You start with 4 mech bays.
The first 20? or so games you will get a "cadet bonus" where you will earn a lot more in game currency called C bills.
With those you can buy a mech. If you do not want to wait you can use real cash to buy MC and buy a mech right away. Each mech has two price tags, one for MC/real money, and the other for Cbills.
The equipment, upgrades, and weapons installed on the mech can only be gotten with Cbills. So every mech that looks like it is better than yours, rest assured that he earned those upgrades and did not pay to win.
You can not buy MC and convert it into C bills, yet.
Getting mor than four mechs require additional mech bays. Those DO cost MC.
And your mech will be yours permanently. You can sell it to free up a mech bay and get some C bills if you like. But it's better to keep it.
Play the game and get yourself a Hunchback 4SP.
Use your C bills to install double heat sinks and endo steel structure.
Edited by Kaylos Thex, 24 March 2013 - 05:48 AM.