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Require all players to build a full drop deck of their own mechs with a minimal upgrade requirement before they can drop in FP the first time. This will be referred to as an "extended" or "field" training period in which a player "proves their ability" to fight for their Faction. A visual progress meter with clear goals and how to meet them will help players keep aware of what is advance in their quest to become FP ready. When the players enter the FP screen, they will arrive at a drop deck configuration screen with information letting them know the requirements to meet to get their first FP drop as well as information on their progress toward that goal as well as what they still need to complete to load that first drop deck.
Reasoning: Control basics, game mechanics, mechs and weapon classes are all necessary to understand in order to contribute to FP. There was a lot of discussion about adding a "gate" or a specific criteria before one is allowed to play in the Faction Play game mode. It is of great benefit to both experienced and new players a like to make sure that players participating in FP are minimally competent so as to a) not drag down more experienced players and b)not intimidate new players out of the game.
Details: Building a visual progression chart that a player must complete before they can drop in FP would help make sure that players have a reasonable amount of experience and practice while providing an engaging and immersive "extended training period" before they drop into the competitive game mode. The time it takes for a player to complete the "extended field training" ensures that they've gained enough experience and have an idea of what is going on. With the first drop deck requiring a player to use only his owned mechs, an early goal to work towards (beyond collect mechs to fight) is provided to help give some guidance and direction as to what a player needs to be minimally competitive.
Extended Field Training- what it is:
1. A minimum number (X) of games playing trial mechs from both skill trees before purchasing a mech from that respective weight class.
2. Owning and completing "basic" level upgrades for at least 1 mech from a weight class will provide a certification for that pilot toward completing his Extended Field Training. Aside from making sure a new pilot has experience in a certain mech, this would substantially reduce the disadvantage of fewer upgraded node benefits to some degree.
4. *Optional- A certain number of completed actions could be added as a requirement for each class to provide some clear strategies for mechs from each class (some ideas are a light must get X number of Scouting and protected light awards, and assault requires X KMDD, medium requires achieve enough "lance in formation" or "protected medium" awards etc...)
Benefits
-Improved new player preparation for FP means it will be less intimidating and off putting when start dropping.
-Basic experience and comprehension of mech classes and upgrades are made part of a more engaging and immersive preparation process.
-Direction by means of clear objectives and requirements of what is necessary for a minimally viable drop deck provides a path to follow in what is currently a sandbox.
-Upgrade tree difference will be reduced between new and experienced players.
Drawbacks/ Trade offs and Possible Solutions
-Extends the time before FP is playable- the trade off is that FP will receive fewer unprepared players.
-Cost differences between IS and Clan chassis will likely lead to IS mechs being selected more often due to perceived savings- A means to convey that the most IS mechs require additional upgrades that eventually make the costs comparable to their Clan counterparts.
-Grind time may be off putting- C-bill, XP, and weapons awards could be added during this "extended field training" period to help with node upgrades, mech upgrades, and weapons experimentation.
-New players will not know whether to commit to IS or Clan Mechs- Information provided from the very beginning of the game and regularly reinforced throughout this early period should make the general differences between the two tech trees clear (laser burn time, weapons range, standard vs omnimech) and encourage players to choose a choose a side sooner*.
* Possible solutions for this are requiring a player to pilot an IS and Clan mech from each weight class at least X number of times before they can buy their first mech. This may be seen as an unnecessary hurdle at first, but exposing the player to both technologies before buying their first mech will reduce the the large amount of buyer's remorse and "wasted first mechs".
This is a rough draft but I'd like to hear thoughts and reactions to this. I know FP matchmaking is a very hot topic right now and finding any way we can to improve match quality should be a priority. Devising a method to improve incoming FP players while creating a more interesting and better guided early experience for new players will also increase player retention as they won't feel as bad about
Edited by SuperFunkTron, 18 February 2017 - 08:02 AM.
