1392 replies to this topic

[Bronurstomp]

My critique of the latest patch is still a passing grade. I see some improvements, especially the LRM imbalance fix. It's better than it was. There are some issues like afk or disconnected pilots, which I'll also get into later.
And some bug fixes worked great, like the game exits properly when quit now. Although it still crashes to the desktop, which happens if I run too many games without restarting the client.
And there are video glitches. Again restarting the client helps. And the overheated hud thing where you have to power down and back up to clear...
But the point of this post, and sorry if it's in the wrong place, is more to express some possible solutions, and some desires on top of the normal bug fixes. Yes please fix the bugs, but also consider adding some of these concepts or improvements.
One of the biggest non-bug related issues is the disorganized mechlab and other screens. Yeah it works, kinda, but it's a mother figuring it out. I'm an old MW vet and I kind of knew what I was looking for, but it took awhile, and I just found out for example that I could sell items from the mechlab without adding them to my mech. A rollover help or tips option would go a long way to making it easier for non-mechwarriors to learn and use. And for the rest of us when you make changes, won't have to go trying to find things. Turning tips off after you get it figured out would be a nice part of that.
Personal messaging would be a nice feature in the game.
Being able to add a pilot to my friends list in game would be another nice feature.
Sounds should trigger detection as well as sightings for targeting purposes.
I would REALLY like to see a lot more environmental interactions like: Trees should crunch loudly when they get stomped through. Then, you could sneak through a forest, but you better be darn careful, or you'll make a racket that can be picked up by other mechs if you start knocking trees down. It might be a fun place for scouts to roam but if your not a careful pilot, well, you'll get caught if you go running into trees at flank speed.
Trees and some buildings should be able to be gradually, or partially, cleared, perhaps by flamers to removed cover but not the resistance to movement.
With enough damage however, along with the accompanying racket it would make, the trees and buildings could be shot down completely, changing the topology, since once they are down, they no longer hinder movement.
Shooting someones cover away would deter all but the most skilled snipers.
Same thing with buildings. If you are in a light mech trying to sneak up on an enemy position across the city, even having ECM should not preclude other mechs from detecting you crashing against buildings as they crumble as you run into them.
On a more technical note... In randomly grouped matches, if someone for any reason gets disconnected, the remaining group shouldn't have to suffer from an uneven match. Here's a possible solution.
First, if there is no activity for more than say 5 minutes, then the pilot gets dropped and someone else has the option to join. So adding players into an already running match would have to be enabled for this idea. The server should already have the mechs stats, and the only difference would be the pilots experience.
Also, you would have to display a real-time list of disconnected mechs, and make it available that everyone waiting for a group could see.
If a pilot choose to, they could play one of those mechs in that list, and join a group with en "empty" mech.
So if you have master skills in a "Open" Catapult variant that is in the list, for instance, then you get the benefits of the bonuses in that mech.
To put it another way. If we could get a list in the social area, a list of abandoned mechs, then we could drop into any "open" mech who's pilot has been disconnected. When you hit Launch, you're put into that mech. So anyone who is waiting to group, can see this list of available mechs on the server at that time, and gets a choice of what mechs are available to launch into.
The experience points and Cbills at the end of the match would then go that pilot and that mech for that drop. The original pilot that launched the game, with that mech variant, gains nothing, but the new pilot does.
For the people in the queue waiting for a match, a game timer next to each mech would be nice, so you would know how far along a mech is in a match.

Edited by Bronurstomp, 16 November 2012 - 11:26 PM.

[QnRamoth]

I think a lot of these issues are important, and I'm going to try to approach them rationally and with a reasoned arguement. I pay careful attention to every change that happens in this game, and to every mech I'm up against in a match. Within 24-48 hrs of a significant patch/hotfix, the diversity of mechs changes dramatically. When the game is at its most balanced, that diversity is very broad, with countless builds/variants/loadouts/chassis. When the game is imbalanced, 3-4 or more mechs on the same team have identical or nearly identical builds, simply because they work. Some people have such a dedication to the ideal, that of nearly universal balance, with all mechs having strengths and equivalent weaknesses, that they will continue with what is fair in spite of an imbalanced mechanic. However, I do believe that it is the natural inclination of a competitive community to *tend* toward functioning and peak effectiveness within the rules and mechanics defined by the system. That means that when LRMs are grossly overpowered, the community will naturally tend to mount excessive LRMs to make the most of the system they've been provided. When multi-gauss is overpowered, random matches against 3-4 gauss-cats will take place with frequency.

Insofar as an insular community with defined ethics in concerned, such as an established house, faction, allegiance, or even close group of friends, cheese builds can be banned internally in an effort to promote and make a statement about the importance of balance and diversity within this game. However, to expect the same of other groups, much less the unaffiliated community at large (which has every right to remain unaffiliated), is unreasonable. People want to be good at the game, they want c-bills, they want ratings, they want to win. When one build/loadout/weapon is the key to doing that, consistently, they are going to use it and there is little the community can do as a whole to prevent this.

What this means is an extremely important and daunting task for the developers, who must seek to find the imbalances and correct them swiftly, and far more importantly, avoid introducing new imbalances with each patch and addition. Most if not all successful online games have extensive teams devoted to assuring balance, and while I'm sure the developers have just such teams, there is always room for improvement (and constructive criticism). In an effort to contribute to their effort, I'd like to suggest those game testers/balancers consider the methods I use for determining balance over time: track the deployment of mech loadouts over time, especially after a patch. If the introduction of a patch results in a 5000% increase in the deployment of LRMs and/or 5-6 LRM boats per team, you don't even have to watch the match itself to know somethings up with LRMs. Maybe they already pay attention to these statistics, but if not, they should. If dual-gauss cats and/or AC40 cats represent 3-4 members of any given random team, something's wrong with the way those builds jive with the overall game balance.

Edited by QnRamoth, 17 November 2012 - 10:16 AM.

[STR4NG3R]

asus p5q (p45)
q6600 @3.46Ghz
4gig ddr2 800
460gtx 1gig
550 watt power

i posted the first day after the patch and said things were great and they were not one problem...that was then and this is now... terrible.

since day 2 of the patch i have had every bug happen to me that i had read about in the forums
WTH are you doin anyways just movin the bugs from system spec to system spec???
not even 1 has been actually fixed or even improved..stop adding things to the game to make more money and fix the problems you have had from day 1.
I got a support ticket reply saying the crash to desktop problem was SOLVED...next match guess what..crash to desktop...very sad days indeed.
I realize this is beta but come on you cant fix a few problems in 2 months of data gathering?
stop trying to please the money spenders and fix the damn game
thank you

[machinech]

So we can make new mechs an tweak weapons that are, at least generally speaking, working...

... but we seem still unable to fix....

in game shut down bug regarding overheating an having no HUD
black screen at game launch
after game lockup and crash while returning to mech lab
mech lab lockup when modifying mech with newly purchased equip
random FPS drops including but NOT limited to the 4fps at match start bug
random crash outs on various maps mid game
jenner cockpit being outside the mech after having been "fixed"
instant death from seemingly light damage when from fully armored (paper doll not updating or hits not registering!?!)
pip module display technology borrowed from texas instruments calculators (horrifying resolution)
group formation process has various bugs... including members being left out of drop even though they have viable mech, members turning up in empty or different maps from rest of team

New toys are cool. Eliminating issues that leave one unable to enjoy said toys would be priceless.

[ArmageddonKnight]

Greetings

I'm an old MW vet from back in the days of MW, MW2, MW3, MC, MC2, MW4. I bassicaly only played Single player on all these games becouse back then my internet connection speed was ..well ...the word 'slow' doesnt cut it and LAN wasnt an option. I havnt played a MW game in many many years.
Anyway its good to see MW back. Now for my feedback for the game in general as it is now 18/11/2012.

Firstly i think the whole idea of going completly Free to Play is BAD. Main reason being is that a game such as this, of this quality (though could be better) will requir funding and that obviosly comes from micro transactions. Cash shops kill games for real gamers ..they are great for people who dont give a damn tbh ..but for those that care ..and for those where gaming is a big part of their life ..its just bad. And i would hate to see MW become another game in a long list refered to when som1 says 'this isnt a crappy f2p game' ..or some other derogatory use of the term 'f2p'.

Moving on.

Gamelplay: 1st person is the way to go ..no doubt. 3rd person ..most deffinatly NOT. The combat is good, though the drastic difference in weapon location on each mech causes issues with a single rectical targeting system, specialy when in close range. I think maybe some ghosted targeting croses/circles should be added when somthing is close enough for the point of impact to be different bassed on where on the mech the weapon is located.
Connected to the microtransaction. The way in which you obtain credits and experiance needs adjusting. newplayers are stuck with horrible mechs to use for a long period.. the mechs overheat way to easy imo. not to mention having some nice bonuses locked from those who dont want to encorage micro transactions.
Moving on form that even custom mechs seem to have very big issues with overheating even if you stuff it full of heat sinks. i think heat should be lowered and have space and tonnage a more restrictive feature to worry about.
Battles: They are to short.. most dont even last 15 minutes. The single capture point can make the fight be over within 5 minutes and only having 8 people on each side also isnt enough. i recommened minimum 2 capture points each side and 12 players each team...make maps bigger acordingly. Obviosly if this does result in longer battles the rewards should be adjusted to compensate.
IIRC more game modes wil be added so i hope to see modes like team king of the hill and map domination etc. bassicaly like other FPS online games.

Damage:
Balance is king, and no doubt your working on it but...
Weapons should be split into categories simular to now but that are then also restricted bassed on mech weight class. So all light/small weapons can be used by all mechs. But medium and up are not alowed on light mechs ..and heavy weapons are not alowed on medium mechs. Both heavy and assualt should be able to use the biggest weapons though. Along with this, light weapons should barely scratch heavy and assualt mechs, and only do full dmg on light mechs and half dmg on medium mechs. medium weapons can do full dmg on medium mechs and half on heavy and 25$ on assualt. The bigger the weapon and smaller the mech the more dmg the weapon does to said mech ..and visa versa.
The main reason i say this is becouse its rediculus to see a light mech take down an assualt mech simply becouse the assualt mech can never see its target.. those small weapons on a lightmech should be like an anoying knock knock knock tat never stops but also never does nay real dmg if any at all..not bang bang bang ur dead. its like watching a speed boat with a machine gun destroy an aircraft carrier ..it aint ever gunna happen irl ..but it does happen in MWO ..its just wrong.

Anyway other balancing is needed for each individual weapon but that main issue is what i stated above, and i think changes as i described would bring alot more tactics into the gameplay instead of just swarming with light mechs.

Graphics:
Where are destructable environments ? Tessalation ? HD textures ?
I hope they all come with DX11 ..becouse im sure i saw vids advertising these things...atleats the destructable environments..the tessalation i asumed would come with DX11 and cryengine like in crysis..and HD textures i thought would be standard nowerdays ..alass i havnt seen this ingame yet ..even with max settings.

I dont wanna let this post get much longer so if anyting else that i really feel i need to share pops into my head il post it up some other time

Anyway keep up to good work. Just dont forget..small game ..small fan base ..you needa QUALITY game dedicated to those players. Not another crappy rushed game for the masses to make some money then split..theres to many of those already.

Edited by ArmageddonKnight, 18 November 2012 - 03:39 PM.

[Talos_Prime]

This is supposed to be a strategic game. ( a big boy game if you will pilots and teams will have to play smart)

LRMS I agree with some of the others that the damage should be bumped up to 1.75 or even 2 points per missle. My reason is this YOU devs have given us defences against the LRMS,AMS. It covers us alot better. they will balance each other. Some folks just want their cake and eat it too.

Realistically, there should be some kind of drag in the water and going up hills. in the water more on the lights less on the assults due to shear girth and power. Of course going down hill should pose a threat as well. Ever try fulling full speed down hill, more than likely you would fall down. That is just a pit fall of being in a walker as apposed to a track or wheeled vehicle.

Also for ballistic weapons, there should be some kind of drop after the effective firing range of the weapon. i.e having to aim a little higher for longer distances to hit center mass when sniping. your long range veiwing module could off set this a little.

I do not know if this is the case but if a mech is in the water it should cool down faster.

Finally, bring back the knock down. although, many see it as annoying or taking a cheap shot it is more realistic. Perhaps make it do more damage the faster you run into someone or how much depends on ho much weight you ae giving up. if a guy knew it could potentially gimp him mech too they would not do it as often. damage a leg or arm ect....


Over all i like the game. few things like rubber banding or disconnects are being worked on i know. This is supposed to be an information warfare game not just another first person shooter. Give us weapons and ways to equally defend against them, EM and ECM, and let us work it out what is best for us.

[Ext13]

Майке

[Momolicious]

What I am concerned about most is the drift from the BT gameplay *(that has by its nature already been balanced)*. It seems to me that the speed of gameplay has been tweeked setting off a chain reaction of adjustments that are now rocking the boats balance...

K.I.S.S. - There is clearly areas that cannot be replicated in regards to the boardgame (terrain slowdowns, corpses blocking paths,), yet some of this see-saw action coupled with illogical steps that are making for painting oneself into a corner. (DHS are really one-and-onethird heat sinks, not double.)

[Xattabyich]

Категорически поддерживаю товарища из первого поста

[Arcaist]

I strongly disagree:

-Heat Management: Is fine imho. Sure, you can´t run across the battlefield alphastriking each and everyone. You gotta think how to cycle the weapons, when to retreat for cooldown, etc. Makes the game much more interesting.

-LRMS: Those are supposed to be a SUPPORT Weapon, not a "I-Win Button" Weapon. And actually, they were exactly that before the last patch. Right now, they could use a little buff though, I agree so far.

-AMS: You want to take down the AMS System "almost" all Rockets of an LRM15 Launcher. Now THATS what I call op. No matter how far you buff the LRM´s no one will use them afterwards.

-Sticking to canon: They can´t, imho. Why? Cuz this is not round based gameplay. No matter if they have to adjust headsinks, or recharging speed of the lasers, something HAS to be altered in order to keep some kinda balance. Lotsa things here are simply not taken care of in TT. Example: The flight duration of LRM´s, which is actually quite some time in MWO on long range.

Just my 5 cents...