14 replies to this topic

[crustydog]

It's an old horse, I know...


I finished the Mercenary Event, and it took me 199 games to do it. Once I realized there was an event on, I switched over to my best gear, my fully mastered, and most productive mechs.

At the start of the event, I had about $12 million C-Bills. At the end I have about $24 million.

However, all of that newly earned surplus XP is just sitting idle. I have a healthy GXP account, and more mech XP than I will ever require to convert.

That surplus XP needs an additional avenue for consumption. I don't care how other games do it... frack those guys - we are talking about this game.

For starters, how about converting it to C-Bills? At least then we can buy more modules and mechs, etc... and that leads to more mech bay purchases. Furthermore, we can see it as an added reward for mastering a mech. Now that mastered mech makes even more money as well.

Maybe a class of new consumables that could be purchased with XP?, or even some of the existing consumables that are now purchased with C-Bills? Is there any good reason why you could not use both?

It seems a terrible waste to be generating all of this XP if we are not going to be putting it to use.

So let's find a good purpose for it, and make that happen!

Edited by crustydog, 01 February 2015 - 12:40 AM.

[El Bandito]

Why should PGI cut its own revenue with the XP > C-Bill conversion + giving more incentive to play money-making mechs?

IMO, PGI should give us ranks for amount of XP accumulated per mech. The rank will show on the start/end game menu, allowing us to see which pilots are veteran with their current mechs. It is a nice fluff that will give XP some meaning without digging into PGI's pocket.

Edited by El Bandito, 01 February 2015 - 12:15 AM.

[crustydog]

El Bandito, on 01 February 2015 - 12:12 AM, said:

Why should PGI cut its own revenue with the XP > C-Bill conversion + giving more incentive to play money-making mechs?

IMO, PGI should give us ranks for amount of XP accumulated per mech. The rank will show on the start/end game menu, allowing us to see which pilots are veteran with their current mechs. It is a nice fluff that will give XP some meaning without digging into PGI's pocket.

I do not think it would have a major impact on revenue, one way or the other. If players buy more in game stuff, they will need more of the real world purchase stuff ( aka mechbays) to support it. The effect would likely be somewhat neutral. If revenue is the issue, they can introduce more RW purchasables to offset any losses... and the players who now buy mech packs and camo, etc, will continue to buy that stuff regardless.

I like the idea of rewarding ranks based on total earned XP - even a rank bonus to C-bills per match when using those mechs... this would reflect the concept that an experienced warrior is worth more to the employer.

Perhaps making the rank rewards as additional, very expensive, unlocks in the masters tier? That would soak up some more of the XP for certain.

However, we are still left with the issue of what to do with the surplus after that.

[LordKnightFandragon]

So, you played 199 games? started with 12 mill, ended with 24? So you made an avg of 60K? dang.

[crustydog]

LordKnightFandragon, on 01 February 2015 - 12:44 AM, said:

So, you played 199 games? started with 12 mill, ended with 24? So you made an avg of 60K? dang.

Hey, I'm new and old at the same time:) You could say I got stomped once for every stomping I issued, and that would be about pretty close to right. That's new player life in the MWO pug queue.

I am nowhere near good enough to have completed this event in the group queue.

So it's 'sometime you win, sometimes you lose, and sometimes it rains LRM's.'

It is what it is... what I lack for in talent I must make up in grind.

[LordKnightFandragon]

crustydog, on 01 February 2015 - 01:04 AM, said:

Hey, I'm new and old at the same time:) You could say I got stomped once for every stomping I issued, and that would be about pretty close to right. That's new player life in the MWO pug queue.

I am nowhere near good enough to have completed this event in the group queue.

So it's 'sometime you win, sometimes you lose, and sometimes it rains LRM's.'

It is what it is... what I lack for in talent I must make up in grind.

Oh, I wasnt ragging you. Just doin some quick maths to see the "fine" rewards we have in this game.

[crustydog]

LordKnightFandragon, on 01 February 2015 - 01:09 AM, said:

Oh, I wasnt ragging you. Just doin some quick maths to see the "fine" rewards we have in this game.

LOL, I agree with you there:)

[Pjwned]

Personally I would rather see a non-MC alternative for converting MXP into GXP, although obviously at a much lower rate to motivate people to use MC still, say something like 50 MXP for 1 GXP. It would also help if using GXP to unlock mech tree efficiencies meant (something like) 1/10 the cost of MXP because of what a gigantic waste it is right now to use GXP on anything other than modules.

Sure, people might say "b-b-but muh revenue loss" and my response is that if PGI puts a on a little bit of lube with the ass ravaging grindfest then maybe other people will open up their wallet a bit (more) instead of being disgusted and not wanting to support the game with money.

Edited by Pjwned, 01 February 2015 - 02:44 AM.

[Alistair Winter]

There's 2 reasons why PGI doesn't want to do this:

• They want us to buy C-bills with MC.
  
• They want us to stop playing our mastered mechs and start mastering new ones. Imagine if the skill ladder was 10 times longer than it is right now. Imagine you needed 200,000 XP to master a mech. You would play your favourite mechs more and you wouldn't buy so many new mechs.

That being said, they should still do it, or do something similar. Maybe let us exchange XP for LP. Or maybe you could swap 100,000 XP for a one-shot elite camo pattern or decals. Or even faction camo. Whatever. Just something at the end of the rainbow.

[Kuritaclan]

Modules for XP!=? Im into it. How about 100.000XP for a Module?

[crustydog]

Kuritaclan, on 01 February 2015 - 02:34 AM, said:

Modules for XP!=? Im into it. How about 100.000XP for a Module?

Even 200,000XP or any 'reasonably' fair value, so long as there is an additional consumption route for the surplus XP - One of the reasons I mention C-bills, is with all of the recent sales, I was one of those who stocked up on new mechs - a great way to fill up all of those mech bays I just purchased.

On the other hand, I really won't 'need" to buy any new mechs for some time... that does not mean I won't, but tuning up all of these mechs I recently purchased is going to take an awful lot of grind, and that is just for engines, upgrades, etc... not to mention modules.

As it stands now, the majority of mechs in my garage stand idle, stripped of all but armour, so I can switch the needed components into newer mechs to make them playable. When you need 80 to 90 matches to buy one engine, as many pugs will, you begin to see just how many months of play the 'average" couple of hours, three times per week player is going to need just to build a proper drop deck. These guys might be ready to compete by next Xmas at this rate.

Perhaps today's CW update will enhance those income flows.

Edited by crustydog, 03 February 2015 - 06:06 AM.

[HARDKOR]

Make people use XP to move their unit drop ship from planet to planet.

[LordKnightFandragon]

Pjwned, on 01 February 2015 - 02:20 AM, said:

Personally I would rather see a non-MC alternative for converting MXP into GXP, although obviously at a much lower rate to motivate people to use MC still, say something like 50 MXP for 1 GXP. It would also help if using GXP to unlock mech tree efficiencies meant (something like) 1/10 the cost of MXP because of what a gigantic waste it is right now to use GXP on anything other than modules.

Sure, people might say "b-b-but muh revenue loss" and my response is that if PGI puts a on a little bit of lube with the ass ravaging grindfest then maybe other people will open up their wallet a bit (more) instead of being disgusted and not wanting to support the game with money.

Or, or, you know, like how WoT does it, COMBINE THE TWO!!!!!!

WoT, you have 3400 Free Xp and 10,000 XP on the T29, you need 16000 for a gun for example? Guess what? Guess what? You can use combine the two Free xp and tank xp to come up with 13400 XP...no need for conversions....

IDK Why MWO still has the 2 separated.

[crustydog]

Alistair Winter, on 01 February 2015 - 02:28 AM, said:

There's 2 reasons why PGI doesn't want to do this:

• They want us to buy C-bills with MC.
  
• They want us to stop playing our mastered mechs and start mastering new ones. Imagine if the skill ladder was 10 times longer than it is right now. Imagine you needed 200,000 XP to master a mech. You would play your favourite mechs more and you wouldn't buy so many new mechs.

That being said, they should still do it, or do something similar. Maybe let us exchange XP for LP. Or maybe you could swap 100,000 XP for a one-shot elite camo pattern or decals. Or even faction camo. Whatever. Just something at the end of the rainbow.

I think the C-Bill sales for MC - well, I don't see it as a great deal from my perspective - others may see that differently. Truthfully, I have not really examined that side of things yet. If it brings in more cash to support the servers, then so be it.

I think you have a very good point about the mastered mechs - you are right on the money there.

The next point, the one shot deals - I would like that also - but that still leaves us with accumulating unused XP after the fact. It is this unused XP that I would like to find an ongoing valuable use for - somewhere. What is true of XP is also true of GXP - for those players who have already unlocked everything in the game. Even the GXP needs additional avenues of use.

[Insects]

LordKnightFandragon, on 03 February 2015 - 05:53 AM, said:

IDK Why MWO still has the 2 separated.

Because that is one of their real $ income streams, making you buy MC to unlock all that wasted XP.

Many people never will, and even those who do may have excessive amounts. So yeah some F2P way to spend it would be nice.

Perhaps allow it to be used to purchase consumables?