CapperDeluxe, on 28 August 2013 - 09:23 AM, said:
Its actually there to get around not being able to give new players some free mechs to start off. Instead making them use those awful trials. I really hope their UI2.0 scraps this mechanic and instead has some kind of rental program, that way people can get into their mech of choice and begin customizing well before earning the X millions of CBIlls for it. For instance the F2P game Blacklight does this and as long as you played a few matches a day you could keep renting that gun and scope and stock every day, and eventually save up enough to buy it outright. This is what MWO should go for.
I hadn't thought of this, but it's a pretty good idea. I see two most obvious approaches:
1. Rental: You can't upgrade structure and it takes a percentage off of all winnings until you have either paid its full value or given it back.
2. The Tom Nook approach: let them buy a mech with no money, but don't let them upgrade structure (endo, DHS) or buy a new one until they've paid it off
Both give you more choice than trial mechs while still providing a huge incentive to fully buy mechs. At the same time, it lets vets test drive new mechs without having to risk being stuck with a multi dozen ton paperweight.
I've never understood why PGI seems so deadset on awful trial builds.