8 replies to this topic

[DulyAppointed]

Machine:
- Windows xp dx9
- 5870
- E8400
- ****** ram (but should be good enough)

Let me first start off this review by stating that i'm not looking to argue. I'm going to give it to you straight. I'm experienced with coding gameplay and I have played mechwarrior for a long time. I will * the important parts.

Categories:

Maps
*The maps in this game are simply too small and cluttered. There isn't much organization to the map layouts and it results in new players getting easily seperated from the main group and cornered. The excessive amount of micro terrain NEEDS to go. Not just for the obvious reduction in polygon count for bigger map performance in future updates, but because your running into something all the damn time. When your piloting a fast mech, it promotes over focus on piloting instead of team coordination. This has resulted in me prefering purely long range support mechs rather than short range builds. This is more of an adaptation to the excessive micro terrain rather than teamwork, a bad sign as it applies in most of the maps.

A good thing about the maps right now is that teamwork is still useful overall (sticking together). If your caught out of position, you should be punished. The problem is the excessive micro terrain makes you MORE likely to get caught out of position on accident. This can be stressful rather than fun.

Mechs
The mechs in this game are overall really good. I would alter the damage ratios between different weapons still, but as far as component damage it is spot on. Kinetic weapons causing shaking is very realistic. Throttling is no different than the other games, although I would reduce the base deceleration more than it is now. I understand you can put in xp points for this through piloting, but the deceleration in combination with the micro terrain makes it a very obvious problem right from the get go.

*I understand you have to make money, but I feel that the "pay to win" should be toned down a bit. From my experience with similar games, the short grinding can be too stressful to keep up with and it can result in players loosing interest. A player that looses interest simply doesn't pay ANY money.

Interface
In game interface is awesome, except one very frustrating problem at least for me. I find the radar to be hard to use. Seeing mech positions on the radar and then looking for them can be frustrating because the terrain and mech positions look cluttered and mixed together. Perspective is relative, so it may be just me.

Current Bugs
- Mech textures not rendering sometimes when medium texture setting used
- On low shadow setting, particles and volumetric effects appear "rainbow-ish" if that is a way to describe it
- Game getting stuck in black screen after match, forced to shut down computer at one point.
- Social menu button not responding to mouse click event (happened after match)
- Mech not rendering in build menu randomly (i fixed this by going into color change and closing)

[Rushin Roulette]

I have absolutely no idea what you mean by "microterain". If you mean that there are rises and dips in the landscape and think that they are a bad thing... are you really trying to say that you would rather haev a flat map with no cover to hide behind if things get hairy or you want to set up an ambush.

You also wrote, that the maps are far too small, but you are regularily getting seperated from your team... these 2 points are directly clashing... if the maps are so small then it shouldnt be dificult to regroup with your team... its not as if you are walking 30 minutes in the wrong direction adn would have to hike all 30 minutes back to regroup.


All in all, it is down to knowing your battlefiled and communication between teammates. If you know where the rises and dips are, then you can also use them to your advantage.

[DulyAppointed]

Rushin Roulette, on 13 February 2013 - 04:07 AM, said:

I have absolutely no idea what you mean by "microterain". If you mean that there are rises and dips in the landscape and think that they are a bad thing... are you really trying to say that you would rather haev a flat map with no cover to hide behind if things get hairy or you want to set up an ambush.

You also wrote, that the maps are far too small, but you are regularily getting seperated from your team... these 2 points are directly clashing... if the maps are so small then it shouldnt be dificult to regroup with your team... its not as if you are walking 30 minutes in the wrong direction adn would have to hike all 30 minutes back to regroup.


All in all, it is down to knowing your battlefiled and communication between teammates. If you know where the rises and dips are, then you can also use them to your advantage.

You pointed out exactly what is wrong. It should not be an issue to stick with your team on a smaller map. Hence, getting cornered because your trying to flank your opponent is a bit awkward due to the map layout. This just pressures players to build bigger mechs that can handle the short range and flock to the center of the map. It goes kind of like this:

- Small mechs at short range are literally no fun in the big team fights at close range, unless you enjoy your screen shaking all the time.
- Yet, getting caught is extremely easy if you try to flank the enemy.
- The tactical options for big mechs are generally pressured to go to the center of the map and engage like navy warships

Both those reasons are due to the terrain and map design rather than mech design. Basically why I was saying that the mech mechanics in this game are very good, while the map design is lacking.

Edited by DulyAppointed, 13 February 2013 - 02:16 PM.

[sycocys]

Shouldn't getting caught be easy if you are trying to flank the enemy? I'd think that it's a built in risk of that maneuver.

Most players I've seen recently trying to "flank" the enemy are actually flying in from a front angle without any stealth maneuvers what so ever and hopping directly into the middle of 4-5 assault mechs.

[DulyAppointed]

sycocys, on 13 February 2013 - 02:25 PM, said:

Shouldn't getting caught be easy if you are trying to flank the enemy? I'd think that it's a built in risk of that maneuver.

Most players I've seen recently trying to "flank" the enemy are actually flying in from a front angle without any stealth maneuvers what so ever and hopping directly into the middle of 4-5 assault mechs.

I dont think you are really understanding this. I have introduced plent of people to this game and they agree that the map design is horrid in terms of openness. Flanking is needlessly difficult due to the micro terrain. Sure, a good enough player can dominate on the maps if they understand every bit of the terrain well enough, but I find no fun in executing the described tactic on these kinds of maps. And the needless difficulty, again, puts pressure on you to go with the dumbed down option. I find all the other mechwarrior games to have much better maps, especially living legends. There is money to be made out there if they put more effort into maps rather than mechs at this point.

A good map for a mech game combines elements of cqb and openness that give a proper role to all mechs, and allow you to focus on teamwork rather than excessively navigating the terrain (especially as a new player).

Some people on here say the ECM is op, which I will agree is in need of some balance. BUT, if you take into account the excessive micro terrain, it would be a lot less of a burden if the maps were more open.

[Corvus Antaka]

Bigger maps will hopefully show up and will make a big difference esp in the use of slow & assault mechs & their strategic value vs faster mediums.

[Mazgazine1]

I think we still need an explanation of "micro terrain" ?

There is only one map that I feel is "unbalanced" and that is Caustic valley for being completely open, however there are some CQB options - Caldera, 3Line valley and around the refinery.
The rest have many avenues that work.

The big issue competitively is they are not mirrored maps. They are asymmetrical maps with varying levels of cover. Though I have one and lost of either side, I have never been steam rolled depending on my spawn location.

I hope they bring out some mirror maps for arena play or something to make things more even.

[DulyAppointed]

Mazgazine1, on 14 February 2013 - 01:01 AM, said:

I think we still need an explanation of "micro terrain" ?

There is only one map that I feel is "unbalanced" and that is Caustic valley for being completely open, however there are some CQB options - Caldera, 3Line valley and around the refinery.
The rest have many avenues that work.

The big issue competitively is they are not mirrored maps. They are asymmetrical maps with varying levels of cover. Though I have one and lost of either side, I have never been steam rolled depending on my spawn location.

I hope they bring out some mirror maps for arena play or something to make things more even.

Micro terrain is like rocks, deep dips relative to size, verticle terrain, and then the general clutter of map objects that I find almost comical at some points. What generally happens is it looks good at first, but after a while the functionality begins to matter more to you. From my prior experience, any time eye candy and gameplay conflict, gameplay wins in the long term. I hated seeing players leave games, so I myself had to think through the psychology.

Check this out: http://www.innovativ...c11/topic11.htm

Basically, imagine the map surface averaged to a function that best fits the map, then subtract it from the current map height at each two dimensional point. What is left is a flat plane with lots of bumps. Those bumps are the micro terrain.

[blazarian]

I would put the "microterrain" other ways by saying "maps are too compressed". Everything is kinda ok, but the scale is too tight. They should stretch the map size and layout gaps from 100% size to 150% size for example. It is true in MWO that you have to turn the f out of your mech all the time and move in "narrow paths" almost because of the spacing of elements. Maps are crowded with obstacles.