There are some pretty sweet explosions in this game
Looks like someone put ammo in their arms. Whoops.
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MechWarrior Online - News and Information Thread
- Thread starter Orayn
- Start date
Looks like someone put ammo in their arms. Whoops.
There are some pretty sweet explosions in this game
That's one thing I wish they'd change. They should keep you in cockpit view as your mech is blowing up and then ejecting you rather than switching to an outside camera.
Strip out all armor from the arms, lower the engine a bit. Fill it to the brim with ammo, leaving a bit of room for a medium laser or two, and a heat sink and AMS. That works for me.
Alright, I'll give that a whirl - Thanks.
Woohoo, no more bloody NDA!
I love this game so much. Yeah, it's in beta, and still has some issues, but at its core the game is loads of fun to play. It's basically MechWarrior.
What I really enjoy is that all mech types have their uses, it's not just a race towards the biggest mech where the team with the more firepower wins by default. Lights are incredibly useful for scouting and spotting (for LRMs), as well as harassing dispersed enemy units. The enemy long-range mechs won't be supporting their team when you have a Jenner shooting them in the back. A good light pilot is incredibly dangerous. An Atlas deciding to go off on its own without proper team support is in big trouble if it gets ambushed by a Jenner. Mediums are great as close or longrange support. They've very durable despite their tonnage, and their maneuverability is great during melees. I really like running my AC-20 hunchback with an Atlas buddy, and I'll flank enemies while he handles the main enemy firepower. On the Heavy side, Dragons are loads of fun. At a default 81kph, it's relatively fast, so it works as a great skirmisher/flanker. Without an XL engine (too expensive, especially with current repair costs!), it's still very good with a Gauss and some lasers. For the Atlas itself, yes it's a staple, and yes a lot of beginners want to jump into, but I actually don't find it beginner-friendly at all. You get put into a slow mech with tons of weapons. Most enemies will outmaneuver you, and you'll probably overshoot and overheat. It took me playing around with the mech types before appreciating the Atlas more (and more importantly, realizing its weaknesses and minimizing them); it is incredibly fun to play with, of course.
My favorite in-game mechs are probably Jenner and Dragon. Then Hunch. Atlas and Centurion (which just seems underpowered at first glance - it's actually not bad). I'm someone less keen on the Catapult (not a fan of LRM-boating, and I don't like the dual-gauss sniping - I'd rather bring the gauss into a firefight with a dragon), Awesome (this works best as a long-range support with strong firepower, I think), and Commando (3 stream-SRM's, hehehehe) - though they are fun too. I like all the mechs!
The game really comes on its own with a proper group. Coordinating lances with VoIP with a team is amazing. This is probably my GOTY.
Running around with a Hunchback, having your right torso AC-20 blown off, then your left arm laser, and still surviving the firefight as an armless torso with just a small laser attached to your head is such a great feeling, hehehehehe.
I love this game so much. Yeah, it's in beta, and still has some issues, but at its core the game is loads of fun to play. It's basically MechWarrior.
What I really enjoy is that all mech types have their uses, it's not just a race towards the biggest mech where the team with the more firepower wins by default. Lights are incredibly useful for scouting and spotting (for LRMs), as well as harassing dispersed enemy units. The enemy long-range mechs won't be supporting their team when you have a Jenner shooting them in the back. A good light pilot is incredibly dangerous. An Atlas deciding to go off on its own without proper team support is in big trouble if it gets ambushed by a Jenner. Mediums are great as close or longrange support. They've very durable despite their tonnage, and their maneuverability is great during melees. I really like running my AC-20 hunchback with an Atlas buddy, and I'll flank enemies while he handles the main enemy firepower. On the Heavy side, Dragons are loads of fun. At a default 81kph, it's relatively fast, so it works as a great skirmisher/flanker. Without an XL engine (too expensive, especially with current repair costs!), it's still very good with a Gauss and some lasers. For the Atlas itself, yes it's a staple, and yes a lot of beginners want to jump into, but I actually don't find it beginner-friendly at all. You get put into a slow mech with tons of weapons. Most enemies will outmaneuver you, and you'll probably overshoot and overheat. It took me playing around with the mech types before appreciating the Atlas more (and more importantly, realizing its weaknesses and minimizing them); it is incredibly fun to play with, of course.
My favorite in-game mechs are probably Jenner and Dragon. Then Hunch. Atlas and Centurion (which just seems underpowered at first glance - it's actually not bad). I'm someone less keen on the Catapult (not a fan of LRM-boating, and I don't like the dual-gauss sniping - I'd rather bring the gauss into a firefight with a dragon), Awesome (this works best as a long-range support with strong firepower, I think), and Commando (3 stream-SRM's, hehehehe) - though they are fun too. I like all the mechs!
The game really comes on its own with a proper group. Coordinating lances with VoIP with a team is amazing. This is probably my GOTY.
Running around with a Hunchback, having your right torso AC-20 blown off, then your left arm laser, and still surviving the firefight as an armless torso with just a small laser attached to your head is such a great feeling, hehehehehe.
BattleMonkey
Member
Game is excellent, they just need to add more meat with the features they have planned and more mechs/maps
michaelius
Banned
Yeah game is freaking amazing - i nearly stopped playing World of tanks after i got beta access to this
Altrough they really need a lot of work - first they have to make mechlab finally work in fullscreen mode, then add some kind of console window like WoT has where you could see reports from battles that you left after death to play another one plus rebalancing of weapons plus bug fixes and optimisations for cry engine.
Now i'm really tempted to buy founders pack - since i'll be buying hangar space and premium anyway so i can as well get better value now.
Altrough they really need a lot of work - first they have to make mechlab finally work in fullscreen mode, then add some kind of console window like WoT has where you could see reports from battles that you left after death to play another one plus rebalancing of weapons plus bug fixes and optimisations for cry engine.
Now i'm really tempted to buy founders pack - since i'll be buying hangar space and premium anyway so i can as well get better value now.
My Gaussapult config:
XL210 engine
2 Gauss rifles
7 tons gauss ammo
2 medium lasers
0 heatsinks
Full armor allocation on CT, high-medium on other areas, low on legs.
I completely agree. The fact that the weight classes are so balanced make the game so much fun and diverse. Obviously the lower classes depend much on the level of skill of the pilot, but I've seen 4-5 lights take apart a whole team.
You should try out the Cata C4 with 4xSSRM2 and a 310 engine (70-80 kph). Light mechs are worthless against it and it's easy to pick apart assaults from behind.
You have no idea how many hunchs I've seen running around with no arms, no right/left torsos, but still functional enough to get one kill or a base capture.
As someone who plays with Jenners a lot I crapping hate these things.
Really wish they'd fix the flitting around when standing up though, makes ramming a lot less viable than it should be.
michaelius
Banned
Hmm opinions on which founder mech to choose ?
Elite pack is overkill but i can easily see me consuming 10-20k mc over the lifespan of game so i can as well buy it now when it offers some good benefits
Elite pack is overkill but i can easily see me consuming 10-20k mc over the lifespan of game so i can as well buy it now when it offers some good benefits
Hmm opinions on which founder mech to choose ?
Elite pack is overkill but i can easily see me consuming 10-20k mc over the lifespan of game so i can as well buy it now when it offers some good benefits
Entirely down to your preference, they're all very solid mechs so it's up to you what style of play suits.
Out of curiosity, what do you find better about LL?
Planned player limit is 12v12, but the matchmaker is only doing 8v8 right now to make balancing a little easier. If Caustic Valley is any indication, more large maps are definitely on the way.
PjotrStroganov
Member
I don't like the way 'free' players are being treated right now. Every player should be rewarded with a customizeable mech much more quickly. Even with the current system , it takes too long to get a mech that doesn't suck. Having to play with mediocre mechs will put people off. Big time. And it will bite piranha in the ass very quickly if there isn't a userbase being built up.
Sax Russel
Banned
Grinding out that initial period in the godawful trial mechs (combined with the matchmaking just tossing you against premades constantly) is probably the worst gaming related experience I've had since playing Force Unleashed 2 =O
Gets much better after that, but I can totally see people dropping it long before then, since it takes like ~40+ matches (aka roflstomped losses) to get enough to buy yourself a real mech. Mostly it was memories of MW2 that kept me going.
Winterblink
Member
How does XP gain work with this? I've been playing for a couple of weeks now and have been only using Trial mechs, do you have to buy a new mech in order to gain character XP? Or does one have to buy Premium access in order to get that?
Thanks, and sorry if it's been asked before.
Thanks, and sorry if it's been asked before.
faulty_fork
Member
You only get XP when you use a mech you own, trial mechs only lets you earn c-bills. A premium account is not necessary, but it gives a percentage increase to the XP earned.
There's no XP gain on trial 'Mechs, unfortunately. You start gaining it once you buy your own.
BattleMonkey
Member
Then they aren't going to be able to handle any other parts of the game which involves hours to grind either way. To get past intro was only around 4 hours, and they changed those values to be even less. If they couldn't handle that little bit of investment, they weren't going to last long in the game in the first place.
They increased credit gains so it's less than before and with matchmaking they will likely be pairing up the trial and newbies together so they don't get stomped on
faulty_fork
Member
The thing is that it's not very fun to play in trial mechs that constantly overheat and run out of ammo. The first ~40 matches will be very boring when the odds are stacked against you and you're not unlocking any new skills or able to do any customization after matches.
It's not a charity, they want to motivate people to kick in.
BattleMonkey
Member
That's why when matchmaking is put in, players will likely be put up against other trial players. Most trial mechs have energy weapons and learning heat management is vital part of the game.
If you can't hand the few hours to get a regular mech, then just buy a mech with real money, it's kind of the point of f2p. Course a newbie buying a mech and jumping in is going to suck just as much as that one running around in a trial with no clue.
Hmm opinions on which founder mech to choose ?
Elite pack is overkill but i can easily see me consuming 10-20k mc over the lifespan of game so i can as well buy it now when it offers some good benefits
It really depends on playstyle, really. Do you want a fast light mech? Do you want a solid brawler? Do you want to play long-range indirect support? Do you want the biggest mech with the most firepower (at the cost of speed and maneuverability)?
Yes, Atlas is the most expensive mech so far, and buying it later on will be more costly. BUT, given that the Founder mech will be your moneymaker, and Atlas is more costly to repair, smaller mechs will also be more efficient at earning income. So really, I don't really think there's an optimal choice. Just pick the mech based on what you think you'll play more.
I thought the Founder's thing was over? Is it actually still for sale?
Winterblink
Member
Thanks, I was thinking that was the issue. I'm pretty close to being able to buy my first light mech, so yay.
This was my initial feeling, however I came to appreciate that kind of heavy handed learning experience (EVE veteran here, for context). I became much more cognizant of what my mech was doing, how to group my weapons so I wasn't alpha striking my way to self-destruction, etc.
faulty_fork
Member
Yeah matching up players that use trial mechs would certainly help a lot. I'm so used to always loading up tons of ammo and heatsinks in my other mechs, so when I've tried the trial mechs it has always felt like they really limited my playstyle.
I understand that they want to get money up front, but in the long run I think the game will be more succesful if they hook new players with a more rewarding introduction and focus on selling cool stuff to them as the game evolves. A lot can of course change from now until they do the real release.
PjotrStroganov
Member
But newbs can actually have a feeling of progression while sucking at the game with a mech that can be upgraded. This way you can blame yourself instead of the game.
How will matchmaking work by the way? If it levels the playing field it also would make a match predictable when it comes to the capacity of your enemy. Great matchmaking would stick higher and lower level players together and balance the combined level to liven things up.
Matchmaking is eventually supposed to take skill level, role, and tonnage into account. The idea is that you'll have two teams with roughly the same number of players at each skill level, some representation of each in-game role (scouting, offense, defense, support), and roughly the same total weight and firepower. Right now, I think it's just doing 1:1 for weight class, meaning each team has the same number of Light, Medium, Heavy, and Assault 'Mechs.
BattleMonkey
Member
Progression in this game is pretty meaningless, it takes tons of time investment to see any type of progress and even then, it's for a miniscule advantage which most won't even really notice. Even wth XP unlocks and such, they are not meant to be huge game impacting. Making money is pretty much the most immediate and meaningful advancement in the game and even those in the trials are making money and getting the biggest progression by obtaining their first real mech.
Matchmaking is supposed to take lot of factors into consideration as already mentioned, and hopefully they consider putting trials into their own introductory bracket for a level playing field that makes for good training. Game has a far higher learning curve than most games, players should be going up against other newbies to start off.
PjotrStroganov
Member
Pickings are still very slim after unlocking your first mech. Someone having a preference to a certain mech type could have a very hard time getting used to an 'inferior' class. As I know discover. Of course one could buy that certain mech with real money. But I imagine that the free part of f2p still has to remain enjoyable for people who choose to play for free. I see it as a flaw of the game/concept and not the players if that grind puts off people.
Just bear in mind that this is still only the closed beta and the schedule for the open beta and full release have been pushed back somewhat. Piranha is listening to grind complaints, and I'm sure they're still working toward a better balance.
PjotrStroganov
Member
I understand. And I'll probably be buying content for it. But I won't be spending money in an unfinished game. Which basically forces me to go the hard route.
Which takes me to the next point: with the monetary component already in place, does this limit the flexibility of piranha to change their economic model? Or can they change prices without pissing of existing customers?
Which takes me to the next point: with the monetary component already in place, does this limit the flexibility of piranha to change their economic model? Or can they change prices without pissing of existing customers?
BattleMonkey
Member
F2P item costs frequently change, people just live with it.
The prices are all straight out of BattleTech source books and all balance pretty well against each other. I think the adjustments will come in repair costs, and monetary rewards for victory, the value of salvage, and in-combat accomplishments like spotting, assists, and destroying parts.
The combined arms aspect of LL is what draws me more towards it. As someone who loved reading the mechwarrior books, especially the grey death legion ones, where there was always a lot of involvement from aerospace fighters, tanks and armored suits, i think LL fits more into the universe than a straightforward mech brawler like mechwarrior online.
But as a basis to develop from, i think the netcode and game engine thats powering MW online is a very good start.
michaelius
Banned
Prices for premium real $$ items are straight ripped from WoT where they work perfectly so i think there won't be any need for adjustments.
Also i wonder how long it will take to score master in any mech.
I'm trying to elite commando and it takes tons of time just to get 3 variants basic skills maxed.
Just got into the closed beta. First Mechwarrior I've played and I'm surprised how normal the experience has been. A few posts up made it sound like new players got the crap-end of the stick but first match was a victory and I think my win rate has been around 50%, maybe a bit higher. Hanging back and supporting the people who look like they know what they're doing has worked quite well so far. Even took out other players in some games.
Really liking the game so far.
Really liking the game so far.
Got in to the beta and tried it out. Really isn't the game for me. Controls are awkward and the gameplay style is ancient/sim-like, feels like the only way to win is doing repetitive and boring tactical plans. Nice to see that there are Devs that are satisfying some peoples want for this type of game though.
You're goddamn right. It's suddenly like my matches are incredibly one-sided, whether my team win or loses. Either I'm on a dumbfuck team or I'm playing along people who know how to press R or group their weapons. It's pretty fucking frustrating, but the matchmaking system once implemented will take care of it (hopefully).
Yes, I do hope matchmaking will shake things up. It'll hopefully fix the ping issues ... Seeing everyone except one at 150+ ms and some people go almost 300 is pretty cringeworthy. Especially when you see the skipping, bouncing and completely erratic collisions.
Mechwarrior.
Teknopathetic
Member
Want community warfare ASAP.
The biggest thing broken about MWLL is the idiotic way to get mechs.
The fact that you have to rank up in each match essentially makes the matches where the first few people who join have an advantage over others.
MWLL has far more mechs but they mostly feel useless because there is no mechlab. So you're left with a few variants that are overpowered compared to others that everyone uses while the rest of the mechs get nothing. It really sucks because there is so much potential in the game but the design decisions have slowly killed off the player base for the game.
blainethemono
Member
Anybody playing this with a flight stick setup? I used to use a saitek x52 to play MW4 Mercs, but I keep hearing M+K is much better for this game