31 replies to this topic

[pxr5]

Provided UI 2.0 is delivered on 4th Feb, how much would you be willing to pay for the Clan Collection?

[LordJops]

It really is too much money for fake play things. If any given Mech was between $5-$10 I could easily seem myself picking a new one up every now and then, or bi-monthly or something. I don't know, I see what $30 gets you with this current package and I just don't understand the appeal.

[Ngamok]

The $10 a mech is fine. Clan mechs cost 3x the C-Bills to buy over IS mechs. I would rather they do 2x $120 packages or let me choose 1 of each L/M/H/A.

[Coralld]

I'm not paying for several reasons.
1st, PGI has burned me far to many times and I do not trust them until I see how UI2.0 is.
2nd, I simply do not care for any of those clan mechs. I agree that the Timberwolf is a good mech but I'm not a MadCat groupie. Show me a Mad Dog and then we will talk.

Edited by Coralld, 18 December 2013 - 08:20 AM.

[Doctor Proctor]

Ngamok, on 18 December 2013 - 08:11 AM, said:

The $10 a mech is fine. Clan mechs cost 3x the C-Bills to buy over IS mechs. I would rather they do 2x $120 packages or let me choose 1 of each L/M/H/A.

I never liked that rationale of "Well Clan mechs cost more CBills", to be honest. I mean, doesn't a Battlemaster cost significantly more than a Locust? Yet the Battlemaster tier was the same cost as the Locust tier: $20. While mechs purchased via the mech bay fluctuate based on CBill price to an extent (they're actually tied to tonnage AFAIK, but average CBill cost goes up with tonnage) that hasn't really been the case with the previous packages.

Additionally, we're getting less stuff overall with these packages. For $80 I got the Overlord Package with 90 (+30 bonus) days of premium time and 12 mechs + mech bays. For $90 I'm only get 9 mechs + mech bays, which supposedly is that whole issue of the increased CBill cost, but I'm also only getting 30 days of premium time. There isn't even an option for the 90+30 bonus days like there was early adopters of the Phoenix package, so the packages don't even really follow a strict 50% increase in cost for the same content that Phoenix had, but rather a bit more than that due to the lack of Premium Time.

Edited by Doctor Proctor, 18 December 2013 - 08:34 AM.

[LordJops]

Doctor Proctor, on 18 December 2013 - 08:34 AM, said:

I never liked that rationale of "Well Clan mechs cost more CBills", to be honest. I mean, doesn't a Battlemaster cost significantly more than a Locust? Yet the Battlemaster tier was the same cost as the Locust tier: $20. While mechs purchased via the mech bay fluctuate based on CBill price to an extent (they're actually tied to tonnage AFAIK, but average CBill cost goes up with tonnage) that hasn't really been the case with the previous packages.

I agree with you that there is a discrepancy going on here with the packages and the MC dynamic is just as wacky. While it does make a certain kind of sense that a heavier mech will cost more c-bills based on tonnage alone, I think 4000+ MC of real money for an assault mech is kind of ludicrous. I've also noticed how many mechs are priced just 5MC above certain $8.99-$14.99 MC package limits, presumably to convince people to pay into that next payment tier. I hate this, and for $30+ players should be able to CHOOSE which mech they want in the package.

Sure, for newbies there is an presumption that an assault mech is going to dominate on the battlefield but this simply isn't the case. A newb in an Atlas DDC is going to get blown away all the same. That's why I don't really fear newbs dropping hard cash on an "elite" mech that isn't going to do them much good anyway. Godly mechs do not exist and I do not believe a newb can simply buy their way into "l33tness" with this game.

Anywho, I don't really know where I'm going with this, I just think for a FreeToPlay game trying to make some money they are going about in a particularly annoying way. Reasonable prices would promote customer loyalty and I think people could have their cake and eat it too: that is, help support the development of the game and enjoy playing around with new variants for $5 or $10 without the need of mindless grinding should they choose to do so!!! I mean, ****, if I'll drop $5 on a sandwich once a week I'll sure as hell drop $5 on a new mech. There is so much potential with this game, it kills me that the developers are making it so hard for me to get on board.

(I know, slightly off-topic, more towards Mech value in general)

[Sean von Steinike]

$0. Too many undelivered promises and changes in design pillars to pony up for a package. If I trusted the company, it would be different.

[Ngamok]

Doctor Proctor, on 18 December 2013 - 08:34 AM, said:

I never liked that rationale of "Well Clan mechs cost more CBills", to be honest. I mean, doesn't a Battlemaster cost significantly more than a Locust? Yet the Battlemaster tier was the same cost as the Locust tier: $20.

No. You had to pay $80 to get the BLR as opposed to $20 only for the Locust. In your example it's like saying buying the Daishi is the same as buying an Uller. The money you pay for the clan packs is to by-pass buying them with C-Bills.

Example:

Battlemaster vs. Masakari both 85 tons
Model BLR-1G Class Assault Cost 8,501,243 C-bills


Model - Warhawk / Masakari Prime Class Assault Cost 26,425,323 C-bills

You can buy the 3 BLRs (assume equal price) for 25,503,729 C-Bills and the Warhawk is still more. Right now, if I wanted to buy 3 Warhawks, that is 3/4 of my C-Bills I currently have. Prices taken from sarna.net since those are pretty close to in game prices.

[Doctor Proctor]

Ngamok, on 18 December 2013 - 12:11 PM, said:

No. You had to pay $80 to get the BLR as opposed to $20 only for the Locust. In your example it's like saying buying the Daishi is the same as buying an Uller. The money you pay for the clan packs is to by-pass buying them with C-Bills.

Example:

Battlemaster vs. Masakari both 85 tons
Model BLR-1G Class Assault Cost 8,501,243 C-bills


Model - Warhawk / Masakari Prime Class Assault Cost 26,425,323 C-bills

You can buy the 3 BLRs (assume equal price) for 25,503,729 C-Bills and the Warhawk is still more. Right now, if I wanted to buy 3 Warhawks, that is 3/4 of my C-Bills I currently have. Prices taken from sarna.net since those are pretty close to in game prices.

Umm...what? They were divided up into tiers of $20 each. While I couldn't pay $20 solely for the Battlemaster, it included all of the lower tier mechs in that $80 that I paid. So I paid $20 for the Locust, $20 for the SHawk, $20 for the T-Bolt and $20 for the Battlemaster. Since each increment included both the cost and the items from the lower tiers, that doesn't reduce their value all of a sudden. Essentially, the Battlemaster was priced the same as all the other tiers in the Phoenix packages, despite it's heavier tonnage and higher cost in CBills.

This is what's called "Marginal Cost" (meaning: the difference in price as you add another item) as opposed to "Total Cost". The marginal cost of the Battlemaster is the same as a Locust, regardless of CBill costs or tonnage, plain and simple.

Edit: Hell, if you want to get technical, it's less since you got extra premium time with the higher tiers. That's a completely separate issue though, and has nothing to do with the developer reasoning that these Clan mechs cost more CBills. Another good question is why would they even cost 3x more to begin with if they're supposedly going to be balanced against Inner Sphere mechs?

Edited by Doctor Proctor, 18 December 2013 - 01:42 PM.

[StompyRobot100]

I simply WILL NOT be spending 240 bucks for this stuff... that price is just WAY TOO MUCH for what is offered. I dropped 80 on Overlord because I saw value in what i was getting for it (12 mechs+bays and a bunch of premium time and some little trinkets) for what was offered i though 80 was a high price but fair for what they had offered. I feel that the pricing structure for the Clan packages is just silly. 3 times as much money for less stuff? sure the in game cost of things will be astronomical but thats totally in keeping with lore AND balance. we are here discussing REAL MONEY. nearly all of the people I know that play this game are mid 20 year olds *and a couple 30 somethings) that have been playing in the battletech universe for DECADES. we like the concept of big stopmy robots blasting each other with lazers and missiles and cannons. We also don't have the kind of money OR the justification to drop on 240 dollar packages in a GAME that is coming from a company fraught with missed deadlines and broken promises. The game is live, out of beta, and still only half finished with tons of fetures that just dont work (half the elite tier options in the pilot tree any one?)


show me something tangible and i might be able to justify even 160 dollars (twice what I paid for overlord just for the sake of the lore) but i CAN NOT and WILL NOT justify the current pricing scheme.



(/rant.... kinda got a little carried away didnt i? haha)

and more than that why would i want to spend that much money when we still have exactly ZERO idea how Clans will be implemented in the game any way?

[Ngamok]

Doctor Proctor, on 18 December 2013 - 01:39 PM, said:

Umm...what? They were divided up into tiers of $20 each. While I couldn't pay $20 solely for the Battlemaster, it included all of the lower tier mechs in that $80 that I paid. So I paid $20 for the Locust, $20 for the SHawk, $20 for the T-Bolt and $20 for the Battlemaster. Since each increment included both the cost and the items from the lower tiers, that doesn't reduce their value all of a sudden. Essentially, the Battlemaster was priced the same as all the other tiers in the Phoenix packages, despite it's heavier tonnage and higher cost in CBills.

This is what's called "Marginal Cost" (meaning: the difference in price as you add another item) as opposed to "Total Cost". The marginal cost of the Battlemaster is the same as a Locust, regardless of CBill costs or tonnage, plain and simple.

Edit: Hell, if you want to get technical, it's less since you got extra premium time with the higher tiers. That's a completely separate issue though, and has nothing to do with the developer reasoning that these Clan mechs cost more CBills. Another good question is why would they even cost 3x more to begin with if they're supposedly going to be balanced against Inner Sphere mechs?

Ok, so Clan mechs costs $30 per tier as opposed to the Phoenix ones which were $20 a tier. What's the problem. They still cost 3x the C-Bills to buy in game. You are paying for mechs early to skip the C-Bill grind which are 3x as much for clans.

[Ngamok]

Doctor Proctor, on 18 December 2013 - 01:39 PM, said:

Umm...what? They were divided up into tiers of $20 each. While I couldn't pay $20 solely for the Battlemaster, it included all of the lower tier mechs in that $80 that I paid. So I paid $20 for the Locust, $20 for the SHawk, $20 for the T-Bolt and $20 for the Battlemaster. Since each increment included both the cost and the items from the lower tiers, that doesn't reduce their value all of a sudden. Essentially, the Battlemaster was priced the same as all the other tiers in the Phoenix packages, despite it's heavier tonnage and higher cost in CBills.

This is what's called "Marginal Cost" (meaning: the difference in price as you add another item) as opposed to "Total Cost". The marginal cost of the Battlemaster is the same as a Locust, regardless of CBill costs or tonnage, plain and simple.

Edit: Hell, if you want to get technical, it's less since you got extra premium time with the higher tiers. That's a completely separate issue though, and has nothing to do with the developer reasoning that these Clan mechs cost more CBills. Another good question is why would they even cost 3x more to begin with if they're supposedly going to be balanced against Inner Sphere mechs?

Ok, so buy them for C-Bills at 26 million each when they come out. Start grinding sir.

[Khobai]

prices need to come down to phoenix level. its absurd that prices went up 50% from one sale to the next... during christmas of all times.

split it up into two packs, make each pack cost $20/$40/$60/$80 and add 0/1/2/3 months of premium time to the packs.

Quote

Ok, so Clan mechs costs $30 per tier as opposed to the Phoenix ones which were $20 a tier. What's the problem. They still cost 3x the C-Bills to buy in game. You are paying for mechs early to skip the C-Bill grind which are 3x as much for clans.

The problem is I have no desire to buy any of the clan packs at these inflated prices. I like this game, but I dont like it THAT much. Im going to spend my money on other games that have sales for 20%-80% off for Christmas. PGI possibly couldve gotten $80 out of me, but now theyre getting $0.

Edited by Khobai, 19 December 2013 - 11:37 AM.

[Shismar]

Not only is the price per mech horribly inflated, also it adds up to a sum that is simply out of bounds for video game content.

If PGI really wants to sell these packages, they need to slash the price by at least 50%. Better more as a discount for the bigger packages.

As it is, I certainly will not buy. Even if UI 2.0 works reasonably well, which I have some doubts about, and CW turns out to be worth playing, which I cannot see why it should yet.

[Doctor Proctor]

Khobai, on 19 December 2013 - 11:32 AM, said:

prices need to come down to phoenix level. its absurd that prices went up 50% from one sale to the next... during christmas of all times.

split it up into two packs, make each pack cost $20/$40/$60/$80 and add 0/1/2/3 months of premium time to the packs.



The problem is I have no desire to buy any of the clan packs at these inflated prices. I like this game, but I dont like it THAT much. Im going to spend my money on other games that have sales for 20%-80% off for Christmas. PGI possibly couldve gotten $80 out of me, but now theyre getting $0.

Pretty much this. As you can see, I am Overlord and paid my $80 for the Phoenix packs because of the value they presented. At these current prices, I will not be getting a Clan banner which means they get $0 from me. Poor value is poor value.

[WarHippy]

I would pay the $240 if they can justify the inflated c-bill price of clan mechs that they used as an explanation to why these packs are more than the phoenix mech packs. However, their current design plans seem to indicate that a lot of clan mechs are actually going to be inferior to inner sphere mechs that cost a fraction of the c-bill price.

[Ngamok]

Khobai, on 19 December 2013 - 11:32 AM, said:

prices need to come down to phoenix level. its absurd that prices went up 50% from one sale to the next... during christmas of all times.

split it up into two packs, make each pack cost $20/$40/$60/$80 and add 0/1/2/3 months of premium time to the packs.



The problem is I have no desire to buy any of the clan packs at these inflated prices. I like this game, but I dont like it THAT much. Im going to spend my money on other games that have sales for 20%-80% off for Christmas. PGI possibly couldve gotten $80 out of me, but now theyre getting $0.

Exactly as you should. If you don't like the price they set, don't buy it. I am not going in for $210 or $240. I'll just go to the $90 Thor. That's it for myself as I would buy both the Thor and the Uller with C-Bills when they are released anyways. I'll just have to wait on the Ryoken and Timber Wolf down the road for C-Bill purchase.

Also, I am looking forward to the Steam Winter Sale as well.

WarHippy, on 19 December 2013 - 01:21 PM, said:

I would pay the $240 if they can justify the inflated c-bill price of clan mechs that they used as an explanation to why these packs are more than the phoenix mech packs. However, their current design plans seem to indicate that a lot of clan mechs are actually going to be inferior to inner sphere mechs that cost a fraction of the c-bill price.

Well you just told yourself why they are more money. The Inner Sphere mechs cost a fraction of the C-Bill price. If they keep the C-Bill price of mechs as they have been, then 1 single Masakari is 26 million C-Bills.

Masakari = 26,425,323
Timber Wolf = 24,233,124
Daishi = 29,350,000
Summoner = 21,320,834
Stormcrow = 14,771,112
Nova = 11,586,250
Kit Fox = 5,368,837
Adder = 7,021,688

Add that up for 8 Prime Variant mechs = 140,077,168 C-Bills. So you are getting 420+ C-bills worth of mechs (24 mechs). Sounds like you grind that or pay $30 to $240 to buy a package or grind C-Bills for the ones you only want. After upgrading my Griffins (have not touched my Wolverines yet) I have just over 99 million C-Bills and I have a total of 56 mechs in my mechbay with 2 open spots. Of those, 18 came from Saber + Overlord and 6 are Hero, Founder, and Sarah Jenner. The others I bought with C-Bills. That was a lot of grinding.

Edited by Ngamok, 19 December 2013 - 01:27 PM.

[Khobai]

Quote

Exactly as you should. If you don't like the price they set, don't buy it.

Yes but I actually enjoy playing this game and dont mind supporting it financially. What frustrates me is that PGI makes it so insanely difficult for me to spend money on their game. They always use these absurd all or nothing pricing schemes and dont seem to grasp the concept of microtransactions.

You don't have to rip people off to make money. Look at LoL, most of the stuff they sell is less than $10, and its one of the most financially successful games of all time. If IGP/PGI adjusted their prices to allow microtransactions, and grew their player base instead of constantly ostracizing them, this game would be so much more successful.

Edited by Khobai, 19 December 2013 - 01:53 PM.

[WarHippy]

Ngamok, on 19 December 2013 - 01:42 PM, said:

Well you just told yourself why they are more money. The Inner Sphere mechs cost a fraction of the C-Bill price. If they keep the C-Bill price of mechs as they have been, then 1 single Masakari is 26 million C-Bills.

Masakari = 26,425,323
Timber Wolf = 24,233,124
Daishi = 29,350,000
Summoner = 21,320,834
Stormcrow = 14,771,112
Nova = 11,586,250
Kit Fox = 5,368,837
Adder = 7,021,688

Add that up for 8 Prime Variant mechs = 140,077,168 C-Bills. So you are getting 420+ C-bills worth of mechs (24 mechs). Sounds like you grind that or pay $30 to $240 to buy a package or grind C-Bills for the ones you only want. After upgrading my Griffins (have not touched my Wolverines yet) I have just over 99 million C-Bills and I have a total of 56 mechs in my mechbay with 2 open spots. Of those, 18 came from Saber + Overlord and 6 are Hero, Founder, and Sarah Jenner. The others I bought with C-Bills. That was a lot of grinding.

Reread what I said because I am fully aware of how much they cost. You need to justify the 3x cost, and with the current heavy handed nerfs they have planned for the Clan mechs they are not worth 3x the cost, and as such are not worth the $240.

[Ngamok]

Khobai, on 19 December 2013 - 01:43 PM, said:

Yes but I actually enjoy playing this game and dont mind supporting it financially. What frustrates me is that PGI makes it so insanely difficult for me to spend money on their game. They always use these absurd all or nothing pricing schemes and dont seem to grasp the concept of microtransactions.

You don't have to rip people off to make money. Look at LoL, most of the stuff they sell is less than $10, and its one of the most financially successful games of all time. If IGP/PGI adjusted their prices to allow microtransactions, and grew their player base instead of constantly ostracizing them, this game would be so much more successful.

I am supporting the idea that they should either separate the packs into two $120 deals or let us pick and choose one from each weight class. I personally would mix it up 2 from each side...Uller, Ryoken, Thor, Masakari.

If not, I am stopping at the $90 Thor package.

Edited by Ngamok, 19 December 2013 - 02:10 PM.