Disenchanted with the developers of MWO?

Hello all. I've been playing MWO :BETA: for a bit over 3 months now. I had played a bit back in closed beta but was genuinely disappointed. I figured hey, it's a closed beta, I'll give the devs some time. Here I am almost a year later playing and the only thing I feel has changed is that there are more mechs and a couple more maps.

What the hell do the devs do all week? Is their entire team devoted to art and creation of new mechs? I feel the game has made very little progress since closed beta. I feel that the little things in this game that are so standard for multiplayer online games are somehow ridiculously difficult to these developers: it's as if they're amateur programmers still in high school...

I have seen mods built in a few guys' spare time come together and grow quicker than MWO. Somewhere I read that they made 5 million dollars from their founders packages? HOW the HELL hasn't the game made more progress then?!?!
Perhaps they are just greedy. I wonder, If I were to drive by igp and pgi HQ, would I see the parking lot filled with lexus, mercedes, and BMWs? Or would I even see vehicles there at all...

Do they work part-time? Just enough to produce the content to get us nerds to spend $80 on some bogus 'phoenix' package, then just chillax at home or take extended vacations with ludicrous salaries? I get this recurring thought that this is all just some business ploy and that these dudes really don't love mechwarrior, but just want to cash in on this unexploited market. Marketing to the casual CoD newbtard, 3rd person mode, the fact that this 'sim' plays more like a 25 cent arcade shooter, pinpoint accuracy and convergence.... sigh...

Personally I am not spending another dime on this game until I see that these developers really want to and ACTUALLY HAVE THE ABILITY TO make MWO a great Mechwarrior game, and in a REASONABLE amount of time. They don't seem to have any problem releasing new hero mechs, but most features they dont make money from get delayed, delayed, oh, and delayed again, it seems.

It's god damn BETA! ffs they should be tweaking shit every week. Now they have 'test servers,' big woop when they're open 4 hours total 1 day per week. Need a test server like EVE online where you can just go test shit and stuff can be tweaked by devs and the community can respond! Seriously.

Ok im rambling as I get more and more worked up... [size=1em]This is just so frustrating to me because I'm such a huge MechWarrior nerd, and I've been excited about this game for years, and it is one of my last hopes for gaming. If star citizen fails too... I'm done, just done. Ah well, it's nice to let go of some steam.

[size=1em]So, what do you think about the devs and the progress of MWO and it's future and everything?

 

One thing I can tell is that they are doing a good job with the patchs. They are smart, interesting and PGI doesn't seem afraid to nerf the overplayed builds. They are pretty much listening to their players (i.e JJ nerf, weapons grouping, overheating, the recent poll on the eventual SRMs buff). I played WoW for 6 years and a lot of other MMOs / F2P and I find that they are doing a great job at tweaking their game. Maybe it's just me but I can't say that about everybody else (WoW devs do what they want, randomly, for exemple, and don't get me started on LoL / Dota. D3 devs didn't even change a damn rune or bringing new ones in ONE YEAR ).
With that in mind, the game should just get better and better. And to my taste it does.
Yeah they can make $5M but keep in mind that it's their only game. Did they say that they would keep the game as a beta ?
Ofc they want cash, everyone want it, they are not doing that for the pleasure, what do you except ? You can play without spending a damn penny. 3 months doesn't seems a lot for all this hate, play a little bit more, learn the game, master it, and while doing it the game will evolve.


If you are a big franchise fan, it's another reason to give it some time, don't you think ?

 

Did you registered only in order to post this rant? Not sure it's the right place...

As far as I understand, your point is that the game does not evolve fast. That's true. But it doesn't make it a bad game.
(personally the only feature I want is a Solaris game mode - for the rest, if they keep the game the same with progressive tweaking and balance, I'm happy)

 

Strong words mate! I absolutely can agree with you. I played a lot LoL before I started with MWO and I can say that LoL also only add new Champs and new Skins, and Balancing Patches over time. Its nothing less what PGI does. Its a MOBA game, where the Balance is more important than extra contents like Achievements or Quests. The only thing i was disappointed was that they didnt make a campaign. But ok, nowadays the devs make more money with MOBA.games than selling good stories. But since im a Moba.Player i like it the way it is now. Just waiting for more Mechs, more Maps and more Weapons.

Blagg

 

Allow me to set some things straight here.

First, yes, MWO Founders Program raised over $5m however due to agreements with the Publisher (IGP)that money was split between three games (MWO, MW: Tactics and SODA). This means 1,666,666 dollars per game. Not as much as $5m now is it? PGI and IGP are two separate entities and in fact are in two separate physical locations (PGI in Vancouver and IGP in Montreal).

As for the Project Phoenix stuff that just came out, ALL of that goes to MWO. Nothing goes to the Publisher for any other games and it all gets funneled back into Mechwarrior Online.

Next, I know one dev allegedly drives a BMW however he has car payments like the rest of us so chances are he didn't just fleece you specifically and go by a Beamer.

While I feel your frustration at the slowness of polish and release it is what it is. At the end of the day this is a FREE TO PLAY game. Meaning you don't HAVE to spend a dime to play it. If you do so then you CHOOSE to and Buyer Beware. When you paid money for Founders you got the right to get into closed beta. You got some nice Founders mechs as a bonus and some premium time to help you along the way. You did NOT pay for a finished product.

Purchasing the Phoenix pack is pretty much the same thing; you get some nice premium time (with a bonus if you bought early) and you get some fancy mechs with 12 mechbay slots but it is still essentially a beta. You are contributing to the ongoing development of MWO and NOT paying for a finished product.

EvE has those servers because EVE charges a monthly fee. I was a part of the world of EVE from Alpha into Beta and for several years of public release. Every single player that plays EvE HAS to pay and that is why they have the financial resources and venture capital to be able to afford all the things they use in their development cycle. MWO doesn't operate on the same model. You are comparing apples to oranges.

If you like the franchise then great; be involved. If you don't like where MWO is at right now then great; come back in a year. Stomping your foot and crossing your arms does nothing to further the development of the franchise.

 

With the understanding that this is a Free-to-Play (pay-to-win style) beta, I feel the devs do a very good job listening to the community and implementing patches fairly regularly. Personally, I agree they could spend more time on developing and improving the current game over adding more mechs in each patch, but, I think it is already a solid game with a good community. Moreover, I do not know of any other game where the dev team listens to what players want as much. I am a weekly raider in WoW, spending my monthly subscription and playing many hours a week to maintain characters to complete each Raid-Tier and, while I love the game, the Devs do not pay as much attention to what players want as to where they want to push the players to go with the game. PGI is a MUCH smaller firm and I feel they are doing a good job with their resources and giving us a fun game to play for free if you do not want to buy any perks.

 

Actually its in my opinion not a pay-to-win style. You can buy Hero Mechs only with Cash but they arent really better in Matches. So MWO is suited for fair competitions. I like it and already supported the devs with more money than i would had for a packaged final game.

Blagg

 

I noticed that, too. The last time I played--which was before yesterday's patch--I encountered some of the same balance issues that plagued the game since Closed Beta and I encountered some issues that were a result of the new movement code. That said, they have been making progress and I--as a software engineer--understand their pace, bugs and so on.

Ultimately, I feel like they're going in the right direction. They've created a steady trickle of new 'mechs, which keeps things fresh. They're making incremental balance fixes. They have promised to revisit terrain issues. And it is clear that they are looking to tackle some of the big bugs. Notice how our HUDs and Mini-maps don't Kirk-out anymore? I'm certain that the SRM issues will be fixed before too long.

I think their hearts are generally in the right place and that they are making good progress with the game. They are much more forthcoming with their issues and development than many other games out there.

 

lol. Me too... Much more than a packaged game.

I guess "Pay-to-Win" was a poor choice of words. You don't win for paying, you are just able to unlock parts of the game otherwise unavailable to you. (Colors/Camos, Hero Mechs, Owning more than 4 mechs) The game is just a lot more enjoyable if you shell out some cash. Which, I am fine with. These guys have to support their company and I am glad to be offered more options for some money.

Chatt.

 

Yes I registered an account on a discussion forum to post a thread to open a discussion on a topic about the relevant game. What's your point?

Well I'm glad some of you are optimistic, but after a year of this, I am not.

http://themittani.com/features/mwo-are-we-having-fun-yet

^^That article says much of how I feel.^^

I just do not have faith in these developers right now.

http://www.tentonhammer.com/opinions/the-cult-of-perpetual-beta

The game is essentially launched right now. If we just excuse everything because :BETA: then we are doing a disservice to the game as a community.

 

Nice to know they will loose that "its Beta"excuse soon.

I kinda have faith i them, also got the Phoenix Project. Its not my only game (GW2, Warframe, Star Citizen), but stil the best Mech game so far.

 

Realistically you are either on board or you aren't. If you don't like what they have then offer your opinions, on their official site, or leave. Whining and griping about it doesn't do anyone any good and since PGI has the licensing you are stuck with it. In fact spouting negativity does more harm to the franchise you claim to love. If this sinks do you think anyone else is gonna touch MW or battletech for a long long time? Probably not.

Basically I'm saying "behold, a door. It swings both ways".

 

I think the problem is that Mechspecs is a forum mostly meant for Mech build ideas and secondly for trading discussions about the game, yes. But you basically did a poll, which seems pretty clear despite few votes, and a rant on the game and franchise and condemned it to be a failure already... there is little place for arguments and discussion, especially since you are not here to be convinced otherwise... you have made up your mind and it seems, you want to spread this opinion into this forum and "convert" more of us into losing faith

Doomsaying, imho.

 

I will neva lose my faith. Nevaaa!!! I even have the faith for something like a big campaign with an epic story. Still have!!!

 

Ok, so, you're a troll.

[quote author=raymund link=topic=2317.msg13487#msg13487 date=1374147775] Well I'm glad some of you are optimistic, but after a year of this, I am not.

http://themittani.com/features/mwo-are-we-having-fun-yet

^^That article says much of how I feel.^^

I just do not have faith in these developers right now.

http://www.tentonhammer.com/opinions/the-cult-of-perpetual-beta

The game is essentially launched right now. If we just excuse everything because :BETA: then we are doing a disservice to the game as a community.
[/quote]
Why not say your own thoughts ? Isn't it better than someone else's ones ?

 

Maybe im biased because im a professional Dota 2 player, but, This game's creators move at a MUCH faster pace and actually DO listen to the fans.

Does Valve keep the players updated and informed? fuck no. Does IGP? o hell yes. on a nearly daily basis. Did IGP want another buff to SRMs? no. Did we get one because the fans wanted more punch from em? sure as hell did. People wanted a hero Atlas. So we got one (champion though...poor attempt but at least they tried).

Just go look at the "Command Chair" section of the MWO main forums and tell me they dont keep us updated. Use the "ask the Devs" section to get your questions answered. Mine have never gone unanswered and they even usually give me lil up coming spoilers as well.

http://mwomercs.com/forums/ to make it easier for you.

 

I disagree with almost every statement this article makes. There is plenty of room for players to learn and a few great communities (like this one) with very helpful, experienced players to help give tips on your loadout, game mechanics and tactical strategies. If you can play as a lance-mate instead of trying to solo every game, any mech available can be used in a certain role.

They have certainly listened to the players and have balanced weapons each patch they release. They even did a player poll to ask if people wanted SRMs buffed. How many Dev Teams ask players exactly what they want, then implement it?

PPCs and AC/40s were running rampant, and they did a good job making the mega-alpha builds less effective, forcing gameplay over one-click-wonder builds. I haven't seen many 5PPC builds running a match into the ground this week. This has also addressed the "mechs dying too fast" issue. There are less and less builds that can simply demolish a mech in a single blow. And if you're running into an entire team, getting lit up and have not left yourself a route to escape, that is a learner's error and shouldn't continue to happen. If a player makes a choice to leave his lance and run up to the enemy A) Without backup, B) Without knowing his planned fallback, he should die fast against 5 or 6 mechs concentrating fire.

I obviously enjoy the game, and, everyone is entitled to their opinion. Maybe I'm just viewing the game through rose-colored glasses. However, the author of that article is also presenting a very skewed and biased viewpoint that is overstating many opinions and claiming others as undeniable, when, they are clearly opinion based or not even in-game... I don't feel the author gave any form of balanced writing, it was simply a platform to speak out against a game which did not suit his play-style.

IMO.

Chatt.

 

If in the new future PGI will implement some worldwide Competitions with great Marketing and nice support on the Gameplay + adding some better ingame Tutorials to make it more attractive for new players, then this game will survive many many years. The only thing which still prevents the game to be more successful is the relative high system requirements. Not everybody has a high-end machine to play MWO very smoothly. In some few years this problem will vanish due to better Home-PCs. I think, what we just now experience is only the beginning of the future, and MWO has a big future, if the Devs keep implementing contents continuously. I believe that they have already planned great things with all the cash they get from us now. Just like LOL. I believe there will also be international competitions with Teams/Clans, if PGI is smart enough to run such campaigns. Maybe they even add some story elements to such competition events, so we will experience a lot more of the Battletech Universe than now. I really hope+wish that the Devs can make such great Ideas Reality. LOL/Riot Games just showed that a simple "Beta".Game is functioning very well with overwhelming success. PGI still has to learn and experiment, and they are still recruiting new crew.members.

I think, we just have to be more patient with nowadays big scale MOBA.Game Projects. The main problem is the Stability on their servers. Now they are testing the 12v12 clients, which i believe will be standard next year. Maybe in two years, we are fighting 16v16 matches just like World of Tanks. That would be awesome. If you imagine, when the time is ready for introducing the Clan Wars, its logical to have matches with more Fighters, otherwise the experience wouldnt be real enough.

By the way, @raymund, have you already communicated with the Devs.Team to tell them your wishes/feedback/opinion? Have you ever donated cash to support them or did you only play for free? I think, this would be better/more effective than complaining in fan.forums. If you dont like the game as it is now, then maybe you wait for a better version in the near future, by looking/trying at it again. Just as I did with LOL (-and i was surprised, when i look at the current version compared to the versions in the last yrs). Be patient and give the Dev.Team a Chance.

Blagg

 

I don't have any rage-inducing complaints about how the game is going but if they do patch something that breaks the game (now and then) I do take time off to do something else after posting my feedback on the forums. I come back once they fix stuff!


And by break I mean nearly unplayable (LRMageddon - the 2 volleys kill 1 atlas version, broken hit detection that won't allow 300ms to hit anything, frequent client crashes, etc).