We got our Monthly Developer Roadmap/Content update from the MechWarrior Online team today… and it’s full of stuff… good, and bad.
First, the bad:
Coolant Flush is being added to the game, as a C-Bill/MC purchasable ‘consumable’ (meaning, you buy it after you use it.. MC version is better then the C-Bill version… which has lead to some Pay 2 Win complaints on the forums already).
Here’s the breakdown on the Coolant Flush:
Coolant Flush
Coolant Flush will come in two forms; C-bill purchased and MC purchased. The following shows how the two versions are balanced:
C-Bill Purchased Coolant Flush:
- The amount of cooling provided by a coolant flush is determined by the number of Heat Sinks in your BattleMech. The following assumes a Mech with 10 Heat Sinks:
- Small Coolant Flush will instantly reduce a BattleMech’s current heat by 15%.
- Medium Coolant Flush will instantly reduce a BattleMech’s current heat by 20%.
- Coolant Flush 1 and 2 are stackable.
- Each Coolant Flush will take up 1 module slot.
- The C-Bill Purchased Coolant Flush will allow a player to trigger a coolant flush twice during a match.
- Upon using a Coolant Flush, the player will have to re-purchase the used Coolant Flush module after the match if they wish to use it again.
MC Purchased Coolant Flush:
- The amount of cooling provided by a coolant flush is determined by the number of Heat Sinks in your BattleMech. The following assumes a Mech with 10 Heat Sinks:
- Large Coolant Flush will instantly reduce a BattleMech’s current heat by 35%.
- Large Coolant Flush is not stackable with any other Coolant Flush module including itself.
- Large Coolant Flush takes up 1 module slot.
- The MC Purchased Large Coolant Flush allows a player to trigger a coolant flush once during a match.
- Upon using a Large Coolant Flush, the player will have to re-purchase the used Large Coolant Flush module after the match if they wish to use it again.
C-Bill Coolant Flush and MC Coolant Flush are not stackable. That is, they are mutually exclusive meaning that you cannot equip the MC purchased coolant flush with either of the C-Bill coolant flushes.
I’m very, very curious to see how PGI positions the inclusion of Coolant Flush, given this previous statement by them:
(from the Ask-A-Dev 18 Thread)
Q:Â Have you guys considered adding Coolant Pods to increase heat dissipation of a mech’s heatsinks when used?[vayne]
A: Yes, we considered and then dropped the idea. We found it more of a crutch and lead to more issues than it helped with. If you’re in a long, multi-targetted single player game, it makes sense. In a player vs. player environment you get a MASSIVE increase in firepower for no cost, or it wouldn’t be enough to make a difference (IE. the match would never last long enough for you running out of coolant to matter, because you’ve already killed two people. Or, it doesn’t even last a single fight, then why even have it?) Does that make sense? [Garth]
I know that ‘never’ doesn’t mean ‘never’ in game development, but, something pretty big had to have changed, that PGI hasn’t communicated out to the player base, for a full 180 like this.
With the MC version of coolant flush being as effective as the combined C-Bill versions, yet taking only 1 module slot (instead of the two for the C-Bill versions), the P2W argument actually has a little bit of traction going. Â If the MC version used the same number of module slots, it’d be less of a concern.
We’ll have to see how PGI responds to the concerns raised today (or, if they do – I’m hoping they don’t ignore this one).
Now, the Good!
New Hero ‘Mech, new ‘Mech, new map, new consumables (Air strike!), new patterns, new cockpit items! Â And, what might be the best of all.. the initial implementation of state rewind… which should take another big bite out of the ‘lag shield’, and if that wasn’t enough… TESTING GROUNDS!
Yes, you no longer need to queue up, and shoot your teammate in the back in order to ‘test’ your weapon grouping, heat build up, or whatever excuse you come up with after being careless with your trigger. Â You can now solo queue, try all your configs, heat build up, trick shots, etc..etc.. in the training grounds, which will be pre-populated with 8 ‘Mechs for you to shoot at!
Coolant Flush Fiasco aside… March is going to be pretty damn good! Â I’m looking forward to the patches, and all the new goodies!
Full announcement after the break!
March is here, and with it a host of new features for MechWarrior Online. Our focus this month is improving the new user experience by adding a suite of tips, better details, testing grounds, and user friendly control options. Experienced MechWarriors will also be able to enjoy content designed specifically for them, including a brand new system of consumables, expanded statistics, and a new map!
New Content:
- `Mech of the Month – JagerMech (19th)
- Hero `Mech of the Month – The X-5 (5th)
- New Patterns – Mountain Line (5th) and Vagabond (19th)
- New Cockpit Items – Dynamic hanging items make their debut, Fuzzy Dice anyone? (5th and 19th)
Testing Grounds
This offline game mode allows player to launch into a random map and test out there currently selected BattleMechs. Each Testing Grounds match has 8 non-interactive `Mech targets for players to shoot and test damage, heat, movement and other strategies. This is just the beginning of a large set of training options for new and experienced players coming online in the next few months.
Consumables
An extension to the module system is being introduced on March 19th. Players will now be able to equip a variety of consumable module items.  Upon release players will have access to Coolant Flush, Air Strikes, and Artillery Strikes. These new items will be available for C-Bill and MC purchase. Details will be forthcoming in an upcoming Command Chair post here www.mwomercs.com/forums/forum/102-command-chair/.
Tourmaline Desert
MechWarrior Online’s largest map yet! This hostile alien world will test the skills of the best MechWarrior pilots. Like Alpine Peaks, players will need to change their overall strategies, focusing on offense and defense, along with bringing in a balanced BattleMech build.
Expanded User Statistics
Players will now be able to see a much more robust set of player stats when visiting their personalwww.mwomercs.com/profile/stats page. Detailed information about Mechs, Weapons, Maps, and Modes will give players a deeper understanding of how well they are doing. For now, these stats are only viewable by individual players. In future updates players will be able to see other player’s stats and leaderboards.
New User Controls and Joystick Improvements
Players will now have more options with regards to how they pilot their BattleMechs. Several new control systems and improvement have been added including Throttle Decay (gas pedal vs set throttle), Arm Lock to torso, Set Point Throttle (10-100% throttle values in 10% increments), Face Torso, and Joystick Analog turning. Player will also be able to customize their key bindings via the Pause Menu during matches.
MechLab UI Improvements
Further refinements to buying and selling `Mechs, readying `Mechs, and a visualization of hardpoints, weapons, and critical space directly on the `Mech itself, will make their appearance March 5th. These additions make a huge improvement to understanding the state of your BattleMech, along with helping understand the differences between variants when making a purchasing decision.
Community Events
After a hugely successful Be A Hero Challenge weekend, we’ve decided to add more events to our March schedule. Expect to see a variety of different challenges inspired by the community’s feedback! Also coming in March, Design a Trial Mech challenge. Players will be able to design a Heavy Trial Mech build based off one of the existing heavy `Mech chassis. The wining loadout, will be made available for uses as a Trial Mech throughout the month of April.
Performance
On March 5th Host State Rewind (HSR) goes live. This new system allows players with high latency pings to fire and hit more reliably using Lasers, Machine Guns, and Flamers. Often referred to as the lag shield effect, HSR will significantly improve the reliability and accuracy of weapon hit detection, making certain BattleMechs much easier to hit. We anticipate overall damage will increase, resulting in some possible upcoming weapon balancing changes if needed.