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MWO Chat Channels
Public and private chat channels can now be accessed via the Mechlab. You can now talk to other players about news, strategy, tactics, factions, tips, or just build friendships with other players. This will bring the community together in one venue and will dramatically increase the longevity of the game. One could argue this is the most important feature.
Mechlab
After the match, the player should see the damaged state of their mech in the Mechlab before repairs are made. This adds realism to the game. The Mechlab should also be equipped with a powerful computer that functions as an extensive database of mechs, weaponry, and equipment (shows all the technical details). You can also learn about the lore of the Inner Sphere by clicking on the computer terminal. As a nice touch, have the player's faction flag hang on the wall of their Mechlab. Furthermore, add an option to configure weapon groups in the Mechlab and add tooltips to all weapons and equipment (show range, damage, weight, heat). Two buttons should be added to the Mechlab, "Strip Mech" and "Inspect Mech." The strip mech button will remove all weapons and equipment, while the inspect mech button will allow the player to see their mech rotate in 3D. Finally, add an option to rename our mech and add the option to make the Mechlab full-screen.
Mech Destruction
Developers should add more visual effects as to how the mech is destroyed, such as: jet fire with smoke, sparks flying, massive explosion with flying debris, etc. Also remove 3rd person camera when mech falls down, removes immersion. It would also be cool to see the pilot eject (animation) when the mech is destroyed.
Environmental Destruction
The developers can take the concept of environmental destruction to a new level by adding complete and total destruction to any and all buildings, bridges, vehicles and trees on the map. Having a small forest fire created from energy weapons or trees getting crushed from a walking mech would be epic! The game loses immersion rapidly when you don't see realism on the battlefield. The development team should spend extra time and resources to get this done.
Cockpit
Imagine snowflakes accumulating or raindrops rolling down the windshield. This may seem like small details, but details like this add tremendous immersion. With bad weather affecting the windshield, the developers could also add windshield wipers to the game. Now let’s talk about cockpit damage. Cracks to the windshield and/or sparks in the cockpit would be a quick visual indicator you just received damage to the head.
Altimeter
Adding an altimeter to the HUD would help players determine how close they are to ground level. This would significantly reduce the guesswork from when it is safe to land your jump-jetting mech without taking leg damage. The altimeter would be located on the left side of the yellow main targeting box, and would have a similar design as the compass. The altimeter would also display the vertical speed of the mech flying through the air. This could be toggled on or off in the options menu.
Friendly Fire Penalty
To prevent people from intentionally firing upon their allies, add a friendly fire penalty. This penalty will be based on the total damage done to allies during the match, and if it goes over a certain threshold, will be significant. Of course, the penalty will be negligible if you hit your ally with a laser once or twice during the match.
Dirt, Grit, & Grease
The developers should add dirt, grit, and grease to the mechs, which would add another level of authenticity and realism to the game. These are machines of war and not perfectly clean toys.
Heat Shimmers & Steam Generation
The developers should add heat shimmers to the game. Basically, players will see the heat radiating off a mech as a shimmering effect. The visual effect will be very pronounced from an overheating mech. Another visual effect the developers should add to the game is steam generation. Basically, when a mech enters water, steam will be generated. The amount of steam will be proportional to the heat level of the mech.
Collision Alarm & Missile Lock Alarm
The collision alarm would be a flashing red light that indicates your mech is in danger of colliding with another mech (friend or foe). The missile lock alarm would be an audible alarm that indicates an enemy mech has missile lock on your mech.
Out of Bounds
The boundary line on the mini-map needs to be clear and should be red (colorblind mode also offered). Furthermore, the timer needs to be increased to 15 seconds (currently 9 seconds).
Jettison Ammunition
Allows the player to jettison ammunition to prevent ammo explosions.
HTAL Damage Report
As an option, allow the HTAL (Head, Torso, Arms, Legs) Damage Report to replace the Mech Outline on the HUD.
Weapon Balance
Ballistics: The ammo/ton and projectile velocity is increased slightly for all ballistic weapons (except Gauss Rifle).
AMS: The player can turn this system on or off.
Machine Gun: The damage is increased slightly and can also generate alot of critical hits to unarmored parts.
Gauss Rifle: The rate of fire is slightly reduced (longer cooldown).
Flamethrower: Generates more heat on target. Additionally, it has a small chance to generate internal ammo explosions on enemy mechs (C.A.S.E. will prevent this).
PPC (ER): When an enemy mech is hit with this weapon, it will disrupt electronics temporary. For example, the mini-map and HUD will flicker (target reticle & damage readouts) and also disables night, thermal, and magneto modes for a short duration. Basically, the PPC and ERPPC have an additional function on the battlefield, information warfare.
Water Speed Penalty
The developers need to add a speed penalty for moving your mech through water.
Static Shadows
The developers need to fix the "static shadow problem" on certain maps (e.g. Hunchback on River City).
Footstep & Falling Sounds
To put it simply, the footsteps of these massive mechs need to sound more robust. An assault mech needs to sound more fearsome on the battlefield than a medium mech, period. Furthermore, falling mechs should make a significant noise.
Match Summary Screen
The match summary screen will display the mech chassis and variant of each player.
Soundtrack for Mechwarrior Online
Finally, the game isn't complete until you can drive heavy metal while listening to heavy metal!
Edited by Maverick01, 04 October 2012 - 08:18 PM.
