3 replies to this topic

[MeiSooHaityu]

If Clans are eventually introduced into MWO, many have thought how a person might become a clan player. Also many have wondered about balance with the new Clan equipment available.

I was thinking, what if regular players can only become clan members or be able to pilot clan Mechs (initially anyway) as Bondsman.

This might be an interesting way to ease clan influence into the game. Have the Devs or GM occasionally play as the clanners. If a regular player is defeated in combat, a Dev or GM could send an invitation to that defeated player to be a Bondsman. Any player that accepts would be moved into that clan, be designated as a Bondsman, and would get a more basic Clan Mech like a Hunchback IIC or a Rifleman IIC so the game balance wouldn't be too thrown off. You could also use a players stats if you want to reward good play as an invite (but only once that player is defeated by a GM as a clanner).

This way, the clan population could be controlled or metered by the GMs so the right balance could be maintained. Eventually everyone would have access to this equipment even fighting as the Inner Sphere, but it might still be an interesting way to initially control the Clan Mechs and Clan equipment in the game.

Eventually if Clans are more widespread and are selectable, the Bondsman taken earlier can get promoted to a regular Clan Mech Warrior.

I know this is really only applicable if Clans are introduced into the MWO game, but I thought it might be an interesting idea for the initial introduction of the clans.

[Lightdragon]

please use the search function instead of beating this dead horse over and over...

[Outrider01]

MeiSooHaityu, on 13 July 2012 - 11:30 AM, said:

This way, the clan population could be controlled or metered by the GMs so the right balance could be maintained. Eventually everyone would have access to this equipment even fighting as the Inner Sphere, but it might still be an interesting way to initially control the Clan Mechs and Clan equipment in the game.

You want to implement a system that controls something that will eventually cause someone to dislike the system. History is ripe with it, so lets say no and just go the business route....offer IS and Clan (once its available), leave it up to the player base to decide what they want, impose some sort of penalty for driving a clan mech (higher repair costs perhaps, ERPPC-C is 20% more over an IS ERPPC while a Thor is 45% more expensive then a Warhammer of equal weight), and its called balance....Clan mechs are better, faster, more powerful while IS mechs are weaker....but both IS and Clan can both be destroyed because clan mechs don't have God Mode Immortality built in (think like the movie Rocky, some scrub from the hood gets in the ring and is still able to defeat the current champions). Players will still player IS mechs and some dudes will prefer clan, we don't need a system limiting it just because you personally don't seem to like clan mechs running around rampantly.

[MeiSooHaityu]

I see your point Outrider, and it is a really good one. I know that is how it would be eventually anyway.

The only reason I brought up what I did was because I was thinking about it from the story end of it. When the Clans invaded they were mysterious and dominating. Since they had won almost all their engagements, there wasn't any salvage (or enough) for the IS to field armies of Clan tech right at the outset of the Clan invasion. I just thought it would be odd to all of a sudden drop clan tech right into the Mechbay inventory menus. If that happens, the IS tech will be gone quickly (especially with only a 45% cost premium). Within a month or two, all there will be is Clan mechs and tech. The Devs have to figure out how to keep IS tech prevalent, and that is a hard balancing act to play.

I suppose the Clan tech would have to be available only some days for purchase or be REALLY expensive, but even that is unfair to people who just start and don't have enough C-Bills (if it means Clan tech is that much better). That is when you get the pay-to-win issue.

The Bondsman thing was just an idea for the initial few months (maybe two or three) after the onset of a Clan invasion to test out Clan tech vs IS for balance. Almost a Beta to help balance them out. I never meant to imply it would be permanent (why I said "initially"). Plus, I thought that would help keep that limited and mysterious nature of the clan while patching and balancing for its implementation.