18 replies to this topic

[Brethgar]

Hey all, I'm kind of new to MWO, but have noticed a few things that I thought I would suggest changes for.

1) There are only 2 currencies in the game. C-Bills and Mech Credits. You can't buy hero mechs or cockpit items with C-bills, but you can with MC. In other games like Star Trek Online they have multiple currencies, some of which can be traded for real money currencies. I propose that MWO add Salvage as a third currency. You can save up to buy those hero mechs or cockpit items or any other store items, or trade/sell them for MC to buy premium time. Star Trek Online also limits how much of their tradeable currency you can refine or exchange per day, thus limiting the speed at which things can be acquired. This could also be done with Salvage.
Salvage is already in the game as a bonus to C-bills for wins, but could be changed to its own currency. This would allow free players to actually eventually get things that are currently only available through buying MC. Also Salvage as a currency could be used to acquire Clan tech once it becomes available.
Also if implemented with a trade system like an auction house, Salvage could be bought and sold in a player controlled manner. For example, I want to sell 10 tons of Salvage for 5 MC/ton, but someone else is offering 10 tons for only 4 MC/ton. Theirs would be purchased first and mine after.
Anyway, just a suggestion from a cheap s.o.b. Don't get me wrong, I am willing to pay real money for stuff but think the option to earn what people want without paying should be there.

2) 3000+ MC for a Phracken paint job is outlandish! I wouldn't pay $15 for a tabletop paintjob in real life for just one figure, much less a virtual one.

3) what should I be getting for my 30 days of premium time that I paid $12.50 for? Currently I only get 50% xp and C-bill bonus. No bonus mech bays, no free paint colors, no free Starbucks cup in my cockpit. I would like to see a little more for my money than what is currently offered.

4) I know it's all "coming soon" but we need more maps, Community Warfare, and tournaments. And more maps. That would be nice. Oh and maybe MORE MAPS!

Hopefully I haven't retreaded old topics with all my suggestions but felt like I should put them out there.

Thanks,
Brethgar

[Hotthedd]

I agree with the idea of I.S. pilots getting salvage points (Clan pilots could get honor points) in order to buy equipment.

I wholeheartedly disagree with any sort of AH, as it would only lead to farmers.

[Syllogy]

Salvage is already calculated in the C-Bill awards at the end of a match.

Trying to circumvent MC purchases is a bad move, MC purchases is what keeps PGI funded.

Also, in regards to paint, there will be packages available with the new User Flow that will discount groups of colors.

Edited by Syllogy, 01 March 2013 - 08:30 AM.

[Aurrous]

If they were to change the salvage bonus.. I would think it would be like a capture assist (which dosen't work) you stand on the dead body and get slavage points, and if you win the round, you get the salvage bonus.. But the low C-bil count is to encourage you to buy prime time with MC..

[Hotthedd]

Salvage is calculated in the C-bill rewards, true.

BUT, I.S. pilots shouldn't be allowed to purchase Clan tech with C-bills in the near future, as who would SELL it? If Salvage points were used, based on the non-destroyed enemy 'mech parts at the end of a WON battle, there could be a GRADUAL introduction of Clantech into the metagame, keeping I.S. 'mechs viable.

It would only take a small tweaking of the C-bill reward you already get at the end of a match.

[Syllogy]

We haven't seen how PGI will implement Clans yet. Let's see how that works out before suggesting changes.

[Hotthedd]

Syllogy, on 01 March 2013 - 09:31 AM, said:

We haven't seen how PGI will implement Clans yet. Let's see how that works out before suggesting changes.

It is a suggestion, not a change to how PGI will introduce Clans.
As I understand it, we are SUPPOSED to offer ideas, as beta testers.

Why wait to propose a fix, when there are already many good ideas floating around?

[Corvus Antaka]

The paint prices are a 1 time fee. After buying a colour once you can paint any mech anyway forever with it. I disagree that the price is outlandish for this.

[ShamaelTheFallen]

Hotthedd, on 01 March 2013 - 09:29 AM, said:

Salvage is calculated in the C-bill rewards, true.

BUT, I.S. pilots shouldn't be allowed to purchase Clan tech with C-bills in the near future, as who would SELL it? If Salvage points were used, based on the non-destroyed enemy 'mech parts at the end of a WON battle, there could be a GRADUAL introduction of Clantech into the metagame, keeping I.S. 'mechs viable.

It would only take a small tweaking of the C-bill reward you already get at the end of a match.

I like the idea, but i would increase the Damage or Salvage income (both may be a little too much)

[DocBach]

If I was PGi I would totally revamp salvage as an MC sink:

You kill a 'Mech and randomly receive a chassis in your inventory. You have three options on how you want to salvage it;

1) Use free salvage to open chassis; reward is small sum of c-bills

2) Use C-bills to hire better technicians to strip the chassis; reward is a larger sum of c-bills or equipment from the 'Mech

3) Use MC to hire the best technicians; reward is either a very large sum of C-bills, more equipment, or a very small chance to salvage the 'Mech chassis itself.

It provides an interactive money sink with a hint of gambling. Players love chance. This could also used as a way to limit the amount of Clan Tech available to Inner Sphere players, by reducing the margin of success of Clan weapons being salvaged.

[buttmonkey]

i agree with tihs whle heatedly.
having played star trek online i know its a good system and it will make alot of money for pgi, as players who need more cbills can just buy a load of Mc and sell it for cbills or salvage points. and i honestly didnt see much farming on STO due to the fact you could only obtain a certain amount of currency per day.

[Hotthedd]

DocBach, on 01 March 2013 - 02:03 PM, said:

If I was PGi I would totally revamp salvage as an MC sink:

You kill a 'Mech and randomly receive a chassis in your inventory. You have three options on how you want to salvage it;

1) Use free salvage to open chassis; reward is small sum of c-bills

2) Use C-bills to hire better technicians to strip the chassis; reward is a larger sum of c-bills or equipment from the 'Mech

3) Use MC to hire the best technicians; reward is either a very large sum of C-bills, more equipment, or a very small chance to salvage the 'Mech chassis itself.

It provides an interactive money sink with a hint of gambling. Players love chance. This could also used as a way to limit the amount of Clan Tech available to Inner Sphere players, by reducing the margin of success of Clan weapons being salvaged.

That is Pay-to win.

[DocBach]

How is it pay to win? it's gambling your earned c-bills or MC for a chance to earn something that costs more c-bills, using MC gives you a greater chance to win something you can buy with in game credits. It's not winning something that can only be won by salvage.

[Hotthedd]

DocBach, on 01 March 2013 - 05:24 PM, said:

How is it pay to win? it's gambling your earned c-bills or MC for a chance to earn something that costs more c-bills, using MC gives you a greater chance to win something you can buy with in game credits. It's not winning something that can only be won by salvage.

The fact that spending real money (MC) gives you an advantage is the very definition of "Pay-to-Win".

[DocBach]

...it doesn't give you an in game advantage, it gives you a chance to win a chassis at a reduced price, that could otherwise be purchased with in game c-bills; you are gambling real money away for a chance to get something virtual.

It's not pay to win - pay to win would be if you could only get some kind of death ray that did 35 damage and no heat exclusively through the salvage mechanic.

Edited by DocBach, 01 March 2013 - 06:17 PM.

[Hotthedd]

DocBach, on 01 March 2013 - 06:17 PM, said:

...it doesn't give you an in game advantage, it gives you a chance to win a chassis at a reduced price, that could otherwise be purchased with in game c-bills; you are gambling real money away for a chance to get something virtual.

It's not pay to win - pay to win would be if you could only get some kind of death ray that did 35 damage and no heat exclusively through the salvage mechanic.

Forgive me. The way I read your suggestion was that by paying MC, you had a chance to salvage a Clan chassis (and the free option and C-bill option do not afford you that chance).
If I mis-read it, I apologize.

[Brethgar]

I gotta say I kind of hate the gambling idea. Star Trek Online did that with their damned lockboxes and it was a huge money sink (real and in game) and I never really got JACK worthwhile out of it.

I think the Salvage should be its own currency and I'm not saying it should be easy to obtain either. You would have to 1) win and 2) have dead mechs on the field (a deterrent to cap race wins, grrr!) to gain any at all. Then this could be throttled to how much you can turn in per day. For example, an item might cost 1000 tons of recycled Salvage but you can only refine 50 tons a day then it would take 20 days to reach your goal for that item, be it paint, cockpit bling, clan tech, etc. Personally I might only leave Hero mechs as the only thing that must be purchased with MC, but I guess that's just me. You would still have the option of buying stuff with MC for the convenience of not having to grind for it.

This current Trial By Fire sale is a good example of convenience buying. I wanted an Atlas but was tired of grinding C-bills to get it so just got it on sale for MC. Yes, I suppose I am one of those people.

I still think the paints are too expensive. I am actually fine with the camo single use prices, but the paints themselves are way too much IMO. I do understand that it is an unlock and useable on other mechs, but still...

Edited by Brethgar, 01 March 2013 - 06:48 PM.

[DocBach]

Hotthedd, on 01 March 2013 - 06:28 PM, said:

Forgive me. The way I read your suggestion was that by paying MC, you had a chance to salvage a Clan chassis (and the free option and C-bill option do not afford you that chance).
If I mis-read it, I apologize.

What I meant was that Clan tech would have a much, much smaller drop rate than Inner Sphere tech regardless of what method (free, C-bills, or MC technicians) to keep Clan tech really, really rare.

Brethgar, on 01 March 2013 - 06:47 PM, said:

I gotta say I kind of hate the gambling idea. Star Trek Online did that with their damned lockboxes and it was a huge money sink (real and in game) and I never really got JACK worthwhile out of it.

Personally, I don't gamble at all. But I know that there are people out there that would sink tons of MC into the mechanic and it'd be a great way to make profit for PGI.

[Brethgar]

You have a point, Doc. Putting rare ships and things in the lockboxes made them buckets of cash. I heard about people dropping like $300 just to try to get one. Some did and some didn't. The odds were pretty low that you would get one. Some people got multiples and sold them on the exchange for big bucks (in game currency) to those who didn't want to gamble for them. Needless to say they have a thriving player based economy.

Eve Online also has a way to buy in game currency with real money and you can also buy game time with in game currency. If you play the game enough, you can play for free. Of course, someone has to be selling said game time for it to be available. Just another example of successful games with thriving player driven economies.