59 replies to this topic

[Sybreed]

I've had some experience with f2p games (League of Legends, Magic: The Gathering) and I realized that the BTech universe is perfect for a f2p model.

- The game starts with 12 mechs, but it will release constant "upgrades" by adding new mechs. Each new mech cost lots of C-bills, but you can also buy them with real money if you can. This is exactly like LoL.

- Unlike LoL, you can customize your mechs as you wish, and buying all that gear cost C-Bills or, if you're in a hurry (and wealthy), real money!

- Also unlike LoL, the equipment you buy is permanent (unless destroyed in a fight? dunno about this), so it also cost C-bills or RL money

What will be hard to balance is the rate at which you make money and the cost of equipment/mechs. In LoL, they balance this out by letting you make a lot of in-game money and by releasing a new champion every other week at full price (both in terms of in-game or real life money). While you actually make a lot of in-game money in LoL, you just can't keep up the rate at which riot releases new champions.

edit: Forgot about repairs. You know, some of you mentionned that you were afraid this game would be an assault mech festival. Any of you played the cRPG mod for Mount and Blade: Warband? That particular game (mod) could have turned into a full plate 2-hand sword fest if it wasn't for the ingenius way the creator balanced all this by including extremely expensive repairs when you equip all your best gear. This way, if you always use your best gear, prepare to go bankrupt. If you're out of money and your equipment can't be repaired, there are good chances it breaks and can't be reused.

If PG can release new mechs fast enough (one/month sounds reasonable) and also new gear and such (the vast technology of the battletech universe permits endless upgrades).

When Clan mechs will become available, you can also expect some new fans to come around, which is always good.

The only thing that could impact the game in a "negative" way is the slow pace of combat. While I love it myself, the new generation of kids are used to twitch games like CoD and such. Most of you don't want these kids around, but we also want this game to succeed:P Add more explosions or something maybe? Hire Michael Bay for special effects and we'll be sure to have the all the explosions we need...That'd attract the young crowd... especially if Megan Fox also get in the game... okay I'm starting to drift from the subject....

Anyway, I just hope this game succeeds like Tribes: Ascend is succeeding right now.

Edited by Sybreed, 27 May 2012 - 06:34 PM.

[Helmer]

That's the plan. The Devs have posted their carrot and stick approach to the F2P model. They are giving anyone willing to spend the low ,low price of $0 a fantastic game. Come for the big stompy robots, stay for the intense action.


Spread the word and get your friends ready for Mechwarrior Online ,coming Summer 2012.



(M&B:Warband is possibly the 2nd greatest online game ever! HOBOHAIL and for the Nords!)


Cheers.

[Sybreed]

Already told some friends about it. We're all in our mid 20s and played Mechwarrior 2-3-4 in our youth, so we're pretty excited for this game. If it picks my interest as much as LoL did, I might have to spend another 200$ on a "free" to play game (no remorse here, I gladly encourage devs when they make a good game)

(Nord fan here too, nothing can beat 120 housecarls rushing a castle!)

Edited by Sybreed, 27 May 2012 - 08:18 PM.

[predxen]

Sybreed, on 27 May 2012 - 06:30 PM, said:

I've had some experience with f2p games (League of Legends, Magic: The Gathering) and I realized that the BTech universe is perfect for a f2p model.

- The game starts with 12 mechs, but it will release constant "upgrades" by adding new mechs. Each new mech cost lots of C-bills, but you can also buy them with real money if you can. This is exactly like LoL.

- Unlike LoL, you can customize your mechs as you wish, and buying all that gear cost C-Bills or, if you're in a hurry (and wealthy), real money!

- Also unlike LoL, the equipment you buy is permanent (unless destroyed in a fight? dunno about this), so it also cost C-bills or RL money

What will be hard to balance is the rate at which you make money and the cost of equipment/mechs. In LoL, they balance this out by letting you make a lot of in-game money and by releasing a new champion every other week at full price (both in terms of in-game or real life money). While you actually make a lot of in-game money in LoL, you just can't keep up the rate at which riot releases new champions.

edit: Forgot about repairs. You know, some of you mentionned that you were afraid this game would be an assault mech festival. Any of you played the cRPG mod for Mount and Blade: Warband? That particular game (mod) could have turned into a full plate 2-hand sword fest if it wasn't for the ingenius way the creator balanced all this by including extremely expensive repairs when you equip all your best gear. This way, if you always use your best gear, prepare to go bankrupt. If you're out of money and your equipment can't be repaired, there are good chances it breaks and can't be reused.

If PG can release new mechs fast enough (one/month sounds reasonable) and also new gear and such (the vast technology of the battletech universe permits endless upgrades).

When Clan mechs will become available, you can also expect some new fans to come around, which is always good.

The only thing that could impact the game in a "negative" way is the slow pace of combat. While I love it myself, the new generation of kids are used to twitch games like CoD and such. Most of you don't want these kids around, but we also want this game to succeed:P Add more explosions or something maybe? Hire Michael Bay for special effects and we'll be sure to have the all the explosions we need...That'd attract the young crowd... especially if Megan Fox also get in the game... okay I'm starting to drift from the subject....

Anyway, I just hope this game succeeds like Tribes: Ascend is succeeding right now.

The bottom line is the size of your wallet is going to dramatically give you an advantage over other mechs. The devs keep talking about how the game will be "Skill based" but I ask about the average joe schmoe level player that has a deeper wallet and goes and buys a ton of cbills and gets a bad A** mech. I will tell you what will happen, that joe schmoe just got a lot better than all the other joes, thus creating a pay to win effect. This will only continue to snowball until the better players with money, start to jump ahead in EXP, Cbills, ETC that the other above average player with no money may not have access to. Hopefully you get my point, you can say its not pay to win, but that does not change the fact which is: 1. They need to make money. 2. people buy things that make them better. 3. people are getting killed by the people that bought Cbills, ETC so they go and buy Cbills, ETC. But that is just IMHO.

[pursang]

predxen, on 27 May 2012 - 09:50 PM, said:

The bottom line is the size of your wallet is going to dramatically give you an advantage over other mechs. The devs keep talking about how the game will be "Skill based" but I ask about the average joe schmoe level player that has a deeper wallet and goes and buys a ton of cbills and gets a bad A** mech. I will tell you what will happen, that joe schmoe just got a lot better than all the other joes, thus creating a pay to win effect. This will only continue to snowball until the better players with money, start to jump ahead in EXP, Cbills, ETC that the other above average player with no money may not have access to. Hopefully you get my point, you can say its not pay to win, but that does not change the fact which is: 1. They need to make money. 2. people buy things that make them better. 3. people are getting killed by the people that bought Cbills, ETC so they go and buy Cbills, ETC. But that is just IMHO.

You seem to know something that the rest of us don't. Just how exactly is this game P2W? For all we know, you can only buy cosmetic items/side-grades.

Edited by pursang, 27 May 2012 - 10:18 PM.

[Black Dragon EnDrakus]

pursang, on 27 May 2012 - 10:18 PM, said:

You seem to know something that the rest of us don't. Just how exactly is this game P2W? For all we know, you can only buy cosmetic items/side-grades.

not to mention i have yet to hear anything in an interview or read in any dev post that c-bills for real money will even be an option, it could be that the only way to earn c-bills is via good ol' fashioned blood sweat and tears on the battlefield.

[Agent KI7KO]

Even if there was a C-Bills for real money it's probably only going to get your mech configuration up and running quicker.

The real advantages come with the EXP grinding.

[Ranibito]

I was already super happy when i found out eve is going ftp. when i found out pso2 is going to be ftp i almost crapped my pants. when i found out this was going to be ftp i realized i will never have a social life beyond my computer agian. :3

[Shiinore]

IIRC, in LoL you were able to give your summoners skills, which was sort of (not really) customizing yourself.

But hey, everything you've mentioned is featured in Tribes too.

[Eggs Mayhem]

pursang, on 27 May 2012 - 10:18 PM, said:

You seem to know something that the rest of us don't. Just how exactly is this game P2W? For all we know, you can only buy cosmetic items/side-grades.

I don't agree with predxen's POV, but if you watch the Mech Lab video, you'll notice there are 2 price tags on the mechs: one for C-bills, and the other for their "real money" currency, abbreviated MC.

But this only means that the people with deep wallets will only have the ability to accrue more mechs quicker, not that they'll be better. And it doesn't matter how you pay for it, a PPC is a PPC on every mech, so there won't be mechs that are overpowered simply because its owner has cash.

[Tryg]

Just acquiring 'better' equipment faster means close to nothing. You show me a player with an unbeatable mech, I'll show you a liar. So long as the Devs don't fall into the temptation to offer 'unique' gear containing special stats to paying players that can't be acquired by the non-paying members of the populace, we won't really have a pay-to-win scenario. Players could get 'better' gear faster, but the same could be said for those kiddies off on summer vacation who can play forty or more hours a week. Further, getting the gear faster, doesn't get you proficiency in the game. On player buys an atlas with real world currency, one grinds match after match to earn his C-bills for it. The latter has the edge, he has more in game experience and will likely throttle the former.

[Black Dragon EnDrakus]

Tryg, on 28 May 2012 - 12:10 AM, said:

Just acquiring 'better' equipment faster means close to nothing. You show me a player with an unbeatable mech, I'll show you a liar. So long as the Devs don't fall into the temptation to offer 'unique' gear containing special stats to paying players that can't be acquired by the non-paying members of the populace, we won't really have a pay-to-win scenario. Players could get 'better' gear faster, but the same could be said for those kiddies off on summer vacation who can play forty or more hours a week. Further, getting the gear faster, doesn't get you proficiency in the game. On player buys an atlas with real world currency, one grinds match after match to earn his C-bills for it. The latter has the edge, he has more in game experience and will likely throttle the former.

this. unequivocably, undeniably this.

[Sybreed]

Tryg, on 28 May 2012 - 12:10 AM, said:

Just acquiring 'better' equipment faster means close to nothing. You show me a player with an unbeatable mech, I'll show you a liar. So long as the Devs don't fall into the temptation to offer 'unique' gear containing special stats to paying players that can't be acquired by the non-paying members of the populace, we won't really have a pay-to-win scenario. Players could get 'better' gear faster, but the same could be said for those kiddies off on summer vacation who can play forty or more hours a week. Further, getting the gear faster, doesn't get you proficiency in the game. On player buys an atlas with real world currency, one grinds match after match to earn his C-bills for it. The latter has the edge, he has more in game experience and will likely throttle the former.

True, but it all comes to what is more financially logical. Some people around here work a lot and might make more money than others, thus also have less free time. It'd be a lot less logical for someone to spend 10 hours to get enough C-bill to buy a particular mech than to work half an hour to buy it with his/her own money. That person could have spent those 10 hours working, making a lot more money in the end. I know life isn't just about money, but sometimes you have to manage your spare time/work time around it.

While I will probably get pwned by people who spend more time on the game (and good for them!), the f2p model actually balance things out when it comes to people with a lot of spare time vs people with less spare time, but a bigger wallet.

Anyway, can't wait to play with all of you.

Edited by Sybreed, 28 May 2012 - 05:19 PM.

[pursang]

EmperorMyrf, on 27 May 2012 - 10:52 PM, said:

I don't agree with predxen's POV, but if you watch the Mech Lab video, you'll notice there are 2 price tags on the mechs: one for C-bills, and the other for their "real money" currency, abbreviated MC.

But this only means that the people with deep wallets will only have the ability to accrue more mechs quicker, not that they'll be better. And it doesn't matter how you pay for it, a PPC is a PPC on every mech, so there won't be mechs that are overpowered simply because its owner has cash.

As I said: Side-grade.

[Punisher 1]

Alot of game development companies are going this route even the Battlefield Series is now offering micro transactions for kits.

While some will not be free to play may are going to a pay to win type of game ( Argue the point of pay to win but your going to lose since the benefits of paying are so much better than FREE )

[Sybreed]

it all comes down to patience... if everything that gives you an edge in-game can be paid with in-game money, it all depends on how long you can wait to earn enough C-bill to pay for the stuff.

[Skult]

Quote

[color=#959595]- Unlike LoL, you can customize your mechs as you wish, and buying all that gear cost C-Bills or, if you're in a hurry (and wealthy), real money![/color]

[color=#959595]- Also unlike LoL, the equipment you buy is permanent (unless destroyed in a fight? dunno about this), so it also cost C-bills or RL money[/color]

In LOL you have runes which you customize as you see fit and are permanent. You cannot buy these with cash, only the in game currency which is acquired through play.

The fact is that the only things you will be buying with cash will be new mechs and "boosts" to the amount of cbills earned per match.

Also, as with any f2p game, there will be a "max level." Meaning that everyone in a particular match will have played the crap out of the game and have all the mechs and gear they want. At that point the person that paid to get there faster is on the exact same playing field as the people who have played the game for hours on end. The difference is then completely skill based.

[Aelos03]

also i hope for this game to have competitive scene it will brings lots of players to the game.

[Jacough]

Sybreed, on 27 May 2012 - 06:30 PM, said:

- The game starts with 12 mechs, but it will release constant "upgrades" by adding new mechs. Each new mech cost lots of C-bills, but you can also buy them with real money if you can. This is exactly like LoL.

- Unlike LoL, you can customize your mechs as you wish, and buying all that gear cost C-Bills or, if you're in a hurry (and wealthy), real money!

- Also unlike LoL, the equipment you buy is permanent (unless destroyed in a fight? dunno about this), so it also cost C-bills or RL money

This is pretty much more or less the standard f2p game model and more or less why it's usually heavily criticized as well. You can argue that the people paying real money aren't getting anything that the regular players can't get but in the end, they still usually end up getting a massive advantage over the other players. Just take a look at Black Light Retribution. It's pretty much overflowing with p2w kiddies using top tier gear they bought with their parents' credit cards who are pretty much untouchable to newer players simply because they have better gear.

Honestly I think that a system like what currently Moon Breakers has where each week players can try out a different ship they'd usually have to pay for free. Alternatively, just keep the microtransactions limited to cosmetic stuff, like different camo or alternative mech components (like for the atlas say, a retro style head).

[Targun Darklighter]

told my Battlaetech group the 1st day i signed up. the whole group is here and all pending LOL