11 replies to this topic

[daFunkyUnit]

So here's an idea:

So instead of the Repair & Rearm mechanic that we had a while back, PGI implements a system where we have to hire Astech crews to repair and maintain our mechs.

When you come out of a drop, your mech needs to be repaired. So you assign an Astech crew to that mech, and it will be repaired after a period of time. This could either be in real-time, or based on how many drops you do (for example, mech will be repaired after 2 games played and completed). Also, the repair times can be different based on weight class. So a light can be fully repaired in 1 unit of time, medium in 2 units of time, heavy in 3, assaults in 4.

Now what if you're trying to grind up an assault mech, and you don't want to wait for the mech to be ready? Well, you can purchase/hire more Astech crews, and assign multiple crews (up to a limit, I suppose) on a single mech. So for example, if you assign 4 Astech crews to repair an assault mech, it will be fully repaired in 1 unit of time, rather than 4 (or something like that).

Now for the cost of crews, you could have the one-time hiring fee and a periodic fee for every time they work on a mech. So for example, you hire a crew for 3 million Cbills, and they are now your crew forever, until you release them (i.e. sell them). When you assign them to a mech to work on, you get charged 10000 Cbills. If you assign more than one crew, say 3, to a mech, you get charged 30000 Cbills.

Now, things get can get interesting when we say that an Astech crew is needed in order to modify a mech in the mechlab. PGI can then be able to work Omnimechs into this system, where Omnimechs may need less time for making mechlab modifications.

With this Astech crew system, it shouldn't be as bad as the Repair/Rearm system in terms of grind, I think. But it causes running heavy tonnage mechs more expensive (as it should be, right?)

Anyways, just an idea... any thoughts?

(ps, all numbers mentioned are hypothetical and just used for example)

[RandomLurker]

That's a decent idea for a mechanic, but it only penalizes new players who only have 1 or two mechs. Especially with the C-bill nerf, having even one mech locked out for an hour will hurt badly. Any repair/downtime mechanic must thus be optional.

I came up with this idea sort of randomly a few days ago, but didn't bother to share it cause I thought noone cared. Basically, you use GXP to unlock new types of "salvage contract." This ties perfectly into the lore, makes the mechanic optional, and offers a tradeoff of risk/reward. It also adds another use for GXP, which I hate, but will make the bean counters at PGI happy so there's a chance of actually getting it.

Basically, you get paid based on objectives completed (capping, victory, etc), and combat performance. The different contracts would shift the balance between these, at the cost of having to pay for your own repairs.

Standard Merc Contract: What we have now, more or less.

Elite Merc Contract: Huge increase in objective pay, moderate decrease in combat pay. Good for scouts, spotters, point cappers, etc.

Salvage Contract: Same as Standard, but with chance to loot actual components off of your kills. Assuming that component wasn't destroyed in the process. The catch is, you have to pay a portion of your repair bill.

Full Salvage Contract: No standard pay, but a very high chance to salvage components. Must pay 100% of your repair bill.

With these options, noone is forced into any gameplay mechanic they don't want, there is a range of choices for different playstyles, and PGI even gets microtransaction potential out of it. Developed more fully (my ideas are just a brainstorm), I think this would be the way to go.

[Corvus Antaka]

It would be cool if they dropped skill perk %'s down a bit, and then added a crew hiring & level up system to increase mech turning speed by 5%, etc.

[Glaive-]

I don't think this would fit well in the random match queue, but I would love to see something like this implemented CW.
Could make building up a strong group more interesting, and would make taking over planets feel more campaign-like.

[Skoll Lokeson]

I really like the idea in spirit. But I don't see how it ads and fun game gameplay. From the game play perspective, arn't the astech just a payed for cool down bonus. There's no interactive element. You pay and it just happens. Is there any skill och strategy involved that actually matters and is fun and challenging, if so how does it work (Please elaborate. I might just have misunderstood. It happens)?

Don't get me wrong, I like idea of astechs. I actually though about it myself. But for me it only works if it ads quality to the game, not just quantity.

Also, and this is important: When players can't use the 'mech they want, some of them will just go do something else, at best this will just reduce the number of players online (which is bad enough for a PvP-only game). The path of least resistance is always an option. That's why the repair mechanic needs to be entertaining, fun and challenging in some way to work (IMO). It needs to add something to compensate for locking my favorite 'mech and/or taking my CBs (cost/gain balance).

[Johnny Z]

A variation on the ideas, could be to have the costs involved go down as the crew expertise grows, as well as small mech performance boosts.

Which gives the idea of a quartermaster, who can effect other costs. I hope she is hot.

The mech bay would have a crew like the dropships. Would a cheer leader squad to see me off before battle be to much?

[Khobai]

So basically this is a tax on my cbills for no reason. No thanks.

[Skoll Lokeson]

Johnny Z, on 11 September 2013 - 04:24 AM, said:

Which gives the idea of a quartermaster, who can effect other costs. I hope she is hot.

According to BT canon and fluff she probably is. Like straight out of an 80' hair metal video hot

Spoiler

[RandomLurker]

That's not a tech, that's Nat K. AKA, the baddest badass in the entire universe. IIRC, she took down an entire company of Clan Mechs solo, in her Daishi, during the Trial of Refusal before she bit the dust.

No, Btech wasn't marketed to girls. Can you tell?

[Tweaks]

This concept has been beaten to death in closed beta and the general answer is that nobody wants to wait for their 'Mech to be repaired and just want to play. That's also why Repair & Rearm was removed from this game I believe. Personally I liked it, but it had it's disadvantages. For one everyone was cowering and sniping because they were afraid to get too much damage on their precious 'Mech, so it lead to boring and slower matches. It was also bad for new players who often got stuck playing trial 'Mechs until they could afford repairs.

This could be part of the new Hardcore modes however, but not the current ones.

[Skoll Lokeson]

RandomLurker, on 11 September 2013 - 02:12 PM, said:

That's not a tech, that's Nat K. AKA, the baddest badass in the entire universe. IIRC, she took down an entire company of Clan Mechs solo, in her Daishi, during the Trial of Refusal before she bit the dust.

No, Btech wasn't marketed to girls. Can you tell?

I know. Just needed pic of how women look in the BT universe. Pics of female techs were ungooglable.

[Firewuff]

Worst idea ever. I'm fine with 6-7 mechs so I can just rotate them while I wait for others to be repaired. if I had 1-2 mechs then its a disaster. It would only serve to build a wall for new players and have little to no effect on established players.