Synopsis: MW:O has a unique way of feeding information into the community, through various daily news feeds, Dev blogs, interviews and the occasional Facebook/Twitter slip (or Troll thread by Paul).
To help new players make sense of it all, I humbly submit the following post (I will update as info becomes available).
Code of Conduct, Posting Etiquette and FAQ (we take this stuff kinda seriously...no...really!) *NEW*Rules and Guidelines - If you don't know, you can't complain about it! CoC/Netiquette (aka 'Pink Thunder Bane') I think the LRM spoon goes on the left. FAQ *NEW* Minimum specs to run MWO (or this for max spec)
New Player/Game Info *NEW* Updated Content Tracker - Content Roadmap (unofficial) New Player Area - Come and say hi, also a great place to ask questions! Mechwarrior Academy - Learn the ins and outs of group warfare. How to (do everything) - C3, Groups, Mechs, everything you need to know (offsite link) Battlemechs - Cause you need to know what's trying to kill you. Guides - Everything you ever wanted to know about how not to suck. Mechbuilder 2.0 - A wondrous site that lets you tweak your configs, protip: MGs are not OP....(offsite link) Training Grounds - Watch vids on what not to do in MW:O (they really should have an Urbie featured on these). MW:O Repair Tool - if you're having issues with the game, give it a shot. Patch Notes - Know what changed and when.
General Info *NEW* MW:ORepair Tool BETA) - Helps with issues (mostly corrupted .pak files) but it's worth a run if you're having issues!!! *NEW*Hot Topic Heatsinik (Official Feedback Threads) - Official Feedback Threads for Announcements, Dev bulletins, and other news, a good place to dump excess forum rage heat ;). House Factions - Faction info. (for community warfare that's coming in Soon™) Media section - artwork, vids, and assorted dubstep visual goodness. Weekly Screenshots - look good in your mech (before you die).... Command Chair - official announcements from PGI on stuff. Content/Feature Roadmap - The current ETA for new stuff (so you can stop having a cow about missing stuff).
Social Media links Facebook Page - News, Polls, and the occasional pic are posted here! Twitter - TweetChat with the Devs, check here for date/times.TwitChat #1 (off-site transcript of chat)
Ask the Devs Ask away! Question answered each week. (link to sub forum)...
A lot of work continues to be focused on our major launch features. If you haven’t already checked it out, head on over to the UI 2.0 Command Chair post and check out the latest information on our major overhaul of the Front End UI. Production is well under way on this new UI and we expect to begin testing in August. The final bits of engineering work are being put into 12 v12, which include further networking code optimizations, UI work, art optimizations, and some minor gameplay/level adjustments. Our drive to launch continues to keep the bulk of our team focused on delivering an exciting MechWarrior experience for all players.
The networking and hardware wizards are hard at work setting up this our new public testing environment. While not necessarily a new feature per se, this new server architecture will allow us to test a range of features from small tuning adjustments to large additions such as 12 v 12 and UI 2.0. This is part of our continued commitment to product quality and stability, along with involving the community in key aspects of the game’s development. The test servers will be coming online in June, and the first major test will feature 12 v 12 functionality.
Company and Lance Improvements
Further lance improvements make their way into the game this month. These adjustments are based of internal testing and player feedback. These new adjustments include text and audio queues when new orders are issued, Company and Lance Commander icons to identify leadership, revised chat color, and revised order icons for more clarity. If you haven’t tried out your leadership skills yet, have a go! Players can take command by pushing “B” for BattleGrid and taking either a Lance Command (4 players) or a Company Command (8 players).
Balancing and Tuning
LRMs, SRMs, and Flamers will receive tuning passes in the first patch of this month. For mid-June expect to see more tweaks to the UAV consumable, and Seismic Sensors. Jump Jets will receive a weight based shake to add a more realistic feel and help to balance out some of the jump sniping meta game. Caustic Valley gets a lighting adjustment for the mid-June patch Expect to see more details about upcoming adjustments in the Command Chair section.
Host State Rewind (HSR) – Missiles
With this latest addition, all weapon systems are now affected by HSR. HSR helps high ping players achieve more reliable hits, improving the gameplay experience and making them more competitive.
Bugs and Stability
A lot of effort has gone into improving and fixing some of the more difficult technical issues, among them the HUD bug (last month). This month we are introducing fixes for some to the more frequent black screen and disconnect issues some players may experience.
Looking Forward
12 v 12 is due out for first patch in July.
Training Grounds (tutorial) will make it's way live mid-July to early August.
Third Person view will be pushed to test servers in the next 30-60 days.
Spring is here, and with it lots of cleaning. The MWO team spent the latter part of April focused on fixing bugs, balancing weapons, and enhancing existing features. The fruits of our labors will begin to show up in both May patches. During the month of May we plan to reveal more details about Community Warfare and UI 2.0, and giving you some first looks at some upcoming content. New Content:
New Modules – Seismic Sensor, UAV, Advanced UAV. Improved UAV, and UAV Upgrade (21st)
New Map - Canyon Network (21st)
Canyon Network Canyon Networks is the latest map to enter the MechWarrior Online universe. Deep ravines and long sheltered paths are ideal for speedy scouts, but beware - there could be an ambush waiting around every blind corner. The high crags in the center of the map (conquest point Theta) form a highly defensible natural fortress. Long sightlines and ample hiding spots make the canyon tops a sniper's playground - use caution if you stray up top, and be ready to dive for cover.
UAV Consumable Players can now equip and launch a new battlefield consumable – the UAV drone. This automated unmanned vehicle will launch 150m into the air, and keep station for up to 60 seconds before self-destructing. The UAV can burn through ECM, providing targets for allied team members. UAVs are vulnerable to weapon fire.
Seismic Sensor Module On May 21st, players will be able unlock and equip a new tactical module – the Seismic Sensor. This sensor is capable of detecting enemy BattleMech movement within 200 meters of your current location. Hero `Mech Colors Players can now customize up to 3 colors on their Hero `Mech colors in Camo Spec! We look forward to seeing some of your new pain schemes on the battlefield.
Bug Fixes With an extra week between patches, the MechWarrior Online team took time out of their production schedule to focus on some much needed hardening. Some long standing HUD related bugs and crashes, and black screen bugs have been addressed and will go live in both the May 7th and May 21st patches. Stay tuned for more detailed information with each release’s patch notes.
Fixes and Improvement Highlights
Fixed friends list size limitation.
Better incoming message notification.
Improved message context sensitivity.
Chat Colour coding/User identification.
Decoupled Anti-Aliasing from System Spec option.
Implemented brightness/Gama option.
Fixed an issue where users were being disconnected during game.
Fix for possible soft lock users experienced while playing a match.
Fixed a crash that some users experienced when the end of round screen timer ran out and they were kicked back to the Mech Lab.
Fix multiple control rebind issues.
Fix for 'Mechs losing the ~1km/h with speed tweak.
Fixed a black screen bug that could happen to users after the loading screen.
Welcome to April! Teamplay takes a giant leap forward with the addition of new team structure elements. After reviewing the test branch, I'm incredibly excited to get this very important feature into the game. Since my last update, PAX East and GDC have come and gone. We have announced details about upcoming features like 12 V 12, Lobby, DirectX 11, UI 2.0 and Community Warfare. Along with a launch date of Late Summer 2013! This month we see the addition of several new features, consumables, and a new line of BattleMechs called Champions!
New Content:
`Mech of the Month - Highlander (19th)
Hero `Mech of the Month - Heavy Metal (2nd)
Champion `Mech - TBA (19th)
New Patterns - Digital (2nd) and Fractal (19th)
New Cockpit Items - BattleMech Statues (2nd)
New Modules - Air Strike and Artillery Improvment
Team Structure and BattleGrid Improvements
The team has been busy adding new functionality and roles into the command hierarchy. The first phase allows players to join two lances, each with a commander. Players will now see there lancemates name, health status, and grid location on the HUD. Lance Commanders will be able to issue lance commands via the BattleGrid. Company Commanders can now also issue orders to individual lances. Artillery and Air Strike Consumables
Two new consumable items bring new tactical options to the battlefield, especially for scout players. Using line-of-sight targeting, players can elect to reign down a damaging barrage of focused artillery or linear air strikes on their enemies.
Champion BattleMechs
We’ve decided to add a new style of Hero BattleMech, one that represents the community – the Champion. Similar in nature to the Founder's BattleMechs, a Champion `Mech is based of an existing variant with a special permanent 5% XP boost and lower price point. Our first Champion BattleMech will be revealed on April 12th.
Improved Night and Thermal Vision
We have adjusted both Thermal and Night Vision modes to be better in different situations. Thermal Vision will no longer be the defacto standard, and Night Vision will have more uses than ever before. These improvements bring these modes closer to their intended original design.
Community Events
March saw more event testing, and better results, including an MC event for solo players. Expect two more main events in April as we continue to refine our scoring system! We plan to roll out team events in the coming months after we allow player to officially band together in units.
Performance
Host State Rewind (HSR) for ballistics will be going live on the 19th. Players with high pings will see a dramatic improvement in ballistic hit detection, similar to last month's HSR beam weapon fixes.
Behind the Scenes
A lot of work is going into UI 2.0, Community Warfare, and 12 V 12. Expect to see more details and feature rollouts over during the month of May, June, July. A signifcant portion of the team is dedicated to making these features happen. First up will be 12 V 12!
March is here, and with it a host of new features for MechWarrior Online. Our focus this month is improving the new user experience by adding a suite of tips, better details, testing grounds, and user friendly control options. Experienced MechWarriors will also be able to enjoy content designed specifically for them, including a brand new system of consumables, expanded statistics, and a new map!
New Content:
`Mech of the Month – JagerMech (19th)
Hero `Mech of the Month – The X-5 (5th)
New Patterns – Mountain Line (5th) and Vagabond (19th)
New Cockpit Items – Dynamic hanging items make their debut, Fuzzy Dice anyone? (5th and 19th)
Testing Grounds
This offline game mode allows player to launch into a random map and test out there currently selected BattleMechs. Each Testing Grounds match has 8 non-interactive `Mech targets for players to shoot and test damage, heat, movement and other strategies. This is just the beginning of a large set of training options for new and experienced players coming online in the next few months.
Consumables
An extension to the module system is being introduced on March 19th. Players will now be able to equip a variety of consumable module items. Upon release players will have access to Coolant Flush, Air Strikes, and Artillery Strikes. These new items will be available for C-Bill and MC purchase. Details will be forthcoming in an upcoming Command Chair post here www.mwomercs.com/forums/forum/102-command-chair/.
Tourmaline Desert
One of MechWarrior Online’s largest map yet! This hostile alien world will test the skills of the best MechWarrior pilots. Like Alpine Peaks, players will need to change their overall strategies, focusing on offense and defense, along with bringing in a balanced BattleMech build.
Expanded User Statistics
Players will now be able to see a much more robust set of player stats when visiting their personal www.mwomercs.com/profile/stats page. Detailed information about Mechs, Weapons, Maps, and Modes will give players a deeper understanding of how well they are doing. For now, these stats are only viewable by individual players. In future updates players will be able to see other player’s stats and leaderboards.
New User Controls and Joystick Improvements
Players will now have more options with regards to how they pilot their BattleMechs. Several new control systems and improvement have been added including Throttle Decay (gas pedal vs set throttle), Arm Lock to torso, Set Point Throttle (10-100% throttle values in 10% increments), Face Torso, and Joystick Analog turning. Player will also be able to customize their key bindings via the Pause Menu during matches.
MechLab UI Improvements
Further refinements to buying and selling `Mechs, readying `Mechs, and a visualization of hardpoints, weapons, and critical space directly on the `Mech itself, will make their appearance March 5th. These additions make a huge improvement to understanding the state of your BattleMech, along with helping understand the differences between variants when making a purchasing decision.
Community Events
After a hugely successful Be A Hero Challenge weekend, we’ve decided to add more events to our March schedule. Expect to see a variety of different challenges inspired by the community’s feedback! Also coming in March, Design a Trial Mech challenge. Players will be able to design a Heavy Trial Mech build based off one of the existing heavy `Mech chassis. The wining loadout, will be made available for uses as a Trial Mech throughout the month of April.
Performance
On March 5th Host State Rewind (HSR) goes live. This new system allows players with high latency pings to fire and hit more reliably using Lasers, Machine Guns, and Flamers. Often referred to as the lag shield effect, HSR will significantly improve the reliability and accuracy of weapon hit detection, making certain BattleMechs much easier to hit. We anticipate overall damage will increase, resulting in some possible upcoming weapon balancing changes if needed.
Weekly Progress Review (retired)
Spoiler
Dec. 21st - Dear Santa, My Catapult had too much Xmas ostrich, and now Stalkers are faster...plz help! Dec. 14th - Or....an UrbanMech (What? I was moderately good this year). Dec. 7th - Dear Santa, all I want for X-mas is a Warhammer with destructible terrain! Nov. 30th - Ok I will seriously make an effort to give meaning ful descriptions to these reviews this week! Nov. 23rd - More bobbles! Nov. 16th - More stuff (Yes I'll have to go through and update all these at some point). Nov. 9th - I found it!
Nov. 3rd - Searching....searching....searching...
Oct 26th - Comstar has reported technical issues with HyperPulse Terminal, updates forthcoming (or as soon as I can find it). Oct 19th - pumpkins...check...hilarious amount of candy...check...costume....@#$@#$! Oct 12th - Open Beta is close, Founder's Packages are almost done! Oct 5th - At some point I'll go back and do synopses on all these...maybe Sept. 28th - At some point I'll have to start removing the old ones, or this wall will start thinking on its own... Sept. 21st - I'm loading my Gauss rifle with empty beer cans! Sept 14th - still waiting for Kyle to put these all in their own sub-forum. Aug 31st - Sorry for the late update, the state fair had red velvet funnel cakes (I went 7 times!). Aug 24th - I should probably remove all of these past a month old. Aug 17th - Happy National thriftshop Day (seriously) Aug 10th - Back to school, back to school, so my daddy will not think I am a fool... Aug 3rd - Getting close to end of summer! (something was supposed to happen then...) July 27th - The day (well day after) FPs got into BETA (forever known as Post-FP? ADFP?) July 20th - stuff, stuff and more stuff! July 13th - whohoo! Bastille Day looks extra rioty this year! July 6th - Man I must of ate like 30 brats over the 4th... June 29th - AHA! This one was sneaky... June 22nd - So far behind... June 4th - 8th - updates abound! May 25th - Search feature, how I love thee.... May 18th - Here it is! May 11th - The beginning
Dev Chats
previous dev chats.
Spoiler
IRC Chat #4 - Online Chat w/ Senior (hmm must be old) gameplay engineer Thomas "DMZ" Dziegielewski IRC Chat #3 - Online Chat w/ Lead Technical Director Matt Craig. IRC Chat #2 - Online Chat w/ Lead Gameplay Engineer Omid Kiarostami! - link to transcript (and Paul after dark). IRC Chat #1 - Old School chat w/ Art Director Dennis deKoning.
Dev Blogs/Q&A's
Click spoiler to see all the info!
Spoiler
Dev Blogs and Q&A answers, the numbers do match up (except for the Dev Blog 0, but that's included in Q&A 1...sorta). An Average Day in BETA - the morale of this story, is kill the Jenners first! Someone Else's Average Day in BETA - Catapults ears are OP, they must be nerfed...
Dev Blog 0 - Reboot info (start here!) Dev Blog 1 - Community Warfare - (Inner Sphere, Faction Warfare, Loyalty Points/Ranks) Dev Blog 2 - Information Warfare - (BattleGrid, Modules,Targeting Tweaks, Detection/modes, Spoofing) Dev Blog 3 - Role Warfare - (4 gameplay roles, Role Aggregation) Dev Blog 4 - Role Warfare (Cont.) - (XP Actions, BattleMech Efficiencies, Pilot Skills, Module Costs, Scout Role Skills, Assault/Defense Skills, *Commander* Skills). Dev Blog 5 (part 1) - Mech Warfare (Whoa Nelly!) - Gameplay Experience, Mech Operations, Heat Management, Weapons Systems, Ammunition, Controls, Movement Hinderance, HUD, Damage Readout, Throttle, Jump Jets, Torso Twist, Mini-Map, Heat Meter, Weapons Readout, Aim Reticles, Weapon Group Readiness Indicators, Range Finder, Pitch Indicators, Compass, Damage Direction Indicator, Cockpit Monitors, Targeting. Wednesday Hot Drop - Teaser Trailer + story (same vid as Game Trailer below, but with a nice story added for context).
[REDACTED] 5 Pt. 2 - ***Transmission deleted by ComStar *** Dev Blog 6 - Mechlab - Hardpoint System, Weapons, Armor, Engines, Heat Sinks, Jump Jets, ECM Equipment, Modules. Developer Q&A 1- General overview Developer Q&A 2 - Community Warfare Developer Q&A 3 - Information Warfare Developer Answer Q&A 4 - Role Warfare Dev Interviews/Diaries
A little background on our Developers and discussion about core features of the game.
[spoiler] Dev Diary 2 - More purple lasers!
Dev Interview 1 - Alex 'Flying Debris' Iglesias (mech artist) Dev Interview 2 - Randall 'Deep Blue' Bills (Continuity Manager/Fictional Lore Manager) Dev Interview 3 - Paul 'Pink Thunder' Inouye (Lead Dev/Troll), David Bradley (game designer), Bryan 'Mad Weasel' Ekman (Creative Director) Dev Interview 4 - Omid Kiarostami, Thad Jantzi, Kevin Meek Dev Interview 5 - Evan Halim, Enrique Barahona Ramos, Thomas 'Fireball' Dziegielewski Dev Interview 6 - Dion Linaker, Colin Huang, Stephen Andrusyszyn
Podcasts of Verbiage par excellence No Guts, No Galaxy Podcast- Our resident Podcast covering all things Battletech, give it a try (now with front page billing, boy!). Beer, Women Mechs, and Devs - Our resident NGNG Podcasti talk to the devs about mechs, beer and ...you guessed it..mechs. Violent Combat Robot Show - now with 3.2% more robotic anger (I call it robanger) Really Simple Squawk (RSS) feed. Run Hot Or Die - Competitive tourney info, tips, stats, gossip, sync-drop nerd rage, everything you need to know about competitive MW:O.
Community Vids
Because we are putting out awesome (and hilarious) vids, it needs it's own section. Mack1's JM6-DD DAKKA Vid - FUEGO! HOWIZTER HOWIZTER! (make it to 3:37, it's fantastic) Remnant MW:O Vids (aka killer MW:O vids, watch, like, rinse, repeat...Youtube link)
Misc. Stuff
Stuff Announced that does not fall into any specific category... MechWarrior in the News - News Articles/Interviews about MW:O Artemis - Now we know, and knowing is half the battle (the other half is using this controller to slag everyone)! CryENGINE3 Announcement (suck it Hero Engine!) Why you want MW:O to be F2P- Yes you do and this is why International Forum - Mechwarrior en ligne est le bébé de la planète!
*Under constant construction, more to come... also whee! **spoiler tags used to shorten wall of text, click on them to see additional info** *** PM me if you have something you want listed here, since I'm out of work, updates should be pretty quick, :p ***
This is a much needed post as far as subject goes, but not only was it good as far as the subject, but also very well done. Thank you for doing this (hopefully it will cut down on some the thread spam our mods deal with). though no mention of NGNG... tsk tsk I will have to deduct points from that.
Synopsis: MW:O has a unique way of feeding information into the community, through various daily news feeds, Dev blogs, interviews and the occasional Facebook/Twitter slip (or Troll thread by Paul).
To help new players make sense of it all, I humbly submit the following post (I will update as info becomes available).
Good Luck and better Hula!
~Kae
Code of Conduct, Posting Etiquette and FAQ
(we take this stuff kinda seriously...no...really!) CoC (aka 'Pink Thunder Bane') Posting Etiquette FAQ
Dev Blogs
This is the dev blog list, this will give you a good overview of the game and will be updated when new blogs are added. Dev Q&A's correspond with the Dev Blogs.
Dev Blog 1 - Community Warfare (Inner Sphere, Faction Warfare, Loyalty Points/Ranks)
Dev Blog 2 - Information Warfare - (BattleGrid, Modules,Targeting Tweaks, Detection/modes,Spoofing)
Dev Blog 3 - Role Warfare - (4 gameplay roles,Role Aggregation)
Dev Blog 4 - Role Warfare (Cont.) - (XP Actions, BattleMech Efficiencies,Pilot Skills, Module Costs,Scout Role Skills, Assualt/Defense Skills, Commander Skills). *Skills Tree Diagram*
DEV Q&A's
Dev Q&A's answer questions to the Dev Blogs posted above, the numbers do match up (except for the Dev Blog 0, but that's included in Q&A 1...sorta).
Thanks a lot! I could have really used this back in December; rather than stumbling around the forums, trying to make heads or tales of anything. I'm going to do some reviewing.
A big thumbs-up for the great "Newbie Forum Guide!"
I just wanted to get this up before the post GDC crush, I am thinking of adding some of the more popular forum threads (Hayden's repaints, and the NGNG Podcast thread) to the bottom as well, but maybe that would work better as a seperate thread?
Still thinking about that, don't want this to get too long (to appease the TL:DR crowd).
....and as I think about it, its not just for newbies. Its a great place for the vets to go to help find info they are making a post on. Awesome stuff.
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