86 replies to this topic

[Orzorn]

I think that the module system is for EQUIPMENT ONLY, not weapons or heatsinks. Thus, ECM, BAP, sensors, etc will all be placed in the module system, but weapons, ff armor, heatsinks, and ammo will take up criticals and the like.

[Orzorn]

Aegis Kleais™, on 04 January 2012 - 12:31 PM, said:

If that's true, I'm a happy camper.

Modularity, and its integral nature with the Pilot's Tree, allows people to specialize in particular modules that they find useful. It also promotes speciality. If Joe Blow is a master in NARC deployment, but you're rolling with some LRM's, you'd do well to use some space for a NARC receptor module that allows you to piggyback off of Joe's pilot skills.

It's a large scale of the team helping itself, and it's got some crazy potential both tactically and strategically!

The way I see it, modules are for customizing the pilots experience (And thus, what his/her sensors can see, since the pilot will need that information). Criticals and tonnage are for customizing the mech.

[HappyDumpling]

MaddMaxx, on 04 January 2012 - 12:17 PM, said:

Sounds like a neat way to possibly make each Cockpit somewhat unique as well. This assumes the need for "space" is Console space as you add additional modules to the Mechs Electronics Suite.

I feel the same way, I think they're talking about electronic 'rack' mounts in your computer system not actual crit slots in a mech. If they introduce C3 then it may take the traditional crit slots, and could broadcast your info to the others, but this sounds more like a custom cockpit to me.

[Mchawkeye]

Of course, if that is true, and there is a 'traditional' mech lab style customisation, why would they bother with the modules at all? if you can handle slotting in crit spaces for guns, you can surely do it for ECM?

[Skwisgaar Skwigelf]

Mchawkeye, on 04 January 2012 - 12:31 PM, said:

ok,..but what make you think that? you sound kinda certain...

Nothing other than that's how I read the blog and it's what makes sense in my mind (which admittedly can be a very scary place).

[Skwisgaar Skwigelf]

Mchawkeye, on 04 January 2012 - 12:36 PM, said:

Of course, if that is true, and there is a 'traditional' mech lab style customisation, why would they bother with the modules at all? if you can handle slotting in crit spaces for guns, you can surely do it for ECM?

It just adds an extra element to the electronic warfare capabilities and another customizable asset that people can play with. Maybe swapping a weapon system will be expensive but switching out an ECM module for a MagRes module is a quick and cheap job.

[Red Beard]

I can also see the modules being tied to a pilot's XP. If a pilot is ranked up in one particular type of mech, then they will have the option to purchase more advanced IW modules. XP for these modules might be gained by things like successful LOS scouting, scouting that leads to successful LRM strikes, target capturing, etc. If your pilot specializes in scouting, then you will have to do particular things to gain XP in those areas. Then, only after ranking up so much, will you have the higher level modules available to you. Just a thought.

[Kristov Kerensky]

I'm getting a read that says..walk away now, PGI has opted for the LCD solution. I'm fighting that urge until we get some actual concrete information, but what I'm seeing in the last few releases from them...not a good feeling.

[Nik Van Rhijn]

The idea of modules, especially if the apply to "roles" could well mean all sorts of possible upgrades to be unlocked as you progressed and specialised. This is great if you always play the same way. Not so good if say your specialised as a scout and your team needs you to do fire support or brawler for a drop, or you just want a change. Unless you can "have" multiple mechs each with different specialisations.
This sounds as though we may not have all they want to eventually include available at launch, but is designed so that it can be expanded as necesssary. Going into this sort of difference is certainly "not your father's Mechwarrior"! It's also the sign of a game that is intended to evolve and improve with time. Let's hope this sort of flexibility is built into the rest of the game.
Once again Wednesday has raised far more questions than have been answered

[Kaemon]

Red Beard, on 04 January 2012 - 12:39 PM, said:

I can also see the modules being tied to a pilot's XP. If a pilot is ranked up in one particular type of mech, then they will have the option to purchase more advanced IW modules. XP for these modules might be gained by things like successful LOS scouting, scouting that leads to successful LRM strikes, target capturing, etc. If your pilot specializes in scouting, then you will have to do particular things to gain XP in those areas. Then, only after ranking up so much, will you have the higher level modules available to you. Just a thought.

XP grind alert!

But yeah, I see it going this way as well, not sure I'm happy about it though, need more specifics.

[MitchellTyner]

I'm starting to get a bad feeling about this ... I've been dreading this game turning into BF3 with mech's or some of shooter with mechs. They keep saying stuff like "popular fps, etc etc". I just hope this doesn't turn into that

with only a couple mechs and no mech customization that's all it's gonna be

Edited by MitchellTyner, 04 January 2012 - 12:57 PM.

[Frantic Pryde]

Seems to me these modules will be directly tied into mech leveling. Based on the role you are playing they can be focused on certain things. If your where playing something like a panther for example you would have modules installed that focus on your long range targeting and tracking and as you leveled up your mech you will have more options for new modules.

[Xhaleon]

LCD solution?

Its a whole lot of junk information, because we have absolutely no context to relate to. The devblog does reveal some things to us, but releasing so little information so occasionally really doesn't help us understand how MWO is going to work at all. I can understand not stating anything that isn't already set in stone, but...

Lemme go through the DevBlog again.

That Module Board description actually sounds like an inventory puzzle to me. Insert modules of their choice, provided you have space? Why have something described as a "board", if a simple indication of "how many spaces left" and "how big each module is" would do? This leads me to believe that the board would be a 2D grid that allows functions//modules to be placed in. As with all inventory puzzles, the varied shape of these modules, plus the shape of the grid of each individual mech, would help to differentiate mechs from each other and emphasize their roles, particularly light mechs.

If you want an example, look at Mechcommander 2's "board" for inserting weapons and accessories. Same thing, if MC2 is quite the simple specimen with exact rectangular grids, and Mechcommander 1 would be an example of not using an inventory puzzle. Not saying that I'm seeing weapons being allocated as such, but the concept of it stands.

Edited by Xhaleon, 04 January 2012 - 01:02 PM.

[Tweaks]

Ghost, on 04 January 2012 - 11:57 AM, said:

I've reasoned out three ways I think it's going to work. It could look like a RPG-style equipment tree (head/torso/legs), with every 'Mech having the same slots. It could also look like a hardpoint list like we're used to, or it could even be a hybrid of the two (role-based, with space for weapons and equipment depending on what role the 'Mech is and what the module is). All of this will be balanced by other factors, like weight or heat or space.

It kind of reminds me of how Shattered Galaxy does equipment--depending on your character growth, you have access to various pieces of equipment for your units: engines, reactors, weapons, sensors, utility equipment, armor. What you could actually fit on your unit was determined by weight, energy and computational power needs -- whether you could actually purchase or use the module was determined by the level of your particular unit AND the way you'd developed your character.

It kind of reminds me of EVE Online and ship modules actually. Each ship has a certain amount of module slots of each level (high, medium and low) and has a maximum power output (capacitors). I could see the same kind of system in MWO, where each 'Mech would have a predefined slots in specific locations for different types of modules. Each module would take a certain amount of energy from the reactor core, and (since it's BattleTech) may (or may not) also generate heat.

Having different module slots on different 'Mechs would promote Role Warfare even more. For example, certain 'Mechs designed as light scouts would have more slots for radar type modules and equipment such as C3, but less room for other types of modules. Heavy 'Mechs designed for close quarter combat for example, could have more slots for ECM and spoofing modules but less for C3 and radar. Anyway, you get the idea...

Kristov Kerensky, on 04 January 2012 - 12:40 PM, said:

I'm getting a read that says..walk away now, PGI has opted for the LCD solution. I'm fighting that urge until we get some actual concrete information, but what I'm seeing in the last few releases from them...not a good feeling.

LCD? Do you mean LOSD? (Line of Sight/Detection)?

Edited by Tweaks, 04 January 2012 - 01:09 PM.

[Mchawkeye]

Tweaks, on 04 January 2012 - 01:03 PM, said:

LCD? Do you mean LOSD? (Line of Sight/Detection)?

Lowest Common Denominator.

[Nowan123]

As I understand it, these will be USB-cabled devices or pci-card-things which just go on your targeting/sensors computer.

[Kaemon]

Nowan123, on 04 January 2012 - 01:13 PM, said:

As I understand it, these will be USB-cabled devices or pci-card-things which just go on your targeting/sensors computer.

great now my mech can get screwed out of ECM because I only have a PCI-E slot left!



must...make...card...fit..in...chassis...*hammers*

Edited by Kaemon, 04 January 2012 - 01:18 PM.

[verybad]

It looks like essentually internal functions for the mech tying into training needed to use those functions.

So you are a Command Tree training warrior. You might start off able to use very little in terms of equipment. You don't know how, and you aren't high enough ranked to have access.

You learn a bit, and decide to train a UAV skill, and add that to your Atlases cockpit board.

It's great, and it's helped the Lance a lot, so you decide to train further and eventually get acess to the Regiment's Satellite network. Now you have an almost perfect view of the battlefield and other lances are working with you to get enough C3 systems to give the company a look at what's happening. Unless a scout gets close enough to cover you in an ECM bubble and disrupt the com network.

To people that are worried about it not being somethign that's already in battletech.

Have you EVER played a blindsight game? Theyr'e the most exciting, most tension filled games around. This sort of system is brilliant, and it's treating people like they're adults and can understand and appreciate a bit more complex of a game than Point. Shoot.

For those concerned about Poptarting, it's no longer a concern unless you've got a forward observer with active coms. You can kill the scout, or simply cover him in an ECM bubble, or call a support strike (likely Aerospace or Artillery) on the sniper.

It's the absolute opposite of what some people's concerns seem to be. MW4's simple, but improved detection system added some complexity to the game, this is taking it to a whole new level, and is the most exciting thing that's been released about this game to date.

In addition, if you're STILL concerned that this isn't soimething mentioned in btech core rules and so must be rubbish, there are quite a few advanced rules that cover things of this nature, including Satellite detection, other observation tech, quirks, and so fort. This allows you to make a mech truly yours, it makes firepower not the only concern. I can see enormous uses for a skilled scout, and the fact that they can advance their career through methods other than just killing mechs shows that the design team for this game is actually putting a lot of thought into gameplay, not simply cutting and pasting.

Edited by verybad, 04 January 2012 - 01:22 PM.

[Tweaks]

Nowan123, on 04 January 2012 - 01:13 PM, said:

As I understand it, these will be USB-cabled devices or pci-card-things which just go on your targeting/sensors computer.

Can't be... Modules like C3 Master/Slave take up a lot of space, and require antennas and other external equipment. It's not just a simple slide-in card you just plug into the dashboard!

Edited by Tweaks, 04 January 2012 - 01:20 PM.

[SquareSphere]

People have to keep in mind the module system seems like to a way to specialize a role for a mech that ties into the skill tree players will be leveling in.

If you didn't think there was going to be some sort of "leveling" then you have played any sort of F2P game before.

What they're trying to focus on is that the Leveling+Modules systems keep ALL MECHS viable at any level. Pretty ingenous way to make sure winning is tied more to pilot "skill/time invested" rather than how big the asset is.