Well we've been warring in the new map for a week now, and have had many head on Boar's Head collisions. So what's the verdict? This is Patch Review, and like always I took my merry time in coming to these conclusions. Yeah, it's a week later - but these aren't first impressions, either. Original patch notes are here.
A new map has arrived, and we like it! Crimson Strait provides for some interesting tactical and strategic maneuvering. This is definitely better than Terra Therma, but now that we've had some time to adjust to that map it doesn't look as bad as it did on release. However, I've noticed one thing: Crimson Strait hasn't dominated the map rotation like Terra Therma did on it's release. So that is cool for maps that suck, it's not cool for maps that don't suck. I think on release and for a few days after, the new map should be in heavy rotation no matter what the community outcry. There's lots of reasons for that, but my main concern is simply one of forgetting - the more you play a map on release, the more you remember that point in time.
The Boar's Head is a pulse laser boat with some added firepower. More laser oriented that a lot of Atlas chassis, it does add one more interesting character to the battlefield. It sports an XL 400 engine, which itself is worth a few small battlemechs, as it is the largest and most expensive engine in the game. I tend to disdain XL's in my large mechs, but I'm sure there's something you can do with that engine...oh wait. No. Max Engine ratings being what they are, you'd need a very heavy assault mech to mount it anyway.
The pre-round screen upgrades are welcome. You can actually start a match pretty quickly, but not all the time due to pubs being pubs. One feature I don't like here is pubbers taking control of the company and moving our Cháng-Chéng boys around willy nilly. No sir, I don't like that one bit. Yet the feature is appreciated.
A few of the other changes affect our experience. Jump jets now go slightly forward when you're standing still, allowing for easier climbs in some spots. UAC ammo has been tweaked to be in line with a standard AC, so you get a full 20% more ammo with those autocannons. More visual customization for the Atlas models as well, and that's fine - but we need to get a lot more visual customization on ALL models for mechs.
A few other bug fixes and tweaks, all of which you can read in the patch notes. We've been practicing on Crimson Strait as much as we can, and we like it. All we can say is: give us more! More mechs, more visual customization and MOST OF ALL, more maps like Crimson Strait!
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