107 replies to this topic

[Red Beard]

Skwisgaar Skwigelf, on 04 January 2012 - 10:42 AM, said:

Can anybody use the BattleGrid or will it be linked to either a commander or a specific module? Will certain modules affect what can be seen or done on the BattleGrid or is it all available?

Riordan Lionheart, on 04 January 2012 - 11:04 AM, said:

This system sounds similar to what was used in the "cult classic" xbox mech/tank game Chromehounds. Was the info warfare system being developed for this game at all inspired by the more realistic elements of Chromehounds?

Ghost, on 04 January 2012 - 11:17 AM, said:

Awww. There ain't no justice.

In that case I want to know more about C3. Is there a maximum range? If you mount a Master unit does that make you a de facto lance leader? What happens if more than three people in a match have Master units? Will average MechWarriors have access to all those battlefield views you mentioned, or is there a special commander role in store for us?

And also the one thing I didn't see in the blog... Will voice communication be included and will it have any role in information warfare? (Can it be disrupted?)

Mchawkeye, on 04 January 2012 - 11:44 AM, said:

"Players will immediately recognize elements from other successful shooters and previous MechWarrior® products."

Can you expand on what elements from previous Mechwarrior games?

And what other shooters you are taking inspiration from?

I feel this might give us more flavour of what the final end product will be like...

I second all of the above statements.

Especially the Scottish one.

God bless the Scottish.

Edited by Red Beard, 04 January 2012 - 10:31 PM.

[Rathverge]

Just realized I posted this in the other thread I had open:

Can you powerdown like in older games to avoid detection?

*Would be really fun again to hide between buildings in my light and creep up behind those damn assaults.

[Stoneblade]

Is this one way these modules could work?
When I read over the part about different modules, it brought back an old Battletech book I have called "Max Tech." In there it talked about the diffenrent type of targeting systems a mech could have. For example a Jagermech with its AC/5's and AC/2's might have a Long range targeting system, while a Locust may have a targeting system designed to help pilots cope with its speed.

On a second note, I play Battlefield 3 quite a bit in my spare time. The way they do spotting for enemy units is by someone spotting them or by sound(gunfire). From the blog you, as developers, seem to be going this way. So on this note, do you see using the "Battlegrid" as a way of marking where a unit was last seen?

[Damocles]

Question:
Will a satellite overview be a sort of "ping" on the map of all enemy targets that lasts the duration of the satellite or will you be able to hide from it?

[Dlardrageth]

Will there be pilot skills tied to the whole information warfare gig? Meaning, is it planned to have the pilot avatars in game acquiring info warfare proficiencies, or is it solely a passive affair tied to modules? I'm aware there was a similar question with regards to character skills affcting module performance. My question is rather aimed towards the acquisition of specific skills for Info Warfare, not the relation to the standard skills of all characters.

Something like a "BT Hacker skillset", if you want.

Edited by Dlardrageth, 08 January 2012 - 10:16 PM.

[Liam]

Will the enemy mech detection be spontaneous at specific range?

Is there a chance to implement it with more realistic feeling, where:
- first blinking point appears (no range, no lock on possible, only direction) near to detection range (+ >25 m)
- detection signature blinks faster (range information and lock on possible, but breaks time to time) detection range (+/- 25 m)
- no blinking ( target is in lock on, target information is fully available) detection range (- > 25 m)

... allowing better scout tactics and more strategy to the whole team, due to shared target information (via C3 BAP UAV etc.) and by making support mechs (artillery, scouts, LRM) more useful?

Edited by Liam, 05 January 2012 - 03:09 AM.

[Red Death]

Are Hula Girls available as modules?

[Nav]

InnerSphereNews, on 04 January 2012 - 10:27 AM, said:

Detection Modes

Each type of detection device may also have different primary or secondary modes of detection as follows:

• Night Vision – Allows players to see more detail in low light situations.
  
• Thermal Vision – Allows players to see heat signatures that can be detected through obstacles.
  
• Magnetometer Assisted – Allows players to detect metal and metal densities which can uncover a BattleMech hiding behind a building.

Some of these modes will not be available at launch, but I want to give you an overview of where we plan to take this concept.

MaddMaxx, on 04 January 2012 - 12:02 PM, said:

If I can use either Heat or Metal detection for large Objects behind buildings why would a Mech have BOTH means (I am assuming a package deal here) Doesn't that mean that having BOTH methods would be moot or are the detection Ranges dissimilar?

I feel that quoting the above post by MaddMaxx ties in with my own quesitons (and concerns) around the thermal detection method.

Will you be looking to accurately model thermal imaging methods and the physics behind it?

For example with thermal imaging, you cannot see heat signatures THROUGH objects. Even a thin sheet of glass between you and a hot object will effectively render the heat source invisible (when viewed in Infrared mode).

Only if the heat source can heat the surface of the object that you are facing, will it be visible in the thermal spectrum.

Holywood has propogated the idea that you can use thermal imaging to see through walls into buildings and observe all inhabitants positions and movements in real time. As such there is a common misconception that Thermal Vision can see though objects, which it cannot. It can only see the heat radiated off the surface of the object.

Even a heavily over-heating Battlemech on the opposite side of a sufficiently large boulder or building will not be detectable via Thermal Vision.

Through smoke, fog, rain or night however, thermal imaging would work great.

It would be good to see some proper physics implemented in regards to thermal imaging in MWO, and by providing the accurate limitations, it would give added value to the Magnetometer Assisted and other detection modes.

[Cattra Kell]

I know you gentlemen are going to get a lot of questions about the module system and how it will be used. My question is that you give examples of different sensors and electronics for the module system but would it all depend on the modules available or will some items also be limited to certain mech weight types, such as would I be able to (if it has room) fit a BAP or ECM on a Atlas.
My second question is will the module system be restricted to only electronics and internals, I know you may not be able to answer this at the current time but I am a bit curious about it.

[Semper Fi]

So most of these questions are centered on “in the heat” of the moment, which is very important, but what about the persistent universe?
Meaning one Merc unit took a planet, and is now garrisoned there to protect it. Second Merc unit has been contracted to take it, but don’t really have the numbers for an all-out assault. They "Sneak" in two lances of light and medium mechs. Done through ballistic drops or something like that.
Those two lances are not going to have use of anything but their equipment, and need to be stealthy. Their sole purpose is to disable planet wide communications and information, through sabotage. They take a real week to do all of this, and then they send a message to their parent merc unit to let them know they are completed and an invasion can begin.
On the flip side, the mercs that are tasked to protect the planet, notice they are losing comms and sat uplinks, and start to repair them through whatever, and protect the crews from sabotage. Additionally they are making sweeps of the planet in grids to find the units doing this to them.
So that is a great scenario, and quite strategic, as well as tactical, would this type of scenario be placed into the game to help the persistent universe?

Ok to make this easier, due to the multiple questions here I will summarize.

1. Is there going to be objects in the battle-space/planet that are prereqs, enhance, expand the modules being used on a planet in the mechs?
2. Will there be a way to build/repair objects in the battle-space/planet to enhance modules used in mechs?
3. Will there be a way for a "Recon" team to sneak onto a planet to prepare for later invasion without being detected, or maybe detected but not pinpointed?
4. Is there a way, through either contracts, or unit command actions to "search and destroy" on a planet for security purposes, with the modules suggested?

Even though this is around the persistent universe all of these are in regards to information warfare, and can lead up to many different scenarios/contracts that the players could utilize.

Semper FI

Edited by Semper Fi, 05 January 2012 - 07:34 AM.

[Salesninja]

Traditionally, some mechs were considered better at detecting other mechs, or better at information warfare. For example the raven, the rifleman (radar) or the cyclops come to mind. Will some mechs be better/have mor module slots than others?

[canned wolf]

Will the size of the mech have an effect on how easy it is to detect?
Will we be able to shut down heatsinks to temporarily hide our heat signature?
Will availability of support assets be determined by who controls the planet?
Will moduals be able to be seen so that we can visually assess the threat a mech presents?

Edited by canned wolf, 05 January 2012 - 09:16 AM.

[Aidan]

Not sure if this has been asked, so here goes ...

These MWO modules, will an MWO pilot be able to create his/her own modules or will these modules be only selectable from a list as the pilot qualifies for them?

[Archio]

Im looking forward to piloting an EWAR support mech, Specifically the Raven or Hellspawn for when more weaponry is called for.

As stated before, will support mechs receive bonuses for fitting and using the modules the mechs were designed for? Id like support mechs to actually be utilized and needed instead of just mechs no one pilots because you cant fit 30 tons of lasers or armor on them.

[John Dragon]

I'm guessing you guys are still working on this, but how are you going to use/control these warfare tactics? Are you just going to press a key and a satellite is sent up over the battlefield? Or are you going to be able to be able to adjust where the satellite is going to be sent so that it'll be harder for units to evade vision in that part of the battlefield, assuming that satellites might look as it does in the MechWarrior trailer?

[Curon Hifor]

With these additions, does this mean (for example) a light, scout 'mech can spot an enemy unit and act as a 'spotter' for an LRM carrier, similar to the Tabletop? If so, Catapults just became a lot more awesome.

In regards to this, however, will NARC beacons be implemented in the game? If so, will they be able to help with the LOSD limitations for the rest of the lance?

[Felicitatem Parco]

Will Command Modules enter the game, where two players share a Mech (one pilots the Mech and the other runs command functions, with the Commander assuming control of the Mech upon pilot death)?

Edited by Prosperity Park, 05 January 2012 - 01:16 PM.

[Felicitatem Parco]

Will pilots have access to general-purpose Range Finders [built into the reticule] that won't alert the opposing forces to your presence (e.g. a Range Finder that does not have any target-locking functions)?

...and this leads to...

Will players have the ability to manually add Points of Interest to the BattleGrid?

[DeM0nFiRe]

Now, when you talk about a LOS/D system, I am curious as to how exactly the LoS part will work. Does it work by an actual physical line of sight, IE, the mech is rendered and if you can see it, you can see it OR is it done by some series of visibility checks, and if it passes the checks, then the mech is rendered?

I think having it so you have to pass visibility tests before the mech appears on the radar (or BattleGrid in this case) is probably the best way to do it, however making it pass these visibility tests before the game will even render the mech is a very bad idea. if you need practicel proof of this, just look at World of Tanks. If you need reasoning behind it, quite simply you *cannot* make a visibility test that is both fast and accurate enough to not interrupt expected behavior. Computers suck at vision.

[Hayden]

Are there plans to have map related intel systems, beyond passive environmental effects and buildings? I.E. Is there a possibility of being able to target installations like listening posts to "blind" the enemy forces?

Edited by Hayden, 05 January 2012 - 03:49 PM.