33 replies to this topic

[Garth Erlam]

Here we go, the 15th ask the devs. Get your questions in and I'll do my best to get them answered!

[Stormwolf]

How will you guys handle omnimechs? The current mechlab allows for customization that is beyond what omni customization can do, like switching out a engine or changing to endo/standard internals. The established omni customization doesn't seem all that flexible when compared to it.

Edited by Stormwolf, 31 August 2012 - 04:11 AM.

[Otto Cannon]

When can we expect the next mech announcement?

[Redshift2k5]

Can you release a list of which variants are available in-game at this point? Can you release a list of which variants are currently planned for the mechs that have been announced so far?

This would be a nice juicy tidbit for the community, just like how Ask the Devs 1 introduced a huge chunk of very valuable information; the equipment list.

Edited by Redshift2k5, 30 August 2012 - 01:44 PM.

[Joe Mallad]

You said your markiting guys asked you to save Mech # 16 for something special. Is this something special going to happen before or after Open Beta and what would be so special that you would be asked to hold of #16s concept art?

Also besides #16 can you at least give us any info on just how many mech AFTER #16 you have in the concept stage that we could maybe see concept pics for some time soon?

Thank you!

[Tardstrong]

Will there be IFF jammers?
Have you looked in the Suggestion forum at Red Dragon's post about Map Dynamics? What are the chances of getting his/her idea implemented?
Will all mechs be able to mount ECM, BAP? If not, how are you determining what mechs can use electronics?

[acealpha1027]

WILL THERE BE VOICe ingame? i seen many threads about voice chat in game.. i wonder allong with everyone else will there be voice ingame... also will there be quad mechs in game also? will the hyper pulse radio be in game with news casts and stuff on it?

Edited by acealpha1027, 30 August 2012 - 04:01 PM.

[Strum Wealh]

In Ask the Devs 10, it was stated that there are plans to have LB-X ACs be able to use both standard (HEAP) shells and cluster/shot shells.
In Ask the Devs 14, it was stated that there are plans to have Ultra ACs be able to have some form of ROF/mode-switching.

What ideas or plans are in place to ensure that Standard ACs remain viable options versus their LB-X and Ultra counterparts - access to various special munitions (described in BattleTech's TechManual), limited ROF alteration (described in BattleTech's Tactical Operations), lower maintenance/repair/ammo costs, and/or something else entirely?

[Scrawny Cowboy]

Is Battlemech 16 injuryed or harmed in anyway?

Will you be sending us one limb actuator each Wednesday as proof of possession? Or perhaps photos with a current newspaper as proof of life?



Marketing you fiends...

[KrashDown]

Will quad mechs ever be an idea? Seems like game play and controls would be similar. Cant see an issue , but then again I don't develop games.

[Rejarial Galatan]

Hey Garth! With the end of the Founders coming up, this is a very important question financially speaking. When you guys DO implement the Clans as a faction for us players, be it in March when the full invasion begins, or a month or so down the road, how is this going to be handled, will we need new accounts or can we just simply faction swap and bring our founder mech/s if we have one/them all?

[Phoenix Branson]

Can we expect a musical soundtrack for MWO in the future (artist such as Jeehun Hwang)?

[Solis Obscuri]

• From dev comments on the forums and devblogs, I've come to understand that there will be some key differences in the way merc corps will be able to manage themselves as opposed to how house troops will function. Can you elaborate on this a bit? e.g. What sorts of tools will merc commanders have available? How will contracts work (single objection or signing on for a longer duration "campaign" with a house?)
  
• Will alternate ammunition like Inferno missiles be available for missile systems and autocannons?
  
• From the released gameplay footage, and some PGI comments, it seems that SRMs in MWO are not going to be guided as they are in canon. When planned equipment (listed in Ask the Devs 1) like NARC Beacons, TAG, Artemis IV, etc. comes into the game, will SRMs be able to get any benefit from them?
  
• For a recon 'mech, do you prefer sophistic gear and electronics (think Raven) or just raw speed and agility (Jenner or Spider) to get the job done?
  
• How much [REDACTED] would a [REDACTED], if a [REDACTED] could [REDACTED]?

[edit] Additional question:

• Why does using bullets sometimes cause forum posts to break into a gibberish of HTML mark-ups?

Edited by Solis Obscuri, 30 August 2012 - 08:01 PM.

[Sparks Murphey]

The MechWarrior franchise has a long history of cool opening cinematics. The "Here's the..." videos should you guys obviously are keen on the cinematic angle as well. Do you have any plans in place for an opening cinematic for MWO, and what sorts of things will it show, considering that you won't be focusing on a single character's story?

[pistolero]

Are any serverside tweaks of damagehandling active or planed to be active
( something like modifying armorvalues / splitting damage ) ?

[BFett]

Question 1:

In Dev Blog 3 of Role Warfare the player is described as being able to choose to take contracts or enter quick matches. Please elaborate on the differences between the two choices.

Question 2:

What will happen to ammo partially used up after each match? For example say I'm in a Centurion with an AC10 that has 1 ton worth of AC10 ammo. If I only fire 6 rounds by the end of the round, will I still have the remaining 4 rounds when I return to mech lab?

[Butane9000]

Which do you guys prefer Pie or Cake?

[WardenWolf]

Stormwolf, on 30 August 2012 - 01:41 PM, said:

How will you guys handle omnimechs? The current mechlab allows for customization that is beyond what omni customization can do, like switching out a engine or changing to endo/standard internals. The established omni customization doesn't seem all that flexible when compared to it.

I think the likelihood, at least based on MW4 which was the only other MW title to have a hardpoint-style system, will be the presence of 'omni' hardpoints: a weapon mount that can accept any type of weapon, not just one of the three types. Presumably these will mostly be the arm locations, since those were the ones most easy to change on canon omnimechs, and it would also make having additional art to cover the potential different types of weapons easier.

[WardenWolf]

Solis Obscuri, on 30 August 2012 - 07:56 PM, said:

From dev comments on the forums and devblogs, I've come to understand that there will be some key differences in the way merc corps will be able to manage themselves as opposed to how house troops will function. Can you elaborate on this a bit? e.g. What sorts of tools will merc commanders have available? How will contracts work (single objection or signing on for a longer duration "campaign" with a house?)

I doubt they will be prepared to answer this until closer to the release of community warfare (which has been stated will be 2-3 months after open beta).

Solis Obscuri, on 30 August 2012 - 07:56 PM, said:

Will alternate ammunition like Inferno missiles be available for missile systems and autocannons?

This has been addressed in previous Ask the Devs - they want to add munition types eventually, but it is not an immediate priority.

Solis Obscuri, on 30 August 2012 - 07:56 PM, said:

From the released gameplay footage, and some PGI comments, it seems that SRMs in MWO are not going to be guided as they are in canon. When planned equipment (listed in Ask the Devs 1) like NARC Beacons, TAG, Artemis IV, etc. comes into the game, will SRMs be able to get any benefit from them?

This is a great question - I second it!

[WardenWolf]

KrashDown, on 30 August 2012 - 06:02 PM, said:

Will quad mechs ever be an idea? Seems like game play and controls would be similar. Cant see an issue , but then again I don't develop games.

The Devs have stated that these are not planned at all right now. Some of the Devs do like the idea, but if it happens it will be a while because of very different design / control / etc that would need to be specially worked out.

acealpha1027, on 30 August 2012 - 03:54 PM, said:

WILL THERE BE VOICe ingame? i seen many threads about voice chat in game.. i wonder allong with everyone else will there be voice ingame...

The Devs have stated there will not be voice chat, at least not at launch. Organized teams can always use 3rd-party solutions, like TeamSpeak, and those sorts of solutions are almost always superior in quality to integrating something into the game client.