Is the mechlab a priority yet?

[Mattk50]

This is the main thing im waiting for now, give us the mechlab!

[Cloudburst]

Mechlab will be a priority only when no other planned assets are a priority.

[Mattk50]

Why, devs have to spend more time maintaining the current variants and the mechlab is a core feature of mechwarrior. Dumping it in last behind whatever else the team is working on at this point makes zero sense.

[Ressk [CSF]]

Why, devs have to spend more time maintaining the current variants and the mechlab is a core feature of mechwarrior. Dumping it in last behind whatever else the team is working on at this point makes zero sense.

Nay, makes good sense seeing as A: the lab will require major balance changes the team cannot handle right now and B: distracts the team from building the game itself.

[Defender]

We're not dumping anything anywhere.

Mechlab is an enormous task and is a gargantuan undertaking that has many integral systems that need to be developed first before it can even be implemented at an Alpha Level. Once those core components are built for the back-end, we still need to design the front-end to work with it, then test the shit out of it and balance it internally.

Mechlab won't be available for quite some time as we're not going to put any half-assed or unfinished major game-changers like that in without solidifying its core functionality first.

It's a very high priority but so is everything that will make it work.

[Xesle]

The mod is not complete yet, remember we are still in beta testing.  There are still many weapons, assets, and equipment to be added to the mod and properly balanced before the mechlab is added.

[KingLeerUK]

MechLab already exists...
 
in my brain
 
You don't want to have to go there to experience it.
 
 
 
 
 
As Defender has already said, work on MechLab is a long-term goal and we have actually been working on certain aspects of it, but nothing that is presentable to the community or even anywhere remotely release-ready.  Like any good project, we are working on strong foundations first before building a pinnacle to rape the sky.

[Mattk50]

Thats a completely bullshit response!.. And by bullshit i mean perfectly reasonable. Oh well, ill sit tight for it then. when you guys are able to finish all the foundation required for it, this game will go from already pretty damn cool to THE best mod out there.

[=CJW= Zweistein000 (W)]

Well the first good step toward mechlab was when the team finalized their space, tonnage and c-bill values for specific mech components and weapons. (Or at least I got the idea they did that ). Any chance of you guys sharing that with us? This would make the new variant suggestions much more reasonable.

[TAX_MAN!]

Well the first good step toward mechlab was when the team finalized their space, tonnage and c-bill values for specific mech components and weapons. (Or at least I got the idea they did that ). Any chance of you guys sharing that with us? This would make the new variant suggestions much more reasonable.

They're not finalized.  RAC2s just got tweaked last patch and AC10s before that.

[DFDelta]

Size and tonnage on RAC2s are unchanged, or did I miss something?

And would love to get my hands on these values for the components. Oh the variants we could come up with. 

[Mitchpate]

I feel compelled to point out that the more chassis, weapons, and components that are added prior to the mechlab, the harder it will be to balance everything once it's introduced.  Also, any and all balance changes made prior to the mechlab will be rendered moot by it.

[=KoS=Zeus]

Not necessarily, Mitchplate. Consider that they are already working with some rough build rules and are continuing to fine tune them to aim for balanced Prime through E variants. Once they start on mechlab they would then have a solid foundation of what a balanced load out is versus what isn't when determining final Weapon Pod size and armor values on said pods for given variants. Restrictions on the size of pods for the arms of Clan Heavy Mechs, for example.

Now, on the flip side I do believe the balance issues can and will be discovered far more quickly by the beta testers if they had access to build rules or a mechlab, but we don't, so all the theory-warrioring in the world (which I am quite guilty of) will not help us at this time. Until then it is our duty as beta testers to continue testing the crap out of what the devs give us to play with.

I'm in no hurry to see Mechlab and find MWLL to be a more enjoyable multi-player experience (even with some of the ridiculous variants) than any previous Mechwarrior game before it. I say leave the customization to CBT skunkwerks and heavy metal pros and make a balanced game without giving the devs ulcers in the process.

[Mitchpate]

Not necessarily, Mitchplate. Consider that they are already working with some rough build rules and are continuing to fine tune them to aim for balanced Prime through E variants. Once they start on mechlab they would then have a solid foundation of what a balanced load out is versus what isn't when determining final Weapon Pod size and armor values on said pods for given variants. Restrictions on the size of pods for the arms of Clan Heavy Mechs, for example.

The devs can try for months to balance every possible loadout combination but as soon as the feature is released people will start finding loadouts that are overpowered.  There's just no getting around that fact.

For example, a 10 RAC2 Fafnir.

[KingLeerUK]

Not necessarily, Mitchplate. Consider that they are already working with some rough build rules and are continuing to fine tune them to aim for balanced Prime through E variants. Once they start on mechlab they would then have a solid foundation of what a balanced load out is versus what isn't when determining final Weapon Pod size and armor values on said pods for given variants. Restrictions on the size of pods for the arms of Clan Heavy Mechs, for example.

The devs can try for months to balance every possible loadout combination but as soon as the feature is released people will start finding loadouts that are overpowered.  There's just no getting around that fact.

For example, a 10 RAC2 Fafnir.

Such a loadout is not possible given the restriction oversight provided by the MWLL pod and slot system.  Unlike prior MechWarrior games MWLL enforces visual fidelity by not simply allowing players to stack "logical virtual" weapons wherever they have spaces.  If you have a LARGE slot in the right torso on an MWLL 'Mech then you can't stick 2 or 5 weapons there, only 1 and it must be a LARGE or a MEDIUM (can't be a SMALL).
 
We've been thinking about this.  Alot.
 
Also, to your point about not providing a 'MechLab now and adding more weapons at this stage being detrimental to the overall balance approach I would simply ask you: "would you start working on a puzzle if you didn't have all the pieces yet?"    The truth is both approaches can be reasonably supported with arguments, we are simply choosing the "weapons first" path because there are so many other considerations to a 'MechLab and so much more development work to be done on it; adding new weapons is relatively easy and can be done with a much smaller development effort outlay.  That said our weapons selection is in a comfortable spot, we haven't seen a need to add too many more and there are only a couple of weapons still outstanding that haven't been implemented.