Posted 19 April 2013 - 02:59 PM

Ask the Devs #36



Community Consolidated Questions/Concerns

CCQ1: There have been a number of community events, leagues, and competitions that do not conflict with official events. Are there plans to better support these events through additional in-game tools, promotion, stats, sponsorship, or participation?

A: We’re focused on getting Community Warfare out the door, along with more official events and leagues. At this time we have not decided how or if we plan to support any non-official competitions/events. I would expect us to examine this after CW goes live, late this year.



CCQ2 (as described by stjobe):

Q: Would you please reconsider buffing the MG's damage?

A: We are always looking at weapons. No plans to buff damage specifically.



CCQ3 (as worded by Slar): Will an "automatic reload" checkbox in the mechlab be available for consumables?

A: Yes with UI 2.0 improvements, although it is remotely possible someone sneaks in a an update for the current UI. We’ll see.



CCQ4: When will the temporary missile fix be adjusted?

A: We don’t have an ETA yet. Missiles are being actively tuned.



Community Warfare/Clans

Logan Doyle: Can I ask when Clans will be able to be a playable faction?

A: No official timeline has been announced for Clans yet. We plan to reveal more information after Launch in late Summer.



Pando: Do you have, or have you discussed plans to release (faction) battlemechs with permanent loyalty-point increases?

A: Yes we have discussed this, however we have not made any final decisions.



Gremlich Johns: When Community Warfare is launched, will the Clans be considered the same business model as the Mercs?

A: Clans will work more like Houses – not player run Merc Corps.



Sebesto: With release of CW/Clans coming many people talked about how they are "strictly" clanner based. If possible what would be the requirements to becoming a clanner and what are the advantages and limitations to being a clanner? From what I see, people just say they are part of Clan Wolf/Falcon/Ghost Bear/Ect just because Clans have the advantage of lighter/less heat weapons, better ferro/endo and omni capable mechs.

A: We’re not ready to discuss Clan details.



KuritaGuard: Will Comunity Warfare include a dynamic map where we can see border and occupation changes?

A: Yes!



Gods Wrath: Do you plan to give the game a “role-playing” aspect such as choosing different theaters of operation (when the clans invade), solaris, outreach, and actually having a character with skill sets that can affect different mech types

A: With regards to TOO, yes, players can battle over fronts and specific systems depending on whether they are part of a Faction or a Merc Corp. With regards to skill sets, Pilot Lab is the framework for customizing your character.



`Mech's and Mechbay

Geist Null: By the number of pink snordies I’ve seen in the field, I’d say the hero mech before c-bill variants was a success. do you plan on continuing that? Cause I would love to get a hero orion and hero hermes II to grind with the bonus before the c-bill models. When is hermes II coming out?

A: The next two Hero `Mechs will be designs from already released content. We may see a return to this model in Summer.



Viper69: Would you consider giving people a free mech bay with the purchase of a hero mech? It is a nice little touch to make people buy if you give a little you can get a lot.

A: Currently this is a technical limitation, we are unable to offer bundles. With the launch of UI 2.0, we plan to support bundles, bundle prices, etc..



Beadhanger: Is it possible for you to give us an option to toggle armlock in mechlab on certain mechs before dropping with introduction of UI 2.0?

A: Currently player can quickly toggle this on/off in the Front End or during gameplay. We can explore a per `Mech option possibly.



PanzerMagier: Will the Yen Lo Wang ever get it's claws/hatchet?

Source:http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Yen-Lo-Wang

A: When and/or if we do melee.



Phylum: Can the excess heat damage components inside the mech and reduce their capacity?

Ex: engine losing 10% power, 5% longer recharge times for weapons and so on.

A: It’s possible, however we do not have any immediate plans to support this.



Ghost Badger: Has PGI considered matching the armor values to the cosmetics, shape, size of the mechs? For example, more armor on the 'shield' arm of a centurion, or the shield shoulder/arms of an Awesome, or the finned/side torsos of a Jagermech? Conversely, less side torso armor on mechs with smaller side torsos, like Catapults and Stalkers?

A: No plans currently, as the armor values are derived initially from the table top rules.



Trucker: Currently there are only three item slots by which we can personalise our cockpit. While this is great it still leaves them feeling a little 'un lived' in. Are there are plans, or is there the possibiliy, of providing more customisation slots. Being able to add hanging wires, additional monitors or hot wired control panel modules etc. Also, when are we likely to see new banner items?

A: Yes, after launch.



Cockpit, HUD & Customizations



Maverick01: Would you guys consider adding the MechWarrior (pilot avatar) to the Mechlab, standing right next to the BattleMech? PGI could benefit financially by selling items such as uniforms, cooling vests, neurohelmets, etc.

A: Eventually, however the `Mech is the star of the show. We have more plans to improve/add cosmetic options for BattleMechs.



August55: How is the optimization going regarding the HUD? Turning off the HUD (Rightshift-F11) still puts me in 60fps in most situations while having it on bogs me down to an average of 35fps. Granted I'm using a C2D, but the fact that the HUD is eating up a large amount of fps is mind boggling. Can we get a scaled down HUD for the low spec people?

A: Work is ongoing.



Dan the Ice Man: With the decal system and custom decal system: will we be able to place them in predifined spots? or will we be able to scale/rotate or place them anywhere and any size on our mech’

A: There will be predefined spots/slots and scales for players to put the decals on.



Maps/Environment:



Splinters: What is a reasonable expectation of the number of maps (w/ or w/out variations) that will be available at the launch of CW?

A: 8 + variations.



Jetfire: I have been noticing the awesome lightning effect on the base rigs. Could we please see a severe storm weather mode with some heavy duty lightning as a map alternate? Would be a real challenge given that the thermal wouldn't work well due to the cold rain and the night vision should oversaturate on the lightning flashes. I am thinking Canyon would be amazing with this.

A: I’d love the art team to create a real stormy map. Stay tuned.



CutterWolf: Will we see destructible terrain and will terrain effect movement speed?

A: Terrain, no. Objects yes. And yes terrain will modify speed.



UntamedHawk: Will there be more map variants for existing maps released sometime soon? If so, are there plans to ever have 3 variants for the same map?

A: Currently we are focusing on getting the next two maps finished for Launch. Then we can revisit existing maps and develop alternates.



Jakob Knight: Are there future maps that will provide short-cut paths or terrain that jumping mechs can utilitze but non-jumping mechs cannot? Right now, non-jumping mechs can go just about any useful place jumping mechs can and terrain is such that there is almost no hinderence to ground movement, making the mounting of jump jets almost just a tonnage-heavy way of gaining a slight turn boost (even Alpine is engineered such that jump-capable mechs cannot overcome the mountains unless those mountains are small enough for a grounded mech to move up anyway). Having terrain and/or hazards that jump jets can overcome but non-jumping mechs could not ( such as a ravine a mech-width wide or lava flows with no bride across) would make jump jets a feature worth having rather than an expensive add-on with almost no functional use.

A: This will be prevalent in a map later this year.



Signal27: With the upcoming implementation of community warfare, will the players ever get to have an impact on the way the lines on the map of the Inner Sphere are drawn as they fight for their respective factions? Or will the map always strictly adhere to the canonical 3050s Inner Sphere maps published, with only published historical events (such as the Clan invasion) ever changing the way the lines are drawn?

A: Players will not be able to affect the borders directly. However players will be able to control a variety of fronts.



Weapons & Loadouts



Ozric: When can we expect the next phase of LRM balancing and/or how close are we to the LRM working as intended?

A: Over the next few patches.

Metafox: SSRMs and LRMs appear to share the same locking function, even to the point where Artemis benefits both indiscriminately. Are there any plans to decouple the two systems and tweak them individually?

A: No plans at the moment.



Riddler9884: Are there currently any new weapons or variations of weapons in the works?

A: Yes, we are adding all of the Clan weapons.



Palador: Will you be able to add mines to game? If they are laid by air strikes or artillery barrage it will give another use for the beagle active probe - mine detection!

A: We’re exploring ways to make consumable mines/drops.



ThinkTank: Are there any plans to add tonnage and critical space as a component of Cool Shot? If not, can you please explain the in-game mechanism that provides the temperature reduction? i.e. water or another liquid or a gas based temperature reduction device.

A: No plans. I’ll let David invent some “tech” description.



FrostCollar: In the past, you've mentioned the possibility of alternate ammunition types for certain weapons. Do you have any updates on any progress that has been made on that concept? Is that a feature that could potentially be ready around launch?

A: We’re not actively working on it and is not currently part of any launch plans.



Perspicatron: Do you have plans to implement active/passive sensors? I think that if every mech had a limited "stealth" mode there would be more use for TAG/BAP/Narc and it might balance the fact that only a select few mechs can mount ECM.

A: Yes. No ETA.



Edweird: Are there any plans in motion you can tell us about in regards to limited area of effect 'mech explosions when they get destroyed as in previous MechWarrior titles? Will this not deter going into the silly hugging fests and add a level of consideration as well as make flocks of light 'mechs swarming over a single one think twice before they commit? This might work well with knockdowns once they are implemented.

A: We’ve chosen not to go the route of exploding cores.



White Bear 84: When will addition abilities be give to the PPC such as distruption of HUD, target locks or minimap to enhance the viability of this weapon?

A: No ETA.



Tesunie: Are we to expect any kind of special ammo for weapon systems? In particular, I'm asking about Thunder LRM ammo. I think it'd be nice to predict enemy movements and blind fire these Thunder LRMs to set up a quick mine field on the ground.

A: No ETA.



Snowseth: Are there any plans to introduce unspotted LRM targeting and firing? Where instead of locking on to a target, a point on the map is targeted and fired at, with the missiles taking a very steep arc (and reducing the ground range).

A: No plans to support this. The effect is essentially artillery, which is supported via consumables.



Noktoo: Is it planned to introduce different damage types for energy and ballistic weapons and correspondive armor types like reactive and reflectiven or other armor types like hardned armor?

A: No plans.



Matchmaking/ELO/Server



irony1999: How do you see the Play button working with the launch of CW? Will the players be routed into one of several dozen queues, or will the 1st/3rd person and match type preferences be set in the lobby to keep the split to a more manageable level?

A: We’re still deciding the final execution, early thoughts are to make all matches Faction matches A vs B, with each team being made of up Faction players + solo or small groups (2-4) merc corps and/or lone wolves who have pledge allegiance to a faction.



Matta: Can you please explain in detail main reasons for limiting player account to certain server region (when it comes to that) ?

A: It’s a potential requirement of regional partners.



Thomas Covenant: Would you please reconsider not showing ELO score or go in more depth why you choose not too? I feel it's atleast as valuable as Kill-to-Death ratio(if not more). I would like to see it, even if it was private just to me.

A: For a variety of reasons we have chosen not to make this visible. It’s not something players can directly control, it’s used by an internal matchmaking service, and it can be gamed or manipulated to create artificial matchmaking scenarios.



Syllogy: Any details on the Public Test Server that you mentioned in NGNG Podcast #68?

A: Very soon 30-60 days.



Vadim Krasvanya: Why did PGI think MechWarrior Online needed Elo, that is, the Elo ranking system specifically and not another form of "skill based" matchmaking?

A: Elo provides a good skill based foundation for ranking and matching players together.



Helsynge: Will we be getting a european server any time soon during open beta?

A: Nothing official to report yet.



KinLuu: Are there any plans to implement some kind of ranking system/ladder? Maybe similar to LoLs or Starcraft 2s league systems? (Ceterum censeo, Elo esse repraesentatum)

A: Leaderboards are incoming.



Gameplay/Game modes/Issues



Butane9000: Can you post in detail how you plan for groups to work when you launch

the 12 v 12 functionality?

A: Exactly as they work now, except pre-made 8 player groups will require 12 players.



Cyberassassin: To create some competition among less formal groups, groups that play when they can actually get together or smaller groups, when can we have Lance(4) vs Lance(4)?

A: Since the cost of a running a dedicated servers is the same whether there is 1 or 24 players, we currently are not planning to allow matches to kick off without the maximum number of players.



Chylde: There has been a lot of talk in anticipation of the 12v12 matches that are to come. I would love it if we could also get an 8v8v8 option to change up the dynamic of the battles. is there anything planned for 3 team combat in the future?

A: This would require significant work to the UI, dedicated servers, game modes, and matchmaker. It’s not impossible, but not likely anytime in the near future.



Teralitha: You said that your against segmenting the player base further. What then, are you going to do to improve the current 2 modes we have to bring back players who have quit BECAUSE there is a lack of more game modes?

A: We’re reviewing the existing modes and will be balancing



Arcaist: Is there a chance you will implement defensive turrets/fortifications, whicht would spice up capping quite a bit?

A: Yes with CW modes.



Flying Fox 333: Are you considering allowing a battlemech reactor to overload? Either manually or by other factors

A: No plans.



Jarvis Lancaster: When the game is moved out of beta, will the players still have all their mechs and other items they purchased?

A: Yes.



Big Giant Head: Have you considered introducing crouch mode? And if so, are there going to be limitations of mechs that can crouch, or it has to be an upgrade like endo-steel and artemis or module (gyro module)?

A: It has been discussed internally, however no formal design work has been done.



Fishhawk: Are there plans to implement a "Retreat" button in the situation that your mech loses all weaponry?

A: No.



General

Teir Dasande: When will the next batch of 'Mech concept art drop?

A: We’re changing up how we handle BattleMech concept art. Expect some new content very soon.



Damocles: Will you be adding new vision modes? Example: MAD (Magnetic Anomaly Detector) and what is the ETA on vision modes being displayed on the cockpit glass?

A: No ETA on either. They have been designed and will be worked on at some future date.



carl Kerensky: How soon will we see Direct X 11 implementation? Would it be possible to see some screenshots on the visual improvements?

A: It’s almost done and in final QA testing. No screenshots available. DX11 isn’t a huge graphical improvement out of the box. Most of the bells and whistles require us to invest time in adding new features to the engine.



Utzelbrutz: Are there plans of showing the enemy mech chassis in the TAB menu after they have been identified/hit?

A: Possibly.



Team Leader: When will we get rid of the current "placeholder" (-Paul, many months ago) XP system and go back to the pilot roles and mech tech trees that are included in the Dev blog? I think many players prefer the system described in the dev blog to what we have now.

A: Trees evolved into the current design. We have plans to add more content to the existing system.



BitMonger505: Are there any plans to release a native 64 bit executable?

A: Possibly.



PaladinXIII: Will there be a Medium mech build contest soon?

A: We plan to do at least one contest per quarter. Next up – Assaults.



Karma Police: why not give us the abilty to shoot down LRMs with MGs and lasers?

A: Possibly.



Nihilo9: Do you have plans to implement a system that pushes players to form bonds? This is a very social game. Are there plans to put a system in place that brings players together?

A: Community Warfare will allow players to band together into more formal structures. UI 2.0 will see an improvement in chat and grouping mechanics.



Prosperity Park: Will the Heat mechanism be changed in the future such that Overheating to greater than, lets say 150%, would result in inescapable, guaranteed Heat Damage regardless if your Mech is Powered Down?

A: We’re happy with the existing system, so I don’t see this being added anytime soon.



Pinselborste: Is it possible to add full support for the xbox 360 controller, cryengine sdk has it included so it should not be a problem to inlcude it.

A: Yes in time.



Viperion: Can we get a pause button for premium time?

A: No plans to add this functionality.



Pakidis79: It has been mentioned before that around the time of the Highlander's release that collisions would be turned back on. Since the introduction of Heavy Metal, is there a more definitive time for collisions now?

A: Not sure who said that. Collisions will come after Launch.



TwigTech: Lately there's been a lot of love for optimizing the game for lower-end PCs. Are there any plans to provide further optimizations / options for higher end PCs? For example, will high-end PCs eventually have an option for even greater draw distances than they do now?

A: I expect we’ll start looking at higher end PCs when we release DX11.



DocBach: Are there any plans of increasing the function of other information warfare tools such as Beagle Active Probe or the Narc Beacon?

A: Yes, we are reviewing them now.



Ardlen: Can we get a method to bind zoom to the mousewheel scroll?

A: Sure.



Belorion: Will we get the ability to record log files so that we can do post match analysis on our matches?

A: No plans.



zhajin: What is the status of C3 and voice comms? This is a key communication feature in any modern, team based FPS. And continues to give a big advantage to groups over pugs.

A: Post launch.



Forum/Website/Sales:



Spirit of the Wolf: Will there ever be a 'planned schedule' of special bonus periods or sales so that players know in advance to be on during certain periods, such as a list of upcoming double XP bonus periods, or CB bonus weekends, etc? (More specifically, will there be a special event, or series of events, to commemorate the full launch, whether it happens in the Fall, or later, that will be announced ahead of time?)

A: In general terms, yes. (no specific details about each sale, just the date).



Lukoi: Any chance we'll be able to sort our stats page in ascending/descending/alphabetical order in the future? My Mechs don't always group together (Jenners are all over the place on the list etc.) and it would be nice to use an excel/spreadsheet style function to look over the data on occasion.

A: Eventually yes.



Ratiborus: Is it possible to implement the C-bills and/or MC transfer between the players?

A: No plans to allow transfer of any items or money between accounts.



Seth: Will we see a mobile version for the forums or a theme that is a little easier on our mobile devices and will we see a search tool bar that has the same functionality as the one from the closed beta version of the site?

A: Yes.

Rizzelbizzeg: Would you consider adding a little flavor text/lore behind each of the hero mechs to the mwomercs website?

A: Yes.



MurderFist: You guys have had a bunch of double xp events recently, will you ever have any double earnings events, where you would gain twice the amount, or at least certain percentage more c-bills than normally?

A: Possibly.

