30 replies to this topic

[AlphaKale]

I'd say have a lance 'shoulder' patch or the like that is common for ID purposes, but everyone's livery should be their own.
I figure that there will be a small enough number of mechs in each combat that you shouldn't have too much trouble telling friends from enemies, especially with the HUD helping you out with overlaid information.

[00dlez]

I thought this was 'Mericuh! Individual control! Lance Leader's out of my choice!

[Exilyth]

When you go solo, you should have free choice of camo, when you team up with other people, the leader should be able to allow custom patterns or force a pattern. This should only be affected by whether you're part of a team/group/party or not, not by game mode or other factors. (Although merc corps will probably have the same camo by choice. Also, it would be nice if you'd have to take one of the camo patterns of your house for matches that affect the meta game.)

[CrunchTheRobot]

Perhaps having some sort of decal/symbol to designate which lance you're a part of would be nice, but I'd prefer to have the freedom to choose my own camo for myself.

[Tronchaser]

Hmmm, no. If a merc unit wants to all look the same, then they can share their camo "colors/decal".. Regular drops, I wanna pick what I wanna use. Whether it be flaming pink Paul style, or a menacing black with red stripes, I want the choice to be mine.

[Jonas]

If you can play with the same "guys/girls" then I say go ahead and as a team and work on paint schemes, but if your are a lone wolf or just in a few matches waiting for the rest of your unit to log in then I say do what ever you want to.

Has there been any word exactly how MERC units and House units will be formed? I mean I know I can say I belong to this unit or that all day long but how do you join a unit in the game?

[Soviet Alex]

Shepherd, on 25 April 2012 - 06:54 AM, said:

I think that most people who care to have a uniform amongst their lance will end up having a uniform. It was great in MW4 seeing the Widowmakers roll out in their black and reds. It was a unit pride sort of thing that we were all on board with.

Next we'll be wanting options to change an ally's weapon configuration?

I've already heard people who've decided that they are going to be commanders talking about forcing the rest of their company to use their mech designs. Some people can never have enough control.

The key here is choice. If you watched the in-game trailer, you'll know that friendlies have a green tag on the HUD, whilst enemies have a red one. You shouldn't need a paintjob to tell friend from foe. Some organised groups will doubtless design a camo scheme & all wear it. But that'll be by consensus, not because the lance leaders forced them into it.

[Aegis Kleais]

One of the core facets of usability is that you never take control away from a user. If a player does not wish to have camo set for them, they should not be forced to be compliant to the whims of the lance leader.

[Ramien]

If I'm going to be scouting out in a Raven, I'm going to want a specific color scheme, preferably a dark camo or just jet black,since I doubt black to violet iridescent paint jobs (to match the actual feathers) are common even in 3049, assuming I don't change camo to match the terrain. I don't want to change that color because someone wanted my forward scout to match the rest of the lance.

If I join up with a house unit or merc group, I will of course abide by any standards held by the unit regarding mech appearance.

[RickDiasPK]

Pretty much just tossing a "+1" here; my Mech, my choice. If I join a faction/group/etc. that has specific camo needs, I can discuss it with them on my own. No need to make forcing it a game mechanic. Now, making it optional, an opt-in thing (you check a box labeled "Allow Lance Commander to choose my camo/colors" on a per-match basis) could help for coordination. But it should be freedom you willingly hand over to the commander, not a default thing.

Soviet Alex: You mention commanders who think they'll even be able to force 'Mech choice on players. I suspect that will stop once enough 'subordinates' become insubordinate and shoot out their commander's legs. I can say for certain that anyone who tries to control freak me to that degree and doesn't immediately back down will discover I come from the Char Aznable School of Military Cohesion... which is to say I'm all for engineering circumstances to get them killed. That level of control over the player belongs in highly organized play, not casual battles among random pub teams.

[Ronnoc Kerensky]

I think that the players should give some thought to their camo patterns, and try and follow the traditions of the faction they represent. I think that would be a cool roleplay element. But yeah when it comes to camo schemes, there should be complete player control and lance leaders can coordinate as they see fit.