34 replies to this topic

[Taryys]

Which is why it should be client side and not server side.

Sandpit, on 15 November 2012 - 03:18 AM, said:

Everyone just seems to ignore the fact that they are running limited servers at the moment. This is the hurdle at this point. If you have 2000 players all running a single man sandbox that means 2000 separate games being handled by servers on top of all of the team matches being played. Now imagine 8000 games being played singly while team matches are going on.

....

[Taryys]

Your 6 months figure is not just coding time: data gathering analysis, discussion of solutions, coding and testing solutions, adjusting, as well as working on what ever else they are working on.

I am not saying that it is not a lot of work. It surely is, but the time it takes to make a change is not just coding.

Jun Watarase, on 15 November 2012 - 05:58 AM, said:

To put it into perspective, PGI needed 6 months to code phase 1 matchmaking, and it took them several months in closed beta to buff ammo counts for ballistics....so to answer the question, it is probably very difficult.

[SendMyRegards]

Sandpit, on 15 November 2012 - 03:18 AM, said:

Everyone just seems to ignore the fact that they are running limited servers at the moment. This is the hurdle at this point. If you have 2000 players all running a single man sandbox that means 2000 separate games being handled by servers on top of all of the team matches being played.

Hi, it seems you've forgotten that WoT had this feature available from day 1 iirc. You could always dial up a private game and launch to mess around. It was possible for Wargaming, why should it be then impossible for PGI?

Basically, give me a break.

[Mercules]

SendMyRegards, on 15 November 2012 - 06:06 AM, said:

Hi, it seems you've forgotten that WoT had this feature available from day 1 iirc. You could always dial up a private game and launch to mess around. It was possible for Wargaming, why should it be then impossible for PGI?

Basically, give me a break.

Both a car and a boat have a steering wheel... if it is possible for the car to drive on land why can't my boat?

[Rotaugen]

Mercules, on 15 November 2012 - 06:11 AM, said:

Both a car and a boat have a steering wheel... if it is possible for the car to drive on land why can't my boat?

It CAN, if you have James Bond's boat...

[xRaeder]

Sandpit, on 15 November 2012 - 03:18 AM, said:

Everyone just seems to ignore the fact that they are running limited servers at the moment. This is the hurdle at this point. If you have 2000 players all running a single man sandbox that means 2000 separate games being handled by servers on top of all of the team matches being played. Now imagine 8000 games being played singly while team matches are going on.
10,000
15,000
You can't say these numbers are unrealistic either. If you make it available you have to assume that any number of the entire player base can use this option at one time. I know in practice this wouldn't happen due to time zones, etc. but you can't expect any less. I was a huge proponent of this idea until they explained the logistics of having that kind of server space. I think the best solution at this point lies in a good solid MM system. Then you could have drops made with specifications and make coordinated drops with people to test out things like this and have practices for units, etc.

My God. If that is true the lead developer of MWO is one of the more incompetent people developing games right now.

If PGI can't afford to put enough cash into this game's infrastructure then they never should have attempted to host all the servers themselves or even develop a matchmaking system.

When are people going to realize that PGI would have been able to do far more with 3rd party administrated servers and a server browser like 90% of the other FPSes out there have?

[Sandpit]

Taryys, on 15 November 2012 - 06:02 AM, said:

Which is why it should be client side and not server side.

Trust me I wish it were so. I want something like this as do many others. Plus the whole new player experience would be helped a bit by this as well.

SendMyRegards, on 15 November 2012 - 06:06 AM, said:

Hi, it seems you've forgotten that WoT had this feature available from day 1 iirc. You could always dial up a private game and launch to mess around. It was possible for Wargaming, why should it be then impossible for PGI?

Basically, give me a break.

uhm this isn't WoT, I'm sorry this is MWO. Directing comments like this at me serve no purpose. It's not like I can head on over to MWO HQ and straighten this out......

[Taryys]

QFT

Sandpit, on 15 November 2012 - 10:48 AM, said:

Trust me I wish it were so. I want something like this as do many others. Plus the whole new player experience would be helped a bit by this as well.

[von Pilsner]

Actually during the CB you could bind a key to 'map mapname' (or something like that... ) and just drop into a map (single player style) and run around with your mech... Didn't require server resources (done client side) at all, so you can drop that argument.

When they locked down the console this stopped working for me.

Edited by von Pilsner, 15 November 2012 - 10:53 AM.

[Adeptis]

Card, on 13 November 2012 - 05:26 AM, said:

The more cynical and suspicious part of my brain says that if you had a 'simulator' mode available, then you could try things out before you bought it, and do all your tweaking and tuning before you threw away money on something that wasn't effective - and because of that PGI would make less money.

Unfortunately, the cynical and suspicious part of my brain is all that remains at this point.

Then make it so that you still have to buy the items to try them. That's not so hard. What most people are asking for, I think, and what we absolutely should've had before we went open beta, is a place where new players can learn and feel for controls. Experienced players can use it to test manuevering, speed, heat efficiency, and weapons fire.

[Taryys]

That is kew!! I must have joined after they did that.
Good to know.
Then the a practice arena using existing maps should be easier to do.

von Pilsner, on 15 November 2012 - 10:51 AM, said:

Actually during the CB you could bind a key to 'map mapname' and just drop into a map (single player style) and run around with your mech... Didn't require server resources (done client side) at all, so you can drop that argument.

When they locked down the console this stopped working.

[Adeptis]

von Pilsner, on 15 November 2012 - 10:51 AM, said:

Actually during the CB you could bind a key to 'map mapname' (or something like that... ) and just drop into a map (single player style) and run around with your mech... Didn't require server resources (done client side) at all, so you can drop that argument.

When they locked down the console this stopped working for me.

So what you're saying is the feature should be almost literally effortless.

Edited by Adeptis, 15 November 2012 - 10:55 AM.

[Aegis Kleais]

Yeah, trial by fire is a very punishing way to introduce new players to the game. Plus, the Mechlab is very unforgiving in its current implementation both time-wise and financially. A sandbox where we can infinitely build/configure Mechs and then put them into a map with random standing enemy Mechs would be helpful.

But if they have a wider scope in addressing the issue, it's probably better they take that route than to interrupt their resources and provide us this sandbox.

[Taryys]

Nothing is effortless when it comes to programming... nothing.. no programmer in the world will equate his work with effortless.

Adeptis, on 15 November 2012 - 10:55 AM, said:

So what you're saying is the feature should be almost literally effortless.

How To Reduce The Grind And Create A Great New User Experience

[Kraven Kor]

Arithion, on 13 November 2012 - 05:30 AM, said:

I think you all just need to be a little more patient. PGI isn't a large Dev team compared to other games that have gone through the beta stages.This means its going to take a little bit longer to get the new content out. Have a little faith, I think they will being something out during open beta to help. I don't imagine they would not give us a practive mode for testing our Battlemechs and weapons.

And I'm all about patience.

But, sadly, the brutal reality of Economics and the fickle nature of the modern internet user is not.

I'm not predicting doom and gloom; I'm just aware that every day of beta where things "don't work" for new players, for whatever real or imagined reason, is another day PGI is losing potential customers. Or so it seems.

There are solutions I am adamantly against (3rd Person View, "give everyone everything for free")

But the game needs a robust, in-game, tutorial and training grounds for new players.

I know robust and working game programming doesn't happen overnight. I'm flabbergasted that they haven't said "Hey, here's a tutorial video for now, we are working on an in-game tutorial and training grounds." My brain cannot wrap around why they did not just go immediately to phase 3 of matchmaker or split the premade / lone wolf queues or whatever. I know that I don't know everything and respect that this may not be as simple as we want to make it, but again, it seems the obvious and best solution and the one with the most player support.

And most of us would be patient if they said "We are making an in-game tutorial and expect to have more info on ETA soon." Anything.

Instead, we get "Hey, we're adding 3rd Person View."

Not mad. Not quitting. Just... pointing out the hilarity of it all

Edited by Kraven Kor, 15 November 2012 - 11:25 AM.