Mechwarrior Online, page 2

a reply to: Lysergic

Upcoming Patch - March 15th 2016 from 10AM – 1PM PDT
Patch Number: 1.4.59.0
Patch Size: 6.6 GB

Greetings MechWarriors,

Starting with the release of the Marauder last year, we have had the immense pleasure of reintroducing some of the most iconic and classic BattleMechs in BattleTech history back into the world of modern MechWarrior. As of this patch the Archer is once again stomping onto the battlegrounds of the Inner Sphere, rounding out a lance of Classic Inner Sphere Heavies already comprised of the Marauder, Warhammer, and Rifleman.

One of the primary motivators for the introduction of the Map and Game Mode voting system in last years November 3rd patch was to allow for the addition of new Game Modes to MechWarrior Online, without splitting the matchmaking pool. This patch now sees the release of Domination, the first new Game Mode for Quick Play in MWO since the introduction of Skirmish back in 2013. Full details regarding the rules of Domination can be found in the dedicated section later in these patch notes.

This patch also sees the release of Grim Plexus, a new map for Quick Play Game Modes. Thematically based on the Grim Portico map from Faction Play, pilots can expect long sight-lines and widely accessible terrain with copious hiding spots and ambush points. The size and character of the map can be most closely compared to Tourmaline Desert.

A new assortment of Champion 'Mechs have been added to the game based on player-recommended loadouts, and with their introduction the stock of available Trial 'Mechs have also been updated. As a result of these new Trial 'Mechs, the default Faction Play DropDecks have also been updated.

If you follow our Instagram you may have already caught an early glimpse at this new addition, but this patch sees the official release of a brand new Pilot Model. Future plans are to introduce a female model for selection, distinct uniforms for Clan and Inner Sphere, and the ability to customize color channels.

With over 60 unique 'Mech chassis now available in-game, and over 200 distinct variants, texture resolutions have varied chassis-to-chassis, most often in accordance with the physical size of the 'Mech. Some of our more recent and larger 'Mechs were thus released with a maximum texture resolution of 2048x2048 (2k). With these high resolution 'Mech textures starting to appear more often on the battlefield, the lower resolution textures found on many of our older 'Mechs started to become more apparent.
To help bring all 'Mechs up to the same visual standard, this patch includes a game-wide normalization of a maximum texture resolution of 2048x2048 for all 'Mechs in the game. Your personal Texture Quality settings will still determine your in-game texture fidelity, but this sweeping upgrade will have visual benefits at every level.
As a result of this upgrade, and due to an overall adjustment in the way texture files are structured behind-the-scenes, this patch will be significantly larger than our usual patches, weighing in just under 7GB. We apologize for any frustration this patch size may cause, but we believe the end result will be worth it.

Finally, this patch also features spawn location changes for Alpine Peaks, changes to the Conquest Game Mode, improvements to the visual feedback for the status of Flamer heat generation, changes to the Map and Game Mode voting screen, the addition of a Server Status marquee to the front-end menu's, a fix for a long-standing Warhorn audio issue, the introduction of a penalty system for Team Kills and Team Damage, and much more.

Read on for all the details, and we'll see you on the battlefield!

- The MechWarrior Team

Looks super shiny now.