Time issues - We need more time for late rounds

[Medicus]

Hi,

starting around turn 7-8 I always feel the game is more luck than skill based. I never have enough time to analyse the enemy units, abilities, things he can play from cards, cool downs, flanks, positioning and also do the same for my own side.

Considering that the fun part of Mechabellum is the outsmarting your opponent this feels very frustrating. I want to see top players win because of skill, with amazing moves and not because someone forgot something or click with all that time stress the wrong button.

Therefore I ask the developer to increase the time limit starting round 7 or so. Another 20 or so seconds per turn more would do. If some are afraid games might take too long we could get them from the early rounds.

If you agree with my request then please sign this so the developer can see it.

Thanks
Chris

[Stockwerk 13]

If anything there should be a "turbo mode" or "speed up button", which both players could agree to. Round timers are alleady WAY to long and matches take much more time then needed.

Especially in 2v2 when just a couple units at the end of the round take forever to die and the auto speed up again decides to not kick in for whatever reason.

[Garuda One]

God, please, no.

One of my biggest frustrations with this game is when people use every last second to do their rounds. Especially like rounds 1-3. I don’t make a fuss about it in game but holy Christ if they made the rounds even longer I’d have a stroke. As it stands when I get into matches with people who burn down the clock I usually open football manager or something and tab out.

Maybe it’s because I have a background growing up on Starcraft but I don’t find it that hard to process the board and make a decision on my course of action relatively quickly. I think the current time allotted is plenty generous.

[Sonnenbank]

Plz No !

Time is plenty and you should analyse very round and plan in advance
you dont need to analyse your oponent round 8 from zero again ... just the changes that were made

[BB-8]

Originally posted by Medicus:

Hi,

starting around turn 7-8 I always feel the game is more luck than skill based. I never have enough time to analyse the enemy units, abilities, things he can play from cards, cool downs, flanks, positioning and also do the same for my own side.

Considering that the fun part of Mechabellum is the outsmarting your opponent this feels very frustrating. I want to see top players win because of skill, with amazing moves and not because someone forgot something or click with all that time stress the wrong button.

Therefore I ask the developer to increase the time limit starting round 7 or so. Another 20 or so seconds per turn more would do. If some are afraid games might take too long we could get them from the early rounds.

If you agree with my request then please sign this so the developer can see it.

Thanks
Chris

No, there will be no help for old people :D

Alright, maybe a time bonus system could be introduced? Time that is not needed in certain rounds could be credited (to a certain, limited extent, of course) for the following rounds?

Or would a time bonus be possible, depending on the size of the army deployed?

[littlep2000]

Perhaps it should scale. The first few rounds can have a rather short timer, but later rounds can have a slightly longer timer.

I guess there will always be an issue where sometimes you know exactly what your strategy is, but others you really want to ponder. Maybe a token you can use once per game to give you an extra 60 seconds.

[Grrwaaa]

The timer is obnoxiously long turns 2 and 3 (need a bit more time turn 1, so only slightly too long there.) After that, as the field becomes more complex we start needing a bit more time.

An optional setup with something like 60 seconds each rounds 1-3, then + 15 seconds a round until you reach 150, then capped - would speed games up overall and give a bit more time if you need it later. People who want to keep the current time setup can just not click that box (would only apply if both sides check the box.)

Also, when making a PRIVATE game, there should be an option to play without a clock at all. If I want to teach a new player some things or play with my family, the clock is only a negative for us.

Options are good.

[Big Slim]

Literally no one thinks this. If you're a bit special and can't keep pace with the game, that's on you. If anything, turns need to be about 30-50% faster.

[Doomsdave]

Originally posted by Big Slim:

Literally no one thinks this. If you're a bit special and can't keep pace with the game, that's on you. If anything, turns need to be about 30-50% faster.

May watch a view videos from Medicus and see how his thoughts flow, because he speaks about everything in real time. May ones thoughts are not special but indeed more multilayered then another one may assume.

Dynamic roundtimes, depending on the certain round or even gamemode, could be a thing to think about.

PS: Medicus streams in german, so watching his videos isnt a really easy to do suggestion. But s**k my d**k if Medicus is just seen as a random a** player.

[Garuda One]

I’d also argue part of showcasing your skill is how quickly you process information and formulate plans. Using chess as an analogy, even in classical chess the clock is a factor. The recent world championships showcased Ding Lirin who frequently was in time trouble and Ian Nepomniachtchi who in a lot of the matches blitzed out moves and put Ding under pressure. If I was watching mechabellum pros I’d want to see players under time pressure in late rounds. Being clutch and cool under pressure is an important skill set to have. If one player can use the time better than another then that’s part of the game and distinguishing who’s better.

If anything I’d be more open to seeing a pooled time for players in a match, like chess where if you use all your time in a match you lose on time.

It serves two purposes in adding an extra dynamic layer of showcasing skillsetw in the area of speed and time management while also capping how long one match can last.

The obvious downside is piss baby plebs who might grief by running down their time but there’s mechanisms you can put in place to combat that like auto forfeit if you’re idle 30-40s+ and a more robust reporting system.

[M.D. Geist]

I would also like more time in later rounds. I don't think the chess analogy applies. Chess gets less complex (it may feel overwiese for you because the number of known petterns may degrese...) while here complexity increases over time.

[Garuda One]

Originally posted by M.D. Geist:

I would also like more time in later rounds. I don't think the chess analogy applies. Chess gets less complex (it may feel overwiese for you because the number of known petterns may degrese...) while here complexity increases over time.

The time allocation would still apply, the difference between chess and mechabellum is more the distribution of time. Chess you’d utilize more time in the mid game, mechabellum you’d utilize it more later.

The ‘time pool’ approach would put pressure on players who especially waste time/over think the early rounds. The skill expression comes from time management, which doesn’t require a one to one comparison to chess to be relevant. If you manage your time better that should have an opportunity to be highlighted and showcased.

[Kopernik]

both sides have pros and cons i writed in suggestions to give players options menu that would give us chance to set timers

[Anilman]

Yesterday i just upgraded all of my mid units it wasted so much time to pick and upgrad each unit.

Until round 5 u dont need more time then 1 min.after that u need more time

Maybe +15sec each round more time

R1-5 60sec
R6 75sec
R7 90sec
R8 105sec

I hate it if some players wait very long time in the first 3 rounds.

[Xuande]

The biggest concern I have, and the reason I haven't bought in yet, is that these kind of games inevitably speed up their timer to the point that I'm not interested anymore. And seeing what kind of replies are here, alongside reviews mentioning that the SP/Private room alternatives aren't good options for learning ingame...

Getting tired of the argument from ableism that always pops up, life happens, players who can't keep up for reasons physical and/or mental should be able to enjoy their hobbies too.

[Iso Koala]

I find the pacing of this game very fitting, and if there was a "turbo mode where both press it" I would never press it. Only issue in slowness is in 2vs2 but that mode has overall isssues currently.