Gameplay updates incoming!

Thread in 'MechWarrior Online' started by Aylek, Jun 12, 2013.

  1. Aylek

    Aylek Administrator Staff Member

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    Paul Inouye wrote:

    Source: Command Chair
     
  2. Lan

    Lan Mech Wrangler

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    Read it yesterday, very interesting. I particularly enjoy the 150% overheat and damage scheme. Finally we will see some proper heat management skill instead of intentionally going into heat overloads on builds (looking at you, 5 ERPPC stalker...).

    But remember the way flamers work? They push you up to 90%, effectively now could make anyone trying a alpha to damage themselves. If the energybased heat multiplier scale goes in, even more so.

    MGs get a boost, 2000 ammo is 200 dmg? Suddenly the quad MG spider can do some good, eventually. ;)

    Interesting indeed.
     
  3. Michael

    Michael Grand Poobah

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    Do you hear that?

    Those are the tears of stalker pilots hitting the ground.
     
  4. UntamedZer0

    UntamedZer0 Well-Known Member

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    I like everything I read there. Nothing will have to change with any of my mech builds or piloting style.

    Also like how we have decided once again that MGs just aren't where they should be. WTF do you expect PGI when you put a weapon doing .0? damage in a game full of weapons doing whole number damage.
     
  5. FuzzyBunny

    FuzzyBunny MechSpecs Addict

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    Not this Stalker pilot Michael. I HATE how the PPC Stalker is the most viable Stalker. Even the boated Large Laser Stalker pales in comparison. I really want Stalkers going back to having both lasers and missiles once again. I'm all for balance.
     
  6. Morgana

    Morgana Dispossessed

    [​IMG] I wholeheartedly approve of this message!
     
  7. Marec

    Marec Well-Known Member

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    Hmmm - I'm not sure what to think. The patches I saw so far demostrated a tendency of PGI to overcompensate things that were "wrong". This however almost makes sense.
    Not sure how much I like the heat example with the 9 MLs tho: In order to shoehorn that into a build you probably have to sacrifice a lot, so why even slap a huge penalty on it ? I haven't seen that many 9 ML hunchbacks. On the other hand, I've seen 8 (or 9?) SL hunchies, is that penalty also applied to crappy little weapons like that ? We'll have to see...

    There's one thing that worries me a bit: I notice a trend to penalize undesired builds or tactics, rather than come up with a viable alternative. If that trend continues then the game is in danger of being crapified to the point that all the "good" builds are out, and only the mediocre, boring ones remain.

    I know, I know ... diversity builds are great. However that statement makes a lot more sense to premade groups than PUG players. I feel that might be a trend that brings back PUG stomping.

    What this game really needs right now imho, more than tinkering jump jets and PPCs, is an overhaul of the social menu, into something like a real game lobby where you can meet, interact and start groups. Once that is in we'll see roles being asigned, and with that diversity builds will come naturally.
     
  8. ahelland

    ahelland Active Member

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    I completely agree regarding the game lobby and am wondering why C3 VOIP has not been enabled. I mostly PUG and if I could actually talk to my PUG team then I think gameplay would be drastically improved. Does anyone know why there is a holdup on C3?
     
  9. Regina Redshift

    Regina Redshift Sass Elemental

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    It looks like lower-heat weapons will have less heat-spikes. So, boat them small lasers!
     
  10. Tsume Eiranis

    Tsume Eiranis Well-Known Member

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    No, they try to find a balance and not penalize the "good" builds. What we have is a lot of cheese and a very one-sided meta.

    And your point, while valid, is a big sidetrack of the topic:

    We talk about weapon balance, not group set-ups. And no change in that will change how the current meta works. Why else would 4 Men Premades run with 4 AC40 Jagers? Or boat PPC-only Stalkers?
     
  11. skribs

    skribs Min-Max Maniac

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    I think the goal of providing less penalty to smaller weapons is to go for that burst- vs. sustained DPS. Small lasers don't do much damage to begin with, so boat away! PPCs are the bane of diversity, so nerf them hard! The interesting thing to take from this is it might be more efficient to do a 3xLL + 6xML build than to do a 9xML build if all you plan on doing is alpha striking. Granted, you can't put on as many DHS, but it will incur a small heat cost.

    SSRMs look like they'll be a lot weaker. I wish there was a way to try and target a specific component with them, but as it is it looks like they'll be more for guaranteed damage numbers, but not for taking out specific components. Guess that will bring SRMs back into more popular use.

    Any word on them fixing hit registry? Because if SRMs are the better close-range missile and I can't even touch a static light with them...
     
  12. Burnburger

    Burnburger Junior Member

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    Looking at the maximum damage per ton of ammo, the machinegun will be the top dog by a big margin with the upgrade though there are other variables to take into consideration (damage spread & range). The machinegun will be a good option for lights and suddenly you cannot ignore that 6MG Jager troll.

    Weapon, Max Damage/Ton
    Machinegun , 80 (old)
    AC/5 Ultra, 125
    AC/20, 140
    AC/2, 150
    AC/5, 150
    AC/LB10, 150
    AC/10, 150
    Gauss Rifle, 150
    Machinegun, 160 (current)
    Machinegun, 200 (future)


    Edit: Machineguns will have a DPS of 1.0 with no heat penalty. rack'em & stack'em I say.
     
  13. Marec

    Marec Well-Known Member

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    I wish I was that optimistic but I make my living testing software (sadly no games, tho) and I know that coders love their "simple and elegant" solutions that always seem come with the option to bite you in the tushi in a most complex and undistinguished way. The future will tell, but I wouldn't put the pop corn out of reach :D
     
  14. skribs

    skribs Min-Max Maniac

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    I'm pretty sure Game Balance 101 goes something like this:

    Week 1: How to take your most powerful builds and nerf them to last place.
    Week 2: How to take your second most powerful builds (which would be most powerful after last week's nerf) and make them more powerful than the last one
    Week 3: Creative writing (i.e. how to spin weeks 1 and 2 as "intended")
    Week 4: Introducing bugs to distract from bad game balance
    Week 5: Fixing bugs to make people think you're trying to improve game balance
    Week 6: Undo your previous nerf partway to show it was a bad idea
    Week 7: Undo your previous nerf the rest of the way because everything else is so powerful now
    Week 8: Reevaluate the game based on the current setup
    Week 9: Re-nerf the stuff from Week 2 to bring them back down to where they were at the start
    Week 10: Review for final, which is pretty easy because you just do a lot of show-your-work via patch notes to end up at the EXACT SAME THING!

    At least that's how it usually seems.
     
  15. Verbosity

    Verbosity Dispossessed

    Shhh !!!!!
    You're not supposed to tell people :ph34r:
     
  16. UntamedZer0

    UntamedZer0 Well-Known Member

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    I find it funny how everyone automatically assumes that PGI doesn't want anyone to be happy and feels that they should balance the game into a position suicide.

    Seriously people. Do you honestly believe PGI, after investing millions of dollars and thousands of hours in this game as their flag ship is going to purposely destroy it just to make you guys unhappy? This is their cash cow, relax.

    Now if you are one of these peeps who like going after nothing but the cookie cutter off balance builds then I can see your sadness but ultimately you knew you were exploiting an incomplete system going in. The only advice I can give you then is go sob in the corner because we have enough people in duhnial whining about their pop ****s being taken away.

    ***ERROR***
    Adjusting to unwanted censorship

    T4RD5!

    Yeah! No bot going to rain on my second amendment and right to act a damn fool!
     
  17. Burnburger

    Burnburger Junior Member

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    Well with the nerf to the poptarting, I am seeing a huge difference in PUG drops. Especially the former poptarts if all they used was Highlanders, Trebs and 3D's. They are now using a way inflated ELO to learn other mechs and strategies...and it shows. I have been in horrendous matches that I have not seen in months. When I say horrendous it is lopsided both ways, I am like WTF at inept friends and foes.
     
  18. UntamedZer0

    UntamedZer0 Well-Known Member

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    Too true, the amount of 30 damage former pop tart Highlanders I see is sad.
     
  19. Soy

    Soy Min-Max Maniac

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    It's an arbitrary hand of god mechanic only introduced because PGI has no fucking clue whatsoever about how to balance an imbalanced game which is solely based on another game [BT/TT] that was never balanced nor culturally relevant/popular. It's the biggest sign yet, probably the first one I've personally acknowledged, that PGI bit off more than they can chew.

    That being said, I don't really give a shit either way because the only notion that any of us should take any solace in is the promise of an immersive CW, without it this game is dead in the water.
     
  20. UntamedZer0

    UntamedZer0 Well-Known Member

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    This game does hinge upon CW. If it flops, the whole game flops because lets face it CW and release is what many of us are still around for. If that doesn't suck us in then odds are PGI will be filing bankruptcy.
     
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