[Review] Mech Warrior Online - Score 8/10

[Bootie]

Review provided by FGM Member 7thCav

1. Map quality and graphics are proving to be very good I would give them an 8.5 it would be higher if there were more of them ,there are currently 4 maps with multiple time frames and conditions for some of them bringing the map number to 6. More are on the way. One thing that makes the maps unique is the various ambient temperatures which affect Mech performance.

2. Sound quality like the graphics I find to be very good . Will give it another 8.5

3. Documentation: Well ...hate to say it but documentation sucks as there isn't any. All game play information is to be found on the forums in the various guide threads ,I know that may sound a bit picky on my part but I prefer some form of printed or downloadable pdf type manual. I do admit that that may prove difficult for the developers at this time as the game is still evolving. There is one training video and a key chart in the websites training area. Giving Mechwarrior a 4.0 in this category because I am a disagreeable old bastard. However the information is available on the forums.

4. Warts, frame rate and issues. I am going to leave this category for someone else to comment on as my system is not optimal for this game as I am still running Windows XP with its inherent ram limitations.I will say that the game runs well for me with 28-34 fps on average. I do get the occasional ctd at the start of a match but never during one. AMD A8 3870 black label quad core 3.0 with a Nvidia gtx470 card ,4gigs of Corsair ram and a resolution of 1680X1050.


5. Gameplay: My best recommendation is to go to the Mechwarrior websites media section and watch the videos to be found there. Like all games that have come before it won't appeal to everybody and does have a bit of a learning curve. Your ubber BF3 skills will not see you through and Rambo very definitely dies a hideous death. Install teamspeak and get on comms for the best gameplay experience. There are several community provided TS3 servers to chose from listed in the forums. Personally I really like the game and tend to be more then a little prejudice in my opinions in this area. Mechwarrior scores a 9.0 in this category ......at least for me.

6. The Mechs: There are a bunch of options in four weight classes Light,Medium,Heavy and the largest Assaults. There are several mechs with several variants each within each weight class. There are currently three trial mechs in three different weight classes that can be played free that will bring you c-bills toward the purchase of a premade mech which you can modify with different power train ,armour and weapons options when your available c-bills permit the purchase of such items. If your patient the game is a free to play title. If your not patient one can drag out the credit card and buy the mech of your choice. My recommendation here is to give the trial mechs a good bashing around to get a feel for the game . The mech lab where one goes to alter his mech can be a little buggy at times but I am inclined to give the mechs a 9.5.

 

[Bootie]

One thing to remember is that I am a new player of some four weeks and Facman is positively the best source here at the FGM for information on this game. These are my opinions of this game at this point in time.

I am finding Meckwarrior online to be a unique game with a technical and FPS aspect with community/faction warfare coming I guess sometime next year. I am having a heck of a lot of fun with it and am finding the entertainment value per dollar spent to be amongst the best Tactical FPS games I have played since the early Ghost Recon and Rainbow 6 titles but of course a very different game then those mentioned. It is very much a team driven game in my opinion which is where I draw that comparison from,so if Rambo is your hero you may not find Mechwarrior to your liking.

I chose to start out in medium mechs with the Centurion class,for me it was the best choice while learning to play ( still am learning ) not as powerful as there medium mech counterparts the Huntchbacks but potential faster ( handy for dragging your backside out of trouble ) . The Cicada's are faster yet but lighter and thinner skinned. As the "Injun" ( Facman ) has pointed out in his comments earlier in the thread without knowing the role you wish to fill within the team its hard to recommend a mech to start with.

Recommendations:

1. First and foremost a trip to the New Player section of the Mechwarrior online forums is in order. Spend some time reading through the player guides. At this time there is no player basic training mode in this game,its going to drop you directly into the shark tank.
http://mwomercs.com/forums/forum/94-guides/

2. There is a player introduction video in the sites training area I would take the time to watch it if I were you.http://mwomercs.com/game/training-grounds

3. One word of warning...the General section of the forums is the worst I have seen since the Ubisoft forums when Ghost Recon advanced warfighter was released. Luckily the majority of posters there it seems are in the minority of users. Folks are at each others throats long,hard and contentiously. As an example every weapon system in this game is ether overpowered or useless........both at the same time !!! depending on which sniveling horses dingus is carrying on about it. Testing the game for yourself and making up your own mind is highly recommended.

4. Give the trial mechs a good bashing before moving up to the premades.

5. This actually among the most important, Get a mic and headset ,instal TS3 ( its free ) and get on comms. You can play without it but you lose allot of the teamplay potential of the game.
http://www.teamspeak.com/?page=downloads

 

[Bootie]

I am giving MWO at this time a 7 of 10. If not for some performance issues mainly the occasional ctd's at match start it would be higher probably in the 8.5 to 9 range. I realize that 8.5 to 9 may sound high to some but MWO has considerable depth for a fps type game with an extremely interesting ( at least for me ) technical customization side to it.

FGM AWARDS MECHWARRIOR ONLINE A HANDSOME 7 OUT OF 10 STARS.

 

[Facman]

Just a heads up fellas...'Mech Warrior Online' is now operational (no longer in Beta) and available for any, as it is 'Free to Play'. I have only just returned to play, and have found it to be a stable game, with improved interfaces and a bunch of new maps. They have also added numerous Mech's from the Lore of the Mechwarrior Universe, as well as the 'Conquest' battle scheme, wherein you race to capture 5 production sites across the map. These sites are producing VPs over time which accrue to your team...1st team to 750 wins the match.

My recommendation?...It's Free to Play, what have you got to lose, and you just might enjoy it. I recommend that you get a headset and a mic, as in Arma3, it is a team game, and there is nothing like having your Buddies covering your six.

 

[eniced73]

Redownloading now. I used to love this game back in the day. Not too fond of the current days system with these pay to play games. I know it is free but to pump up your mech you need to spend real money. I would rather pay one 60 dollar fee and get too play with all variants like everyone else. I know they run a business and apparently make more money doing it this way. I just do not really like it.

 

[Facman]

While there are certainly a number of Mechs being presented as 'for sale' items, they are but a small sample of the overall accessibility to the Mechs of Mechwarrior Lore, available 'For Free'. To get the Free ones, you simply gather the ingame currency 'C Bills' from playing the missions, along with experience to improve your mech handling skills. Then when you have saved enough, you buy the make and model, then you can modify it to any configuration, solely with 'CBills'. I play with a Mercenary Unit known as the 'Blazing Aces', a competitive group of 50 to 100 players from around the world. There are those in the unit that have built all their mechs with their IG earnings. But just like in the real world...there are those who will always want to drive the Vette, the Mustang, the Porsche or any other number of hot rides. Get into it with your Mates and raise your experience of your Brotherhood to a new level.

Hmmmm, I guess that would be called a 'Thumbs up' from me.

 

[eniced73]

That is good to hear. I think the game balances the matches anyhow? right? That way your squad does not get thrown up against all the little boys born with 'silver spoons' in the mouths.

I am patching now. Do you play with guys from the states? I would not mind jumping in a game or two with you but my time frame to playing is usually late night 1000pm and on. I enjoy ARMA with the fellas but they run around 800am my time and on the weekends I need to sleep in to catch up on what I miss during the week! Let me know.

And I just want to apologize now for what the Steelers are going to do to the Browns today!

 

[Facman]

the game balances the matches anyhow? right?

Yes it does. They are so concerned with the balance in gameplay, that they limit the number of Lances 'Teams' can bring to the random matches to only one. This is used to keep the 'Pugs' (unaffiliated players) from regularly getting mauled by 'Teams' that play and practice together. And for good reason too, as it was disheartening to be playing as a 'Pug' and run into a 'Team' that had their tactics and commo up to speed. So rather than discourage the casual player, they enacted the matching rules to accommodate the casual players.

Do you play with guys from the states?

The Blazing Aces are a world wide organization with members in all time zones. So while getting a whole 12 man team together is usually only possible on 'practice' and scheduled 'Match' nights, it is big enough to find a Lance of mates on at any given time. (including your late hours)
Link to The Blazing Aces site...http://www.blazingaces.info/

I just want to apologize now for what the Steelers are going to do to the Browns today!

No problem for me, though I live in O'hi'O, my heart is in San Francisco...

 

[Facman]

In this vid (no one I know), you can see just how important commo is to operate effectively in MWO.
To those unfamiliar with Battletech, the Raven is a light mech, but when handled efficiently, just as deadly as their heavier brethren.