Faction Play Phase 4.1
Our latest major update to Faction Play releases in December, with significant changes to Factional warfare mechanics, a refocusing of the Faction Play interface, the introduction of a new Tug Of War system for active battles, the replacement of Long Tom Artillery with a Radar Jammer Planetary Upgrade, the integration of Quick Play modes into Faction Play, new support for special Faction Play events, and more. We’ve chosen to call this update Faction Play Phase 4.1, both to signal the start of a new development phase and to stress that this is only the first of future updates and improvements planned for Faction Play as we renew its focus in 2017.
Escort Game Mode
Escort, an all-new asymmetric Game Mode for MechWarrior Online, arrives in the December patch. Teams are split between Attackers and Defenders, each with their own victory condition. Defenders must ensure the AI-controlled Atlas ‘Mech reaches the Extraction Zone in time for evacuation; the Attackers must do everything in their power to destroy that Atlas and prevent its escape. While the Attackers must also contend with destructible Defense Turrets, enemy Support Towers can be captured to aid the attack with additional ECM and/or Radar support.
Outside of the MechWarrior Academy, this new Escort Game Mode features the first implementation of AI-controlled ‘Mechs in MechWarrior Online. The work performed to introduce this initial presence of AI also has some additional benefits elsewhere, which leads us to our next December feature.
‘Mech Collision Improvements
The work required to implement reliable mobility for the AI-controlled Atlas ‘Mech at the center of the new Escort Game Mode necessitated a re-evaluation of ‘Mech collision code as a whole. As a result of this work, ‘Mech-on-‘Mech collisions will now operate much more smoothly, causing less ‘rubber-banding’ and warping. These improvements should have a great effect on the feel of close-quarters combat.
Competitive 1v1 ‘Steiner Coliseum’ Private Lobby Map
The ‘grey-boxed’ 1v1 Private Lobby map introduced in a previous patch this year has undergone a comprehensive art pass for this December patch. The result is Steiner Coliseum, a Solaris-themed Private Lobby map focused toward competitive 1v1 matches.
Gameplay and Quirk Changes
A number of balance and gameplay changes will be present in the December patch, including Quirk adjustments for 14 ‘Mechs (12 IS, 2 Clan), Heat Capacity and Engine Dissipation improvements for both Clan and Inner Sphere Double Heat sinks, along with a few ballistic and missile weaponry tweaks, including improvements to the Damage and Spread of both Clan and Inner Sphere Machine Guns.
Marauder IIC
The line of Clan IIC ‘Mechs grows by one significant entry in this patch with the release of the Marauder IIC chassis to eligible MechWarriors. This 85-ton Clan Assault ‘Mech, a full 10-tons heavier than its Inner Sphere predecessor, is likely to be a devastating presence on the battlefields of the Inner Sphere.
In addition to the above ‘marquee’ items, the December patch will of course include some additional items, such as improvements to the Domination Game Mode on Alpine Peaks, new Decals, more ‘Mech Pattern Retrofits, new Cockpit Items, and more.
As usual, the above December Roadmap is only a broad outline. All of the details for the December patch – including Design Notes for the relevant balance changes – will be provided in the full Patch Notes, to be posted Friday December 9th by 6 PM PST in the evening of Friday December 9th.