10 replies to this topic

[Anjian]

I kind of notice how Hero Mechs tend to appear *after* the regular mech type is introduced. Other than the pretty paint job and the bonuses, this doesn't make the Hero mech special for people to put their real dollars into it.

Here is what I think should be done, although that is really up to you.

The Hero Mech should be the upcoming mech, introduced at least quite some time before the regular versions comes in. People do pay hard cash to get the first of something. So why not this? Like for example, in this time, I would introduce a sole Jagermech or HIghlander hero mech, before the regular versions are introduced later.

This is not something unheard of. Wizkids used to do this with on mech specials for their Mechwarrior Dark Age and Age of Destruction collections.

A variation of the idea is to introduce Hero Mechs of a type that will solely be exclusive as a Hero mech, with no other regular version for that type.

Hey, if it helps bring in the dough, why not? The players want this game to succeed to, or at least, financially able to keep on going.

[Beeman]

Well, hero mechs are already a pretty reasonable way for them to make money. They're quite expensive but people will always be willing to drop money on them. Granted, more people would buy them if their cost was reduced or benefit increased, but that's another topic entirely.

They do offer a nice way to mitigate the cbill grind, though...and for that, they're valuable purchases to some people. Especially if they have these 50/50 weekends with moderate regularity.

[blinkin]

i don't have any issue with this, but the forums will flood with pay to win gripes.

[Elizander]

Releasing a cash mech first then the rest of the 'free' variants one month later will guarantee you a month's worth of P2W posts. They are trying to avoid doing this and other similar P2W things that will aggravate the community.

[MoPo]

It's a good point about releasing the Hero variants before the stock ones could be a good revenue generator. I don't think there would be too much P2W griping, as the Mechs so far have been reasonably well balanced (there's nothing out there at the moment that's head and shoulders above everything else). Obviously it would be a different story if PGI released a Hero-only assault, moving at 130kph with ECM and 4 Missile hardpoints.

I don't think that having a Hero as the only variant for a Mech would work, though, as it wouldn't fit with the "3-variants" skill-tree model.

[Anjian]

If that pink Highlander becomes our next Hero Mech ahead of the regular Highlanders, then PGI may be thinking along these lines.

This isn't Pay to Win. This is Pay to be Exclusive, or Pay to be Unique. There is actually nothing wrong with that. The desktop collectibles like Mechwarrior Dark Age and Age of Destruction has been doing that.

Hero Mechs are also based on non canon stats. Their stats are almost entirely a fabrication of the developers mind (except probably for Yen Lo Wang, which canon does require to have an AC20) in contrast to the regular mechs, which are tabletop canon. Including the mech considered the most OP in the game, the Raven 3L. (In fact, there is a later tabletop canon model of the Raven 3L called the 4L that adds stealth armor --- not only does it ECM, but its undetectable from radar --- blame them evil Cappies for developing such stuff). In any case, tabletop canon mechs were conceived for the table games and not for first person simulations, and the flaws brought about by such legacy conception leads to boating. So far indeed, the OP mechs in MWO have been tabletop canon models that through the unforeseen consequences of weapons boosting and inbalance, becomes accidentally OP. Unlike the tabletop canon mechs, Hero mechs can have stats designed for the foresight of being in a first person shooter and can consider game balance to its design first of all, for example, by limiting repeating hard points of the same type that leads to boating.

[Anjian]

See I guess right then.

[-Seneschal-]

It's a great idea, and if you caused that change you must be feeling pretty good!

[FrostCollar]

This sound like a decent idea. Anyways, it would allow PGI to get some early data on new mech types before the general launch so they can head off larger bugs. I'm looking at you, old Jagermech head hitboxes.

[Skadi]

Dont you meen the way they just did the latest hero mech...

[FrostCollar]

Skadi, on 02 April 2013 - 12:28 PM, said:

Don't you mean the way they just did the latest hero mech...

Yes, in this case PGI is ahead of us.