77 replies to this topic

[AIecto]

Hello,

I'm new to Mech Warrior games, I love mechs but I just so happened to skip all of the previous MW titles, my bad...

Anyway, so I've read that we'll be fighting battles on various planets and that mechs will be assigned to missions in some cases via drop ships.

• What I'm wondering is; will all of the planets be barren of native life forms?
  
• Will all of the battles be mech vs. mech?
  
• Have previous MW titles ever had Mech Warriors vs. Biological Lifeforms?
  
• Have the developers considered adding life to planets, which can be optional combatants?
  
• Are you the community interested in seeing this type of combatant added to MWO?

What I'm imagining in my head are basically alien dinosaurs, armoured and lethal... but also the addition of less formidable lifeforms for the sake of immersion, whether they be birds, fish, bears (you name it) or even intelligent humanoid beings, some of who perhaps are able to set traps for mechs or fight with various weapons.

Also some environments in reality would generally be unstable or simply dangerous. I would like to see the environments in the game (at least at some point, no rush) have tactical advantages and disadvantages. Imagine forcing a mech to the edge of a cliff and then seeing that cliff facing under the weight of the mech give way and the mech fall down.

I would like to see nature come alive and be an aspect of the game that the player should be aware of, high winds, volcanic activity, seismic activity and perhaps even acid rain.


From what I've seen from the game-play footage so far, the environments appear to be quite barren and void of life. So please feel free to discuss and forgive me for being new to the MW series.

Thanks for reading!

[Bluey]

Community Moderator please

[Orzorn]

I'll try to explain to the best of my ability:
The Battletech universe DOES have alien creatures like the Nova Cat and other such creatures, but they're pretty mundane. There has never been a recorded instance of intelligent creatures, either. There are some interesting creatures, such as one (can not remember the name) that appears almost exactly like a dragon, however, they can not live on any other planet due to their very specific living requirements.

Part of the draw for some people is that, in Battletech, there are no big bad evil aliens. All the horrors, all the atrocities and war, all of it is caused by humans and to humans.

That being said, and addressing the last half of your post, yes I would not mind seeing human infantry get in on teh action and be something we have to deal with occasionally (would really give flamers and machine guns a better use, also). In addition, the developers have already stated that certain environments do have advantages and disadvantages to them. Fighting on a cold planet makes thermal imaging work much better, and mechs run more optimally, while fighting in a desert makes your heat naturally higher and thermal imaging is much harder to use effectively.

Edited by Orzorn, 14 March 2012 - 02:19 PM.

[CeeKay Boques]

Yeah, Far Country. Cool Book.

I've played so many games where I shoot things that aren't mechs, that honestly i'd just like to shoot mechs for awhile. Maybe later ok?

[AIecto]

Orzorn, on 14 March 2012 - 02:15 PM, said:

I'll try to explain to the best of my ability:
The Battletech universe DOES have alien creatures like the Nova Cat and other such creatures, but they're pretty mundane. There has never been a recorded instance of intelligent creatures, either. There are some interesting creatures, such as one (can not remember the name) that appears almost exactly like a dragon, however, they can not live on any other planet due to their very specific living requirements.

Part of the draw for some people is that, in Battletech, there are no big bad evil aliens. All the horrors, all the atrocities and war, all of it is caused by humans and to humans.

That being said, and addressing the last half of your post, yes I would not mind seeing human infantry get in on teh action and be something we have to deal with occasionally (would really give flamers and machine guns a better use, also). In addition, the developers have already stated that certain environments do have advantages and disadvantages to them. Fighting on a cold planet makes thermal imaging work much better, and mechs run more optimally, while fighting in a desert makes your heat naturally higher and thermal imaging is much harder to use effectively.

Thanks for the info Orzorn, good to hear that the devs will be making it so that the environments do effect game-play, that's a good start and obviously means that depending on where you are... You are forced to think about the environmental conditions and adapt your tactics to compensate.

Diversity of game-play is the main reason I brought this topic up, as mech vs. mech sounds very repetitive and I figure some of the things I brought up in the OP would help (late on perhaps post launch) to add new and interesting game-play mechanics to basically mix things up a little bit. I made it clear that I know very little of the MW lore so I don't want to mess with that, just getting the idea out there for folks to discuss.

[CeeKay Boques]

AIecto, on 14 March 2012 - 02:26 PM, said:

Diversity of game-play is the main reason I brought this topic up, as mech vs. mech sounds very repetitive ...

I know... you'd think that... and yet...

Sweeps his arm Gestures at the entire board


25 years of ... not being repetitive.

[Kanil]

If 'mech on 'mech action is a bit boring for you, then you probably wouldn't like a game named "MechWarrior", no?

Perhaps some existing elements can be added into the game at a later date to spice up gameplay (tanks, aerospace, VTOLs... the Clanners will surely bring Elementals) but I don't really have any interest in fighting alien dinosaurs.

[FinnMcKool]

Dinosaurs

yes .

[Jack Gammel]

Kanil, on 14 March 2012 - 02:29 PM, said:

Perhaps some existing elements can be added into the game at a later date to spice up gameplay (tanks, aerospace, VTOLs... the Clanners will surely bring Elementals)

It would be pretty great if they could eventually integrate aerospace fighters...maybe even tanks. Elementals are really cool, but it takes a few of them to take out even a single mech. Maybe if they made it an option for a single MechWarrior pilot to fight a 1vs10 match against two full points of elementals? I just think it would end up being really hard for the guys playing elementals to get together regular groups big enough to fight matches at higher numbers (and the servers would cry).

Edited by Jack Gammel, 14 March 2012 - 02:38 PM.

[ENDMYSUFFERING]

AIecto, on 14 March 2012 - 02:09 PM, said:

Hello,

I'm new to Mech Warrior games, I love mechs but I just so happened to skip all of the previous MW titles, my bad...

Anyway, so I've read that we'll be fighting battles on various planets and that mechs will be assigned to missions in some cases via drop ships.

• What I'm wondering is; will all of the planets be barren of native life forms?
  
• Will all of the battles be mech vs. mech?
  
• Have previous MW titles ever had Mech Warriors vs. Biological Lifeforms?
  
• Have the developers considered adding life to planets, which can be optional combatants?
  
• Are you the community interested in seeing this type of combatant added to MWO?

What I'm imagining in my head are basically alien dinosaurs, armoured and lethal... but also the addition of less formidable lifeforms for the sake of immersion, whether they be birds, fish, bears (you name it) or even intelligent humanoid beings, some of who perhaps are able to set traps for mechs or fight with various weapons.


Also some environments in reality would generally be unstable or simply dangerous. I would like to see the environments in the game (at least at some point, no rush) have tactical advantages and disadvantages. Imagine forcing a mech to the edge of a cliff and then seeing that cliff facing under the weight of the mech give way and the mech fall down.

I would like to see nature come alive and be an aspect of the game that the player should be aware of, high winds, volcanic activity, seismic activity and perhaps even acid rain.


From what I've seen from the game-play footage so far, the environments appear to be quite barren and void of life. So please feel free to discuss and forgive me for being new to the MW series.

Thanks for reading!

I'll answer this per question:

"What I'm wondering is; will all of the planets be barren of native life forms?"
No, there will probably be things such as birds in the sky and the like. And, not sure if they could be considered native... but.. humans?

"Will all of the battles be mech vs. mech?"
Probably, although the devs have hinted that there might be other vehicles later on.

"Have previous MW titles ever had Mech Warriors vs. Biological Lifeforms?"
I'll just point this out: The mechwarriors are humans inside the 'mechs, which are like walking tanks. So all of the games have had it in a way.

"Have the developers considered adding life to planets, which can be optional combatants?"
Well, there probably isn't anything that could even stand anywhere near a chance against a 'mech in the BT Universe, so, no.

"Are you the community interested in seeing this type of combatant added to MWO?"
No.

"I would like to see nature come alive and be an aspect of the game that the player should be aware of, high winds, volcanic activity, seismic activity and perhaps even acid rain."
It's been like this before, so yeah, it's pretty much gonna be there.

"From what I've seen from the game-play footage so far, the environments appear to be quite barren and void of life. So please feel free to discuss and forgive me for being new to the MW series."
let's see, there are trees, there'll probably be birds in the sky, maybe humans in cities running from the battles, and such.

"Also some environments in reality would generally be unstable or simply dangerous. I would like to see the environments in the game (at least at some point, no rush) have tactical advantages and disadvantages. Imagine forcing a mech to the edge of a cliff and then seeing that cliff facing under the weight of the mech give way and the mech fall down."
Already 99% guaranteed to be in. Maybe not the cliff falling, but maybe the mech being hit, knocked down, and falling off the cliff.

"What I'm imagining in my head are basically alien dinosaurs, armoured and lethal... but also the addition of less formidable lifeforms for the sake of immersion, whether they be birds, fish, bears (you name it) or even intelligent humanoid beings, some of who perhaps are able to set traps for mechs or fight with various weapons."
There are no dinosaurs in mechwarrior. There are probably not any other humanoid races in mechwarrior(That I know of). And, how the heck would you trap a 'mech that is 100 tons, 50 feet tall, and with feet the size of an APC? And the birds, fish, and bears would just make the game lag and they would be a waste of ammo to shoot at.

There you have it.

[Tannhauser Gate]

All I saw was..

AIecto, on 14 March 2012 - 02:09 PM, said:

Hello,

...alien dinosaurs, armoured and lethal..

Thanks for reading!

love it!

<snort>

[AIecto]

Don't get me wrong folks I really do think I'm going to enjoy the Mech vs. Mech battles; I just looked at the title from basically an outside perspective (as I've not previously played an MW title, played Armoured Core though, similar no?)...

What I realised is that the game has a minor flaw, and I know that when a game is free to play the developers need to do everything they can to acquire and then keep as many players as they possibly can so that they can continue to add to the game, make it better.

So if you're a player who is perfectly happy fighting mech after mech and that will never get old for you, well that's perfectly fine.

Note that in the OP I asked a question...

Quote

Have the developers considered adding life to planets, which can be optional combatants?

Key word in that question being "optional" meaning that fighting these types of critters wouldn't be forced upon you, so you can avoid this type of game-play if you wish. Where as this type of game-play might attract more customers to MWO meaning that the devs get more income allowing them to add more of what you want.

It's really nothing more than a suggestion; not asking or demanding that it be implemented into the game by launch, nope just making a thread for everyone to discuss.

Edited by AIecto, 14 March 2012 - 02:43 PM.

[CeeKay Boques]

Raven two, I've got level 83 Red Elite Dragosaur over here.

Copy that, he conning Red to you?

Roger, looks like he's got the lightning buff.

Engage Phermone Harpoons, we'll see how the ladies like'em.

Firing!

[Kanil]

Well, it's never going to happen, because the time spent making those optional combatants is time not spent making new BattleMechs. And a larger portion of the playerbase will appreciate the addition of generic Inner Sphere 'mech #186 than they would the addition of the Armored Dinosaur Battle Arena on Solaris VII.

[Orzorn]

AIecto, on 14 March 2012 - 02:42 PM, said:

Don't get me wrong folks I really do think I'm going to enjoy the Mech vs. Mech battles; I just looked at the title from basically an outside perspective (as I've not previously played an MW title, played Armoured Core though, similar no?)...

What I realised is that the game has a minor flaw, and I know that when a game is free to play the developers need to do everything they can to acquire and then keep as many players as they possibly can so that they can continue to add to the game, make it better.

So if you're a player who is perfectly happy fighting mech after mech and that will never get old for you, well that's perfectly fine.

I see where you're coming from. You think that battling only mech vs mech will get stale after a while.

Well, I have a question to ask you. Have you ever played a Mechwarrior game before?

In that note, and because you may not have ever played one before, much of the fun to Mechwarrior fans comes in the near endless customization of the various mech chassis that appear. There are hundreds of chassis with dozens of weapons and equipment, so combined it creates millions and millions (and, due to minute changes you could do, like moving single tons of armor around and whatnot, billions, if not trillions). This customization leaves people with tons of things to change and optimize. Much of the fun isn't even piloting the mechs, but in "perfecting" (I put quotes around it because no mech is ever perfect) the design. I have just as much fun sitting in the mechlab as I do in the game itself!

So, while mech vs mech might seem stale, it can be extremely varied throughout each game (providing the game is properly balanced, or else you end up with jump sniping assault mech alpha strikers every game like Mechwarrior 4). Each variant produces a unique challenge.

Quote

Key word in that question being "optional" meaning that fighting these types of critters wouldn't be forced upon you, so you can avoid this type of game-play if you wish. Where as this type of game-play might attract more customers to MWO meaning that the devs get more income allowing them to add more of what you want.

It's really nothing more than a suggestion; not asking or demanding that it be implemented into the game by launch, nope just making a thread for everyone to discuss.

As I said, I would enjoy seeing infantry, and maybe aerospace or tanks. None of them, however, would be human controlled. When the Clans come, I hope to see Elementals as well.

[stabwest]

I do believe that all of those animals that the clans are named for were indeed brought from Terra and either mutated/adapted naturally, or genetically engineered by humans. As far as fighting large biologicals, it would be like haveing a knight in full plate armor fight against a large dog, except we also give the knight a machine gun with a grenade launcher in one hand and a shotgun in the other.

[AIecto]

Orzorn, on 14 March 2012 - 02:53 PM, said:

I see where you're coming from. You think that battling only mech vs mech will get stale after a while.

Well, I have a question to ask you. Have you ever played a Mechwarrior game before?

In that note, and because you may not have ever played one before, much of the fun to Mechwarrior fans comes in the near endless customization of the various mech chassis that appear. There are hundreds of chassis with dozens of weapons and equipment, so combined it creates millions and millions (and, due to minute changes you could do, like moving single tons of armor around and whatnot, billions, if not trillions). This customization leaves people with tons of things to change and optimize. Much of the fun isn't even piloting the mechs, but in "perfecting" (I put quotes around it because no mech is ever perfect) the design. I have just as much fun sitting in the mechlab as I do in the game itself!

So, while mech vs mech might seem stale, it can be extremely varied throughout each game (providing the game is properly balanced, or else you end up with jump sniping assault mech alpha strikers every game like Mechwarrior 4). Each variant produces a unique challenge.



As I said, I would enjoy seeing infantry, and maybe aerospace or tanks. None of them, however, would be human controlled. When the Clans come, I hope to see Elementals as well.

Nope never played a Mech Warrior game previously (unfortunately), but I am a fan of Armoured Core and Megas XLR if counts for anything. lol

I see where you're coming from and I have found myself in game past, spending hours simply customizing something and do enjoy that, but let me throw one more question out there... hehe


Ever considered what a battle between your mech and a couple dozen massive flying alien Dragons would be like? As they flank you from the air and blast great balls of fire at your mech?

Perhaps these alien Dragons use whatever your mech is made out of for sustenance... food...

Food for thought...

So do you think the community would be epically annoyed if at some point down the road the devs said something like "Hey folks we're going to try something a little different... We're adding a planet to the game that has native wildlife and said wildlife is capable of ripping your mech apart piece by piece if you're not careful... Thing is we've got a great number of missions set up and waiting for you to engage down on this planet, with some rare items to be found. A team of mechs from House Kurita have already been stationed there, oh that's right I forgot to mention the archaeological research site. The mechs from House Kurita have located the ruins of an ancient alien civilisation, but more importantly ancient alien mechs!"

[FinnMcKool]

I dont care if they are combatants just have them around , maybe guarding a nest ???

but of course feel free to wait on these in order to speed up getting to release.

[FACEman Peck]

Oh yes, this is like Starship Troopers, with all the huge bugs we shoot at to save the humans.

No, not really.

[Garth Erlam]

FinnMcKool, on 14 March 2012 - 02:31 PM, said:

Dinosaurs

yes .

Damn, you figured out the next assault 'Mech reveal.

(I really hope I don't have to say I'm joking)