27 replies to this topic

[Roadbeer]

Sorry to be all gloomy on the topic,

But was anyone else left feeling that those of us who are pledged to the Great Houses are little more than just content for the mercs?

Maybe I missed something but it sounded like we'll just be grinding endlessly on the front lines while the Merc units get all the cool toys, features, and the bulk of the design content.

[CyclonerM]

Roadbeer, on 30 September 2013 - 11:45 AM, said:

Sorry to be all gloomy on the topic,

But was anyone else left feeling that those of us who are pledged to the Great Houses are little more than just content for the mercs?

Maybe I missed something but it sounded like we'll just be grinding endlessly on the front lines while the Merc units get all the cool toys, features, and the bulk of the design content.

I think the idea is, join a faction and just fight to conquer,more simple. If you are willing to run a merc unit and organize jumpships bases etc. than you play as merc. Problem is, i really would like those features but i will join the Clan Wolf faction.. So no cool stuff.

[Spurowny]

Bryans half-drunk presentation was not at all clear on this topic, nor did anything he presented seem set in stone. The only thing i would take away from it regarding factions is that that factions will affect prices of equipment and mechs. not even sure that applies to MC, C-bill, or both.

[AdamBaines]

Yea it was a bit hazy on that point. It seemed as though that as a "Faction" or other Cannon unit like the Dragoons, you could earn your way up the Rank ladder. Kinda reminded my of old GEnie EGA MPBT in that way, which I like, but it would also be nice to be able to be assigned to a unit and be the CO of that unit, which it sounds like that wont happen. I'm still waiting to see how it goes......and hoping with finger crossed.

It could be by purpose. Those who really want to be immersed own their own unit and resources that go with it. Those who want to belong but not worry about resources and etc can just join a House who takes care of all of that while you the grunt hit the front lines. Maybe that's how the Devs will control the timeline....by dictating events and clashed between houses that will determine events, but only to a point where the major timelines are not effected.

Its all conjecture at this point...i just hope its fun :-)

[Dexion]

This has actually been coming for a long while... sense the very first hints of community warfare. I remember way back in CB hearing that merc's would be the ones getting all the cool toys while house players would basically be fodder.

That's about the time I looked at the domain name (MwoMERCS.com) and went... oh... yea.

Not saying I'm happy about it... just that it hasn't been a big secret.

Edited by Dexion, 30 September 2013 - 11:58 AM.

[AdamBaines]

CyclonerM, on 30 September 2013 - 11:52 AM, said:

I think the idea is, join a faction and just fight to conquer,more simple. If you are willing to run a merc unit and organize jumpships bases etc. than you play as merc. Problem is, i really would like those features but i will join the Clan Wolf faction.. So no cool stuff.

You could always be part of the Pirate or Dark Caste! :-)

[Hugh Fairgrove]

Yes. I don't think its fair to the factions/loyalists. We should be able to travel and set up bases the same as them. The whole point to being a merc is being able to take contracts, other then that I dont think the meta dynamics should be any different.

Also hopefully they will add in something that just doesn't let people jump back and forth between factions constantly. That and there needs to be faction loyality point decay. Like alot of other have brought up if I quit playing for a house and switch to another that I currently was just fighting against there needs to be come kind of penalty for that.

[LauLiao]

I think their idea was to set up the loyalists/house units/factions as the intermediate stage between casual and hardcore. It seems like Lone Wolves are meant for the super casual so they can kinda just drop anywhere and find a match, Factions are for the in-between who are familiar with the setting and want to have some sort of impact without having to commit their entire lives, and Mercs are for those die-hard types. The problem with a pre-established setting like this is that people already have strong loyalties that trascend their playstyle. There could be some extremely casual gamers out there who associate more with Mercs, and conversely some very hardcore players who won't feel they're getting the "full" experience from being "stuck" in a House unit.

[Roadbeer]

That was my initial concern too... however in the Command Chair post and subsequent Q&A, it appears there may be a middle ground for "Hard Core" Loyalists.

[DragonsFire]

Roadbeer, on 30 September 2013 - 02:13 PM, said:

That was my initial concern too... however in the Command Chair post and subsequent Q&A, it appears there may be a middle ground for "Hard Core" Loyalists.

I also remember reading something along the lines of Wolf Dragoons or other related loyalist based bonus (ie build up Loyalty points in multiple factions to be eligible to join WD or something similar). I think the Merc Units will allow for more flexibility in the end, but there is still plenty of great stuff that can be done from a loyalist standpoint as well, I think it just needs to be fleshed out more.

[IAN WAGNER]

AdamBaines, on 30 September 2013 - 11:56 AM, said:

Yea it was a bit hazy on that point. It seemed as though that as a "Faction" or other Cannon unit like the Dragoons, you could earn your way up the Rank ladder. Kinda reminded my of old GEnie EGA MPBT in that way, which I like, but it would also be nice to be able to be assigned to a unit and be the CO of that unit, which it sounds like that wont happen. I'm still waiting to see how it goes......and hoping with finger crossed.

It could be by purpose. Those who really want to be immersed own their own unit and resources that go with it. Those who want to belong but not worry about resources and etc can just join a House who takes care of all of that while you the grunt hit the front lines. Maybe that's how the Devs will control the timeline....by dictating events and clashed between houses that will determine events, but only to a point where the major timelines are not effected.

Its all conjecture at this point...i just hope its fun :-)

As a non-sequiter.. Good lord, another player from back in the GEnie MPBT days!

On topic, though.. I certainly hope there is content for the house loyalists. Worst case, I suppose house units can be formed as merc units, but thats a lame workaround. Using Kurita as an example, the Sword of Light or Genosha are certainly as capable as any merc unit in the inner sphere.

[Lord Ikka]

Bryan stated that they are looking into faction units that are player-run. Until they definitively say they won't do it (and I believe the feedback they've gotten will convince them otherwise) I'm not ruling it out that we'll be able to create our own, non-canon most likely, faction units.

[Steven Dixon]

We don't know all the details yet, but my understanding is that really it has more to do with your level of interaction rather than if you are a 'merc' or 'faction player'. Essentially 'merc units' are very involved, you recruit players, appoint leaders, chose targets, ect. While 'faction players' require far less organization. They still get perks and levels but its understandable that a lot more focus is going to be spent on the merc players. These are sort of the 'clan/guild/corporations' of this game.

If you want that more in-depth content you form/join a 'merc unit' if you want simpler interaction and not have to worry about logistics and such then you join a faction. If its about lore or roleplaying (which I can understand) then its pretty simple to bypass, simply name your 'merc unit' the 23rd Marik Militia or something and say that you are a semi-independent house unit. The devs call them 'merc units' but this is simply because they have to call them something.

Of course really we need to wait and see when more details are released.

[LauLiao]

Steven Dixon, on 30 September 2013 - 02:38 PM, said:

We don't know all the details yet, but my understanding is that really it has more to do with your level of interaction rather than if you are a 'merc' or 'faction player'. Essentially 'merc units' are very involved, you recruit players, appoint leaders, chose targets, ect. While 'faction players' require far less organization. They still get perks and levels but its understandable that a lot more focus is going to be spent on the merc players. These are sort of the 'clan/guild/corporations' of this game.

The very fact that the web address for this site is "MWOMercs.com" would lend credence to your theory.

[Ryvucz]

The great thing about this being a living product, things can always be changed and added.

In time.

[Redshift2k5]

Merc units get some more toys/game systems, which they also have to pay for.

House players are still playing the same game, just with less meta-game add-ons (which don't interest me personally anyway)

[Binbo Gami]

I really do hope we can at least have player run house units.

Other than that I find it hard to accept that my game experience should be lesser because I identify with one of the factions rather than some filthy lucre hound.

Maybe they will give us some more concrete info on their plans ( far enough ahead of release to make a difference) so we can share our thoughts and offer suggestion as to what we would like to see as house warriors.

[Spike Brave]

LauLiao, on 30 September 2013 - 02:44 PM, said:

The very fact that the web address for this site is "MWOMercs.com" would lend credence to your theory.

Mwo.com is owned by someone else. Go to whois.net for more info.

[Kyrie]

PGI has consistently maintained that faction players (aka loyalists) will be "passive" and mercs will be "active". In general this means that PGI visualizes loyalists as more casual players, and hence the "lemming" approach to faction player CW announced in the launch party.

I also disagree completely with this design approach, primarily because it inverses the importance of mercs vs houses.

In fairness I will concede it is an easier design path to take -- PGI is perhaps attempting to appease two opposing types of players: casuals who can't deal with any kind of structure, and hard core players who crave organization and structure.

However, I will always insist that the core of MPBT 3025 allowed for both to co-exist.

Edited by Kyrie, 30 September 2013 - 03:32 PM.

[Lord Ikka]

And we may see that down the line Kyrie, we just don't have enough info right now to make any sort of good deduction. The Loyalist post that will come soon may help with that, but who knows what will happen.