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It's Tuesday and Piranha Games has just taken down the MechWarrior Online servers temporarily for maintenance. It's update time!
We've not discussed the free-to-play Mech sim since October when MechWarrior Online entered open beta, available for download and play to any and all interested parties. Every week or two since that time, the dev team have consistently added content, mechs, as they continuously aim to improve and balance gameplay.
One of the recent big updates added a new mech, the heavy Cataphract, along with mech camo customization, meaning players can use in-game currency or real-money to paint their war machine with pretty (or menacing) colors and patterns. The game was also bolstered with more in-game features, including new types on warfare involving electronic countermeasures. Sorry, missile boats.
Needless to say, MechWarrior Online is getting deeper and deeper as weapon systems and balancing improves. And just before the holidays begin, another massive update hits today, adding not just a new mech class (the assault-sized Stalker), but a pair of hero mechs, to go along with a brand new night-focused map variant, the first new game mode, and tons of balancing tweaks.
- Conquest Mode - The first new game mode (inspired by BattleTech), Conquest Mode puts five capturable locations on the map, each of which give players points over time as they are held. Players can neutralize and then capture enemy locations by standing on them. Cooperation among your lance is more important than ever as competing teams will constantly be trying to outflank the other and new strategies will need to be formed to win the match. Note: The "any" button causes errors, so pick Assault or Conquest until the next hotfix.
- Economy Update and New Cadet Bonus Rewards — New players will receive a “Cadet Bonus” (C-Bills bonus) for the first 25 games, enabling new recruits to advance faster and purchase more powerful Mechs. Additional economy changes include trial Mechs getting the same rewards as normal Mechs (including Mech XP), a one-time bonus for existing players who have completed over 26 matches and rewards given based on active participation for each round, i.e. gameplay performance for securing a win, loss and kill values among other fairness and balance changes. Rewards per level listed on page 2.
- Three New Mechs
- River City Night Map - Night variant of river city urban map. Night Vision and Thermal Vision will be required and weapons fire will light up the skyline.
- More Mech Camo Patterns - Phranken Mech Pattern and Camo Spec Paint for all mechs.
- New Year’s Items - Seven New Year's themed items, from balloons to holographic champagne. Full list on page 2.
- Weapon Tweaks - Autocannon shots travel faster. Full list of weapon changes on page 2.
A few of us here at Game Rant continue to devote hours to playing the 8 vs. 8 MechWarrior Online beta, and even without the community warfare aspect (i.e. the universe) setup yet, the game stands up as one of the best free-to-play games there is. And the best part is, players are never required to pay to progress. They can acccess all mech classes, all weapons, all mech and pilot skills, and all of the gameplay features using earned in-game currency from simply playing the game.
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Piranha instead allows users to purchase premium time which grants bonus in-game currency (C-Bills) and experience points so they can purchase in-game items quicker. There are also special hero mechs which can only be purchased with MC (bought with real-life currency), along with cosmetic items to decorate the interior and exterior of the mech. It doesn't affect gameplay, but it's a wonderful way for devoted players to personalize their mechanical monster and at the same time, support a quality game which is otherwise free.
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Follow Rob on Twitter @rob_keyes.
Source: MWO
Open Beta Update #6
Upcoming Patch - Tuesday Dec. 18th @ 10AM — 1PM PDT
Change Log
________________________________________
Update
Ho! Ho! Ho! MechWarriors. Have you been a good or naughty pilot this year?...Trick Question! It doesn’t matter because everyone gets the same patch!
On the first day of Patch-mas my true love gave to me, CONQUEST MODE! Dun, Dun, DUN! That’s right a new game mode available on every map. You can explore new strategies on this mode over the holidays and let us know what you think. We will be looking to tune it in the new year based on your feedback and the data we will collect. We know you are going to want to try it right away so we added mode selection, allowing you to choose which game type you want to play.
On the second day of Patch-mas, a new economy! Heads up we’ve changed up the way you earn C-bills. First we have taken Repair and Rearm out of the equation. We did this to eliminate people dropping with BattleMechs that are not 100 % health, potentially harming their team. Then we redistributed the way you earn C-bills, because you no longer have to repair and rearm, you keep what you earn. BE WARNED you have to contribute to your team to earn C-bills. We also changed Trial BattleMechs to earn 100% C-Bills and Mech XP. Lastly, There is no better time to invite your friends to play, we added the Cadet bonus for the first 25 matches to accelerate a new players ability to buy their first BattleMech.
Speaking of BattleMechs! Get ready for the triple threat! The new, Twin Dragon Hero BattleMechs, Flame and Fang, with patterns that send fear into the heart of your enemy and a C-bill boost that will send you laughing all the way to the bank. Wait, we didn’t stop there! Introducing The Stalker. Here is what Kyle L. had to say about this Assault class BattleMech. “It’s the blimp ‘o’ death bro!... It’s like the Hindenburg except everyone else is going down in flames!”. Well put my friend...well put. You can also take a look at the latest BattleMech patterns. We have expanded the options and the Phranken is sure to please.
Get ready to battle in River City night version. I mentioned it earlier and we delivered! Finally a night map where night vision is effective!
I love this map and I know you will too.
Finally, ring in 3050 with some entertaining new cockpit customization items. The holographic displays are very cool and, for me, the Urbanmech is a must buy!
We hope you notice we have taken your feedback on pricing and offered the new year’s items at a variety of price points!
We also addressed some key performance and stability issues this patch and we are testing new networking code over the holidays that we are looking to release in January. During test some users noted much improved performance with latest graphics drivers so please if you experience performance issues ensure you are running the latest graphics drivers for your card. Also there is a suspected issue with the patcher we are continuing to investigate where performance for some users is lower when patching vs. a fresh re-install if you suffer from low fps and new drivers don't resolve the issue please try a fresh install as a workaround for now.
So have a safe and Happy Holidays and as always, MechWarriors, see you on the battlefield!
Matt Newman
P.S. This is our last planned patch this year so we will resume our “normal” patch schedule in January
GENERAL
NEW BattleMechs
Stalker STK-3F
* Tonnage: 85
* Top Speed: 48.6 kph
* Armor: 432
* Weapons & Equipment:
* Left Arm: 2 Medium Lasers, 1 LRM 10
* Left Torso: 1 Large Laser, 1 SRM 6
* Right Torso: 1 Large Laser, 1 SRM 6
* Right Arm: 2 Medium Lasers, 1 LRM 10
* Hardpoints:
* Left Arm: 2 Energy, 1 Missile
* Left Torso: 1 Energy, 1 Missile
* Right Torso: 1 Energy, 1 Missile, 1 AMS
* Right Arm: 2 Energy, 1 Missile
* Jump Jets: n/a
Stalker STK-3H
* Tonnage: 85
* Top Speed: 48.6 kph
* Armor: 432
* Weapons & Equipment:
* Left Arm: 2 Medium Lasers, 1 LRM 20
* Left Torso: 1 SRM 6
* Right Torso: 1 SRM 6
* Right Arm: 2 Medium Lasers, 1 LRM 20
* Hardpoints:
* Left Arm: 2 Energy, 1 Missile
* Left Torso: 1 Missile
* Right Torso: 1 Missile, 1 AMS
* Right Arm: 2 Energy, 1 Missile
* Jump Jets: n/a
Stalker STK-4N
* Tonnage: 85
* Top Speed: 48.6 kph
* Armor: 432
* Weapons & Equipment:
* Left Arm: 2 Medium Lasers
* Left Torso: 1 Large Laser, 1 SRM 6
* Right Torso: 1 Large Laser, 1 SRM 6
* Right Arm: 2 Medium Lasers, 1 LRM 10
* Hardpoints:
* Left Arm: 2 Energy
* Left Torso: 1 Energy, 1 Missile
* Right Torso: 1 Energy, 1 Missile, 1 AMS
* Right Arm: 2 Energy, 1 Missile
* Jump Jets: n/a
Stalker STK-5M
* Tonnage: 85
* Top Speed: 48.6 kph
* Armor: 464
* Weapons & Equipment:
* Left Arm: 2 Medium Lasers, 1 LRM 10
* Left Torso: 1 Narc, 1 SRM 6
* Center Torso: 1 ER Large Laser
* Right Torso: 1 SRM 6
* Right Arm: 2 Medium Lasers, 1 LRM 10
* Hardpoints:
* Left Arm: 2 Energy, 1 Missile
* Left Torso: 2 Missile
* Center Torso: 1 Energy
* Right Torso: 1 Missile, 1 AMS
* Right Arm: 2 Energy, 1 Missile
* Jump Jets: n/a
Stalker STK-5S
* Tonnage: 85
* Top Speed: 48.6 kph
* Armor: 432
* Weapons & Equipment:
* Left Arm: 2 Medium Lasers, 1 LRM 10
* Left Torso: 1 Large Pulse Laser, 1 SRM 6, 1 AMS
* Right Torso: 1 Large Pulse Laser, 1 SRM 6
* Right Arm: 2 Medium Lasers, 1 LRM 10
* Hardpoints:
* Left Arm: 2 Energy, 1 Missile
* Left Torso: 1 Energy, 1 Missile, 1 AMS
* Right Torso: 1 Energy, 1 Missile, 1 AMS
* Right Arm: 2 Energy, 1 Missile
* Jump Jets: n/a
NEW HERO BattleMechs
"Fang" DRG-FANG
* Base Mech: Dragon
* Tonnage: 60
* Top Speed: 81 kph
* Armor: 320
* Weapons & Equipment:
* Left Arm: 1 Medium Laser
* Left Torso: 1 Medium Laser
* Center Torso: 1 SRM 6
* Right Arm: 1 Autocannon/10
* Hardpoints:
* Left Arm: 2 Energy
* Left Torso: 1 Energy
* Center Torso: 1 Missile
* Right Torso: 1 AMS
* Right Arm: 2 Ballistic
* Jump Jets: n/a
* Internal Structure: Endo Steel
* 30% C-Bill bonus
"Flame" DRG-FLAME
* Base Mech: Dragon
* Tonnage: 60
* Top Speed: 81 kph
* Armor: 320
* Weapons & Equipment:
* Left Arm: 1 Medium Laser
* Left Torso: 1 Autocannon/2
* Center Torso: 1 LRM 5
* Right Arm: 1 ER Large Laser
* Hardpoints:
* Left Arm: 2 Energy
* Left Torso: 1 Ballistic
* Center Torso: 1 Missile
* Right Torso: 1 AMS
* Right Arm: 2 Energy
* Jump Jets: n/a
* Internal Structure: Endo Steel
* 30% C-Bill bonus
NEW MAP
* RiverCity Night Map
* RiverCity Night map enabled.
NEW GAME MODE
Conquest
With the rumblings and rumors of activity, along the Periphery of the InnerSphere, all factions have begun amassing large amounts of Germanium. Germanium is used in the jump drives of the large jump capable ships that transport Mechs over long distances. The unsettling atmosphere that has permeated throughout the InnerSphere has Germanium at an all time high in terms of demand. It is now time that all MechWarriors pitch in to help in this cause.
* Conquest Mode enabled.
* Gather resources by capturing resource extractor points.
* 5 extractor points per map.
* Each team starts with 1 extractor in their possession.
* The more extractor points owned by a team, the faster resources are accumulated.
* Once a team reaches 750 resources, they will win the match.
* A team can still win by destroying all enemy Mechs.
* Win or Lose, each team will receive 25 C-Bills per resource they've gathered. (e.g. if your team gathered 750 resources, you will get an end of match bonus of 18,750 C-Bills).
* Known Issue: There is a problem with Conquest resource rewards not being issued if players/groups select "ANY" as the game mode. If you wish to play Conquest, make sure you or your group's leader selects "Conquest" from the game mode selector. This will be address in the next patch.
NEW NEW YEARS COCKPIT ITEMS
* 3050 Balloons
* 3050 Banner
* Ice bucket with Champagne
* Classy Mech
* Holo '3050' Year
* Champagne Glass
* Top Hat
BANNER ADDED
* Piranha Hunt 'Killed a Dev' banners have been added to the winner's accounts - congratulations!
NEW REWARD SYSTEM
The reward system has gone under a serious revamp. We are removing the Repair and Rearm costs from the game and rebalancing how many C-Bills you will be earning. We are also reducing the amount of C-Bills you earn by default for a win/loss/tie. Non-participation in matches will result in very low C-Bill income. That being said, your participation in matches and playing as a team will now payout at a higher rate.
Below is a detailed summary of the changes to the reward system:
* All mechs will be fully repaired and rearmed after every match at no cost.
* Trial mechs get the same rewards as normal mechs (even mech XP)
* New Bonus called Cadet Bonus: this bonus is rewarded to new users for 25 games. The math is calculated by: log10(gamesremaining) * 300,000 CBills
* This means you will receive 424,492 C-Bills after your first match, decreasing each game until you've played 25.
* After 25 matches you will have received a total of 7,981,686 additional C-Bills.
* If you have already played more than 25 matches, you will be given those 7,981,686 C-Bills as a lump sum (Happy Holidays!) If you've played under it, you'll be given the amount equal to the games you've played.
* Removed Capture Win/Assist CBills Bonus
* Spotting Assists will now only be given if spotted target takes damage from allies
Assault Rewards:
* Win/Loss/Tie = 25,000
* Team Kill = -10,000 * how many teammates you have killed
* Component Destroyed = 2,500 * how many components you have destroyed
* Enemy Kill = 5,000 * how many enemies you have killed
* Enemy Kill Assist =7,500 * how many kill assists you got in the match
* Spotting Assist = 2,500 * how many spotting assists you got in the match
* Damage Done = 25 * how much damage you did in the match
Conquest Rewards:
* Win/Loss/Tie = 25,000
* Team Kill = -10,000 * how many teammates you have killed
* Component Destroyed = 1,250 * how many components you have destroyed
* Enemy Kill = 2,500 * how many enemies you have killed
* Enemy Kill Assist = 3,750 * how many assist you got in the game
* Spotting Assist = 1,250 * how many spotting assist you got in the game
* Damage Done = 25 * how much damage you did in the game
* Resource Bonus = 25 * how many resources you have collected
MECHLAB IMPROVEMENTS
* Heat sink entry in both new Mech detail panel and current Mech detail panel now shows Dbl Heat Sinks when double heat sinks are equipped
* New BattleMech list now organized by class (Hero, Light, Medium, Heavy, Assault)
Jump Jets:
* Removing Jump jet override (now using actual jump jet loadout restrictions)
* Now enforcing and showing maximum number of jump jets as well as current number equipped on a Mech chassis.
* Added Jump jet bar showing maximum jump distance for current configuration (if a Mech is capable of using jump jets)
* What this all boils down to is that the number of Jump Jets on a Mech will now properly affect jump height/distance.
* Players will notice a change in the overall jump trajectory. This will be tuned in future patches.
Modules:
* Now showing how many modules the BattleMech is capable of in the new Mech detail panel
* Now showing module slots available and currently equipped modules in the current Mech detail panel
* Both of the above automatically adjust when Master status is achieved (extra slot is added)
GAMEPLAY
* ECM will now fully counter only the closest enemy Mech.
* Cockpit Camera shake intensity adjusted to be more realistic (Shake = Damage * Impulse)
* HUD will no longer flicker unnaturally when shot with machine gun fire and flamers beyond a certain damage threshold
* Player can now control the brightness in the cockpit using (.) period.
* There is now a 3 second delay at the end of the match before the End of Round Screen shows.
Weapons Tunning:
AUTOCANNON UPDATE:
* AC/20 projectile set to 900m/s (750m/s previous)
* AC/10 projectile set to 1100m/s (850m/s previous)
* UAC/5 projectile set to 1300m/s (900m/s previous)
* AC/5 projectile set to 1300m/s (900m/s previous)
* LBX/10 projectile set to 1100m/s (850m/s previous)
NARC BEACON UPDATE:
* NARC lifespan increased to 20 seconds (15 seconds previously)
TAG UPDATE:
* TAG range increased to 750m (450m previously)
PPC UPDATE:
* PPC projectile speed increased to 2000m/s (matches AC/2) (1200m/s previous)
* ERPPC projectile speed matched to regular PPC (2000m/s) (1200m/s previous)
ARTEMIS UPDATE:
* Artemis now requires line of site to function. In-direct fire will not benefit from Artemis.
PERFORMANCE FIXES
IMPORTANT: Please remember to update to the latest graphics drivers if you are having FPS issues and ensure that you are running low settings with V-Sync disabled and if that doesn't work try a fresh re-install.
* 10% faster ray traces
* Reduced number of client side ray traces Mechs require
* Shadows disabled for low settings
* Foliage swaying disabled for low and medium settings
BUG FIXES
* Refresh MechTree Categories whenever mech ownership changes
* Refresh PilotTalents when GXP Changes via MXP conversion
* Weapon bay door toggle SFX will no longer play when a mech does not have weapon bay doors
* Fixes most issues with penetrating LRM’s (projectiles in general) through static meshes
* Jump Jet effects will no longer float around unattached
* Weapon Bay doors will no longer float unattached
* Mech damage effects will no longer float around unattached
* Bullets will no longer tumble after grazing a static mesh
* CPLT-A1 no longer says that it comes with 6 LRM 15s when purchasing it
* 7.1 Audio issue fixed.
* Visual improvements to ancillary props in River City (Solar panels, billboards, AC units, etc…)
* Fixed minor collision bugs in Forest Colony and Frozen City
* CTD (Crash to Desktop) fixes