Munro
Sergeant
Yes, yes, I know. "Not another one of these threads again." /Lock and all that. But I have noticed that alot of these types of threads are missing one key point to, what I would consider, the whole argument itself. I would ask that every person who chooses to read the following consider the argument being presented, and please think about what really is the main issues that we need to discuss and hopefully change. Here is my argument on many points and factors that have come up, as well as responses to common responses I have seen on the majority of the previous threads of this type.
The most apparent issue is melee. People want to change melee. There are many threads that continuously argue whether or not the new system is better, what needs to be changed about it, etc etc. I see that. But honestly, I noticed that the argument over which melee system isn't really the issue. In my own opinion, MM melee was better, but the real issue is how these systems have affected the game. In MM, even though the community was small, it was the most addictive and enjoyable game I and anyone I have ever asked played. Every single thing about the multiplayer was fun, all the funny little glitches, the super balanced and extremely smooth melee, and the difficult and incredibly rewarding artillery system. Everything. Countless hours of laughs and enjoyment came out of that game, and it was overall way more enjoyable then the mess that we call "Public Multiplayer" currently is.
I somehow managed to rack up about 800 hours on MM alone over the past 7 months. That game was the most fun I have had on any multiplayer game. Period. What happened? How come many of the veterans of MM play NW so much less? What makes NW less enjoyable? It is a multitude of things, and what I would consider to be a formula made up of melee, shooting, and artillery. (Cavalry, in my opinion, has never had any real significant impact on the enjoyment and game value of either MM or NW, so I do not find any issues in that system.)
Lets look at the melee. I am not going to attempt to specify what exactly is wrong with NW melee, and what specifically is right about MM melee, because someone is sure to argue it, but I feel that each type of melee system has a direct effect on how the community's behavior, as well as the overall enjoyment of the game, changes.
The difference in the NW melee system is that while the game itself looks better and is more optimized, it isn't fun. Linebattles are as good as they ever were, sure the lag isn't quite as bad but that honestly doesn't necessarily act as an excuse. Every time I would be a part of a line in MM, I always found it extremely hard to charge and melee other players, but that was because of lag. NOW, I experience the exact same problem, but it isn't because of lag, it is because the melee system is not nearly as fast, smooth, or effective as MM. In order to attempt to make up for the melee, I need to stab several seconds before I get into combat in order to be able to stab the enemy first upon contact. Other times I would stab, end up bouncing or glancing, and would end up dying because apparently my character is seemingly too weak to stab through cloth or skin.
So really, the only true difference that has occurred, at least on my end, is that in MM, the multiplayer was fun, but laggy, and in NW, the lag isn't such an issue, but it is not a fun game to play.
Lets quickly go into artillery, since, as an artilleryman, I am a bit outraged at it.
The new artillery system is absurdly easy and overall completely diluted. (MM artillery was glitchy, but those glitches is what made the cannons so much more challenging, and so much more rewarding. It was also more historically accurate since it would technically be less accurate than the NW cannons currently are.) Sure, I understand the concept of lowering the learning curve, but honestly, artillery shouldn't be easy. It should be hard, because it is a deadly ******** weapon. It should not take LITERALLY less than 1 second to aim and fire, and get feasible kills (feasible meaning anywhere from 4 people in one shot to the whole god damned line), right after reloading.
With MM, you needed to check your aim, make sure the cannon was not glitched, then align the barrel with the target to make sure it fires at the wanted location. Not only that, but once that was done, you needed to correctly adjust the height to accurately arc the cannonball to the correct distance, and then lead the shot since the cannon was essentially a NW howitzer.
NW? Aim at target. Shoot at target.
^Yeah. So fun.
What about shooting? In MM, the shooting basically had no real system, but isn't that how it was during this time period? I think a musket, not even rifled, should be completely random. Sure, the shooting system in NW is good. They have bullet drop, the weapons seem more realistic, and skirmishing has never been more effective, but how does it affect the gameplay? I will go into this later in the essay/rant.
Looking at the differences in each system, it isn't hard to realize how NW became the way it is. The game is riddled with point-blanking, firing out of formation, and an overall lack of any enjoyable action (other than rockets and explosive crates). In MM, since melee was fun, balanced, and shooting was less accurate, people actually learned how to melee since it was necessary, but mostly because it was more convenient. In NW, point blanking and shooting in general is way more convenient since melee is not fun, not effective, and shooting is much more accurate now.
I mean, people make claims that the NW melee is so much easier or not as hard for new players. Really? The only thing I see day after day in public servers is point-blanking, lack-of-blocking, and overall unbelievably terrible players. Why is that? Simply because these new players have no need to melee. Shooting is easier, quicker, and more effective than melee (In reality, I would assume that the muskets and accuracy of these weapons would make them much less effective than sticking a long piece of sharp metal directly into someone's heart). I have seen literally no improvement of the public servers over the time this game as been out. For most of the time in multiplayer, I end up watching other players (since I am immediately shot at any attempt to melee anyone, or TKed.) and observing a complete and utter disregard for any attempt at melee. Most players just try to run when charged at, and let someone else point blank the guy chasing them. Or, if they actually decide to get into melee, spam their stabs and hope for the best. Is that how this was supposed to work?
Lets take a brief look at the so called "spinning problem". So, apparently in MM, spinning was cheap? Alright, look. Let me break it down for you. Spinning is the act of turning your character quickly in order to catch your opponent off guard. Since it was hard to determine where the enemy would be stabbing, people apparently could not handle it. Sure, that would be a legitimate excuse, EXCEPT for the fact that in order to actually kill anyone when spinning, you could only attack in a regular stab. SO, if you want to completely nullify a spinner, block down.
Like I just said, spinning is a method used to take the enemy off guard, so I don't think the spinner is at fault if the player is unable to simply block down.
But sure, lets remove spinning, thats fine. No big deal. The issue now is that since there is little to no attempt at melee in public servers, it is INCREDIBLY easy to obtain masses amounts of kills by simply knowing how to attack and block. At certain points, myself and any other individual who has played MM or understands the concepts behind melee is able to rack up unbelievable amounts of kills without even trying (as long as you don't get shot first).
So, removing spinning doesn't allow good players to kill 10 people without dying? Sure, thats true. But NW DOES allow any decent player to go ahead and kill 20 or so people without dying, since, you know, noone knows how to melee. Good work on that one.
Also, NW battles are better? That may not be true. MM Linebattles were honorable and efficient. All I see in NW is complaints about firing out of formation, and other than those complaints, all that I see during the LB is firing out of formation. Where did this come from? This was NEVER an issue in MM. The most likely reason why is because 1. Shooting wasn't nearly as ridiculous as it is now, and 2. Charging was actually fun.
Seriously guys. The modification of these systems not only changes the game itself, but it also changes the behavior of the community as well, and overall, what I noticed is that in NW, the community and behavior of the community is much worse than MM. I think we need to redefine our priorities a little and fix what is really important.
"What would be the important fix?" You may ask (most likely not). I would honestly say that the easiest and what I would think would be the most effective way to fix this issue WITHOUT changing anything else, would be to make shooting less accurate. Right now, the community is solely relying on their guns. In both public and private multiplayer, including LBs, everyone is point-blanking, firing out of formation, and relying WAY too much on their musket. If we make it less accurate, people would not depend so much on it, and they would start learning to melee.
The other fix would to make artillery HARDER. As of this moment, LB's are usually reduced to camp fests (at least what I see from NA LBs) since noone wants their lines completely destroyed by cannons in a matter of seconds. If we make the shooting less accurate on the muskets, and the cannons more difficult, the lines would have lower pressure from artillery, they would have lower pressure from other lines, and they would be more inclined to actually utilize tactics instead of hide or point blank or fire out of formation.
That way, melee wouldn't NEED to be fixed. I don't like it sure, but it is not the real problem, it is the fact that this melee creates an inconvenience, and causes point blanking and other factors that lower the game's play value to stand out.
My whole insight on the issues presented is coming from a passionate artilleryman and melee enthusiast. I understand that what I consider fun is melee, and artillery, and there are other people who consider shooting or other parts of this game to be their form of entertainment. But judging from the behaviors I have witnessed in public multiplayer and LBs, it doesn't seem like the current setup is working out too well (and I think it can be said that no one likes being point-blanked, firing out of formation, or glancing off your enemy after successfully chambering his up-stab <--(happened to me yesterday)).
So I implore you, Ladies and Gentleman, lets discuss this stuff, and find out what truly is causing the issues that we have with NW.
The most apparent issue is melee. People want to change melee. There are many threads that continuously argue whether or not the new system is better, what needs to be changed about it, etc etc. I see that. But honestly, I noticed that the argument over which melee system isn't really the issue. In my own opinion, MM melee was better, but the real issue is how these systems have affected the game. In MM, even though the community was small, it was the most addictive and enjoyable game I and anyone I have ever asked played. Every single thing about the multiplayer was fun, all the funny little glitches, the super balanced and extremely smooth melee, and the difficult and incredibly rewarding artillery system. Everything. Countless hours of laughs and enjoyment came out of that game, and it was overall way more enjoyable then the mess that we call "Public Multiplayer" currently is.
I somehow managed to rack up about 800 hours on MM alone over the past 7 months. That game was the most fun I have had on any multiplayer game. Period. What happened? How come many of the veterans of MM play NW so much less? What makes NW less enjoyable? It is a multitude of things, and what I would consider to be a formula made up of melee, shooting, and artillery. (Cavalry, in my opinion, has never had any real significant impact on the enjoyment and game value of either MM or NW, so I do not find any issues in that system.)
Lets look at the melee. I am not going to attempt to specify what exactly is wrong with NW melee, and what specifically is right about MM melee, because someone is sure to argue it, but I feel that each type of melee system has a direct effect on how the community's behavior, as well as the overall enjoyment of the game, changes.
The difference in the NW melee system is that while the game itself looks better and is more optimized, it isn't fun. Linebattles are as good as they ever were, sure the lag isn't quite as bad but that honestly doesn't necessarily act as an excuse. Every time I would be a part of a line in MM, I always found it extremely hard to charge and melee other players, but that was because of lag. NOW, I experience the exact same problem, but it isn't because of lag, it is because the melee system is not nearly as fast, smooth, or effective as MM. In order to attempt to make up for the melee, I need to stab several seconds before I get into combat in order to be able to stab the enemy first upon contact. Other times I would stab, end up bouncing or glancing, and would end up dying because apparently my character is seemingly too weak to stab through cloth or skin.
So really, the only true difference that has occurred, at least on my end, is that in MM, the multiplayer was fun, but laggy, and in NW, the lag isn't such an issue, but it is not a fun game to play.
Lets quickly go into artillery, since, as an artilleryman, I am a bit outraged at it.
The new artillery system is absurdly easy and overall completely diluted. (MM artillery was glitchy, but those glitches is what made the cannons so much more challenging, and so much more rewarding. It was also more historically accurate since it would technically be less accurate than the NW cannons currently are.) Sure, I understand the concept of lowering the learning curve, but honestly, artillery shouldn't be easy. It should be hard, because it is a deadly ******** weapon. It should not take LITERALLY less than 1 second to aim and fire, and get feasible kills (feasible meaning anywhere from 4 people in one shot to the whole god damned line), right after reloading.
With MM, you needed to check your aim, make sure the cannon was not glitched, then align the barrel with the target to make sure it fires at the wanted location. Not only that, but once that was done, you needed to correctly adjust the height to accurately arc the cannonball to the correct distance, and then lead the shot since the cannon was essentially a NW howitzer.
NW? Aim at target. Shoot at target.
^Yeah. So fun.
What about shooting? In MM, the shooting basically had no real system, but isn't that how it was during this time period? I think a musket, not even rifled, should be completely random. Sure, the shooting system in NW is good. They have bullet drop, the weapons seem more realistic, and skirmishing has never been more effective, but how does it affect the gameplay? I will go into this later in the essay/rant.
Looking at the differences in each system, it isn't hard to realize how NW became the way it is. The game is riddled with point-blanking, firing out of formation, and an overall lack of any enjoyable action (other than rockets and explosive crates). In MM, since melee was fun, balanced, and shooting was less accurate, people actually learned how to melee since it was necessary, but mostly because it was more convenient. In NW, point blanking and shooting in general is way more convenient since melee is not fun, not effective, and shooting is much more accurate now.
I mean, people make claims that the NW melee is so much easier or not as hard for new players. Really? The only thing I see day after day in public servers is point-blanking, lack-of-blocking, and overall unbelievably terrible players. Why is that? Simply because these new players have no need to melee. Shooting is easier, quicker, and more effective than melee (In reality, I would assume that the muskets and accuracy of these weapons would make them much less effective than sticking a long piece of sharp metal directly into someone's heart). I have seen literally no improvement of the public servers over the time this game as been out. For most of the time in multiplayer, I end up watching other players (since I am immediately shot at any attempt to melee anyone, or TKed.) and observing a complete and utter disregard for any attempt at melee. Most players just try to run when charged at, and let someone else point blank the guy chasing them. Or, if they actually decide to get into melee, spam their stabs and hope for the best. Is that how this was supposed to work?
Lets take a brief look at the so called "spinning problem". So, apparently in MM, spinning was cheap? Alright, look. Let me break it down for you. Spinning is the act of turning your character quickly in order to catch your opponent off guard. Since it was hard to determine where the enemy would be stabbing, people apparently could not handle it. Sure, that would be a legitimate excuse, EXCEPT for the fact that in order to actually kill anyone when spinning, you could only attack in a regular stab. SO, if you want to completely nullify a spinner, block down.
Like I just said, spinning is a method used to take the enemy off guard, so I don't think the spinner is at fault if the player is unable to simply block down.
But sure, lets remove spinning, thats fine. No big deal. The issue now is that since there is little to no attempt at melee in public servers, it is INCREDIBLY easy to obtain masses amounts of kills by simply knowing how to attack and block. At certain points, myself and any other individual who has played MM or understands the concepts behind melee is able to rack up unbelievable amounts of kills without even trying (as long as you don't get shot first).
So, removing spinning doesn't allow good players to kill 10 people without dying? Sure, thats true. But NW DOES allow any decent player to go ahead and kill 20 or so people without dying, since, you know, noone knows how to melee. Good work on that one.
Also, NW battles are better? That may not be true. MM Linebattles were honorable and efficient. All I see in NW is complaints about firing out of formation, and other than those complaints, all that I see during the LB is firing out of formation. Where did this come from? This was NEVER an issue in MM. The most likely reason why is because 1. Shooting wasn't nearly as ridiculous as it is now, and 2. Charging was actually fun.
Seriously guys. The modification of these systems not only changes the game itself, but it also changes the behavior of the community as well, and overall, what I noticed is that in NW, the community and behavior of the community is much worse than MM. I think we need to redefine our priorities a little and fix what is really important.
"What would be the important fix?" You may ask (most likely not). I would honestly say that the easiest and what I would think would be the most effective way to fix this issue WITHOUT changing anything else, would be to make shooting less accurate. Right now, the community is solely relying on their guns. In both public and private multiplayer, including LBs, everyone is point-blanking, firing out of formation, and relying WAY too much on their musket. If we make it less accurate, people would not depend so much on it, and they would start learning to melee.
The other fix would to make artillery HARDER. As of this moment, LB's are usually reduced to camp fests (at least what I see from NA LBs) since noone wants their lines completely destroyed by cannons in a matter of seconds. If we make the shooting less accurate on the muskets, and the cannons more difficult, the lines would have lower pressure from artillery, they would have lower pressure from other lines, and they would be more inclined to actually utilize tactics instead of hide or point blank or fire out of formation.
That way, melee wouldn't NEED to be fixed. I don't like it sure, but it is not the real problem, it is the fact that this melee creates an inconvenience, and causes point blanking and other factors that lower the game's play value to stand out.
My whole insight on the issues presented is coming from a passionate artilleryman and melee enthusiast. I understand that what I consider fun is melee, and artillery, and there are other people who consider shooting or other parts of this game to be their form of entertainment. But judging from the behaviors I have witnessed in public multiplayer and LBs, it doesn't seem like the current setup is working out too well (and I think it can be said that no one likes being point-blanked, firing out of formation, or glancing off your enemy after successfully chambering his up-stab <--(happened to me yesterday)).
So I implore you, Ladies and Gentleman, lets discuss this stuff, and find out what truly is causing the issues that we have with NW.
