28 replies to this topic

[Talorien]

So, the new player experience is all about retaining as many new players as possible while MWO is still new and hot on Steam.

Why not give all new players a starter Mech? (Say, a HBK-4J with 250 engine)

This will

• Feel intuitive, like many other games with a starter character or vehicle
  
• Guide new players to spending their starter CBills wisely (Hunchbacks are a very solid choice)
  
• Encourage new players to get the Hunchback Mastery pack

I'd even suggest putting the Hunchback Mastery on permanent 50% sale on Steam ($11 USD).

All this will offer a very solid new player experience at no cost and minimal effort for PGI.

It'll probably significantly increase retention and sales via the Hunchback Mastery pack!

Thoughts?

[Adette]

That is what the 25 match cadet bonus is for....along with the academy bonus, you can come out with 17M c-bills to buy whatever mech you want

[Elizander]

If you complete the tutorial you get 5m. That's enough to buy anything that's worth calling a starter mech.

The issue with giving a starter mech is that people want different things. You can give them options but it's simpler to just let people buy whatever they want.

The problem is that the tutorial is incomplete and doesn't make this clear. Blind new players don't know:

• How to select different trial mechs or that they even have a lot of trial mechs to pick from.
  
• How to buy a mech.
  
• How to upgrade a mech.
  
• The roles of each mech build and class.

There are a lot of smart players these days that do their homework out of the game. It's just assumed so much that everyone has superior Google-fu but I still firmly believe that all the basics should be taught in the game.

Edit:

Best solution to free Starter Mech is the Chameleon. This requires modeler time which PGI can't spare at the moment (I assume) because it would mostly be a non-profit mech since it's to be given out for free (though they can still sell Hero/Champion/Special variants off it, it won't make anywhere near as a mechpack pre-order under these assumptions).

Edited by Elizander, 18 December 2015 - 09:29 PM.

[Bluttrunken]

This is covered with trial mechs and cadet bonus. It's not as intuitive but it amounts to the same thing. Newcomers are also not faced with 12v12 hunchback matches. God bless, because that would be pretty boring.

[Johnny Z]

This doesn't make sense. Trial mechs, giant "PLAY NOW" buttons, and 24 atlas heads per cockpit makes sense.

I forgot to mention the 3 stage gauss firing mechanic, it just feels "right" and makes a lot of sense to.

The one game where a player has to hold a button down to make the laser sight work.

I'm kidding of course. The topics idea is great.

Edited by Johnny Z, 18 December 2015 - 09:36 PM.

[El Bandito]

Give all the new players a Hunchback-4G, or a Hunchback IIC. It's a tough lil bugger with plenty of punch, and doesn't require much upgrade.

Edited by El Bandito, 19 December 2015 - 05:51 AM.

[Talorien]

Gaining XP and unlocking skills on the pilot tree will also help new players feel a sense of accomplishment, and invested.

[Hawk_eye]

I agree with this proposal.
Perhaps give them some choice, while we´re at it, like a selection tree like, choose if you want to play IS or Clan, then choose your preferred weight class.

Hell, go all the way and just make them choose between IS and Clan and give ´em one of each weight class (this even adds another incentive to grind (get the other two variants) and thus to spend real money on stuff like premium).

You know, luring ´em in (and _keeping_ ´em in) with free stuff.
That trick is known to work since the first cave-men started to trade animal skins and flint-stone-knifes.

[627]

just want to add that while you get enough money with the cadet bouns and tutorial, you can only burn that once.
If you waste your one lucky shot on a highlander or a kintaro or so, you are screwed.

So there should be at least a recommendation and an easy (to use) build for the first mech to buy.

Sure there are the trial mechs that are not that bad anymore but without a little help or guide you don't know how to recreate those builds or what are the important things and so on.

[Duke Nedo]

There should at least be one clan and one is option, we don't want all new players on one side...

[Elizander]

Duke Nedo, on 19 December 2015 - 12:32 AM, said:

There should at least be one clan and one is option, we don't want all new players on one side...

Hunchback and Nova of course.

[ChewBaka]

Johnny Z, on 18 December 2015 - 09:29 PM, said:

This doesn't make sense. Trial mechs, giant "PLAY NOW" buttons, and 24 atlas heads per cockpit makes sense.

I forgot to mention the 3 stage gauss firing mechanic, it just feels "right" and makes a lot of sense to.

The one game where a player has to hold a button down to make the laser sight work.

I'm kidding of course. The topics idea is great.

Yeah, I've always wondered why there can't be a toggle button for Tag. Its really dumb that we have to hold it down.

[Lupis Volk]

As a steam player I do think it would have been great if the game gave us a choice of a Clan or IS mech after doing the tutorial. Heck give it a % bonus to help beginners.

[IceFire]

I'm surprised clan mechs aren't used as a tutorial to fitting more often, purely because they're harder to get wrong (IIC excluded)

[Narcissistic Martyr]

k05h3lk1n, on 18 December 2015 - 09:24 PM, said:

This is covered with trial mechs and cadet bonus. It's not as intuitive but it amounts to the same thing. Newcomers are also not faced with 12v12 hunchback matches. God bless, because that would be pretty boring.

Actually... that'd be pretty dynamic considering the various hunchbacks can fill every role except assault mech and fast scout.

You can have dakka support, AC20, LRMs, SRMs, PEW PEW PEW, PPC sniper, ER LL sniper, Gauss sniper... everything. It's why the Hunchie has always been one of the recommended mechs for new players even before they got the durability quirks. The other reason of course is that hunch teaches you how to torso twist in order to preserve it and stay in the hunt which makes you a better player in the end.

Only other decent choice really is the Shadow Hawk and it's.. well it's the better chassis without quirks but these days the hunchy's quirks make it the better recommendation IMO.

[TWIAFU]

Adette Vickers, on 18 December 2015 - 09:16 PM, said:

That is what the 25 match cadet bonus is for....along with the academy bonus, you can come out with 17M c-bills to buy whatever mech you want

I thought 'starter mechs' were all the trails that we have...

[Idalgos]

Narcissistic Martyr, on 19 December 2015 - 03:17 AM, said:

Only other decent choice really is the Shadow Hawk and it's.. well it's the better chassis without quirks but these days the hunchy's quirks make it the better recommendation IMO.

Another reason for Hunchy is that most builds on it use STD engine, and they are fairly cheap. You can kit out 3 mech for 17 m. C-bills, no problem.

[Talorien]

Anyone able to Tweet this thread to Russ?

[Kilo 40]

what it's like now: PGI giving a new player a $100 bill for christmas

what the OP proposes: PGI giving someone a $100 gift card to applebee's for christmas

[TLBFestus]

I've been asking for this for YEARS. it falls on deaf ears.

I see some are saying that the Cadet Bonus and training ground money is enough but honestly it's not.

Remember they have 3 mechs to grind to master one chasis. Give them one to call their own. Let them decide to spend the c-bills on that mech, buying another variant, or even a different chasis.

Why? To give them some ownership. To fill their mechbays and encourage them to buy another bay. To get them invested in the game cus they've got 2 mechs now.....

Or think of it another way. What does it cost PGI to give them a free mech and the c-bills?

Nothing, that's what, and it may hook a few more people.