CW also schon im Mai? Das wird doch nie was vernünftiges.

Ask the Devs #35

Community Consolidated Questions/Concerns

CCQ 1: Bryan, can you elaborate on you statement: “That's exactly the polarizing type of content we want!”?
A: We want there to always be a debate about whether something is too powerful or too weak. There’s a sweet spot where players from both sides of an opinion balance each other out. This means we have a mechanic or design that has the desired polarizing or competitive effect.

CCQ 2: You noted that Founder’s `Mechs can already be painted, but this is not true to the same degree as other `Mechs. Will we see additional paint options for Founder’s `Mechs in the future?
A: As mentioned before, you can change the pin stripe colour. We are looking into tweaking the texture a bit and allowing more customization options when we unlock colors for the Hero `Mechs.

CCQ 3: Why is Machine Gun damage so low?
A: Partly due to the nature of how MGs work in the TT rules, partially due to how we chose to make it useful. When equipping a MG, keep in mind that it is not meant to burn through armor but is very useful for tearing up internals (crits). Bumping MG damage will turn it into a laser that can be kept on with no heat penalty until it runs out of ammo. Now imagine the devastating effect that a 6 MG spider could do to the back of an Atlas! We are still investigating balance of the MG but don’t expect any significant increase in damage.

CCQ 4: When can we expect the backspace key to be able to be held to delete in chat? Currently you have to delete single characters, which gets particularly annoying when you die holding a key and your chat box fills up.
A: No ETA yet. We’re looking into how we can fix the input signals read by CryEngine and our implementation with Scaleform.

Community Warfare/Clans

Shively: How much effort has been going into Community Warfare, and could you briefly elaborate on what you expect it will bring to the game?
You said at PAX that, of course, every planet in the Inner Sphere probably isn't going to be represented (as it'd be too costly and too labor-intensive, most likely). However, in the past couple days, there's been a surge of forum activities from fans, pushing forth the question of user-created content. In order to fill the void, would PGI be willing to consider turning to the community for map creation? If not for CW maps, what about for Assault/Conquest matches? In addition, the CryEngine suite has the ability to randomly generate maps based upon certain parameters. Could this be a solution to the problem of CW map implementation? Could "unexplored" planets be represented by a randomly-generated map, or could battles on planets take place at different, randomized locales, with the best of whatever number of battles taking the planet/territory?
A: Randomly generate maps do not offer a quality gaming experience. A lot of design effort goes into planning each map for specific lanes, choke points, types of gameplay modes, match length etc.. etc.. Also performance is a major concern. A randomly generated map would still take months to bring from 0 to complete.
As for community generate maps or any content for that matter, we are always looking at ways to find synergies here. Right now the largest impasses are: quality of content, performance of content, distribution of content (remember this game is free to download, yet we still pay for the delivery costs up-front), installation size, rights of content, monetization of content, and tax laws.

Maverick01: As MWO is a military based game, would you guys consider adding faction specific uniforms that would display your pilot's medals and ribbons instead of a checklist of achievements? This would be perfect for Community Warfare!
A: Something along these lines will exist.

Team Leader: Has the development team put serious consideration on how to "balance" clan tech, without outright nerfing it? Or are they not at that bridge to cross it? Or, no questions on the clans yet either?
A: Yes. But we’re not ready to discuss clans until Fall.

CSLaoch: With the addition of the highlander, is there a chance that "death from above" may become possible, ex: crushing light mechs, or at least causing structural damage?
A: Yes when we re-introduce collisions after launch.

`Mech's and Mechbay

CarnifexMaximus: Can we talk about the Command Console? I have one sitting in my mech lab, it wants to be used. I, however, have no idea what PGI has planned for it. Can you discuss this?
A: This is something that we hope to implement in the near future. The reason we haven’t so far is that there are aspects of functionality that we would like to try giving it, but they rely on some systems that aren’t in place yet. What may end up happening is that the Command Console will have an evolving functionality. In order to give it some use, we’ll start with giving it any functionality we can at the moment, and then add to it as more systems come online.

Seth: I have over 2,000 units of standard armor sitting on a shelf, worth around 11 mil c-bills, and no way to sell them. Is that something I will be able to do in mechlab 2.0?
A: Yes! UI 2.0 will allow players to sell items from their “inventory” and also allow them to do so in quantity (no more clicking dozens of times to sell multiple of the same items.)

Spirit of the Wolf: Has there been any thought given, and/or are there any plans currently in motion, to allowing players to acquire mech bays via alternative methods, other than just purchasing with MC?
A: No plans currently.

Redshift2k5: Presuming the fancy non-stock trialHeavy mech of the month for April is a success, will MWO continue to offer non-stock trial mechs in the future?
A: Yes.

Featherwood: Regarding upcoming 'Heavy Metal' hero-Mech: Why LRM launcher with 10 tubes is smaller that SRM6 launcher with 6 tubes? Is that disproportion intentional or just 3D-modelers' quickie?
A: Purely an art choice.

Cockpit, HUD & Customizations

Booran: You've said in an earlier ask the devs that there'll be "garage kits" for the mech down the road, showing different arms/heads/etc. for customization. Will we see similar concept for the cockpits?(different "skins" like brushed metal, rusted, different panels, cables etc)
A: Definitely possible, no ETA.

General Maximus: Any chance on adding multi-monitor support? Like maybe we could have a second monitor for a tactical display or something. That would be pretty rad.
A: It’s technically possible, however we have to weigh the gameplay implications.

Murku: Any chance if seeing mouse wheel as bindable in options? Lots of people like it for zoom, others for weapon group swapping. Currently only way to set it is in action maps.XML, which has been declared off-limits for tampering in 'rules and guidelines' forum under 'custom modifications to mwo client'.
A: Yes.

Ryvucz: Are there any plans to implement an altimeter on the HUD?
A: Yes.

sayerszero: How exactly is damage applied to armor/structure/components from the various weapon groups? If I heat up armor/structure with energy weapons, will ballistic/missiles be more effective or no?
A: All weapons effectively deal the same sort of damage. The only real differences right now are that the explosions of missiles can deal damage to multiple locations within their radius, and weapons like machine guns are able to deal extra critical hit damage. The glow you see when you hit a Mech with lasers is nothing more than a visual effect and has no gameplay implications.

cjmurphy87: Would you consider releasing some data on elo? In particular I'd love to see a frequency distribution of the various elo scores, I'm curios whether the community has formed a bell curve, or if there are bands centered around several different modes.
A: There is a perfect bell curve. We are considering however, dropping the entry point ELO value for new players. This will help new players start at an easier play bracket and allow them to quickly move into their appropriate ELO bracket.

Maps:

TwigTech: Given the detail and strategic depth of Tourmaline Desert in comparison to the similarly-sized Alpine, will older maps ever be revisited for major geographic or structural overhauls to bring them up to par with newer maps?
A: We’re happy with all of the maps. They offer up a variety of different strategies. That being said, we have already made tweaks to Forest Colony, and continue to examine each map. 12 v 12 will change the landscape dramatically.

Levesque: Will my collection of mechs/purchased things transfer from server to server? I'm part of an international gaming group, so being able to painlessly cross borders and play with my pals on all sides of the Atlantic is really important to me.
A: If each region ends up with a server, you will be able to do a one-time transfer.

Snaloe: Can you make a Night version of Tourmaline Desert ?
A: We plan to make an alternate version. No details on time-of-day yet.

Weapons & Loadouts

Eddrick: Any possibility of us being able to mount our own Artillery Weapons like the Thumper Artillery Cannon and the Sniper Artillery Cannon?
A: No plans at the moment.

Maxx Blue: What is the desired role for machine guns, and do you feel they are currently working as intended? In casual play I'm having a hard time determining if they are hurting the enemy in any meaningful way.
A: They are working as intended. They do not pose a real threat to a fully armored `Mech, however once damage, machine guns are deadly against internal components.

SerEdvard: Any plans to buff Single Heat Sinks? For example, SHS could have lower dissipation rate but higher heat threshold, whereas DHS would have higher dissipation but lower heat threshold.
A: They will be under review again before we launch Clans.

GaiDaigouji: The Jager's aesthetics are a thing of beauty in the way that the cannons change depending on what is loaded into them. Will older units get similar treatments as time progresses? I can understand the difficulty in trying to mesh the short and chubby AC/20 into a raven or a cicada but what about the bigger boys?
A: We are overhauling every `Mech to feature a variety of visual customizations depending on loadout.

oldhasu: When ammo is destroyed by a critical hit, sometimes it explodes. Sometimes not. How does this calculated? What is the percentage of the probability?
A: There are two different times that ammo can explode. If an ammo bin is destroyed by a critical hit (each bin currently has 10 health), there is a 10% chance that the ammo remaining in that bin will explode. When a location, such as the right torso, is destroyed, each ammo bin in that location that had not already been destroyed by crit hits has an individual 10% chance to explode. There are two exceptions to this. The first is that, if you have ammo stored in your arm, and your arm falls off when your side torso is destroyed, there is no chance of the ammo exploding. The other is that Gauss Rifle ammo never explodes. However, all the explosion rules also apply to Gauss Rifles, except that they have a 90% chance of exploding.

Koniving: It was indicated that consumable firepower (artillery and air strikes) would use a smoke signal to indicate where it is to be delivered. How will we deploy it? Will it be a line of sight sort of thing where we deploy a projectile? A point and click so the signal just appears? Would we use the minimap?
A: Line-of-sight, and then a module that allows players to use the BattleGrid.

Koniving: There are mech weapons and dated (inferior but useful) equipment that are not currently available. These include but are not limited to: Rocket Launchers, Medium Range Missiles, Electronic Warfare Equipment, Remote Sensor Dispensers, and dispensible landmines. Their lack of existence prevents certain time-line friendly variants of readily available mechs from being tangible. Could we see these technologies after Community Warfare, and are any in development now?
A: If it makes sense and fits the timeline, we plan to add it. If it’s not overly useful, or very niche, it doesn’t not rank high up on the production priorities. In addition, several of the items you list, such as the Medium Range Missiles and Rocket Launchers, do not exist in the current timeline. They are not available until 3058 and 3064 respectively.

Taemien: Is there any plans to allow for units and/or groups of players to drop into a practice match against each other?
A: This would be a private match. It’s in review.

Matchmaking/ELO/Server

KinLuu: What is the rationale for hiding the players elo?
A: It’s not a statistic that players need access to.

Koniving: We now have the Jagermech, an anti-air mech. Does this mean we may be able to shoot down incoming airstrikes?
A: Not currently. The air strikes are not super powerful. If we up the damage, we may consider a skill based concept like this.

Lupin: Does your ELO score get reset at any point?
A: No. And I doubt we would reset it unless something major happened, or we completely revamped the system.

CMGrendel: In ask the devs 33 answers you confirmed you will need 2 accounts to play on 2 different regional servers. Why not a global account you can use to log in on every server?
A: Certain regional partners may require this.

Gameplay/Game modes/Issues

Scarcer: Will we ever see TDM with respawns? TDM and waves has existed ever since it was possible for Mechwarrior games. We need a longer more action packed game mode to play where we do not have to launch a new match to battle more. Alternatively, how soon will we receive something like Drop-ship mode?
A: We are still designing the next set of game modes, including any form of re-spawn mode (aka DropShip).

Lukoi: In testing grounds, can the Mechs used as target dummies be bumped up to maximum armor? That would be more closely aligned with commonly customized builds used by the player base (closer, not always maxxed I admit) than the trial Mech values currently used.
A: More tweaks and features will come over time.

BoPop: Will there be other game modes or the ability to exclude maps?
A: Yes. Maybe, if we find a major imbalance.

Asaru: Will we be seeing the return soon of the ability to drop in premade groups of various sizes and have pugs fill out the remainder of the team like it was in closed beta? Or has there been a conscious decision to not bring this back at all?
A: This is conscious to help balance out matches. The max team size in a public match is 4 and we continue to improve the matchmaker to create a more balanced experience. When 12 v 12 rolls out, 8 player teams will be replaced by 12 player teams.

Koniving: Will there be a possibility of more dynamic objectives that can change location and/or which side must do what?
A: Anything is possible. We are not actively working this currently.

Gregory Owen: How long till we see 12v12? (not asking for exact dates by any means, just a general idea ie : 1month,3month.6 months)
A: In the next 60 days~.

NiteCrawler: Could we get a change to the Assault Gamemode, to only allow capping once at least half of the team has been destroyed (or in general once, let's say 4 Mechs on either side are destroyed).
A: No changes are planned ATM.

No7: Is the Conquest Mode being worked on or is it working the way you want it to work?
A: It’s working as intended, although we feel it needs a little tuning.

Herbstwind: Are we going to see critical hits to the engine/gyro (or even actuators) in the future?
And if so, could you elaborate on the effects ? (reduced heat capacity, reduced speed, falling down more easily or on hard impacts...)
A: Yes. No details to report yet.

Vasces Diablo: Has there been any thought of making the bases in assault a destructible asset as opposed to just a "time in the box" capture?
A: Not for assault. We are working on another base capture mode for Community Warfare that features something along these lines.

General
StaggerCheck: Has there been any discussion into granting new players a start-up Mech as a way to enhance the new user experience/retention?
A: Trial Mechs take care of this aspect of the game. Future gameplay additions will enhance the new user experience.

MoonUnitBeta: This might be a silly question, but I'm really wondering. Will tessellation be available as soon as DX11 drops?
A: Not out the gates. We still need to do some work on our end.

SUBZERO8K: Is there any chance that a High-Res Texture Pack or something of the sort will ever be released as an optional download?
A: No plans currently.

Hellen Wheels: One of the perks for the Legendary purchase was to be listed in the game credits. When will we see that happen?
A: For launch.

ROPh03n1x: Any eta on the lobby where we could possibly choose/vote for the map that we want as well as the mech for that map?
A: Early to late summer.

Merchant: Can we be allowed to modify chat colors and fade in a black background so we can set up text chat to be readable by our own preferences?
A: It’s something we can look it in the future.

Joseph Djugashvilli: Do you have any in-house statistics on potential in-game hacking (so we know it's not paranoia) and if yes, are you planning of implementing something like punkbuster (althoutgh that particular program sucks badly)?
A: Yes we track and suspend/ban users for a variety of infractions. We have no plans to implement Punkbuster™ at this time.

Grotoiler: Seeing as the Devs have informed us that there's a musical score in the writings, would it be possible for you to divulge a bit more info on that? Would it be composed of full-length tracks, or just small snippets (~10 seconds or such) that would be played on certain events such as match start and what? Lastly on the topic, would there be any chance of seeing a purchasable version of said soundtrack for personal listening pleasure?
A: We’re putting together small short songs for use during start up and key moments of gameplay. They would for the most part, be short. As for releasing the soundtrack; anything is possible, but no plans at the moment.

Forum/Website/Sales:

Snaloe- Are you going to make it possible to change your password?
A: Yes. You can do this already.

Glowhollow: Will the Statistics in the Future include something like: Sum of Headshots, How Many DMG tanked, How long stayed alive or Wich zones are hitted on enemy mechs (for example, CT hitted nearly 90%, RT only 5 %)?
A: Over time we plan to add more stats, compile and display them in different ways, and make the public.

Jetfire: Given that your current weekend sales are likely very effective, are you considering your price points as far as lowering MC per item as more content comes online?
A: Anything is possible, we are not ready to reveal anything specific at this time.

Kanajashi: Can we have some sort of "First win of the day" type bonus like in League of Legends? (really any daily/weekly bonus would be awesome)
A: It’s coming in May.

M0rpHeu5: Do you check the suggestions and the game balance topics?
A: Regularly. We tend to look for trends, rather than specific suggestions. When we see many threads about something being too powerful, we examine the root causes and implement a fix or tweak.

SubRyan: Will there ever be a monthly subscription for premium game time and the ability to make it an automatic payment?
A: We’re trying to avoid recurring payments, as this implies a subscription, which we do not currently support or plan to support. Players have several options when it comes to premium time.

Viper69: Why the 180 on the 3rd person view topic? You stated to us last year you were not going that route but decided to go there any way. Why the change and were you ultimately planning to do it anyway from the start and were not straight with us from jump street?
A: At the outset we had no intention to support 3rd Person. However as with all design choices, it became clear we were limiting our audience and needed to explore ways to retain the core experience, while making the game more accessible.

Kazly: Can you separate stats into different tabs? Weekly, Monthly, All Time? Something along these lines - it would be easier to see stats for different configurations, strategies ....
A: Continued improvements to the stat system can be expect over time, including better sorting options.

Ask the Devs #39

Some players have asked - ‘’why wasn’t my question answered?’’ We receive an average of 200 questions for each ATD! We do our best to select a range of questions that will result in the the most informative ATD.

UI 2.0
StalaggtIKE: UI 2.0 is looking really great. Are there any plans to synchronize a web interface to the mechlab, to allow for out of game mech purchases, weapon grouping and customizations? Then we can waste more of our work time. Thanks.
A: Eventually we would love this to happen. There’s a lot of architecture work, engineering, and web development to make this a go. I don’t expect this to be done in 2013, as we have other aspects of the game to finish first.

CarnifexMaximus: With the ability to change mech names in UI 2.0, will the limit on the number of letters expand as well? Example. I wanted to name my Centurions: Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus and Scippio Africanus. These names are too long with the current character limit for naming mechs on purchase.
A: There are always limits. We won’t know the final limits for a little while yet. It’s a balance between reasonable space and aesthetics.

TheComet: Is there any possibility of a colorblind mode for the UI colors? I have a great deal of difficulty telling just how damaged a section of a mech is from the interface when I target them due to my color deficiency.
A: Yes, we plan to address the HUD after launch, adding some new features, and allowing custom colors.

Harmin: Could we have an indicator in the friends list if someone listed there is currently grouped or not? Perhaps even a looking-for-group indicator flag they can toggle?
A: With UI 2.0 yes.

Zwanglos: Will there eventually be the ability, in 8-mans/12-mans, to pre-assign lances before even pressing the Launch button? Will premades (esp. 8-mans/12-mans when that comes) be able to see mechs listed in the Group tab? Could the UI automatically tally the max weight of the entire group?
A: Yes! And yes! We’re going to be showing of the new group/pre-launch (lobby) screens very soon.

Jetfire: Is there anything interesting you can share about the UI 2.0 Store? Hoping for something related to the kinds of packages or deals it will offer.
A: A limitation of our current architecture prevents us from selling bundled goods. The new store will replace the weekend sales we currently run with daily, weekly, and other event sales. Players will be able to see when and how long an item will be on sale for. The new system will allow us to put items on sale for smaller time frames, down to the minute if we want. The best part – no more sales downtime! Yay!

`Mech's and Mechbay
Dragonkindred: Due to the huge support for a worthy cause, will you be making a hero mech for Sarah?
A: A mech yes!

MavRCK: Some mechs seem easily to focus fire on specific areas such as the center torso more so than other mechs, ie. Awesome, Cataphract, Highlander. In the past, mechs such as the Catapult with this issue were adjusted (possibly had their hit boxes adjusted)? Would it be possible to look at the aforementioned mechs?
A: Each mech is designed to be have strengths and weaknesses. This can take the form of lager hit boxes or geometry, along with harpoints and quirks.

Xenroth: The new mechs change their appearance whenever you change their weaponry. When can we expect this feature on the old mechs, like the Atlas, Catapult etc? Can we expect this to be done till release or might it come after the official release?
A: There is no official timeline. The art team squeezes them in when they have extra time.

An Ax Murderer: What are your processes for determining which 'Mechs get quirks and which do not? Are they only given to certain chassis' or can we expect to see quirks for every variant later on down the road?
A: They all get quirks, we’re slowly going back in time adding them to each mech.

Colddawg: Is there a limit to the number of different 'Mechs you are planning on adding into the game?
A: Not so far.
Zolaz: The "best" variant of the Awesome is the 9M and the Cataphract 1X does a better job with its slimmer profile. The Cataphract 3D sacrifices one laser slot for jump jets. The only thing the Awesome has going for it is a slightly more armor. However, that is offset by the exaggerated center torso that no one misses on the it.
A: We’re going to be tuning each chassis in the future to address some of the less useful variants.

Thorqemada: What has happened to the general Mechspeed (kph)? It can say that the speed differences between the weightclasses seem to be compressed (means there is significant less difference). This hurts the differentation between the Weightclasses and Mediums especially. Any enlightment you can give us PGI?
A: Eventually we plan to increase the speed cap, until then the ranges are going to stay the same. There is still quite a variance of 2x from light to assault.

Fishhawk: Any plans to introduce quadruped Battlemechs like the Scorpion or Goliath?
A: No plans.

FrostCollar: Do you track the relative use of Light/Medium/Heavy/Assault mechs over time? Care to share any insights? I've always been curious about what those relative usage rates are, especially given talk about how some classes of mech are harder to play than others (Spider experts, I salute you).
A: Yes we track usage.

Weapons & Loadouts

Levi Porphyrogenitus: Has PGI considered removing splash damage from missiles altogether?
A: Yes we have, but have elected to balance them differently. Currently the splash damage on all missiles is set to 5cm (effectively removing it) and will investigate if it should change any further in either direction.

RazorWarrior: Will we ever be able to use jump jets to go directly forward or side to side like in previous MechWarrior games?
A: Vectored jumpjets have been discussed.

Void Angel: Given the new interactions with the Beagle Active Probe and ECM systems, is there any chance we'll see an icon for 'Mechs equipped with BAP (and have it locked to a hardpoint, like ECM?")
A: At this time, no. But we have discussed an equipment hardpoint.

Karl Streiger: Do you consider any changes on the armor distribution? Most players aim directly for the Center - some for the side torso - but in most cases it is cheaper (less time consuming to kill the target)
Shouldn't the gain of disarming a target first be increased over the kill shot? My Ideas were (CT 28%, Legs 13%, SideToros 15% and Arms 7% of total armor)
A: Armor values are based off the TT values.

jay35: Given the prolific nature of modules (resulting in an increasing inability to carry all the relevant modules for a given role, e.g., scouting), when will you be adding additional module slot unlocks to the pilot tree? Or will you be moving some of the current modules to more relevant locations outside of the module mechanic, such as Artillery & Airstrikes to Command Console functions, perhaps Seismic Sensor as an equipment item, etc, so that each role can actually mount all of the relevant modules provided they've unlocked them and purchased them?
A: We do not plan to convert modules or consumables to equipment, as they are designed to be layered and balanced on top of the standard BattleTech rules founds in MechLab. We’re looking at separating modules and consumables, giving both their own separate space rules. And yes we are adding more modules and consumables as time goes on. It is also our intention to make players make a conscious decision as to which modules/consumables to bring to the battlefield, and not necessarily bring everything but the kitchen sink.

coolcook007: Why you guys have decided to make Arm Lock as default? The new players don’t even know that there’s an option to turn it off, there should be ansta annotation if a new player starts the game.
A: We made arm lock default because most new players have an easier time learning how to pilot their mech. With UI 2.0 and Training Grounds, players will undergo a tutorial which teaches them how to toggle this on and off.

Asmudius Heng: Russ Bullock replied to a player on Twitter who enquired why PGI didnt like the idea of hardpoint sizes. Russ replied:"@AC1DPHA5E we’re not against it, it's been discussed.”
Is it possible to get an elabolration on what that discussion was so we know if this is 1) still being discussed and why, 2) rejected for X reason.
A: No further news on this thought process. If we reject it, I’ll let you know.

Firelizard: Given the disparity between the 0.5 ton machine guns and the 6 ton AC2, will you consider adding the mech mortar line to add low tonnage ballistic armament options?
A: Eventually, as the timeline allows for it.

General Taskeen: I recall in Closed Beta that Devs would examine making C.A.S.E. useful with XL Engines (since it is used on Record Sheets), is this still being worked on? If yes, when might we expect this?
A: No plans to do so at this time.

Zaptruder: In the weapon grouping list, why are arm weapons listed as right arm first and left arm second, while torso mounted weapons seem to be listed CT, LT and then RT? Would it be possible to have the weapons listed from left to right, top to bottom? Or even better yet, have the weapon locations identifiably marked on the weapon list, so that you're in no doubt as to what weapons are located where.
A: We’ll be reviewing this with the HUD rework after launch.

Mizore: The Seismic Sensors module is very strong at the moment. Any plans on changing it the way, that at least light and medium mechs can move nearly undedected for example at a speed of 50kph or below? In my opinion this would strengthen their role as scouts or harassers.
A: Yes. We’re tuning right now, expect tweaks mid-June to bring it in line a bit. More details forthcoming.

Mokey Mot: When are brawling weapons going to see some love (pulse lasers in particular)?
Ranged warfare is in a good place at the moment; as shown by it's current popularity. But I feel it is narrowing the gameplay a little too much; there is no real advantage for brawlers to expend the effort of getting close at the moment. I don't think you can just go nurfing ranged weapons though, as balanced builds are actually quite nice to pilot now.
A: While nothing specific is coming at the moment, we’re going to be coming full circle on weapons soon, where beams will be looked at and tweaked if necessary.
Maps/Environment:
Geist Null: When is the next city map or heavy forested map due out? the high heat, low temp open area maps have gotten a lot of play recently, I’m ready for somewhere focused on maneuvering and light/medium play styles
A: We have an Island Urban map in production right now. Due out late summer/early fall.

Adridos: During an NGNG interview with your main map designer T. Jantzi, he mentioned that all maps he creates must work with our current movement abilities, but also once the restrictions on movement will be applied (like non-scalable hills). Since it's been a while and there never was an official response on the fact before or after the interview, when could we expect to see this implemented?
A: This feature is being worked on and will debut very soon (June/July).

Mrbright: When will leg inverse kinematics/foot alignment fit the terrain? I think I noticed it at one point but its gone now?
A: We removed it for performance reasons. Our engineering team is looking at it, fixing some bugs and performance related issues. Once fixed, expect to see it come back provided it does not impact performance on min-spec machines.

Prosperity Park: Are there any longer-term plans to add a Deep Water penalty to the movement speed of Mechs traveling through significantly-deep water?
A: We’re adding some new movement code that will make mechs behave more realistically when traversing rolling terrain. Once in, we can examine adding water friction if we feel it will add a benefit to gameplay.

MrLiNcH: Are there future plans for a jungle/tropical map? I thought this type of environment was right in CryEngine's wheelhouse...
A: It’s on our list of to do maps!

Spirit of the Wolf: If they needed to balance the game, and were unable to do so within the current set of rules they have set for themselves, would PGI ever 'bend' the timeline rules to make the game fit the environment better, (such as bringing in mech mortars, mines, & the like), or is the timeline, insofar as is planned right now, considered to be completely immutable?
(If it is immutable, would PGI simply make its own weapons/equipment/technology, or would it simply do the best to balance what it was given?)
A: For now we are following the timeline closely. We may loosen that restriction if necessary, but I don’t see that happening in the short term.

Gameplay/Game modes/Meta

Hammerreborn: In regards to damage transfer. Is there an engine limitation preventing "piercing" through destroyed components such as the legs and STs to determine damage to other components, or is this something that may/may not be planned in the future? For example, shooting at a centurions damaged leg from the front will not do damage, but shooting it from the side would cause piercing to go through and hit the other leg, rather than having damage appear strangely in the STs?
A: It’s doable, however it would significantly up the number of calculations needed to be done per frame on the server, thereby reducing server performance and increasing network traffic.

Belorion: I seem to take a fair amount of friendly fire during some drops. Is it possible to get friendly fire added to the end of match score board and/or changing the reticule color flash is a team mate is hit? That way people can see if they are hitting mostly the enemy, or need to work on avoiding team mates.
A: The average amount of FF damage done per player per match is less than 5 dmg. The amount of damage being done is far less than even we thought, which is encouraging. I like the FF indicator, we can look at putting up an X or something indicating do not fire along with an audio queue when dmg is done.

Any thoughts on reintroducing collison sonner and in iterative phases to ultimately have it adjusted to the level PGI want it to be?
A: No plans to rush this, we have lots of other features queued up first. Once launch is out of that way, we can reintroduce collisions to the test servers and balance them before going live.

Lentil: Could we get some improvements in automatic PUG lance assignments? For example:sorting mechs into lances by weight or making sure lance-mates appear together when spawning?
A: The latter is being worked on. Also, the new lance interfaces currently on live servers, allow the Company Commander to quickly reorder players in to different lances.

Stormwolf: Any indication if we might ever get a stock only mode? I ask this because not everybody wants to min max or build the latest abusive build all the time.
A: It’s something we can look at after launch.

Brilig: Are you considering changes to convergence to address issues with boating/alpha striking? Or is heat scale the only option that you are exploring?
A: We’re looking at different ways to improve balance. Nothing specific to talk about just yet.

Source Control: Can we have "Lock Arms to Torso" option be assigned on a per-Mech basis? Some Mechs are more appropriate than others, especially on the config and it's a bummer that this is global to all Mechs.
A: We’re looking at making this an easy in-game toggle in addition to the current toggle via config menu.

Willie Sauerland: Since capturing a little box is rewarded in Assault mode (it is an alternate win condition), why is capturing points to gain a team resources in Conquest mode (another alternate win condition) not rewarded?
A: You are reward for collecting resources, not capturing resource points. We are discussing internally whether we should add a cap reward.

Richard Strong: What is the ETA on some sort of mech option for each map?
A: Lobbies will show up after UI 2.0 is out in the wild.

Sentinel373: Is there a chance you'll add arm lock as a toggle function instead holding the button down? I mean a toggle ingame, not the options menu. Sometimes i just dont have enoegh fingers to hold that button down
A: Yes.

FupDup: Will you ever increase the C-Bill and XP rewards for non-killing/damage-dealing roles to be closer to the rewards of those aforementioned damage roles?
A: We are working on refactoring in game rewards to be more granular and role/group/faction based.

Steven Dixon: When you implement achievements will our previous matches count towards the achievements or will only the matches that occur after achievements are launched count?
A: Achievements will most likely start at 0.

Alistair Winter: Will we see a third game mode in addition to Assault mode and Conquest mode this year? I don't mean a variant with respawn, I mean something completely new.
A: With Community Warfare yes.

Cockpit, HUD & Customizations

Lukoi: Any chance you'll consider changing the missile bay door indicators to red/green vice red/yellow? There are a multitude of maps where the colors are so close to each other, it's difficult to tell the difference.
A: We’re discussing moving these lights to the HUD.

Hobo Dan: I am aware that we can change FOV in the game files, but are there any plans to add an FOV slider to the in-game options menu, similar to how Mouse Sensitivity was recently added?
A: Yes.

Arkatrex: Will it possible to get cockpit effects during getting heat / overheat? Like blurring, sweat drops or something like that? The mech pilot should be affected from that much of heat
A: It’s on our list of graphical additions.

Will9761: Is there a chance that you could add a numbering system with the Damage Display HUD so you could see the amount of hitpoints your mech's armor has in combat?
A: After launch we plan to refactor parts of the HUD. This is on a list of improvements along with color options etc.

Sentinel373: Is there any chance we will get to see the letter designation next to the players name when pressing Tab or have it there with the kill message. It often gets confusing at the end of the match who is still standing.
A: We show everyone’s Dead/Alive/Disconnected status in the player list. Can you expand on that thought?

DarkhorseBW: Why are there different types of cockpit hit boxes? For example, the Cataphract's cockpit is only its 1 front center window, but the Catapult's cockpit is all of its windows?
A: It’s getting adjusted to be similar. It’s Paul’s favorite mech, so I made sure everyone could kill him more easily.

defcon won: Can we get map coordinate added to the HUD? Whatever coordinate the main crosshairs are on should show above the distance for team coordination. And/or put a marker on the spot you're in the crosshairs, shared with your team or lance.
A: I’ll ask the team what they think.

Miscenalleous

Ninthshadow: Is there any chance we will be getting new bug/crash reporting tools in the near future?
A: The tools team is working on another feature right now, however this IS on the short list.

Dude42: Any chance of getting the malformed packet issue resolved before release?
A: Yes. The engineering team is working on this now. Similar to the HUD bug, this is an issue deep within CryEngine.

Darwins Dog: Would it be possible to have a link for us to get out stats (mechs, weapons, etc.) in something live a .csv file? I'm a science guy, and I would love to be able to see trends in my performance.
A: Yes, eventually we will have an API for players to get access to stat information.

FruitFly: Is there a possibility of introducing a in game or in launcher survey that all players take?
A: Eventually.

M0rpHeu5: Why don't you put MWO on steam?
A: We’re doing an analysis now.

Trufast: How are you planning to do matchmaking in terms of tonnage and elo when it comes to merc fights and dropship mode? Will the mercs fighting for a planet just have to bring the gorgonzola, or can they enjoy some edamer and not get brutalized by a full assault top elo team? And regarding dropship; will it be weight matching drop by drop, total tonnage of your 4 mechs, or none at all?
A: I’m going to delay answering this until we get closer to launch. We plan to use the test servers to help determine what this ultimate looks like. Stay tuned.

DEMAX51: I know that, at the moment, you address balancing issues once a month. While some people may suggest that this isn't fast enough, I can understand why you would chose this sort of time-frame.
However, once the game actually launches later this year, do you foresee balancing adjustments happening with greater regularity?
A: We actually tune the game with each patch. We do not foresee patching any more than 2x per month at this time.

White Bear 84: It is great having various offline mechlabs where you can design mechs etc. Is there any plans in the future to allow users to export their mech designs from the game for editing either on their computer or through a web browser and vice versa?
A: Probably not. The client/server nature of our game requires some pretty secure handshaking when dealing buying/selling/equipping BattleMechs. I will ask though.

James Heywood: After playing War thunder recently I noticed they had a post match replay option which you could save to your HDD. Is there a chance we will see this function added in the future? since many players like to make fan vids and recruitment videos, this would be a major help and a great way to advertise MWO through youtube etc.
A: Yes, sometime in 2014.

Maverick01: Can we expect to see a short Cinematic trailer for the launch of MWO? If yes, can the trailer be narrated by Duncan Fisher or even Morgan Freeman? This would serve to introduce the futuristic universe of the Inner Sphere, showing the war and politics of the Great Houses and ultimately leading to the Clan Invasion.
A: I would expect something cool for launch.

MustrumRidcully: Can you explain a bit about the patch release process?
I don't want to come off as overly critical or something here, but:
We've had at least two patches where missile flight paths were broken and one where missiles' splash damage interacted together with the hitbox change to make them overpowered, forcing hot fixes. Did the QA miss these issues, or did you find them too late to change anything for the build? You changed missile damage despite having flight paths and splash damage being off. I would expect the damage change would be tested, which would - unless it isn't done in game - necessitate testing the flight paths as well. How do these things fit togehter?
A: All of the above can happen and has. We have an extremely aggressive release schedule, one that sees a feature completed no more than 4 weeks ahead of going live. We’ve been working towards increasing this gap to allow for better testing and soak time. A new set of test servers will come online in the next 4 weeks. These will allow us to test major features and minor tuning adjustments at scale. Scale meaning player loads similar to our production servers. Between IGP and PGI we have finite resources and hardware. It’s almost impossible for us to replicate live conditions at scale. A lot of issues only rear their heads when we have 1,000s or 10,000s of players playing. With each month that goes by, we are able to improve our processes, and testing to improve quality and delivery of content

Forum/Website/Sales, Events and Tournaments:

Kmieciu: Was the Christmas MC sale a success? When can we expect the next MC sale?
A: I would expect an MC sale around the same time as last year, all things being equal.

Toltecher: When could we see a Developers versus the Inner Sphere weekend event (ideally including all of your dev teams and QA teams as well)? I think that would be a wonderful and exciting way to preview the Clan Invasion before handing over Clan tech to the playerbase (and don't forget to broadcast such an event live!).
A: It’s a great idea and one that’s been tossed around internally. Once we get to launch and beyond, we’ll have more time on our hands to run bigger community events. Right now the team is charging hard towards getting the last major game features in.

Smiffy: Why are the ISN news flashes no longer displayed on the home page?
A: We’re moving them to a new home on the website. They should make a return in the near future.

Hoaggie: How are feedback and suggestions from the forums weighted in the use of game development? To clarify, I see many well worded suggestions where people cite examples and sources in the forum threads, but I see many many more “X needs nerfed” or “Y needs a buff” responses that seem to drown out the ones who have sound reasons backing their ideas. Also, how do you factor in people who do not complain because they think everything is fine?
A: As you can imagine we get lots of feedback, some more qualified than others. We weigh community feedback carefully against our design goals, long term plans, and telemetry. Often what is perceived to be an issue, say Win by Capture in Assault, is not actually as big of an issue. When design goals, planning, feedback, and telemetry align to say something needs adjusting, we jump on that quickly.

Ask the Devs #40




3PV
Viper69 : If we are going to be able to choose to play against people using 3PV or not to, how are you going to address the then fractured and smaller groups that then have to wait in queue for a match that meets their perimeters?
A: There will be two modes Normal and Hardcore (FPV) only. We anticipate most players will play the first mode leaving the hardcore mode for the those wanting a challenge. 3PV will be going onto test servers in the next 60 days and we’ll see how it goes from there.

Ghost Badger: How does PGI plan to reconcile Community Warfare matches with 3PV and 1PV? How will they reconcile matches between teams with different preferences? Or do they plan to split the CW mechanic by viewpoint?
A: The plan is to have scheduled matches will be FPV only, since these will be performed between Merc. Units. Regular matches will follow the above rules (Normal/Hardcore).

aniviron: You've stated in the past that you don't want to give players using third person view a competitive advantage by being able to see around corners, behind them, or in their far periphery. Do you have any concrete plans for how to do this? It seems like this will be an unavoidable side effect of having the camera located behind the mech, and it is the main reason that almost the entire forum is against having it in the game. You could assuage a lot of upset on the forums if you detailed how you are going to do this.
A: Once players get their hands on 3PV, I think most people will be pleasantly surprised how little the camera impacts gameplay. Early tests are showing that there is not much of an advantage. That being said, until we get this viewmode in the hands of 1000s of players, we’re not going to see how it fully gets used.

Khanahar: Why exactly is 3rd person not implemented as a module?
A: It’s not end game content.

Warge: Are any plans to encourage future 3PV players to use 1PV? Maybe slight XP or/and CB boost, that sort of things...
A: Probably not, however we’re going to emphasize that both view modes are essential to a well-rounded experience, with FPV being something that you use if you are a true sim-head.


UI 2.0
MeatForBrains: With the recent (as of today) UI 2.0 improvements showing pending and ready status for players in the dropship. Will there be a team BV (battlevalue) that the team (or individual) must stay under? Or are you going to continue with the current ELO system?
A: The current Elo system works in concert with any drop weight limitations we put in place.

Azshal: The Atlas D-DC has 3 missile hardpoints in the LT, but each hardpoint seems to have a different number of tubes. In UI2.0, will there be the ability to choose exactly which hardpoint an LRM/SRM goes into, and the abilty to see how many tubes are in each hardpoint?
A: Right now there a no plans to allow players to pick which hardpoint items are equipped to.

Prosperity Park: Will UI 2.0 provide a little more information about the Modules in the "description/about" field than the current Mechlab provides? For instance, instead of the Adv Target Decay Module being described as "increases the time a target remains locked to 3.5 seconds," I think it should say something more like "Increases the time a target remains locked from 2.5 seconds to 3.5 seconds" so that people will have a better idea as to what they are getting. Perhaps the seismic sensor could be accompanied with a graph showing its detection thresholds so we can know what to expect in terms of quantifiable values... Etc.
A: The compare functionality of UI 2.0 will allow us to accomplish most of what you are describing, along with better written descriptions.


Community Warfare/Clans
irony1999: Currently it seems that CW Phase 1 is primarily delivering features for the "clan" (Merc corp) experience, from the current reveals. Will there be any enhancements for Faction members, or will that be delivered in Phase 2? Can you discuss these faction member enhancements?
A: Phase 1 will be the meta game (levels, ranks, loyalty points etc). Phase 2 will encompass association (being a part of a faction, whether a merc unit or house).

Blade Pride: Will lone wolf players have access to similar rewards as Units and Houses in the CW?
A: Each type of player will have a set of rewards to achieve. There will be a detailed write up on how we plan to do this.

Trufast: I was wondering how merc corp sizes would matter in community warfare. I understand that you guys can't reveal too much about that stuff yet, but I was wondering if a merc corp of say 20 members would be at a disadvantage compared to the 2-300 member corps. Is there a minimum requirement to be able to function as a merc corp? (more than twelve active members that is)
A: The minimum requirement will be 12. We don’t want size to play a major role in the CW meta game. Zerging the universe with masses is not really what we are trying to achieve. More details will follow when we outline CW to the public.

Mao of DC: Can you give us some insight of what you mean by "asymmetrical game modes". Is it simply 12 vs. 10 like you would find in a standard Inner Sphere vs. Clan encounter. Or will there be a number of types? Like assaulting a fortified position, or an ambush? For C.W. will there be a logical type, used for establishing a planethead? Around the barracks we call an operation like that as "making a hot drop". Will you be using new dedicated maps, or use any you have available?
A: Asymmetrical means each team has a different objective. Attack/Defend and Rush style modes best describe an asymmetrical mode.


`Mech's and Mechbay
MrTarget: Why ditch the Orion from June's update?
A: We wanted to offer a mech with a slightly different meta game.

Fox News Channel: Do you plan to give the Yen Lo Wang the same amount of horizontal arm movement as the Highlander 733C in the future?
A: Each mech has their own feel/quirks, we regularly look at them to see if they need tuning.

Gaureth: Regarding Mech upgrades (DHS, ENDO, FF, Artemis): Have you guys considered perhaps turning these into "unlocks" per mech instead of charging C-bills every time a player wants to revert to one or the other?This would be heaps better in trying different mech configurations without fear of spending again. You could charge a slightly larger fee to get the "upgrade", but after that the player would be free to switch back and forth between the two should the requirements allow.
A: It costs an engineer a lot of time and money to change a mech’s core configuration.

Strum Wealh: Which specific variants are planned for the respective releases of the Flea, Orion, and Victor?
A: We keep them secret until 2 weeks before launch.

mania3c: Will you consider to add "Try before buy" system for Hero Mechs? That we will be able to play let's say Up to 5 games with any hero mech without CB/XP bonuses and we wont be able to change loadout.
A: It’s a system we are considering as a whole for all Mechs.


Weapons & Loadouts
Maxx Blue: What is going on with weapon convergence? It is my understanding that, currently, convergance changes instantly, and the convergence-related mech skill doesn't have any effect. If convergence is not gone for good, can we get an update on what is being done to it and where on the roadmap we should expect it to come back? If it is gone for good, any plans on changing the mech skill related to it?
A: We’re going to be looking at this in the near future. I don’t have any current notes to discuss yet.

Colonel Pada Vinson: Are jumpjets going to undergo tuning for DFA, collisions & better gameplay to bring them inline with battletech values and make them viable for jumping instead of wall-climbing? Jetfire: Right now a Trebuchet with max jumpjets can just barely clear an atlas head - how does PGI invision DFA working with such mediocre jump heights? I am thinking something that could fill a sizeable radius, 200+ meters with smoke for 10-30 seconds.
A: When collisions come back into the game we’ll take a look at each mech and the JJ system to make sure we get the desired results. TT is just a guideline and not really applicable to a realtime simulation.

Biruke: Will the different manufacturers laser beams differ in color? Say now we have blue LL beam. Lutien manufacturers could make the LL beams violet, no?
A: It’s one idea we have, yes.

Kmieciu: PGI did a great job balancing LRMs in the recent patches. Gradual increase in damage (0.7->0.9->1.1) is the right way to balance things. How about applying the same rule to balancing SRMs, LBX and Machine guns? Maybe a 20% boost in DPS in the next patch?
A: Paul has outlined a series of incoming changes to SRMs. Check out the Command Chair for the latest weapon tuning information.

Papar: Are you going to add modules that counter other modules? For example one that limits the usefullness of Seismic sensor or one that makes you undetectable by UAVs?
A: Right now these are counters for existing functionality (ECM). Overtime we do plan to offer more modules and more counter measures.


Maps/Environment:
Nick Drezary: When Comstar will stop playing ecology and finally approve destruction of trees in the battle zones?
A: When collisions come back into the game.

Will9761: Do you have plans to modify base objects into something more worthwhile of capturing like hangars, prisons, factories, cargo containers, power generators, etc?
A: With a different mode, yes.

RF Greywolf: Is there plans for making more realistic bases, like ones with defenses that must be dealt with before capping?
A: Yes.


Graphics:
FRYBOTH: The physical damage on Mechs looks really great. Are there any plans to expand upon this further? Maybe an additional layer of exposed internals underneath the brown/black pock marks? Also, is there ever going to be a visual representation of a destroyed side torso? When I Survive a round with only my center and another torso left, or just as a zombie (only CT), I wanna look like I just went through hell.
A: We actually dialed it back a bunch. We’re fighting a regular balance between high spec and min spec. Right now the game still needs improvement to run on lower end machines, which still dominate the market.

Banditman: In the current build, when you set your advanced options to low, you gain a significant tactical advantage over those who set them to maximum, outside of the FPS increase at lower settings. To wit: with lower settings, you can see opposing mechs at much greater distances due to the way your CryEngine implementation chooses to cull distant assets.
This seems completely contrary to common sense. It seems to me that greater image fidelity should yield a tactical advantage if anything does. As it stands now, you are encouraging your most competitive players to lower their image fidelity in order to maintain equal footing with their opponents.
What does PGI intend to do to address this issue?
A: I’ll have to ask Matt to do a write up.


Gameplay/Game modes/Meta
Loc Nar: When will the controls be updated to allow the use of chat/scoreboard/battlegrid while using analog throttle?
A: It’s a technical limitation of the engine currently. We’re looking into a way to fix it.

Hammerfinn: Have you thought about individualizing the "Pilot efficiencies" for each mech? IE: having a different bonus for mechs without arm-mounted weapons? If so, what were your ideas, with no pressure on actualization?
A: The core mech

Made From Scratch: Since there are times in a battle when nothing is left but a weaponless, limping heap of scrap metal - Will there ever be a self destruct option that contributes to a degree of close proximity damage along with some splash damage?
A: No plans currently, but you never know.

StalaggtIKE: Light and Medium mechs were the most prevalent within Battletech lore, with Heavy and Assault being a rarity. This is not the case within our current meta game, which consists of opposing teams of mostly Heavy and Assault class. Basically the plan is to bring your largest, heaviest hitting mech. Is this intended,and if not, are there any plans to curb this trend?
A: We have some plans in the works to limit the amount of tonnage on the battlefield and encourage balance through rewarding will structured teams.

Weaselball: Is the current large energy weapon alpha build meta something the Dev's are ok with? If not, when can we expect to see some tweaks to help tune the game away from said meta?
A: It’s being worked on.

Noktoo: Currently it is possible to drop with 8 Atlas into an 8man to maximize the firepower, but the firepower of the enemy team is not taken into consideration, though it may happen that 800 tons drop against an more balanced team with ~500. Are there Plans to bring in weight-limitation on 8vs8 or later in 12vs12?
A: Yes.

DocBach: Now that firing while jumping incurs a randomized accuracy penalty, is there any idea to incur penalties for accuracy while moving at a full run to simulate a running 'Mech being an unstable firing platform?
A: It’s not on the table right now.

littlelifter: Please could you make a special “headshot” notification and reward like “component destroyed” notification and reward?
A: It’s coming.

James Montana: Can you add a simple eject animation and effect? Even if it is only a modified missile that shoots out of the head and disappears off map?
A: Maybe once we get all of the critical features out of the way.

Vegalas: Will there ever be a game mode featuring repair bays?
A: Maybe. We’re looking at several ways to do respawns.

Jman5: A while back you had expressed concern that mechs were dying too fast. With 12v12 coming the amount of firepower directed toward a single mech will increase substantially. Do you still feel this is a problem? If so, how are you planning on addressing it?
A: Yes. Ongoing weapon and game balancing is improving the rate of damage dealt.


Cockpit, HUD & Customizations
Hanz Blitzer: Will we eventually be able to scan friendly mechs to see what weapons they are carrying?
A: Yes.

Svidro: Are there any plans to be able to move certain aspects of the interface, such as the minimap, or perhaps have the targeting reticule appear OVER the minimap graphic so we can see how far down we are actually aiming?
A: No, and yes. But we’ll have to see how the HUD revamp take shape.

slash b slash: When will we be able to assign different camos to each map and how is it going to work? For bonus points: Will we be able to use the same single use pattern on multiple maps or do we have to buy them multiple times to use them on multiple maps, making permanent patterns the more sensible option?
A: This will happen via the lobby and DropShip interfaces coming out with UI 2.0. Players will be able to bring in a variety of BattleMechs to use.

SUBZERO8K: Are you guys considering changing patterns/skins to be a universal system like the paint colors, rather than on a per Mech basis?
A: No.

Sable: Jumpjet shake was a big step in the right direction. The shake seems a bit violent and disorienting and i'm sure it will be fine tuned in the future. Something just didn't seem fluid with the reticle shaking though and i came to the conclusion that it was because the rest of the HUD doesn't shake along with it making the reticle by itself seem awkward. Any plans to make the rest of the HUD shake to create a more fluid feeling?
A: Probably not, however we are tuning the shake amount to make it a little easier on the eyes.

*Bonus: Follow up from ATD-39

Quote


Sentinel373: Is there any chance we will get to see the letter designation next to the players name when pressing Tab or have it there with the kill message. It often gets confusing at the end of the match who is still standing.
A: We show everyone’s Dead/Alive/Disconnected status in the player list. Can you expand on that thought?

Sentinel373: What i meant was:
When we first spot an enemy mech it is given a letter designation, Alpha Bravo, Charlie etc. most of us that play with friends via teamspeak or other voice chat programs never look at the players name during the match. we refer to the enemy mech as Alpha Cataphract or Bravo Cicada. and when an enemy player gets killed we often call out which letter is destroyed but sometimes this gets confusing when multiple mechs die right after the other and we dont know which mechs had gotten killed. Can we see this designation next to the player name when he/she gets killed in the kill message. That way at the end of the match we'll know who is still standing and its easier to remember what mech he/she is in.
A: Ah! Ok, I’ll ask the team and see what they think. Thanks for the clarification.


Miscenalleous
GB Tarkus: When can we expect to see SLI/Crossfire and TrackIR in game.
A: When our team has extra time.

Chiun44: What is being done to eliminate hacking that seems to be occurring occasionally? Are players being actively banned, and is the player stat database being routinely combed to identify game altering hacks? How often? Are server side changes coming to root out hacking? Are the recent changes in trial mech options an attempt to deter hacking?
A: Players are actively banned. We have a suite of tools and telemetry that helps us track down and discourage the more prolific hackers. That being said, hacking will always be a part of any PC game. It’s impossible to eliminate entirely. And no to the trial mech question.

Tsunamisan: Will PGI be adding server side implementation to block stuff such as Hacked game files, Aim bots and other types?
A: For the most part, players can hack data files, everything is server authoritative. Aimbots, wall hacks, and the like are more difficult to deal with since they prey on core Windows/DX functionality. Aimbots are reasonably easy to detect, especially in MWO. We have telemetry and snooping tools that allow us to watch players real time.

Krzysztof z Bagien: Any other game of similar kind I play shows actual number of people playing at the moment, often with average time to join the match. Can we get the player counter back, maybe with UI 2.0? And why did you remove it after closed beta in the first place?
A: It was a business decision to remove sensitive data. Queue time is something we’re looking at though.

DEMAX51: I think the June 4th patch fixed a lot of balancing issues. LRMs are a viable option again, especially from a team-play perspective, and the JJ shake has certainly reduced the number of poptarts we're seeing. I'm just wondering how satisfied you guys are with the overall balance of the current build. In general terms, are there any major issues you feel still need to be addressed?
A: There are always things to tune. We’re working on heat and beam weapons now. I’m happy we continue to improve the balance week to week.

Chavette: Its a shame to see game engine bugs taking such amount of time from you guys could spend elsewhere. How close do you work with the engine devs, and do you mutually benefit from the engine bug findings from other studios like Chris Roberts' team?
A: Unfortunately, very little to none. We’re pretty much on an island when it comes to a lot of issues.

Hellen Wheels: One of the tool tips mentions downloading the software to use the in-game VOIP. Is there any possibility that this might be a patch option that the patcher can handle and set up as part of running the game, as opposed to the user having to do it manually apart from the game?
A: Possibly.

Morang: When will you give us more freedom in Training Grounds? Selecting a map is the obvious need, selecting target mechs is possible, but what I want to be able to do is selecting camouflage pattern and colors for target mechs to evaluate camo performance before buying. You don't need that if you want fancy colors, but to create working camo a field test is needed.
A: Map selection is coming very soon. The rest is very granular and we’ll need to evaluate player feedback before adding/changing how it works.

VanillaG: Can you explain how the test server is going to work. Specifically:•Can anyone get onto the test system or will it be invite only?

•Will the test system be always available or only available for specific time windows?

•Will the test system require a different account or will the test system be periodically refreshed from the live system so we don't have to grind out existing mechs and configs?
A: Anyone. On for limited hours on specific days. Same account, new client.

Draxist: Would the Dev's consider doing community survey's once a month or once every two months via email? Another beta game I play uses these to gain feedback en mass from the community upon specific topics or in general.
The survey questions range from "is xy satisfying" or "rate how well you feel this mechanic works" to "any feature you want to see in game?" with a text box.
I know the game will be launching soon, but even after launch, a community survey about features being tested or that are currently "issues" could help the devs in getting a better feel for what the community feels without all the forum rage.
A: We are doing this. We just haven’t sent one out to certain demographics of players yet.


Forum/Website/Sales, Events and Tournaments:
ThePieMaker: I heard that either Garth or Bryan said they wanted to make MWO into a E-sport.
Has any progress been made on this? Do they still want to make it a E-sport?
What's the news concerning this?
A: It’s an ongoing progression. We have to get some core feature out before turning to an e-sport concept.

MrDoggss: Would there be a possibility of offering premium time in an play-time based form? A lot of players would be more willing to purchase MC/Premium time knowing that it won't just evaporate when we're not able to play. Instead of 3 days, maybe 12 hours?
A: We do not have any plans to make tweaks yet. The implementation is widely accepted and PT sales are incredibly strong. Before changing time slices, we plan to add more benefits as the game evolves.

MasterC: Could you release mech usage statistics? It would be very interesting to see what are the most and least popularly played mechs on Mechwarrior Online. And if you do release mech usage stats, please release stats or charts which show mech usage over time, say month-to-month or evenly weekly. For those who play the game regularly, this information would be very useful to help spot trends and changes in mech usage.
A: The only issue with showing trends, is they being to influence how players play. I’ll have to think about this one.

Khord: Would it be possible to get the Profile > Stats > MechStats page on the website organized to group by "Current" mechs (mech's currently owned and in a mechbay) at the top and "Unused" mechs (mech's where we no longer own the chassis) at the bottom in designated groups?
A: More functionality will come as we roll out new stats.

Dan Baxter: I greatly enjoyed the 25 victory challenge. Does PGI have any plans to start multiple challenges at the same time, allowing players to decide which ones they wish to opt in to?
A: These are tests. We are building an in-game achievement systems right now, and we are gauging user interest. The short answer is yes.

White Bear 84: Have you considered or is there room for consideration to provide opt in challenges over short-timescales such as 1/2 hours? Additionally is there any consideration towards providing items such as modules as rewards for challenges?
A: Definitely. We are working on a new system that will allow us to have much more granular challenges.

Les mal weiter:

Zitat

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Ghost Badger: How does PGI plan to reconcile Community Warfare matches with 3PV and 1PV? How will they reconcile matches between teams with different preferences? Or do they plan to split the CW mechanic by viewpoint?
A: The plan is to have scheduled matches will be FPV only, since these will be performed between Merc. Units. Regular matches will follow the above rules (Normal/Hardcore).

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Das verstehe ich so, dass es im CW nur FPV geben wird.

Wirklich alarmierend finde ich da:

Zitat

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Vegalas: Will there ever be a game mode featuring repair bays?
A: Maybe. We’re looking at several ways to do respawns.

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Früher wurde das noch definitiv verneint.


Ich muss echt sagen, dass MWO so langsam wirklich aufzeigt, wie beknackt es ist, einen Publisher zu haben.

Ich fand die in MW3 extrem cool.

3 Mobile Fahrzeuge, die man ordern kann, die zerstörbar sind (und dementsprechend beschützt werden müssen) die sich dann aufbauen und einen abgeschalteten mech mit neuer munition und Panzerplatten, aber NICHT mit nem neuen Arm oder sonstigen abgeschossenen Teilen.

Das fand ich eine perfekte Lösung!

Ich hoffe der Harcore-Modus unterstütz dann Stock-Mechs oder zumindest wenig modifizierbare Mechs. Dann wären da auch die Rollen endlich was besser verteilt.

Das muss es ja noch nichtmal sein, Drake. Die Waffen sind ja (wenn du dir die Söldner-Regeln des TT anguckst) nicht nur durch Gewicht und Abwärme gebalanced, sondern auch durch ihre Anschaffungskosten. Auf Basis dieser könnte man Reparaturkosten errechnen, die bei Beschädigung/ Zerstörung zu bezahlen sind und überhaupt müssen die Reparaturkosten wieder rein. So ein 6 PPC Stalker wäre dann nach einem Abschuss erheblich teurer zu Reparieren als einer mit 4 M-Lasern, zwei L-Lasern und ein paar Raketen.