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This is a hypothetical look ahead at post-launch MWO as I hope it will be realized and includes, in a roundabout way, many suggestions to the dev team. The format doesn't directly appeal to a debate or discussion (there's a tl;dr at the bottom if you need it), but I'm still curious what you think. If this vision appeals to you, I invite you to vote in favor of it in the poll. If not, vote your disapproval and explain why. Then think about what you hope MWO will be like and tell us.
Where to begin?
The simulation experience and immersion in MWO is top-notch. In that respect, think "Far Cry 2". The game client is nearly invisible when I'm piloting a 'Mech. All information about the battlefield is delivered through a fully-customizable HUD and the voiced audio warnings we all know and love (the default is nice but there are premium content computer voice packs available). When I pull up an overhead map of a battlefield, for instance, it appears in front of me as a holographic image that I can manipulate in my HUD rather than switching my view to an out-of-body 2D screen. My head movements can be independent of the Mech's torso, so I can look around the cockpit and really get the sense that I'm piloting a massive war machine rather than being one.
In fact, that's one of the game's biggest selling points. The audio-visual experience is pure gold. From the cockpit, you feel the size and power of the 'Mechs as they were meant to be. Weapons have the appropriate amount of oomph, freem, and shoom as applicable, and the 'Mechs move through the environments with thunderous but fluid power. Incoming fire hits with heavy force, jostling your view in the cockpit, and battle damage invites the foreboding sounds of distant clanking and banging among the struggling machinery and the eerie groaning of metal fatigue.
On the outside, I can customize the appearance of any 'Mech that I own by changing the paint job and applying decals, but my options are not limitless. Some faction-specific paint/camo options and decals are earned through gameplay while others are premium paid content. Colors are chosen from thematic palettes (desert-themed, urban-themed, jungle-themed, faction colors, etc) and everything meshes with the setting so that it's actually kind of hard to create an obnoxious custom skin that breaks immersion for other players.
Ranked battles (FFA lone wolf fights, arena duels, or lance team matches) are the only way to earn cash, improve my character's stats (both gameplay-affecting skills as well as achievements and ladder data like kill ratios), or affect the ebb and flow of House influences in the persistent game world. Of course, if I'm looking for some instant action or simply some gameplay free of major consequences, I can always host or join custom (simulator/training) battles within my lance or company to enjoy some combat and try new things without influencing my piloting stats, bank account, or the struggles between the Houses.
Chassis tonnage, power plant size, armaments, ammunition types and amounts, optical and comms packages, all the other optional equipment choices, and some specialty pilot training (basically just buffs) affect your 'Mech's combat value. Lone wolf matches place a maximum allowable combat value on individual 'Mechs while team battles limit it by lance. As a team, my lance can field a lower total tonnage of 'Mechs in exchange for access to alternative drop zones, staggered drops, better off-screen supporting fire, or other genuinely valuable tactical advantages. If we field a heavier tonnage, those options are fewer. It really is a zero sum game and makes for some interesting strategies in matches with several lances on both sides.
Some of those tactical advantages probably aren't what you'd expect. For instance, a lance or force leader could use some of the team's combat power to "deploy" a temporary severe weather event like a sandstorm. It may not be as plain and simple as artillery support, but if you come equipped with the right optics and weapons, even the weather can be your ally.
This works because of how key information is to success on the MWO battlefield. I always want more of it and I want to keep the enemy from gathering any. So while scouts and recon tech are very important in MWO, I have options for defeating them like radar-baffling armor coating, thermal stealth, and electronic jamming and decoys that can disrupt or distort the other side's picture of the fight. Controlling what the enemy sees -- or thinks he's seeing -- makes for deadly ambushes and really legitimizes fielding the light-tonnage/heavy-intel 'Mechs.
The game has a 'Mech lab feature that I can even use offline to try out different equipment and fittings on my 'Mechs and see how their stats change. I can also use it to outfit and wargame entire lance set-ups in the same way. This is a great way to explore my options as both a single pilot and a lance leader, and min-maxing isn't much of an issue because battles are fairly well balanced anyway.
Character progression in MWO feels more like EVE Online or even Team Fortress in that you don't really need high stats or elite equipment to succeed (or at least be useful) in combat. The game stays true to its simulator heritage, emphasizing player ingenuity and initiative over character stats and levels. The dummy who poorly fits an 80-ton 'Mech and ignores his lancemates loses to the competent team-oriented pilot in a 40-ton that is properly equipped for the environment.
The Free-to-Play model brought a lot of players into the game that otherwise would probably have passed on it. 'Mechs, weapons, equipment, and support abilities are all purchased or earned exclusively through gameplay. You can't buy C-bills with real dollars either. The real money comes out for things like customizable skins and decals, avatar accessories, creating merc companies, use of premium forum and community features, priority access to faster servers, and (most importantly) for larger 'Mech hangars.
Refitting a 'Mech costs a little bit of game cash each time. It also takes between a few seconds to a few minutes depending on how much you're changing. Charmingly, refits are accompanied by neat animations in the hangar screen as weapons are detached and carted off, ammunition is loaded into magazines, and some poor guy drops down from the catwalk scaffolding to squeegee your cockpit windows. And you've always got voice and text chat to bide your time.
But let's not forget about post-battle repair costs. Repairs also take time. So, it's honestly much easier to keep a few 'Mechs ready to go at all times to cut down on the delay between battles. After all, you don't want to miss out on a match that's about to start because your one and only 'Mech is up on blocks for fifteen minutes while the engineers bolt on a new leg. I mean, your lancemates are counting on you. Rather than dropping in a battle-damaged 'Mech, $10 opens up one extra slot in the hangar for you to park a back-up.
...Or you can drop 10-cents for rush repairs, which restores a damaged 'Mech to full mission capability in less than a minute regardless of how badly it was damaged.
As a fan of science fiction/space opera and a roleplayer, watching the BattleTech story unfold in real time both in the game and on the MWO website and forums has been really enjoyable. That's another thing that real money buys -- the chance to participate in premium battles against Clan opponents (for now they're just AI bots with some Clan 'Mechs piloted by devs) during the initial stages of the invasion. Most of the time the Clan side wipes the floor with you, and you don't walk away with any Clan tech from the fights you do win (yet), but there are some neat RP/storyline perks like invasion-themed achievements and commendations from the Inner Sphere militaries. It's also a nice change of pace as the Clan content includes new maps and objectives.
Sometime soon, we may even get to roll up Clan characters (at a premium, no doubt) and have other players take on the role of the invaders...
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tl;dr
Suggestions:
Suggestions:
- Fully-customizable HUD in the cockpit
- Deliver information immersively (Keep how much of the game client we see to a bare minimum)
- Give weapons and 'Mechs the right feel of weight and power with solid audio-visuals -- this is very important!
- Ensure customizing options don't let trolls break immersion for other players with obnoxious paint jobs/decals
- Include an option for sandbox battles in a simulation or training setting for some consequence-free instant action
- Support abilities/options should include drop zone location and timing variance and environmental effects
- Give us a Mechlab that can also be used offline
- Emphasize the information warfare element
- Emphasize player skill and teamwork over character skill and wealth
- Custom 'Mech skins and decals
- Avatar and cockpit accessories
- Different computer voice packs
- Better servers
- Additional 'Mech hangar slots
- Faster repairs/less wait time
- Clan content
- Offline-capable Mechlab with saveable configurations
- Merc company charters and premium forum and community features
Edited by Manhattan, 04 November 2011 - 03:12 AM.
