15 replies to this topic

[Glythe]

IS pilots did not get their hands on clan tech overnight. As such I propose that Clan mechs appear first for a limed time (lets say 2 months) as premium mechs bought with MC. These would be limited offer hero mechs with credit bonuses like any other hero mech. This would grease the wheels a bit for the game and pay for all the fun we have been having (and want to keep on having). During this time any player that kills a clan hero mech should be rewarded with 25 GXP.

After the initial craze the clan mechs should be available for purchase..... after you've spent the necessary general experience. Each weight class is available to be unlocked once you've spent the required GXP. I'm suggesting that each should run somewhere in the 20,000-25,000 range. This encourages players to think wisely about which model they want. It will also encourage players to spend a few MC converting experience. It will also add to the uniqueness of the clan techs as not everyone will have enough xp yet. Note that if you buy a hero clan mech you can skip unlocking that weight class with GXP (you've already paid once and there's no need to pay again).

I must insist that clan tech cannot work with IS tech (until maybe a much later patch). Why? If I can buy a clan XL engine and replace all my weapons with superior clan tech then I have no need to waste time grinding a new mech (and buying a mech bay). If I don't need to grind for more xp or more CB then I don't need premium.

Balance superior clan mechs against a superior number of opponents. This makes the clan tech an appealing alternative but it is not necessarily better as increased tech comes at the cost of less eyes in the field and less total team health.

[Max Liao]

I'd rather they work on the thread titled: INNER SPHERE TECH (You know, the stuff currently in the game): HOW TO BALANCE AND INTRODUCE IT.

[Glythe]

Let's have one more change for clan tech.....

Make double heat sinks true 2.0 doubles. Then they are all the more appealing (as heat sinks are only 2 slots in clan mechs)

[Bobzilla]

If you can buy a clan chasis with MC eveyone will just use cbills to buy clan weapons on IS chasis'. If you need a clan chasis to use clan weapons and that chasis is only available with MC the game is pay to win as clan tech is way better in every way.

I think your method also penalizes the casual player, as building GXP is slow.
Also this game is hard enough on new players, add to that the fact that they will be using outdated IS tech vs clan tech and no new players will stick around.

The problem is clan tech isn't just slightly better, it makes IS not worth taking.

They need to keep the old tech relevant when clan tech comes, not just introduce clan tech that's much better but exlusive to payers and hardcore players.

[Hotthedd]

The only way to keep IS 'mechs from complete obsolecence is mixtech.

However, buying clantech with C-bills doesn't seem right. Something along the lines of salvage points for matches based on the non-destroyed parts of enemy 'mechs after a win, which could be used to but weapons and equipment (including clan weapons and equipment)

The pilot skill tree is already implemented, and could be a BIG balancing factor, as Omnimechs do not have variants (only alt. configurations), and therefore could never be elited by IS pilots. (Perhaps Clan players could have a different method to unlock elite-level skills, such as honor points)

[ICUBurn]

U realize doing that it would make it pay2win right? The game would loose a lot of people it they made clan tech a MC only item.

[Stringburka]

ICUBurn, on 27 February 2013 - 10:06 AM, said:

U realize doing that it would make it pay2win right? The game would loose a lot of people it they made clan tech a MC only item.

^ This. A lot of players would stop playing, both free and paying ones.

Also, it's still a bad way to balance it. Items should be balanced related to their combat function, not to some abstract out of match value.

I'd rather see they limit clan tech by setting up matches so that the clans and the IS fight with uneven numbers; 5 'mech clan stars vs 8 'mech double lances, for example.

[blinkin]

Stringburka, on 27 February 2013 - 10:39 AM, said:

^ This. A lot of players would stop playing, both free and paying ones.

Also, it's still a bad way to balance it. Items should be balanced related to their combat function, not to some abstract out of match value.

I'd rather see they limit clan tech by setting up matches so that the clans and the IS fight with uneven numbers; 5 'mech clan stars vs 8 'mech double lances, for example.

agh.

i was going to agree with right up until you took a stab at RR.

as for the OP: something like this would very firmly place this game in the P2W category. i can defend hero mechs and the other stuff but MC only clan tech would be something even i wouldn't be willing to stand for.

[Warge]

As for me: 4x IS Mechs vs 3x C Mechs fights and return of R&R with higher prices for Clans.

[Glythe]

Hang on now..... consider that I said the MC only hero clan mechs would have a limited run (maybe only a month) before everyone else could buy them with CB. If you're upset with that you could just wait for next month's patch. I think most people have done that at some point for this game.

Remember too that most likely clan mechs are going to handicap your team in terms of numbers.

[SandwichMeat]

I feel like R&R is the best way to balance Clan tech.. Just like R&R used to balance missile boats.

Also the uneven teams does make some sense, depending on how powerful PGI makes Clan tech...
Pilots should pay for (with C-bills), not necessarily just variants, but for items (R&R) because with lore, IS chassis are capable of donning clan weapons.

R&R can really keep the game balanced in all aspects. It doesn't have to be insanely expensive, but enough to keep some ridiculous builds in check.

At no point, even for a day, should this game have any P2W. That is total crap.

Edited by SandwichMeat, 10 March 2013 - 11:52 PM.

[JuiceKeeper]

i can imagine it would work like this.
When you are with house and you buy Clan mech and you would use it you would fight for clan that current game, you take IS mech you play for your desired faction. Mercs, Lonewolfs, would be able to use all equipment maybe it would have to be for them more expensive. And slowly how game progress and timeline. Some Clan weapons and mech chassis would start to "leak" into inner sphere. Like on one planet players would find blueprints of Clan weapon which would translate into that that clan weapon would be available in store for everybody in IS. And overtime both sides would be made equal.

[Lightfoot]

Cross-tech, day one. It's the only way. Until PGI realizes this fact I will be in the Madcat or Thor.

You see, if I am Clan tech, my 2 ERPPCs equal 3 IS, my SSRMs come in 4 and 6 paks and have 360 meter range, my LRMs weigh half, my lasers are all ER versions. Hot stuff, but I can cram 30-36 DHS on to keep it nice and cool.

Oh yes, I almost forgot, Clan Gauss weigh 12 tons, and those UAC's? They come as Ultra AC 20's and 10's.

You can see how there will be no shortage of Clan pilots if there is no cross-tech option.

Even in the Lore the Clan crushed the IS at first. However, Merc Units got Clan tech pretty fast through salvage and what not, so maybe there is a Lore option there.

Edited by Lightfoot, 11 March 2013 - 04:13 AM.

[JuiceKeeper]

yea i know what you mean everybody wants to play OP and be best in best mech with best equipment so probably there wouldnt be lot of IS players to compete against clans. But if u look on clans how expensive everything they have is becouse whole galaxy forgot how to build that stuff. But what if when u would play for clans u wouldnt earn that much credits or more something like 50% less and also to have some sort of R&R which would in the end looked like the clans would be sort of high skill based part of game even they would have better equipment in start but u would have to utilize damage taken and what you take into game to be at least little bit profitable. But if u would play for IS u would get normal money like we get now. So playing clan would really hurt your income from games not till the point u would have to need to pay for those games by playing few games in IS mechs. And definitly slowly releasing clan tech for IS.

[Glythe]

Lightfoot, on 11 March 2013 - 03:58 AM, said:

Cross-tech, day one. It's the only way. Until PGI realizes this fact I will be in the Madcat or Thor.

You can see how there will be no shortage of Clan pilots if there is no cross-tech option.

That's not true.

Take a minute and think about what PGI needs to do.... always sell MC. Combine that with the allure of clan tech and think it over a moment.

Clan tech unlocked with GXP makes people want to spend MC so they can have it now. This keeps it slightly restrictive AND helps the company get revenue (good if you like playing this game). But if you get to use all the new toys on your current mech then you don't need premium to grind CB. That's why we are likely to see new versions of existing mechs that ARE capable of using clan tech.

So you've got the Atlas K, 7D and DDC? But don't have the clan Atlas..... I've got one on sale for 20,000,000!

Problem solved! Now you still need premium, you might need GXP unlocks AND you need to buy the chassis itself. That's quite a bit of $$$ to be collected. And then there is the even better new and improved clan mech line that is just absolutely stellar. You'll need a boatload of CB to keep those running.



As for RnR that would be neat for clan tech but I don't see it happening considering they said it was never returning.

[CryptRunner]

We should not be able to buy Clan Mechs or Clan Tech... If this game comes P2W, then I think a lot of people will leave it; I know I will.

Introduce the clans by creating PVE drops where your Lance/s, or Company and drop into very difficult instances which feature Clan opponents. Then, instead of just giving us the ability to buy Clan mechs, we have to earn them.

** For instance, maybe in one mission there is a timed event that, if you unit can reach an objective in time, you can prevent Clan Mechwarriors from reaching their mechs, and after that occurs you then have to defend that area from a Clan counter attack. If all goes well, you can finish that event with, possibly, fully operational Clan Mechs as salvage, or maybe just clan tech if the mechs took significant damage.

Just an idea, and I know it's way-out-there in terms of what the developers are working on, but I would be willing to PAY a monthly subscription for this game to have access to content like that.

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