106 replies to this topic

[ThrashInc]

CtrlAltWheee, on 23 March 2015 - 06:36 PM, said:

I don't think it's good business.

Maybe the c-bill economy was right 2 years ago when there were fewer mechs, no modules. Today it's just sapping fun.

People want to buy mechs and pay real money for mechbays. We should be doing that. It's better for both parties.

We made more money 2 years ago, lol.

[oldradagast]

You want silly?

Check out mech prices in real-world money... lol.... $30 or more for a heavier mech. One mech... right...

[Joseph Mallan]

oldradagast, on 24 March 2015 - 03:17 AM, said:

You want silly?

Check out mech prices in real-world money... lol.... $30 or more for a heavier mech. One mech... right...

We don't agree often Rad, but on this, 100% agreement. Using a computer to what an artist can should not cost more money than a physical product using materials.

[El Bandito]

Also there are some dumbasses who had spent over $1000 dollars in MWO and have the gall to say the grind is fine. I'm pretty sure any F2P game would not feel grindy if you spend $1000 on it.

[CtrlAltWheee]

El Bandito, on 24 March 2015 - 05:24 AM, said:

Also there are some dumbasses who had spent over $1000 dollars in MWO and have the gall to say the grind is fine. I'm pretty sure any F2P game would not feel grindy if you spend $1000 on it.

I've spent a lot on mwo and buy all the pre-order packages. It gives year round premium. I think I play a decent amount. It's still a grind.

[Sarlic]

Currently building my steamconsole! Own steamconsole for $1000

Getting ready for GTA 5!

[Tordin]

StaggerCheck, on 22 March 2015 - 06:51 PM, said:

What is your time worth to you? If you go to the movies for an afternoon you'll end up spending what... $25.00 between the ticket and snacks for two hours of entertainment.

You can buy yourself four new Clan Mechs, four Mech bays, some new paints, camo patterns and some cockpit items for $30.00 right now. They'll give you hours upon hours of entertainment by way of comparison.

I don't mind tossing a few bucks PGI's way to support their efforts.

Thats a great example of setting things into perspective. Theres alot of stuff you could spend money on otherwise with variyng worth for your money.. The price are indeed worth its entertainment in money. Movies/ Films? doubtful, same experience short boost of fun (like 1-3 hours). Books? Its the same experience but alot to gain. Music? Again repetive but its like medicine for some folks.

Edited by Tordin, 24 March 2015 - 09:05 AM.

[Jetfire]

El Bandito, on 24 March 2015 - 05:24 AM, said:

Also there are some dumbasses who had spent over $1000 dollars in MWO and have the gall to say the grind is fine. I'm pretty sure any F2P game would not feel grindy if you spend $1000 on it.

Have spent in excess of the big K and yeah, the grind is super real.

[Abel Enders]

As a fairly new player, here's my perspective:

I don't mind the c-bill grind to purchase a single mech, upgrade its equipment, etc. The module grind feels a bit excessive, even with premium. Having to buy 2 more variants of the same chassis and level those up just to elite one of them is a total drag. I'd rather the mastery grind be strictly on whatever mech you are trying to elite, even if it's a little longer.

The real-dollar cost of mechs is INSANE. $30-55 for an individual chassis breaks my heart. The packs are wayyy too pricey also. I won't be buying any top-tier packs at $80 or $120, but would I have bought those same packs (Wave 2, 3, Resistance) at half that price?? Absolutley, I would buy every one. I can easily justify spending roughly the price of a game every few months, but not more than that. I have a hard time imagining that if the packs and bundles weren't about half the price they are now, that they would sell well more than twice as many of them. If they want this game to become more broadly popular, then they have to make it more broadly affordable.

My 2cb

Edited by Abel Enders, 24 March 2015 - 11:10 AM.

[Yellow Kat]

LordKnightFandragon, on 23 March 2015 - 05:44 PM, said:

Yeah, its assinine. It shouldnt take anymore then 200 games to master any one mech.....and have it geared out. Point should be playing the mechs and having fun. PGI clearly uses the grind as a cover up for their lack of fun gameplay.....not realizing that huge ass grinds just drive players away more....

I finally re did the math For a heavy mech its between 1400-1800 matches. Just to buy them and nothing else.

[Joseph Mallan]

Yellow Kat, on 27 April 2015 - 10:34 AM, said:

I finally re did the math For a heavy mech its between 1400-1800 matches. Just to buy them and nothing else.

So that would be on my average of 85,000 C-bills a match. 119,000,000 to buy and Equip ... 3 Heavies??? And thats just for the minimum 1,400 matches! I think you are exaggerating just a bit.

Jetfire, on 24 March 2015 - 10:18 AM, said:

Have spent in excess of the big K and yeah, the grind is super real.

I spent $244 since January. Bought 6-8 11 Hero/Champs and GXP to master/Elite all but one...
Not in the least grindy.

Edited by Joseph Mallan, 27 April 2015 - 10:42 AM.

[MoonfireSpam]

But then Star Citizen happened......

[Xetelian]

Yes 30$ for a hero like Boars Head and 30$ for 3 arctic cheetahs is outrageous

[Joseph Mallan]

haven't gotten around to trying that one out. Just didn't grab me. The Guys said I could be a Marine. Travel to strange new planets and kill the inhabitants. But that still wasn't enough.

Xetelian, on 27 April 2015 - 10:48 AM, said:

Yes 30$ for a hero like Boars Head and 30$ for 3 arctic cheetahs is outrageous

The Jumping Atlas from TT is only $25(IIRC)... and it is actual stuff you can hold in your hand.

[Khobai]

mech prices seem fine to me

game earnings are pathetic though...

[WarHippy]

El Bandito, on 24 March 2015 - 05:24 AM, said:

Also there are some dumbasses who had spent over $1000 dollars in MWO and have the gall to say the grind is fine. I'm pretty sure any F2P game would not feel grindy if you spend $1000 on it.

CtrlAltWheee, on 24 March 2015 - 06:42 AM, said:

I've spent a lot on mwo and buy all the pre-order packages. It gives year round premium. I think I play a decent amount. It's still a grind.

Jetfire, on 24 March 2015 - 10:18 AM, said:

Have spent in excess of the big K and yeah, the grind is super real.

Add me to the list that has spent absurd amounts of money and also feel the game has a rather noticeable grind.

[Clint Steel]

Playing the game shouldn't feel like a grind to you. Since the way you earn money is playing, not mining of some other mundane task.

As a counter to that, progression is slow, and with the introduction of Clan Warfare, and its need for four Mechs, its can be a little daunting to get started.

I remember my first Mech choice was a Dragon (The 5n long before quirks) it was a painful waste of C-Bills finding out that it was an inferior mech. I can only imagine the issues now, with the economy being a little tighter than in the 8v8 days. The Cadet Bonus isn't bad, but I think it could use something a little more, to get people into a few good Mechs that they can have fun with, while they "Grind" out C-Bills for new Mechs. I suppose they could always make trial Mechs decent too, people would still want to buy their own, since you can't customise or Elite them.

I feel that Mechs in general should be difficult to earn though. It makes you appreciate them more if you have to work for them.

I am wholly against buying Premium Time, as it makes me feel I should be playing, as to not waste it (the reason I play no subscription games, though i've sank several hundred dollars into MWO, and games like it, as I don't have a problem spending the money on it). So I can't recommend that as a way to speed up your earnings.

[MeiSooHaityu]

I will say this...

One reason I run IS mechs vs Clan mechs is the cost.

To get all 3 Timberwolf chassis, it's approx 45 million C-bills. I stopped at just one chassis (the Prime) right now. It is the only Clan mech I have.

Yes the IS mechs can be pricy too, but I have a lot of IS equipment. I have a lot of DHS, Weapons, Engines (although not applicable to clans, etc..). I have years of built up IS materials, mechs, and equip.

Going into Clan mechs seems like starting over and the cost of starting over and building up inventory just seems way too expensive to go for it. Tack on the fact that I only play a couple days a week max, and I just don't have the time to grind.

So, IS it is for me.

[TLBFestus]

Yup, this complaint/concern/observation has been around since the day they started selling mechs for real money (call it 3 years).

I look at the current sale prices and I think that right about there should be the "sweet spot" for sales. $5-$15 per mech, that's it.

I feel that at that level people are willing to grind away, but ease it a bit with the occasional purchase of a mech that has a C-bill bonus to alleviate said grind. Now again it's just my gut feeling but i think that at that level of cost you'd find a lot more people willing to spend 60-80 dollars per year on this game.

It's equivalent to buying a complete game which we are all used to doing and that cost is not a shock to most of us. Instead, PGI has decided to "ride the whales" and seem to depend on people who spend large amounts of cash (for me that is greater than $200) on the game in a steady fashion. At the time I bought the highest level Founders package that , at $120, was the most I've EVER spent on a single game. That's my benchmark.

We all know that the vast majority of players play for free and ride on the coat-tails of the spenders who support the game. The non-payers provide the community (read "targets") for the spenders. That's how it works. But the problem is that PGI seems to think that since the big spenders think nothing of spending $200, $500, or more on the game that $30 for a single mech is fine. It's not..it's a barrier to small spenders whose cost tolerance is more acute. They see it and think, "cripes...$30, that's half way to a complete game, no way I'm spending that on a single component to this game".

I tell you what, here's how they can make BIG bucks. Prep the game, improve the maps, etc, then launch on STEAM, BUT...with a new pricing structure that is a minimum of 50% lower for purchasers. I'd actually say 60%, but I'm a cheapskate.
Anyhow...that flood of new blood will not be intimidated by those costs and will lap this stuff up in far greater quantities, enough to more than compensate for the drop in price.

And for those who say "people who bought stuff for more before this happened will be upset", I say..get over it..happens all the time. Prices for everything fluctuate. Microwaves used to cost $1500-$2000, now with the penetration of them into the market (everyone has one) they go for $99.

The same can happen with mechs.

Edited by TLBFestus, 27 April 2015 - 12:56 PM.

[Stoned Prophet]

Quxudica, on 22 March 2015 - 05:56 PM, said:

I just returned from a bit of an absense due to technical difficulties, was looking at some of the nifty new mechs available and thinking of diving into them but after awhile of playing it just feels draining. I enjoy playing, have since early closed beta, but it feels like the grind to something new is so large I'm not sure I have the desire to do it. I had the thought of picking up a KGC to try out a ballistic build, only need 4 mllion for that so thats not so bad.. but no thats not really true is it. It's not four million for that KGC, it's actually more like 23 million + upgrades and parts thanks to the levelings system. a single unmastered KGC is likely to feel slow, sluggish and unlikely to give me a good impression of whether it's even enjoyable since it's not actually performing up to snuff yet.

Well those depressing thoughts in my head I decided eh maybe I'll try something a little more unorthodox: pick up an ice ferret, I've seen people saying it's somewhat mediocre since introduction but I think I might enjoy it.. then I notice this medium is actually even more expensive than a Kingcrab, 30+ million investment before I have a true handle on whether I've wasted my money.

This just seems silly to me. I know the thought is supposedly grind = longer play time = more microtransaction profit (though I protest the notion that 20+ bucks per mech is a "micro" anything) but it's the opposite for me. I enjoy the mechs I own, I have over a dozen (not sure of the exact number), but I've also played them all for so long that I don't really want to spend another month+ in them just to get a chance to try something new that I might not even like. I've invested hundreds of hours in MWO over the years, I don't need a progression treadmill to keep me here, in fact its the treadmill that is kind of sapping my desire to play at all.

Relatedly, the leveling mechaninc (which I've always only barely tolerated) is really becoming more and more distasteful for me. I love the Timberwolf, not because of it's supposed bandwagon OPness but because I like many others simply have nostalgic feelings for that design, yet by the time I was starting my third TBW I was almost sick of running it. It'd be one thing of the skill unlocks were marginal, but you pretty much have to elite any mech before you know what it actually runs like.

Eh. I honestly really wish MWO hadn't been a free to play game. I know it probably could not have been financially successful as buy to play title, but if it could of been there would be no need for the exciessive amount of grind that permeates the core experience. The game to me would be better if a couple days of play were enough to buy the most expensive mechs. Grinding to buy isn't why I play, it's tinkering with designes after i buy them and trying new things I like. this massive brick wall between me and experimention really bums me out.

Another "i dont have money so make it cheaper thread"?
Oy vey.
No. Its fine. Dont like playing the game ("grinding") to get stuff? Money money money money. MONEY!
Dont wanna do that?
Earnings are fine.
Good day