179 replies to this topic

[Tice Daurus]

Great poll, and I think this will help PGI know what we want from them.

Here's my top 3.

NETCODE.
BALANCE. This in my mind includes weapons balancing and heat balancing. I could also throw in collisions into this possibly as well if I were to cheat a bit.
UI. Why? Because matchmaking is coming really soon anyways and will be done so no sense adding it in because it's already on it's way in. So knowing this, upgrading the User Interface/Mechlab will make things much easier for newer people to understand what's going on in the game.

Of course all of these are indeed important to the game. But the top 3 here should be the main focus for the DEV's.

[GaussDragon]

Tennex, on 14 January 2013 - 11:13 AM, said:

according to this poll, priorities are

1. netcode
2. netcode
3. community warfare


seems about right

Personally, I don't want to see anything approaching CW until the fundamentals are fixed. For me, it's kind of like the whole open beta saga when everyone was screaming at PGI not to do it. I think releasing CW without a solid base of content would be the same issue all over again, however CW does implement the less tangible players are content idea that I mentioned because if it's structured correctly, it will give a lot of power to players/units to shape the outcome of things, making for a very interesting meta-game.

[Shismar]

ELO, Netcode - more maps.

Overlooked the Lobby or it would have been third as I have been asking for it since I joined in CB.

I can agree with most choices so far except for the community warfare. Without fixes to netcode, communications, and an DX11 implementation, the warfare will not be an enjoyable experience. Especially, as distortions due to technical and game mechanics issues will have a real impact beyond an impaired K/D ratio. Not a good idea.

Hopefully a first step fixing the netcode will be taken tomorrow. I really don't like the lack of communication concerning upcoming patches by the devs. By now it should be pretty much clear what we are getting tomorrow and I have no issue with last minute changes. Happens.

[Thorqemada]

1. Netcode - let them feel the hurt of my weapons.
2. Balance - bring the damned ECM in line with other equipment.
3. CW - let the epic struggle begin.

[Tasorin]

Everyone of these options requires a high degree of faith in PGI to be able to deliver with the headcount and expertise responsible for the current state of the game. The previous statement is the problem and the answer at the same time. Based on ~6 months of Beta (Closed&Open) and the erosion of any type of working together with the community at PGI since late closed beta, almost all faith in PGI has been reduced to nil.

I don't believe PGI can resolve the serious net code issues in the short term. By resolve, I don't mean a complete and total fix, at this point I am just looking to be able to hit what I am shooting at that shows the animation of it being hit and actually registers damage. Not being able to acquire or retain a competent Net Developer who can actually run that team and deliver results in the near term is going to be a death nail at some point for this title.

Secondly, Matchmaking is absolutely not going to be solved by ELO no matter how much Brian loves it. Let us have a damn Lobby already and be done with it. Almost every single competitive unit who is left is asking for a Lobby only to be ignored as the march to deliver the least amount of hours required to check the box for ELO continues. This is probably one of the bigger issues that plagues both Pub's and Vets alike.

Lastly, you have mek builds which fundamentally neuter 80% of the variation afforded by the Mek Lab. When it comes to min/maxing for competitive play there are like a handful of viable options for Damage output, maneuverability and survivability. Beyond that its pretty much gimmick builds for lolz and gimmick team composition because playing the same optimized mek gets boring after a couple hundred matches.This is where the balancing needs to come in and frankly I believe that PGI is more interested in pumping out crappy Hero mek's for MC then they are in actually attempting to find any semblance of balance between weight classes and potential builds.

Bottom line, PGI is in way over there head and it's starting to really show.

[Shozen]

1. Netcode: + knockdown for lights brought back
2. Lobby: We can make our own ladder leagues (RHOD) much easier if we had a proper lobby and match dropping map picking option.
3.) Community Warfare: Becuase hey, it's just fun carving out your own section of the galaxy.

[Oderint dum Metuant]

Netcode : The base of the game, this is of utmost importance to promote a healthy game across the globe, and is the biggest complaint from the playerbase.
If the netcode is not brought into the year 2000, the game will fall flat on its face in short order.

Lobby: Elo is great for the new player and great for lonewolves, it is not so great for structured Team orientated play, the inability to match yourself against pre determined opponents is a great loss, Elo is about to make this a whole lot harder and next to impossible.
It does not need to be massively sophisticated.
Sadly PGI seems to favour the cotton wool treatment towards Lonewolf players, at the expense of teams...trying to play a team based game.

Clan Wars : The biggest (aside from the MW brand) draw to this game, was the discussion about Clan Wars, PGI were not daft, even they recognised this and that is why they released this information in depth right at the begining, they new by hyping up a grand system it would capture peoples interest.
Since then, they have gone very quiet about it, because they know they will struggle to implement half of what they have promised on a reasonable time scale.
The problem is, they already sold the idea to the playerbase, and if we don't get it quickly, the simple drop in and shoot for nothing in particular is going wear out fast, and retention of players will drop to new lows.


props to Gaussdragon for this thread, im sure it will be highly interesting and im sure entertaining.

Edited by DV McKenna, 14 January 2013 - 11:27 AM.

[Ihasa]

GaussDragon, on 14 January 2013 - 11:10 AM, said:

For me, new maps was up there but didn't quite seem as important to me as the first 3, but it's easily number 4 without a doubt. I want balance too, but I think that will be more important once they get all the major weapons/modules/first slate of mechs into the game and then go from there. As for the area I bolded/underlined in your quote, I completely agree.

You know I missed something in your first post I want to address too, the RHOD tournament and I see you are from Kaos Legion and probably played in it. I remember reading about that a lot not long after I first got my founders pack and joined the closed beta. An STO player run tournament was where i cut my teeth in competitive pvp and i loved reading about the RHOD in the MWO forums. That sort of community involvement is a major driver to gaining both new players and player retention; something this game needs to focus on big picture wise. One of Cryptic's many failings is that it ignores it's community and competitive pvp (well all pvp actually) and it seems PGI does a better job of managing this community. I feel it would be a terrible oversight to not have some sort of competition for both casuals and premades that is officially sanctioned by PGI to make a better user experience.

Edited by Ihasa, 14 January 2013 - 11:27 AM.

[WaddeHaddeDudeda]

1. Lobbies
2. Netcode
3. New Maps

All this game currently really needs are lobbies. This would enhance new user experiences (read = less stomping) and would make it easier for established teams to schedule matches/games.

The netcode is in need for some tweaks as well, but not as urgently than the ****** matchmaking. You can learn to lagshoot and deal with the netcode, but not with the matchmaking.

More maps would be a "nice to have" as well. I think the GUI is "okay" for now and we also have a shitload of mechs/variants already - so we need more maps to play on with them!


EDIT: What does ELO stands for? I keep hearing it all the time without knowing what it actually stands for. Thanks in advance!

Edited by WaddeHaddeDudeda, 14 January 2013 - 11:26 AM.

[Sybreed]

I voted for community warfare as top priority.

Other problems are also important, but they don't affect my ability to play that much. The thing that affects my MWO playtime is the simple fact that there is nothing to do besides blowing up mechs. No territory conquest, no faction bonus, no reasons to play more than 1 or 2 matches then leave for another game.

We need incentives to play MWO, and that would be my top priority.

[Armorpiercer M82]

1. CW
2. DX11
3. netcode.

[Multitallented]

I voted for netcode (of course), new user experience, and lobbies. The reason for lobbies is because if you can only play match making with a group of 4 friends, the game will be very limited. Most of my favorite times are spent in private matches against friends or in competitions.

While I don't think it is as important as the previous 3, I think community warfare is a huge priority. I know a ton of people are holding out for that.

On that note, I am very excited for the patch tomorrow and it's potential netcode fixes.

[korose]

Same answers as GD:

1. Netcode: Doesn't matter how much content there is if what we have is ruined by the poor netcode. This is the number 1 reason I see people complaining/quitting and needs fixing ASAP.

2. New user experience: Doesn't affect me directly but the health of the game and eventual success of community warfare depends on the number of players who are sticking with it. Terrible trial mechs and the painfully long period before a new player can get a few mechs and play with customisation (even with the new player bonus) will undoubtedly drive new players away rather than keep their interest and snare them into becoming long term members of the community and potential paying customers (helping the development of the game). New player help/support including links to recruitment forums and ingame general chat/lobbies where they can socialise and find a unit to play with should also be a priority as any game will always favour organised team play no matter how limited the preformed teams are in PUG matches. Players should be encouraged and given the means to easily find a unit and join the community, again helping to turn them into long term MWO players.

3. Lobby: Already gave one reason for this in my previous point. Lobbies are also required to facilitate organised competitive gameplay such as RHOD matches and future community warfare, as well as helping to bring the community together, allow units to practice effectively and recruit/test new members. The proposed matchmaking system announced recently is a poor workaround and not a suitable substitute for proper lobbies.

[HC Harlequin]

Tennex, on 14 January 2013 - 11:00 AM, said:

cool poll. never seen one like this before. wonder how informative it will be

Lol?
http://mwomercs.com/...-fix-one-thing/

[Vassago Rain]

1) making the game work.
2) adding lobbies and so on, so you can play the game properly.
3) improving the experience for everybody.

[HC Harlequin]

GaussDragon, on 14 January 2013 - 10:54 AM, said:

This is fairly straightforward, I want to know what everyone's top 3 priorities are (in order). I've tried to come up with 10 of what I think are the most frequent or broadly appealing demands. I know that many, or close to all of the items on the list are in development but this is also to satisfy my curiosity as to what should have been focused on retroactively too. I know that not all of PGI's staff have expertise in every single field and that you can't suddenly shift your entire graphical department into network coding so you have to keep them busy producing other content.

I'd love to hear feedback/reasoning on what everyone selected as their top 3 and why. It'd help me better understand why people prioritize the things they do in this game.

I'll start with myself.

1. Netcode: I'm a strong believer in getting the fundamentals right first before layering on more content. I know that they're working hard on improving the netcode but it kills me that it so regressed dramatically right when open beta hit and it's one of the most consistent fun killers for me.

2. ELO/Better user experience: I'm not a new user and I'm not the one getting pubstomped by vets so this priority doesn't directly affect me much. However, this game's learning curve is not nice to newbies and it's adding insult to injury by forcing them to use trial mechs (even with the newbie bonus). Originally, I would have liked to have seen S-Bills (starter bills): You get a certain amount of S-bills on a new account that act like C-bills only that any item you purchase with S-Bills gets a tag applied to in the database meaning you can't sell off items bought with S-bills for C-bills. Perhaps only give back a certain percentage of S-bills back for sold items since newbies will inevitably make poor purchases but keep the two currency systems separate. It's the mech that generates the the money, not the items.

3. Lobby: By far and away the largest thing that keeps me interested in this game is the Run Hot or Die tournament. A lobby, or anything that will help facilitate a better competitive experience right now would be much welcomed. The Run Hot or Die tournament is essentially players putting more value in other players as content/substitute goods for actual game content like mechs, maps, etc. While actual content only enhances the competitive experience, as people who love the MW series, competition was first and foremost in our mind when we first heard about MWO.

Or you could just go to this poll and get more topics...
http://mwomercs.com/...-fix-one-thing/

[Oderint dum Metuant]

HC Harlequin, on 14 January 2013 - 11:31 AM, said:

Or you could just go to this poll and get more topics...
http://mwomercs.com/...-fix-one-thing/

Except your poll focuses on Fix One thing, given the title and question of this one, i think there is a distinct difference.

Edited by DV McKenna, 14 January 2013 - 11:34 AM.

[Rodder]

I have a problem with your poll because netcode and ELO/new player experience and ingamechat/lobbys are basics that have to get done ASAP.

New contend and the order it is delivered are secondary. The basics have to be done first.

Edited by Rodder, 14 January 2013 - 11:34 AM.

[blood4blood]

1. Netcode. Fundamentals first - if the game doesn't play well, that will turn off users old and new faster than anything else.

2. Lobby. I saw on old MW4 friend in game, added him to Friends, saw him again several times, sent him in-game messages and invites, finally got his attention by messaging him here on the website. The in-game Social features are terrible. Also, to me "Lobby" upgrades should include some sort of matchmaking ability, so two teams can choose to fight each other at will, rather than trying to synch-drop repeatedly.

3. Maps. I'd like more mechs and game types, of course, but it takes a lot longer to grind out mechs than it does to get familiar with a map, so maps first. I'd love to see more variety and larger maps.

Edited by blood4blood, 14 January 2013 - 11:35 AM.

[GaussDragon]

HC Harlequin, on 14 January 2013 - 11:30 AM, said:

Lol?
http://mwomercs.com/...-fix-one-thing/

I was sure there were many threads of this nature but I can't recall one that was structured in quite the same way. I think the prioritization scheme creates a 'focal point' of development priorities and in terms of data, creates more ordinal and interval clarity.