=MQ= Feedback about raising MQ to another level (Full Version)

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Calogero -> =MQ= Feedback about raising MQ to another level (4/21/2011 15:46:09)

quote:

Andy,

Thank you for writing. The MechQuest team is preparing for a pretty significant overhaul of the game, but is very short on team members. Your comment came at a great time because I thought you would like to help give feedback/input as a serious MechQuest fan who would like to see the game rise to a higher level.

I cc’d Korin, the head of MechQuest on this email. Can you do the following? Write back and let Korin know:

· What your favorite type of quests were

· What you like and do not like about the Mechs in the game

· How you feel about the plot.



Ok so I have been twitting with Artix about Mechquest which ended up in Emailing.
He asked me to give an answer on those 3 questions above due to Mechquest
getting an Overhaul in the future*. I myself have answered those questions
but Seeing Mechquest is not just a game for me but for ALL of YOU aswell
I'd like to have some feedback of what you think about this.


note 1: If AK's think this thread needs to be locked, by all means go ahead, but just lock incase Artix or Korin say it is allowed.
*: this thread is to post your opinion about those 3 questions, please stay on topic so that this topic can live unless Note 1 happens.


Important stuff. FAQ'd and Tagged. ~Clyde




TostiTostelli -> RE: Feedback about raising MQ to another level (4/21/2011 15:31:05)

Favorite types of quests:
Quests that actually take you a while to complete. Necryptos quests where fun! Also some of the Westion ones, im think of the Vul-Kharim(the birds).

Likes and dislikes about Mechs
First off: The Nova Socker, Now there's a MECH!! Looks bloody awesome, and has original designs! Those are the most important things.
Second comes the usefullness.
I'll explain: If you make a mech, make sure its focussed. For example, the Imbiber, is supposed to be a DoT mech, but the Dots are 1x or 1,5x, not 2x. Thats a bad mech(atleast before the buff).
Now a good mech:Doom Rider X45. Looks awesome, and is very well balanced, and most importantly, focussed. Nice damaging lasers, in combo with the stun attack, make it a formidable mech.

How do you feel about the plot
The plot so far, is mediocre. I'll explain.
For example our homeplanet Lore. None of the houses( pizzaria, knife and spork, police department) are linked in any way.
What I do like, is the Dean, giving you missions, for example the KIngadent missions. There's a link(keyword) between 2 locations.
All in all, not bad, but to make the plot better, I would suggest taking the player deeper into the storyline(for example the Dragonoid missions). And make places linked to each other.

Last but not least, contrary to what I´ve said before, make most of the planets unlockable(completing Lore before you go to Westion). And also, make the dropship-final exam missions interleaved. It's really rather ridiculous, that you can complete the game, without having to have pass your mech exams.




Calogero -> RE: Feedback about raising MQ to another level (4/21/2011 15:41:09)

@ Tosti
quote:

For example our homeplanet Lore. None of the houses( pizzaria, knife and spork, police department) are linked in any way.

Non Storyline missions are fun occasionaly, it doesn't have to go about it all the time, but More Storyline quests and cutscenes are
appreciated tho.

indeed, I was just giving mine :P
Imo, MQ team should try and balance it like in DF, plenty of Storyline quest and also a lot of Side quests




TostiTostelli -> RE: Feedback about raising MQ to another level (4/21/2011 15:42:27)

Was just giving my input, as requested[;)]




Glais -> RE: =MQ= Feedback about raising MQ to another level (4/21/2011 16:04:09)

Thanks Andy, a legitimate chance to...actually do something...now to the topic.

· What your favorite type of quests were
Particularly I like ones involving walkaround and end with a good cutscene. MQ's first story mission with the Tibattleonia thing was a fantastic example of this.
Besides that, Braddock's minigame was great, I'd like to see something like that implemented in the future.

· What you like and do not like about the Mechs in the game

What I like, is how all of the mechs pre-Steve Skysplitter looked. Awesome artwork and style, and the monthly mechs of the time were fantastic and powerful. Specifically the early monthlies. They had a very consistent military look, were incredibly detailed and very powerful. The look in general was my favorite appearance for any mech style in the game. My personal favorite was the Mohawk, large and powerful while also very detailed and good looking.

The Pirate series also looked fantastic. They were a good combination of themed (which I usually hate) and still keeping a decently realistic (but not boring) military appearance. They also had a great color scheme. I just wish the Sniper had different legs, its own didn't fit it well at all.

As for early mechs, art's always been great. The Shadow E series has amazing detail and I'd love to see more like that. The SDF were also good, but one I particularly loved was the HammerHead. It was the first real war based mech of the time because it was said to be used by soldiers. Either way, it looked great and was pretty strong for the time. Actually, it would make sense to make more military mechs. The SDF is supposed to defend the planet so they should be elite, their last mechs are quite outdated then.

Recently, I reeeeally disliked the new art style. The Nemesis used it well but overall it turns out kind of...cheap looking to me. It's a lot less detailed than mechs from the beginning of the game which is weird. Also, they mess up the colors, compare the Imbiber on the same color as a HammerHead, if you use dark purple like I do, Imbiber instead has a weird bright pinkish hue to it. The new style just lacks quality. Shading is off and it's just less detailed overall, they look out of place in the game as they're less advanced than even the Newbatron in art.

Another problem is that there's a lack of permanent powerful mechs, most of the reeeally good stuff has gone rare causing a severe power inflation while the game should be catering to newer players.

· How you feel about the plot.
In the beginning, I loved it. Gave a good feeling that we were entering a war that we were vastly outmatched in. Recently, it's been...sort of blah. I think the main reason is unlike DF, MQ lacks any sort of cool NPCs, the most it has is Braddock and J6. There's no-one besides us who really even does anything. If MQ got back to the war theme, for example maybe having us go to some ShadowScythe conquered areas since they are stronger than mostly everyone, it could be more interesting.




THIS_IS_SPARTA -> RE: Feedback about raising MQ to another level (4/21/2011 16:05:06)

· What your favorite type of quests were
My Favorite quests were pretty much long ones, ones that you have to explore. Like the ones in Zargon, like the batman mission. The worse ones are pretty much the ones facing 2-3 enemies in a row then getting back to town.

· What you like and do not like about the Mechs in the game
I serioulsy like themed mechas. I don't know why but mechs with themes are usually much better.
I dislike mechas that are suposed to be, for example, DoT themed but get weak DoTs, or damaging ones that don't really damage that much at all.
· How you feel about the plot.
It was pretty good before, now I think it's getting bad, most likely because it has been awhile since a storyline update and that a bunch of those ''important'' missions are done under 1 minute.

If there's also something i'd like, it's getting random drops from missions just like in DF. I think it would help with the whole ''no good nonrare weapons or mechs'' issue.





Krillin -> RE: Feedback about raising MQ to another level (4/21/2011 16:48:59)

Egad they are finally going to take action, huzzah MQ has hope yet.

-What your favourite quests were

-My favourite quest chains were the ones with rolls to unlock new ranks. like the soluna and westion ones.
- On the soluna the hospital and police quest chains had a variety of different quests which kept it fresh (mech battles, minigames, sword fight).
- The ranks in these quest chains had various shop unlocks along the way, which broke up the tedious grind
- Plus the fact that they featured funny/punny AE style humour ( this is how we identify it is an AE game in a way), our character also has some input to what goes on.

A note on these quests is that the Members only quest list if significantly small (SC Xtreme Challenge, Yokai, Zargon, Braddock Steele and the dropship one)

What you like and do not like about Mechs in the game

- whilst there should be all these themed mechs for areas, in my opinion a mech should be more military looking and less shiny all the time. (Basically alot of the mechs have unique looks to them, but for a war against the ShS we should have mass produced low colour scheme as they will likely be destroyed in war)
- Just because a mecha has 6 slots, it doesn't mean that they should always be used up. People may disagree here but by giving a person all slots used you are practically telling them to not customise.
- I am also not impressed that the game doesn't yet have a pilaf machine mech Pilaf Machine* (Now with the actual pic... I hope)

Edit

- I also think that the mechas could return to their special types, as in one of the gears classes there were enemies impervious to the ballastic type attacks. Plus we should have more missile/explosive style attacks rather than laser after laser
What do you think about the plot
- Initially the plot was about us living as a student at gears hence our part time jobs, this is valid enough for a side story about our progression through the university.
-Of course the strong plot was the driving force that the ShS were slowly taking over the galaxy. This is a fine standard plot
- After fighting on our homefront and taking down the rebel insurgency then helping them. The plot went into a bit of a slump.
We went planet hopping to make allies, however this undermined the impact the ShS had on the galaxy in the eyes of the players (think of cowardly planets giving into the ShS or ones staying impartial to survive). I think this was restored with the destruction of Westion.

I feel that there are loose ends with several important plot points.
- The first is Kingadent Slugwrath is still alive, albeit a head in a jar, but if he still lives he is due another appearance in my opinion as should his owner Mr Z who has been absent a while.
- Next is a really old one, do you remember the first war where lots of our students were infected by the ShS? Well if you remember they were never restored so it is bizarre that the ShS are interested in the university as much as they are considering they have an armarda of spies other than Hughmun and they posses the Gears mechas technology.

I feel the narration of the plot at times isn't strong at all, I am still confused as to why we landed on Necryptos as it was never explained.

The last point is that the last bit of permanent plot content was the end of yokai which was around early spetember for the end I think........ so no permanent plot for over half a year is quite shocking IMO.

* This dragonball reference is only because I know how much Artix (and everyone worth knowing) loves dragonball. So why not combine the love of dragonball with the love of MQ for that mech or at least a reference to it [8D]




TostiTostelli -> RE: Feedback about raising MQ to another level (4/21/2011 16:50:55)

Talk about dragonball :P




Griffin the awesome -> RE: Feedback about raising MQ to another level (4/21/2011 17:06:04)

Favorite type of quests: I like quests that involve more than just mech battles, for example, a good quest for me would consist of multiple mech battles (Maybe 3 or 4 battles, BUT NO TIME LIMITS!), a minigame, and an entertaining cutscene(explosions are recommended).

Likes and dislikes about mechs: I like mechs that are entertaining to use, mechs with cool animations. I dislike how the staff are focusing on making sure mechs aren't too OP, which usually results in UP mechs *cough*Imbiber*cough*.

How do you feel about the plot?: I think the plot is awesome, I can't wait until it starts moving again.




kasama999 -> RE: =MQ= Feedback about raising MQ to another level (4/21/2011 18:53:48)

· What your favorite type of quests were
So long as it has variety and maybe a cutscene or two I'll be happy.

· What you like and do not like about the Mechs in the game
The mechs (non-rare ones that is) lacks the war-like design in them.
SCQM somehow lost a tiny bit of their originality when it comes to their specials.

· How you feel about the plot.
Before it was really exciting. I mean, you can't beat the war theme and seriousness of MQ. But somehow, somehow the plot now is predictable, lacks depth and the NPC only goes 'mission is this, beat a # of these, and reward is given'. But Lyris and Maegywn right now is doing a pretty good job at handling quests that are related to the plot.

Edit: wait a minute..........
quote:

Thank you for writing. The MechQuest team is preparing for a pretty significant overhaul of the game, but is very short on team members. Your comment came at a great time because I thought you would like to help give feedback/input as a serious MechQuest fan who would like to see the game rise to a higher level.

So does this mean Artix still cares about MQ and its players?
Nice.....




evil doodoo -> RE: Feedback about raising MQ to another level (4/21/2011 19:36:24)

· What your favorite type of quests were
Most quests that directly deals with the ShS, or EvilCorp are pretty good. Dialogue and storyline development are two things that go very well, but while awesome cutscenes like those in the Gears Games are good once in a while, it isn't always necessary to make a quest good. Off the top of my head, I can think of some amazing quests: the Traveler's first quest involving Maria 5, the intro to the wormhole saga involving Char, and Braddock Steele's minigame for Hero Heart's day. Basically, my favorite quests are content based quests, and I'll go into more detail with each of these.
The Traveler:
What made this my favorite quest (ever..!) was the character development that brought the Traveler and Maria 5 a life of their own, yet shrouding the whole quest under a veil of questions and mysteriousness. It was this delicately crafted quest that had fully restored my hope in the game, especially when it was doing pretty bad. I'm not saying there should be more broken up strips of paper to be reconstructed, but the style of storytelling should stay the same.
The Wormhole Saga Introduction:
This quest stood out by adding some seriousness into the plot. The appearance of Korin was very well placed (in the shadows, where he belongs [;)]), and the ending was unexpected. The fact that this was a long quest made it better. The most important thing is that it dealt directly with the ShadowScythe, and made less digressions in the storyline.
Hero Heart's Day:
All in all, this quest was a breath of fresh air. I'm sure the first cutscene gave everyone a great laugh. What I really liked about this quest was the level in which Braddock fought full sized mechs. The players have seen mechs many, many times, but this quest depicts them in another light, turning some old mechs we've seen before into something completely new, and breathing life into gigantic machines. It definitely adds some scope to the game.

Other favorite things from favorite quests:
Character development, and some background information. (Who is this Starbuck, anyways? What happened to Worsh? What actually occurs in a Mech? Why even use a mech?) I think a good example of where this could be used is in Yokai. Hidden within the dialogue of shopkeepers could be the history and ideology of the city, and a feel of who the citizens are. Maybe a whole legend about the rise of the Supreme Master through small talk with a person on the street. But there needs to be some way of finding out more about the MechQuest world, through quests.
Quests that give mecha a role in the plot other than vehicles of war. It would be pretty fun swordfighting on or inside the mech, or using it to ram through walls...
Adding more dialogue and length into the quests, whether by walls of text (or text bubbles), or by multiple battles.
Interplanetary crossovers which benefit the plot.

I know I'm being ambiguous in this response, as I say things like "mysterious", "nicely done", "new", and "breathing life into characters", but the thing to remember is the content of quests. Cutscenes and especially minigames can wait, as they both require a bit of time to create. The quickest, most efficient way to improve quality is through the text. Cutscenes may be a powerful form of storytelling, but be realistic... those two brilliant cutscenes in the Gears Games took quite a while. I would refer to quests in other games if I didn't realize the very limited resources the team has to work with. This is why I am discussing the content of quests. Something very nostalgic about MechQuest was the willingness to experiment and create something that was never seen before, do something never done before, tell a story never told before.
· What you like and do not like about the Mechs in the game
I like how some look like 10,000 tons of AWESOME! They can be streamlined, they can float, they can walk, they are shiny. Some mechs, however, are not so fortunate. Some are too human-like. One issue is with the look and feel of mechs. Some just do not resemble steel robots. Remember the Dazzling Striker? It was waaay awesome. But now mechs styles have turned more humanistic. Honestly, this isn't too big of a problem, but it would be a pleasant surprise to see some really crazy concepts like putting the shoulders under the arms, or four arms. Don't stress too much on this. Something much more important I've recently noticed is the quality of the mechs. I can't describe it, but the Vanguard, Imbiber, and Avalanche Harvester can't compare with the Morehawk, Mohawk, and Cosmic Talon. Compare the mechs, and the difference becomes obvious. For me, this trend isn't too much of a problem, but I think it should be noted as other or newer players might not think the same way.
Mech weapons and abilities are kind of slipping a bit. The thing that really differentiated the Imbiber was the passive ability. Otherwise, there wouldn't be much that stood out. I remember when it was cool to use the DPA with the Zeus front arm. It was cool because the two weapons had synergy, and there started to be talk of more strategic builds. Nowadays, that isn't seen too often. Most of the builds are things like "damage", "stun", "ep-drain", "dodge", etc. but the builds are simply 6 weapons that have similar effects. I'm not quite comfortable with mechs that have don't bring in something new or open a new dimension in strategy somehow. Hopefully, no mech will ever have all 5 weapons replaced. That would pretty much be a waste of effort. It's not a big issue, but there is always room for improvement in mech functions, which is the point of this whole post.
· How you feel about the plot.
I'm very frustrated with the plot right now. Of all the AE games, MechQuest has the best potential. In fact, the very possibility that the storyline might move slightly faster, or would be slightly more comprehensive, or even advance at all is the very reason why I continue to give that last thread of faith to the staff when many other players had already given up. If it weren't for the occasional step forward, that occasional ray of optimism, or that occasional advancement in the plot, I'm not sure if I would invest as much time to provide feedback like this. The plot can definitely be improved. There are too many digressions... or not enough ShadowScythe. I think the transition from things like DFA, Tibattleonia, Gears, and Slugwrath to things like cowboys, vampires, superheroes, pirates, ninjas is where some of the fanbase is lost. All in all, it was great to see ShadowScythe in Westion, and in Lagos. I think you know very well that any advancement in the real storyline drives us crazy for more. It's just the illusion that we leave the storyline behind that I have a problem with, but lately, it was getting better with the Gears Games, and Traveler quests.




ArchMagus Orodalf -> RE: Feedback about raising MQ to another level (4/21/2011 20:32:40)

Hoho.

Favorite type of quest:

I wouldn't be true to myself if I didn't say that my favorite quests are those that advance the storyline while incorporating fun elements. Unfortunately, the "fun elements" seem to like being repeated. More puzzles/less repetition would be nicer in questing.

What you like and do not like about the Mechs in the game:

No comment.

Plot:

I feel several things about the plot.

Firstly, I feel that it's very disorganized. If I want to go back and play something, I can't a lot of the time, because something has already been changed in-game and cannot be reverted to a state where it isn't done yet. This makes it extremely confusing to figure out where I'm going. There's also a lack of organization-- the "Story" page in the center of Soluna doesn't help much, since it's one of those things fixed to say "Yay, you've done this! Now go do this" when I don't even remember doing the prior. AQ has a similar problem in lack of organization, but it doesn't save changes, so you can still go back and see what happened in the game's past.

Secondly, I dislike how slowly it's moving. I understand the lack of staffing. I just don't like how slowly it's moving, and I don't expect that anything will be done about that.

Thirdly, I dislike how "planets" end up more like "towns." If you need pointers on designing planets, see the WarpForce game staff for advice.




forumlogin -> RE: =MQ= Feedback about raising MQ to another level (4/21/2011 20:48:08)

quote:

· What your favorite type of quests were

· What you like and do not like about the Mechs in the game

· How you feel about the plot.

1. Quests with cutscenes, even just 1, can make up for pretty much everything else for me.
However, I liked the mob quests from Zargon where you had to fight multiple weaker enemies all in a row.
Rolls and Fight X #times are turn-offs, though.
2. Not really picky here, to be honest. So long as effects activate at 75% or higher, even with weak effects I'm usually satisfied. Usually. Some, like the Shako of Ice's 100% chance of exceedingly minor boosts sucked for me, but that's getting off the topic of mecha. Mecha I like are usually not too big at the top; I like it when a mecha's base (not necessarily legs) look like they can actually hold up the rest of the mecha. I don't like mecha with effects that are too too weak, as in so weak I can find a nonrare replacement that can do everything better. If it has something that said nonrare wep cannot provide, or if it does it in a different way, or if it has extra bonuses, then it's fine.
3. A little too convoluted, and requiring some restrictions on where you can go and when. Some NPC pointers can also be helpful.
Planet expansion could be useful. Some NPCs also need more of a story. Certain planets *coughNecryptoscough* just need a story in general.




Shinku -> RE: =MQ= Feedback about raising MQ to another level (4/21/2011 21:34:11)

Ah, I like this topic. ^_^

Favorite types of quests: The longer they take to complete, the better. Necryptos was awesome, for example. It took me some time to complete, was challenging, and had interesting characters and a decent plot.


Likes and dislikes about Mechs: Frankly, I can't say that any of the last 5 SCM really appealed to me at all, at least as far as design is concerned. The art design just feels.....overused. Mind you, I understand that if you've only got one artist, then there's only so much you can do. But a bit of difference in art style would go a long way to making the mechs more appealing.
As for mech effects, other than the flop that is the un-buffed Imbiber, I've no real complaints. Most mechs are fun to use and have interesting effects, so no complaints there.


How do you feel about the plot : A bit too disjointed, really. Most of the quests on the various worlds are just 'go here, beat this mech, get reward'. This isn't a good thing, really. Overused quest requirements/rewards/mechanics do not a good game make, in my humble opinion. Necryptos was one of the quest lines that I really liked, as it had memorable NPC's, challenging fights, and nice rewards.




Stormwarden -> RE: =MQ= Feedback about raising MQ to another level (4/21/2011 22:01:36)

Okay, been playing a long time. I will try to do well.

· What your favorite type of quests were: Any where the starships got involved as a SC. For Non-SCs, I'd go with the wandering quests, provided you made allowances for healing and the like.

My least favorite has to be the timed missions, hands down. Those things are a real pain for almost anyone.

· What you like and do not like about the Mechs in the game:

Well, the thing is, when you do a mech right (Nemesis), you REALLY do it right. When something goes wrong, well, it REALLY goes wrong (I am talking to you, Mr. Skysplitter!). It would be nice to change things up on the design a bit, as the feet are, in some ways, starting to look the same.

· How you feel about the plot:

It could be better, but it could be a lot worse too. Really, what you need to do is let heroes be heroes, and villains be villains. By that, I mean, let the players do some truly heroic things. The Kingadent arc was done well on that end. The events with Xaria, however, well, you missed an opportunity there. She never really got to do anything truly villainous aside from one brief foray. Maybe the 100% mark quest will prove me wrong/

Also, I really would have liked it better if the denizens of Planet Westion weren't thrown under the proverbial bus. Where will they live, because, well, Gark is a little CROWDED. Will they move to an existing planet (thus coming into conflict with the natives there) or will they find an uninhabited planet, that turns out to be abandoned for GOOD REASON? That is an example of what could be done.

You are also missing some potential with the NPCs. I'd like to hear more, for instance, on how Westion affected them, and others. I am not saying they should be emo, just that there should have been a reaction other than "aw shoot."




Mechbuster1 -> RE: =MQ= Feedback about raising MQ to another level (4/22/2011 0:25:06)

Favorite type of quests and Feelings about the plot:

The initial Warlic Quests and Dragonoid saga up until Yokai were great...that was a year ago. Technically we haven't seen the plot in any form since the end of last summer after Yokai ended. Bring back the original quest arc soon and keep shops in the story instead of gratuitous assides like the Traveler (His first weapons were good, but I don't like the second batch. There are enough rare releases already. Unfortunately other players seem to like him, but I doubt anyone would complain about having more playable game content.). Lore should be expanded with more than just one town so it is more like Westion and Lagos, a walk-around world.

Good quests generally involve: exploration, several mech battles, sword fights, problem solving, cut scenes, plot development, possibly minigames (though these are generally a separate release), and occasional original Mechquest humor. Push buttons should be restricted to items like valor badges but not control success in the quest. I would prefer not to see any more time bars.

Some initial direction is required to set new players on the right track regarding quests. I would not lock planets unless the plot calls for it though, like the Moon and Yokai. The ability to explore and purchase weapons from different sources as I leveled up kept my interest as a new player.

Favorite other quests include the entire Lagos/AvP story arc. It was varied, fun and challenging (but not a wall blocking my path).
Most of Westion 2, Necryptos, and Zargon dungeon quests (Batmech, Arachnimech, Boltavolt) were also good. I'm sure everyone will be happier when Gears Games ends and the Game Show Planet is opened.



Likes and dislikes about the Mechs:

Mechs should fit their purpose, whether "themed" or not. Mechs should be useful, that is work properly, not necessarily being overpowered. Weapons should compliment each other. Mechs and weapons meant to be powerful should be reliable, rather than highly erratic with very random specials and damage.

For instance, the Corrupted Lion has been maligned in many posts, but I would not make the nebulous and ubiquitous call for a "buff", I would make useful changes instead. It has a power-defense build against Shadowscythe but its back arm shield gives a useless ep dot. I would give it a defense bonus instead, especially at higher levels when the Lion-Shadow (head) is insufficient. I would also make at least the body special effective against all opponents. This would create a more useful mech that fits its purpose and inspires fewer complaints without being overpowered.

I also prefer to use mechs that look like giant robotic vehicles rather than random anime creations like the Gingerbread house or the Egg, though humorous enemies are fine (Mechnugget, Turkinator, Gunslinger with malfunctioning guns etc.).





NaturallyMaria -> RE: =MQ= Feedback about raising MQ to another level (4/22/2011 0:43:11)

Awesome, I was waiting for someone else to make a really long post, so I wouldn't seem like a total page-hog. [:)]

I know I've already officially announced quitting MQ once before, but I feel like MQ has enough raw potential to be worth following, especially since I find the behind-the-scenes development/management more interesting than the game itself. Also, the GEARS Games are the most hyped MQ event of the year, so I'd hoped that new GEARS mechs/weapons might bring some fun variety to someone that missed out on the golden age of the SCMM titans. Instead, I come back to find that not only have the Games been a relative letdown, but the SCMM is all but extinct, reduced to a mere SCQM (and a rather weak one, at that).

To me, the official name change from SCMM to SCQM almost seems to be an admission of defeat. MQ can no longer uphold the obligations it made to players, with the current set-up. It's time for a major overhaul, because no amount of small fixes can hold off the rapidly snowballing avalanche of negative community opinion. And yeah, I really hope that this is that overhaul, because regardless of how I feel about the game, I genuinely like the MQ team and the sense of personality they bring to both the forums and the game.

Anyway, as for the actual questions...

Favorite types of quests

My top five favorite off the top of my head...

1) Traveler's Note Delivery, with Maria 183 boss battle (no name bias, I swear! [;)])
2) Arthurian war, aside from searching for Crow's Nook
3) Crystal Asteroid war, the entire series
4) Miracyrina
5) Zargon, specifically the Thunder Hammer battles and the final showdown against Universo

Generally speaking, what I look for in a quest is a reasonably varied selection of opponents, challenging enough to hold my attention without being overly annoying (cough Evil Sam Rye cough), followed by a challenging boss and a satisfying ending. The latest breed of boss-type enemies has really piqued my interest, especially Maria and the horrors of Necryptos-X. Rather than just having inflated stats, they also come with improved AI and some tough gimmicks, making it almost like a puzzle to find ways to defeat them. This tells me that there are still ways to challenge SC players without resorting to either luck-based fights or excessive power creep.

On the flip side, five of my least favorite quests...

1) Mantis Shrine (and all the shrines, really...)
2) finding Crow's Nook
3) Westion train missions, both assembling it and pursuing J6
4) Pyras
5) Rescuing Braddock on Heroes Heart Day

My biggest turn-offs in MQ quests are repetition, long waiting periods during quests, and repetition. I wasn't a fan of Yokai, mostly because the entire planet really only had two enemies. Yeah, there were different varieties of the monks and the samurai, but they were visually similar enough to feel repetitive. Not getting progress counters certainly didn't help. The Westion train assembly was similar; the sheer size of that train is intimidating, especially since you know the battles won't exactly be interesting. Every other quest I've disliked has been because of a repetitive action game. While those games do have a certain charm, and I certainly appreciate the effort that goes into making them, I'm hard-pressed to say that they're worth the time and effort. I mean, if I really wanted to play Whack-a-Mole, I'd go find a real Whack-a-Mole flash game on Kongregate instead. I come to MQ to build robots and make them blow each other up, not to smack crawling ants or find yetis in trees. While I think they're great for flavor, I really wouldn't prioritize them over more traditional quest formats.

Likes and dislikes about Mechs

I can't think of anything I particularly LOVE or HATE about the current mech designs. I think everything out there is pretty alright, though I did miss out on the glorious Warbear and Mohawk era. The only comment I'd make is that I'd like a set time limit on attack animations. I find it sad that I never use my Nemesis, even though it's technically the strongest mech I own, just because the animation takes forever. The Corrupted Runehawk is actually the most efficient grinder in my hangar, not because it's designed for fast killing, but because Puzzlebox Chains has such a short animation.

I do think that MQ should acknowledge the drastic variation in art styles though, probably by claiming that they're made by different engineers using different technologies (or, in the case of the new-age SCQMs, Tek's budget cuts... [;)]). Maybe take that a step further by emphasizing incompatible technologies, like the limitations already placed on Shadowscythe and Steampunk mechas. The way I picture it, it could be made more clear that Tek specializes in humanoid mechas geared towards exploration/defense, though she occasionally likes to experiment with cutting-edge war machines (which we know as SCQMs). And maybe she has a rival engineer somewhere in Soluna, that likes to do themed and/or humorous mechs like the Bolt Cracker, Socker, Viking, etc. I think it's understandable enough that the Geekatron parts are easily compatible with GEARS technology, since Selina was a former student herself. However, I find it a bit harder to believe that Vulkharim or Khael technology is so readily compatible, when we still can't even figure out how to attach one of Tek's shoulders to a Trog or Behemoth, despite having copies of those available to study for years now.

In any case, I'd like to see a few more ShS salvage parts available to us, so we can actually customize our salvaged ShS mechs. Then further expand on the House/Steampunk/Geekatron/Vampire/etc technology lines, introduce us to who builds all those mechs, and explain why some of them are compatible and others aren't, and suddenly the whole world seems to make a little more sense. And maybe even (in my dreams...) introduce mod chips that are required in order to use certain weapon lines with certain chassis models, which greatly increases the value of those mod slots that currently serve little to no purpose. What if you had to choose between +30 Power OR the Nephyrysis Death Embrace, but not both? Or that there's no way a strong Yokai mech (wink, nudge) can simultaneously equip Vampire and Steampunk parts because Yokai mechs only come with one mod slot, but the upgraded four-slot Geekatron Quadruped has room for everything (at the cost of a nigh useless BD attack, of course)? But do you really want to use up mod slots on multiple technology lines, when you could equip something that reduces all DoT damage by 20% instead? And when you make your chassis/weapon/mod choices, should you consider those enemies out there who are immune to Laser weapons, or take only half damage from Ballistics? So much strategy potential!

I see a lot of little pieces out there, like the type-resist mods on Westion and Necryptos, the Steampunk's unique technology line, the Geekatron combos, the Imbiber's passive DoT resistance, and that one GEARS class with the immunity to Ballistic attacks, that point to much deeper levels of strategy that could be explored. It's just a matter of implementing all these on a much larger scale, putting those pieces together, to create the types of challenges that keep experienced players coming back for more, and buying more NGs in the process. And of course, all these things can be casually brushed over in most parts of the main game, so that new NSCs don't get scared off by a seemingly-complex system before they're ready.

How do you feel about the plot

Honestly, I tend to forget that MQ even has a plot sometimes. There's such huge gaps between updates that it's easy to forget earlier missions, and the story board isn't nearly enough of a reminder. It also doesn't help that MQ has very few memorable recurring NPCs, or that a lot of story arcs seem to never end. What I'd like to see are more well-defined story arcs, with a clear beginning, middle, and end. A cutscene viewer that we can easily access from the story board would also be a HUGE help. I'm looking at the story guide posted here on the forums (http://forums2.battleon.com/f/tm.asp?m=17568726), and frankly, I can't even remember a good third of those events. Not to mention the fact that I played them out of order the first time through anyway...

The narrative pacing right now seems to be built like a manga, introducing characters and plot points almost haphazardly, with the intent of dragging the main story on as long as possible. On one level, I understand that an ongoing RPG like this lends itself to a never-ending story, so it kind of makes sense. However, part of me thinks that MQ's primarily western audience would be more receptive to the narrative pacing of an American movie: an industry-standard 110 page script, a clear problem introduced exactly on page 10, a small climax at the 50% mark, notable twists/changes in plot direction at the 25% and 75% marks, and a grand climax full of special effects, which leads to a satisfying ending which ties up ALL loose ends. We want to know who Valoth is, what his ultimate goal is, and exactly how each of his sinister acts sets up that goal. And more than all that, we want to kill him. As it stands right now, our character hasn't even met Valoth yet. And what about Evil Jim? EbilCorp? Slugworth? Medeia and her hopelessly unrequited crush? The journey is nice, but after a certain point, we're just craving that resolution too much.

---

More than anything else, I think what MQ needs to give its players is a sense of commitment. I don't mean that personally, of course; I know the MQ team is as fully committed as anyone could be. The game's release schedule, however, really leaves players unsure of what to expect. The Star Captain upgrade promises a monthly mech, improved weapon power, and exclusive bonus quests, but we never know when to expect any of those things anymore. As someone who joined right at the beginning of the Nemesis' run, I've experienced a grand total of three monthly mechs in seven months, so I'm feeling rather cheated at having missed out on MQ's golden age without any warning that it was about to end. If I was told that from the outset, I probably wouldn't feel as bad about it, but I wasn't.

Personal feeling aside though, I think that making the MQ experience easier to follow would also make it more enjoyable. Give us some consistency, not only about when to expect SCQMs, but also when to expect major plot updates, minor plot updates, and other random smaller updates. In my ideal MechQuest 2.0, I'd like to see a set release pattern, something like a rotating monthly schedule of A-plot updates, B-plot updates, and minor months with fluff updates. For example...

Jan/Apr/Jul/Oct- B-plot update (GEARS Games, Medeia story, Police mission, etc... multiple battles, simple cutscenes, recycled enemies)
Feb/May/Aug/Nov- new SCQM, SC-only sidequest (Traveler, K&S battles, maybe an action game, etc)
Mar/Jun/Sep/Dec- A-plot update (ShS plot; minor updates in Mar/Sep, major updates and war in Jun/Dec to coincide with school breaks)

I would be totally happy knowing that updates would come monthly, rather than getting three updates one month and none at all the following month. And if we can only get a real plot advancement once a quarter, then that's just fine with me. If anything, the format would lend itself to one-year story arcs, which seems just about ideal to me. The months devoted to SC material would not only help fill in time between real updates, but also give a very clear, well-defined reason why NSC players should upgrade ASAP. Not only are you missing out on a cool new mech, but the ONLY NEW MISSION of the month is for members only (...even if it's a somewhat short/lame mission, that's beside the point)! Sprinkle in holiday updates when possible, maybe give us a Flavescent Friday type sale for the first week of each month, and I think everyone will be much happier. Knowing which holiday weapons are truly one-chance-only and which will become seasonal would be nice too. It would at least ensure that people will want to come play during certain peak months/seasons, and marketing can be ramped up accordingly during those times. Personally, I wouldn't even mind seeing a few ads on the game screen (and even more for NSCs [;)]) during peak times to grind out a bit more profit.

Oh, final request. How about an actual comprehensive, searchable database of weapons (effects/type/price/location/rarity)? Maybe as a SC-only perk, since we're the only ones who need to worry about energy costs or weapon types anyway. Forum-based encyclopedias are so dated.

And wow, I type a lot.[:(]




Schwarzbart -> RE: =MQ= Feedback about raising MQ to another level (4/22/2011 1:16:31)

· What your favorite type of quests were
I think it was the job quests
My last favorit are quests with any kind of time limit and the Mini Games

· What you like and do not like about the Mechs in the game
Hmm hard to answear this. I hate it when a Mech become nearly usless because of powercreep.
I love the posibility to change the equipment but sadly this is very limited compared to the time when equipment didnt effect the oponent level.
(thats why I now only use leveling equipment/mechs)
My feelings about the long animations for mechs tend to be negativ by now because at first it looks nice but it slow down the fights and maybe even eat up to much manpower of the team.
Also there are probably still to many rare compared to permanent releases.

· How you feel about the plot.
Plot? I barly remember when the plot was advanced the last time!
But I remember that the Main Plot got bad for me because this Mini Action games have blocked my path.
Because of some strange bug I got past them when I was away on holidays so to my luck I never haved to play trough this anoying things at the end of plante Yokai.
(I play MQ because its Turnbased .... turnbased you understand? I have nothing against some side plots now and then have some Mini games if its not the only path.)


Over all I think the team spend to much time on making Mini Games and flashy long taking animations for the mechs instead of realasing new quests, jobs , adventures and equipment.




Stormwarden -> RE: =MQ= Feedback about raising MQ to another level (4/22/2011 2:48:42)

NaturallyMaria- On the weapons database: I may have a solution for that. Could anyone at MQ set up a Wikia for MQ, or any of the other AE games, for that matter? That might help everyone find a better way to access info.




megakyle777 -> RE: =MQ= Feedback about raising MQ to another level (4/22/2011 3:09:45)

· What your favorite type of quests were: My favorite type of quest are the ones without Minigames, that add to the storyline and not too long, but lomg enough.

· What you like and do not like about the Mechs in the game: The only real advice I can give on the mecha is this: I need to feel like I'm piloting a 100 foot tall weaponof mass destruction. Sometimes attacks or looks of the mecha can feel somewhat lackluster. i want to feel like "OMG I AM PILOTING THE BEST THING EVER!"

· How you feel about the plot. Honestly, it seems a little lackluster to me. The main problem is it lacks cutscenes most of the time and is a statc screen. Also, we need to sort out a few things. A lot got altered and messed up when Warlic stepped down as boss and this needs to be sorted out. Talk to the DF team and Warlic on the nature of The Master. Talk to Fal on the nature on the Mystrious Stranger, that kind of thing.




Highlord Sendai -> RE: =MQ= Feedback about raising MQ to another level (4/22/2011 3:57:27)

· What your favorite type of quests were
-On foot battle's and Timed Missions.

· What you like and do not like about the Mechs in the game
-I like the combat involved however to me the Mech's are starting to look a bit same-ish to me.

· How you feel about the plot.
-Warlic left the team, so the plot was sort of messed up.




Calogero -> RE: =MQ= Feedback about raising MQ to another level (4/22/2011 12:00:48)

Keep up the feedback folks, the more the better.
Let us show AE that we ain't gonna give up on MQ




EinhanderX01 -> RE: =MQ= Feedback about raising MQ to another level (4/22/2011 15:46:55)

  • What your favorite type of quests were.
    Personally, my favorite types of quests were the relatively straightforward ones with some variety. I feel that Lagos and Yokai did pretty well for the most part, limiting the need for Rolls and instead requiring a certain amount of combat to be completed. It did help that the enemies were original, cool-looking, and with unique equipment that encourages creativity and strategy instead of just random clicking.

  • What you like and do not like about the Mechs in the game.
    Likes:
    In general, I like most of the mechs in-game, but my favorite style overall is the SC-exclusive SCM designs (except for a few, such as the BC. That was ugly as sin), which includes the Skullcrusher (it looks more like a special SCM than an exclusive). Another SCM I visually dislike somewhat is the Imbiber (it seems "lacking" compared to some of the past SCMs, even Skysplitter looked a bit better). Aside from those two, I liked every SCM design to varying degrees. As far as attacks and specials go, I preferred the time when SCMs were balanced separately from the rest of the game, meaning that each one was individually strong in a unique way, and were allowed to serve as testbeds for new ideas that would later be included into the main game in a more balanced state.

    My next favorite would be the Sepulchure and most of the Shadowscythe mechs, since I always liked having a character on the "good" side using "evil/dark" side equipment (and vice versa), and because their color scheme is one that I use often in various games. I do wish that a few more were available for NGs or Credits, such as the Jaweseph for NGs and bringing back upgraded versions of the Asteroid War ShS Build-a-Mechs (Credit and NG). With that said, I also wish to have seen a few more ShS Enemy Customs; such as Medeia having a personalized mech instead of a standard Sepulchure, and any future ShS General having their own customized machine (such as an offensive-minded General having a massive, mutated Behemoth Custom with 4 legs and 6 arms or a Slow-Death (DoT) minded General using a powered up fusion of the Trog, Insectromancer, and Jawseph).

    The SDF Rebel Delta mechs were also my favorites, and I've occasionally offered up a suggestion to revive them to have better equipment and specials since I'd love to have a newer and more powerful Rebel Delta for the higher levels. The only issues I had with the design was the hunched over look (due to head placement) that was really noticeable when non-default and non-large FAs were equipped, and the Shoulder equipment (they didn't go well with the mech's look, and they weren't evenly placed, affecting some of of the attack animations for non-default equipment). A negligible issue I had as well is that I feel that the legs should look a bit... more armored, or a bit thicker, since it makes the mech look a bit top-heavy. Aside from those two or three things, the mech just looked right. Tall, proud, and a symbol of the SDF Elite. The regular SDF grunt units (the ones that used the Hammerhead chassis as a base) weren't bad either, and looked good as a rugged all-purpose SDF machine.

    Other notable mentions include the House mechs, the Arthurian and Pirate mechs, the revived Werewolf mechs, the revived Hospital mechs, the Hunter Wraith/Eidiolon, and the Vampire and Vampire Hunter mechs. Each of them had pretty nice combat styles, and for some, a variety of optional equipment to customize them towards a different specialty. I do wish that the ones that didn't have a variety of optional equipment (the House mechs, Ghost Hunter mechs, and Werewolf mechs), had more, esp. the House mechs. While there is a House shop for each mech, most of the weapons were useless, and players were often better sticking to defaults. It'd be nice if all of them underwent a revival to at least make them somewhat competitive to other current non-rares (at least tweaking the specials to activate more often and strengthening the specials a bit), as well as having a few new House equipment added aside from the ACT class set. As for the Arthurian and Pirate mechs, I'm looking forward to more in that series if and when the storyline shifts back to Lagos and Arthuria in the future.

    Dislikes:
    I outright hated all of Westion's themed mechs except for the Drakel Power Armor. This includes, to an extent, the Steampunk. While it is nicely animated, I just am very particular about what I'd want to see in a Steampunk-themed mech. But to be fair, this is due to my intense dislike for most of the Western theme. It didn't help that there was hardly any decent equipment on Westion Part 1. I expected mechs more along the lines of J6's mech, looking a bit of futuristic Western, rather than that what we got.

    I personally felt that the Chronomech was a visual disappointment as well (I have nothing against the attacks and specials; just the looks). I would have much preferred an impressive-looking mech closely based on the DF Chronomancer armor (including some of the attacks), looking like something that a futuristic mecha-piloting time-controlling warrior would use. Add in some of the MQ Team's creativity when it comes to subtle mech animations, like having a few clockwork gear-like parts moving and faintly visible through the blue parts on the shoulder pauldrons, and it'd be perfect.

    Another mech series I dislike was the last April Fool's mech, which looked like an old robot toy. Yes, I know it was powerful, but I refuse to use a mech that looks that ridiculous. I would've preferred another clown-themed mech (in the vein similar to the 1st April Fool's mech (silly weaponry but decent looking) or the one based off of Batman's Joker (evil clowns; that's always fun)), or even a Jack-in-the-Box with the upper half of a mech making up the part that pops out of the box (no spring; but an accordion-like tube. See the Devil Gundam from G Gundam for reference).

    The Geekatron BAMs are a bit on the dislike list, but that's due to them not being very useful, even when they were the new thing. The equipment and their specials came off as severely underpar, supposedly because the Combo effects were strong. Unfortunately, this made them useless for most other non-Geekatron builds, and ultimately a wasted idea. The newer bodies have a lower CD to allow for a 2nd Combo is nice, but it doesn't redeem the Geekatron weapons enough.

    And in a general setting, I have a strong dislike for any and all mechs and equipment that tend to have a BA that is noticeably a recoded FA. Kurosawa, Police Mechs, and the SCM Bladestorm (the BA's shoulder) are notable offenders, and some of WB's GG Arms and the A.Eagle BA that was recoded into a purchasable FA for the AvP War Shop also are on the hate list. I do not care how powerful the weapon or mech may be, but that comes off as rushed or laziness to me. In the case of original mechs, I'd at least like to see some effort in hiding the BA being a copy of the FA by having a proper hand, and if the mech has a fancier arm design that's not hidden by the Body, a proper shoulder design as well. In the case of weapons, if they're based on existing parts, at least either use the appropriate part as a base. Original weapons tend to not have this issue, as they were already planned for a specific position on the mech.

  • How you feel about the plot.
    Honestly? I feel that the plot is predictable and lacking. Everyone knows how it will end for the most part (a Reset to lead into DF); it's what happens between the start of MQ and the ending that is unknown. But as far as things have progressed, it's a bit too predictable and not very exciting. Yes, we know the ShS are the enemies, and that at some point, will force Warlic to trigger the Reset, but you'd expect that they'd have more sub-factions and commanders/generals helping Valoth by taking care of resistance in the areas of space they're operating in. Thus far, it's just been multiple Zerg Rushes, with the players managing to beat them back, with a relatively simple, or at least straightforward, plot behind the attacks. I'm surprised we haven't seen a race or two that, while not exactly friendly to the player's group (maybe even hostile), is powerful enough to go toe-to-toe with the ShS and is one of the main reasons that the ShS hasn't just sent their entire force to completely overtake Soluna. And unless all the information about the ShS spanning a few galaxies (or a large part of a galaxy, I forget which) is recanted, that's a pretty massive force.

    It also doesn't help that the organization of MQ's Chapters just fell apart after completing Warlic's initial missions (Chapter Prologue End). Last we were ever told, Chapter 1 focuses on the Player gaining Allies in the fight against the ShS, but there was never an organized To Do list for what planets to work on first, and where to go. It's not like AQW (or DF's Christmas event) where you can open up a booklog and see what Chapter and Subsection you should be doing, and if you're missing any optional or required missions. Granted, we're still technically in Chapter 1, but the question is, exactly which part? How much further until we get to Chapter 2, which was mentioned to be setting up a defense line and beginning a few offensives against the ShS to test which section of space their hold is the weakest?

    In relation to the tone and situation, I feel that MQ should have been a bit more mature than the other AE games (not necessarily ED level, but closer to it), going for the subtle humor rather than trying to force out some random vice to get a laugh out of; esp. when said vice is something that works in DF or AQ but just fails in MQ. Sure, it's fine for the occasional dialogue or event resulting from "Verbal Misunderstanding" or "Random Statement" that is typical of AE humor, but it honestly does not fit the tone that MQ had for it's setting. Sure, we've seen the Prologue ship crash-land time and again, and SC's failing to properly set their ship for spaceflight time and again, but that's fine. It's fine to have Slugwrath run of of fuel on his escape pod and just plummet onto what probably was Lagos (or another similar planet). It's fine to have a female fishing partner finally push her fishing buddy into the water because he caught more than she did. But it's not fine when the ShS Dragonoid is conveniently displaced instead of being shown to help the ShS attack the surviving SDF and allied forces, the Arthurians show up to help when it contradicts previous events, Starstorm decides to temporarily abandon Zargon when she's the only real Superheroine left on it to aid a fight on a planet so many lightyears away, or when Han Velsing's brother just appears conveniently after the previous was killed and no prior mention of him.




  • BumFoolingGuy -> RE: =MQ= Feedback about raising MQ to another level (4/22/2011 17:19:15)

    * What's your favorite type of quests were:
    What I liked was the long walk-around quests, that takes long time while figuring out the ways to beat the other in a customized, with a strategy to beat them, while being on a budget, and having thoughts of what complete the custom builds evenly though there have to be a lot of NSC weapon fillers to complete a stronger fill of lesser powerful, but equally good in a sense, for a while to build up a content of somewhat lesser versions of the powerful builds

    Also I like was the cut-scenes, for the time, so there have to be a bunch, of those somewhere, but has some good puns, foreshadowing, but has a sense of what's happening that involves our character talking and seen the work of it, also involve random traps to happen while talking, since that would look totally weird in a way(Half of your Hp is gone while the talking trap)

    * What you like and do not like about the mechs in the game
    Likes: I like the mechs from times, Like the Corrupted Drakel Power Armor, which has some nice animations, while being a experimental ones, the ones of the ShS are pretty good looking, like the Behemoth which is the cruel looking type, while the E Series looks more refined, so wondering if we'll see E3(esp that one since it does looks like more sub-general type have a head attack, and original body attack also)

    Dislike:Not a lot of ShS salvage-able items to be usable later on, which compliments good load of custom builds, no revivals of old side-chain quests, not a lot of interacting traps to be fun with, while walking around

    *How do I feel about the plot:
    Way too predictable to not get the edge feeling of something great and stronger in a way, that most wouldn't like the predictable part to be the thing that is boring, like no reason to evenly get a thread of it's own here, to evenly figure out the nicks and nacks of a great unfolding plan, that does evenly on par of the likes of warpforce mysteries threads

    What's would probably eases off after the/this Gears Games, would probably be a return to the pizza chain-quest with one last quest:Delivering to the Queenadent and feed her helpers out in one whole huge batch load(which is super deluxe remade pizza from the Gears Game leftovers), while fighting against Hugh Mumn as the rival in the other pizza rat and in a twist of taking three paths, with has a twist of being destroyed after you're defeated




    turtledude -> RE: =MQ= Feedback about raising MQ to another level (4/22/2011 18:04:14)

    · What your favorite type of quests were
    I like the kind of quests that don't require you to do the same stuff for about 20 times in a row. I like it simple; A simple cutscene, kill 4/6 enemies, kill the boss, another [simple] cutscene. That's basically what I would very much like. The cutscenes don't have to be fully animated cutscenes, it can very well be a series of dialog as long as it isn't just random text. Fully animated cutscenes just add a little more cool factor to the quests. :]

    · What you like and do not like about the Mechs in the game
    I like everything about the mechs! :D

    · How you feel about the plot.
    It's fine, however, it needs to be more frequently updated.




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