

Actually I understood exactly what you said.

Counter point: How do you expect them to bring in Clan 'mechs, without actually bringing in the Clans themselves? To me it seems like one of those inclusive package deal kind of things where if you get one you get the other with it, not an exclusive one OR the other.

[SakuranoSenshi]

No nice try need, please don't try and play stupid posturing games, I have neither the time nor the patience and will either just insult your stupidity and move on or demolish everything in a boring mega-post that will accumulate likes long after either of us cares. You misunderstood what I said and attacked the resulting 'straw man', so I corrected your understanding above with more information. Give it up, already. It's not even as if it really matters whether they do (to me) or as if either of us can impact their decisions, in all likelihood.

[theV1k1ng]

As I understand it, from reading a couple of months ago, the timeline in game matches the universe timeline at about 3049, the year before the invasion. From what I gather, next year, June time frame, will match the June 3050 time line about the time that the Clans invaded. I will try and find where I read it from and link it in here.

[Kyle Lewis]

Alaric Wolf Kerensky, on 28 July 2012 - 02:40 PM, said:

We had well over 100,000 registered on the forums before Closed Beta even launched. Millions more are going to play the game. Splitting the playerbase is not going to be an issue. And look at how many Mercenary Companies already exist, they are a faction of themselves with how many players have joined them.

Once again, I state that blocking access to the Clans will only alienate half the playerbase. In the BT universe, the only faction i care about to any extent is the Clans, particularly Clan Wolf. If the Clans came out as PvE content, I would not pay another cent into this game. And I believe a large number of people would take the same path.

You are going to refuse to pay money for the free to play game because clans might be PvE?

[Skadi]

i think the real question here is...
Will we get a madcat?

[Tussock]

PVE is a great way to ruin your skills... Once you're past the basics of moving and shooting; smashing predictable bots is a total waste of time. I hope PVE is not introduced.

I don't mind facing a team of clanners in IS mechs... As long as the IS has numerical superiorty on the field. (+50% team tonnage?)

Cutting edge tech like clan tech should also be prohibitively expensive to maintain... That's why the clans ritualized their combat system; to reduce attrition no? The expense should drive the clanners into lighter and lighter chassis as the game wears on... The Dev's could inject cash via limited time c-bill boosts if necessary.

Styles make fights! The clan 'honour bound fighter' vs the IS 'dirty ol' warrior'?

It'll be funny to watch some retarded clanner try the Zelbriggen technique against an honourless IS firing line... Especially if I'm part of the IS line!

Edited by Tussock, 30 July 2012 - 04:32 PM.

[SakuranoSenshi]

I think both PvP and PvE can have their place but I trust the devs to do it right whichever way they go. It's just that the 'Clans next month, just waiting till then' crowd get old and are quite likely to be wrong.

[Blaze32]

Rejarial Galatan, on 28 July 2012 - 01:55 PM, said:

PGI said some time back they have no immediate plans for PvE content, so I think clans will be dev contolled for a week to a month at most then handed to us as factions. Think of the storm that would erupt if they denied us clans or our classic mechs like the Timber Wolf.

that would be so funny! A pink vulture sits on the outskirts of battle fireing LRM racks in to it's own teams back. (paul the troll)

[Maverick Ivers]

As stated by a couple of others...Implementing Clans is as easy as doing this

Clan vs. Clan
5vs5
10vs10

And Clan vs. Innersphere
5vs8
or
5vs12
or even
10vs24 (provided they up match size from 32 to 34)

When Clans come out, give players a base choice from maybe four mechs, and make them work for the others
Allow players a separate mechbay for Clans
And when you do participate in ISvsClan matches, make it one of two things
First come, first serve, or randomize teams.

I think it would likely need to be the former, because randomizing teams could likely result in lance mates being separated.

But with this in mind, Clan vs IS could be properly done. Just needs some tweaking.

I for one like IS and Clan mechs. Personal Clan faves are the Timber Wolf and the Maddog (go figure)
while I have a more varied group of favorites in the IS, one of which is the Hunchback

IS players will definitely have to go it safe and tactically to fight Clanners, but it can be done. And if done right, you will get some DAMN interesting matches.

[Russ Bullock]

I think we would need to be brain dead to not want to sell Mad Cats to players. We have design and balance issues to figure out but we will get it sorted so players can play as the clans