Finally found some time to post online again. Inbetween the infinite games we get these days, and the business of life, who has the time?
I wanted to reboot with Mechwarrior:Online this fall. Spent some time returning, and was plently surprised, and dissappointed, all over again.
Gameplay wise, the experience of piloting a mech and weapons balance has actually found an incredibly good place. Jumpjets are a little more fun, but still lack what Weisman showed us jets should be in Battletech, the turn based game Hairbrained just released.
The core failure of the game is everything beyond that sadly. The UI and all the gamemodes fall far short of a quality gaming experience. Working my way through battles, the order of fun is the order of the game. Random pug drops are the best, most balanced experience. Solaris is next. Then group drops. Then the universe planet battle drops.
The maps still are fairly terrible, they look nice, but they promote 12v12 deathballs, and the gamemodes outside conquest all fail miserably. Base assaults in campaign mode are hideous.
Worse is noted above, the terrible fragmentation of the community. This game should have 3 simple modes: Training & training matches, faction play, and solaris. Instead MWO suffers the worst fragmentation any online game has ever seen with 5+ gamemodes, each fragmenting the community.
What MWO needs is an MMO experience that forces choices on the player: IS or Clan. Solaris or faction play. Every drop really meaning something beyond the cbill grind and bragging rights for who can stay awake the longest.
Still, hope glimmers in the darkness, and we will see how the next chapter of mechwarrior writes itself.