Posted 22 October 2015 - 10:34 AM
The additional c-bills from Hero/pack specific mechs definately does give an advantage to a player using them in a R&R system.
That being said, I still want SOMETHING to give me more flavor to this game, Repair/Rearm costs and downtime for mechs would work just fine for me in my opinion. And a limit on when that kicks on [or even an option to just turn on RnR as an option.] would be nice.
I think it should be forced on for gamemode's like CW... but CW needs to have it's own economy for that to work.
I'm a little shocked actually, that RnR wasn't included in CW... as it makes sense. CW should be a more logistics focused mode anyway. Because CW's begging for a more immersive experience.
The way I'd handle it:
CW starts, you pick 4 mechs as your base stable from your existing mechs you own. Those become {CW} variants while participating in CW. You also get a starting stipend based on your overall net worth in the base game at the start of the session [so it basically liquidates all the mechs from your faction {IS or Clan} you didn't choose from the pug mode, and gives you an amount of c-bills based on that liquidation to give a baseline starting level in CW.]
From here, you start your merc company, or ally with your house, and begin your career as a mechwarrior, taking contracts or orders from your house. This means lonewolves have the option of lonewolf v lonewolf contracts... or can be pulled in by optional contracts to help fill out ranks if desired [a toggle would make this easy, and get's people off the pugs getting stomped argument in CW]
As you fight, you rank up in your faction you're fighting for, which gives bonuses, and reduced costs for mechs [in cw mode] and repair/rearm.
Combined with the ability to grow your {CW} stable by buying House/Faction specific mechs... it gives a whole new feel to CW, and combines it with a second economy that doesn't impact the PUG mode for RnR costs and the like.
in this version of CW, while vet's to the game get a basic advantage, this also allows unit coffers to be used to post the repair/rearm costs for the unit, or it can be delt with on a singular player level. This also opens up AI based contracts that could be used as "pirate defense" contracts to help gain some money on the perphery to get your mechs back in running standing if you need to.
I mean this is just a rough, off the top of my head suggestion... but it would give CW much more agency and immersion than it currently has, it would give single players AKA Lonewolves a reason to play CW, AND it doesn't impact the pug gameplay so people can still easily go out and fight in puglandia all day, but when they want an immersive experience, they have access too it in the form of CW with it's own tracked stats and economy.