2
To be short.. I have not been short. Seriously, i always write too much. If you want, go ahead, grab something to drink, and enjoy a trip in my crazy mind
Note: it will take a while to read.. Sorry.
Spoiler
Warning: these are my ideas to make Community Warfare a true "hardcore roleplaying mode" within the boundaries of what MWO is
and can be. Most of these features are justified or otherwise inspired on how they would work in lore, real world, or both.
I have a dislike for "artificial" systems that take away from immersion
---First, VERY simple thing to add: when you join CW for the first time, a text screen pops up: it would explain the history
of the Inner Sphere and the basic lore of the Battletech universe (In the 31st Century, Battlemechs are the epithome of war
machines.. Etc. ) but should be skippable. Then, a warning to new players: this is the hardcore roleplaying mode, it is not
meant to be easy or balanced. Play it only if you are truly up for the challenge!
This would help avoid frustrated new players.
---4 distinct "careers":
-Merc unit players, players who are part of a merc unit (temp contracts)
-Lone wolves, players who are pugs with temp contracts
-Regulars,players who are part of a faction unit (perm contracts)
-Loyalists, players who are pug with perm contract
This further division is necessary because some features affect in a different way mercs/faction players but some have a
different mechanic for unit players and pugs.
---fixed IS targets for Clans: 2 each cycle
-Only 1 target in other Clans' space.
Chosen from the canon invasion corridors ,they can be fixed to make sure that each Clan has the same number of planets to attack;
they should follow the shortest route to Terra.
no cut off Clans
no trollgorithm bugs for Clans.
-IS factions have the same algorithm as we have know.
---supply lines: you must have 1 planet within 1 jump (30 LY) otherwise you will not be able to attack targets
other than the planets you need to reconnect with your supply line.
---Contracts:
-Permanent contract:
cannot be broken by an unit's leader
if you eliminate your unit with a permcon you lose all your unit coffer, loyalty points, etc.
perm contract is "House/Clan regular unit " or "loyalist" for pugs
Loyalists can break their perm contract but they will suffer heavy penalties. Why? Imagine this scenario. You are a
lone MechWarrior working for (and paid by) your goverment , figthing alongside your faction's regular army units (it does not
really makes sense in RL, this is a compromise for the game since CW allows pugs). By pugs i refer to players not part of an
unit (wheter they just never join one or they are forced to leave a disbanding unit etc). Say, you are fighting for House Davion.
One nice day, a Liao spy gets in touch with you. You first extract your pistol, ready to defend himself, but he just wants to
talk. He convinces you that the Capellan Confederation's citizens want peace and are fighting to defend themselves from the
expansionist and tirannic goverment of Hanse Davion. You decide to betray your birthland in the name of your ideal of freedom
for the poor Liao people. However noble your ideals may be, you are a traitor. You leave your house and a lot of your goods,
bringing with yourself only your 'Mech(s), somehow. And some money MechWarriors have to eat, after all.
This means: you lose a lot of c-bills.
As i said, you are a traitor to your faction.
This means: you lose ALL of your LPs and the associated temporary rewards (colors, camos, decals etc.) and your rank, so if you come back you have to start again
As a traitor, if you ever come back, you will not be easily trusted again.
This means: -5/10% to earned LPs. Just a small amount to represent how harder it would be to get back your rank and position.
-Any temp contract is "merc unit" or "lone wolf".
-merc units contracts by regular units, paid with unit coffers; justification? I see it this way: to reduce burocracy, save
time and maximize efficiency, the factions' goverments let unit commanders have a quantity of public money at their disposal
and the power to negotiate contracts on their behalf (i assume inspectors would be sent to prevent money from "disappearing"..)
faction does bad: more money to units' coffer to hire mercs
faction does well: less money to units' coffer: this is not a punishment, simply the goverment would see less of a need for
mercs so it would save money; this should help prevent a faction from being overcrowed with mercs and just numberstomping every
neihgbor; it is not viable to hire ALL the best merc units at the same time, for any period of time. You cannot imagine how
many expenses a star empire has!
-different contracts conditions: factions with less players can offer the unit to pay for transportation of merc players
or leave them part of/all the salvage bonus.
-they can advertise somewhere their request for mercs, and they must approve merc applications
-When a faction is losing, rewards for contracts will increase AND more money available to regular units to hire merc units.
-heavy penalties for breaking contracts
reputation: completed 7D contract +1, 14D + 2, etc, broken 7D contract -2, broken 14D contract -3, etc
employer may cancel contract at any time paying full price, but merc unit has 48? hours cooldown or vice versa
used vs rogue mercs and similar , tweak numbers for balance and to avoid abuses ofc!
---LP rewards:
Rewards for mercs (unit players and lone wolves) starting from Loyalty level 10, but no associed rank (a merc cannot be a "sho-sa" )
More rewards for regulars/loyalists: faction decals, famous canon units, as the more you fight for your faction, the higher "rank" you
achieve, the higher the chance you can get to be "transferred" to a famous and prized unit and get to bear their insignia;
In addition, regulars/loyalists get an increasing % of match rewards bonuses the longer they stay with their faction.
---R&R, transportation and planet bonuses/factories:
Fundamental for a true economy, makes sense. Helps differentiating mercs/regulars. Both in CW and regular drops.
Planets that in the lore have factories will have the name of the manufacturer society owning it displayed in the planet screen;
the planets with most factories will have priority in IS target selection algorythm;
--Owned planets and factories directly influence R&R. See Regular/Loyalists;
Each owned planet's population pays taxes to its faction's government; more planets mean more taxes. In turn, the military
budget will increase and the pay of the factions' mechwarriors will increase as well!
See Regular/Loyalists;
Transportation happens via Jumpships/Dropships; See Regular/Loyalists.
-Merc units:
Economic aspects for a deeper merc management experience:
Players are not able to donate anymore. The unit coffers are reset to a % of it , the players get back % of the money
they donated, so that everyone gets back the same percentage but the system makes sure that XY% quantity of c-bills are left in
the coffer.
This would be the starting money of the company.
---Trasportation:
At first, a merc unit does not have its own dropships and jumpships, but most loan them; the prices should be taken from
the most updated CBT rulebook.
X c-bills should be taken from the unit coffer for each jump (each jump = up to 30 LY)
Depending on group size, you have to loan 1,2,3 Leopard dropships (<=4, <=8, <=12 group) and their mechbays to
transport and drop your mechs, which is something the unit automatically pays from his coffer whenever a member
queques on a planet. A notification should pop up somewhere in the drop screen and the info and prices to attack/defend
a planet should be available in the planet screen anyway.
Q: what about faction groups?
A: Each unit pays for the spots taken by their member(s)'s mechs; the price of a jump is divided between the different units.
Example: a 12men group is made of 8 BWC mechwarriors, 2 228th IBR mechwarriors and 2 pugs. What happens?
Simply, BWC would pay for the loan of 2 full Leopard; The 228th would pay 1/2 of the price of the loan of 1 Leopard; each pug
would individually pay 1/4 of the loan price. This should not be too low, nor too high, so that 1/4 of it for every jump is
easily affordable for a pug. See Lone wolves;
This price should be high enough to warrant the purchase of a DropShip (and jumpship) to call their own.
Possibility of weaponry upgrades/customization , aestetic customization and such would also be incentives.
Using its own DropShips means the unit has to pay crew, fuel, maintenance, etc but that cost per drop should be
quite less expensive than loaning one, otherwise why bothering? A limited number of available DropShips could also
be a very important incentive for a unit to buy its own DropShips. It would be an investiment, and something to look
forward in CW. A mid-to-long term goal for medium sized units. I figure the big units would have little trouble getting enough
money with their contracts.
Leopard cost: 227,750,400 cb
-Loyalists/Regulars aka L/Rs:
The House/Clan would provide transportation.
Thus, Clan/House units do not have to pay for it.
Loyalists/Regulars need some advantage after all quiaff?
The jump mechanic however work the same for them. I will explain later my ideas about that.
What about Dropship types and customization? LPs should be the main "currency" for L/Rs.
More battles = more victories = more LPs = "top" units in your factions, they have priority in getting the best equipment and
field refits etc. This translates in game with a LP "price" for such things: Dropship type, Dropship custom configurations,
turret upgrades..
-Lone wolves: basically, pugs. There is an issue here. It makes sense for them to pay for their loan of a spot on a DropShip
+ JumpShip. However, i do not want to discourage pugs too much from playing in CW. It makes sense that their pay would be
1/4 of the loan price of a Leopard, which should be low enough to not be a limit for pugs, but still be a barrier for
new players. This is not their playground, i say it for they own safety and enjoyement!
Q: Wait! How does this jump thing work?
A: Simple! There are two possiblities:
1) PGI figures out how to track all units and players movements on the map. In this case, the map will show your or your
faction group's position. You or the group leader click on a target and it displays the needed jumps to get there and the
required fees, if any. Then, a simple animation (a few green/blue triangols should be enough) could represent the jumps from
system to system until you or your group get to the target system. It should not take more than 5 seconds ideally. It is not
very useful, i know, but i think it would be a very cool thing to see
--About R&R:
-Merc units:
7/14 days contracts: they pay standard fees
21 days contracts: they pay standard fees but get salvage rights aka victory bonus each mission
28 days contracts: they get salvage rights AND have the employing House/Clan provides for partial replacement of equipment:
the units pays R&R the same way as that factions' regulars.
-Regulars/Loyalists:
They are paid soldiers of a faction. They have standard issued equipment that would be replaced .
Above i talked about planets hosting factories. These factories influence R&R for loyalists. If a loyalist player loses
a 'Mech variant that is produced by a factory set on a planet owned by his faction, it will be automatically replaced and
neither he nor his unit will pay for chassis repairs. The same goes for weapons: if the mech lost an ERPPC, wether by critical
hit or by losing the entire limb/torso section, and the player's factions own a planet with a factory producing ERPPCs, he will
not pay for its replacement. Ammo is included when replacing a ammo-based weapon.
Whatever is not produced on a planet owned by the player's faction (chassis, weapon, engine, etc.) must be repaid. Not using
a 'Mech or weapon produced by the faction would be considered using custom equipment. The USA army should replace the M4 you
were issued with should you lose it in combat, but if you choose to buy an AK-74 and use it instead, it will not buy you
another one ( tbh i do not even know if it is allowed, lol).
Planets with a factory get priority for the target choosing algorithm.
Chassis factory > Engine factory > 3050 stuff factory > 3025 stuff factory
3050 stuff = (previously LosTech weapons and equipments, such as Gauss rifles, ERPPCs, DHS)
R&R could be applied for all the queues; of course, these bonuses would apply to all of the faction players as well.
This means you really want to take those planets! This should help partecipations in CW.
-Lone wolves: they are mercs, so i am sorry, but they have to pay R&R for themselves. However, losing factions will give them
better contracts, with things like transportation and R&R partially or totally included. This is part of the balance features
for mercs and merc units and should not discourage too much pugs from partecipating. Rofltomps already to that
---More on Rewards and Expenses:
-Merc unit/Lone wolves players: in additions to the normal match & contract rewards, merc players (not their unit - big difference here)
could get a small additional bonus for each victory. To keep it clear, contract rewards are the payment for the service and go
to the unit's coffer, while matches rewards and bonuses are for players.
Merc units, however, are not only getting money in. There is a looooong series of things that must be taken care of (=paid), and
that is the price of indipendence.
In the new, deeper and more realistic economy system i am designing, it would be too easy for a player sitting on hundreds of
millions of c-bills to just donate a few of them to take care of all the unit's needs for the next week..
This is one of the reasons why the merc unit coffer (which is way more important than for regular units, that use it for a
different purpose, paying mercs) can be refilled only with the money given to the unit by the contracts taken (as it would be).
So.. What are these expenses?
In MWO, i would semplify them quite a bit. I would like it but this game is not going to become a managerial game any time
soon, so let us keep things simple.
#Just a note: i seem to not have anymore the Mercenary's Handbook, but i remember it provided rules for merc units management.
I would use those rules to estimate the expenses etc. If they are found to be too complex or anything else, i can provide a
similar alternative:
General logistics (the bigger the unit is, the more this will cost);
Support staff (same as above);
Buildings rent and maintenance (same as above);
DropShip fuel (depends on # of owned DropShips, if any);
'Mechs, vehicles, DropShips, Jumpships maintenance (again, depending on # of members and # of DropShips/JumpShips)
MechWarriors pay! This is quite important. While the others could just be a tick on a checkbox, that is fine. But pays for
players are obviously important. I think they should be more of a performance-based pay: # of wins, or maybe even a customizable
% of all unit entries. This should be high enough that the pay is higher than the average for a regular/loyalist for the same
# of drops etc, but with more risk (involved in taking contracts and trying to pay all the expenses AND invest in DropShips,
turrets/DropShips upgrades, etc).
-Regulars/Loyalists: they are paid soldiers fighting in the regular army; thus, the faction's goverment pays them with
public money from taxes; taxes are paid by the people of the owned planets; this means, more planets = more taxes=more military
budget = higher pays!
A not-so-direct way yo realistically portrait regulars and give them a decent reason to take planets.
The exact amount should be determined by PGI; it could be paid once every cycle, provided you won at least 1 battle in that
cycle; this obviously is to prevent an inactive player from coming back and finding himself richer than Blake, not to mention
to incentivize a bit of partecipation.
This pay should not be too high but high enough that it is worth fighting in CW; as a loyalist/regular you do not have all the
expenses of mercs but also you get less money (less risk less reward, makes sense quiaff? )
---4vs4/8vs8 missions
So.. I wished the following was more of the concept for the 48vs48 zone-taking mode, instead of the flat and kind of boring
mode we have..
Since it is not, and probably scrapping the current attack mode altogheter would be impossible, so i will propose some ideas for
interesting smaller-size missions instead.
Concept: smaller-size missions (with Dropships, unless internal tests show that the small size of the maps create issues),
quicker, played on regular old maps.
1 mission available for each zone = max 15 missions at the same time. Each mission is linked to its zone, meaning that each
mission's outcome will have a gameplay impact on the relative Attack mission.
3 mission types: Sabotage (lacking a better name), Blitzkrieg, Raid , 5 zones each. 1,2,3, 1,2,3 pattern.
1) Sabotage: 4vs4 engage in a raid mission to destroy a power plant deep into enemy territory.
All maps available, minus HPG Manifold and Mining Collective, since they are both on moon/asteroids and unless we start talking
about microwaves and that stuff a power generator for the turrets makes little sense, lol.
Did i say turrets? Aff, i did!
But back to the power plant. The attacking team must DESTROY the plant, while the defending team must PREVENT that from
happening. Simple, quiaff? The defenders' dropships drop the mechs close to the plant, each lance respectively on the sides and
on the front of the plant. Not too close, actually. This means that if the attackers rush or are otherwise very close to the
plant, shooting it, the defender mechs will drop behind them, getting an advantage to take them down more quickly. The plant
should have enough HPs to prevent a single light rush from destroying it.
-What happens if the attackers successfully destroy the plant?
-In the linked Attack zone, the turrets that were powered by the now-destroyed plant will be offline! A system message or
something like that at the start of the battle should warn the players: "Power plant destroyed. Turrets are offline"
I realize this is going to make light rushes easier, but then, it is a risk players must face. Besides, considering how
tactically limited the CT attack mode is, there are not many other simple gameplay options i can think of without having to
programme too much new stuff or create new assets. 4vs4 battles are important!
..And they should well be, otherwise why bother instead of just joining a random 12men pug team with your small group?
2) Blitzkrieg
I kind of like this name lol. And it represents what this mode is supposed to be. 8vs8 this time, with Dropships, with the
same caveat as above.
The target, this time?
A spaceport!
Or at least, i hope so, since there are few big enough maps..
River City already has some kind of small spaceport, but it looks like more of a landing pad with a control tower and a couple
of buildings.. Oh, well, not all spaceports are created equal, and the MWO Leopard DropShips are VTOL anyway..
Other maps could be edited adding a more decent spaceport though. It should not be a big effort, little if any terrain changes,
just adding assets. And in some maps, it just does not make sense to have a spaceport, as there is nothing of value many people
would travel to see..
Available maps: i can think of Alpine Peaks, HPG Manifold, Caustic Valley, River City (maybe a bit too small though), Crimson
Strait
How it could work: attacking team deploys on far side. The defending team drops around the spaceport (No, do not tell me about
hangars or Mech Bays. Unless it is a military spaceport, they would not probably have BattleMechs stationed there, and even if
it had, i do not want to see 'Mechs respawning from the same hangar (MW:LL had this, but it was a totally different game
"formula").
I would introduce a nice variation here: the attacking team can EITHER destroy X key buildings to destroy the spaceport, its
supplies and infrastructure, or CAPTURE it. Sure, probably the Leopards could still operate without a dedicated structure, but i think it
would be safe to say that fuel, maintenance bays, etc. etc. etc. are required for a standard operation. Thus, if the spaceport
is destroyed, the defenders will have to use a farther spaceport. In gameplay terms, the best compromise i can suggest to
translate this fact is the Dropships requiring a small additional time, say 5 seconds, to reach the drop zone (aka the drop
timer).
To capture the spaceport, all defending 'Mechs must be destroyed. I am not a fan of "stand there for X time" while the enemies
could have killed you a second after the time is over..
If you capture the spaceport, your faction obtains an advanced base of operation close to a orbital gun area; thus, in the
corrisponding Attack game, the attackers' Dropships would take 5 less seconds to get to the drop zone.
A very important advantage, i would say. Do not ignore those 8vs8 side missions!
3) Raid
8vs8 with DropShips;
Now, i thought: if the attackers get all these bonuses, the DEFENDERS will have too much of a hard time defending. I ask for
feedback on what can the defenders gain if they win these side missions. However, to help alleviate this potential issue, these
missions should be HARD enough for the attackers.
If possible, i would like two variations of it to better suit the different sizes of maps:
-Small maps: a fixed ammo depot is the attackers' target. It must be captured intact. It is captured by destroying all the
enemy 'Mechs (basically, a Skirmish with added bonuses..Keep it simple)
-larger maps:
The target is a moving hovertrain carrying ammo and supplies. It slowly travels trough the map and the defenders must
keep up with it; if any attacker 'Mechs stays in front of the train, the train's pilot will feel threatened and will stop,
trying to buy time.
A system message or bitching betty should tell you that the train is in danger/has been forced to stop. If at least 1 attacker
'Mech stays alive for more than 10-15 secs in front of the train, it is considered "captured" and the attacker forces must
escort it outside of the map. By killing all the 'Mechs in a range of 250/300 meters from the train the defenders can
recapture it. The final destinations are different for each side.
Available maps: all maps, except HPG Manifold and maybe Viridian Bog; divided in Small and Big.
As added bonuses for the attackers, if they win, they do not pay any R&R for that match and get a c-bill bonus; the same goes
for the team in the associated 12vs12 battle.
-Note about these missions: i fear that they will take away too many players from the queques for 12vs12 Attacks; if that proves
to be true, i would reduce the number of zones a bit and reduce the number of side missions accordingly, following this
proportion: 3/2/3, 4/3/4, etc.
---What i want to accomplish:
What is all this stuff for?!
This is what i wish to accomplish with these ideas and suggestions:
-Deeper economy system (Would you rather have the Paulconomy?!)
-Deeper merc contract system
-Deeper merc unit management
-Much better differentiation of faction and merc players with perks to each "career" (stability and loyalty rewards or more risk
but potentially more rewards and more freedom?)
-More incentives to be a loyalist/regular
-Better adherence to the BT universe
-Finally, a meaning to owning planets!
-Reintroduce a viable R&R system tied to planet owning bonuses
-Add a new strategic dimension of thought with logistics: jump fees, supply lines..
-Finally give units something to spend money/unit LPs for!
-Varied and interesting 4vs4 / 8vs8 missions
---Other stuff:
I think i had something to add here.. Or maybe i put it somewhere else.. Or forgot about it.. LOL.
I guess i will write down some last notes:
ALL these ideas are preliminar, begging for tweaks and feedback, and i like some of them more than others, and some are likely more viable than others. I would like to have a discussion with as many loyalists/regulars and merc unit players as possible, however i think
we also have to be fast, or our feedback will not reach PGI in time for them to include it in their design.
Quote
Warning: these are my ideas to make Community Warfare a true "hardcore roleplaying mode" within the boundaries of what MWO is
and can be. Most of these features are justified or otherwise inspired on how they would work in lore, real world, or both.
I have a dislike for "artificial" systems that take away from immersion
---First, VERY simple thing to add: when you join CW for the first time, a text screen pops up: it would explain the history
of the Inner Sphere and the basic lore of the Battletech universe (In the 31st Century, Battlemechs are the epithome of war
machines.. Etc. ) but should be skippable. Then, a warning to new players: this is the hardcore roleplaying mode, it is not
meant to be easy or balanced. Play it only if you are truly up for the challenge!
This would help avoid frustrated new players.
---4 distinct "careers":
-Merc unit players, players who are part of a merc unit (temp contracts)
-Lone wolves, players who are pugs with temp contracts
-Regulars,players who are part of a faction unit (perm contracts)
-Loyalists, players who are pug with perm contract
This further division is necessary because some features affect in a different way mercs/faction players but some have a
different mechanic for unit players and pugs.
---fixed IS targets for Clans: 2 each cycle
-Only 1 target in other Clans' space.
Chosen from the canon invasion corridors ,they can be fixed to make sure that each Clan has the same number of planets to attack;
they should follow the shortest route to Terra.
no cut off Clans
no trollgorithm bugs for Clans.
-IS factions have the same algorithm as we have know.
---supply lines: you must have 1 planet within 1 jump (30 LY) otherwise you will not be able to attack targets
other than the planets you need to reconnect with your supply line.
---Contracts:
-Permanent contract:
cannot be broken by an unit's leader
if you eliminate your unit with a permcon you lose all your unit coffer, loyalty points, etc.
perm contract is "House/Clan regular unit " or "loyalist" for pugs
Loyalists can break their perm contract but they will suffer heavy penalties. Why? Imagine this scenario. You are a
lone MechWarrior working for (and paid by) your goverment , figthing alongside your faction's regular army units (it does not
really makes sense in RL, this is a compromise for the game since CW allows pugs). By pugs i refer to players not part of an
unit (wheter they just never join one or they are forced to leave a disbanding unit etc). Say, you are fighting for House Davion.
One nice day, a Liao spy gets in touch with you. You first extract your pistol, ready to defend himself, but he just wants to
talk. He convinces you that the Capellan Confederation's citizens want peace and are fighting to defend themselves from the
expansionist and tirannic goverment of Hanse Davion. You decide to betray your birthland in the name of your ideal of freedom
for the poor Liao people. However noble your ideals may be, you are a traitor. You leave your house and a lot of your goods,
bringing with yourself only your 'Mech(s), somehow. And some money MechWarriors have to eat, after all.
This means: you lose a lot of c-bills.
As i said, you are a traitor to your faction.
This means: you lose ALL of your LPs and the associated temporary rewards (colors, camos, decals etc.) and your rank, so if you come back you have to start again
As a traitor, if you ever come back, you will not be easily trusted again.
This means: -5/10% to earned LPs. Just a small amount to represent how harder it would be to get back your rank and position.
-Any temp contract is "merc unit" or "lone wolf".
-merc units contracts by regular units, paid with unit coffers; justification? I see it this way: to reduce burocracy, save
time and maximize efficiency, the factions' goverments let unit commanders have a quantity of public money at their disposal
and the power to negotiate contracts on their behalf (i assume inspectors would be sent to prevent money from "disappearing"..)
faction does bad: more money to units' coffer to hire mercs
faction does well: less money to units' coffer: this is not a punishment, simply the goverment would see less of a need for
mercs so it would save money; this should help prevent a faction from being overcrowed with mercs and just numberstomping every
neihgbor; it is not viable to hire ALL the best merc units at the same time, for any period of time. You cannot imagine how
many expenses a star empire has!
-different contracts conditions: factions with less players can offer the unit to pay for transportation of merc players
or leave them part of/all the salvage bonus.
-they can advertise somewhere their request for mercs, and they must approve merc applications
-When a faction is losing, rewards for contracts will increase AND more money available to regular units to hire merc units.
-heavy penalties for breaking contracts
reputation: completed 7D contract +1, 14D + 2, etc, broken 7D contract -2, broken 14D contract -3, etc
employer may cancel contract at any time paying full price, but merc unit has 48? hours cooldown or vice versa
used vs rogue mercs and similar , tweak numbers for balance and to avoid abuses ofc!
---LP rewards:
Rewards for mercs (unit players and lone wolves) starting from Loyalty level 10, but no associed rank (a merc cannot be a "sho-sa" )
More rewards for regulars/loyalists: faction decals, famous canon units, as the more you fight for your faction, the higher "rank" you
achieve, the higher the chance you can get to be "transferred" to a famous and prized unit and get to bear their insignia;
In addition, regulars/loyalists get an increasing % of match rewards bonuses the longer they stay with their faction.
---R&R, transportation and planet bonuses/factories:
Fundamental for a true economy, makes sense. Helps differentiating mercs/regulars. Both in CW and regular drops.
Planets that in the lore have factories will have the name of the manufacturer society owning it displayed in the planet screen;
the planets with most factories will have priority in IS target selection algorythm;
--Owned planets and factories directly influence R&R. See Regular/Loyalists;
Each owned planet's population pays taxes to its faction's government; more planets mean more taxes. In turn, the military
budget will increase and the pay of the factions' mechwarriors will increase as well!
See Regular/Loyalists;
Transportation happens via Jumpships/Dropships; See Regular/Loyalists.
-Merc units:
Economic aspects for a deeper merc management experience:
Players are not able to donate anymore. The unit coffers are reset to a % of it , the players get back % of the money
they donated, so that everyone gets back the same percentage but the system makes sure that XY% quantity of c-bills are left in
the coffer.
This would be the starting money of the company.
---Trasportation:
At first, a merc unit does not have its own dropships and jumpships, but most loan them; the prices should be taken from
the most updated CBT rulebook.
X c-bills should be taken from the unit coffer for each jump (each jump = up to 30 LY)
Depending on group size, you have to loan 1,2,3 Leopard dropships (<=4, <=8, <=12 group) and their mechbays to
transport and drop your mechs, which is something the unit automatically pays from his coffer whenever a member
queques on a planet. A notification should pop up somewhere in the drop screen and the info and prices to attack/defend
a planet should be available in the planet screen anyway.
Q: what about faction groups?
A: Each unit pays for the spots taken by their member(s)'s mechs; the price of a jump is divided between the different units.
Example: a 12men group is made of 8 BWC mechwarriors, 2 228th IBR mechwarriors and 2 pugs. What happens?
Simply, BWC would pay for the loan of 2 full Leopard; The 228th would pay 1/2 of the price of the loan of 1 Leopard; each pug
would individually pay 1/4 of the loan price. This should not be too low, nor too high, so that 1/4 of it for every jump is
easily affordable for a pug. See Lone wolves;
This price should be high enough to warrant the purchase of a DropShip (and jumpship) to call their own.
Possibility of weaponry upgrades/customization , aestetic customization and such would also be incentives.
Using its own DropShips means the unit has to pay crew, fuel, maintenance, etc but that cost per drop should be
quite less expensive than loaning one, otherwise why bothering? A limited number of available DropShips could also
be a very important incentive for a unit to buy its own DropShips. It would be an investiment, and something to look
forward in CW. A mid-to-long term goal for medium sized units. I figure the big units would have little trouble getting enough
money with their contracts.
Leopard cost: 227,750,400 cb
-Loyalists/Regulars aka L/Rs:
The House/Clan would provide transportation.
Thus, Clan/House units do not have to pay for it.
Loyalists/Regulars need some advantage after all quiaff?
The jump mechanic however work the same for them. I will explain later my ideas about that.
What about Dropship types and customization? LPs should be the main "currency" for L/Rs.
More battles = more victories = more LPs = "top" units in your factions, they have priority in getting the best equipment and
field refits etc. This translates in game with a LP "price" for such things: Dropship type, Dropship custom configurations,
turret upgrades..
-Lone wolves: basically, pugs. There is an issue here. It makes sense for them to pay for their loan of a spot on a DropShip
+ JumpShip. However, i do not want to discourage pugs too much from playing in CW. It makes sense that their pay would be
1/4 of the loan price of a Leopard, which should be low enough to not be a limit for pugs, but still be a barrier for
new players. This is not their playground, i say it for they own safety and enjoyement!
Q: Wait! How does this jump thing work?
A: Simple! There are two possiblities:
1) PGI figures out how to track all units and players movements on the map. In this case, the map will show your or your
faction group's position. You or the group leader click on a target and it displays the needed jumps to get there and the
required fees, if any. Then, a simple animation (a few green/blue triangols should be enough) could represent the jumps from
system to system until you or your group get to the target system. It should not take more than 5 seconds ideally. It is not
very useful, i know, but i think it would be a very cool thing to see
--About R&R:
-Merc units:
7/14 days contracts: they pay standard fees
21 days contracts: they pay standard fees but get salvage rights aka victory bonus each mission
28 days contracts: they get salvage rights AND have the employing House/Clan provides for partial replacement of equipment:
the units pays R&R the same way as that factions' regulars.
-Regulars/Loyalists:
They are paid soldiers of a faction. They have standard issued equipment that would be replaced .
Above i talked about planets hosting factories. These factories influence R&R for loyalists. If a loyalist player loses
a 'Mech variant that is produced by a factory set on a planet owned by his faction, it will be automatically replaced and
neither he nor his unit will pay for chassis repairs. The same goes for weapons: if the mech lost an ERPPC, wether by critical
hit or by losing the entire limb/torso section, and the player's factions own a planet with a factory producing ERPPCs, he will
not pay for its replacement. Ammo is included when replacing a ammo-based weapon.
Whatever is not produced on a planet owned by the player's faction (chassis, weapon, engine, etc.) must be repaid. Not using
a 'Mech or weapon produced by the faction would be considered using custom equipment. The USA army should replace the M4 you
were issued with should you lose it in combat, but if you choose to buy an AK-74 and use it instead, it will not buy you
another one ( tbh i do not even know if it is allowed, lol).
Planets with a factory get priority for the target choosing algorithm.
Chassis factory > Engine factory > 3050 stuff factory > 3025 stuff factory
3050 stuff = (previously LosTech weapons and equipments, such as Gauss rifles, ERPPCs, DHS)
R&R could be applied for all the queues; of course, these bonuses would apply to all of the faction players as well.
This means you really want to take those planets! This should help partecipations in CW.
-Lone wolves: they are mercs, so i am sorry, but they have to pay R&R for themselves. However, losing factions will give them
better contracts, with things like transportation and R&R partially or totally included. This is part of the balance features
for mercs and merc units and should not discourage too much pugs from partecipating. Rofltomps already to that
---More on Rewards and Expenses:
-Merc unit/Lone wolves players: in additions to the normal match & contract rewards, merc players (not their unit - big difference here)
could get a small additional bonus for each victory. To keep it clear, contract rewards are the payment for the service and go
to the unit's coffer, while matches rewards and bonuses are for players.
Merc units, however, are not only getting money in. There is a looooong series of things that must be taken care of (=paid), and
that is the price of indipendence.
In the new, deeper and more realistic economy system i am designing, it would be too easy for a player sitting on hundreds of
millions of c-bills to just donate a few of them to take care of all the unit's needs for the next week..
This is one of the reasons why the merc unit coffer (which is way more important than for regular units, that use it for a
different purpose, paying mercs) can be refilled only with the money given to the unit by the contracts taken (as it would be).
So.. What are these expenses?
In MWO, i would semplify them quite a bit. I would like it but this game is not going to become a managerial game any time
soon, so let us keep things simple.
#Just a note: i seem to not have anymore the Mercenary's Handbook, but i remember it provided rules for merc units management.
I would use those rules to estimate the expenses etc. If they are found to be too complex or anything else, i can provide a
similar alternative:
General logistics (the bigger the unit is, the more this will cost);
Support staff (same as above);
Buildings rent and maintenance (same as above);
DropShip fuel (depends on # of owned DropShips, if any);
'Mechs, vehicles, DropShips, Jumpships maintenance (again, depending on # of members and # of DropShips/JumpShips)
MechWarriors pay! This is quite important. While the others could just be a tick on a checkbox, that is fine. But pays for
players are obviously important. I think they should be more of a performance-based pay: # of wins, or maybe even a customizable
% of all unit entries. This should be high enough that the pay is higher than the average for a regular/loyalist for the same
# of drops etc, but with more risk (involved in taking contracts and trying to pay all the expenses AND invest in DropShips,
turrets/DropShips upgrades, etc).
-Regulars/Loyalists: they are paid soldiers fighting in the regular army; thus, the faction's goverment pays them with
public money from taxes; taxes are paid by the people of the owned planets; this means, more planets = more taxes=more military
budget = higher pays!
A not-so-direct way yo realistically portrait regulars and give them a decent reason to take planets.
The exact amount should be determined by PGI; it could be paid once every cycle, provided you won at least 1 battle in that
cycle; this obviously is to prevent an inactive player from coming back and finding himself richer than Blake, not to mention
to incentivize a bit of partecipation.
This pay should not be too high but high enough that it is worth fighting in CW; as a loyalist/regular you do not have all the
expenses of mercs but also you get less money (less risk less reward, makes sense quiaff?
)---4vs4/8vs8 missions
So.. I wished the following was more of the concept for the 48vs48 zone-taking mode, instead of the flat and kind of boring
mode we have..
Since it is not, and probably scrapping the current attack mode altogheter would be impossible, so i will propose some ideas for
interesting smaller-size missions instead.
Concept: smaller-size missions (with Dropships, unless internal tests show that the small size of the maps create issues),
quicker, played on regular old maps.
1 mission available for each zone = max 15 missions at the same time. Each mission is linked to its zone, meaning that each
mission's outcome will have a gameplay impact on the relative Attack mission.
3 mission types: Sabotage (lacking a better name), Blitzkrieg, Raid , 5 zones each. 1,2,3, 1,2,3 pattern.
1) Sabotage: 4vs4 engage in a raid mission to destroy a power plant deep into enemy territory.
All maps available, minus HPG Manifold and Mining Collective, since they are both on moon/asteroids and unless we start talking
about microwaves and that stuff a power generator for the turrets makes little sense, lol.
Did i say turrets? Aff, i did!
But back to the power plant. The attacking team must DESTROY the plant, while the defending team must PREVENT that from
happening. Simple, quiaff? The defenders' dropships drop the mechs close to the plant, each lance respectively on the sides and
on the front of the plant. Not too close, actually. This means that if the attackers rush or are otherwise very close to the
plant, shooting it, the defender mechs will drop behind them, getting an advantage to take them down more quickly. The plant
should have enough HPs to prevent a single light rush from destroying it.
-What happens if the attackers successfully destroy the plant?
-In the linked Attack zone, the turrets that were powered by the now-destroyed plant will be offline! A system message or
something like that at the start of the battle should warn the players: "Power plant destroyed. Turrets are offline"
I realize this is going to make light rushes easier, but then, it is a risk players must face. Besides, considering how
tactically limited the CT attack mode is, there are not many other simple gameplay options i can think of without having to
programme too much new stuff or create new assets. 4vs4 battles are important!
..And they should well be, otherwise why bother instead of just joining a random 12men pug team with your small group?
2) Blitzkrieg
I kind of like this name lol. And it represents what this mode is supposed to be. 8vs8 this time, with Dropships, with the
same caveat as above.
The target, this time?
A spaceport!
Or at least, i hope so, since there are few big enough maps..
River City already has some kind of small spaceport, but it looks like more of a landing pad with a control tower and a couple
of buildings.. Oh, well, not all spaceports are created equal, and the MWO Leopard DropShips are VTOL anyway..
Other maps could be edited adding a more decent spaceport though. It should not be a big effort, little if any terrain changes,
just adding assets. And in some maps, it just does not make sense to have a spaceport, as there is nothing of value many people
would travel to see..
Available maps: i can think of Alpine Peaks, HPG Manifold, Caustic Valley, River City (maybe a bit too small though), Crimson
Strait
How it could work: attacking team deploys on far side. The defending team drops around the spaceport (No, do not tell me about
hangars or Mech Bays. Unless it is a military spaceport, they would not probably have BattleMechs stationed there, and even if
it had, i do not want to see 'Mechs respawning from the same hangar (MW:LL had this, but it was a totally different game
"formula").
I would introduce a nice variation here: the attacking team can EITHER destroy X key buildings to destroy the spaceport, its
supplies and infrastructure, or CAPTURE it. Sure, probably the Leopards could still operate without a dedicated structure, but i think it
would be safe to say that fuel, maintenance bays, etc. etc. etc. are required for a standard operation. Thus, if the spaceport
is destroyed, the defenders will have to use a farther spaceport. In gameplay terms, the best compromise i can suggest to
translate this fact is the Dropships requiring a small additional time, say 5 seconds, to reach the drop zone (aka the drop
timer).
To capture the spaceport, all defending 'Mechs must be destroyed. I am not a fan of "stand there for X time" while the enemies
could have killed you a second after the time is over..
If you capture the spaceport, your faction obtains an advanced base of operation close to a orbital gun area; thus, in the
corrisponding Attack game, the attackers' Dropships would take 5 less seconds to get to the drop zone.
A very important advantage, i would say. Do not ignore those 8vs8 side missions!
3) Raid
8vs8 with DropShips;
Now, i thought: if the attackers get all these bonuses, the DEFENDERS will have too much of a hard time defending. I ask for
feedback on what can the defenders gain if they win these side missions. However, to help alleviate this potential issue, these
missions should be HARD enough for the attackers.
If possible, i would like two variations of it to better suit the different sizes of maps:
-Small maps: a fixed ammo depot is the attackers' target. It must be captured intact. It is captured by destroying all the
enemy 'Mechs (basically, a Skirmish with added bonuses..Keep it simple)
-larger maps:
The target is a moving hovertrain carrying ammo and supplies. It slowly travels trough the map and the defenders must
keep up with it; if any attacker 'Mechs stays in front of the train, the train's pilot will feel threatened and will stop,
trying to buy time.
A system message or bitching betty should tell you that the train is in danger/has been forced to stop. If at least 1 attacker
'Mech stays alive for more than 10-15 secs in front of the train, it is considered "captured" and the attacker forces must
escort it outside of the map. By killing all the 'Mechs in a range of 250/300 meters from the train the defenders can
recapture it. The final destinations are different for each side.
Available maps: all maps, except HPG Manifold and maybe Viridian Bog; divided in Small and Big.
As added bonuses for the attackers, if they win, they do not pay any R&R for that match and get a c-bill bonus; the same goes
for the team in the associated 12vs12 battle.
-Note about these missions: i fear that they will take away too many players from the queques for 12vs12 Attacks; if that proves
to be true, i would reduce the number of zones a bit and reduce the number of side missions accordingly, following this
proportion: 3/2/3, 4/3/4, etc.
---What i want to accomplish:
What is all this stuff for?!
This is what i wish to accomplish with these ideas and suggestions:
-Deeper economy system (Would you rather have the Paulconomy?!)
-Deeper merc contract system
-Deeper merc unit management
-Much better differentiation of faction and merc players with perks to each "career" (stability and loyalty rewards or more risk
but potentially more rewards and more freedom?)
-More incentives to be a loyalist/regular
-Better adherence to the BT universe
-Finally, a meaning to owning planets!
-Reintroduce a viable R&R system tied to planet owning bonuses
-Add a new strategic dimension of thought with logistics: jump fees, supply lines..
-Finally give units something to spend money/unit LPs for!
-Varied and interesting 4vs4 / 8vs8 missions
---Other stuff:
I think i had something to add here.. Or maybe i put it somewhere else.. Or forgot about it.. LOL.
I guess i will write down some last notes:
ALL these ideas are preliminar, begging for tweaks and feedback, and i like some of them more than others, and some are likely more viable than others. I would like to have a discussion with as many loyalists/regulars and merc unit players as possible, however i think
we also have to be fast, or our feedback will not reach PGI in time for them to include it in their design.
Now, either applaude or throw rocks!
P.S. If you have read trough all of that, that is.
Edited by CyclonerM, 17 March 2015 - 02:28 PM.
