It’s May! Which means it should stop snowing any day now…while we wait for that to happen, Bryan Ekman has given us the Creative Update for May.
Highlights:
Hero BlackJack (Misery) coming the 7th, the rest of the Blackjacks will come in the patch on the 21st.
Jenner Champion ‘Mech, the ability to repaint our ‘Mechs is now scheduled for the patch on the 7th – hopefully we’ll get it this time, new UAV consumable, more cosmetic items (patterns, cockpit items).. another BIG map (Canyon).. and a DropShip full of Bug Fixes. Â Bryan also says we should start seeing more information about Community Warfare and UI 2.0 this month…so that should be a good update.
Also announced today, was this weekend’s sale. Â It’s time for the “Trial by Fire” sale, where you can get 50% off the MC price of the current trial ‘Mechs (well, 3 out of 4 of them).
- Raven RVN-4X, reg. 1010 NOW 505
- Centurion CN9-A, reg. 1480 NOW 740
- Awesome AWS-8Q, reg. 2710 NOW 1355
Full copy/paste of the Developer update after the break:
Spring is here, and with it lots of cleaning. The MWO team spent the latter part of April focused on fixing bugs, balancing weapons, and enhancing existing features. The fruits of our labors will begin to show up in both May patches. During the month of May we plan to reveal more details about Community Warfare and UI 2.0, and giving you some first looks at some upcoming content.
New Content:
- `Mech of the Month – Blackjack (21st)
- Hero `Mech of the Month – Misery (7th)
- Champion `Mech of the Month – Jenner JR7-D© (7th)
- New Patterns – Buccaneer (7th) and Cobra (21st)
- New Cockpit Items – BattleMech Statues (7th)
- New Modules – Seismic Sensor, UAV, Advanced UAV. Improved UAV, and UAV Upgrade (21st)
- New Map – Canyon Network (21st)
Canyon Network
Canyon Networks is the latest map to enter the MechWarrior Online universe. Deep ravines and long sheltered paths are ideal for speedy scouts, but beware – there could be an ambush waiting around every blind corner. The high crags in the center of the map (conquest point Theta) form a highly defensible natural fortress. Long sightlines and ample hiding spots make the canyon tops a sniper’s playground – use caution if you stray up top, and be ready to dive for cover.
UAV Consumable
Players can now equip and launch a new battlefield consumable – the UAV drone. This automated unmanned vehicle will launch 150m into the air, and keep station for up to 60 seconds before self-destructing. The UAV can burn through ECM, providing targets for allied team members. UAVs are vulnerable to weapon fire.
Seismic Sensor Module
On May 21st, players will be able unlock and equip a new tactical module – the Seismic Sensor. This sensor is capable of detecting enemy BattleMech movement within 200 meters of your current location.
Hero `Mech Colors
Players can now customize up to 3 colors on their Hero `Mech colors in Camo Spec! We look forward to seeing some of your new pain schemes on the battlefield.
Bug Fixes
With an extra week between patches, the MechWarrior Online team took time out of their production schedule to focus on some much needed hardening. Some long standing HUD related bugs and crashes, and black screen bugs have been addressed and will go live in both the May 7th and May 21st patches. Stay tuned for more detailed information with each release’s patch notes.
Fixes and Improvement Highlights
- Fixed friends list size limitation.
- Better incoming message notification.
- Improved message context sensitivity.
- Chat Colour coding/User identification.
- Decoupled Anti-Aliasing from System Spec option.
- Implemented brightness/Gama option.
- Fixed an issue where users were being disconnected during game.
- Fix for possible soft lock users experienced while playing a match.
- Fixed a crash that some users experienced when the end of round screen timer ran out and they were kicked back to the Mech Lab.
- Fix multiple control rebind issues.
- Fix for ‘Mechs losing the ~1km/h with speed tweak.
- Fixed a black screen bug that could happen to users after the loading screen.
- And much more!