31 replies to this topic

[JesterPC]

So I am a huge fan of classic Mech Warrior, and I was extremely excited when this game was announced. I tried it out and really liked it, but decided I'd come back to it after some time (it was still beta). Looking at it now, it looks, quite frankly, ridiculous. I'm sure the gameplay is really cool, but the fact that you could spend $1,000s on mech packs is a little disconcerting. I guess I'm posting here to ask if the game can be enjoyed for a reasonable amount of money. I don't expect to play completely for free, and don't mind dropping some cash here and there, but I don't like the idea of spending thousands on one game. Furthermore, does looking at the store page's bundles give a generally inaccurate impression on pricing?

[Juodas Varnas]

Actually, the payment model is extremely f2p friendly. Even too much, i think.
You can basically get ANYTHING even the premium currency without paying a single cent!
Well... As long as you play Community Warfare. You get Loyalty there and then you get rewards for it, like Mechbays, Cockpit items, GXP, C-bills and MC!
Quite a lot actually, it might take long to get the rewards, but they're quite something.

[Appogee]

Yes, you can play for free. It will just take you longer to level Mechs and the like.

The game starts you off with accelerated earnings to give you an early leg up.

I think on balance it's not that hard for a new player to get a Mech or two, though it will take time to become really good at it.

Edited by Appogee, 04 May 2015 - 10:19 AM.

[DrSlamastika]

Welcome on board man! You dont need pay for anything now, you can get also mechbays for free . . .

[TeteSP]

DrSlamastika, on 04 May 2015 - 10:21 AM, said:

Welcome on board man! You dont need pay for anything now, you can get also mechbays for free . . .

Those mech bays can be winned by cw???

[Juodas Varnas]

Also! Don't forget almost weekly events, that usually have great rewards for little (to A LOT, depends on the event) effort.
The rewards can be from MC, to EXP, to Mechbays, Cockpit items, and even CHAMPION version of Mechs (champion mechs give extra experience)

TeteSP, on 04 May 2015 - 10:25 AM, said:

Those mech bays can be winned by cw???

Yeah, every couple of ranks in a Faction you'll get a mechbay. Easiest way to get a lot of free mechbays is to switch factions a lot. Get into one faction, get the mechbay (its very early rank), then get into another faction, get another mechbay and repeat for all factions (you can get A LOT of mechbays that way)

[JesterPC]

Thanks for the responses! I'm not so much concerned about playing 100% for free, I play other free to play games like SMITE and a couple of MMOs, so I really don't mind spending $15-$20 here and there, I just don't want to feel like I'm playing an incomplete game because I don't spend $80 every time a new bundle comes out. Hearing these responses is exciting though, I'll install again tonight. I recently finished off my CH HOTAS set up with a set of rudder pedals, it's making me itch for some torso twisting

[DrSlamastika]

TeteSP, on 04 May 2015 - 10:25 AM, said:

Those mech bays can be winned by cw???

Yes for example, but like others said, don't forget for occasionally events. It's good way how boost yourself
Free mechbay, mechs, free colors, free Cbils, free MCs etc . . .

[Elizander]

It will only feel bad if:

1) You want everything and...
2) You want it now.

But you can get 600 damage games with nothing more than 2 large lasers or 2 ac5s on a relatively mobile mech once you know how to play. I still get 800+ 3-5 kill games on my ancient Dragon mech which was like one of the very first dozen mechs released.

I have free accounts with only 1-2 mechs each and I still do well in them.

Once you reach the point where you have a good stable of mechs you like you won't feel much pressure with new releases. Some of us have more mechs than we can actually play with but some of us just bought packs to support the game.

Edited by Elizander, 04 May 2015 - 10:38 AM.

[TeteSP]

DrSlamastika, on 04 May 2015 - 10:31 AM, said:

Yes for example, but like others said, don't forget for occasionally events. It's good way how boost yourself
Free mechbay, mechs, free colors, free Cbils, free MCs etc . . .

Thanks for the explanation.

[Koniving]

JesterPC, on 04 May 2015 - 10:29 AM, said:

Thanks for the responses! I'm not so much concerned about playing 100% for free, I play other free to play games like SMITE and a couple of MMOs, so I really don't mind spending $15-$20 here and there, I just don't want to feel like I'm playing an incomplete game because I don't spend $80 every time a new bundle comes out. Hearing these responses is exciting though, I'll install again tonight. I recently finished off my CH HOTAS set up with a set of rudder pedals, it's making me itch for some torso twisting

As someone who has spent a bit over a thousand with friends who haven't spent anything and friends who have spent only a little, we're all in about the same boat. The main differences how early I get to try and use the new mechs versus the other two sorts of players.

One thing I noticed is while I'm getting early access which allows me to work on leveling them early and plenty of little bonuses, I'm also paying to be a guinea pig. On occasion they do release with issues (the Hellbringer, anyone? It came out with 17 non-center-torso areas of the hitbox that all counted as center torso, including 3 small sections of rear CT that counted as front CT) and admittedly the people who paid to access them early are very, very rapid at coming back and informing them of issues which in turn, gets them fixed very quickly compared to PGI's old release model.

Developing 'Mechs and maps is expensive or so they say. They can't charge for the maps, and the 'Mechs all become free. What you're getting is early access to the 'Mechs before they become common, some trinkets to clutter your cockpit with, and each of the 'primary' variants tend to get a special different tidbit or look about them (good for collectors) alongside a permanent 30%
earning bonus.

The only thing truly locked behind a paywall are the hero mechs -- which aside from their backstories, are usually just two other variants combined into one and many of them can be replicated with other free mechs. For example the Stalker hero Misery may be the only Stalker totting a ballistic weapon, but you can replicate that 85 ton heromech with almost any 85 ton Battlemaster.

The preorders cater more to collectors, "whales" (people who spend obscene amounts of money), and the occasional spender looking to get a bunch of 'Mechs quick.

Beyond those, the game relies on selling cockpit clutter, paints and camos, hero 'Mechs, champion 'Mechs (regular mechs with the good equipment already unlocked and the common expensive engines already shoved in) and 'starter packs' to bring in money to support the game.

They bought themselves away from their publisher (the publisher has since filed for bankrupty and collapsed with all its assets on auction) which has helped significantly, as there was a long stall in actual tangible development with endless sales and the like, and with the publisher gone the development had largely been jumpstarted with a lot more progress in the past 8 months than there had been in the two years before it.

Edited by Koniving, 04 May 2015 - 10:58 AM.

[Appogee]

JesterPC, on 04 May 2015 - 10:29 AM, said:

I really don't mind spending $15-$20 here and there.

The best investment you can make in that price range is a Hero Mech. It will give you +30% CBills. Go for a tanky one so you stay alive long enough to do lots of damage.

Stalker Misery is a solid choice. Ilya Muromets is good, too.

Edited by Appogee, 04 May 2015 - 12:09 PM.

[Malcolm Vordermark]

These days I feel you can play this game very well without putting in any money. The one thing I felt someone had to buy, the mechbays, can be won in CW now. There is a limit but one can get a lot fairly easy.

It will be a bit grindy to get new mechs. That comes down to how you feel about grinding. One quick note, Clan mechs and IS mechs are going to cost you about the same in the end. Clan mechs may give you a bit of sticker shock but thats because they come with stuff that you'll eventually want on your IS mechs. IS mechs can save you someone money by allowing engine swapping or the use of standard engines, which are cheaper.

[grendeldog]

I have probably spent three or four hundred dollars on MWO in the four months I have been playing. Personally, I feel like the amount of fun and enjoyment that I get from this game far surpasses the amount of money I have spent. And also, I tend to hold on to my Mech Credits and spend them slowly over time when there's a mech I just have to have. On the other hand I spend the in game currency on engines and weapons and modules, as well as on mechs.

I don't buy cockpit items and I have only bought pain jobs for three of my mechs. You may find that you want warhorns or cockpit items; that's a personal choice and each person has a valid opinion on the matter. For myself, things that do not affect gameplay are not that interesting, and certainly not worth spending money on.

Where I do spend is for mastery packs or other such bundles where you get three variants - and often some premium time as well, which is helpful because it increases the amount of in game currency you get in each match. I have also preordered the clan wave 3 pack, because I both want to support PGI when they do new content and also because it looks like it may change up the dynamics of clan play (a useful assault that is not a Dire Wolf and a light that is fast enough to play as an actual light mech instead of a fragile medium).

That said, you do not need to spend money on this game. There is no real 'pay to win' option. If you are indeed willing to spend modestly, I would recommend a mastery pack - the Hunchback is great as a versatile medium for new players and experienced players alike. It also comes with the requisite mech bays and a month of premium time. The cost would be $30, with about 2000 MC left over to spend as you see fit. This was my first purchase and helped me get on my feet; I highly recommend it.

Edited by grendeldog, 04 May 2015 - 11:59 AM.

[Elizander]

If you are the type to be fickle about engine rating then clan mechs will save you more in the long run by simply not giving you the choice to change engines.

[Anunknownlurker]

I would add that premium time is a pretty good investment; the increase in C-bills is noticeable (especially when run in conjunction with a hero) BUT this is not pay to win in any way, it is simply pay to get your new shinies more quickly. Some shinies - the modules for example - make a massive difference to game play, however, as you can buy them all for in-game currency all you paying for is getting them earlier than a full f2p player.

[Shalune]

Koniving put it best I think: most of the expensive mech packs you see are 'pay for early access.'

I agree that the dollar prices on many things are high in this game especially on individual mechs. That said, things that are a bit more vital like early access mech packs, and mechbays are much more generously priced.

Still, as others have stated, you can get by quite well without paying a dime. The big warning I would attach to this, is to very carefully consider and even research your big purchases (using in-game or real currency). With the new player bonuses you can fully outfit a mech of your own very quickly, but getting more mechs after that will take some time.

This is not a bad thing so long as you know what you're getting into.

Before you buy any mech, experiment as much as you can with the free ones available to you. Keep in mind almost none of these are optimal, but will give you a good survey of the play styles available. Once you find a mech that meshes well with you, I'd come back to the forums (guides -> mechs) and ask or look for recommendations on mechs of that style. Be sure to specify the speed range you prefer, durability if it matters, weapon types, and if you want to be able to experiment with lots of builds. People will naturally try to recommend the super best min/max mechs of the time, so it's better to be specific.

You don't need one of these mechs to have fun or be effective, so it's better to find a perfect match for you than try to conform to what's powerful.

So now you've got your first mech and a long road to your second. Well, that's not all bad. This gives you a lot of time to really learn your mech inside and out and refine its loadout to your liking. MWO doesn't look it on the surface, but there are a lot of nuances to every mech that will pay off if mastered.

[Chaos Strike]

I have been playing for about 2 months. I have spent $30 for MC (Mechwarrior Credits). With these, I have bought a few mech bays and 2 Hero Lights when they were on sale. When I bought the MC, there was a deal going on that you received a bonus Mech and a bay for it (stripped and sold the Mech carcass). I still have a good chunk of the MC and just bought my 9th Mech with CBills, bringing my stable upto 11 Mechs. I have added a few mech bays through CW and am close to gaining another one.

[TheCaptainJZ]

I wouldn't buy single mechs from the gift store or premium time from the gift store.
Mastery packs are all 50% of the contents inside. A good bargain if you like those mechs and it gives you all you need to level them.

Hero mechs can be good or ok. If you see one you like you can get it but they are not must haves.
When spending MC, watch out for sales. There's something going on every weekend.

[SnagaDance]

Everybody has already explained how this game really isn't PTW and how you can just FTP yourself through it. So I'll just relate my personal experience to illustrate.

I started playing the game in August 2013 (my account itself is older, needed a better computer first). In a little over 1,5 years I've earned myself 50 mechs. Most of them by grinding, some by events, some as a reward for buying MC (I've bough $40 in MC in all this time) and just last week a few Hero mechs by buying them at a 50% sale. In addition, to support this game that has given me so much fun, I sprang for the Resistance 1 pack ($80) which has given me another 12 mechs that I paid money for (plus a lot of other goodies, like camo, colors and paints).

Keep in mind that I've got a full time job, a wife, 2 kids and my own house, so my playing time is limited (oh, to be a teenager again...), with usually just a few games each day. Yesterday 3 solo games for instance, the day before 2 CW games etc.

By saving my MC for sales (and buying the MC themselves on sale as well) I've gotten a good number of paints and Mechbays at a steal. If you look at the hours I put in this game my $120 investment is absolute peanuts compared to just about any other type of entertainment I enjoy. And even if I'd only stuck with spending just a little MC I would still have gotten a huge stable of mechs for free.

Right now I'm actually embarking on the CW faction hopping people mentioned. Daddy needs a few more mechbays, I've only got 1 left open and there's still 9 mechs on my currents 'wants' list. I'll probably score a few of them next C-bills mech sale. I'm patient, meanwhile I've got enough mechs to still xp-grind, gain C-bills and spend those.

Jump in the game! There's really nothing to lose here, only some time if you don't find the game to your liking after all.