30 replies to this topic

[MustrumRidcully]

Not that it's a critical thing, but a few things I wonder:

Why do I have to drive a Hero Mech to get a C-BIll Bonus?

I can totally get that PGI wants me to sell it for money and not just hand it out for free. And it wants me to have a reason to buy it for a mech. But wouldn't it be nice if you could upgrade any mech to give you +30 % C-Bills? Why do I have to drive a Hero Mech that I might not even like as much as one of the other standard variants (be it due to looks or the weapon loadout?)

I suppose a reason might not be balance, but getting people to really buy hero mechs, and getting PGI its money worth of income. You will not be able to sell a mere +30 % upgrade to players for the same price as getting a fully fledged hero mech. But that means you also create a cheaper priced competition for Hero Mechs, which could end up with you losing money because some players decide they are acutally not that much in a particular hero mech and rather just get the bonus. Especially if they might already have a favorite mech and if they can get the bonus, they might be happy forever.

--

ANd talking of this bonus - why do Founder mechs still only grant 25 % bonus, why aren't they upgraded to Hero Mech levle of bonuses? It's just 5 %, so probably no one really cares.

I suppose the original reason might have been that the extra % was an incentive to not stick with your Founder mechs and "upgrade".

And now the new Project Phoenix mechs all grant +30 %, because otherwise people would wonder why bother if they can get Hero Mechs that give more C-Bills?

But the orignal reason seems now irrelevant - Hero Mechs are established, people seem to buy them, whether they have Founder mechs or not. And it seems a bit disappointing that the first fanatiscs jumping onto M:WO sight unseen do get less.

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And if you wonder about how serious I take these things:
No, I am not insulted, worried or anything about htis. It's just an observation. Maybe PGI didn't even think about it either, maybe no player ever did. 5 % is nothing, and how many of us are eve still using their Founder mechs regularly? I am not, for example. The DDC is better than the D thanks to ECM, the Hunchback is kinda obsolete, I never really liked the Catapult (Not a LRM guy),and the Jenner.. :Well, maybe it's just me, but I am not good at it. OR at least I don't feel good at it, I believe my W/L ratio is surprisingly good for unknown reasons. Probably a fluke.

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Oh, and if you wonder about whether this is really a Gameplay Balance forum. Well, there isn't a General Discussion forum, where would you have put it?

Edited by MustrumRidcully, 27 June 2013 - 12:48 PM.

[Weaselball]

What... I don't...

...OP, I think you just had a conversation with yourself and posted it on the forums. Go home. You're drunk.

[ryoma]

I'd be happy with this.

[The Sleepy Weasel]

In 15 years at a large company, I can't remember anyone ever sending back a 5% annual bonus. Like Jimmy Fallon tells the baby, "It's more MONEY!"

[Livewyr]

This idea has been mulled over, including with the devs- who are/were considering a sort of "hero-izing" standard variants for a 5-10% credit boost.

[Warrax the Chaos Warrior]

The question "Are there any plans to allow us to spend MC to add a hero-type c-bill bonus to our favorite mechs?" has been asked in some of the "Ask the Devs" threads.

I think the answer was "good idea, we'll think about it." So it could happen eventually.

edit: I type slow, so I got ninja'd by Livewyr

Edited by Warrax the Chaos Warrior, 27 June 2013 - 01:22 PM.

[BlackWidow]

Warrax the Chaos Warrior, on 27 June 2013 - 01:21 PM, said:

The question "Are there any plans to allow us to spend MC to add a hero-type c-bill bonus to our favorite mechs?" has been asked in some of the "Ask the Devs" threads.

I think the answer was "good idea, we'll think about it." So it could happen eventually.

edit: I type slow, so I got ninja'd by Livewyr

Livewyr ninjas everyone. It's how he rolls.

Plus, I hear he has nothing better to do at work all day.

[KAT Ayanami]

Updating any mech to Cbill bonus status would be a good idea.

[Alphawolf]

Then why even try to sell premium time any more? If PGI wants to make money leave the system as is, better yet bring back repair and rearm, then they could maybe make some money.

[Kattspya]

The only thing that is right by me is bumping founders to 30% cb and 10% loyalty. But I am kind of hoping that they won't. Most of what's left of the PGI defense force seem to be golds and this slight should convert a few of them to the light side. PGI shows no support for their earliest and most dedicated fans. This is the second time they've slighted the founders for little to no financial gain. If they keep it up the forums will be that much more vitriolic and fun. I can't wait until they screw the overlords with their next cash grab.

[Zolaz]

Well, they should probably make Founders give +35% or make other non Founders in the match lose 5%. I would be ok with that.

[CMDR Sunset Shimmer]

Yes.

Pay2grind less.

[Deathlike]

Three answers to really answer this post:

Just because... money.

[FupDup]

Deathlike, on 28 June 2013 - 04:27 PM, said:

Three answers to really answer this post:

Just because... money.

I think what Ridcully is asking for is an MC-based upgrade for non-hero variants. You'd still have to pay money in the end (maybe just a little less because it doesn't have a unique skin or hardpoint layout).

[Agent 0 Fortune]

Because that bonus is already available in-game as "Premium Time". +50% every mech you pilot. And why would anyone buy premium time if they could permanently add +30 c-bills to their favorite mech.

[Sephlock]

Yes. It has to do with the "balance" between the money that PGI spends and the influx of money from us (their customers).



If they give the ability to bestow a 30% bonus upon any mech the Founders' mechs will instantly become obsolete (not that they were any good to begin with)- and frankly the base variants for the Phoenix mechs are likely to be the worst of the bunch to stave off whining.

[Deathlike]

FupDup, on 28 June 2013 - 06:03 PM, said:

I think what Ridcully is asking for is an MC-based upgrade for non-hero variants. You'd still have to pay money in the end (maybe just a little less because it doesn't have a unique skin or hardpoint layout).

This may have to unfortunately scale due to mech tonnage (a 30% C-bills bonus to an Atlas would cost more than one on a Commando).. because if it were applied like paints and camos... PGI will manage to find a way to screw this up to make money.

Although, it makes stacking them on a Champion Mech a whole lot more attractive.

Also... I think Prosperity Park had this idea (or someone else) had this kind of idea, but the Champion mech was born through this kind of thinking (a bastardized way of removing trial mech builds AND selling an "optimized" mech with a mediocre sub-par bonus)

Edited by Deathlike, 28 June 2013 - 10:24 PM.

[Wintersdark]

I suspect things are the way they are (cbill bonus on hero mechs, rather than just a flat MC upgrade to any mech) because they want Hero mechs to be special, and stand out.

If you could slap the hero bonus on any old mech, the hero's wouldn't be as Shiny. Sure, PGI would make the same money either way, or close enough... but it would affect how Hero mechs are viewed.

I understand completely why they went the way they did. Not saying it was right or wrong, but it is what it is.

*shrugs* I don't think it'll change.

What I expect they will do however is add +cbill and +loyalty cockpit items/banners/whatever for MC (there's some of this in the Phoenix pack, in fact), which will accomplish exactly what you're asking for anyways.

[juxstapo]

slighted?

At the risk of enlisting in the PGI defense force, I have to say that I haven't felt slighted in the least. Not with the smaller cbill bonus on my Founder's mechs (which I still play regularly), nor with the comparatively better deal that Project Phoenix represents.

I've worked as a contractor for sixteen years now, and frankly you just have to money the money when you money or else money. A lot of people on here bit ch and whine about blatant money grabs and how they were jilted out of x amount already and how PGI isn't getting anymore of their cash until they do this, that, and the other.

Everyone knew from the beginning that they weren't purchasing a finished, polished, vetted product in a pretty package with a warranty. This thing is (and hopefully will be for awhile), an ongoing process. They might not have horked out the rather ambitious milestones they were speculating about yet, but what they have accomplished is damn impressive, frankly I was dubious about them making it this far. This IP was dead and buried, and Microsoft had practically riveted the coffin shut. Just buying into the franchise was a huge gamble, let alone assembling a team to do something with it. And we, (b itchy ones included) have had fun with what they've done.

Employees have to get paid. Businesses require a cash flow to continue to exist. The majority of this playerbase are deeply buried in adulthood, and by far most of us are professionals of some capacity. You all know this already.

If you can't see clear to spend anymore money on this thing, fine. I for one can totally respect that, but it's irritating and condescending to go around "spreading the gospel" of how foolish it is for the rest of us to continue to spend on this disappointment that you are so clearly disappointed in.

I think I've sunk about $500 in this thing so far, with another $80 heading out next week and I don't regret a penny of it. If I think back on the sheer number of games I've plopped down $60 on, good ones, bad ones, a very few great ones; If I add to that books, magazines, movies, (this is just my crap I'm on about, I've got four kids and a wife also) I am forced to conclude that I will spend money to amuse myself. Here lately, Hero mechs, camo patterns, and premium time have been amusing the hell out of me.

These people have to make money folks. Deal with it.



EDIT* Uhhhh.,... OP, sorry about the rant. It's very late/early

[Otto Cannon]

Agent 0 Fortune, on 28 June 2013 - 06:40 PM, said:

Because that bonus is already available in-game as "Premium Time". +50% every mech you pilot. And why would anyone buy premium time if they could permanently add +30 c-bills to their favorite mech.

To run both at the same time and rake in C-bills.

I think if they ever sell just the match bonus a lot of people would buy it for mechs like the Atlas DC or Stalker 3F that are considered better than the founder or hero version. I'd probably buy it for some of my variants that don't get used as much as I'd like because they're fun but not the profitable option at the moment.