19 replies to this topic

[TheArisen]

This isn't a suggestion but more of running it by you guys.

Also, I know there are frustrated ppl but let's not get distracted.

Here's the idea. Assign planet types or functions. The functions could be something like the following:
(Letters denote the ideas for a planet type. Not all options are required)

1. Production planet, produces mechs, parts & other supplies necessary for the military. (A) these planets affect battle rewards/compensation ( If R&R is reimplemented in JUST F.P. then these planets lower R&R costs (C) The supplies these planets provide increases the number of defense turrets the closer you get to the production planet.

2. Capital planet, source of culture, etc. These planets affect (A) bonuses that you get from scouting, longer cooldown on radar & long toms, etc. ( Affects loyalty rewarded for missions (C) Functions as a supply depot, for X phases provides the benefit of another planet type that is lost at 50% efficiency.

3. Regional HQ/F.O.B. Connected by supply line planets, "receives" supplies & is the primary enemy target on or near the border, can be any other planet type. For example a production planet can also be the FOB. It's function is only active as long as a supply line is connected (A) Functions like a all other planet types but at 25% efficiency ( Increases defenses of nearby planets (C) Functions as a supply depot, 50% of lost critical planets functions for X number of phases

4. Mercenary planet, this planet affects only the mercs that are signed on with your faction. (A) Affects mercenary Cbill compensation ( Lowers merc R&R

5. Supply line planet, these planets are the "links" in the supply chain going from the production planet to the FOB planet. If taken, the supply line is cut or moved. Maybe the lower the number of supply line planets then the effects of the production planet will be higher.

The effects are optional & interchangeable. With the right combination planets could have serious value.

I know this is long but I think it has merit. What're your thoughts? How would you improve this idea?

Edited by TheArisen, 26 October 2016 - 08:00 PM.

[Johnny Z]

Something like that would be great. I guess the details would have to be worked out as they put it all together but it makes sense.

Edited by Johnny Z, 26 October 2016 - 11:58 PM.

[Vellron2005]

Ah, my Arisen friend, I've been saying stuff like that for over a year now.. You've just put it into more concrete words. Good on you mate ;-)

Yes, planets need a purpose, altho I would take it one step further. I would assign certain planets with certain equipment and bonuses...

1) So if you own a production planet , you can buy certain mech, or certain weapons and equipment at a discount. If all such planets are taken away from a faction (like all the planets that produce Atlas mechs for example) you can only buy an Atlas on the black market (significantly more expensive).

And for clans, that keep their factories outside of the Inner Sphere, if they loose certain planets, it becomes more expensive to bring fresh mechs and equipment to the front lines, so again, similar effect.

2) Having a flag on capital worlds (worlds with cities and large populations) would bring more cbills and MC rewards. Loosing all such worlds would mean significantly lowered income from drops and no MC bonuses.

3) Regional HQ's would be special worlds. I would not let any world be an HQ. Owning such worlds would mean a boost in Faction payouts, lowered black market costs, and cheaper equipment (but not mechs).

4) Supply line worlds would be important pathways for travel and conquest. Owning such a world would have only one purpose - opening attack lanes. Each planet would "connect" to several other planets around it, and loosing that world would mean you would either have to re-capture it, or go around it, to get to more important worlds.

This all would mean there would also have to be a black market and that faction affiliation would be more important.

Loyalists could not buy cross-tech. If you're a clanner, no IS gear for you. If you're IS, not clan tech for you. Loyalists could buy cross-tech only on the black market, but significantly more expensive. If you are merc, you can buy both, but only on the black market, and at standard black market prices. If you're a pirate, only black market and higher prices for you.

Choices would be important.

[TheArisen]

Vellron2005, on 27 October 2016 - 12:17 AM, said:

Ah, my Arisen friend, I've been saying stuff like that for over a year now.. You've just put it into more concrete words. Good on you mate ;-)

Yes, planets need a purpose, altho I would take it one step further. I would assign certain planets with certain equipment and bonuses...

1) So if you own a production planet , you can buy certain mech, or certain weapons and equipment at a discount. If all such planets are taken away from a faction (like all the planets that produce Atlas mechs for example) you can only buy an Atlas on the black market (significantly more expensive).

And for clans, that keep their factories outside of the Inner Sphere, if they loose certain planets, it becomes more expensive to bring fresh mechs and equipment to the front lines, so again, similar effect.

2) Having a flag on capital worlds (worlds with cities and large populations) would bring more cbills and MC rewards. Loosing all such worlds would mean significantly lowered income from drops and no MC bonuses.

3) Regional HQ's would be special worlds. I would not let any world be an HQ. Owning such worlds would mean a boost in Faction payouts, lowered black market costs, and cheaper equipment (but not mechs).

4) Supply line worlds would be important pathways for travel and conquest. Owning such a world would have only one purpose - opening attack lanes. Each planet would "connect" to several other planets around it, and loosing that world would mean you would either have to re-capture it, or go around it, to get to more important worlds.

This all would mean there would also have to be a black market and that faction affiliation would be more important.

Loyalists could not buy cross-tech. If you're a clanner, no IS gear for you. If you're IS, not clan tech for you. Loyalists could buy cross-tech only on the black market, but significantly more expensive. If you are merc, you can buy both, but only on the black market, and at standard black market prices. If you're a pirate, only black market and higher prices for you.

Choices would be important.

Haha thanks. Writing it all actually took longer than thinking it up which considering how the long planet value topic has been around, makes sense.

Hopefully we can get more discussion going, as the idea is refined the more attractive it becomes, hopefully.

[martian]

Vellron2005, on 27 October 2016 - 12:17 AM, said:

And for clans, that keep their factories outside of the Inner Sphere, if they loose certain planets, it becomes more expensive to bring fresh mechs and equipment to the front lines, so again, similar effect.

But in actual BattleTech universe the Clans have actually started production of their favorite 'Mechs in the Inner Sphere (in their OZs), in order to avoid exactly what you described.

Vellron2005, on 27 October 2016 - 12:17 AM, said:

Loyalists could not buy cross-tech. If you're a clanner, no IS gear for you.

But it doesn't make sense. The Clanners have salvaged a lot of Inner Sphere 'Mechs and equipment and used them, especially in their second-line units.

Vellron2005, on 27 October 2016 - 12:17 AM, said:

If you're IS, not clan tech for you.

But Inner Sphere units (both House units and mercenaries) have captured Clan 'Mechs and equipment and used them.

Not to talk that the pure ClanTech Mad Cat Mk. II has been officially and openly sold to the Inner Sphere.

[Vellron2005]

Martian, I know clans used IS tech and IS used clan tech, both from captures. Because of this - black market.

You could still buy it, but you would buy it for higher prices, with sketchy availability, and used goods, maybe chassis with less armor or missing components and such..

Not "fresh from the factory"..

[Johnny Z]

Vellron2005, on 27 October 2016 - 04:07 AM, said:

Martian, I know clans used IS tech and IS used clan tech, both from captures. Because of this - black market.

You could still buy it, but you would buy it for higher prices, with sketchy availability, and used goods, maybe chassis with less armor or missing components and such..

Not "fresh from the factory"..

Repair and rearm of such cross faction equipment? There is a reason no game does this. Better to work on making the character of the various factions stronger and more interesting.

Same faction salvage wouldn't be entirely out of the question.

If the galactic war map looked like Creative Assemblies strategy games like the Total War games then that would be somewhere to start.

There is the Civilization and M&B series to look at also.

Edited by Johnny Z, 27 October 2016 - 05:54 AM.

[martian]

Vellron2005, on 27 October 2016 - 04:07 AM, said:

Martian, I know clans used IS tech and IS used clan tech, both from captures. Because of this - black market.

You could still buy it, but you would buy it for higher prices, with sketchy availability, and used goods, maybe chassis with less armor or missing components and such..

Not "fresh from the factory"..

The Clans used salvaged IS equipment without any problem - Marauder II, Komodo, Gallowglas, etc. These 'Mechs were salvaged - they cost nothing at all.
And if needed, the Clans replaced IS weapons and equipment with their own "better" technology.

Sometimes, when the Clans captured an IS planet with factory, they continued production of IS 'Mechs for their second-line units.

And as I said above, Clan Diamond Shark sold its Mad Cat Mk. II (and equipment) directly to Inner Sphere powers. Those 'Mechs were "fresh from the factory", they were brand new and shining, no "used goods" with "missing components".

Edited by martian, 27 October 2016 - 06:57 AM.

[Green Mamba]

Be sure to pass it along to the 20 something people who still play it

Edited by Green Mamba, 27 October 2016 - 08:09 AM.

[TheArisen]

An obvious tidbit I forgot to add but is an important bit, these planets would be choosen for 2 reasons.
1. Lore. Hesperus II, Robinson, etc
2. Strategic, If a reasonably located lore planet is unavailable.

Does anyone have an idea for a new type of planet? Or new functions for any that have been mentioned?

[TheArisen]

Vellron2005, on 27 October 2016 - 04:07 AM, said:

Martian, I know clans used IS tech and IS used clan tech, both from captures. Because of this - black market.

You could still buy it, but you would buy it for higher prices, with sketchy availability, and used goods, maybe chassis with less armor or missing components and such..

Not "fresh from the factory"..

I like your ideas but they're getting into the territory of being a little too complex. Both for your avg player & Pgi.

[TheArisen]

I think every planet that has a function should reward active FP/CW players some Cbills or MC. Basically, if you participate in X number of FP matches of any type you'll be "compensated" by your faction.

[Khobai]

none of those suggestions will bring players back to faction warfare

they need to solve pug vs premade issue once and for all

and they need to incorporate all the quickplay gamemodes into faction warfare so every match played counts towards faction warfare

it makes no sense to segregate such a small player base between quick play and faction play. it should all be the same thing.

Edited by Khobai, 28 October 2016 - 01:19 AM.

[TheArisen]

Khobai, on 28 October 2016 - 01:16 AM, said:

none of those suggestions will bring players back to faction warfare

they need to solve pug vs premade issue once and for all

and they need to incorporate all the quickplay gamemodes into faction warfare so every match played counts towards faction warfare

it makes no sense to segregate such a small player base between quick play and faction play. it should all be the same thing.

Obviously there are several problems but this would be a good way to address one of them.

[Novakaine]

Well they killed FW so much for that.
But great suggestion been advocating this for a while.

[Intrepid]

martian, on 27 October 2016 - 01:10 AM, said:

Not to talk that the pure ClanTech Mad Cat Mk. II has been officially and openly sold to the Inner Sphere.

martian, on 27 October 2016 - 06:42 AM, said:

And as I said above, Clan Diamond Shark sold its Mad Cat Mk. II (and equipment) directly to Inner Sphere powers. Those 'Mechs were "fresh from the factory", they were brand new and shining, no "used goods" with "missing components".

The MadCat MkII is a terrible mech, but it is the wrong time period for its sale.

[TheArisen]

Intrepid, on 28 October 2016 - 04:25 PM, said:

The MadCat MkII is a terrible mech, but it is the wrong time period for its sale.

He's just using it as an example.

[Cy Mitchell]

It is a good idea. It will take something like this AND more diverse game play and battles to save FP. Get the diversity of the QP maps and modes and make the planets and possession of them mean something in the grand scheme of things and players will have a reason to play there instead of QP.

That is what it will take for me to give FP another try.

[martian]

Intrepid, on 28 October 2016 - 04:25 PM, said:

The MadCat MkII is a terrible mech, but it is the wrong time period for its sale.

I believe that Russ hinted in one of his Town Halls (in April maybe?) that the Mad Cat Mk. II could appear sometime in the next year.

[TheArisen]

martian, on 28 October 2016 - 08:48 PM, said:

I believe that Russ hinted in one of his Town Halls (in April maybe?) that the Mad Cat Mk. II could appear sometime in the next year.

Hey now, let's stay on topic.