37 replies to this topic

[Odinvolk]

Sorry, second post in one day. I got broken ribs, and have nothing better to do than fight back nausea from prescriptions and post on forums

I am not a big fan of the new interface, particularly when it comes to the way owned Mechs are displayed and selected. It does not feel like I "own" a Mech. The original Mechlab felt much more like a real place. Like you are standing in there, looking up at the giant robot in front of you. Not sure why, but this is really bugging me.

Similar thing happened in a game called "eve online" some time back. They took away players ability to see and "spin the ship" in the hangar. Thanks to a popular uproar from the user base that was later reversed.

Anyhow, while I still have some ability to concentrate, I wanted to share my view on how changing mechlab could foster sense of ownership and attachment in players. Improve player retention = improve profits, right?

1. Make mechlab look different, like a futuristic hangar. Some moving backgrounds of techs fixing/loading mechs, show stockpiles of weapons and components etc. Throw a forklift in there, moving in the background.

2. Let us navigate around this room, or at least spin the mech around to give it a sense of real physical presence.

3. Allow customisation of the this place, such as wall decorations. This is likely to improve sales of eye candy for real $$$.

4. Let players invite in-game friends to visit this virtual space - again, will give us reasons to care about buying vanity items for $$$.

5. Add audio, sounds of workmen doing their thing.

6. Look at Eve Online hangars and WOT tank selection screens for inspiration. Then make it even better.

7. Create similar "club houses" for Clans. friends keep friends in the game, give us a sense of belonging. Right now it is sterile in here!

8. Create a "news feed" served in game via virtual TV maybe, it will give more depth to what should be a rich BT universe. Right now, I am sorry to say, this universe feels flat and one-dimensional.

Sorry if this post is a little strange, I am on damn meds. Probably should just go play

Cheers!

One Wolf.

[Kyle Travis]

All sounds good to me

Add in some pilot cusomisations

[Alistair Winter]

I absolutely agree. PGI is charging crazy amounts of money for cosmetics, it's harder than ever to gawk at our mechs in the UI, and MWO always had limited functionality in this regard to begin with. Eve Online hangars, WOT, AW, Warthunder, StarConflict... and let's not forget that CryEngine comes with FPS features that would make it fairly easy to let the player walk around in a mechbay. Like Star Citizen.

However... none of this is ever going to happen. Least of all the ISN news reports. They're not even doing those tiny blurbs on the website anymore. I guess they figured it was a waste of money.

[Dolph Hoskins]

Just shut up and buy mech packs....take it and like it

[Imperius]

Odinvolk, on 17 July 2015 - 06:04 AM, said:

Sorry, second post in one day. I got broken ribs, and have nothing better to do than fight back nausea from prescriptions and post on forums

I am not a big fan of the new interface, particularly when it comes to the way owned Mechs are displayed and selected. It does not feel like I "own" a Mech. The original Mechlab felt much more like a real place. Like you are standing in there, looking up at the giant robot in front of you. Not sure why, but this is really bugging me.

Similar thing happened in a game called "eve online" some time back. They took away players ability to see and "spin the ship" in the hangar. Thanks to a popular uproar from the user base that was later reversed.

Anyhow, while I still have some ability to concentrate, I wanted to share my view on how changing mechlab could foster sense of ownership and attachment in players. Improve player retention = improve profits, right?

1. Make mechlab look different, like a futuristic hangar. Some moving backgrounds of techs fixing/loading mechs, show stockpiles of weapons and components etc. Throw a forklift in there, moving in the background.

2. Let us navigate around this room, or at least spin the mech around to give it a sense of real physical presence.

3. Allow customisation of the this place, such as wall decorations. This is likely to improve sales of eye candy for real $$$.

4. Let players invite in-game friends to visit this virtual space - again, will give us reasons to care about buying vanity items for $$$.

5. Add audio, sounds of workmen doing their thing.

6. Look at Eve Online hangars and WOT tank selection screens for inspiration. Then make it even better.

7. Create similar "club houses" for Clans. friends keep friends in the game, give us a sense of belonging. Right now it is sterile in here!

8. Create a "news feed" served in game via virtual TV maybe, it will give more depth to what should be a rich BT universe. Right now, I am sorry to say, this universe feels flat and one-dimensional.

Sorry if this post is a little strange, I am on damn meds. Probably should just go play

Cheers!

One Wolf.

Been asking for this over two years I'm linking Russ to this post. I feel the same way and agree 100% we should have our own mech base that displays 4-12 mechs in it that we could swap out via a selection computer next to each mech. People would buy camos and colors to pimp their bases.

[Kiiyor]

HECK YES!

Texture overlays:

• Damaged/scarred: like the misery, but with that overlay over existing colours and textures.
  
• Chrome
  
• Shiny
  
• Matte
  
• Pearlescent! Two tone!
  
• Old (faded colours, paint worn away near joints)
  
• Bandit/pirate: welded plates of different colours.

Decals:

• Really, if they were priced well and relatively freeform, I can imagine forking out a lot of cash to individualize my mechs.
  
• Submittable unit decals:
  
  • The Unit votes on it? A premium is paid to cover the cost of PGI vetting the decal.

More colours:

• I would pay a PREMIUM to be able to select my own RGB values.

Unique mech geometry.



I know they have discussed it before, but imagine if you could select an overall 'look' for a mech, or individual components:

• Primitive: exposed wires and ammo belts, etc.
  
• Royal: pennants and flags hanging from weapon mounts, etc.
  
• Prorotype: extra glowy bits and odd little bits and pieces of geometry.
  
• Bandit: chains and rust, maybe a commando head on a pike.
  
• Different cockpit shapes or colours.
  
• Extra bits of armour plate, or customizable existing plates (imagine the blinkers on the Jager with holes added for better vision, etc)
  
• Command: extra aerials, dishes and communication equipment.
  
• OR - different fists/hand actuators/battle fists etc.

Different cockpit styles




(basically an expansion on cockpit items):

• Different types of monitors, etc.
  
• Ejection toggles
  
• Exposed wires
  
• Damaged equipment.

Unique hangars:

• Field hangars, in different locations. Frozen, desert etc.
  
• Unit hangars:
  
  • Imagine if a unit hangar rendered some of the mechs of online members. When they dropped into battle, they would fall through the floor like the Atlas in the teaser video. WITNESS ME
• Hangar decorations!
  
  • Pennants, flags, maybe support vehicles, a bed, prefab buildings, PEOPLE WALKING AROUND, a bar, command table, piles of junk etc.
• Different hangar styles:
  
  • High tech
    
  • Low tech
    
  • Space!
    
  • Cave
    
  • House barracks
    
  • Dropship
    
    • In combat/space/landed/crash landed etc
• A city/base under attack
  
  • Like river city, but with more smoke and dakka, and techs feverishly working on your mech.

A customizable polaroid:

• Pay once to unlock the polaroid, then upload your own local picture so only you can see it.

Basically, I believe that customization would be a phenomenal way for PGI to bring in the extra cash. Some of it would be easy (different animated backgrounds etc), while other stuff would likely require some pretty crazy development time and resources.




Maybe PGI could make a broad outline of mech geometry stuff that they would like to see, and free up the designers and animators to just go nuts every now and again if they ever managed to find themselves with some free time (or maybe even have a half friday thing like we have at my business, where you're allowed to work on whatever you want).

Edit, wait, was this what you were even talking about? Eh, i've been up for 40 hours now.

Also, how did you break your ribs? I once broke mine in an impromptu parkour performance. My last words were quite literally almost "HOLD MY BEER AND WATCH THIS"

Edited by Kiiyor, 17 July 2015 - 07:29 AM.

[TLBFestus]

You would think that if they set a couple of artists to it, banging out cosmetic items for an improved mechbay like you describe, that they could sell them CHEAP, and sell them by the bucket load. A buck an item, have literally hundreds of items such as trophies/plaques that represent the badge system they use currently, mech parts, a spot to store images video from a players favorite battle/win, or many other things.

They could bring in the cash, without the gouge, and players could personalize their space.

[Imperius]

Yeah an achievements wall would be great. I hope we are not just dreaming maybe someone at PGI will listen.

[Malleus011]

I'd really like to be able to walk around in my mech bay and talk to my tech to make changes.

That, and have pilots as characters and a real skill tree.

[Smotty]

Kyle Travis, on 17 July 2015 - 06:07 AM, said:

All sounds good to me

Add in some pilot cusomisations

^^ This. I want the option to take my pants off!

[Lootee]

None of that is required for E-sports LOL. So no, you'll get nothing!

[Mechteric]

Being able to spin the mech around on any screen sounds like a no-brainer, really surprised it hasn't happened already.


But ultimately being able to walk around in first person in the hangar of mechs (like you can in Star Citizen) would be the ultimate in immersion for this game.

[Johnny Z]

CapperDeluxe, on 17 July 2015 - 10:04 AM, said:

Being able to spin the mech around on any screen sounds like a no-brainer, really surprised it hasn't happened already.


But ultimately being able to walk around in first person in the hangar of mechs (like you can in Star Citizen) would be the ultimate in immersion for this game.

Yep.

[Imperius]

CapperDeluxe, on 17 July 2015 - 10:04 AM, said:

Being able to spin the mech around on any screen sounds like a no-brainer, really surprised it hasn't happened already.


But ultimately being able to walk around in first person in the hangar of mechs (like you can in Star Citizen) would be the ultimate in immersion for this game.

You guys are aware you can spin the mech when it's on the right side of the screen right?

[oldradagast]

Lootee, on 17 July 2015 - 08:40 AM, said:

None of that is required for E-sports LOL. So no, you'll get nothing!

Basically, true.

Some part of me has a horrible feeling that this new, low TTK mode is going to stick around. E-sports people don't want a grueling brawl, or slower-paced battles where mistakes are not immediately fatal or where the prey has a chance to escape. It's all about twitch reflexes and getting the jump on the other guy and making sure he has no chance to fight back. It may be "e-sports" and "like real war," but it is miserably boring and not fun at all unless you happen to be really, really good at that crap and have nothing else to do with your life.

Sadly, if they can make more money via e-sports than the current crowd - possibly because they are running out of iconic mechs to sell for real money - than expect nothing but e-sports, short TTK, and zero effort made to make the game play more fun or appealing to new players. CoD with mech skins... and they probably never will get around to putting an ounce of Lore in the game... .Ugh!

Edited by oldradagast, 17 July 2015 - 01:09 PM.

[GRiPSViGiL]

Most of what you guys want here is inconsequential fluff that most people will do once or twice and never do again. Walk around my mech in the bay....why? If there was a mini-game to be a mechanic in the mech bay to skill up that made repair and rearm cheaper okay.

We need actual immersion like CW to not suck, repair and rearm, economy with a market for trading/selling/buying mechs and equipment, Reasons to fight for planets, bounty contracts.....remember bounty contract?!? Reasons to use mech XP, and CB.

The potential was limitless and could have been very immersive.

Edited by GRiPSViGiL, 17 July 2015 - 01:38 PM.

[Imperius]

GRiPSViGiL, on 17 July 2015 - 01:33 PM, said:

Most of what you guys want here is inconsequential fluff that most people will do once or twice and never do again. Walk around my mech in the bay....why? If there was a mini-game to be a mechanic in the mech bay to skill up that made repair and rearm cheaper okay.

We need actual immersion like CW to not suck, repair and rearm, economy with a market for trading/selling/buying mechs and equipment, Reasons to fight for planets, bounty contracts.....remember bounty contract?!? Reasons to use mech XP, and CB.

The potential was limitless and could have been very immersive.

I can attack what you want like you do what we want. Here I go...

What you want is just fluff for numbers and fluff meaning behind mech sales that we already have.

Am I doing it right?

[Bill Lumbar]

Smotty, on 17 July 2015 - 08:34 AM, said:

^^ This. I want the option to take my pants off!

I always fight balls out!

[Mechteric]

Imperius, on 17 July 2015 - 01:02 PM, said:

You guys are aware you can spin the mech when it's on the right side of the screen right?

But not on the "home" screen. Also I use the Expanded mech lab, so I only get to spin it when I'm modifying camo.

[Imperius]

CapperDeluxe, on 17 July 2015 - 02:48 PM, said:

But not on the "home" screen. Also I use the Expanded mech lab, so I only get to spin it when I'm modifying camo.

Ok, just checking