8 replies to this topic

[MustrumRidcully]

A goal of role warfare was supposedly that Mechwarrior would not be like all the previous titles where you tried to upgrade your mechs from light to assault over your career. The goal was to make all mech classes equally competitive and have a meaningful role in the game, a role you couldn't just ignore.

But despite this...

Light Mechs are cheaper than Assault Mechs, both for C-Bills (where I might accept it since it's kinda an "in-universe" money and role warfare is "metagame") and for Mech Credits (which is definitely a pure metagame currency).

Isn't this in conflict?

Doesn't this also create an economical incentive for PGI to abandon the goal of role warfare, since if assaults are always more powerful and useful then lights or mediums, that means players will want those more, and will also have to pay the higher prices?
And on PGI's side, aren't the cost for a light mech not the same as for a heavier mech, or do they also calculate a lower budget for the visual artists when it comes to a light mech then a heavy mech?

Three Mech Cost Tiers could suffice:

• Standard (no bonuses)
  
• Champion (CHampion Bonus, obviously)
  
• Hero (Hero Bonuses, again, obviously)

If the resale-for-C-Bill aspect becomes a concern, make MC bought mechs come without gear (or with gear that sells for 0 C-Bills) and with a mech bay.
Or you could assign an MC price for that gear only and adjust the price only by that.

[von Pilsner]

I would say if they decided that one of their key design pillars was no longer important then the whole thinking man's shooter - role warfare thing is in doubt.

[mike29tw]

Role warfware has always been a myth.

Until we get a game mode with respawns, there will only be 2 roles: One that kills faster, and one that kills slower.

[Lord Ikka]

Assaults are more powerful than Lights, but not always more useful. Besides, c-bill prices are based on BT universe prices- they aren't set by PGI's economic needs. Similarly, the MC prices of Heroes are based purely on tonnage.

[Nik Van Rhijn]

I agree with Mustrum, MC prices should be tiered not tonnage based.
to be honest i think that the pillars are just one more thing that was "our position at the time".
I would imagine that their metrics have shown them what the most profitable way to proceed is. it just isn't how they originally wanted to proceed. Scrap happens.

[Royalewithcheese]

AKA the "top-tier avatar" problem

IMO this is what happens when you try to balance a FPS around the rules for a board game. It's probably too late to back out of the whole "Atlas has around 2x the HP of a Hunchback" thing because of how the fundamental game mechanics are designed, but I really would like to see more attention paid to weight balancing somehow.

Edited by Royalewithcheese, 08 September 2013 - 12:48 PM.

[MustrumRidcully]

Lord Ikka, on 08 September 2013 - 05:31 AM, said:

Assaults are more powerful than Lights, but not always more useful.

That's the theory. Light vs Assault mgiht actually be the weight category where role warfare still works. But Medium vs Heavy? Medium vs Assault? Heavy vs Assault?

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Besides, c-bill prices are based on BT universe prices- they aren't set by PGI's economic needs.

i can accept that he C-Bill prices are "fluff" based prices and are set to whatever they need to be according to lore. C-Bill isn't directly what makes PGI money.

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Similarly, the MC prices of Heroes are based purely on tonnage.

And I think that is bad. It implies that high tonnage mechs are better, because why else would you ask more money for them? Fancier design? Hardly. And so if PGI wants to earn the most money, they have every interest in making heavier mechs more powerful.

[Lord Ikka]

Higher prices for more tonnage doesn't necessarily imply that the higher tonnage is quantitatively better. By making the MC prices based on tonnage, PGI seems to have just done the simplest price scale- more tonnage requires more money. Just like buying three pounds of an item costs more than buying one- doesn't mean it is better, you are simply paying more for the amount you are getting. Every ton is the same price, so you're just paying for the size you want.

If PGI really wanted to make money they would change the game to P2W- Hero Mechs would have a real advantage in-game (better or more hardpoints than standard chassis) rather than the minor advantage of slightly different hardpoints and a minor XP/c-bill bonus. While I don't think the MC price for Mechs is the best, I also don't see it as a horrible imbalance that favors Assaults over Lights.

[Khobai]

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Light Mechs are cheaper than Assault Mechs

If you say so.

Jenner-F + XL engine + endo/ferro + weapons = 10-11 million
Atlas-D + std engine + weapons = 12-13 million