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For the sake of further increasing immersion in MWO, I submit the following suggestions for your consideration.
Increasing immersion by increasing “human presence”
Thus far, the only human being who is seen in MWO is the ‘mech pilot inside the cockpit. By increasing the “human presence” inside of the game, it will help to make it feel more like a universe populated by people, and not just ‘mechs. Furthermore, increasing the human element will make it easier for potential players to identify with, and see themselves inside, the “game world.” The following three ideas could be the initial foray into an increased human presence:
1. Adding a “Tactical Officer.”
In-game immersion can be increased by adding a Tactical Officer who updates the player with important mission information via radio communication. For example, the TO could provide the following types of info:
- Remind players of mission objectives at beginning of match
- Notify players when initial contact is made with the enemy
- Keep players updated about status of capture points (Conquest)
- Notify players when their base is being captured (TO becomes more distressed as the capture progresses). This would replace notifications from the onboard computer.
- Notify players when an entire enemy lance has been destroyed (or when the same has happened to an entire friendly lance).
- A message at the end of the match that differs, depending on not only victory or defeat, but the degree at which it happened (clean-sweep loss, skin-of-your-teeth win, etc).
- When a message is received from the TO, a small icon will appear on the HUD (to provide a visual cue).
- Players will have the ability to disable the TO, should they find the feature to be annoying.
2. Adding Technicians to the ‘Mechbay
While this would be just a small visual addition, it would also be important for purposes of immersion. If the player is able to see technicians move about the ‘mechbay while customizing his or her ‘mech, it not only reinforces the scale of the machine, but it also maintains the “human connection” while outside of the cockpit. A ‘mechbay is a bustling place of work and noise, not a quiet, unpopulated garage.
3. Mechwarriors in advertising.
I am not privy to all the aspects of MWO’s marketing campaign, but something I have not seen in its advertisements are actual mechwarriors. By adding such figures to the advertising campaign, new and potential players will be able to more easily understand their spacial presence and role within the game world. If players are given an unambiguous visualization of the persona they inhabit, they will be more likely to spend additional time, and money, on MWO.
*Some additional thoughts on the mechwarriors:
- Create both male and female mechwarriors, but do not sexualize them (let’s have a bit of class).
- Create them as 3D renders, so they will be easier to pose for any advertisements (let’s make Alex’s life easier).
These are all just ideas to be shared with the devs and community, so any discussion and feedback are naturally welcome.
