45 replies to this topic

[Tannhauser Gate]

I disagree.

The devs want to keep the game exciting and use the major events of the BT timeline. Realistically they cant spend years between the major events. So it would be necessary to shift the time line occasionally... perhaps in chapters. They could jump ahead to the next chapter so the players can play through iconic events of BT that occur after 3049.

The devs have already said that the timeline will be a major thread in the game. If this game is going to last 10 years they are going to have to cover decades in game time somehow. I dont see any problem with this and it would make total sense.

[TheRulesLawyer]

Zarkan, on 13 March 2012 - 08:30 PM, said:

eh... there are probably 20 clan fans for every one IS fan.

I wouldn't call them fans of the Clans so much as fans of the most OP equipment available. In the current crowd you'd be wrong, but in the general pop, yah. I expect to see many many players gravitate to the most powerful tech available in game. 20:1 I don't know, but it'll be bad.

[Dlardrageth]

FireNova, on 14 March 2012 - 09:10 AM, said:

Because nothing says "discouraging faction selection" and "limiting options" more than indirectly telling players: "We are gonna skip to Bulldog/Serpent and remove entirely the CSJ faction with no hope of survivors to play as in the Periphery or elsewhere so better choose another faction quick despite all the time and effort you put into leveling your character/capturing planets for the Jaguars for the past two or more years throughout the entirety of the Clan Invasion."

Currently we don't even know if it will ever be possible to play for/as Clan Smoke Jaguar at all. I'd give it currently more than even chances the whole SJ clan gets NPC'd by PGI. Easy way to save them a lot of issues. And even if not, did I miss the part where people were forced at gunpoint to choose the affiliation with Clan SmokeJaguar? They have the chance to inform themselves in advance and thus realize they'd end up in another faction ultimately when the timeline reaches that point. But like mentioned before, I'm not sure Clan Smoke Jaguar will be a playable faction at all.

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Not being rude in any way here, just saying why following BT canon lore/timelines exactly to a T in a video game like MWO is not good. And yeah there will be "timewarps". No way this game can go by 1:1 timeline for 10+ years and still remain a strong game in a fast paced and ever rapidly changing gaming industry.

I don't think so. There is quite a few games still out there who have maintained their position in the market despite avoiding radical "leaps". I don't see any compelling reason for a difference there concerning MWO. And it is somewhat dishonest to lobby for multiple-year "time warps" and broad-scale rewriting of the BT background and then argue, anything else is "following BT canon lore/timelines exactly to a T". That's kind of an absurd exaggeration actually.

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Again, another example of counter-productivity when it comes to the lore/gameplay balance. A competitive game MUST be balanced with little to no "lore regulations" if we are to ever see real competitive gameplay come to this game.

Nice theory there. Although the part where and how much "competitive gameplay" will "come to this game" and how big a role it will play from an economic point of view for PGI might be a different matter. Because at the end of the day they will have to make enough money to keep the servers/game running. And for that they need to cater primarily to a wide base of players/customers, not exclusively some few diehards who'd love to turn it into their private little "National Mech League". IMHO.

Edited by Dlardrageth, 15 March 2012 - 11:46 AM.

[Gigaton]

I agree that there is not real need to do timeskip. I find the canon from '60s onwards gets on the side of meh anyway.

If anything, I would have liked them to give extra year or two for good old fashioned succession wars.

[LordDeathStrike]

the game is running 1:1, no mentions by devs of time skips.

this means the game will run 1:1, plenty of territory to fight over, plenty of mechs and maps to add.

3055 will be 2018 if the game is still running, which it may well be if they keep the engine up to date and us mech fans clammoring for more.

point being theres no rush, they have the ip so they can keep us buisy as they see fit without breaking the 1:1 time pace. mercs get hired to fight to entertain house lords for ***** and giggles. house armies border skirmish just to maintain postures, the IS is rife with political warring just to maintain the status quo between succession wars.

[CCC Dober]

OP: Either it will be abandoned, sped up incrementally or includes limited acceleration, even jumps as has been mentioned already. Another more interesting problem will be to solve the inherent balance problem that comes with the introduction of Clan Mechs. That will be the make or break of the game IMO. Worst case: they will be OP to such an extent that it drives the original customers crazy so they either protest or drop out of the game. Best case: they are already part of the plan and well balanced before they are introduced. The devs have one year to get that right (this is where the real time progression helps out immensely) and I think this will be barely enough. Given the lack of information regarding Clans in general is disturbing to say the least. Personally speaking I don't wanna roflstomp the opposition in a Clan Mech, it must be a challenge, not auto-win. Also the premise that 'This is not your father's MechWarrior' helps to keep things in perspective. At least I hope so.