41 replies to this topic

[Grayson Sortek]

Hello everyone,

I was talking with some of my friends who just joined MWO not too long ago and we realized something... Why can't we trade Battle'Mechs with each other? Especially as we are gearing up for faction warfare and having our own unit.

I remember being able to outfit and share Battle'Mechs with my AI partners in MW4 and MW3, so why can't I do that here? I've got a bunch of 'Mechs that are just sitting around in my bays. Sure I really like them, and I don't want to get rid of them, but I haven't used them in a long time because I'm mastering other 'Mechs. So why shouldn't I be able to give them to someone else in my unit, especially when they are new to the game and don't have a lot of resources?

I don't think PGI would lose financial opportunities since someone has already paid for the 'Mech, either in c-bills or MC. Maybe they think that by not letting us trade 'Mechs that they are somehow encouraging players to spend $ on premium time or something? It might work, but in the case of the 5 friends that I have now playing MWO, they just won't do it, ever. They do want to support PGI so they have bought a few hero'mechs, but again if someone has spent $ on that, then how does PGI lose $ as long as someone is buying it?

PGI, we would feel like more of a unit if we could somehow trade 'Mechs and components that are just sitting around in our inventories. Imagine what other online games would be like if they never allowed people to trade items in game.

[Draykin]

How about no. The reason you have those 'Mechs is that you own them. Your friends don't own them. They are yours. If PGI wanted you to be capable of giving an Atlas to a fresh recruit on day one, then they would let you. But they don't. Why? Because they have to work for their equipment. Trading 'Mechs and equipment drastically reduces the grind, and opens up MWO for the dreaded farmer market, where people would 'trade' 'Mechs and parts for actual, real-life profit. Almost every 'Mech in the game can/will be able to be bought with C-Bills. Take a few dedicated farmers, or people who have played the game long enough, and they can get whatever they need to 'trade' without spending a single cent on MC, while people might be paying them instead of PGI to get what they want, because it's cheaper and easier.

[Astronomerob]

So what if there are people grinding out mechs for money? C-bills rewards come mainly from actually helping out your team. If I had a bunch of grinders on my teams who are actually working for the team so they can maximize c-bills (instead of being overly concerned about their k/d ratio for example) then I'd be a happy mech warrior. I don't believe PGI would lose out significantly on making money for MC purchases even if grinders become a thing because they still have MC exclusive mechs. What PGI has elected to do (by not allowing trading) is forced every new player to grind out c-bills playing match after frustrating match where few if any players work for the benefit of their team and eek out a few measly c-bills when they lose and just a few more when you're lucky enough to win. I guess the idea is that you get so frustrated with grinding and losing that you'll fork over the insane amounts of real money required to purchase mechs in this game.

Trading mechs with my friends who've been playing longer or are bored with a chasis would really alleviate a lot of my frustration with being locked into this specific chasis class I'm stuck with. I'm not a great player by any means so maybe that's my whole problem, but forcing me to either fork over a lot of money or grind out c-bills is not a good way to endear one's game to me.

[Grayson Sortek]

Draykin, on 24 August 2014 - 11:01 AM, said:

How about no. The reason you have those 'Mechs is that you own them. Your friends don't own them. They are yours. If PGI wanted you to be capable of giving an Atlas to a fresh recruit on day one, then they would let you. But they don't. Why? Because they have to work for their equipment. Trading 'Mechs and equipment drastically reduces the grind, and opens up MWO for the dreaded farmer market, where people would 'trade' 'Mechs and parts for actual, real-life profit. Almost every 'Mech in the game can/will be able to be bought with C-Bills. Take a few dedicated farmers, or people who have played the game long enough, and they can get whatever they need to 'trade' without spending a single cent on MC, while people might be paying them instead of PGI to get what they want, because it's cheaper and easier.

Okay so let's discuss this:
I understand gold sellers are a HUGE problems in games like WoW, it has even led to credit card information being stolen since these are untrustworthy sites. It's also one of the main reasons WoW accounts get hacked, it's a lot easier to steal from someone than it is to grind. It is a legitimate concern.

Let's talk about some ways around this: Maybe in addition to donating c-bills, members of units can donate 'Mechs that the unit leader can then parse out? It would most likely reduce the amount of illicit real-life profit and it would add some more lore-based atmosphere to the game as unit commanders could actually help out unit members and manage their unit resources just like a real BattleTech unit. I'm sure if the community talks about this, then we can come up with some ideas for PGI.

----
As for the Atlas: Do you think it is difficult for a newbie to get an assault'mech with the recruit bonuses that are provided?
I'm fine with drastically reducing the grind, I don't play this game so I can grind all day. I would love to be able to manage a mercenary or faction unit and help out team members by giving them that 3rd chasis they need to start unlocking their elite talents. Or maybe our scout doesn't have ECM and one of my members has an ECM unit just collecting dust on the shelf. It makes zero sense to have units and contracts just like the lore, but not to allow unit commanders the ability to manage resources (weapons, equipment, 'mechs, etc).

Edited by Grayson Sortek, 24 August 2014 - 12:18 PM.

[Metafox]

Grayson Sortek, on 24 August 2014 - 12:18 PM, said:

Let's talk about some ways around this: Maybe in addition to donating c-bills, members of units can donate 'Mechs that the unit leader can then parse out? It would most likely reduce the amount of illicit real-life profit and it would add some more lore-based atmosphere to the game as unit commanders could actually help out unit members and manage their unit resources just like a real BattleTech unit. I'm sure if the community talks about this, then we can come up with some ideas for PGI.

This sounds like a good idea. Perhaps a unit could use funds to buy and maintain a stable of loaner mechs with mechlab privileges restricted to higher unit ranks. As long as these loaner mechs are permanently locked to the unit, they shouldn't attract any kind of gold farmers.

[Shiloh Bane]

I think the biggest reason they won't allow it is the liability issue. They would end up getting stuck in the middle of people fighting over the "ownership" of a mech eventually.

Person "A" loans their Daishi/ Direwolfwhale to Person "B" for the weekend event. Come Monday, Person "B" quits the Unit for what ever reason, or just decides, "Hey I really like this mech, it's MINE now." and refuses to give it back.

In the end PGI will be stuck in the middle of a "He said, She said" fight. It'd be annoying and some people would even go so far as litigation if they spend MC on the mech that isn't being returned.

So why open themselves up for this headache? Always expect the worse of people and you won't be surprised in these situations.

[Redshift2k5]

Even if mechs are only "borrowed" from your unit, it would still be possible for an individual to charge people cash under the table for the priviledge of joining his unit and borrow the mech. That's profit out the window for PGI and not a scenario a small free-to-play company would want to foster.

Edited by Redshift2k5, 26 August 2014 - 08:57 AM.

[Grayson Sortek]

Metafox, on 26 August 2014 - 08:16 AM, said:

This sounds like a good idea. Perhaps a unit could use funds to buy and maintain a stable of loaner mechs with mechlab privileges restricted to higher unit ranks. As long as these loaner mechs are permanently locked to the unit, they shouldn't attract any kind of gold farmers.

That sounds like a great idea! Have it locked to the unit and have the unit commander/officers in charge of distributing them. I imagine it would greatly dissuade gold farmers if the person purchasing the 'mech had to stay in what would be known as a gold-farmer unit.

Shiloh Bane, on 26 August 2014 - 08:28 AM, said:

I think the biggest reason they won't allow it is the liability issue. They would end up getting stuck in the middle of people fighting over the "ownership" of a mech eventually.

Person "A" loans their Daishi/ Direwolfwhale to Person "B" for the weekend event. Come Monday, Person "B" quits the Unit for what ever reason, or just decides, "Hey I really like this mech, it's MINE now." and refuses to give it back.

In the end PGI will be stuck in the middle of a "He said, She said" fight. It'd be annoying and some people would even go so far as litigation if they spend MC on the mech that isn't being returned.

So why open themselves up for this headache? Always expect the worse of people and you won't be surprised in these situations.

Well as Metafox suggested we keep the 'mechs tied to the unit, then I would suggest that it would be up to the unit commander and officers (make this a checkbox when making ranks) to manage their own unit resources. PGI wouldn't be responsible, the unit commander and/or officers would be. Although I agree that a 'Mech purchasable with MC does raise some serious concerns. Maybe Battle'Mech allocation is restricted only to 'mechs that can be bought with c-bills?

Redshift2k5, on 26 August 2014 - 08:56 AM, said:

Even if mechs are only "borrowed" from your unit, it would still be possible for an individual to charge people cash under the table for the priviledge of joining his unit and borrow the mech. That's profit out the window for PGI and not a scenario a small free-to-play company would want to foster.

1) Then as a buyer you would be permanently tied to a unit that only exists for purchasing 'mechs, you wouldn't be able to join a friends unit or a real one. You would also be tied to a gold-farmer unit, and I don't think they could keep that a secret for very long.

2) I doubt that with all of the colors, mechbays, cockpit items, etc available for MC that this would seriously impact their profit margin. However, perhaps it would be wise to limit this system to ONLY 'mechs that are available for c-bills. Does that alleviate concerns for PGI losing $?

[Tesunie]

I'd have to say, for security sake, no. As much as I love the idea of being able to trade/give mechs away, as soon as we do it will invite hackers and "gold farmers". I'm sure all of you love the gold farmer's spam as much as I do...

Right now, because we can't trade anything between players we don't have to worry about such spam and risk. As soon as we do permit any kind of trading, this starts to become a real nightmare, as well as more work for PGI to police.

[Tesunie]

Metafox, on 26 August 2014 - 08:16 AM, said:

This sounds like a good idea. Perhaps a unit could use funds to buy and maintain a stable of loaner mechs with mechlab privileges restricted to higher unit ranks. As long as these loaner mechs are permanently locked to the unit, they shouldn't attract any kind of gold farmers.

I don't mind this idea though.

[zortesh]

instead of giving mechs up to a person, why not make it lending them it as a trailmech for a set amount of time.

that way people don't actually get the mech, and can't edit the mech from its build, but we can lend newer players the mech temporarily anyways, with good builds to boot.

Edited by zortesh, 26 August 2014 - 02:26 PM.

[DeathWaffle]

I support this

[UberStuka]

I would support a trade for trade

[Burktross]

No, as stated in the first reply.
Also, biased poll is biased.

[Basskicker]

I would vote yes.... if... and only if the mechbay did not go with the mech. This way it would still require a purchase of MC in order to house the mech. Also if the mech is freely given (and not traded for another mechanism) there should be a surcharge consisting of either cbills, MC, or the option to pay with each. This way would help deter farmers and keep those P2W sites from popping up like with Diablo and others.

[Trashhead]

Draykin, on 24 August 2014 - 11:01 AM, said:

How about no. The reason you have those 'Mechs is that you own them. Your friends don't own them. They are yours. If PGI wanted you to be capable of giving an Atlas to a fresh recruit on day one, then they would let you. But they don't. Why? Because they have to work for their equipment. Trading 'Mechs and equipment drastically reduces the grind, and opens up MWO for the dreaded farmer market, where people would 'trade' 'Mechs and parts for actual, real-life profit. Almost every 'Mech in the game can/will be able to be bought with C-Bills. Take a few dedicated farmers, or people who have played the game long enough, and they can get whatever they need to 'trade' without spending a single cent on MC, while people might be paying them instead of PGI to get what they want, because it's cheaper and easier.

No, because of ^This.

Also, please keep in mind that MW:O is a free to play title, and the only way PGI can make money is by selling Premium Time, Mech Bays, Colours, Patterns Cockpit Items and of cause MECHS.
(Yes, you can buy most of them via C-Bills also, but then you don't have the C-Bills to spend them on Equipment and modules.)

If players would start trading mechs, that would lessen PGI's income.
Less income, less money to pay their staff, less quality, less new content.

Unless you find a sensible way for PGI to keep the money flowing, this idea will never become reality.
MW:O is not Call of Duty, it's a niche product.
It does not have many customers; just look how many people have responded to this thread in the first 2 days: it was 8 (after that this thread disappeared for months).

Sad but true - we have to deal with it.

[Thunder Child]

I actually don't mind the idea of Units fielding personal Trial Mechs. The Mechs themselves could be bought with Unit C-bills from the Coffer, and would belong to the Unit as a whole. The loadout would be configured by the Unit Commander, as would the camo pattern and cockpit items, if any.

However, the Unit Leader would have to purchase Unit Bays, similar to Mechbays but at double (triple? quadruple? etc?) the price of a standard mechbay. So, MC is spent to house these Unit Mechs. Hell, if it became a Unit based Trial Mech, make it cost 5000MC, but everyone in the Unit would be able to use it at the same time.

Or perhaps, the player needs Premium Time active to access a Unit Bay (as well as the MC cost of the bay, but maybe only 1k MC).

The idea is sound, but needs fine tuning, so that it is cost effective for a Unit to do so, but is financially viable for PGI to want to implement it, and is not vulnerable to Gold Spammer abuse.

[Krauser V]

Draykin, on 24 August 2014 - 11:01 AM, said:

How about no. The reason you have those 'Mechs is that you own them. Your friends don't own them. They are yours. If PGI wanted you to be capable of giving an Atlas to a fresh recruit on day one, then they would let you. But they don't. Why? Because they have to work for their equipment. Trading 'Mechs and equipment drastically reduces the grind,

I don't see how that stops the grinding. Because first of all - if you throw real-cash at the game you can instantly buy anything you want with 0 C-Bill grinding.

Second. The person trading said Atlas with a starter user grinded for that Atlas. There IS always grinding involved. If it's not C-Bills, then it's XP for mastery of the mech. If it's not XP. It's GXP for buying into modules. Which completes the circle as modules cost a ** ton of C-Bills once you unlocked them.
The new user would probably invalidate the Atlas build given to him due to lack of elite mastery skills on said traded Atlas - would need 2 more chassis to grind the XP's along with his traded for Atlas.

SO NO . Honestly. I honestly do not think the developers are losing out on grinding here.
And anybody NOT wanting to grind for C-bills to purchase modules or mechs - can make the developer very happy by throwing money at them for it.

I have allot of mechs sitting collecting dust I don't use anymore. I have several friends playing MWO in the same boat, having some mechs they don't care for using. Let us trade them. - selling them for CB is absolutely not worth it due to how little you get back so we don't bother and instead we keep them.

Edited by Krauser V, 28 December 2014 - 02:06 PM.

[Triordinant]

Grayson Sortek, on 24 August 2014 - 10:36 AM, said:

I was talking with some of my friends who just joined MWO not too long ago and we realized something... Why can't we trade Battle'Mechs with each other?

It's because lending out or trading in-game assets has been abused in other MMOs where warehouses full of professional "farmers" acquire and level up assets (or 'mechs in MWO's case) using in-game resources (like cbills) then sell them to other players in their "Unit" for real-world money.

[Bhael Fire]

The Ancient Chinese Gold Farmers approve of this message.