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Are we going to be able to name our merc company (or mechwarriors?) SOLVED.

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Oh I was going to comment further re @Dmon's post but it probably wouldn't help much - so I'll sit on my hands in regards to that. @Csatti you are perhaps right, but then a fair few people won't upvote something on a mere promise either.

Easy fix would be being told, we are dead sorry about this we don't have the resources - too many delays have pushed us to the limit with what we can deliver on time without putting our whole business at risk etc - especially with already determined post release development costs - I can take that as can others I am sure - all I have at risk is the price of my backing (and ridiculously high hopes/expectations :)) - I'm not looking out for the 20-30 people whose livelihood depends on me getting it right.

I personally want to know, what has been/is being considered for being cut or delayed. Not because I won't buy the game, I already have. I just want to go in eyes open and base my impressions (and probably 1st ever Steam Review) on a solid foundation. I think this game is going to be a success, I hope a massive success, but I wouldn't want it to be less of a success potentially because players feel they have been blindsided at the last moment and they take the opportunities of reviews etc to vent their frustration/anger - fairly or otherwise.
 
I so want to disagree with @wwiiogre, but I can't really.

Sure, he might be going a step further than me, but essentially, he's right.

I mean, shit happens, I get that, but we just got a Kickstarter update that told us what features were pushed back and which were cut/changed completely.
To get a somewhat throw-away remark that yet another feature (and it doesn't matter if that feature is important to me, personally, or not) has been cut, just leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

Is it too much to ask for a little longer post, telling us why this feature was dropped, how much of it was dropped, if it is dropped completely or delayed, you know, just a paragraph explaining things a bit more in detail?

If this feature were something they mentioned along the way, sure, they wanted to include it (even thought they could) and it turned out they couldn't. Sucks, but well....

However, we are talking about a Kickstarter stretch-goal. Dropping one of those surely deserves a more elaborate explanation than: "Yeah, that won't be in"
 
Hawk.eye said:
Is it too much to ask for a little longer post, telling us why this feature was dropped,
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I am not sure whether this is a good idea, because it just makes all the Internet Experts on Project Management raise their heads about how reasons A, B and C could have easily been avoided. And I can`t stand too much nonsense. I am willing to assume that the Devs will adress this point as soon as they have got all the important things done.
 
This whole situation could have been avoided either by announcing it during the last q&a video, or by saying a little more then was said. It wouldn't have even taken more then 30 seconds to say if this was something they were still working on post release, thus ending all debate and speculation.
 
Stuckenschmidt said:
I am not sure whether this is a good idea, because it just makes all the Internet Experts on Project Management raise their heads about how reasons A, B and C could have easily been avoided. And I can`t stand too much nonsense. I am willing to assume that the Devs will adress this point as soon as they have got all the important things done.
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If HBS were your average, run-off-the-mill dev, I'd probably agree, but we have been spoiled by how communicative Mitch and co. have been and not to address this in more detail - I don't know, it just doesn't feel like them, it's, I guess, "out of character" comes closest to the phrase I'm looking for
 
Speaking of management miscues.

Mitch stated that the npc character creation program was separate from the main character creation program. Why did anybody think it was necessary to create two separate programs to do the exact same thing using the exact same resources? That is beyond me. Especially since the commander creation program has all the bells and whistles. The npc creation program to me would have been just a slimmed down version of the first one. Why was this not done at the same time using the same resources? This boggles the mind. Why would Mitch state it was going to take a month of man hours plus testing time to make this separate program cause they are not the same? Once again, boggles the mind. So I am confused how this happened, how it happened so late. The really poor excuse to why this decision was made. Unfortunately, I cannot see inside the key hole to know what actually happened. I can only make my opinions based on what Mitch has revealed. If what he said was true, and I have no reason to doubt him. Then yeah this appears to be complete mismanagement of resources and time.

You do not need two completely different hammers designed from scratch and built separately to hit two barely different sized nails. Just saying. In other games, where you had a main character and then a party of npc's you used the exact same character creation system. Your main character usually had a back story and may have had better starting items. But your npc's used the same exact tools to be created. How did this get screwed up? How did this get made into a separate program? Why wasn't this figured out months ago?

This is part of the reason I am having trouble with this broken promise at such a late date. It was kickstarter stretch goal. This was addressed in many ask the devs, and live Q & A's and in tweets. This was always guaranteed to be in the release. How did this happen?

At this point if HBS is in such horrible position to finish the game at this late of the date that they are now just cutting features willy nilly without announcements and updates just comments on the forums. Please HBS, take a step back. Reevaluate and please just delay the game a month or more and finish it feature complete. I know I will not be playing the game at launch because so many features are missing for the solo campaign that for me I do not want to have to restart the campaign as HBS starts releasing cut and delayed features post launch. That is irritating at the least and annoying. Having to lose saved games or restart a game over because the developer is inserting crucial game features post launch because they could not bother to get them done on time. It is immersion breaking.

For some this new missing feature and broken promise is no big deal. I salute you. You are more forgiving than I am. I wish I were a better person and could do the same. This feature however actually affects my use of the game not just for me. But for my entire tabletop gaming group and gaming friends. Why? Because the first Friday after release I was going to host a game at my house on the 80" TV where the group would create characters and a commander. Others were going to watch. We were as a group going to play the campaign thru for the first time. I was going to gm and run the keyboard as I am the only beta backer of the group and understand the controls. My friends were going to be the commander, and the npc pilots. Hard to do this when the feature that would allow this is now cut just weeks before release.

All of these friends were probably gonna buy the game. Or preorder it. Now none of them are. That is 5 of the first nights group and then 5 of the second nights group. Did I mention I have tons of Battletech tabletop friends. All of them excited about playing this game this way since there is no coop yet. Yes we were going to hot seat it. But with npc customization we could have had a very good facsimile of a tabletop session without actually having to setup a tabletop. Including some good rpg banter, but most importantly characters invested in their pilots because they created them thru the kickstarter backed and continually promised feature of a npc custom character creation program.

Now all that goodwill and possible sales lost or delayed. I have informed them to all wait until the game is feature complete. The game nights are now cancelled until I can confirm it is possible without a huge amount of modding time. So a choice like this by HBS has cost them real money over real time. That is on them. It has also cost them bad will. That is on them. All because of poor communication and broken promises. Once again that is on them. Now HBS can either delay the game release so they can finish all paid for and promised content. I for one would prefer another month delay and a feature complete game than what is currently left that will be released.

I know some of you just want to play and I completely understand. That is what I did. Until they cut the feature I was wanting the most. The feature I repeatedly asked about and was assured was going in. The feature that was part of kickstarter that made me want to pay $20 extra so I could not only buy the game but be part of the backer beta so I could help test the game and have input into how the game works. That part worked flawlessly and HBS to their credit implemented tons of things the community suggested in beta into later copies of the beta we did not get to play but have seen in videos.

Please HBS more info. Please if you need more money or time, let us know. If anything this community is, its generous to a fault. We gave you millions of dollars already for the dream you promised. Tell us how much more money and time it will take to give us what you promised. I will give you another $20 all you have to do is ask and then explain. It has never been about the overall cost. Its been about broken promises. Now even more broken promises with very weak excuses.

Chris
 
Hawk.eye said:
If HBS were your average, run-off-the-mill dev, I'd probably agree, but we have been spoiled by how communicative Mitch and co. have been and not to address this in more detail - I don't know, it just doesn't feel like them, it's, I guess, "out of character" comes closest to the phrase I'm looking for
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Over at Steam this "OOC"-feeling gets attributed to the devilish, greedy nightmare of an entity that is called Paradox. I am more inclined to believe that it has to do with tons of pre-release stress. :)
 
If the JSON files of the Mercs can be changed then can more be added?? We could just make copies of all the Mercs and rename them, it would add a bit of Variety if nothing else. Just copy the whole list a few times and rename them. Might take a bit of time, but as long as there isn't a hidden random list in a file somewhere that they get chosen from.
 
The mechwarriors will be generated during your campaign with the exception of a few premade backer ones. This means - in my opinion - that you have to edit your saved games to change the mechwarrior data instead of any preexisting asset. The question is how hard will it be to change a saved file. Knowing this community, I'm pretty sure someone will create a tool to do so after launch and than the RPG playing guys can have their custom mechwarriors.
 
Pooncha said:
Did anyone remember MechCommander and MechCommander 2’s robust character customization options?

...Anybody?
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I have to admit: No. Although I played and liked it. But I guess I never used customization anyway.
 
The salt must flow...
 
Greetings Mechwarriors,


Community members Opinions, Feelings, and Preferences are their own, and they are welcome to them. Period.


However, when we then choose to jump to disrespectful postings based on personal assumption like suggesting "mismanagement" ect. then we have crossed the line regarding constructive engagement, and are simply contributing to community friction.

This community is a place to constructively share personal perspectives and discuss the game with our fellow mechwarriors. It is not a place to attempt to concern troll the devs into stepping away from ongoing development to make unscheduled responses regarding individual mechwarriors hoped for pet features. IMHO This has been one of the most communicative dev cycles I have ever seen, and it is not only unfair to expect a dev to comment on demand, but it is unfair to berate them in response to their upfront informal communications just to demand more of it. At any rate it is not acceptable behavior here, and while it is ok to disagree, and to have negative feelings individually, how we act on them is what matters. The devs are making this game. Let them make it. They are approaching an important milestone: release, and there is intent for post release work, which they have a history of performing above and beyond expectation. Sure, share constructively what you would like to see. But please do not spam this community with hyperbole and disrespectful assumptions just to attempt to get the devs to "set the record straight".



Please avoid all insults, disrespect, unfounded dismissive conjecture, and concern trolling for replies on this community.

Posts choosing not to take this advice may experience Jump Drive malfunctions to the Far Country to be used as nesting materials by the locals, or to the Bickering thread.

Before posting further, it is my friendly recommendation that community members please review the guidelines of this forum.


Thank you.
 
Stuckenschmidt said:
I have to admit: No. Although I played and liked it. But I guess I never used customization anyway.
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Well, it wasn't exactly a visible feature. You'd have to be pretty willing to get into the games themselves to even realize it existed and it's easy to play through and finish the game without ever encountering it at all. But the game was plenty enjoyable despite that, unless you were playing MC2 on Veteran difficulty. I swear the AI there was cheating in headshots.

(This whole thing is a joke, by the way. You could not legitimately make custom pilots in the MechCommander games. But you can do some file editing and make your own that way.)

That BattleTech even has customization at all (instead of the faceless commander you are in the previous games) is a nice surprise and while I'd like it if the devs could extend that to our regular team, it's not a make-or-break deal and could be something to come up in future patches or mods when the spectre of crunch time isn't so prevalent.
 
Skoll- said:
The UI won't let me click Agree or click Helpful so just imagine this post is that.
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Psst, [whispers]: forum rules, dont reply at yellow text mod posts. PM. ;)
 
Pooncha said:
That BattleTech even has customization at all (instead of the faceless commander you are in the previous games) is a nice surprise and while I'd like it if the devs could extend that to our regular team, it's not a make-or-break deal and could be something to come up in future patches or mods when the spectre of crunch time isn't so prevalent.
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Customization of names and callsigns might be a good thing. But what I really like about the procedually generated MechWarriors are these lifepaths and that I can see them. Not being able to customize that means that I have to deal with what I get and make something out of their back stories. I appreciate the literary challenge. :)
 
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