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I doubt there's any need to argue the topic title.
I'm basing my statement simply on the fact that player numbers are uninspiring enough PGI has never gotten around to putting back an online player counter in the client. I will at least give them credit for not having one that fudges the numbers.
Its a grim indictment that the joke going around ComStar TS is that this weekend's 'Kill the Dev' event is a 4 man team mainly because if they'd formed an 8 man, they'd be stuck waiting 15 minutes in between games, or be griefed by the same team over and over running 8 X Raven 3L or 8 X Atlas DDC.
So bitter recriminations aside, here's my question. If the game is already on life support, why aren't PGI reaching for the low hanging fruit? Why aren't they pulling out all the stops to slow the slide?
I've heard all sorts of arguments about 'if PGI only cater to the hardcore, they'll go bankrupt'. I don't disagree with this, but right now, I wonder if PGI really have any idea who their real audience or what their endgame is for MWO?
I think right now has to be the lowest point for the game, simply because this is the first time there's nothing to look forward to.
We have 'Assault' (AKA Standard Deathmatch unless you don't like CBills) and 'Conquest' (AKA Assault, but we'll waste more of your time, and give you less money).
Then we have a new mech, the Spider, which is the next 'exciting' thing coming up. Except really, unless they really do some magic with its jumpjet capabilities (Maybe that's why they gimped every other mech's jumpjets, so they could give the Spider mildly better JJ abilities and claim that's its 'thing'), is really just a lacklustre light mech without the punch of the Jenner or the ECM of the Raven/Commando.
And then we have 2 new maps, the Desert and the Alpine maps. Again, ditto with more mechs, no one who doesn't play gives a crap, and those who do play aren't exactly thrilled they get to Deathmatch in new surroundings.
They're stuck between a rock and a hard place. They're losing the more dedicated players who have become pretty meh and jaded because really, there isn't much content in the game.
Then they're going about releasing stuff like mechs and maps, when this kind of new content brings almost zero new players to the game.
I honestly think they really don't know what they're doing anymore. Maybe someone in the office dropped a reality check on everyone by pointing out that unlike games like DOTA or LOL, where a new hero really is something exciting because of the way it shakes up the metagame, in MWO that doesn't really apply at all.
I love my Stalker, but really, isn't it just a slightly different Awesome? Sure, as a more hardcore player, I can point out things like torso twist angles, body profile, etc. But even that sounds like I'm just... what's the phrase... clutching at straws?
I'm a firm believer in 'if you want to say something bad, at least say how you would make it better'
So here's my 2 cents on things.
First, fix all the things that are frustrating your CURRENT player base.
Talk to the guys who have played all the way from closed beta, and are still kinda trudging along till now. Find out who are your biggest clans. Find out what irritates them, what they really HATE about the game. What's taken the shine off in their eyes.
You can ignore their pet peeves about gameplay. There's always going to be controversy about ECM and whatnot.
But for the love of god, this isn't 1993. Why don't we have a game lobby?
I know the argument is that as a F2P game, things like manual matchmaking will promote farming and whatnot. But guess what. Right now 8v8 is so dead, that those of us who are sync dropping for clan practice can do it whenever we want. I'm sure people who are dedicated to 'farming' will find a way to do so regardless.
Let people decide on their own 'points' value for games. Those who play things like Warhammer or the X-Com multiplayer, or even know how the Battle Value system in BT works knows what I'm talking about. That way, at least there's less problems with 8 X DDC teams.
Put a hard cap on the number of ECM mechs you can take into a match for 8v8 at least, if you can't see there's something wrong with ECM, even though people have found that 8 X ECM is a GREAT strategy...
And lagshield/netcode... my job involves hiring staff, so I know it isn't the easiest thing, but it really isn't inspiring when you guys are still trying to find a netcode guy on your careers page
Second, realise that while we appreciate your taking the effort to put up a roadmap, its only going to cause depression and make your situation worse when the final destination really looks as enticing as the end result of the movie Final Destination.
Fact is guys, there's very little to play for right now once you reach where we're at.
If you want to be cynical and say you've got my Founder's money, and that's enough, then sure, whatever, go ahead.
But if you're really intent on making the first half decent Mechwarrior game in a decade, then I think you really need to realise there are some things that need fixing, pretty damn urgently. And that maybe you need to see if you're really addressing what a lot of the community is concerned about.
Edited by Valore, 04 January 2013 - 06:37 AM.
