10 replies to this topic

[Phashe]

...before it is too late... (I posted this in another thread but it was going nowhere) I am trying to help and old paper-n-pen player who also loves computer games start MWO right now. Major issues for him as a new player I see thus far are pretty simple:

(1) INFO. We take for granted how & where to find crap in the game. Like he asked me "where is the social button?!?!" yeah... Tutorials are out there, but not by PGI, and you have to dig thru forums and bad videos on youtube before you find anything worth while. If he did not have me to help, he would have left after his first few plays.

(2) GRIND. I personally think a new player should get about 2-million C-bills PER MATCH for first 12 matches (spitball number). Yes, 25 million C-bill rookie bonus, and faster. Enough to buy 3 properly-loaded mechs immediately after that. It costs about 8-million for a decent Medium remember! Dont agree - YOU got back and play 25 matches with STOCK (non-champion) mechs, and tell me how much fun YOU had!!!! yeah.... And how long are we going to keep same champion hero mechs!?!?!?

(3) FORUMS. Wow. If I read a forum like this, I sure as hell would not try out a new game. All the gripes and haters would turn away anyone. Yes game has issues. I still have a blast. love it. But look at the top 30 threads on any day, and 27 are people bitching about the same crap someone else already bitched about. NOT saying they are wrong, but damn, talk about pissing in the waterhole...

I have about 35 mechs now. Sold some along the way early before I knew that was a bad idea (info). And I am still buying mechs with C-Bills, still buying stuff with MC (real money), still learning about what I like to play best. Giving a new player a fighting chance with 3 good mechs is not giving away the farm.

[Basilisk222]

I'm with you here, But I actually think the cadet bonus should be stripped entirely. Contextually it doesn't make a lot of sense, and gameplay wise it also doesn't make sense, instead I'd implement a token system of sorts for mechs.

Complete 5 matches get a light token (Good for any light mech) 10 matches a medium and so on.

No boost to C-bills at all. after 20 matches, you will have a token of each type for one mech in each class (Non champion and heros of course). That would start off players with one of each type of mech. They still get decisions about what they want to play with the most, they play 5 less matches to get to that point, and it gives them a taste of each type of chassis. This opens the game up more, and in almost all cases, new players will like end up spending more money on the game because they are much more likely to LIKE one of their first purchases, and will be tempted to purchase MC for additional chassis, heros etc or a booster to get more money to outfit the mech

The forum issue is more than valid, but at the same time, pouring 100 dollars or more into a game with the promise that features will be implemented, over a year ago, and still not having those features today is a very solid and verifiable reason to throw a fit. Personally I'll play but won't buy anything until I see how the game is intended to improve. It is fun, but it's monotonous. They pump in mechs quickly, but there's little content made otherwise. This game has a strong shortage of maps, it also has a lot of other issues with gameplay elements, and a LOT of issues with the battletech universe, and remaining canon with it. I actually applaud PGI for keeping the forum a whinefest, It is certainly better than companies like EA, who censor and ban people for any negative feedback they get.

This game is entertaining, it has its flaws and the forums more than reflect on that, but you yourself as a budding mechwarrior newb should be the only deciding force on whether the complaints on the forums are something to worry about. PGI is responsible for all the good in their game, as well as all of the bad. If there are problems on the forums, and they're legit issues, New and existing players knowing about them is more than fair, even if there are 800 topics on them.

[FlipOver]

@ Phashe:
Want to help a new player? How about sending him this LINK? No need to go around the forum asking around when there is a section fit for all the new players needs.


@ Kilgorin Strom:
The token system sounds a bit like the cadet bonus + usage of 4 trial mechs.

Yes, there are differences, withe the token system, a player would be able to get more 'mechs from the get go, but is that something good?
I think of it as each class having a specific role in the battlefield. If you "give" someone a choice of a 'mech after 5 matches, that person will be torn between the quirks and movement of the trial and the new 'mech he could / will buy (get).
To me, this is a bit of a grey area, since in one hand you are helping the new player to get more 'mechs from the start, on the other hand you are "giving the player a fish instead of teaching him how to fish" by providing any 'mech on that class for him to get.

IMO, the new player really needs some video and functionality tutorials. Much like the ones present in previous versions of MW.

The current cadet bonus system is doing almost everything it should. The only thing missing is adding the XP won on each trial 'mech and make it available for the new player to use in a purchased 'mech corresponding to the trial one.

Edited by flipover, 24 April 2014 - 05:12 AM.

[Phashe]

Again. You play 25 matches with stock, non-champion mechs, ADD being new and lost, ADD the sucky c-bill earning for a NEW player at the bottom of the damage boards, and tell me you would play more. I think not.

I personally do not like the token idea.... UNLESS it provides a CHAMPION mech. Then OK & I like that too. Because giving anyone a free stock mech with no cash (current poor c-bill production rate), also fails. See above.

AND AGAIN... why must every thread to be a GRIPE thread about PGI ? it is like people just skim the forums to find somewhere to post complaints... "Well, I know you are talking bacon recipes, but the MWO meta makes me mad! so I am NOT spending anymore money on it!"

Edited by Phashe, 24 April 2014 - 06:05 AM.

[Bigbacon]

the cadet bonus is already a major help for new players the problem is that there is nothing out there to help them with what to use it on because you can only try out 4 mechs and there is no way to test play other mechs you may want to buy.

might also help, maybe, if the cadet bonus was just one big bonus at the end of your 25 rounds. I know I made the mistake of using those c-bills early on and if I had known i got even more free bills, I wouldn't have spent any on a locust which I knew nothing about, didn't know smurfy's existed and then was hugely upset that I spent the 3mil-4mil bills on it.

the biggest help to a new player would be a mechlab you can configure and play around with any mech with any setup in the training grounds. least then you can get an idea of what does what, how much your build will cost you and then you can either suck it up and save bills with trial mechs or spend real money for MC.

[Phashe]

BIGBACON: +1. Also good points.

[Androas]

Nah, the token idea is okayish, but has one fatal flaw, no matter in which Order you put the tokens (light - medium - heavy - assault) New players will get under the assumption that the first token is for the crappiest class of mechs, and the last token is for "endgame" like mechs.

There allready to many people thinking "Assault is best because its ENGDAME!"

which is crap.

Yet the idea of tokens, and the idea of "test driving" mechs could come together quite nicely,
why not, hand new players, for each match from match two to match 13 one token.

Those tokens could be used to unlock ONE mech for ONE match, test drive of sorts.

So the greenhorns could spend the first half of their cadet matches, with getting used to the 4 weight classes in general by
using the Trial mechs, and could use the second half to spend their 12 tokens to delve deeper into the different chassis of their favorite weight class.

After that, you could simply offer ONE mech of those they used to testdrive, at an reduced prize, so they can deck it out with the remaining cash of their Cadett bonus.

[Durant Carlyle]

Phashe, on 24 April 2014 - 05:54 AM, said:

Again. You play 25 matches with stock, non-champion mechs,

But new player's DON'T play with stock 'Mechs. They get free Champions that are much, much better than stock. Yes, there needs to be some documentation that stock 'Mechs absolutely suck, and some advice given, like "don't buy your first 'Mech until after your 25th match." And the devs are working on scripted training missions. But the best tutorials in any game come from the community -- the game companies just cannot compete there.

And I did just make a new character, and finished the Cadet Bonus yesterday. It was pretty fun to have a lower Elo again.

[Phashe]

But part of the fun is to BUY and customize your mechs! New players loose out on that. And really... How many matches in a row do you want to play the same champion mechs (that last changed around January)...

Just saying... 25 mil will buy you 3 decked-out mechs... I have 35+ mechs. You have to give more now to sell more later....

Kinda like the idea of not giving out any cadet bonus till after 12 matches (if my 12-25 mil after 12 matches) to help save bonus till you know what you want... I pissed my bonus away way back then....

[Durant Carlyle]

Part of the fun might be buying and customizing ... but how would a new player know what to do? Better to have them run the semi-optimized Champion builds. New players don't need to customize right away. In the lore, only the best of the best ever got to customize their 'Mechs at all. A new player is far from the best of the best.

And yes, they should give the Cadet Bonus as a one-shot at the end of 25 matches. Prevent the inexperienced from making purchasing mistakes.

[Bobzilla]

The xp gain in your own mech not only makes it function better, it gives a sense of progress.