ROADMAP FOR JANUARY, FEBRUARY, AND BEYOND

Blagg Zear · Jan 14, 2017

by Alexander Garden in [ Announcements ] on, Jan 14, 2017 2:00 AM UTC

Greetings MechWarriors,
2016 came to an end with a number of significant events for MechWarrior Online. The first-ever MechWarrior Online World Championships came to a thrilling conclusion at Mech_Con 2016. December saw the successful start of a new phase in the development of Faction Play with the release of Phase 4.1, while the introduction of Escort into Quick Play brought the first new QP Game Mode since the release of Domination.You can check out our previous December Roadmap and Beyond post here for a full 2016 retrospective.
All of us here at Piranha Games would like to thank all of you for a stellar 2016, and for continuing to take to the battlefields of the Inner Sphere. We are extremely excited for the continued development of MechWarrior Online in 2017, and we hope you are as well.
Without further delay, let's take a look at what’s to come for the months of January, February, and beyond, along with a special announcement to close out this Roadmap.

Patch Date: January 24th
Releasing in the January patch
Bushwacker (Inner Sphere Medium)
Balance Adjustments
January will see a number of balance-related adjustments, including a fix for AMS not reacting correctly to certain angles of incoming fire, quirk adjustments for 7 IS ‘Mechs and 6 Clan ‘Mechs – the details of which will be provided in full with the January patch notes – along with a reduction to Clan XL Engine Cooling Efficiency in the event of Side Torso destruction; bringing the total efficiency penalty from its current 20% up to 40%.
In regards to the Clan XL change, the balance dynamic between Inner Sphere and Clans is something that we have and will continue to evaluate heavily. This adjustment to Clan XL cooling efficiency is a step in that process, making the loss of a Side Torso more impactful on the performance of Clan ‘Mechs.

Beyond this change we have identified some larger balance points that we will be pushing after the release of the Skill Tree system, which will see some critical changes to the overall Clan vs. IS dynamic. More details will be provided about these changes after the release of the new Skill Tree, within the new context of balance introduced by the release of that feature.

We will continue to heavily examine the overall balance between the Inner Sphere and Clan factions through 2017, and adjust as needed.

Art Fixes
An array of art-related fixes are arriving with the January patch, including an improvement to the Marauder IIC ‘Scorch’ Hero Pattern, and an array of minor improvements and fixes for ‘Mech animations, geometry, patterns, and in a couple of cases, hitboxes.

New Cockpit Items
In addition to the items releasing as part of the Bushwacker release, January will include some additional Cockpit Items, including a long-requested, endlessly-versatile tool for patching ducts of all types. Rostered members of the three MWOWC World Championship Finalists will also be receiving their respective hanging medal Cockpit item in this patch.

New MechWarrior Online standalone client Launcher/PatcherParticipants of the MechWarrior Online World Championships are already somewhat familiar with this new launcher for the standalone MWO client, but as of the January patch we are introducing a brand new launcher/patcher for the standalone (non-Steam) MWO client.
The primary goal of this launcher is to provide a central method for accessing different builds of MechWarrior Online; specifically the standard MWO client and the MWO Public Test client.
The new launcher also brings with it greater stability and performance when installing or updating the client, and provides a more streamlined ‘launchpad’ for accessing MechWarrior Online standalone clients.
Full details regarding the launcher, such as how to get it and how it will interact with your existing installs, will be provided as we approach the January 24th patch date.

New Music for Home and Faction Play ScreensThe Home and Faction Play screens are receiving some new audio in the January patch, with the addition of new ambient music tracks for both screens.

Upcoming Announcements in January
Inner Sphere Light 'Mech Pre-OrderAs promised near the end of 2016 we will be announcing a new Inner Sphere Light ‘Mech this month, set to be launched for pre-order in the third week of January. As mentioned in the introduction of this Roadmap we have been deeply evaluating the current model of ‘Mech releases, both in terms of their structure and in their content. Based on those evaluations the Light ‘Mech you’ll see announced in January will likely be the last installment of our current single ‘Mech system, originally introduced with the launch of the UrbanMech back in 2015 and continued with the majority of our ‘Mech releases since.
You can look forward to the announcement of a new set of ‘Mechs in early March, ushering in much more than a simple adjustment to 'Mech Pack structure….
With January covered, let’s move on to what you can expect in the month of February.

Patch Date: February 21st
Supernova (Clan Assault)
New Skill Tree
The new Skill Tree is currently under heavy internal review, refinement, and testing as we approach the PTS planned for early February, and the subsequent release of the feature in the February patch.
The new Skill Tree is going to be a significant improvement to the customization and specialization potential for your 'Mechs, providing you with greater control over their role and performance.
We know there are a number of questions about how the Skill Tree will operate and what its release means for the XP you've spent and the Modules you've purchased over the years. Covering the entirety of those questions and topics is a bit outside the scope of this Roadmap, so we'll be issuing a dedicated Skill Tree post sometime next week (week of January 16th). In that post we'll cover some of the most frequently asked questions about the Skill Tree, and pave the way for the release of the PTS in February.

Faction Play Fixes and Improvements
Faction Play will be receiving another wave of fixes and UI improvements in February as we pave the way for more in-depth improvements to Faction Play systems in the coming months.
No February Pre-Order 'Mech
In anticipation for the announcement of a new 'Mech Pack in early March, we'd like to provide a heads up now that February will not feature any 'Mech or 'Mech Pack announcements.

Incursion Game Mode (previously the Assault revamp)A revamp of the Assault Game Mode has been underway for some time now, and we are fast approaching the home stretch. You can check out an advance look at the upcoming Assault revamp from the teaser video we released at Mech_Con 2016 here, though we want to point out that the final design of the mode will differ slightly from the build seen in that teaser.

While we are not quite ready to detail the full mechanics of this new mode, we do have two new updates for you on its progress.

The first is that we have decided to reframe this revamp as a whole new game mode entirely distinct from the existing Assault mode it grew from. As a result, we have named this new game mode Incursion.With the final design of Incursion expanding well beyond the initial framework set by the current Assault mode, we are planning to retain the existing Assault as an available game mode in MWO after the release of Incursion.

The second is in regards to its release date. Our most recent messaging from Mech_Con regarding the release of the Assault revamp (now Incursion) was rather definitively slating a March release, but as a result of subsequent alterations to the design of Incursion we are now set for an April release.The delay is unfortunate, and we apologize for another delay of this long-awaited release, but the game mode will greatly benefit from this slight extension in development time.

Faction Play Event and Reward UpdatesSpecial Events and unique, short-term Conflicts are the next major step in the development of Faction Play Phase 4 feature-sets. Before we reach that stage however we need to do some work behind the scenes to expand upon the Faction Play UI and our internal toolsets to allow for greater detail, substance, and control with these events than what the current Faction Play Conflict systems can provide.

Our goal is to integrate special events more seamlessly into the Faction Play interface, providing better context, more lore presence, and improved reward incentives behind each event. You can see part of our inspiration for these special events in previous official events such as Tukayyid, the ComStar Intercept program, and community-created Events, such as the recent Operation Great Dane.

Additionally, general changes and improvements to Faction Play reward systems are also a priority for 2017, with particular attention toward Loyalist career rewards and incentives.

At the time of this Roadmap we aren’t yet in a stage where we can provide solid ETAs for the above items, so keep an eye out for more details and developments future in Roadmaps.

Global/Floating ChatAdditional improvements to the in-game chat systems are slated for release by March, providing new levels of persistence and refinement to the frontend chat systems.

Improved Spectator ToolsThe Private Match Spectator system received a lot of use during the MechWarrior Online World Championships, and an array of improvements are in store for 2017 to improve the system further.

‘Mech IKAs with Incursion, the restoration of 'Mech IK was a feature we had originally intended to implement earlier in 2016. The performance concerns that initially spurred its removal back in 2012 have been addressed, but some concerns about the aesthetics of IK behavior with certain 'Mechs on certain environmental objects delayed its release, and subsequent priorities have pushed it a little further into the future.
We’d like to apologize to all the players who have been looking forward to IKs release since our past announcements of its reintegration into MWO. IK is still planned for release in 2017, but no solid ETA is available at this time.

Upcoming ‘MechsSupernova, releasing in February
Assassin, releasing in March
Roughneck, releasing in April
Unannounced Inner Sphere Light 'Mech, set for pre-order launch in the third week of January
Unannounced Inner Sphere Hero ‘Mechs, set for pre-order launch in March
Unannounced Clan Hero ‘Mechs, set for pre-order launch this April

And finally, a special announcement….

For some time now, the selection of weapons and equipment technology in MechWarrior Online has been an ongoing discussion, both internally here at Piranha Games and in discussions throughout the community. Not since the Clan Invasion have we seen a major release of advanced technology onto the battlefields of the Inner Sphere.

The time has come for a new era of ‘Mech warfare.

This March, we will be detailing the mid-summer release of new Inner Sphere and Clan weaponry and equipment for MechWarrior Online. The timeline is advancing, and with it comes not only a new array of potential weapons and equipment technology with which to customize your existing ‘Mechs, but the potential for an array of new and remarkable ‘Mechs to pilot and customize.

Coinciding with the early March announcement of these new technologies, four new ‘Mechs will be announced and launched for pre-order to herald this new era. The Inner Sphere and Clans will both be receiving two ‘Mechs, with at least one of their two respective ‘Mechs hailing from the 3060+ era.

While these ‘Mechs and new technologies will be released simultaneously in the summer, the technologies are not reliant or restricted to the new ‘Mechs. Upon release, the MechLab will simply be expanded with new weapons, new equipment, and new opportunities for customization.

These new technologies will no doubt represent a big step forward in build diversity and gameplay, and it must be stressed that we are committed to ensuring that the introduction of these new technologies doesn’t upend or undo the work that has gone into the current state of balance.While it remains to be seen how this timeline advancement will impact Faction Play and its current layout, we'll evaluate and discuss its potential impacts with you as we approach closer to release.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this glimpse of what’s coming for MechWarrior Online, and as usual, the items above are only a selection of things you can expect to see in 2017.
The year is shaping up to include more waves of quality-of-life improvements and refinements, along with additional features and items currently in the planning and design phase; so stay tuned MechWarriors.

A new era approaches.

Click to expand...

Source: https://mwomercs.com/news/2017/01/1693-roadmap-for-january-february-beyond

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ROADMAP FOR JANUARY, FEBRUARY, AND BEYOND

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