70 replies to this topic

[Jun Watarase]

When PGI announced that they were going to release the clan mechs as ala carte, i was very tempted to buy a thor. I figured, hey, we are paying $30 per mech for the collection thing, and the only things stopping more people from buying it is that they dont want to pay for mechs they dont want to (tiered rewards pisses people off, news at 10).

Then they announced it was $55 per mech for ala carte and all interest evaporated. $55! Per mech!

If PGI had made it $30 per ala carte mech, the money would just have flooded in, along with all the positive press saying that PGI is finally doing things right. But nope, $55. They blew their one big chance to turn things around, just because they got greedy and decided to increase mech prices, when almost everyone was saying that it was too expensive.

I don't understand the logic here honestly. I can't imagine what kind of meetings go on over there.

Community manager : Hey guys, everyone is saying that the clan mechs are too expensive! Its a total fiasco!

Head of marketing : Wait, i just got a great idea...lets make them MORE expensive!

Now theres basically only two reasons to buy "exclusive" mechs like these.

1. You want the 30% c-bill bonus.

2. You want early access to them.

Otherwise you can wait and buy them with c-bills or even MC, which will be cheaper.

Lets examine reason #1 :

30% c-bills. Thats pretty attractive. But heres the kicker : You would only benefit from the prime variant. And only if you use it. Think about all the people who bought phoenix mechs and founder mechs. Not to mention hero mechs.

There are a lot of 30% c-bill bonus mechs in the game, but most don't get used. Why is that?

Its simple : Most of them are junk. I think the founders HBK-4G is a pretty good example.

There are of course some notable exceptions, but most people spent money on exclusive mechs that they no longer use, because they are junk. Everytime a new hero mech is released, matches are flooded with it. Then most people realise its crap and switch back to their ballistic/ppc builds. Oxide, Death Knell, Yen lo wang...all these are classic examples.

Remember when griffins/wolverines were added? Now you almost never see them anymore, and chances are any griffins/wolverines are the non-prime (and non 30% c-bill) variant. Because the prime variants are crap.

So ask yourself....do you really want to buy a clan mech for $55 each only to discover that its crap or that the variant you really want to use isnt the one with the c-bill bonus? Remember, PGI doesnt do refunds after you start using it.

Myself im stuck with a useless founders AS7-D which is terrible for anything except getting shot at. Its not THAT terrible now that LRMs are decent, but the 10 tube launcher makes LRMs ineffective. The c-bill bonus is great, too bad i get much more fun and way higher damage with other mechs. Would really love to switch it to something else, even the catapault would be better.

[TimePeriod]

I got myself a dragon slayer expecting AC20 in one arm and a PPC in the other. No dice, not enough slots. /rage.
I should have gotten anything else.

[Sephlock]

Iceman0427, on 26 April 2014 - 08:52 AM, said:

If I'm going ala carte, which top 3 mechs are you going to buy?

Replies will be greatly appreciated!

I'd recommend

1: Dire Wolf (the explanation would take up a lot of space. Suffice it to say that the game mechanics and how clan mechs (especially armor) are going to be handled, + the hardpoint layout(s) + the fact that it is 100 tons make it a really good choice).

2: Timber Wolf. There are a few reasons NOT to pick it, but my experience in MechAssault is this:

I loved piloting the Summoner and the Thor (yes, yes, I know. But in MechAssault there were two variants named that way), and EVERYONE loved the Timber Wolf. As a result, I stood out like a sore thumb, and whenever it came down to a choice between shooting at me or one of my teammates, the default was me. People just tend to pick the one that stands out.

3: POSSIBLY the Ryoken or Puma. TBH the Puma is awfully slow but I have such good memories of it (plus you could play it as a ghetto pop tart, if that's your thing.) On the other hand the Ryoken ... well there are good memories there too, but I also remember it being really generic. Hell, let's go with the Masakari. Even if they find some ghost heat style way to screw it over, it's still the MASA FREAKING KARI!

Also, you should consider that you are technically getting more (in terms of c-bill value) when you choose the heavier mechs.

---

Also, my original answer was: Buy one of each Gold mech.

Edited by Sephlock, 26 April 2014 - 11:45 AM.

[TheCaptainJZ]

Iceman0427, on 26 April 2014 - 08:52 AM, said:

Hey there Mechwarriors! I kinda need your Advice, comments, suggestions, violent reaction too maybe?

This Pre-Order, We got the ala carte, the packages. I'm still undecided and I think it's almost to close. I could say it's really tempting to order but I really don't want to see my wallet and cry.


I want to know your long term if it's a buy or not.


If I'm going ala carte, which top 3 mechs are you going to buy?

Replies will be greatly appreciated!

1st, this is totally a subjective question and you really just have to go by what you decide, not anyone else.
2nd, when the sale is about to end, you'll know I expect it to continue until June when it's released. The phoenix pack did.
3rd, there are still a lot of details about the clans that we aren't sure of. They've laid out how clan mechs will work, and some of the ideas they have for balancing weapons. They've also said that just because you are affiliated with the IS doesn't mean you can't own clan mechs.
4th, how much money are you willing to spend? The more you spend the better the deal you get (except ala cart which imo is not a very good deal. It's just there for shortcuts to the mechs only in the really expensive packs). And remember, all of those mechs will eventually be released for cbills (though you won't get the Hero-like premium variants anymore).

[Mystere]

Jun Watarase, on 26 April 2014 - 11:11 AM, said:

Then they announced it was $55 per mech for ala carte and all interest evaporated. $55! Per mech!

Just as a correction ...

It's $55 for a Prime and 2 other variants, which will then allow you to mix and match omnipods.

Edited by Mystere, 26 April 2014 - 11:34 AM.

[Cattra Kell]

Mystere, on 26 April 2014 - 11:34 AM, said:

Just as a correction ...

It's $55 for a Prime and 2 other variants, which will then allow you to mix and match omnipods.

You should also point out its 55$ for 3 mechs, then 100$ for 6, 135$ for 9, etc.

Not 55$ for 3 mechs, then 110$ for 6, 165$ for 9, etc. like he is implying

Edited by Cattra Kell, 26 April 2014 - 11:40 AM.

[Mystere]

Cattra Kell, on 26 April 2014 - 11:38 AM, said:

You should also point out its 55$ for 3 mechs, then 100$ for 6, 135$ for 9, etc.

Not 55$ for 1 mech, then 110$ for 2, 165$ for 3, etc. like he is implying

Fixed that for you.

[CCC Dober]

*cough* $135 for 3 Mechs *cough*

[Lyoto Machida]

Mystere, on 26 April 2014 - 09:34 AM, said:

Honor dictates that you also stop playing their game lest you be accused of hypocrisy. Are you an honorable person?

It's free to play...why shouldn't he be able to play the game for free, even if he doesn't feel that the values of the developer coincide with his own? Both parties are using each other for mutual benefit.

[Tezcatli]

I was considering either getting one a la carte or the Summoner pack with my tax break.

But then my car got stolen. It didn't end there though. My wallet was in there. And not only did I lose my credit cards and money. I lost my Permanent Resident which is $460 to replace. If that wasn't bad enough. I got a ticket with the car I had to borrow.

So yeah. No mechs for me. I could still save for it. But it's hard to justify paying $55/$60 for a few mechs/mechbays that I won't get for a few months. Other concerns have popped up sadly.

Edited by Tezcatli, 26 April 2014 - 12:13 PM.

[Cattra Kell]

Mystere, on 26 April 2014 - 11:45 AM, said:

Fixed that for you.

CCC Dober, on 26 April 2014 - 11:54 AM, said:

*cough* $135 for 3 Mechs *cough*

You guys must lack something,
http://mwomercs.com/clans

3 mechs selected, 9 mechbays total.
Sure its 3 mech chassis types, but you still get the 2 other variants with each one.
Last I checked that means 3 mechs per purchase level - not one.

Or are you going to strawman this one too with precise terminology?

Edited by Cattra Kell, 26 April 2014 - 12:32 PM.

[Mystere]

Cattra Kell, on 26 April 2014 - 12:31 PM, said:

You guys must lack something ...

Nope. You just did not understand my post.

[Cattra Kell]

Mystere, on 26 April 2014 - 12:32 PM, said:

Nope. You just did not understand my post.

I don't think you understand my post. The gentlemen whom I was correcting before you "corrected" my post was correct with the number of mechs you receive. That was never an issue. The dollar amounts was the issue and general assumption made by him that each mech is a flat $55 fee stacked fee, when in fact, that is not the case.

Edited by Cattra Kell, 26 April 2014 - 12:38 PM.

[At Least Three Bears]

I bought the phoenix pack and it wasn't my best purchase, not only 2 of the 4 mech are totally useless for me, I also deleted all the non hero mech once i leveled them up. Money wise it might be worth buying by packs, but no matter what it is way too expensive. They might wiggle in front of your face some useless side bonuses, but you still pay a full price for something that is cosmetic at best. Adding "clan" doesn't make it different from what we have now.
And i would wait, we just have seen what the "gold" camo looks like, we don't even know how the rest of the mechs will look in game.

I know it's hard to resit some impulse purchases, but i learned my lesson now. I try to see what i can buy with the money I invest somewhere else, cool off and then i realize that it's not worth it.

[Felbombling]

I’ve been on the fence, too, regarding the purchase of the a la carte packages. My thinking is to go with the Dire Wolf or the Warhawk, if only because they’d probably make the most $$$ in game for you, over something like a light Mech. This allows you to potentially buy one Mech bundle and wait it out for the others to be C-Bill purchases. We still don’t know crucial information, though.

- Will armour be adjustable? If not, some light Mechs are D.O.A.
- Which variants are coming with each Mech?
- What does the Targeting Computer do?
- What are the weapon characteristics going to be?

Take a Mech like the Summoner. I want to buy one, but I have those questions above in my mind, and it has prevented me from opening my wallet. Especially this… if I get the Summoner, will these be the hard points for it and the four different variants?

Prime
1x missile
1x energy
1x ballistic

Alernate configuration A
1x missile
1x energy
1x ballistic

Alternate configuration B
5x missile
1x bonus AMS

Alternate configuration C
1x missile
2x energy
1x ballistic

Alternate configuration D
4x energy
1x ballistic
1x bonus AMS
1x Targeting Computer

Alright… three of those configs have only one bonus energy hard point among them. Will PGI give us the Prime, B and D configurations as a result, so that we will get more variety? What if they don’t give the D variant as part of the package? Does that mean you don’t get access to the Targeting Computer, or will they force us to buy that module to get access to the Targeting Computer?

They’d already have my money if they were more forthcoming with sale information, but, as a consumer, I’m not prepared to give them money on pure speculation of what I might or might not be getting.

On to your question, OP. If it were me, I’d be buying the Dire Wolf for sheer size and destructive/earning potential, the Summoner to have a hard-hitting jump capable Mech with fairly solid armour and the Stormcrow as a versatile medium with all kinds of options. Then you use all the C-bills you collect as you play to purchase the other Mechs, as you see fit, or wait on the introduction of the Vulture or other interesting Mechs we have not been introduced to yet.

Edited by StaggerCheck, 26 April 2014 - 01:32 PM.

[Bishop Steiner]

RedDragon, on 26 April 2014 - 10:06 AM, said:

In fact, we are still waiting for any sign of what those Faction Points do that were advertised with the Phoenix packs...

Sounds alot like the People who QQ'd in Open Beta that the Founder's Names weren't in the Credits, so PGI lied to us.......

Instead of comprehending even when the package was bought that some things would take longer than others. I knew full well it would be some time before the Faction Medallions et al would be of any use. Had no particular impact to what I perceived the value to the pack being, which was the Mechs, Bays and Premium Time.

So please carry on your Crusade, just try not to twist things beyond what they are.

Jun Watarase, on 26 April 2014 - 11:11 AM, said:

30% c-bills. Thats pretty attractive. But heres the kicker : You would only benefit from the prime variant. And only if you use it. Think about all the people who bought phoenix mechs and founder mechs. Not to mention hero mechs.

There are a lot of 30% c-bill bonus mechs in the game, but most don't get used. Why is that?

Its simple : Most of them are junk. I think the founders HBK-4G is a pretty good example.

Odd. Just because you can't use them, doesn't make the junk. My HBK-4G is one of my favorite Mechs to this day. Only reason I haven't really used my Founder's Atlas since CB is I just don't really like mechs that big and slow. Perhaps if people use their brain, and aren't lazy and actually look up what these "Prime" version of Mechs are, they might be better educated before making their purchase, and thus, more satisfied.

TimePeriod, on 26 April 2014 - 11:19 AM, said:

I got myself a dragon slayer expecting AC20 in one arm and a PPC in the other. No dice, not enough slots. /rage.
I should have gotten anything else.

Who's fault is that? I Got the DS the day it was released, and was pretty sure it would not mount an AC20. I would have preferred it did, but in all other cases where mech sin MWO mounted sub-AC20 ballistics, they did not have the requisite slots for an AC20. Heck, before the it became FotM and the blasted VTR Nerf (thanks Poptarters!) it was still one of my faves to run.

[RedDragon]

Bishop Steiner, on 26 April 2014 - 01:36 PM, said:

So please carry on your Crusade, just try not to twist things beyond what they are.

Lol yeah. Just stating facts here. May I remind you that it's now over 6 months ago that we should have received everything we paid for?
Everyone has the choice if he wants to put money into this, but they should be well aware that some of the promised goods may most likely be far from what is advertised (or what we are made believe) and/or that some items won't be available at the promised date.

[Bishop Steiner]

StaggerCheck, on 26 April 2014 - 01:30 PM, said:

I’ve been on the fence, too, regarding the purchase of the a la carte packages. My thinking is to go with the Dire Wolf or the Warhawk, if only because they’d probably make the most $$$ in game for you, over something like a light Mech. This allows you to potentially buy one Mech bundle and wait it out for the others to be C-Bill purchases. We still don’t know crucial information, though.

- Will armour be adjustable? If not, some light Mechs are D.O.A.
- Which variants are coming with each Mech?
- What does the Targeting Computer do?
- What are the weapon characteristics going to be?

Take a Mech like the Summoner. I want to buy one, but I have those questions above in my mind, and it has prevented me from opening my wallet. Especially this… if I get the Summoner, will these be the hard points for it and the four different variants?

Prime
1x missile
1x energy
1x ballistic

Alernate configuration A
1x missile
1x energy
1x ballistic

Alternate configuration B
5x missile
1x bonus AMS

Alternate configuration C
1x missile
2x energy
1x ballistic

Alternate configuration D
4x energy
1x ballistic
1x bonus AMS
1x Targeting Computer

Alright… three of those configs have only one bonus energy hard point among them. Will PGI give us the Prime, B and D configurations as a result, so that we will get more variety? What if they don’t give the D variant as part of the package? Does that mean you don’t get access to the Targeting Computer, or will they force us to buy that module to get access to the Targeting Computer?

They’d already have my money if they were more forthcoming with sale information, but, as a consumer, I’m not prepared to give them money on pure speculation of what I might or might not be getting.

On to your question, OP. If it were me, I’d be buying the Dire Wolf for sheer size and destructive/earning potential, the Summoner to have a hard-hitting jump capable Mech with fairly solid armour and the Stormcrow as a versatile medium with all kinds of options. Then you use all the C-bills you collect as you play to purchase the other Mechs, as you see fit, or wait on the introduction of the Vulture or other interesting Mechs we have not been introduced to yet.

just remember that whatever we get you can mix and match the hard point between each variant, save the CT/Legs?. So that you can tailor some very nice configurations on almost any of the Primes. So I kinda get them limiting hardpoint numbers per body section, as you could EASILY make a Prime with more hardpoints than a Stalker on most mechs if the larger weapons translated to more hardpoints. Seems a nice counter for their overall flexibility. The question really will be about the armor for me.

RedDragon, on 26 April 2014 - 01:45 PM, said:

Lol yeah. Just stating facts here. May I remind you that it's now over 6 months ago that we should have received everything we paid for?
Everyone has the choice if he wants to put money into this, but they should be well aware that some of the promised goods may most likely be far from what is advertised (or what we are made believe) and/or that some items won't be available at the promised date.

I don't remember them promising the Faction Bonuses to be useful on delivery date. Pretty sure those were always stated to be for use in CW. Now we can ponder when CW will actually ever arrive, but we can't claim we have been waiting 6 months for delivery of anything, as they never said that CW would be ready in November when the Phoenix Mechs were sold. C'mon, I thought Germans were famous for their precision, lol!

[RedDragon]

Bishop Steiner, on 26 April 2014 - 01:49 PM, said:

I don't remember them promising the Faction Bonuses to be useful on delivery date. Pretty sure those were always stated to be for use in CW. Now we can ponder when CW will actually ever arrive, but we can't claim we have been waiting 6 months for delivery of anything, as they never said that CW would be ready in November when the Phoenix Mechs were sold. C'mon, I thought Germans were famous for their precision, lol!

*sigh* I'm very tired of all that white-/black knighting. I just want to get the facts straight so everyone (like the OP) can make their own decision whether it is worth investing in MWO. You can sugar coat all those empty promises, but it won't alter the fact that PGI time and again made promises they did not keep.

In fact, they did tell us that CW would launch in 3 phases over the next 6 months in September. That was a major selling point for many of us who bought the Phoenix packs. Maybe you forgot it, but those are facts. Many of us have learned from this and new players should at least know about it to make the right decisions.

[Felbombling]

Bishop, I know and understand what you are saying, but my point was this... Will PGI put us into a position where we can swap the ballistic arm of the Prime, A and C variant? If so, that isn't much variety, considering they're all the same. So, if the three Mechs we get in the package are the Prime, A and C variants, that really isn't a very good package, is it? If that is the case, it makes the Summoner the worst possible Mech to choose for $55.00. BUT... if we get the Prime, B and D variants, that isn't at all bad. Now, had PGI come out and ended the speculation on that by now, my thinking is they'd have sold many more bundles and packages. That is just me, though. Perhaps I am just a picky consumer, and other people have no worry over what they'll get for $55.00.