25 replies to this topic

[Andromeda Strain1971]

I have a passing interest in Battletech and thought I'd give MWO a shot Turned out to be the biggest waste of time I've spent on a game even though I only made it thru 7 cadet missions before I gave up. Beginning players have absolutely NO chance and I seemed to be focused by the opposing team in every game as I had unskilled mechs and a big CADET badge over my head 7 missions , 7 very early deaths and absolutely NO viop to ask for advice or help. Overall a very disappointing investment I'm just glad I didn't pay for this title or I would be asking for a refund seeing the graphics are very underwhelming, the sound was OK, and the mechlab was non existant as I was using trial mechs to try and build up cbills for my first mech purchase I now am aware why MWO is a very niche game as only hardcore fans would put up with the obvious shortcomings presented by PGI There are some alterative stompy robot games around, I'll give those a shot

[BedsideGoose]

Give it another shot

There is definitely a learning curve, and sticking out in a trial mech is a good way to get targeted, sure.

Try to hang in with a group, maintain cover, don't overcommit to a duel, and shoot what your teammates are shooting, and the rest will fall in place.

[Void Angel]

Actually, you've been using fully skilled 'mechs - that's what that huge list of Quirks on those trial 'mechs are for. In a similar vein, people likely aren't ganging up on you because you have a CADET tag; you're making mistakes you haven't learned you're making yet. This will get better in time; spectating other players after you've died can be helpful, but even if you don't want to do that, there's things you can do to improve your performance.

If you're actually interested, we can give you some resources to help out. For example, I thought you should be able to turn on VOIP - are you unable to check that box in audio options?

[KursedVixen]

Cadets have much greater chance than they use to Trial mechs have their own custom skill tree and no longer use default builds instead, they now use community made builds so no Cadets actually have it much better than they use to.


While I can see why the lack of voice chat can be a problem, when I started playing new players got nothing you literally started from the bottom of the barrel, with trial mechs with default builds and no built in skill tree, we also had a much smaller pool of mechs to choose from

Void Angel, on 29 October 2025 - 06:05 PM, said:

Actually, you've been using fully skilled 'mechs - that's what that huge list of Quirks on those trial 'mechs are for. In a similar vein, people likely aren't ganging up on you because you have a CADET tag; you're making mistakes you haven't learned you're making yet. This will get better in time; spectating other players after you've died can be helpful, but even if you don't want to do that, there's things you can do to improve your performance.

If you're actually interested, we can give you some resources to help out. For example, I thought you should be able to turn on VOIP - are you unable to check that box in audio options?

Cadets can't use voice chat, I never understood this decision... Cadets also can't use text to all chat.

Edited by KursedVixen, 30 October 2025 - 06:12 AM.

[martian]

Andromeda Strain1971, on 29 October 2025 - 02:44 PM, said:

I have a passing interest in Battletech and thought I'd give MWO a shot

MechWarrior Online is not some kind of 1:1 simulation of the desktop BattleTech.

Andromeda Strain1971, on 29 October 2025 - 02:44 PM, said:

Turned out to be the biggest waste of time I've spent on a game even though I only made it thru 7 cadet missions before I gave up.

7 missions ... well, that would be one hour or so.

I feel with you.

Andromeda Strain1971, on 29 October 2025 - 02:44 PM, said:

Beginning players have absolutely NO chance and I seemed to be focused by the opposing team in every game as I had unskilled mechs and a big CADET badge over my head 7 missions , 7 very early deaths

Beginning players go mostly against other beginning players. Beginning players also go against "eternal beginners" of a similar skill.

Also, the Trial 'Mechs that you have used have their skill baked directly into their quirks. That is why they look like this:


So no, Trial 'Mechs are not unskilled.

Truly fresh and unskilled 'Mechs look like this:

Andromeda Strain1971, on 29 October 2025 - 02:44 PM, said:

... and absolutely NO viop to ask for advice or help.

I believe that you should lose your Cadet status after 25 games or so and gain VoIP and various other MWO privileges.

Andromeda Strain1971, on 29 October 2025 - 02:44 PM, said:

Overall a very disappointing investment I'm just glad I didn't pay for this title or I would be asking for a refund

But since you have not spent a cent, you can not ask for a refund, right?

Andromeda Strain1971, on 29 October 2025 - 02:44 PM, said:

seeing the graphics are very underwhelming, the sound was OK, ...

Do not tell me that you have not watched just one MWO video on Youtube, Twitch or any other similar web site to know how this game is played and what the graphics looks like.

Andromeda Strain1971, on 29 October 2025 - 02:44 PM, said:

... and the mechlab was non existant as I was using trial mechs ...

The current Trial 'Mechs are quite usable, in Tier 5 certainly.

Actually, they are often more sensible in comparison with many player-owned 'Mechs that I see in the game.

Andromeda Strain1971, on 29 October 2025 - 02:44 PM, said:

... to try and build up cbills for my first mech purchase

I believe that by the end of your Cadet period you should be sitting on the small stockpile of some 20-25 millions . That should be enough to buy you almost any expensive common MWO 'Mech (excluding Hero 'Mechs and similar ones). Actually, you could also buy 2-3 cheaper ones instead.

Andromeda Strain1971, on 29 October 2025 - 02:44 PM, said:

I now am aware why MWO is a very niche game as only hardcore fans would put up with the obvious shortcomings presented by PGI

If you say so. But I would say that you have barely dipped a finger in this game.

Andromeda Strain1971, on 29 October 2025 - 02:44 PM, said:

There are some alterative stompy robot games around, I'll give those a shot

I am sure that you will need less than 7 games to master them.

[Nikushimi]

KursedVixen, on 30 October 2025 - 06:10 AM, said:

Cadets also can't use text to all chat.

Everyone can use all chat, its just turned off by default. You have to go into game settings and enable it.

As far as I'm aware the only penalty cadets suffer is being auto kicked for friendly fire. Which is overly sensitive, all it takes is for a friendly to run right into red smoke to get a cadet booted from a match.

Edited by Nikushimi, 30 October 2025 - 09:44 AM.

[Half Ear]

• Did the OP go through the Academy?
  
• Which trial mechs? Likely went Assault
  
  • Not fast/agile enough for a newby and tends to become primary target.
    
  • Though they may have firepower, they are larger AND slower, making it easier targets to hit and strip off that armor.
    
  • And did I mentioned slow? Newbie Cadets without terrain/map knowledge/awareness tend to get left behind then becomes easy pickings for even most newbies/tier 5 players in lights, and the current trial lights are not bad, while 3 of the trial meds work, followed by two of the heavies and 3 of the assaults
    
  • I excluded the GR meds due to charge up and several are meant for long range, and to be effective require map knowledge and LOS. Did I mention can become food for lights?

[Void Angel]

None of it matters since they're not coming back. They didn't want help, they just wanted a tantrum.

KursedVixen, on 30 October 2025 - 06:10 AM, said:

Cadets can't use voice chat, I never understood this decision.

Well, if that's accurate, it'll date back to all the other Cadet restrictions - certain troublemakers would create endless alts and be disruptive and wreck new players' experiences. They'd team kill, feed, and troll, then generate another email account when they got banned. Screaming into the mircrophone so that nobody can hear themselves think - or just trash-talking and trolling all match - would be consistent with their behavior.

[KursedVixen]

Void Angel, on 30 October 2025 - 01:52 PM, said:

None of it matters since they're not coming back. They didn't want help, they just wanted a tantrum.


Well, if that's accurate, it'll date back to all the other Cadet restrictions - certain troublemakers would create endless alts and be disruptive and wreck new players' experiences. They'd team kill, feed, and troll, then generate another email account when they got banned. Screaming into the mircrophone so that nobody can hear themselves think - or just trash-talking and trolling all match - would be consistent with their behavior.

So nobody knows you can mute players and that they will be permantly muted for you???


FWPs?

Edited by KursedVixen, 30 October 2025 - 01:58 PM.

[Void Angel]

EDIT: Tested it myself, and the game flat-out tells you you can't talk until 25 matches. It's going to be to prevent disruptive behavior, like the campaigns of harassment I mentioned, but I don't think it's a good idea.

[Void Angel]

KursedVixen, on 30 October 2025 - 01:57 PM, said:

So nobody knows you can mute players and that they will be permantly muted for you???


FWPs?

They don't stay muted permanently. I know this, because Miktek. But a new player may well not realize they can mute people at all, and it still leaves a bad taste in people's mouths, as the saying goes. Toxic player base is why I don't play League of Legends any more, after all - and that was these... people's goal. Don't think it's needed any more, if they have the ability to remove it.

[Spheroid]

Void Angel, on 30 October 2025 - 02:34 PM, said:

They don't stay muted permanently. I know this, because Miktek.

Block player solves that.

Edited by Spheroid, 31 October 2025 - 09:40 AM.

[Void Angel]

I don't know how many people actually know how to find that setting hidden in the convoluted Profile settings on the website.

[Tesunie]

Oh! Look! Another one of these!

Been seeing so many of these, I'm starting to think it's the same person/group just making accounts just to make noise. Maybe I'm wrong, maybe not. Either way, if I'm wrong I wished they would ask for help, before "leaving forever".

[Horseman IIC]

KursedVixen, on 30 October 2025 - 01:57 PM, said:

So nobody knows you can mute players and that they will be permantly muted for you???

FWPs?

The people involved were constantly making new accounts.

Edited by Horseman IIC, 02 November 2025 - 01:21 AM.

[TheCaptainJZ]

This game does throw you off a cliff at the start--let's be honest. You might have to play several dozen games before getting comfortable with it. The playerbase is so small there's not really enough newbies in queue to only play newbies against. The best time was in the earlier years when everything was still new and everyone was still trying to figure it out, but most of the players left these days are years-long veterans. Even if they're not good players (bad computer, bad Internet, maybe personal disabilities) they are familiar with how the game plays. That just puts any newbies at a competitive disadvantage no matter how you slice it. But the reason some of us are still playing all these years later is because we accepted constant defeat and annihilation at the start and just found the core gameplay fun. You really have to set personal goals that are pretty simple and modest to begin with and not worry about winning or losing or you're going to have a bad time.

It's too bad we can't have different sized matches for different tiers. Like 6v6 for tier 4 and 5 or something with stricter weight matching.

Edited by TheCaptainJZ, 02 November 2025 - 06:22 AM.

[KursedVixen]

TheCaptainJZ, on 02 November 2025 - 06:21 AM, said:

This game does throw you off a cliff at the start--let's be honest. You might have to play several dozen games before getting comfortable with it. The playerbase is so small there's not really enough newbies in queue to only play newbies against. The best time was in the earlier years when everything was still new and everyone was still trying to figure it out, but most of the players left these days are years-long veterans. Even if they're not good players (bad computer, bad Internet, maybe personal disabilities) they are familiar with how the game plays. That just puts any newbies at a competitive disadvantage no matter how you slice it. But the reason some of us are still playing all these years later is because we accepted constant defeat and annihilation at the start and just found the core gameplay fun. You really have to set personal goals that are pretty simple and modest to begin with and not worry about winning or losing or you're going to have a bad time.

It's too bad we can't have different sized matches for different tiers. Like 6v6 for tier 4 and 5 or something with stricter weight matching.

I remember when it was 8vs8....

[Tesunie]

TheCaptainJZ, on 02 November 2025 - 06:21 AM, said:

It's too bad we can't have different sized matches for different tiers. Like 6v6 for tier 4 and 5 or something with stricter weight matching.

I agree with everything, except this. I don't think smaller match sizes for lower tier matches/players would be overly helpful. Sadly, I don't see much that could help a new player experience. They are forced through the academy tutorial (last I knew), so the basics are plainly spelled out.

Only think I could see is a continued tutorial to guide new players towards the training grounds for build testing, and a tutorial for mech building construction (with maybe a free mech to make it happened). Of course, all tutorials should be skip-able.

Otherwise, steep learning curve it is.

[Tarl Cabot]

The Academy can be bypassed but it was added late to the game, and too late for any serious updates.
Any real game discussion is done outside MWO purview, using Youtube/etc, no real in-game consistent chat rooms except for FP and Teams

imho, Cadets should be restricted to Medium/Heavies, or Light Assaults with decent weapons and speed, no slowpokes, ie they have to graduate from being a Cadet. Slow Assaults may have heavy weapons and armor but it also makes them primary target, especially when out of position/left behind, which is likely more often than not

But we will not see that type of change either.

Wont get into many do not have a tough skin and do not want to do any homework, especially ya not going up against NPC.


edited - strange format stuff

Edited by Tarl Cabot, 06 November 2025 - 06:04 AM.

[KursedVixen]

Tarl Cabot, on 05 November 2025 - 12:29 PM, said:

<ul>
<li>The Academy can be bypassed but it was added late to the game, and too late for any serious updates.</li>
<li>Any real game discussion is done outside MWO purview, using Youtube/etc, no real in-game consistent chat rooms except for FP and Teams</li>
<li>imho, Cadets should be restricted to Medium/Heavies, or Light Assaults with decent weapons and speed, no slowpokes, ie they have to graduate from being a Cadet. Slow Assaults may have heavy weapons and armor but it also makes them primary target, especially when out of position/left behind, which is likely more often than not</li>
<li>But we will not see that type of change either.</li>
<li>Wont get into many do not have a tough skin and do not want to do any homework, especially ya not going up against NPC.</li>
</ul>
<p> </p>

there's a problem with locking cadets out of any mech because some can be bought from the start locking people out of their bought mechs is a surefire way to push people out of a game.