111 replies to this topic

[Togg Bott]

Technoviking, on 22 March 2012 - 10:14 PM, said:

Dear Lone Wolfs of the yet unreleased MWO,

You are here, and have been here about 3 months before the game. You've probably played MechWarrior before and "felt" that awesome combat feeling in mulitplayer with other enthusiasts like yourself. That's part of the fun! The other part is how you really really like the MW/BT universe, so you're on the same wave length as the rest of us. Maybe you have a rebel streak, or a quirk or two, or just a peaceful feeling that makes you not want to commit to a group or cause.

That's cool. Cuz, you know, its just us.

But what about at release, when 100,000 other lone wolves, of various ages stomp on to the scene? Are you sure you're going to want to be one of the faceless masses?

Course I guess if there's 300,000 Dracs it won't be much different, except that your stats are tracked, your identity logged. Maybe Lonewolf tracking will also be good, and you can be on top of some ladder.

Maybe you're against all the tracking and logging.

I dunno. But you're probably one of a few, who really love the game a lot, and if the majority of your brethren are just enjoying 'splodies, maybe illiterate, who knows... I guess as you "level" up in the Matchmaker you will meet more of your caliber? What is lone wolf? a Role? Naw that's a mech. Merc, House... faction? A faction fractured to infinity?

Colors, it is just a matter of time.

i like that.. good, and well thought out, presented well and with a good tempo.


however, it misses those of us that WANT to commit, yet refuse because we dont want to leave someone hanging

Lone Wolves... we are your Make or Break solution in drops. love us or hate us. but Bad mouth us at your own peril

[Dihm]

NARCoMAN, on 22 March 2012 - 10:24 PM, said:

I'm still not sure why this was moved to Off Topic, since it covered some benefits of playing as a lone wolf, which is part of the yet to be released game were all discussing; but if the moderator, whom I'm sure was acting in only the most professional and unbiased manner, and not because they had a personal disagreement with something like statement #4, felt that it needed to be moved, then who am I to argue?

I'm not sure that many of the long term players will be lone wolves, as many will gain more benefit from joining a house or merc unit. But for me, the playstyle fits.

Still waiting for you to address the fact that a lot of the "benefits" you list out will also be exactly the same for faction players.

[The Bounty Hunter]

Togg Bott, on 23 March 2012 - 02:06 AM, said:

im all for creating a persona even going as far as inserting that persona into the game... but to try and takeover a SPECIFIC character incorperated in the game... thats low... and slightly desperate for attention.... perhaps meds would allow you to be your ownself.


yes... the Bounty Hunter with his Green Marauder covered in $ signs... was a part of BT lore... Natasha K fought him... she lost... he let her go

Yes, and thats why the Bounty Hunter now drives her pretty green Marauder and she drives his old Whammo :-)

[The Bounty Hunter]

Back on Subject.....

In the End, the Bounty Hunter wants to have fun and hunt his prey. Once we go live and its been finalized that there is no real place for a Lone Wolf in the larger universe (i.e. The Bounty Hunter cant drop on real missions and take independent contracts, or sub contract solo, as it seems we are pointed. He does not care for holding terriroty) then The Bounty Hunter will have to find some like minded Lone Wolves and create a loose confederation in the form of a Merc unit. Perhaps He can work on temp basis for other units on an as needed basis. He cares not for Loyalty Points. He need only be concerned about being loyal to his comrades at the moment, which He will be resolutely.

The Bounty Hunter knows why He wants to be a Lone Wolf. Its just a matter of seeing if it can or will be supported by the game.

[CeeKay Boques]

You're missing my point. I'm not saying that there's something bad about being a Lone Wolf.

I'm saying that Lone Wolf's will have a bad rep. As a whole. If you are 46 year old retired marine with a purple heart who loves mechs, but you're in a crowd of 9 to 14 year olds, you may stand out, but it doesn't matter because we just had fifteen 10 year old Lone Wolves before you, and they already sewed your repuatation for you, because you stand with them. And you will be a associated with the unwashed masses of people who are too casual to join the game. You will have no name. Your retort can be "I don't want need/want a name." And that's fine, but it sounds like you LWs want to stand on the merits of your works, but it won't matter if you come stomping in golden shoes, if 200 of your "type" spread feces all over the road and by the time you're here, you're covered in it.

Maybe I'm wrong, and months after the game been going on, and conversations like:


MW1: "Who is the opponent?"
MW2: "Looks like 6th Crucis Lancers!"
MW1: "Ugh, NecroMecro and his crew, he's tough!"
MW2: "Second on the ladder, oh well, we got this!"

And

MW1: "Who's the opponent?"
MW2: "Looks like PUG group, bunch of no names and Lone Wolves"
MW1: "Sweet."


Won't happen. Maybe "the unwashed masses" will actually turn out to be great group of fun, smart, tactical players, and anonymous gamers have turned that corner and are now of the highest caliber. I'm just saying even if you say "Im a lone wolf, I'm alone! I stand ALONE!" and there are 100k guys also "Standing Alone" with you, you are now part of group, whether you like it or not, and there WILL be a stereotype, because that's what humans do.

[Togg Bott]

ok Techno ... convince me... remember i'm 44

[Togg Bott]

and remember, i actually know the lore here

oh.. BTW Bounty hunter... your a poser... point. blank.simple.

defend?... thought naught

yes, that was a real word

[Vexgrave Lars]

We wish you well NARCoMAN in your decision, and towards your endeavors.
o7

See you under the reticle.

[The Bounty Hunter]

Togg Bott, on 23 March 2012 - 08:48 AM, said:

and remember, i actually know the lore here

oh.. BTW Bounty hunter... your a poser... point. blank.simple.

defend?... thought naught

yes, that was a real word

The Bounty Hunter's feeling are hurt........

[guardian wolf]

Man, a bit rough, as for the first comment, meh, we will see. These Lone Wolves could be better, or worse, I will only judge when I see combat reports in front of me, about performance, any (if applicable) issues with command, and what the pilot likes to bring.

[Grumps McGurt]

Being almost a complete newb to the Battletech universe(Only played MW4:Mercs, which is a terrible starting point according to some friends), and that the game hasn't been released and we still have no actual gameplay footage and precious little details beyond descriptions of the overarching gameplay systems (still more than many other developers would ever release). I think more than a few Lone Wolves are simply waiting to see what they're jumping into before committing to a faction of unit, others may simply just be casual players after all, no one has the right to say how much you should put into a game for your own enjoyment. Or they could be dedicated LW's, just in it for the game.

Hopefully Lone Wolves will be able to operate on a "Friends" basis with other players, so if a faction player has a LW on their friendslist that friend can be invited to the drop if an extra gun is required. This can negate somewhat the complete randomness of LW fill-ins as the player invited is at least a somewhat known quantity, these trusted operators may not be a huge part of faction warfare but they might help bridge the gap between the two playstyles. This is just one simple idea, someone probably has a better one somewhere.

[Jatan Galamoury]

Stat trackers are key here. If a LW is worth the mech he pilots, he will presumably 20% more wins then losses. The is just outside two standard deviations of data and is a statistically accurate number to say the pilot is decent. I count out no pilot, and if the pilot is tactically aware, and can fill his role with or without being told what to do he is worth the mech he pilots.

In the end we are all mercs. If my house does not pay me, i will not support it for very long. I do understand though that there is something greater then myself. To LWs that could be reputation, for the pilot or the mech. Maybe they seek to honor their family, or their home world. In a universe of constant change loyalty to a planet stands firmer then the loyalty to the house that holds it at that particular time.

We who serve houses have looked down on LWs in the past because for every good LW there are 3 or 4 bad ones. But the flames of war temper our mettle far harder then any petty squabbling can...

[Adridos]

Grumps McGurt, on 23 March 2012 - 09:16 PM, said:

...and we still have no actual gameplay footage...

I hope you meant things like menus, etc.

[COOL HANDS]

I think teamwork is key to winning but somtimes you can over plan over think a stratagey and still end up losing a match. Hell i might be a lone wolf for a little while until i can find a team or clan im comfortable with.Being a lone wolf dosent necssarily mean that your usless.It just means you got more goning on in your day to day life than whats going on within the game. In my opinion theres nothing wrong with that. Having cordination and planning is good when it works but also having good instincts and going with your gut can be a valuble asset too. Good topic by the way.

[Name140704]

Dihm, on 23 March 2012 - 04:24 AM, said:

Still waiting for you to address the fact that a lot of the "benefits" you list out will also be exactly the same for faction players.

Oh awesome, this is still going.

Yes, there are some crossover pros, and cons, to playing lone wolf. The idea of the thread was that you don't need to be a faction player to enjoy this game, and for those of us with little time, there will be positives to not being in a faction. Mostly in the area of being more independent with choices made on and off the battlefield, and no problems associated with downtime from units or "guilds". No meeting times, no 'mech assignment business, no worries.

Now the problem I see cropping up is that this will also mean a little more tactical awareness will be required of a good LW in order for the battle to flow well. Comes with the territory. No TS channel and a lack of familiarisation with lancemates. LW won't be good for everyone. Just like joining a faction won't be good for everyone. It's worked very well for me in the past, especially playing MW3. Middle ground there is a Merc unit. Gee, it's almost like they thought this through.

So let the agitators and trolls tell you about how bad it's going to be playing as or with a lone wolf, it's much better to be underestimated.

[Hakija]

Hope I'm not restating anything here, but I'm getting a little worried by this thread. The reason I quite playing world of tanks is because there never seemed to be any sense of teamwork in any game I joined, unless it was by people who played in a clan. Now I intend to join a dedicated group in this game, but the game needs to be designed so that the people who simply don't have the time to invest in a clan can still enjoy themselves. Of course, some people will be douchbags no matter what, but that shouldn't ruin it for all the loners.

If you're playing as a lone wolf, then by all means, don't worry about orders, just try to find a logical place to fit in and do your part.

[Name140704]

Hakiyah, on 24 March 2012 - 09:17 PM, said:

Hope I'm not restating anything here, but I'm getting a little worried by this thread. The reason I quite playing world of tanks is because there never seemed to be any sense of teamwork in any game I joined, unless it was by people who played in a clan. Now I intend to join a dedicated group in this game, but the game needs to be designed so that the people who simply don't have the time to invest in a clan can still enjoy themselves. Of course, some people will be douchbags no matter what, but that shouldn't ruin it for all the loners.

If you're playing as a lone wolf, then by all means, don't worry about orders, just try to find a logical place to fit in and do your part.

Lone wolves are going to play the game the way they see fit. Some will be better than others. I plan to follow tactical orders in game as long as they are logical. And before this gets mis-quoted again....

2. You don't take orders well in video games. I suspect there are others who are going Lone Wolf for the same reason. I'm trying to relax some before I get back to the family/house/work/school/lawn stuff that I have to do. If you get in the chat and call me out for brining something you don't think is viable, or shout over T.S. that it's my fault, prepare to be ignored.

Nothing here about not following in-game orders at all. It's more about not listening to some fool gripe at me when I brought a Firestarter instead of a Jenner because on their excel spreadsheet they spent a week making, the Jenner is .0072% more effective (just an example). It also frees me up to fight more often, which is the whole reason I'm playing the game anyway.

[Hakija]

NARCoMAN, on 24 March 2012 - 09:36 PM, said:

Lone wolves are going to play the game the way they see fit. Some will be better than others. I plan to follow tactical orders in game as long as they are logical. And before this gets mis-quoted again....

2. You don't take orders well in video games. I suspect there are others who are going Lone Wolf for the same reason. I'm trying to relax some before I get back to the family/house/work/school/lawn stuff that I have to do. If you get in the chat and call me out for brining something you don't think is viable, or shout over T.S. that it's my fault, prepare to be ignored.

Nothing here about not following in-game orders at all. It's more about not listening to some fool gripe at me when I brought a Firestarter instead of a Jenner because on their excel spreadsheet they spent a week making, the Jenner is .0072% more effective (just an example). It also frees me up to fight more often, which is the whole reason I'm playing the game anyway.

i wasn't trying to quote, misquote or refer to your post at all. my apologies if you took it that way.

[IHateAtlas]

Technoviking, on 23 March 2012 - 07:59 AM, said:

You're missing my point. I'm not saying that there's something bad about being a Lone Wolf.

I'm saying that Lone Wolf's will have a bad rep. As a whole. If you are 46 year old retired marine with a purple heart who loves mechs, but you're in a crowd of 9 to 14 year olds, you may stand out, but it doesn't matter because we just had fifteen 10 year old Lone Wolves before you, and they already sewed your repuatation for you, because you stand with them. And you will be a associated with the unwashed masses of people who are too casual to join the game. You will have no name. Your retort can be "I don't want need/want a name." And that's fine, but it sounds like you LWs want to stand on the merits of your works, but it won't matter if you come stomping in golden shoes, if 200 of your "type" spread feces all over the road and by the time you're here, you're covered in it.

Maybe I'm wrong, and months after the game been going on, and conversations like:


MW1: "Who is the opponent?"
MW2: "Looks like 6th Crucis Lancers!"
MW1: "Ugh, NecroMecro and his crew, he's tough!"
MW2: "Second on the ladder, oh well, we got this!"

And

MW1: "Who's the opponent?"
MW2: "Looks like PUG group, bunch of no names and Lone Wolves"
MW1: "Sweet."


Won't happen. Maybe "the unwashed masses" will actually turn out to be great group of fun, smart, tactical players, and anonymous gamers have turned that corner and are now of the highest caliber. I'm just saying even if you say "Im a lone wolf, I'm alone! I stand ALONE!" and there are 100k guys also "Standing Alone" with you, you are now part of group, whether you like it or not, and there WILL be a stereotype, because that's what humans do.

That is actually true, it cannot be denied.

Togg Bott, on 23 March 2012 - 08:40 AM, said:

ok Techno ... convince me... remember i'm 44

How many MMORPG's have you played? If your guild can't pull enough guild mates to do a raid, you have to "PUG" somebody. There's always the chance the the PUG will actually know what they're doing, a chance that they won't. The plus to having a team is that you get to know everybody, work out kinks and get to know each others quarks that help you work together. If you're the random guy in a group, you have absolutely no idea how the other players, well - play, how they fight, how they've learned to work together over the past 20 battles they've fought. You're the random guy they need to explain their tactics to (if they have any) and hope that you can keep up... You also lose communication with other people that also play in your role that can give you advice based off their experiences and vice versa.

Lone Wolf is not an easy road.

[Derick Cruisaire]

It seems that no matter how many threads get started about the Lone Wolf (and there are several to be sure) there is always the presumption that someone who chooses to be one will be a detriment to any group they are placed in. While there will be some that will not tow the line there will also be some that will set a hign bar indeed. The same will be true for faction players. You are going to have good and bad eggs in every faction. For every batch of "9 to 14 year olds" that give a bad name to Lone Wolves. There will be another batch of "9 to 14 years olds" giving a bad name to the Davions, Steiners, Liaos, Kuritas, and Mariks. (I am leaving out Mercs because I am assuming since they are creating their own faction they will be able to control who is allowed to join. I am also leaving out the FRR because we all know that even a "9 to 14 year old" Viking is going to be a bad a$$ warrior. )

Not everyone who joins a faction is going to automaticlly fall in line. You are going to have some that are going to join because they think the logo looks cool, or because they have a friend who belongs to the same House, or what have you. Not because they really care what that particular faction stands for. And you are going to have people who join a faction because the like they lore and want to play a part in how that faction affects the Battletech universe. Lone Wolves will be no different.

To assume that all Lone Wolves (or any faction for that matter) are going to be bad players is folly. Until you have actually seen a given Mecwarrior in battle you can not know what kind of threat or benefit they represent to you.

How about we stop dwelling on how bad people might play in a group and just be glad we are going to have groups to play in?

*To clarify* I do not think that all 9 to 14 year olds are going to be problem chidren. I am merely using an earlier reference to emphasize my point. I have no doubt that there are going to 15 to ? year olds that will cause grief as well. I know, I know. Don't leave out the 1 to 8 year olds. Right?