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Open Beta next week (Monday October 29th) - Here's what you can expect.


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#41 Landsharkk

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Posted 26 October 2012 - 05:44 PM

I actually want this game to succeed, it NEEDS to succeed, because the game industry needs to see a successful, modern, mechwarrior game.

I'm appalled that PGI appears to be working towards a different goal though.

#42 FinnMcKool

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Posted 26 October 2012 - 05:45 PM

ok lets talk about whats really really important; "The Music"

Now if they cant come up with something thats heavy metal ,Jimi Hendirixish ,than yes it will be a flop.

So boys and girls drop everything else and get to work on finding the right sounds !

#43 Joe3142

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Posted 26 October 2012 - 05:45 PM

View PostDivine Madcat, on 26 October 2012 - 05:39 PM, said:

i bought the founders pack expecting to support a FULL game.. not just a demo....


I brought my founders package to support the game, even if it did/ does turn out to be a disaster.

#44 InkoCatt

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Posted 26 October 2012 - 05:46 PM

Well since i only got into beta yesterday maybe i can offer some "new player" input. The first two points are huge. There is no safe zone to try out the movement and controls, you get thrown in a real match right away without any idea what to expect or how to even pilot the mech. After 2-3 matches hoping noone curses at you for running into walls and getting the hang of the game, you start to explore the mech lab. And its horrible. You see all that equipment listed, but there are no stats or explanations of what they actually do. And quite frankly needing to search for out of game resources such as forums/wiki/youtube for basics such as weapon stats is a big let down.

But ok, some trial and error, some forum browsing and asking around gets me the sheet of equipment stats. So i get passed that obstacle (but i credit that only to my own determination, i am guessing a lot of people wont bother) and get my own mech with some vague idea of what i want on it. And i am hit in the face with the point of the economy. I quickly realize that i am earning a lot less money with my own mech than with a trial mech. And it doesnt matter if i win, lose, die or survive. Which triggers a new realization - my idea of gradual climb up the mech "ladder" was completely wrong. Since XP i earn is useless on any mech other than the one it was earned on and i get less money using my own mech means that i am to grind the credits for what i actually want to pilot in a trial mech! At that point my enthusiasm for the game dropped significantly. Right now i am still playing because its still shiny and new, but at the moment with pretty shallow gameplay (few deathmatch/capture maps) the game is not something i am willing to support with my wallet. And i am not even to the point of knowing the bugs and exploits discussed here.

As it stands, in this state with such limited gameplay, horrible mech lab interface, disheartening economy i simply dont see me playing this game for more than few days tops.

#45 Vandril

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Posted 26 October 2012 - 05:48 PM

View PostFinnMcKool, on 26 October 2012 - 05:45 PM, said:

ok lets talk about whats really really important; "The Music"

Now if they cant come up with something thats heavy metal ,Jimi Hendirixish ,than yes it will be a flop.

So boys and girls drop everything else and get to work on finding the right sounds !


Honestly, want them to allow us to use our own localized music. Game music ALWAYS gets old and being able to cycle through what I want to hear is better. Sometimes I want to stomp mechs listening to Killswitch Engage. Othertimes Enya... I should have that choice!

#46 CptJudas

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Posted 26 October 2012 - 05:49 PM

I cant believe all the people complaining. None of these people seem to understand the idea of beta. I enjoyed the game when I was able to get into the closed beta. Bugs and all. Ended up buying a founders pack because it was so much fun. People need to chill out. There is going to be people that love and hate the game not because of bugs and how people think the game should work. I've played finished products that had bugs and similar issues and they had no intent to fix them. Its certainly time for open beta. The game already offers plenty of ways to play and be successful. Yes, The new repair costs are probably a bit much and collisions were the best way to take down fast mechs, but its still in beta and these things can be changed, even on a weekly basis. Its in BETA, regardless if its closed or not

#47 lsp

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Posted 26 October 2012 - 05:49 PM

View PostInkoCatt, on 26 October 2012 - 05:46 PM, said:

Well since i only got into beta yesterday maybe i can offer some "new player" input. The first two points are huge. There is no safe zone to try out the movement and controls, you get thrown in a real match right away without any idea what to expect or how to even pilot the mech. After 2-3 matches hoping noone curses at you for running into walls and getting the hang of the game, you start to explore the mech lab. And its horrible. You see all that equipment listed, but there are no stats or explanations of what they actually do. And quite frankly needing to search for out of game resources such as forums/wiki/youtube for basics such as weapon stats is a big let down.

But ok, some trial and error, some forum browsing and asking around gets me the sheet of equipment stats. So i get passed that obstacle (but i credit that only to my own determination, i am guessing a lot of people wont bother) and get my own mech with some vague idea of what i want on it. And i am hit in the face with the point of the economy. I quickly realize that i am earning a lot less money with my own mech than with a trial mech. And it doesnt matter if i win, lose, die or survive. Which triggers a new realization - my idea of gradual climb up the mech "ladder" was completely wrong. Since XP i earn is useless on any mech other than the one it was earned on and i get less money using my own mech means that i am to grind the credits for what i actually want to pilot in a trial mech! At that point my enthusiasm for the game dropped significantly. Right now i am still playing because its still shiny and new, but at the moment with pretty shallow gameplay (few deathmatch/capture maps) the game is not something i am willing to support with my wallet. And i am not even to the point of knowing the bugs and exploits discussed here.

As it stands, in this state with such limited gameplay, horrible mech lab interface, disheartening economy i simply dont see me playing this game for more than few days tops.

Didn't read your whole post, stopped after there is no training area I don't know what I'm doing. There is a list of controls you know? It's very very simple, wasd to move mouse to look around and aim, mouse buttons to shoot. There's all the basic controls you need to know. And set up your weapon groups, which you can set to any key you want. I don't know the stock buttons cause I changed mine since the first day I logged in.

No in game weapon stats don't bother me. All that will create is people seeing the highest damage weapons, and taking them. Instead of now, using whatever you like to use. Plus doing a little research into the game also doesn't bother me, I've learned more about BT through MWO, then I have through any other mechwarrior game. And I've played several.( I do use off website, websites to find weapon value's. But it's only for things like, should I take 2 srm-4's or 1 srm-6. Not omzg which weapon is the most op I want it I must know)

Edited by lsp, 26 October 2012 - 05:55 PM.


#48 JustDylan14

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Posted 26 October 2012 - 05:52 PM

View PostDoomaflatchi, on 26 October 2012 - 04:44 PM, said:

...you really have no idea what a game looks like partway through its production cycle, do you? :D

I make games for a living, so let me clue you in - for still being three months away from their gold build (launch), this game looks and feels GREAT. It's WAY more polished than it needs to be at this point, and they've almost certainly pulled resources away from polishing other areas of the game that could have been done sooner in order to fix gameplay problems and to keep the game in a playable state for YOU to continue to enjoy. If you want to play a finished product the first time you sit down and launch the title, wait until it launches. They've done a great service to their community by allowing us to play the game early, and by allowing our feedback to so drastically shape and affect the development of this game.

And before you gripe about them "taking your money," please remember a few things: 1) The game is free, and you gave them your money, 2) The things that you're spending real money on will still be there when the game launches in a 'complete' state, and 3) A non-FTP title would charge you $60 just for the right to see the game before you could decide whether you like it or not.

As a final point, I've seen a lot of people complaining about the removal of the Centurion AH - please stop. We are not entitled to be able to always and forever continue to use everything that ever appears in the game when the game isn't even finished yet. Sometimes, things need to be cut. Sometimes, the design document changes. Quite on the contrary, I am incredibly pleased that the AH existed in the first place, since it game them phenomenal amounts of data regarding how people would play a Mech like that, allowing them to release their first Hero Mech with an unprecedented amount of balance data and testing already behind it precisely so that it didn't become "LOL, I roflstomp PUGs with my OP cash Mech!" And if you're upset about that particular variant being unavailable to non-paying customers, I encourage you to compare this against the design model Korean developers use on their FTP titles - as a way to generate the necessary funding for a game, this is remarkably kind and gratuitous towards the player base. What they've done is in NO way "money grubbing." Trust me, you don't get into this job for the money - if cash rained from the heavens every time we put our hard work and long hours into a project that we loved just so we could share it with people, we would. We ALL would, every day.

It is OKAY for you to not like the game; I mean that. It's FINE. But please don't berate them as a company and as hard-working people because "This could be easily solved if you did X, Y, and Z!" No. It couldn't. Nothing in game development is easy, and no 'fix' is ever 'simple'. This stuff is HARD WORK, and these devs have proven themselves, time and time again, to be both AMAZING at their jobs and LOVING towards the community. Please treat them with the respect that their labor of love deserves.


More true words have never been spoken. Bravo lad.

#49 PyroDante

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Posted 26 October 2012 - 05:56 PM

View PostLandsharkk, on 26 October 2012 - 04:16 PM, said:

I think PGI needs to do some full disclosure here. This game is not ready for open beta/release to the public/giving them your money.

Your thoughts?

You are "public" you paid money... then demanded the money back after services were rendered.

The scary thing is even with all those things, which are sure to be worked on, it's still better then many release titles.

#50 Windies

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Posted 26 October 2012 - 05:56 PM

I'm amazed that through all the flaming, aside from one person who just trolled through the OP's post as if all the bugs weren't important because "it's beta", No one can actually refute the OP's claim as to what to expect in terms of bugs and annoyances.

Anyways, this beta is going to be the biggest success of the year because it's Mechwarrior! I'm super pumped and can't wait to own some noobs!!!!!!!

#51 InkoCatt

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Posted 26 October 2012 - 05:57 PM

View Postlsp, on 26 October 2012 - 05:49 PM, said:

Didn't read your whole post, stopped after there is no training area I don't know what I'm doing. There is a list of controls you know? It's very very simple, wasd to move mouse to look around and aim, mouse buttons to shoot. There's all the basic controls you need to know. And set up your weapon groups, which you can set to any key you want. I don't know the stock buttons cause I changed mine since the first day I logged in.


Sure i know, that doesnt make it any better. I change mine before i log in the game aswell cause i use ESDF, but you completely missed the point. You need a safe comfort zone to press everything and see what it does precisely. Most people wont bother to read about the game before they try it, they will install and enter the game. And they will be thrown like lambs to the wolfs. From the install screen to a deathmatch. Its simply not the way to introduce the game.

#52 Ratmaniak

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Posted 26 October 2012 - 05:58 PM

On a cynical note, Open Beta allows more customers in, which - for the points in the OP that are detrimental to the fun of the game (particularly the C-Bill and XP mega grind) - will add a lot more voices against them.

At worst, player metrics will illustrate a moderate surge in player numbers, which quickly drops off as people discount the game as rubbish.

Realistically, we'll probably see a lot of new players, some will get "lol, noob"ed out by the closed beta peeps, some will dislike the grind, some will dislike the game as a whole, and some will become part of The Faithful.

#53 screw ball

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Posted 26 October 2012 - 05:59 PM

View PostLandsharkk, on 26 October 2012 - 04:16 PM, said:

Think the game is ready for release to the public and for PGI to start taking your money?

Here's what to expect:


-No item descriptions/stats
-no in-game tutorial,only 1 out of game tutorial thats only 10 min long
-only 4 maps, buggy maps
-few mech chassis(variants are nice but still basically the same mech)
-PGI removes mechs/variants with no warning (Where did the Centurion CN9-AH go? - replaced with a real money mech)
-horrible mech lab implementation(tab system made it worse), buggy mech lab
-netcode fails to properly register fast moving objects(now with no collisions)
-questionable pilot xp system(should be options against grinding different variants of what is essentially still the same mech)
-unbalanced weapons
-few weapons/systems(narc?beagle?)
-DHS not working as originally intended
-Horrible match-up system
-Only one game mode (8 vs 8 team deathmatch/capture the base hybrid - PGI admitted this was their 'test' game mode)
-Economy is unbalanced(spend money on MC to buy mechs that you cannot afford to repair)
-crashes to desktop
-random fps drops
-no in-game computer voice(all systems nominal, heat levels critical, outside mission parameters, etc.)
-no music
-not fully implemented in game voice chat system(havent tried this so not 100% sure on this)
-no chat room, no ability to communicate post-match
-no fix to prevent players from quickly grinding for c-bills using a method that I am not even allowed to discuss on the forums(lets just say that its very detrimental to others enjoyment of gameplay)


I think PGI needs to do some full disclosure here. This game is not ready for open beta/release to the public/giving them your money.

Your thoughts?



how bout you quite ******** and just kill the people that come in an make all the moneys

#54 PyroDante

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Posted 26 October 2012 - 06:00 PM

View PostWindies, on 26 October 2012 - 05:56 PM, said:

I'm amazed that through all the flaming, aside from one person who just trolled through the OP's post as if all the bugs weren't important because "it's beta", No one can actually refute the OP's claim as to what to expect in terms of bugs and annoyances.

Anyways, this beta is going to be the biggest success of the year because it's Mechwarrior! I'm super pumped and can't wait to own some noobs!!!!!!!


Well we have no evidence to the fact that they will be fixed. Likely some will next Tuesday, but I believe the OP defined "Work in Progress" pretty well.

Clearly some people have never been in a REAL beta *gun5_description_string*

#55 Ratmaniak

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Posted 26 October 2012 - 06:04 PM

View PostJoe3142, on 26 October 2012 - 05:45 PM, said:


I brought my founders package to support the game, even if it did/ does turn out to be a disaster.


Yeah, me too. I loves me some Battletech, and am quite willing to gamble some dollars on it.

Heck, I once put in for the Hellgate: London lifetime sub. If that doesn't illustrate poor fiscal responsibility, nothing will!

Also, each example of "quite" and "winging" and "it's in the cannon" that appears in any threadnaught kills an English teacher's kitten.

#56 Reported for Inappropriate Name

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Posted 26 October 2012 - 06:06 PM

View PostToong, on 26 October 2012 - 04:24 PM, said:

Nope.avi



This is a beta, not a launch. Fluff is unnecesary. The mechanics we have now work reasonably well, and an injection of fresh eyes is precisely what this game needs.


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#57 John Norad

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Posted 26 October 2012 - 06:25 PM

View PostInkoCatt, on 26 October 2012 - 05:46 PM, said:

Well since i only got into beta yesterday maybe i can offer some "new player" input. The first two points are huge. There is no safe zone to try out the movement and controls, you get thrown in a real match right away without any idea what to expect or how to even pilot the mech. After 2-3 matches hoping noone curses at you for running into walls and getting the hang of the game, you start to explore the mech lab. And its horrible. You see all that equipment listed, but there are no stats or explanations of what they actually do. And quite frankly needing to search for out of game resources such as forums/wiki/youtube for basics such as weapon stats is a big let down.

But ok, some trial and error, some forum browsing and asking around gets me the sheet of equipment stats. So i get passed that obstacle (but i credit that only to my own determination, i am guessing a lot of people wont bother) and get my own mech with some vague idea of what i want on it. And i am hit in the face with the point of the economy. I quickly realize that i am earning a lot less money with my own mech than with a trial mech. And it doesnt matter if i win, lose, die or survive. Which triggers a new realization - my idea of gradual climb up the mech "ladder" was completely wrong. Since XP i earn is useless on any mech other than the one it was earned on and i get less money using my own mech means that i am to grind the credits for what i actually want to pilot in a trial mech! At that point my enthusiasm for the game dropped significantly. Right now i am still playing because its still shiny and new, but at the moment with pretty shallow gameplay (few deathmatch/capture maps) the game is not something i am willing to support with my wallet. And i am not even to the point of knowing the bugs and exploits discussed here.

As it stands, in this state with such limited gameplay, horrible mech lab interface, disheartening economy i simply dont see me playing this game for more than few days tops.


Thank you for your feedback.This is exactly the kind of information PGI should be looking for and considering.
As has been said the public won't give a damn about what it is called. The game goes live for all intends and purposes and that's when it will be judged.
If PGI is very lucky, they will manage to bridge the time until some major improvements and feature additions will be made. Hopefully, some or many players will come back at that point.
Otherwise, it will be very hard to prevent a complete fail cascade.

Two points that will eventually kill every real time PvP game:
1. Performance
You can't possibly release a game with performance problems, unless you want it to fail. Be it lag, memory leaks or low fps. Nothing is more detrimental to fun.
2. Economy/Progress
Without a decent progress pace (not too fast, not too slow) and enough feeling of accomplishment, motivation will drop and people will stop playing. Especially with any amount of problem #1 present.

And then there are points like usability, intuitive UI, documentation and tutorial... not necessarily killer problems, but still major barriers of entry.

It's not all about content, although content is a big factor. But even if there's only little content, that content must work. Flawlessly, if possible.
There are very simple games out there that are a lot of fun. Because what they offer is a solid package.
In order to call MW:O a solid package it needs better balancing, a better thought-out economy and flawless performance, scalable through options as much as possible.

Edited by John Norad, 26 October 2012 - 06:26 PM.


#58 CptJudas

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Posted 26 October 2012 - 06:42 PM

Well, maybe i just got lucky, or HP computers with a graphics card have come a long way, but i haven't really experienced too many issues, especially with dropped frame rates, etc... Also, games like Battlefield ( at least from a pc standpoint) and counterstrike, don't come with a good tutorial, if any, and hey they are very successful. I think it would help having a tutorial but i just don't see anyone upset and thinking open beta is a bad thing because there is no tutorial. Sometimes you gotta get your *** kicked before you get good at a game. Doesn't mean its not fun. I'm still experiencing this and I've been playing this game since MW2. PGI already has my money and I have no reason to ask for it back.

#59 Thomas Covenant

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Posted 26 October 2012 - 06:44 PM

I like how passionate everyone is. +1 to a lot of people on both sides. I believe we all want the same thing.

A game is like a mathematical equation. In an equation, you change one thing and is now a totally different equation. There were a lot of sudden changes before the open release, and a lot of us felt like we were going into something big with our pants down.

I think the best outlook I've seen here is gratitude. We've had a lot of fun already. They have in a way thrown down a large lump of clay adding all these new features. They have a lot of messaging to do, maybe just to make it as good as it was only just days ago. But I support thier ambition, of course I want to see advanced armours and structures in the final build.

Edited by Thomas Covenant, 27 October 2012 - 03:12 PM.


#60 Weirdjedi

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Posted 26 October 2012 - 06:53 PM

I'm stuck in between both sides of the coin. I have enough experience playing other Battletech universe games to know that a PPC is a long-range energy weapon. I know what to expect when faced with a Raven or a Catapult. What I don't know is the specifics. What is the difference between a laser and a pulse laser. What is the minimum/maximum range of a weapon before they are ineffective?

Did you know that the majority of things in the game I learned the hard way? There is an out of bounds and you will die. Missiles will fly over hills. The map determines the effectiveness of your heat sinks. You don't just buy one mech and equip it with whatever you want. There are slots. You buy the wrong mech, you can't just switch it out. Selling the mech will probably net you near to nothing.

Granted, this is closed beta and some things they have shared... well, in a somewhat short gameplay video outside the game. Other things will drive you crazy as a new player. Things could be better, but things could be worse. Voice, music, and mechs are more cosmetic additions than a necessity. In my opinion, the experience and economy is atrocious for new people. Something needs to be done.

Am I having fun? Yes. Is that what matters? Well, that depends on the player.





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