New Modes Of Play or same old Death Match

Spurred on by a comment that Michael made in another forum topic, my mind has been on alternate game modes that would be viable in an online setting, other than the generic meet in the middle team death match, we have all been playing, and that the conquest mode.... at least in pug drops, has a tendency to devolve into.

One of the game modes that i have been thinking about is somthing I would call Asset Protection.
This would be one team tasked with the protection of a destroyable asset like a base, drop ship or somthing similar, while the opposing team is actually dropping in to destroy said asset. Particulars would include a destroyable asset, along with destroyable base mounted defences as warranted. The opposing team would actually use weapons to destroy the asset, instead of just sitting there waiting for a bar to go down, which is Lame, unrealistic.... This would change the role of the front line, heavy hitter, mechs to an actual assault role where heavys and mediums would be there to skirmish with opposing mechs in order to escort the assaults to the objective. Lights on the defending side could actually gain extra XP by taking a real scouting role, and on the attacking taking out base defences before the assults come in.
Destroyable assets could be a drop ship, refinery, base, the local politicians winter getaway.... or any resonable target within the Battletech universe.
By actually having a destroyable asset to protect, or takeout being the main point of the drop, teams will be somewhat forced into changing tactics to accomodate. Actually having to use weaponry to destroy the asset will provide drama, and purpose to the mission.
Comparable bonuses in XP could be given for succsesfully defending, and scaled according to the amount of damage done to the asset, or for the opposing team, for destroying the asset before, decimating the opposing force.

In my book this would be more realistic, and more fun. The bonus in XP would actually make sence... more experience for less damage to the base... or, more experience for the extra salvage ganed by destroying less of the enemy force before compleating the mission objective.

Why don't we have this game?!!... I mean, isn't this MechWarrior??? Don't get me wrong, an all out brawl is great.... !!!Map and game mode idea 24vs24 "Solaris Arena"!!!, a real reason to have flashy camo. but to me this is MechWarrior, purpose driven missions with real pilots, real objectives and stuff we can blow up.... just because.

Please feel free to comment, add, but I would be more interested in hearing of other ideas in the community..... I know I can't be the only one.

Maybe there is a way to get Big Brother to code what we would actually like our MechWarrior Sim to be.

These are my thoughts..... and maybe yours, :whacko:

.:Michael "Skidog" Baranowski:.

 

I like your concept. I do believe it could work if the right type of gameplay bonuses and/or conditions were applied. The reason why I say that is because it could easily turn into a deathmatch.

The job of the defending team is to destroy all of the opposing team (before their assets are destroyed). Their focus is on mech destruction.

The attacking team's job is to destroy the assets so their focus is divided between asset destruction and team protection. They may decide that it is better to take out the defending team before taking out the assets.

One bonus that may help stop that attitude might be a minimal-loss-of-life bonus which would represent how well the team accomplished their mission with fewer casualties. The match may also benefit from a shorter time limit to keep both sides focused on mission objectives.

 

My first idea of adding a new mind.blasting Gamemode was to implement something like the classic DOTA & LOL Gamemodes, but on a new Level in the Battlemech-Universe!

• Bases have heavy Defense-Turrets - you can only damage them by Direct Firepower
• there are several Outposts with heavy Defense-Turrets of both Teams spread over the Map
• there are mindless "Creeps" running in waves continuously toward Enemy Base, but doing little damage compared to Mechs, e.g. Infantery, Tanks & Aircrafts
• Destroying Enemies would give Cash for buying in-Match UAC-Upgrades (or even Buffs) like Artillery, Air-Bombardment, A Repair-Technician, whatever
• You have 3 Mechs in each Match, so if you die, you can respawn in your other Mechs
• 16 v 16 Match-Size!

This would be much more epic than what we have at the moment.

 

Companies are 12 mechs unless it is a "reinforced company" and even a Trinary is only 15 mechs.

16 is just an "odd" number in the Battletech universe. Besides, I would rather have 12v12 and some better graphics / effects than 16v16 and have my mid range card chug chug chug through each match.

 

yeah i know, but watching the Launch-Trailer we can expect that PGI will increase the Match-Size in the next two years. But generally i would agree with you about the graphix

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ea3spOtjLmI​

 

The "Launch Trailer" wasn't done by PGI/IGP it was done by a Merc Corp/Fan Group. While it is incredibly cool it is also very unrealistic in terms of both capability and long range vision and should not be called an "official launch trailer". Essentially there are 23 mechs running down each side because both teams formed up for the camera and charged downt he slope a few times for the Director to get some good shots.

Also, 24 mechs is only 2 companies and not even a Regiment; again odd numbers but my OCD screams at this. Let us be happy with 12v12 (company on company) and hope that they add more game modes or spend development cycles on CW.

 

Still looking for them to copy some of the things that Living Legends has. Turrets are big on my list. Turrets control towers and mech repair bays work similar to mechcommander. You capture it, you can use it.

For one, all of the environments are static. No maglev trains, no sailing boats. No moving doors. The game is very static in that respect. Even the builds aren't destructible... I would think that if you sink enough firepower into a building, it would collapse. (Ok, i can give them a pass on this one, this is graphic intensive and it's a lot easier to do a static building)

Agreed with defense/assault missions. This could be a mission type on existing maps. In the caustic valley, one side starts at a refinery. Defend it. ( i dont think it's realistic to do so, to easy to destroy, but could be fun to try)

 

It could easily turn into a deathmatch, but just as well not.
I like the idea of Solaris, and if that was the precedent for the drop in question, great. Throw in some hokey commentator drop ALL vs ALL and call it Solaris (MW4). I just find very little meat in what they are handing us. Don't get me wrong, the mechs so far have been great, and it is fun tweeking the perfect loadout and all, but why isn't game development at the forefront here?....

I would like to see more game development. I feel like I've spent my money on so much fluff, I am already getting bored with.

 

Was posting On what I hate about MWO and this came up.
Off topic there, fits better here.

You and your lance get to the base to capp, take out the anti air turrets and protecting mechs, determine that the rest of the protecting force has jumped ship to go hunting rabbits, so you send the all clear, & call in an invasion force that drops on the base in a troop carrier. Now, it is your responsability to protect them while they secure the base. (primary objective) All this actually happens visually, and the troop carrier is destroyable so it must be either protected, or called off to abandon the invasion. If your troop carrier is destroyed, to win the engagement, you must either destroy the base (secondary) or decimate the defending force (trinary) Bonus points for accomplishing Primary would be greater than secondary, etc. This play mode would be called INVASION.

Make the primary objective destroying the base while you have to protect a destroyable drop ship, and you have ASSAULT.

Use my original INVASION idea in a resource gathering capacity at points spread out around the map... CONQUEST

All the above modes could possibly turn into a team death match situation, but there would be no bonus for winning that way.

Take the existing game mode assault, remove the bases, add a cheezy announcer voice and call it SOLARIS TDM

Add an arena map with simulated cheering and cheezy announcer with all -vs- all and call it SOLARIS

Give us a 1 on 1 mode of play in any map for Merc/House/Clan Initiation, advancement, trials of succesion, duels

Why are we still limited to two modes of play? Lack of imagination? Lack of money? Laziness?

I apologize if this seems like I am re-hashing, but I do believe this is one of the key failures of the game.

 

A Solaris Map is one of the easiest and best things that they could do now. A 24 person (or 12 person ) free for all.
I think that would also be one of the best ways to vet some mech and to actually change up designs. LRM boats would be mostly useless, and you would need lots of ammo or lots of energy weapons to survive. The builds would become much more interesting.

I would say that Centurions would almost become kings. As it stands, they are already some of the best zombies out there.

 

I would like to be able to play a match where we could spawn multiple times. Before the match, each person chooses 4 mechs (maybe have a weight limit or something), and once the map loads you choose the first mech you want to spawn in. When you die, you choose from the remaining mechs in your dropship until you're out.

This would make an Assault game-mode much funner since there will essentially be two big brawls going on at either base until one team slowly overpowers the other team and is able to marshal enough forces to cap the enemy base, or it turns into a war of attrition until one side is left standing.

 

I know right?!! it would be so easy to do. A couple of the existing maps are even small enough to accomodate, but I think it would be great to have a real arena situation with full on cheers and announcer.

 

Asset protection could be really fun if it was chained into a campaign like event/server/whatever. Imagine if the defending team is defending an objective the first map. The second map could be the defenders defending a mobile hq tank or something. The next map could be a rear area, like a supply depot. The last map could be the dropship. Throw in soemthing crazy, like if the defenders win, the next map is the attackers doing the defending of a downed mech, or several downed mechs like the current objectives in conquest. Tie all this in with only being able to select a set number of mechs per match. So if you died in your DDC, it was out of the series of games.

That would fucking rock. Oh, a man can dream.

 

Sounds really nice, Asset destruction and things.

...long range immovable targets like bunkers, refineries, power plants, etc. will lead us to a new era of "LRM-Boats with advanced zoom-modules"

No, serious, a new game-mode would be really nice...also to help stopping players get the hell bored out of "clashing at the stargate".

 

The Introduction of the Taser would make a new Game Mode possible! -> Capture the Enemy.General.. (without killing him) haha

 

I'm all for anything that feels more like the single player campaign missions used to. I understand that MWO will never have a single player campaign but surely they could create have mission-oriented game modes that feel like it.

 

I said it before and I'll say it again, MechWarrior Living Legends had more of a single player feel to their maps than MW:O does. They need to play it some more and copy those good features. Not to mention some of the maps were really sweet!!! And they had capturable turret control rooms (like in mech commander), turrets that autofired on the enemy and the turrets were destructible.

A lot of what we are looking for has been done before is my point.

 

I still pop on the MWLL servers from time to time. Map design was one of their strong points I think. Taking into account that the whole mod was community based, it makes MWO laughable. In fact the only thing I like more about MWO is the mech customization.

 

I haven't played MWLL in ages. I didn't think the servers were even still running? I still have the base software needed on Steam if I ever wanted to play it again.