83 replies to this topic

[Gigaton]

LordKnightFandragon, on 15 May 2012 - 06:24 PM, said:

Is this game going to be like WoT? you click battle and it throws your lances into a big Yahtzee cup and whatever it ends up with is what you get?

Matchmaker of some kind is confirmed (for Houses only?). Seems like you can also from something of an equivalent to WoT platoons.

This is from Ask The Devs 2:

Quote

Freebie Answer 1:
[DYMLOS2003]:
My question is are we going to be able to create custom matches so that we organize clan matches, play against our friends, create machinima, ect. ect.

[BRYAN]: Not at launch. Post launch, maybe. This is not a traditional multiplayer game.

Later in the thread, Paul broke the inner workings of the matchmaker to us:

Paul Inouye, on 14 May 2012 - 12:19 PM, said:

Yes, we have deemed that all your friends are not worth playing with and will hence hook you up with people our match making system determines as "Cool dudes".

Spoiler

Yes, you can create groups with friends and join a match.

Yes I was being sarcastic.

Yes, I still think your friends are not worth playing with.

Edited by Gigaton, 15 May 2012 - 09:10 PM.

[Dragorath]

Both 5 minutes to 15 minutes, it depends on strategies, if no real strategies are possible (to small area, no proper terrain 5 min)

Bonus: If the game is not visited be a lot of players (which I really doubt) yes, better unfair then no game. Otherwise, only if it is accepted by the attendend players.

[McScwizzy]

Who votes 30 minutes? Show yourself Paul!

[MaddMaxx]

Gigaton, on 15 May 2012 - 10:07 AM, said:

30 seconds to a minute sounds pretty good. No exchanging loadouts and 'mechs once you have gone this far either.

Nobody seems to have pointed it out yet in this thread, but the battle timer is set to 20 mins currently. Do you really want to idle 30 mins in pre-planning screen (with most people alt tabbing until the battle starts) to fight a match that takes 20 mins at it's longest?

Nothing personal Gigaton but:

There has been NO verified data stating that games are Time Locked @20 minutes . Where did you get that idea? The Dev are attempting to create a Battlefield/Map and in-game scenario's such that a typical match would last on average 20 minutes. There is no reason a Match could not be extended/shortened by the players involved.

If you have a Link that states emphatically otherwise, I will apologize and recant. Otherwise a Link to said FACT is required.

P.S. I just hate misinformation and its brutal spread... It is tough enough getting real true gameplay data...

Edited by MaddMaxx, 16 May 2012 - 08:29 AM.

[Vashts1985]

30 secs.

max

get outa here with that minutes crap

[00dlez]

Carl Wrede, on 15 May 2012 - 04:01 AM, said:

This is where the lone wolfs come in, you make your team and click the button and any place not taken will be filled with lone wolfs (or other House pilots).

QFT

Make your team and selections, fill numbers out with lone wolves and go straight to the game. Why would there be a delay of any kind? Fail poll.

[Volume]

Why do people think that any actual planning would take place in a pre-game lobby?

[Riogar Daylighter]

Five minutes is the best time for reasons already stated. This isn't a typical FPS it is more tactical. With role warfare installed a clear direction of each pilots jobs should be defined. Unfortunately with human beings operating the machines with diverse sense of worth it would cause the matches to be not enjoyable if everyone goes into their desired role guns a blazing without any teamwork or cohesiveness to their tactics and strategic movements. For example game starts automatically and Urbanmech joe decides he is the assault mech in the lance and goes toe to toe with Atlas Harry. Not very smart and it will happen. Sometimes with clear direction it will happen. I'm all for waiting 5 mins to enjoy the game and win. Then waiting a lesser time for Urbanmech Joe to realize he screwed up and lead 12 mechs onto my butt making the game less enjoyable.

[Toothman]

Volume, on 16 May 2012 - 09:01 AM, said:

Why do people think that any actual planning would take place in a pre-game lobby?

Because their only experiance with games of this type dates back to the Zone?

[Banditman]

For simple, random pickup matches, the pre-battle period should be 5 minutes or less. Preferably less.

For things like planetary control battles, I can see up to 10 minutes.

[Gigaton]

MaddMaxx, on 16 May 2012 - 08:28 AM, said:

There has been NO verified data stating that games are Time Locked @20 minutes . Where did you get that idea? The Dev are attempting to create a Battlefield/Map and in-game scenario's such that a typical match would last on average 20 minutes. There is no reason a Match could not be extended/shortened by the players involved.

It's from the IGN preview videos. There is a timer in the upper center of the HUD, which starts at 20 mins and keeps going down. In screenies we have seen, the timer seems to always be within 20-10 minutes mark.

My assumption that the battle will end (in a draw?) when the timer reaches 00:00 is conjecture, of course.

[Tarellond]

Riogar Daylighter, on 16 May 2012 - 09:23 AM, said:

Five minutes is the best time for reasons already stated. This isn't a typical FPS it is more tactical. With role warfare installed a clear direction of each pilots jobs should be defined. Unfortunately with human beings operating the machines with diverse sense of worth it would cause the matches to be not enjoyable if everyone goes into their desired role guns a blazing without any teamwork or cohesiveness to their tactics and strategic movements. For example game starts automatically and Urbanmech joe decides he is the assault mech in the lance and goes toe to toe with Atlas Harry. Not very smart and it will happen. Sometimes with clear direction it will happen. I'm all for waiting 5 mins to enjoy the game and win. Then waiting a lesser time for Urbanmech Joe to realize he screwed up and lead 12 mechs onto my butt making the game less enjoyable.

I don't want to challenge your player experience but did you ever play any PVP oriented MMO? Did you try organising a BG in WoW? Did you try telling guys where to go and what to do in WoT? And how about TvT games like bloodline champions or similar?
You don't need 5 minutes in the lobby, you don't even need 2 minutes. The thing you need to understand is that folks play the game to shoot things, not to listen to some random guy which is exactly what the commander will be for them. They voting you the commander doesn't change it.
Also, strategy and tactical planning works only if all players follow them. That won't happen, i haven't seen it happening in 15 years of internet pvp games and sadly i won't see it in the future. That is the downside with playing with random folks.

Of course you can wait for 5 minutes, but say goodbye to this making your chances to win higher, it won't. Forcing all to wait those 5 minutes with you will only mean more afk guys when the battle starts. They simply won't wait wit you, they are not stupid to stare at the screen, they will check facebook, mails, see the latest tweets and - whoopsie! They are dead when they switch back to the game window.

If someone wants to set the tactics straight, that is what lances/groups/whatever are for. The rest will not listen to you no matter what you say.

[MaddMaxx]

Gigaton, on 16 May 2012 - 09:47 AM, said:

It's from the IGN preview videos. There is a timer in the upper center of the HUD, which starts at 20 mins and keeps going down. In screenies we have seen, the timer seems to always be within 20-10 minutes mark.

My assumption that the battle will end (in a draw?) when the timer reaches 00:00 is conjecture, of course.

It couldn't just be a clock that tracks time elapsed in the current game so the Dev's can determine how their implementation is working out?
What better way to Log the different times various matches takes them to conclude. That is also conjecture as well btw.

P.S. Just for the record. If I drop in a Mech and look up to see a 20:00 count down timer, the immediate reult will be an instant Ragequit followed immediately by a Game Uninstall followed by a pitiful longing for a real MW game someday Soon ^TM....

Edited by MaddMaxx, 16 May 2012 - 09:57 AM.

[Bolo Warden]

Group commander/leader starts to gather a group....identifies the number of pilots desired...sets a timer to identify how long the leader will accept additional pilots to the group...timer ends, x number of mechs are then placed in the "Matchmaking" system (geeze that so sounds like eharmony)...the Matchmaker determines opposing group and both groups are given match parameters and location...2 min countdown begins so the pilots can select their desired mech's fitting (note: changing mechs isn't allowed as it'd void the Matchmaking criteria)...happiness begins and mechs litter the landscape...

[Gigaton]

MaddMaxx, on 16 May 2012 - 09:52 AM, said:

It couldn't just be a clock that tracks time elapsed in the current game so the Dev's can determine how their implementation is working out?
What better way to Log the different times various matches takes them to conclude. That is also conjecture as well btw.

Well, you gave me inspiration for "Ask the Devs". Clarification is always nice.

(And for the record, I find challenging unsourced statments to be absolutely correct, no offense taken )

Edited by Gigaton, 16 May 2012 - 10:00 AM.

[SweetJackal]

Strategy and Tactics are built and used before the mechs are even loaded. The Pregame lobby should be allowing you to pick your mech, that's it. Loadouts need to be done before setting yourself into a lobby, once you've set yourself on that dropship then you have no claim to needing to change that LL to PPC.

And in Pubs, the most basic strategies will be the most successful. Scout here, Support here, Assault he is about the most that the Commander will need to think about in the pregame lobby.

[Joseph Calvert]

Well, if your in the queue for a match, you should have already been in and done tinkering in mechlab, and be ready to drop.

Ready for battle means ready for battle.

[Riogar Daylighter]

Tarellond, on 16 May 2012 - 09:50 AM, said:

I don't want to challenge your player experience but did you ever play any PVP oriented MMO? Did you try organising a BG in WoW? Did you try telling guys where to go and what to do in WoT? And how about TvT games like bloodline champions or similar?
You don't need 5 minutes in the lobby, you don't even need 2 minutes. The thing you need to understand is that folks play the game to shoot things, not to listen to some random guy which is exactly what the commander will be for them. They voting you the commander doesn't change it.
Also, strategy and tactical planning works only if all players follow them. That won't happen, i haven't seen it happening in 15 years of internet pvp games and sadly i won't see it in the future. That is the downside with playing with random folks.

Of course you can wait for 5 minutes, but say goodbye to this making your chances to win higher, it won't. Forcing all to wait those 5 minutes with you will only mean more afk guys when the battle starts. They simply won't wait wit you, they are not stupid to stare at the screen, they will check facebook, mails, see the latest tweets and - whoopsie! They are dead when they switch back to the game window.

If someone wants to set the tactics straight, that is what lances/groups/whatever are for. The rest will not listen to you no matter what you say.

Well it's fair you challenge my PVP experience and I take your points. I have played PVP in all the major MMO out ther. My most experience is with SWG, EVE, and the Battlefield series which isn't a MMO but is relevant with this game. I've found from my experiences that well defined roles and tactics will win out versus most other forms of combat. Fortunately with this game being based mostly on player skill and reflexes it will be more along the lines of not should I work with the group but do I want to kill my group. Everyone will have a different skill set brought to the table and everyone wants to win. With this in mind I hope people will see it as I do but hell everyone is different.

I've always played with clans or guilds so my point of view may have a bias towards it. I'll take your 15 years and raise you 4 more. My first PVP game was Legend of the Red Dragon on an old BBS on my Commodore 64 Complete with beeps lol.

[Loose]

I can't allow myself to vote in the poll because the shortest time mentioned is five minutes. That is an eternity in the lobby and a huge turn off to a vast swath of potential players. This should be a conversation about seconds. (And this is coming from someone who is most definitely stoked that MW:O is more sim than shooter.)

Everybody's gonna have a 'mech bay with (after the first day) at couple 'mechs in there. Just pick one and let's get on with it. You can mod those things out on your own time.

If you have the time to tweek your ride after hitting the "Repair All" button in the (hopefully) 30-45 seconds between rounds, be my guest. No point in punishing everyone by keeping actual play time to a minimum. I can't imagine anyone who has been sitting in spectator mode for 15 minutes after getting their Jenner shot out from under them being *really* excited about having to wait another 10 minutes before the next round starts. I would, after all, like this thing to be successful.

[Riogar Daylighter]

I just thought of a compromise between the camps. 5 mins max time pre battle if both sides are ready in say 10 seconds then able to force launch the match.