Support NeoGAF

[Llyranor]

Also, use an online mechlab like smurfy's or mechromancer before wasting cbills making a build that doesn't fit exactly how you want.

 

[Llyranor]

Oh yeah, btw, here's that GDC interview from only 3 months ago where PGI mentions wanting to double their numbers

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEGD501Mv0I#t=4m43

Something changed since then?

 

[Nickiepoo]

They hit a pipeline bottleneck with the deep netcode issues. The 'doubling' will probably be for artists/testing and, as we said, no point in hiring artists to produce content faster that it can realistically be released.

 

[Lime]

Art for the Locust:

 

[michaelius]

Is it really that bad, I was thinking of giving it a try since I love turn-based tactics

If someone is interested there are 100% accurate rules wise servers where you can play tabletop battletech for clan era and for 3025.

 

[Nickiepoo]

Heavy Metal sale huh. Tempting.

 

[ColonelSkills]

If someone is interested there are 100% accurate rules wise servers where you can play tabletop battletech for clan era and for 3025.

In MWT? They're not up to the Clan content are they? I haven't checked in a while.

Or are you talkin about something like MegaMek?

 

[Orayn]

Been doing pretty well with my Gausspult recently and had to show off my skills.

Also, anyone have a fun/useful light mech build to recommend that isn't the 5m C-bill Raven?

 

[Lime]

I'm about to spend my hard-earned C-bills on a Stalker (first assault mech I'll own). Which variant and config is the "best"?

 

[Discobird]

Been doing pretty well with my Gausspult recently and had to show off my skills.

rofl

Also, anyone have a fun/useful light mech build to recommend that isn't the 5m C-bill Raven?

These days I flip between two Jenner F builds:

5 ML, 16 DHS, XL295

6 ML, 16 DHS, XL280

They both use standard armor and strip non-essential points from the side torsos and arms to fit 16 DHS (you cannot fit 16 DHS with FF armor). I think the 6 ML one fits my playstyle a little better despite being slower since I like to run in, assassinate damaged targets and run back out, and with 5 ML I often need an extra salvo. Use seismic and coolshot with both.

I've also been toying around with the following team support Jenner K since LRM's are obnoxiously popular right now:

4 ML with 14 DHS, XL300, AMS, BAP

For modules, use UAV, seismic, cap accel, and last one is up to you (target info gathering is pretty good). Cool shot not needed unlike with the Jenner Fs. The most important things about this build are the UAV and AMS. UAVs rarely get shot down and they're amazing if your team has lots of LRMs. Run up at the beginning of the match, wait in cover until you see a bunch of dots nearby on seismic and pop the UAV. The AMS is less for you but for your teammates since you can be a useful, mobile missile shield in the beginning of a match before people start brawling and you have nothing else to do. Even when the brawl starts it is very useful for shooting down LRMs from nearby enemies before they can hit your teammates. The big downside is that this build is less capable of solocarrying a match than the Jenner F but I still like it so far.

I'm about to spend my hard-earned C-bills on a Stalker (first assault mech I'll own). Which variant and config is the "best"?

3F for the bigger torso twist. The 4x PPC build is as cookie cutter as it gets but it's extremely strong right now. 5x LL Stalker 3Fs are also good. 3H or 5M if you want to missile boat (3H has 20-tube launchers and the 5M has five missile hardpoints), but there are better missile boats than the Stalker.

 

[Grief.exe]

Disco, I'm trying to follow this guide you posted

http://mwo.smurfy-net.de/mechlab#i=79&l=246e7944b2b95665d5af6d92484c3bb232616f26

Could you give me a little bit of context behind this? There isn't much in game that lets me know exactly what I'm doing.

EDIT: I actually did some digging around in the menus and figured it out.

 

[Discobird]

Disco, I'm trying to follow this guide you posted

http://mwo.smurfy-net.de/mechlab#i=79&l=246e7944b2b95665d5af6d92484c3bb232616f26

Could you give me a little bit of context behind this? There isn't much in game that lets me know exactly what I'm doing.

EDIT: I actually did some digging around in the menus and figured it out.

Yeah, the mechlab UI is pretty painful right now. PGI will revamp it as part of its UI 2.0 initiative this summer but for now it sucks.

Feel free to add me (IGN Discobird) if you want to play some games or chat. We all use the Comstar NA Teamspeak server when we drop together.

IP Address: na1.mech-connect.net
Password: WordofBlake

BTW everyone should start packing AMS on your heavies and assaults (and even mediums if you can spare the weight). Not taking AMS is like walking into a rainstorm without an umbrella right now.

 

[Lime]

Thanks for the help, Discobird. Much appreciated.

Meanwhile, Alex Iglesias has tried his hands with the infamous and sacred Mad Cat / Timberwolf design for an upcoming BT rule book. We might see something along those lines once the Clan invasion begins, probably around next year or so (my guess is Sep/Oct 2014). Anyway, here's the cover art:

Personally, I've always been a fan of the 90's FASA design we saw in Mechcommander and most often seen in the drawings by Steve Venters:

For comparison, here's the TRO:3050 (updated version) depiction:

 

[ColonelSkills]

Why aren't these available as posters/prints?

 

[Lime]

Why aren't these available as posters/prints?

From the Shadowrun Returns pitch video:

Fireye suggested to scan the image from the book and go out and print it as a poster.

 

[ColonelSkills]

From the Shadowrun Returns pitch video:



Fireye suggested to scan the image from the book and go out and print it as a poster.

It's funny you mention those, I noticed them in the original pitch video too. I just wish there was an actual source instead of trying to do something from Kinkos or whatever.

 

[Discobird]

For comparison, here's the TRO:3050 (updated version) depiction:

Damn I love this version.

I wonder how they're gonna handle the hitboxes on the Timber Wolf. The obvious thing to do is to make the LRM boxes count as side torso but then XL engines will be suicide. And the center fuselage part sticks out quite a lot, it'll either be a big liability like it is on the Catapult or be shielded by side torsos like on the Stalker, making XL engines an even worse choice.

 

[Woorloog]

Damn I love this version.

I wonder how they're gonna handle the hitboxes on the Timber Wolf. The obvious thing to do is to make the LRM boxes count as side torso but then XL engines will be suicide. And the center fuselage part sticks out quite a lot, it'll either be a big liability like it is on the Catapult or be shielded by side torsos like on the Stalker, making XL engines an even worse choice.

Make it small. Like Light-small. 84KPH small, heavily armored, packed with firepower.

Spoiler

Please don't do this

I really hope they won't make those "extra" hit locations, for all their practicality, i really dislike them since they can't be implemented well, IMO, and don't follow TT rules at all. I have no problems straying from those rules at times but these... just no. (EDIT extra hit location armoring is difficult. You could have them share side torso armors... like having 25% of side torso armor, ie when a side torso is damaged enough, the extra location's "internal"s are exposed, but somehow having certain internal slots being damageable without destroying entire side torso armor is really odd. GIving them their own armor like in MW4 would lead to the oddity of the mech having more armor than normally, kind of... don't like either method, nor any others i can think of).
I'd rather they re-model Timber Wolf so that the missile packs are considerably smaller, or perhaps placed so that they are harder to hit (slant them back like Mad Cat Mark IV?). I have no problems with major art changes, as long as the base mech is still recognizable in some way.

EDIT looking at Savage Wolf (Mad Cat IV), i really, really like it. If MWO will get Timber Wolf, i hope it it will be a bit like Savage Wolf, which wouldn't have so bad hit boxes either, if the missile pods are kept slanted.
Just make the center torso thin enough, and have most of the side torso hitboxes occupy the missile boxes (ie kind of mickey mouse arrangement for torsos from front), it will be just fine. Especially considering how powerful the mech is, quite a lot of weapon tonnage with all the deadly Clan-weapons, fast for a heavy, with heavy armor, on top of being OmniMech (assuming they stick to what that means, not much limitations outside max pod space, and it should be able to carry ECM as well if you want to). Vulnerable, but powerful.

 

[Lime]

Pretty cool article in the wake of Project Phoenix, in case people aren't familiar with the history of the Unseen designs:

Now You See Me, and Now You Don’t: A Brief History of the Unseen

PGI has recently been working on enticing players from around the world to invest in the various package deals being offered as a part of the up and coming “Project Phoenix.” There has been a lot of confusion about what exactly happened between FASA Corporation/Battletech, Harmony Gold, and the legal battles that have gone down over in the past. As a result, I feel obligated to do some journalistic sleuthing and dig up information to help shine some light onto the situation.

 

[Lime]

That being said, I did prefer the original designs of the Unseen. Maybe it's because of nostalgia or maybe it's because of the 80's-90's aesthetics of their depictions, but they just seem much more proper to me. Especially the original Locust:

And of course the hulked-over Marauder and the tank-like Warhammer were really impressive:

 

[Llyranor]

Oh look, he missed because of the JJ shake.

 

[BattleMonkey]

Being a Macross fan, they often just looked wrong to me. The Valkyries especially.

 

[Mupod]

Damn I love this version.

I wonder how they're gonna handle the hitboxes on the Timber Wolf. The obvious thing to do is to make the LRM boxes count as side torso but then XL engines will be suicide. And the center fuselage part sticks out quite a lot, it'll either be a big liability like it is on the Catapult or be shielded by side torsos like on the Stalker, making XL engines an even worse choice.

Funny you should mention it, here's an old UI bug:

The right bar is significant because it predates coolant flush by a long time. I remember arguing that it might have been for MASC because coolant flush led to stupid bullshit in MW4. Sigh.

 

[Savitar]

I'm still trying to figure out how some Macross/Robotech designs ended up in Exo Squad.

 

[BattleMonkey]

I'm still trying to figure out how some Macross/Robotech designs ended up in Exo Squad.

Playmates got the license to Robotech and was basically using the designs as more Exo Squad material. Supposedly they were going to attempt a crossover in the tv series before it got canned.

 

[Lime]

Browsing through the MW: Tactics *OFFICIAL* webpage, I clicked the Media tab to see if things really were as bad as I remembered the visuals to be. The first screenshot, from June 7 2013, I saw:

That is an actual screenshot they have on their official homepage. Sorry, but this is just incredibly incompetent.

 

[dionysus]

That is an actual screenshot they have on their official homepage.

Do you play zoomed out though? A lot of games like RTS look bad zoomed in on individual models.

Action figure artstyle though, not sure what I think about it.

 

[BattleMonkey]

Do you play zoomed out though? A lot of games like RTS look bad zoomed in on individual models.

Action figure artstyle though, not sure what I think about it.

Yea you play it from a zoomed out tactical perspective mostly.

 

[Lime]

Do you play zoomed out though? A lot of games like RTS look bad zoomed in on individual models.

Action figure artstyle though, not sure what I think about it.

My point wasn't in terms of how you play the game, but the impression you get when you visit the website in order to gain information on it. If newcomers are greeted to such a terrible screenshot, there's a big chance they'd be put off by it.

And that's not even talking about the art style.

 

[Lime]

Also, Orayn, for the OP of your potential thread, this PDF serves as a good overview and introduction to the universe. It isn't a youtube video, but for the curious ones, it should suffice.

 

[Llyranor]

Ha, they released the normal Victor variants for MC purchase a week early. I'm okay with this if it'll get PGI a bit of extra money from impatient nerds.

 

[teepo]

http://mwomercs.com/news/2013/07/699-12v12-public-test-live-tomorrow-11th-july

12V12 PUBLIC TEST LIVE TOMORROW (11TH OF JULY)!
by Piranha Games in [ Announcements ] on, Jul 10, 2013 8:00 PM UTC

Hello MechWarriors!

Today we're releasing the Public Test build installer, which you can download . This will be for 12v12 testing; that’s right, it’s here! The servers for the test WILL NOT BE UP UNTIL TOMORROW, 11TH OF JULY. So please download the link now and install, but realise you WILL NOT BE ABLE TO USE IT UNTIL TOMORROW.

For info on test times, check MattC's post here.

We look forward to dropping with you guys, and we'll see you on the battlefield!

Cheers,
The MechWarrior Online Team

 

[dionysus]

Does this mean we need to have a 2nd MWO game installed? Or does this supercede the current installation?

 

[Discobird]

cannot wait to get shot by 48 PPCs at once instead of only 32 woo

But seriously, have they said anything about increasing ammo counts for 12v12?

 

[teepo]

somebody on reddit datamined the test client and found the map for lavaworld as well an incomplete list for boating penalties

http://www.reddit.com/r/mwo/comment.../lavaworld_map/

can't wait!

 

[Lime]

Been reading through some of the old Battletech compendiums (mostly for the art).

And gender equality (generally Battletech is pretty goddamn good when it comes to representation of both sexes)

 

[Nickiepoo]

I think that vulture is where MWO gets its ragdoll physics from.

 

[Lime]

This might be off-topic, but this dude from the UK made his own resin models out of the Iglesias renditions of the Raven and Commando. http://reversedisabled.blogspot.co.uk

Pretty goddamn impressive work if you ask me. He's looking into selling these models later, if PGI allows it (they've been sent the sample work)

 

[BattleMonkey]

Don't think PGI has any say in the matter, it would probably require going to the original license holder for permission.

 

[Llyranor]

http://mwomercs.com/forums/topic/126651-heat-scale-and-general-update/page__pid__2546576

Arriving for July 16th… heat scale on high weapon count alphas.

As promised, once systems are in place for new balancing/tuning features, I will let you know about them as they enter test. What we have seen so far is very positive. There are some tweaks that need to be done but those will come with subsequent patches. The key here is to get this feature enabled to allow you, the Beta testers to see the effects and adjust your gameplay or meta-gameplay as needed.

This is very experimental and is being addressed aggressively as I mentioned in my previous weapons update. The first set of numbers are for the immediate effect on the current meta-game but more weapons and balancing will occur with each patch you see on our path to Launch. That being said, here is a table of maximum weapons of each weapon type you can fire without incurring the heat penalty. Internally we call this value Max Alpha.

Weapon System Max Alpha
PPC 2
ERPPC 2
LRM-15 2
Large Laser 2
Medium Laser 6
AC/20 1
SRM-2 4
SSRM-2 4
SRM-4 4
SRM-6 3


Firing more weapons than Max Alpha makes heat generation grow exponentially. For example, from the table above, if you fire 2 PPCs, you will receive no heat penalty. Fire 3 and there will be a noticeable heat increase. Fire 4, it starts to get significant. Beyond that, you’re playing with fire.

What about SRMs?!?! Buff them to 2.5!!!

Nuh uh. 2.5 SRM damage causes the same effect as the previous LRM-aggedon. While funny to test, the 6-SRM6 Catapult will decimate any Assault class Mech in 3 volleys. The third volley doesn’t even have to be a full volley, 2 volleys following up with a medium laser will probably kill most builds in the game. So what am I going to do about this? Well let me explain an issue…

Many of you have cited hit detection errors. We’re seeing this as well. While it happens across almost all Mechs, it’s most noticeable with small Mech chassis. Bumping damage is going to help deal a small amount more damage to small Mechs, but the larger Mechs are going to be destroyed VERY quickly. We are investigating the root cause of these detection errors but it’s a deep problem. We need to find out if it’s in HSR (host state rewind) or is it in the simulation running on the server etc etc. Once found we will be pouring heavy resources on to the problem to fix it ASAP. However, I can tell you this, it’s going to take a while to find due to its complexity.

That being said, here’s an opportunity for you to decide your fate when dealing with SRMs. In this feedback thread (http://mwomercs.com/...-hit-detection/), there is a poll. You can vote to bump SRM damage up to 2.0, not this patch but next, or leave damage as is until hit detection is fixed. Keep in mind, this bump in damage is going to be a fairly big world of hurt for larger Mechs. NOTE: Cut off for voting will be Sunday 11:59PM PST.

Taking damage beyond 120% heat.
This value is going to be reduced to 100%. Depending on how long you're in a state of overheat will determine how much damage you take. If you overheat by 1 point and are only in overheat for a very short amount of time, you probably won't take any damage at all.

Just to clarify:

PPC and ERPPC will be combined into one weapon bucket on the 30th. The code is done but has not gone through test yet and will not be ready for the 16th. After the 30th, both PPC and ERPPC will share the PPC heat scale. i.e. Firing 2 PPCs and 1 ERPPC will be the same as firing 3PPCs.

I'm liking these changes. I voted for upping SRM dmg temporarily.

 

[Llyranor]

12v12 was fun. Had some nice dynamic matches, brawls and all. It didn't feel like just 12 mechs forming up a ball on each side and crashing into each other, though we were playing conquest.

Since the test server doesn't save anything, managed to try out the Victor a bit, hehehehe.

 

[Savitar]

Love mechs.

Not that I get why mechs in this game have hands...they never punch anyone. Also later this month Sarah's mech is finally going to be released, all the legal work on it has finally been cleared.

 

[Orayn]

Love mechs.

Not that I get why mechs in this game have hands...they never punch anyone. Also later this month Sarah's mech is finally going to be released, all the legal work on it has finally been cleared.

Melee attacks and improvised/handheld weapons were bigger parts of the tabletop game that didn't quite make it into MWO. They're being considered, but we haven't heard anything about them for a while, so probably not very high on Piranha's list of priorities.

 

[Discobird]

This might be off-topic, but this dude from the UK made his own resin models out of the Iglesias renditions of the Raven and Commando. http://reversedisabled.blogspot.co.uk

Pretty goddamn impressive work if you ask me. He's looking into selling these models later, if PGI allows it (they've been sent the sample work)

Wow those look friggin incredible. So much detail. I'd definitely buy one if they were reasonably priced.

http://mwomercs.com/forums/topic/126651-heat-scale-and-general-update/page__pid__2546576





I'm liking these changes. I voted for upping SRM dmg temporarily.

I voted for upping SRM damage too. It's about time we get a change that hurts heavies more than lights for once. The last month or two has seen a string of changes that disproportionately hurt light mechs (seismic, speed cap while legged, JJ shake).

The max alpha for large lasers is too low. Did my 3x LLAS Centurion AL really need to get nerfed? Same with medium lasers, none of the medium lasers boats are a problem.

 

[Lime]

Don't think PGI has any say in the matter, it would probably require going to the original license holder for permission.

I think Catalyst Game Labs and PGI are in close contact with each other, so they'll probably communicate with them. Besides, don't PGI retain the Iglesias versions of these mechs? EDIT: Apparently Topps "has the current copyrights on the figurines" according to the art director of MW:O.

By the way, I had a match yesterday with Alex Iglesias - I managed to fellate him over the chat as much as possible (basically calling him the greatest artist Battletech has seen which he humbly replied with "I'm not that good lol") while also squeezing out 5 kills in that match. /brag

 

[Lime]

EDIT: Sorry about the double-post

Wow those look friggin incredible. So much detail. I'd definitely buy one if they were reasonably priced.

After looking into it, he made this pitch sample.

The Raven is 14,5cm and the Commando is 14cm and it should be noted that the scale is equivalent to the classic Armorcast mechs (1/60)

 

[ColonelSkills]

By the way, I had a match yesterday with Alex Iglesias - I managed to fellate him over the chat as much as possible (basically calling him the greatest artist Battletech has seen which he humbly replied with "I'm not that good lol") while also squeezing out 5 kills in that match. /brag

I am amused but pleased that he is so humble. His art is perfectly modernized and is a wonderful take on pretty much every classic he comes across.

I want a book of his designs and/or IronWind to produce minis based on his stuff.

I just emailed the creator of those resin kits too, Jesus BALLS

 

[BattleMonkey]

Need those redesigns in tabletop scale.

I think Catalyst Game Labs and PGI are in close contact with each other, so they'll probably communicate with them. Besides, don't PGI retain the Iglesias versions of these mechs? EDIT: Apparently Topps "has the current copyrights on the figurines" according to the art director of MW:O.

By the way, I had a match yesterday with Alex Iglesias - I managed to fellate him over the chat as much as possible (basically calling him the greatest artist Battletech has seen which he humbly replied with "I'm not that good lol") while also squeezing out 5 kills in that match. /brag

Yea Catalyst doesn't have full control of the license either.

 

[king picollo]

Is it wrong to buy Mechs for what they look like over their actual functionality?

I really want a Cataphract because i just like the way it looks and moves when i could probably do the same design with a Jager.

 

[Lime]

Is it wrong to buy Mechs for what they look like over their actual functionality?

I really want a Cataphract because i just like the way it looks and moves when i could probably do the same design with a Jager.

The aesthetics of a mech is the sole motivation for my purchasing decisions in Mechwarrior: Online (or Battletech in general).

Looks > functionality all day for me.

Regarding the Cataphract, Nickiepoo, Zaptruder and Llyranor suggested the 4X to me a couple of pages back. If you give it DHS and endosteel, reduce a bit of armor, you can get a nice AC20, 3 x ML, and 2 x SRM6 on it. It packs quite a punch and works great as a brawler. The only thing is I find its center-torso to be extremely easy to hit by enemies (or I'm playing in it the wrong way).