49 replies to this topic

[SnagaDance]

I think I've never seen a company try so hard to skirt around P2W territory. Excellent work from PGI (and remarkable restraint from IGP, a company that I do not think too highly of, back when they were still around).

[Sadistic Savior]

SnagaDance, on 11 November 2014 - 01:11 AM, said:

Almost perfect definition here! I'd only add 'in-game playing' between 'permanent' and 'advantage' to incorporate Hero mechs and premium time.

Having said that. The MC arty/air strikes, UAV and Cool shot DO give an in-game playing advantage, though I'd say the effect is marginal and not even remotely near an 'I win!' button.

You can get those via CBills too though. I have never used them myself and never felt at a disadvantage.

[Zerberus]

No.

But spending money can shorten the time needed to acquire the cash and GXP needed to get the absolute maximum out of your mech(s) by way of hero mechs, champion mechs, and Premium time... Or it can help make you look cool.

The statements about the MC consumable modules (arty, air, UAV, Coolshot) being in any way better than the free variants are essentially false, and have been since about 2 weeks after the forum supernova´ed about them being factually better.

They DO however offer the performance of the upgraded free modules without spending the GXP to upgrade them first, so there is a grain of truth to it.

Edited by Zerberus, 11 November 2014 - 10:43 AM.

[Sadistic Savior]

The MC versions are slightly better. I think artillery Strike functions 1 second faster for the MC version. I would not call that game changing.

I mostly see them as a minor annoyance. Like lag. I've never been in a game where I have died because of one.

[Strikeshadow]

Sadistic Savior, on 10 November 2014 - 01:59 PM, said:

You can get to the exact same place never having spent a dime. Money will help you get there faster. but it won't give you a permanent advantage.

Pay to Win, IMO, is paying to get a permanent advantage that non-paying players can't have. By that definition, this is not a Pay to Win game.

I mastered the Jagermech chasis in a little over a week, and I do not consider myself a hardcore player. It can be done once you are past the learning curve and know what you're doing.

And you're willing to play 30 hours in one week....

[Shlkt]

The nice thing about MWO's business model is that you can buy in to the game at any level and then stop. There's no need to keep spending in order to stay competitive. Once you've got a handful of mastered mechs that are fully equipped then that's all you need. You can pay out $30 to $50, the same as a more traditional retail game, and have plenty of equipment to play around with for a good long while.

MWO players don't shell out more cash because they need to in order to progress, they do it because they want to. They want to try the shiny new mech, or the new camo pattern, or whatever.

There is some truth to the argument that the meta game shifts faster than a free player could acquire the new equipment. Thunderbolts were very popular last week, for example, and this week it looks like Timberwolves are on the menu If you want to play at the very top of the competitive scene, then yes, it's advantageous to have a lot of resources at your disposal so you can buy the "hot mech" when the next patch buffs Highlanders by 3%. Two weeks from now, though, Highlanders will be eclipsed again and your advantage disappears...

That level of subtlety just doesn't matter much in the solo queue or other disorganized games.

Finally... I would not recommend trying to grind out your first 'mechs without premium time. It's doable, especially for younger guys without major time commitments, but you'll enjoy the game much more if you have decent income while you're mastering your first chassis. My recommendation is to buy in early (it's more efficient to do so) as soon as you decide you like the game.

Edited by Shlkt, 12 November 2014 - 07:23 AM.

[Inveramsay]

Shlkt, on 12 November 2014 - 07:23 AM, said:

Finally... I would not recommend trying to grind out your first 'mechs without premium time. It's doable, especially for younger guys without major time commitments, but you'll enjoy the game much more if you have decent income while you're mastering your first chassis. My recommendation is to buy in early (it's more efficient to do so) as soon as you decide you like the game.

Don't forget that premium time certainly used to stack with the cadet bonus giving you lots of cbills to play with. There may even be merit in starting a new profile after you've played some matches and started to understand the game a bit more to use the premium time/cadet bonus stacking.

As most others have said buying stuff with real money isn't to make yourself competitive but rather of convenience. You can play with the mech bays you get allocated and with the odd extra mech bay you can win but it is far more convenient to buy a dozen with real money. The hero mechs are almost always worse than the rest of the mechs but the 30% cbill bonus is handy. The champion mechs are just a tricked out normal version so buying one is nothing other than convenience again.

[Kiiyor]

ZackVictor0, on 06 November 2014 - 12:09 PM, said:

Do you have to buy stuff in order to be competitive in this game?

Just waiting 3 hours for the patch x.x and reading through the forums noticed you have to buy some mechs/

Nope.

Having said that, the game can be a little grindy without, but not as bad as *cough*WOT*cough*.

My advice will be to try out some of the trial mechs, raed the forums, and get an appreciation of the type of mech you would like to pilot. If you like the game, one of the starter packages are good value. Don't rush into a purchase, but a good Champion or Hero mech can be all you need to earn decent cash.

[oldradagast]

SnagaDance, on 11 November 2014 - 07:07 AM, said:

I think I've never seen a company try so hard to skirt around P2W territory. Excellent work from PGI (and remarkable restraint from IGP, a company that I do not think too highly of, back when they were still around).

Agreed.

About the only thing you really SHOULD buy is extra Mechbays. Sometimes they give those away, though.

Hero mechs can be a lot of fun, champions are decent, and paint and camo do serve a practical use for identifying members of your long-term group or unit on the battlefield. But none of them are truly "needed" to get results. This game is definitely NOT Pay To Win, though spending $7 to get a few extra mechbays is strongly recommended. That's still a dirt-cheap price for a solid game.

[JC Daxion]

I'd say yes... You need to invest in mech bays, because any great player will have played more than 4 mechs, and mastering them, and unlocking modules is a huge part...

If you are gonna get into the game.. spending 15-30 bucks, is about the min i would say you should be doing.. Get some bays and at least get 3 mechs of each weight class to understand them..spending 15 bucks on bays, is a must IMO at the very least....

Just playing and using mechs of all classes, and getting them to master will make you a better player, than someone using 4 bays, and playing with trial mechs... So in that since, Yea, you really do need to spend some money... Because the person that does this with 4 accounts, will take so long to earn the GPX to get module unlocks it just is not really do-able.. and modules will take you to another level of play.

Zerberus, on 11 November 2014 - 10:39 AM, said:

The statements about the MC consumable modules (arty, air, UAV, Coolshot) being in any way better than the free variants are essentially false, and have been since about 2 weeks after the forum supernova´ed about them being factually better.

well this is true, and false...

the MC versions are better if you have none of the GPX unlocks... Once you unlock the bonuses, the C-bill ones are exactly the same. That said, The C-bill ones with out unlocks still work pretty decent

Shlkt, on 12 November 2014 - 07:23 AM, said:

There is some truth to the argument that the meta game shifts faster than a free player could acquire the new equipment. Thunderbolts were very popular last week, for example, and this week it looks like Timberwolves are on the menu

You can thank quirks for that... Everyone and their brother wanting to try out the new MPL-Meta-BOLT.. who'd of thought that... If you said TB's rocked 3 weeks ago, people would laugh at you.. I expect that one to see a bit of a nerf soon... Though probably not till mid dec at least

Edited by JC Daxion, 14 November 2014 - 03:00 PM.