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I used to be among to population who said "let the pugs play CW." But now I realize that hurts the game mode because it degrades the play.
Right now, CW is just another game mode. Players use CW to level up Mechs, earn CBills, faction level rewards (but I need another Mech Bay and I won't have to pay for it!), and I think this will continue to drag CW away from it's potential and keep it where it is now. It can't be just another game mode, it has to matter.
The first thing PGI should do is take the existing CW and call it something else. Maybe call it "Simulation" or something along the lines, where solo players can drop in and fight an extended skirmish battle (think Quick Play with 3 respawns). Redo the maps and take out the objectives, gates, etc. It should be super-skirmish. Cut out the faction rewards - give it a new point system. Basic CBill bonuses for levels, GXP, even Mech Bays can be rewards. It could be a tool used to learn coordination, team play or to level new Mechs. Make it pug friendly. Make the max group size 4 (similar to the three member platoons in WoW and WoT) so one team doesn't totally dominate the other. Even go so far as to mix IS/Clan tech in drop decks. No map, no "politics;" it's just bigger free play. PUGS already treat CW like bigger quick play matches - give them what they want.
Then make a real CW, something more of an event, requiring 12 man teams to drop and fight against other 12 man teams. Give it huge rewards; not necessarily MC, but CBills, Loyalty Points, even an income stream for groups that capture planets. Create another currency or measurable stat (PGI brings up "fame" levels for Merc units). A unit with a fame level of 100 defeats a team with a fame level of 500? That could be a 50% increase in rewards, and a subsequent decrease in the losing unit's fame. Losing should COST you something. Repair and Re-arm come to mind - if you can't afford to fix your Mechs, then they are unusable in CW until you can afford to repair them. Also, create rewards based on territory taken, with an income stream from those planets. Doesn't have to be CBills - it could be seen as a reduction of R&R costs, or multipliers to rewards. Make it enough so if you win, it's awesome, and if you lose, it HURTS.
Merc units could also exist in this model - taking a contract to help capture a planet, for example, would net the Merc unit reward multipliers and fame boosts. Losses may mean paying back the contract, with negative multipliers affecting rewards. Mercs under contract with a faction could fight along side loyalists to round out 12 man teams (since they are defacto members of that faction while under contract). The Merc unit that contributes the most to capture of a world could get "land rights" to that planet and achieve a small revenue stream, similar (though not as large) as the loyalist unit that captures the planet.
Then, once all that is done - restrict access. Yes, not everyone can play CW. You have to be part of a unit to play. "But Agent, I shouldn't have to join a team because I like playing alone." Too effing bad. CW is not for newbs, not for pugs, not for CS or CoD wanna-bes who think they can grab the most AWP-like weapon, get 10 kills then ***** because the rest of the team can't keep up. Join a unit, work as a team, and reap the rewards. If a unit doesn't meet a certain amount of play (let's call it a minimum number of matches or drops in a 24/48 hour period), then they lose something. You could even scale this minimum to be relative to the total unit membership, so a 12 member unit wouldn't have to put in as much work on a daily basis as a 120 member unit. This would have a secondary effect of controlling unit size without actually limiting units. Large units who don't have a lot of CW players will quickly cull their numbers to keep non-participation losses manageable.
*If population is an issue, then LFG could make mixed drop teams. Still, you should be faction 12-man vs faction 12-man.
I know retooling CW at this stage would be a lot of work. We were promised CW years ago, finally got it in it's current state, and it's no where near what it could have been. Take phase three with the "recon mission" and toss them out and make us a CW worth playing. It's not working as intended in it's current form, and it's a joke.
I know, I know. TL;DR. Start poking holes... now.
Edited by Agent1190, 27 January 2016 - 04:37 PM.
