05-17-2017, 03:40 PM
(05-17-2017, 02:49 AM)Surge Wrote: Goodness gracious there's a new MWO patch and with it a whole new progression system. The old progression system consisted of 3 tiers of increasingly significant skills, various basic and minor improvements at tier 1, more significant and important improvements as well as a doubling of all tier 1 bonuses at tier 2, then an extra module slot at tier 3. The new system removes modules entirely in favor of a convoluted skill tree where the player mixes and matches up to 91 different nodes from multiple trees that, combined, contain over 200 potential nodes. On paper this sounds great, but each node is very granular, offering maybe only a 1% improvement to the skill, many valuable nodes are locked behind worthless nodes, so on and so forth. Mechs are having their progress in the previous system carried over in the form of "historic XP" which is exchanged for the new skill points used to unlock nodes, mechs without any HXP or without enough to unlock all 91 potential skill points have to grind mech XP the same as they did before, and then exchange mech XP plus C-bills for each skill point. This creates a slow and mostly intangible climb from 0SP to 91SP, to say nothing of the 4 million C-bills it costs to buy all 91 points.
This all isn't even the biggest problem with the skill tree though. The skill tree was implemented to replace the old quirk system, a series of fixed stat modifiers on a variant-by-variant basis that directly buffed weak mechs to help them compete with stronger builds, however it often created only small niches for underused mechs, and allowed already strong mechs to completely dominate their role. PGI didn't even remove the old quirks when the skill tree launched, because the skill tree is almost the same for every mech, weak mechs do not have more nodes, strong mechs do not have less, and thus it is completely ineffective as a balancing tool. Although the skill tree has briefly shaken things up, and a few new quirks available via the skill tree have brought back some builds, PGI has devoted a massive amount of time and resources to implementing a feature that has failed at all of its stated goals and adds only unnecessary complexity to an already confusing game.
I'm not bothered by any of this because they finally released a Clan Diamond Shark decal though.
I guess it still goes that if your player base doesn't agree with your choices. Try to get a new player-base. Sounds like they're keying for a wave of newbs who don't know how much worse it got rather than better and don't actually know of the former changes.
Also of note. My writing is about to take a turn. I should probably note that I'm actually a horror writer by practice. Light horror, considering how out of practice I am, but nonetheless. It won't get me in trouble will it, if I describe injuries and damage in detail as if they were just another color to add to a painting?
Figured I'd try asking before I started writing up the sudden change in style my posts would be endearing to you all.
Though as you have seen my writing is nowhere as good as my ideas. Need so much more practice. Haven't been writing or reading nearly enough. Errgh...