PGI, I fail to see how this can work unless you have a lot, A LOT, of die-hard money-printing fans.
See, I'm a casual fan of battletech. I barely know the story, grew up playing the PC games and all and liking the experience. I was eager to see the Mad Cat/Timber Wolf, if only because of nostalgia. I'm playing your game and trying to convince friends to join in, because hey, big robots, lasers, what could go wrong?
I know the game is free and that cash is needed for its development, but HOLY. {Scrap}.
You're not Wow, with its immense popularity and massive communities. Last time I checked, Wow charges 15$/month for a fully developped game. A quick search on their forums has a thread saying that the complete game, with all expansions, is 120$. We're talking around 300 bucks for the first year of gameplay, available the instant I install the whole game.
Right now, you're asking me to pay 210$ for the mech I want... delivered in 6 months. Sure, I get a few other mechs out of the deal, but I do not want them. That's like trying to sell me a truck while I'm in the market for wheels. Compare to WoW, a fully completed game, active communities, lots of in-game content, with expansions, which costs 300$.
And even if I pay that absurd amount of money, I get to use it in a somewhat limited game. Two game modes who are, let's be honest, kinda similar. Useless factions. No story, no missions, no immersion, heck, even the UI is sad. What I liked about Battletech was that I could customize stuff and fiddle around with all chassis and weapons in the mechlab and then test it on the field. Now, I have to grind for tedious amounts of time to just try and do this... or pay money to grind better on a timer or a hero mech. Random PUGs that are often unbalanced. Weapons with faulty hit detection.
At 210$, I'm expecting WoW-level amazement right now.
I'd feel somewhat better if I knew each chassis was available soon after the pre-order for C-bills. But a move like this just reeks of moneygrabbing. Because then, why should I throw so much money for chassis who can be free eventually? Especially if the game encourages me to grind each one of them to maximise their effectiveness?
And don't throw me a "Mechs you buy are there forever" speech. Technology evolves. At some point in 5 to 10 years, the game will become obsolete. I reluctantly bought the Phoenix package, telling myself that 80$ was a worthwile investment for a video game if it lasts the average successful mmo game life. But hundreds of dollars? For a game who has yet to provide ANY CONTENT other than moar mechs?Haha, NO.
TL;DR Capitalism ruins everything. 1/10, would not buy.
Edited by Lollipop McTavish, 13 December 2013 - 08:33 PM.