20 replies to this topic

[DooMachine]

I was thinking about this a bit and it occured to me that moving a mech around in the tight confines of city streets will be very difficult and somwhat frusterating with the movement controls and views like they have been hisoricaly. since you are often torso twisted in a differant direction than you are moving you really can't see where you are going and trying to strafe in between buildings while firing down the street could be very frusterating. Thats probably why we never saw much urban action in previous games. its one think to bang into a building in a tank but in a massive battlemech it would take away from the feel and fun of the game to always be whacking into buildings you can't see.

I was thinking that a differant movement control than what we are used to or a short range sort of radar/minimap view might be needed to keep us from constantly runing into stuff in tight battle spaces like in the reveal trailer. is would be easier if mechs had 360 degree torso rotation like thanks but thats not cannon for most mechs is would make manuvering a lot easier though.

That said fighting in the city is something that I am most looking forward to. I know that cryengine 3 can pull it off but the amount of work required to make it playable will be massive.

I would say my concerns are as much to do with the enviroment as movement.

[Zevious]

It would be a matter of lore and continuity. What you suggest is actually easyer to design because .. with diffrent chassis having varying scopes of torso rotation by battletech lore/design they actually have to design it so that the game reflects those limitations, be it from a sluggish/slow response to not being able to rotate as far as other chassis so it has to remain modular for the variety of mechs. Allowing all mechs to just rotate their torso's full 360 would be alittle to alot easyer on them to build. However Btech/MW playerbase majority being as passionate as they are for the IP, most likely would not favor a detail such as torso turning limitations being disregarded.

Sure taking a 70+ tonn chassis into urban warfare is going to be tricky and at times frustrating but that is the whole point of having that terrain, it can favour the the light to medium chassis variants. With much more maneuverability those lighter mechs can peck a lumbering assault mech to death. Finding out your enviroment then choosing your equipment/chassis accordingly will as it has always been in MW titles play a huge role in your success. If you know that the fight is going to be taken into a urban enviroment and you choose to rock an assault mech loaded with long-range hardware, be prepared for frustration.

Edited by Zevious, 05 March 2012 - 02:35 AM.

[nubnub]

If all mechs had 360^o torso it would remove some of the advantages of other (lighter) mechs. This is deliberate as different mechs are suited to different environments. How am I going to sneak up behind a mech if they can just spin round? What would be the point of strafing\circling around a mech if they can just rotate are face your all the time?

[DooMachine]

Circle strafing is not something that i look forward to.

I think that a hud option with a overhead minimap view like a short range radar or mini map could solve the issue well enough so that you could have a sence of situational awareness. I think it would be cool if it faded in at 200 meters on the radar. If the radar was big enough to see anyway.

[Redburn]

RE: Atlas Cockpit thread... Mini map confirmed there.

[Siilk]

We need a toggleable front-facing camera window on the HUD, just like in Steel Battalion. Simple as that.

[Mechteric]

Actually the reason why you never saw much urban action in previous Mechwarrior games is because those game engines were really only designed to make big open landscapes. When it came to urban sprawl they either didn't try, or in the case of Mechwarrior 4 they were really ugly.

[Nik Van Rhijn]

Ugly yes - but great fun. there was one city scenario in MW4 I replayed 100's of times in different mechs because I enjoyed piloting in a city so much.

[Morgana]

My favorite Maps in MW3 WERE Ice City, Fog City, and Night City. But then again, I always enjoyed the rush of CQB's (close quarter battles).

[Chuckie]

An option I hope they have is to always return to front facing.. Cant remember which version had that, but it helped a lot. Basically when your torso twisted, when you let up on the twist to the left or right it auto centers to the body.

[Hellen Wheels]

Mech movement in MWO is going to be what it is going to be....

I expect it to be close to what we've all been used to from NetMech onward.

Having said that, moving your mech (and twisting your torso, legs, etc. to move / aim / fire where you want) is going to depend largely upon your own individual play style. E.g., keyboard pilots will be "piloting" entirely differently than joystick pilots. Dual joystick pilots will be "piloting" entirely differently than dual joystick + foot pedal pilots.

That is to say (in a nutshell) every pilot is going to have to use what they have at their disposal (be it joysticks + keyboards + foot pedals + 15 button mouses + etc.) to do the best they can.

MWO is not going to be an even playing field. Everyone is not the same. You and Your Neurohelmet will be piloting your mech....and if your nuerohelmet can't keep up with mine, then too bad for you.

=H=

Edited by Hellen Wheels, 05 March 2012 - 06:35 PM.

[BerserX]

Running partially-blind in a city has always been one of the challenges. Being able to effectively do it is just something that defines a good pilot from a bad/mediocre one. If you have trouble twisting your joystick, clicking the trigger, and remembering what was beside you; then you should probably go with a light/medium 'Mech, and outfit it for specialized urban combat.

This is just my opinion, but I am perfectly satisfied with the MW4 mechanics; and would not want to see much of any control scheme change.

[BerserX]

Chuckie, on 05 March 2012 - 06:24 PM, said:

An option I hope they have is to always return to front facing.. Cant remember which version had that, but it helped a lot. Basically when your torso twisted, when you let up on the twist to the left or right it auto centers to the body.

That feature was irritating to me. I always manually returned my torso alignment to the default position, when I was finished with it; but the auto-aligning feature just made it difficult for me to maintain my enemy's head/center torso in my crosshairs, during a circling match. If they do include this feature, then I hope that it can be disabled.

[Morgana]

Had that in MW3. Was definitely very handy.

[Chuckie]

Dont mind if its turn off able.. but find not having it.. ( especially in MW:LL ) annoying..

[DooMachine]

I think as long as the mini map is usefull for short range situational awareness then it will help a lot. a front facing camera hud option that could be toggled would be handy. I think it would detract from the feel of the game if everyone was whacking into buildings while trying to pilot a 70 ton mech through a 2 lane street while torso twised sideways trying to send an AC round in between the 3rd and 4th level of a parking garage.

[BerserX]

DooMachine, on 06 March 2012 - 03:19 PM, said:

I think as long as the mini map is usefull for short range situational awareness then it will help a lot. a front facing camera hud option that could be toggled would be handy. I think it would detract from the feel of the game if everyone was whacking into buildings while trying to pilot a 70 ton mech through a 2 lane street while torso twised sideways trying to send an AC round in between the 3rd and 4th level of a parking garage.

This is actually not that hard, if you remember two things: your 'Mech's amount of torso twist, and your last orientation. If you are piloting, say a Thanatos (something that you can't simply swing the arm on, because you don't have a clear view), and you are running straight down the two-lane street (parallel to the buildings); you can twist your torso 45-degress, and pop your enemy in the gut with your AC 20, through the parking garage with no trouble.

If you find this difficult, then you should practice running a straight line, and twisting your torso. This may sound ludicrous, but if it saves you in combat; then it was time well-spent. Try taking a 'Mech with a 360-degree torso twist (like a Thanatos or Thor), and followng the middle of a highway. Then, try twisting your torso about 45-degrees, with your 'Mech angled down, and watch the distance between your reticule and and the ground: when the distance is steady, you're parallel. Continue adjusting your torso in the same manner, until you are comfortable with it. Then, try using it against enemies.

This should be second nature to brawlers, as they do not have the time to be checking their sides, while shooting at opponents. Get used to one 'Mech, and get used to in-fighting: it could be the difference between your hide, and your enemy's.

[Ragotag]

Chuckie, on 05 March 2012 - 06:24 PM, said:

An option I hope they have is to always return to front facing.. Cant remember which version had that, but it helped a lot. Basically when your torso twisted, when you let up on the twist to the left or right it auto centers to the body.

The latest Dev blog did indicate that their is a torso centering command. It's manual, which is fine IMO, especially since I'm not a fan of the *auto* centering at all. If there is auto-centering (Dev's don't do it!), I really really hope it can be turned off.

DooMachine, on 05 March 2012 - 01:39 AM, said:

...since you are often torso twisted in a differant direction than you are moving you really can't see where you are going and trying to strafe in between buildings while firing down the street could be very frusterating.

Each to their own I guess... I wouldn't call it "frustrating", I would call it a "learning curve". You just have to learn how to pilot/fight a mech in an urban environment.

DooMachine, on 06 March 2012 - 03:19 PM, said:

...a front facing camera hud option that could be toggled would be handy.

I'm against such a feature since the Mark II Eyeball + Free Look should accomplish much of this anyway... if utilized. (But that's just me.)

[M4NTiC0R3X]

Torso twist is a factor in manuverability for different 'mechs & 360 radius only complicates things even more. Also, knowing your surroundings = remedy to frustration of visibility. Yes, all these factors may require good attention & plenty of skill however, IMO: that adds to the game.

" it would take away from the feel and fun of the game to always be whacking into buildings you can't see. "

Edit: As a side note, it would be hilarious to get a good shot on the guy who keeps getting stuck on buildings
should be able to run straight through buildings at the expense of armor - like Godzilla status.

Edited by M4NTiC0R3X, 09 March 2012 - 04:20 PM.

[Ragotag]

Didn't the Dev's also mention that they were exploring a destructible environment? How cool would it be to just level a building in order to get a clear shot at a faster, more maneuverable light mech?