https://www.mechspecs.com/threads/patch-notes-1-4-52-19-jan-2016.10432/ Alright, with that out of the way, lets dive down into these patch notes. With over 30+ changes to maps, 12+ changes to the mechlab and mechs, and 8 changes to gameplay, this is a fairly big patch. We also see 2 mech chassis and their models out for C-bills, the Jenner IIC, and the Black Knight. If you preordered the Warhammer, it's out TODAY! There is also a new map to go with it, Polar Highlands. Finally, we now have the ability to go into the main site, and change our pilot names ourselves! Tell me what you think about this little TL: DR, and what you think about this new patch!
***breakable trees in the Viridian Bog This is good, those roots and what not can cause traps to some mech, where you cannot escape. New map looks like a flat LRM playground? Flat with few obstructions, better bring ECM and AMS. Yay for MC Jenner, 3 out of 4 models are great.(last one is useless with 4E1M and no extra quirks) Warhammer actually look sweet.
I bought the Jenner IIC package a la carte on monday because I wanted that CBill- earning, jumping missile monster @ 35 tons and it failed to disappoint me yet. Warhammer is nice with the BW actually obsoleting my old CTF-4X. The other ones don't stand particularly out to me yet, especially with Grasshoppers in my garage and Archers on the horizon. The 6R's PPC velocity is awesome, though. All in all the 'Hammers feel a bit squishy in the CT, but that might just be me. Map & Bug fixes are always welcome, but I have to play Emerald Taiga on my own for a final verdict.
Holy GOD this new map is terribad. Walk for 7 minutes, then get nuked by LRMs with no cover because of a Raven spotting for 6 LRM boats who are just waiting for this to come up in the vote screen... Wow. Alpine Peaks without the mountains and cliffs to give cover, make lanes, and break up the boring open plains. Ugh.
I have had few decent matches on Polar Highlands. I mean, I LOVE the design of the map overall, and the concept for play is great. Seems that the team that blobs is the team that gets walked over by an enemy who is spread out into a wide firing line, laying waste to anything that shows its cockpit. I have hit the map with an outweighed team or with an out-lighted team. If both teams were balanced a little better, say in a structured Private match of sorts, this map would be my all time favorite. Conquest is, imo, full on hell when almost all of your team can't break 80kph, but the enemy team has 4 Shadow Cats, Ravens or Cheetahs... The map plays well for the wise sniper who has cover fire to help them get the edge in trades, or the lights who can run the trenches quickly and spot for LRM 'mechs. However, once you're locked or sit still just a moment too long... you're toast..
The map has LESS cover than Alpine, is just as big (seems bigger because less obstacles) and it's flat... I refuse to run skill-less LRMs and don't want to have to run a sniper build just in case this comes up in the voting screen and every halfheart who's playing LRMs right now because they know they can gimp an easy score without ever even getting a single LoS lock is voting for their LRM heaven. I play mid to short range because MOST maps at least have a place for that... In Shitfest Highlands, it's either ECM light to scout or look for the HIIIIGHEST ant hill you can find so the 160+ LRMs don't instagib you. Fuck this. Yeah. I'm mad bro. How did this ever get past Dev play testing? I can hear Paul now... "Oh, this pushes the importance of role warfare and lights scouting, and makes Conquest a viable gamemode" (for 10 minute matches without a single player over 50 damage) ... ... ... Fucking pissed.
For the time being, I am completely in love with the new map and have yet to have a bad drop it. I can finally shoot targets at ranges intended Agreeing completely with @Marukeru, the blob loses and so do the unsupported LRM boats. On each drop I've done so far, we caught the LRM boats with their pants on the grounds before they could do much damage. I do agree a dedicated LRM group might be hurtful on this map,...
New map is disappointing, wish there would be more deeper trenches. And for the record role warfare is a fucking joke, it will never ever happen in pugs so they should stop pushing for that. YAY for new breakable tree fix though.
So far I like the new map. I wish the trenches were deeper though. But I didn't feel it was LRM heavy, actually most drops I've had on it were more into ERLLas. Sure, LRMs work and are annoying, but long range LRMs take so long to reach their target is easy to break line of sight (except if you're narced). But here is the thing: this map is really hard on mistakes and heavily punish bad positioning. Find yourself in a cross fire and you'll be shredded, by missiles and lasers alike. I'd like to see more maps like that (= maps with a very strong and distinctive style), but they they need to allow the players to prepare multiple mechs and pick one adapted to the map, or it will be very frustrating on the long run.
I agree with Chatt. The new map is uninspired at best. I can't help but think..., and I know there are problems going this way, and I may catch a lot of flak for saying this, but I wish they would open up map design to the community.... at least in part. They don't gain any revenue on maps anyway. They could open up a test server specifically for running and debugging the community designed maps, and garner info from community play testers on the viability of including them in official rotation. They could also limit the play testers to relatively skilled players to avoid trite and irrelevant feedback. I grow tired of saying this, so this will be the last time.... maybe.... what ever.... god, this game could be soo much more!
This kind of open map with clear lines of sight had been requested by the community for a long time. Actually, this would have appear much sooner if players could have submit their own creations. So if you hoped to avoid those maps, community created content is definitely not the solution you seek.
Exactly. Tons of potential. Looks great, but the lack of cover just means you have to have a Sniper or the least of all weapon systems, LRMs. A few more small cities (research facilities/resource farms), maybe some under ground ramps/storage garages, and deeper trenches could make it a pretty great map. I still think size is an issue, though.
I don't care for the map, but you actually reinforce the point I was going for. If the community has been asking for a long time, development would have gone quicker and PGI would end up spending less money on the map..... in theory at least. we might not end up with better maps, but we would definitely have more of them, and if they went through a critique system as I said it would weed out the crap.
I've only been on the new map a few times, but thus far I don't really mind it. You DO have to pre-plan out your moves, and support your teammates, but I actually didn't have much trouble avoiding LRM rain with Radar Derp, especially since my WHM build (2 PPCs and 4 MLas) was able to get out its payload pretty quick before fading back behind cover. A BJ-1X also tears it up there, with all the people running LRMs...anything like that which can get in close and unleash hell has a major advantage in that map.
With Radar Darp the map is actually quite ok. Once you get used to the map it is ok, still wish for deeper trenches.
This is probably the first map in the game where scouting is a huge asset to the team, if not mandatory. Yesterday I was in a team with no fast mech at all (something like 90 kph max). For some reason we didn't saw the enemy coming before they were at ~500 meters and they caught us unprepared. Needless to say, we lost.
Honestly i like the new map you have to play differently especially in conquest mod ... AMS was nearlly useless now on this map it is ok, Radar deprivation is real good, on this map like epikt says lrm shoot from very far on this map so radar deprivation work well. I agree long range lrm is really no skill but on this map with radar deprivation ecm ams it ll not be very effective, to me a good and dangerous lrm players are players who use their lrm at mid range but on this map mid range lrm is dangerous to play so np to me. For the new mechs Black widow warhammer is soooo great 6R i copycat the Enileph 4 PPC build and it was real funny not op but really funny 6D with the range is powerfull too but grasshopper exist so ... Warhammer is legendary and is sexy i really like it. P.S. As usual sorry for my bad english ...