I have 500 hours under my belt, all of them in single player. I might have forgotten about a few things, I may add them in a later post.
Likes:
- Stompy 'mechs blowing each other to pieces! I love these 3025-era machines. The more of them we eventually receive, the happier I'm going to be.
- Intro! Thank the spirit of Kerensky, we got an actual game intro! [Am I the only one here who gets excited about such things?] It's cleverly done, too - all it took to summarise the story of the BT universe were a few illustrations, with a little animation and epic music thrown in for good measure.
- Visuals. The 'mechs, terrain, maps, ship interiors etc. are really well done. The Hatchetman model proved that there is no shortage of 3D talent over at HBS. Fingers crossed for the Thug and Crusader.
- Music. I love the soundtrack so much I listen to it when I need to relax at work. Thank you Jon Everist!
- Campaign. While there are a few niggling plot holes in the storyline, I like the way the campaign develops. Bonus points for creating antagonists with plenty of emotional and psychological depth (Ostergaard, Espinosa).
- DLCs. Flashpoints are a great addition to the late game. I only wish mini-campaigns with tonnage limitations were more common, so I could play my favourite mediums and heavies more (Centurion, Grasshopper, Cataphract).
- Game mechanics. After stability damage adjustments there are very few things left to complain about (not a fan of Evasive bonuses being largely irrelevant in the late game). I, for one, l actually like the initiative system and think it doesn't need any adjustment. I also like the revised skill tree.
- It's a proper single player game! I can't stress this enough, we simply don't get enough solid SP games these days. Luckily Paradox has a plethora of strategy games to choose from... Including this one.
- Customisable difficulty. As a filthy casual I don't like the idea of having to kill 4 Thunderbolts to put one together, I'd much rather headcap 1 'mech (or incapacitate its pilot) and salvage it whole.
Dislikes:
- LosTech. Apart from 'mech chassis and Gauss rifles, LosTech components are largely irrelevant. I'd always choose a Large Laser +++ over an ER Large Laser. Why bother with the increased heat if ranges are so short?
- Short ranges. 'Mechs designed for long-range combat (Awesome, Jagermech) lose a lot of their potential because of short LoS. A well-entrenched Awesome should be an Atlas pilot's worst nightmare.
- Focus on assault 'mechs after the campaign. Don't get me wrong, I adore my Highlanders and Awesomes, but having actual missions where I can use more of my mediums and heavies would have been a huge bonus. Besides, assaults aren't exactly common in the Rimward Periphery, so having two lances of them face off in Nowhere, Middle Of isn't exactly lore-friendly.
- UI. While I understand the interface is a constant work in progress, I'd really like to see it more polished. Switching between 'mechs in the MechBay takes too long, as does changing camo schemes. Save games shouldn't take as long to load as they do.
- Speaking of camo schemes, I'd like to see more customisation there. Having to jump between the customisation screen and the MechBay is a pain in the backside. The little Atlas model on CO's desk is hardly representative of what the end result is going to be.
- No enemy ejections. Would be nice to see the pilot of a 'mech I'd just blown the legs off eject.
- Reputation system. If I become loathed by a given faction, it's almost impossible to get my rep back up. Tried to do just that with the Taurians in my previous playthrough, no joy. Had to start a new campaign and pick my missions very carefully.
Suggestions:
- More 'mechs... Obviously. Can't wait for Heavy Metal.
- Tonnage-limited single missions. 150, 200 and 250 tonne drop limits would be optimal (imho).
- Larger and more varied maps. Farmland, industrial and suburban areas would be fun to play in.
- Co-op missions. I'd love to blow up some stuff together with a friend. Adding tonnage limits to both lances (say, a medium and a heavy lance) would make for fun, varied gameplay and make communication critical to success.
- Taurian and Canopian Flashpoints.
- A limit to maximum levels for skills a pilot doesn't specialise in (e.g. a Vanguard would get 9 max in Gunnery and Piloting and 10 max in Guts and Tactics, while a Striker would get 9 max for Piloting and Guts and 10 max for Gunnery and Tactics). This would make max level pilots slightly more varied beyond their specialisation.
