122 replies to this topic

[Zeh]

Thanks for the dev response!

On topic, I am 100% against choosing a mech to fit the map, regardless of whether it's through mech or map selection. It's a request from bad players who wish to remain bad but feeling good through using specialized builds that allow them to overcome greater skill/tactics.

It's interesting that every time I recognize a name on here as a decent/good player, they're ALWAYS against map/mech selection. Coincidence?

[Bryan Ekman]

Zeh, on 22 February 2013 - 07:50 AM, said:

Thanks for the dev response!

On topic, I am 100% against choosing a mech to fit the map, regardless of whether it's through mech or map selection. It's a request from bad players who wish to remain bad but feeling good through using specialized builds that allow them to overcome greater skill/tactics.

It's interesting that every time I recognize a name on here as a decent/good player, they're ALWAYS against map/mech selection. Coincidence?

With the addition of Alpine, players are noticing that their pre-existing builds are not as functional on a massive map.

Wouldn't it be nice to have the option to take four of your favourite mechs, each with custom purpose built loadouts, and select which one to field depending on the conditions? I think this would create some pretty amazing tactical thinking and play. This concept also bleeds into our planetary conquest concepts in Community Warfare.

Food for thought.

[Bguk]

Not having an optimal loadout for random battles is great. It requires a bit more thought and risk/reward for the player. I get it in regards to CW but not for randoms. Which I hope is the direction it's headed.

[Mackman]

Bryan Ekman, on 22 February 2013 - 07:59 AM, said:

With the addition of Alpine, players are noticing that their pre-existing builds are not as functional on a massive map.

Wouldn't it be nice to have the option to take four of your favourite mechs, each with custom purpose built loadouts, and select which one to field depending on the conditions? I think this would create some pretty amazing tactical thinking and play. This concept also bleeds into our planetary conquest concepts in Community Warfare.

Food for thought.

HOLY CRAP THIS IS AMAZING! Quick question: Would the choosing be done in a lobby where you could communicate with your team? ("I can bring ECM!" "I can bring LRMs!" "Oh, then I'll bring TAG!")

[Antares Reborn]

Team Leader, on 20 February 2013 - 06:59 PM, said:

thats technically cheating, like trading insider information in stocks

So glad we took all our amphibious vehicles into Iraq. Oh wait, we didn't because we knew we were going to a desert and took our tanks.

Can't even pick a camo pattern/colors to help right now. what's the point?

[Tennex]

Bryan Ekman, on 22 February 2013 - 07:59 AM, said:

With the addition of Alpine, players are noticing that their pre-existing builds are not as functional on a massive map.

Wouldn't it be nice to have the option to take four of your favourite mechs, each with custom purpose built loadouts, and select which one to field depending on the conditions? I think this would create some pretty amazing tactical thinking and play. This concept also bleeds into our planetary conquest concepts in Community Warfare.

Food for thought.

what will happen to chassis balance and match making if people can just switch between chassis once they are already matched.

[Gaan Cathal]

miscreant, on 21 February 2013 - 08:43 AM, said:

Everybody is so worried about what might happen, you refuse to see the benefits of choosing a map to play on.

If you KNOW what map you'll be playing on, then choose the mech that suits you. Otherwise, don't....

That is the problem. Suddenly you need an cool-running long ranged mech for Caustic, a who-cares-about-the-heat-moar-deeps boat for the cold maps (Frozen City) a fast, long ranged mech for Alpine... As it stands, when I drop in an overly hot mech, I know I risk being hampered if I get landed on Caustic, I also know I might have an advantage on Frozen City over a cooler build. The random map selection has a direct effect on mech design and makes that element of the game more complex. With selected maps, that goes right out of the window and the cookie cutter becomes even more potent.

Ngamok, on 21 February 2013 - 01:39 PM, said:

I hope not. Otherwise de_Dust - Nuketown 24/7

Also this.

[Katniss Everdeen]

I think we need to be able to chose as well because last night i played 20 matches, 17 were frozen city and three were river city night, the levels I hate the most lol.

[Dimento Graven]

Katniss Everdeen, on 22 February 2013 - 09:06 AM, said:

I think we need to be able to chose as well because last night i played 20 matches, 17 were frozen city and three were river city night, the levels I hate the most lol.

Almost opposite here, of the matches we played, we ended up getting River City - Night most often, and in fact had it upwards of 10 times in a row, and in match comments from opposing players indicated they were experiencing the same repetative map selections too.

[miscreant]

Bryan Ekman, on 22 February 2013 - 07:27 AM, said:

These are great questions for Ask the Devs. T

he short answer is no, not outright selection. However we are working on a "lobby" design called DropShip to allow players to bring in more than one mech to a match, along with some options to change camo specs, and upcoming <redacted>. We are exploring a voting system that allows matched players to chose a map to play on.

Then you have failed in your attempt at making a PC game.

This is not a console game. This is the PC.

Voting never works, you end up with people getting angry about the selection and LEAVING before the match starts.

Edited by miscreant, 22 February 2013 - 09:29 AM.

[Zolthar]

It seems logical they we should be able to chose our mech in relation with the map we'll be dropping in...

Like the army today, I'm sure they check where they will have to fight, before preparing the necessary arsenal... I don't Imagine the US army going to war in a jungle, but geared for winter combat...

Bryan Ekman, on 22 February 2013 - 07:27 AM, said:

These are great questions for Ask the Devs. T

he short answer is no, not outright selection. However we are working on a "lobby" design called DropShip to allow players to bring in more than one mech to a match, along with some options to change camo specs, and upcoming <redacted>. We are exploring a voting system that allows matched players to chose a map to play on.

A bit like in Starcraft, it would be nice to opt-in/out a certain maps, having a minimum amount of maps to be selected.

[Bguk]

miscreant, on 22 February 2013 - 09:20 AM, said:

If we cannot make the choice of which map we play on, then the game is sure to fail. Matchmaking on the PC is failure.

WoT would like a word with you. They have both(in a sort of way) but started out with only random games.

[Whompity]

I posted this in another thread, but I'll repost it here because it's the same topic:

There's another reason NOT to be able to pick your map:

It's not fair to everyone else.

What I mean by that, is... if you build a SplatCat and only enable maps that favour that build, your K/D and W/L stats are going to artificially inflate because you are always playing on the most advantageous playing field for your build against people on random-mode who want to experience all of the content the way the devs intended. Anyone random dropping into City is going to find 4/8 of the enemy mechs (and their own) are SplatCats. It really goes against the spirit of the game (and BT).

Picking your mech AFTER the map is selected is pretty much the same thing, really, just backwards, assuming you have 5 or 6 in your stable.

The dev dropship idea (pick 1 of 4) isn't bad, however... it walks the line rather nicely, making concessions to both sides of the argument.

A question to the original poster:

Would you be willing to have the game not affect your K/D or W/L in any way if you could pick your map?

Edited by Olivia Maybach, 22 February 2013 - 09:36 AM.

[miscreant]

Olivia Maybach, on 22 February 2013 - 09:34 AM, said:

I posted this in another thread, but I'll repost it here because it's the same topic:

There's another reason NOT to be able to pick your map:

It's not fair to everyone else.

What I mean by that, is... if you build a SplatCat and only enable maps that favour that build, your K/D and W/L stats are going to artificially inflate because you are always playing on the most advantageous playing field for your build against people on random-mode who want to experience all of the content the way the devs intended. Anyone random dropping into City is going to find 4/8 of the enemy mechs (and their own) are SplatCats. It really goes against the spirit of the game (and BT).

Picking your mech AFTER the map is selected is pretty much the same thing, really, just backwards, assuming you have 5 or 6 in your stable.

The dev dropship idea (pick 1 of 4) isn't bad, however... it walks the line rather nicely, making concessions to both sides of the argument.

A question to the original poster:

Would you be willing to have the game not affect your K/D or W/L in any way if you could pick your map?

So what you're trying to say is:

"We don't want to build mechs that are balanced for specific maps"

Pffft.

Answer: NO, my desire to play on a SELECTED MAP has NOTHING to do with what mech I have, so no. I just want to be able to select the map so I don't have to play on River Sh*tty Night, and be able to play the crap out of any new map release. PERIOD.

If you're worried that you'll select the wrong mech for a specific map, then you're already doing that by not knowing what map you'll play on. It's quite simple really.

[Dimento Graven]

Olivia Maybach, on 22 February 2013 - 09:34 AM, said:

I posted this in another thread, but I'll repost it here because it's the same topic:

There's another reason NOT to be able to pick your map:

It's not fair to everyone else.

What I mean by that, is... if you build a SplatCat and only enable maps that favour that build, your K/D and W/L stats are going to artificially inflate because you are always playing on the most advantageous playing field for your build against people on random-mode who want to experience all of the content the way the devs intended. Anyone random dropping into City is going to find 4/8 of the enemy mechs (and their own) are SplatCats. It really goes against the spirit of the game (and BT).

Picking your mech AFTER the map is selected is pretty much the same thing, really, just backwards, assuming you have 5 or 6 in your stable.

The dev dropship idea (pick 1 of 4) isn't bad, however... it walks the line rather nicely, making concessions to both sides of the argument.

A question to the original poster:

Would you be willing to have the game not affect your K/D or W/L in any way if you could pick your map?

I disagree, I think what you'd find is maps favorable to splat cats filled with splat cats, maps favorable to LRM's filled with LRM's (crashing regularly has the system tries to track the simultaneous flights of 1000+ missles at a time), and the rest of the maps filled with various builds.

[Whompity]

miscreant, on 22 February 2013 - 09:42 AM, said:

So what you're trying to say is:

"We don't want to build mechs that are balanced for specific maps"

You are wrong. What I am saying is: "It does not make sense to build mechs that are balanced only for specific maps."

Quote

Pffft.

Want beano?

Quote

Answer: NO, my desire to play on a SELECTED MAP has NOTHING to do with what mech I have, so no. I just want to be able to select the map so I don't have to play on River Sh*tty Night, and be able to play the crap out of any new map release. PERIOD.

So you are saying you would NOT pick a mech with an optimal loadout for a map if given the opportunity? I'm sorry, but I don't believe you.

Quote

If you're worried that you'll select the wrong mech for a specific map, then you're already doing that by not knowing what map you'll play on. It's quite simple really.

No, I'm worried that I'll drop into a map and face a force that is 50%+ comprised of mechs tooled specifically for that map.

Dimento Graven, on 22 February 2013 - 09:45 AM, said:

I disagree, I think what you'd find is maps favorable to splat cats filled with splat cats, maps favorable to LRM's filled with LRM's (crashing regularly has the system tries to track the simultaneous flights of 1000+ missles at a time), and the rest of the maps filled with various builds.

Are you sure you disagree with me? Because I think you just wrote the same thing I did...

[Haniwa]

I absolutely want to pick maps.

It adds tons of strategic depth to the game instread of those random fights. You could finetune tactics and weaponloadout, it would be a whole new gamemode. Id even pay realmoney to unlock that.
Nobodys talking about taking away random map-mode.

Also you could play your favorite map more often, so it adds fun, too.
Im starting to sucide on RiverCityNight btw, that map is aweful.

[Zeh]

Bryan Ekman, on 22 February 2013 - 07:59 AM, said:

With the addition of Alpine, players are noticing that their pre-existing builds are not as functional on a massive map.

Wouldn't it be nice to have the option to take four of your favourite mechs, each with custom purpose built loadouts, and select which one to field depending on the conditions? I think this would create some pretty amazing tactical thinking and play. This concept also bleeds into our planetary conquest concepts in Community Warfare.

Food for thought.

It's an interesting idea. But to me it always comes down to this:

You'll have splatcats on short range maps, PPC and LRM boats on long-range maps. The gameplay won't simulate what *I* think of as mech combat, except in a very limited sense.

Until I see a solution offered that doesn't mean "6-8 SRM boats on city maps", I don't think it's an acceptable idea.

Edited by Zeh, 22 February 2013 - 10:10 AM.

[miscreant]

Olivia Maybach, on 22 February 2013 - 09:50 AM, said:

[color=#959595]

If you're worried that you'll select the wrong mech for a specific map, then you're already doing that by not knowing what map you'll play on. It's quite simple really.[/color]

[color=#959595]No, I'm worried that I'll drop into a map and face a force that is 50%+ comprised of mechs tooled specifically for that map.[/color]

That's odd. If you know what map you'll be in - then pick the mech that suits that map.

You contradicted yourself.

Edited by miscreant, 22 February 2013 - 10:12 AM.

[Whompity]

I guess it wouldn't bother me so much if I knew the playing field would be even. It's bad enough to run into a few min-max'ed mechs now. Map-picking would exacerbate the problem.