MNC Developers, please read my feedback/change list.

Hi,

This is a list of changes/implementations that I think are essential to making the game more playable, configurable (especially for low end machines) and to look less like a console port (don't get me wrong, I love the game dearly I just think that the UI needs a lot of changes).

UI

Recording

• Match recording should have its own tab in the game with the ability to look through demo's and play them. Rather like the community tab in UT2004 (if you're unfamiliar with this, I shall print screen it).
• There should also be the option to change the frames per second of the demo configurable in game; the code for that is:

Code:

NetServerMaxTickRate=
LanServerMaxTickRate=

Server Browser:

• Currently kicks you to the main menu if the server is full, please change this: it's awful.
• Sometimes unclear how many is in the server, the filter options are buggy/unclear (you should be able to filter full servers, such that you can not see them).
• I assume that you're aware of this and will be changing the server browser a bit regardless of what I write here, so I won't put much more on that.

Mouse Changes:

• Sensitivity should be adjustable via digits and perhaps a slider but not just a slider on its own. Use the following options from the input config:

Code:

MouseSensitivity=
DoubleClickTime= (used for double jump)
bEnableMouseSmoothing=

• Mouse smoothing - tickbox option
• Invert mouse - tickbox option
• DoubleClickTime should be settable this is useful for double space with the assault.
• Within HostileInput.ini under [HostileGame.HPlayerInput] add the line

Code:

bViewAccelEnabled=False

and make this user configurable with a tickbox option in game.


Graphical Options:
The following should be made into UI based tickbox/settable options:

Code:

bSmoothFrameRate=
MinSmoothedFrameRate=
MaxSmoothedFrameRate=

Code:

DynamicLights=
DynamicShadows= 
LightEnvironmentShadows= 
CompositeDynamicLights= 
DirectionalLightmaps=
MotionBlur=
MotionBlurPause=
DepthOfField=
AmbientOcclusion=
Bloom=
UseHighQualityBloom=
Distortion=
FilteredDistortion=
DropParticleDistortion=
SpeedTreeLeaves=
SpeedTreeFronds=
OnlyStreamInTextures=
LensFlares=
FogVolumes=
OneFrameThreadLag=
UseVsync=
UpscaleScreenPercentage=
Fullscreen=

Perhaps AllowD3D10=True/False; however, D3D10 is currently buggy. essentially this doesn't have to be changed.

Code:

DetailMode=
ShadowFilterQualityBias=
MaxAnisotropy=
MaxMultisamples=
ScreenPercentage=
SceneCaptureStreamingMultiplier=
FoliageDrawRadiusMultiplier=
ShadowTexelsPerPixel=
PreShadowResolutionFactor=
bEnableVSMShadows=
bEnableBranchingPCFShadows=

Refresh Rate, smoothed frame rate, bloom options (for performance), dynamic lighting, depth of field, etc, are all very important. Refer to UT3 as an example of what should be here. Screenshot can be found here: http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/4832/screenshot00002copy.jpg This is only an example. It is not perfect.


Sound:

• Allow the adjustment of how many speakers you have, e.g. 2, 4, 5.1 etc.
• Voice chat on/off.
• Perhaps have more configurable options? Refer to this screenshot: http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/5264/screenshot00001copy.jpg

Game


Bugs:

• Options not saving, in console such as setsensitivity.

Bugs that are possibly due to user error/my computer:

• Sometimes it seems like the game will launch at the wrong resolution. I set it up to the right resolution, then set config on read-only and it still does it. Or perhaps it is the read-only causing it, I'm not sure.
• Enabling EAX will cause the game to crash (more than likely a problem with my sound card, worth mentioning nonetheless...

Game balance:
I didn't want to write anything game-breaking here, invalidating my post or something that relied too heavily on opinions. So for those reasons, I am not going to speak much on game balance. I will point out one thing though and that is the assault needs a buff.


Miscellaneous changes:

• Linux Server Support.
• Weapon Accuracy display.
• There needs to be a better way to play with friends and in your own server. I suggested in another thread that if you have a password to the server, it should kick a player and you be able to join. If you are paying for the server, I feel you should have full rights to it. This isn't a solution to playing with friends, but I consider it to be a good one if you just want to play in your own server.
• Adjustable match timer/clock.
• Map vote.

Miscellaneous changes that I'm not so sure about:

• Configurable hit sounds (?)
• Configurable crosshairs (?)
• Character: Left Handed/Right handed option (to move character to right of the screen)(?)
• Field of View configuration. Not something as drastic as from 60 to 160, but perhaps a little variable here (?)
• Configuration files that have anything ending with Game.ini, e.g. DefaultGame.ini and HostileGame.ini has the code:

Code:

[DefaultPlayer]
Name=Player
team=0

This defines the preferable team (e.g. whether you join as red/blue) for UT. Does it do the same in this game and is it causing people to go blue? "team=255" is the option for non preferable, in UT.

From a coders point of view, I imagine this is very boring/tedious to implement; however, I remember at the start of UT3 it looked very much like a console port. No one really played it, 90% of the community didn't know how to setup config files and many didn't know to look on forums; a lot of users were even stuck on 60FPS (lol) because they didn't think to look in the config files. Then later came an update which got some more people into the game and most were happy with its performance (the engine is actually very good). By then, it was too late though and still, not that many play/played. In my opinion, if you do this as fairly on as possible, it will help people with low end computers a lot and those that don't think to read forums spammed over by people complaining that sins aren't smart enough or snipers are too powerful as they stand out in-the-open. I use UT3 merely as a demonstration on how a community can be put off irrespective of the game play (the gameplay was a step backwards but that's another story).

The game play of Monday Night Combat is good, it's on a nice engine and I think the net code is quite nice too. So don't take this post as some criticism, it is not. I bought the game early with the knowledge that I was allowed to play early, to beta test. I wouldn't feel particularly great if I beta tested a game and later complained that it wasn't quite how it should be (people are good at later complaining).

For regular users like me, if you agree with this thread, please post saying so. I want to keep the thread bumped so that developers actually look and listen. I've tried to keep statements backed up by evidence from other games and I have not gone in for too much about opinion based changes or game balancing (which so often, everyone has a different opinion). The idea behind this was to suit everyone reading it.

I'm sorry for not reporting too many bugs, I'm sure there are many more still that need to be ironed out. I feel that others can do that anyway and I wanted to post this as soon as possible. Game balance can be changed at any time and it's usually not super complicated (I'm aware it can be). Bugs can also be ironed out week by week, I guess.

At first I thought you were being a bit forward and aggressive, however near the end it seems you have made some very clear points, I agree with pretty much every point.
Honestly, I am sure they have most of these on the back of their head or on some to-do list or a tissue paper who knows. These are end game changes, as in once all the bugs are fixed. I think they have made it clear that they want to fix all the crashes and critical problem before they start to add new features.
Some of what you are asking may end up being a lot of work for them, im honestly not sure how big the company is but seriously they are not valve or something.
Also why do you think the assault needs a buff? I have not played the game since patch 1 however they cannot be changed that much. It seem fairly well balanced.

Oh, I didn't mean to sound aggressive at all. The setsensitivity bug needs to be fixed straight away though, I think. A lot of the graphical changes I mentioned, are all there in the config already. It really wouldn't be a hard job to implement (I think). My only worry is that if it's left too late, customers could potentially be put off before then. Having a large customer base is always easier when a game is released quite polished. As I said with UT3 and UT3 Black, people just didn't think to look around in the config files.

The demo recording is mostly there. Linux server support - sure, that can come any time as well as some of the less important things, but the graphical options should be a high priority. The performance increase from adjusting those is incredible.

As for the assault, its DPS seems quite low and it's just not as powerful as the other classes. Makes more sense to grab gunner and steam roll everything. I'm personally not a fan of bullet spread, I'd rather a bullet do less damage but have a smaller bullet spread, thus rewarding good aim. I realize if you do this, you run the risk of turning a gun into a sniper rifle. So there's only so much you can play with this. However, a bit of a buff to its damage output would balance it more.

I believe that competition can help fuel a game, with that said. I think server browser changes, demo recording and the ability to play with friends/clan, are fairly high in importance.

/signed

Wow, this is a great post from someone who clearly has clear knowledge of Unreal Engine 3.

Thanks! Hopefully uber people listen. 90% of this won't be that difficult I think .

Nothing is difficult, just takes time. There are a lot of things on this list that we're planning on adding after getting everything stable and compatible.

I'm curious to know if we are allowed to see the list; if only for the sake of people knowing what problems the devs are aware of, so the forum goers won't post the same issues in the forums over and over.

Don't be offended if they don't. A lot of the time devs don't like releasing that sort of information because it ends up biting them in the *** if they can't deliver for whatever reason (like the idea turned out to be infeasible or had to be cut for time/budget or whatever). This avoids the backlash that comes from the appearance of breaking promises, also sometimes known as Molyneaux Syndrome.

I know, but it doesn't hurt to ask.

It would be nice for one of the devs to post a list of known bugs and issues, though. That way we wouldn't be getting so many posts about "My HUD disappeared and won't come back!" and the like.

Yeah, we can start a known bugs thread. We generally don't like to post what we're working on until it's actually done because we don't want to get anyone's hopes up.

I wish the devs would let us know if they have read our wishlists :\

We read everything.

Good to know, thanks man

Much of the wishlist items are things we're going to add or we went away from during development because of either it didn't really fit with the world we're creating or we ran out of time to get it to a level we were happy with. We plan on adding content post release and will continue to support MNC.

Something like GetSatisfaction has been used by Minecraft and Natural Selection 2 to sort out their beta testing and it works brilliantly. People can't just post a problem right away, first it searches to see if there's anything similar. If there isn't, they can post a new problem. People can also contribute to each report by attaching their account to it, showing more people are having this particular problem, and add comments and attachements.

It's essentially a kind of twitter/forum/bug tracker mixed in one. Plus the devs can just quickly flag particular reports as "Under consideration" or "Working on", and devs can get a better idea what problems annoy/frustrate people more because they provide moods to each report.

Not only is it useful for bugs, but ideas and questions have their own categories on each getsatisfaction site.

Though it looks like initially that it could cost money to run, so that's up to Uber Ent to figure out.

Good to know that things are read. I disagree with the whole "we'll add things post release" theory. It rarely ever works, as people see the game then get put off by it and won't always think to try again, or to recommend it to friends. Don't get me wrong, I think things should be updated -- just not in the way other games did it (such as my example with UT3) where you have a huge patch. Aion was another example. All be it, not an FPS.

Would just be nice to have a fair few players. Currently I don't really play it because the few players that there are, aren't particularly challenging.

Game itself is nice though.

BF:BC2 and GA come to mind where it does work. In both of those betas, the forums were ablaze with people bitching and whining about bugs and game play problems. The respective companies paid SOME attention and resolved the majority of the issues several months after the release. With steam and the way games are handled via the client, its pretty simplistic to walk away from a game because it's not what you consider production quality. Give it some time, it's too easy to come back to an updated, presumably more enjoyable experience as the bugs/issues are resolved.

One huge issue with BF:BC 2 was the mouse input, game breaking for any competitive gamer really - it never got fixed. Also, if you compare the sales of the game compared to how many play it -- do you call it a huge success? Irrelevant argument anyway. I mean, my point was that post release changes push away customers considerably more than pre-release changes. Sure there'll be exceptions to the rule.

No reason to really. Don't think the players are ever going to be that great, and, I'll probably get bored if there's going to be a lack of maps.

Just wanted to say great post here...
and I'm happy to hear that things are being read as well...