20 replies to this topic

[Don Kiebals]

So I think I need a little help understanding what I get when I make a purchase for MWO. I just downloaded the client recently and played a few quick games. Seems like a fun game, I played the original Mechwarrior games, and even before that the old Battletech titles for DOS. I also played in the old virtual world simulators before they went under.

I started to look at packages and pricing for the game after trying it out and I think I I'm missing something. It looks like in order to use any mechs outside the trial ones, I need to buy the mech using real dollars. In going to the store, I see there's a variety of packages available. This is where I'm a bit floored. I was curious to see how much one of my favorite mechs from past games, the Mad Cat (Timberwolf) costs. I see there's a package which includes it for $210. I figure there must be a lot to this, so in looking at the package, it does include quite a few mechs.

But this is where I'm having a hard time understanding what $210 gets me. I'm perfectly happy to pay full price for new titles, usually in the $60 range. And even expansion packs/DLC. Somewhere under $100 usually get me an entire AAA title and all available content. For over $200 for MWO, I don't even come close to getting the full game. For fun I priced out a single Timberwolf mech as well. $55.

I guess my overall question here is, what am I missing? Is the play style of different mech classes not that much different to where I could get 1 of each type and be content? The cost of MWO seems wildly disproportionate to the rest of the gaming industry. I get that games are very expensive to make and come with a high risk.

But I would also guess that there's a lot of people doing what I'm doing: Taking a look at the game from a loved franchise, exploring the cost and then being blown away by the cost and going elsewhere. The player base seems to have been cut in half over the last 4 months: http://steamcharts.com/app/342200. I'm in a fortunate enough position to where I could buy multiple packages and not feel the financial effects. But it sure seems like the value I would get from that is quite low vs other titles. This is also compounded by having a career and family means I get a few hours a week of game play, which also makes it hard to see the value of spending so much.

Looking for any points of view. Thanks!

[TercieI]

All mechs (except heroes) become available for CB (in game money) eventually. You can buy TBRs that way now, though they're not cheap (~17MM per), so real money isn't required, though it reduces the amount of time to earn dramatically and allows early access.

[Moomtazz]

Like yourself and many others, I always questioned the high price of mech packages. I still think they are high but I recently checked out World of Warships and saw that they seem to sell ships for similarly high prices. So maybe it is an industry trend after all.

As far as the $200+ mech pack you refer to, that was Clan Wave I and included 12 mechs, of which 4 of those mechs provide a +30% C-bill earning boost. If you are solely interested in the T-wolf and want the bonus, I would suggest buying the Steam Heavy pack, which includes two +30% C-bill mechs, the T-Wolf (Clan) and the Thunderbolt (IS). I think it's about $50.

Then you can buy two more T-wolves and T-Bolts for C-bills to allow you to master them.

Edit: Personally, the only time I buy a mech pack for RL money is if I want the C-Bill bonus mech. Otherwise I just wait until they are out for C-bills. As someone said before, the T-wolves are all available for c-bills now so unless you want the +3% bonus mech you do not have to spend any RL money on them.

Edited by Moomtazz, 19 May 2016 - 08:59 AM.

[Don Kiebals]

TercieI, on 19 May 2016 - 08:48 AM, said:

All mechs (except heroes) become available for CB (in game money) eventually. You can buy TBRs that way now, though they're not cheap (~17MM per), so real money isn't required, though it reduces the amount of time to earn dramatically and allows early access.

Thanks Terciel. Sorry, what is TBRs? And Where can I actually buy the mech in game using CB? I've tried looking in the "Select Mech" and "Skills" screens. I can't see where you actually do that.

[Edit] Ok I found the sub-menu in the store. But everything requires MC and C-Bills. Using my timberwolf example, it looks like I would need to buy $50 worth of MC to unlock a single mech variant. I feel like that should be more like $1-$5, especially given how many mechs and variants are available. Am I missing something?

Edited by Don Kiebals, 19 May 2016 - 09:13 AM.

[Don Kiebals]

Moomtazz, on 19 May 2016 - 08:58 AM, said:

Like yourself and many others, I always questioned the high price of mech packages. I still think they are high but I recently checked out World of Warships and saw that they seem to sell ships for similarly high prices. So maybe it is an industry trend after all.

As far as the $200+ mech pack you refer to, that was Clan Wave I and included 12 mechs, of which 4 of those mechs provide a +30% C-bill earning boost. If you are solely interested in the T-wolf and want the bonus, I would suggest buying the Steam Heavy pack, which includes two +30% C-bill mechs, the T-Wolf (Clan) and the Thunderbolt (IS). I think it's about $50.

Then you can buy two more T-wolves and T-Bolts for C-bills to allow you to master them.

Edit: Personally, the only time I buy a mech pack for RL money is if I want the C-Bill bonus mech. Otherwise I just wait until they are out for C-bills. As someone said before, the T-wolves are all available for c-bills now so unless you want the +3% bonus mech you do not have to spend any RL money on them.

Thanks. I cannot figure out where/how to buy stuff using c-bills. It isn't obvious in game.

I certainly understand studios and publishers needing to figure out how to get more revenue. Game prices have remained fixed over time (old Nintendo games used to cost $50 new), while costs have dramatically gone up (some AAA's approach $1 billion in development). Even still, forking over that much cash for a game seems incredibly steep. I would probably compare to another multiplayer fremium game like Tribes; Ascend. I think for $50 you could buy the entire game's content.

[plodder]

Don Kiebals, on 19 May 2016 - 08:59 AM, said:

Thanks Terciel. Sorry, what is TBRs? And Where can I actually buy the mech in game using CB? I've tried looking in the "Select Mech" and "Skills" screens. I can't see where you actually do that.

1ST DO THE TUTORIALS, Academy and 1st 25 matches
Hold those c bills. That is In game money.

While in game, on the right top you will see store. there you can buy individual mechs, bundles etc. You will see a c bill price and an mc price, unless it is not available for c bills, then it will only show mc.

mc means real money.

You are given 4 mech bays. After that you must win them in events, or pay mc aka real money to have more than 4 mechs. The cost of a mech bay is little over a dollar if you buy at least 30 buck in mc.

If you buy packs or bundles the mech bay is included.

If you pre buy a package of a mech that is not yet available to play in the allotted time, you usually get additional things like warhorns, premium time etc.

Premium time gives you more c bills ad xp. It is one thing that helps new players the most in my almost humble opinion.
Remember that you will spend as much on building your innersphere mech as the purchase price in c bills.
Clan mechs are more ready for gameplay but weapons are extremely expensive.

[Wintersdark]

Don Kiebals, on 19 May 2016 - 08:59 AM, said:

Thanks Terciel. Sorry, what is TBRs? And Where can I actually buy the mech in game using CB? I've tried looking in the "Select Mech" and "Skills" screens. I can't see where you actually do that.

[Edit] Ok I found the sub-menu in the store. But everything requires MC and C-Bills. Using my timberwolf example, it looks like I would need to buy $50 worth of MC to unlock a single mech variant. I feel like that should be more like $1-$5, especially given how many mechs and variants are available. Am I missing something?

TBR: Timberwolf

The prices are MC or cbills, not MC and cbills. You choose which you want to pay with.

[Raubwurst]

I am not on my pc right now, but it should be in game under "store". There should be a category "battlemechs" where you can find every 'Mech and every 'Mechvariant.
There you will see 2 prices:
MC(yellow) which is currency for real money and Comstar Bills (CBills - Gray) which is the currency you get ingame.
After around the 12th game you should have enough CBills to buy the first 'Mech for CBills.

As stated before: every single one can be bought with ingame assets, which requires not a single dollar to pay (except Hero and Champion Variants which grants you additional revenues from matches but no ingame adventage above other 'Mechs).

Edit: To clarify: after logging in you will see the tabs "home", "mechlab", skills,... one of them is "store" where you can find Battlemechs on the left side.
You could also buy bundles or packages (for real money) which grants you acces to multiple 'Mechs and 'Mechvariants.
Under "Battlemechs" you will also only buy a single variant at a time.

And btw: TBR is the short form for the Timberwolfs

Edited by Raubwurst, 19 May 2016 - 09:20 AM.

[Don Kiebals]

Wintersdark, on 19 May 2016 - 09:16 AM, said:

TBR: Timberwolf

The prices are MC or cbills, not MC and cbills. You choose which you want to pay with.

Ok thanks! That isn't obvious from how it's portrayed. The user experience in this game is confusing and the way content is presented is hard to understand. I hope the devs choose to invest in user experience at some point, its hard to make heads and tails of this.

Edited by Don Kiebals, 19 May 2016 - 09:22 AM.

[Raubwurst]

Don Kiebals, on 19 May 2016 - 09:21 AM, said:

Ok thanks! That isn't obvious from how it's portrayed The user experience in this game is confusing and the way content is presented is hard to understand. I hope the devs choose to invest in user experience at some point, its hard to make heads and tails of this.

Totally true although the devs have spend quite some time enhancing the new player experience in the last 12 months.
But you will get used to it quite soon, until then: feel free to ask every questions that occurs you. The community is very helpful if it comes to new players having questions

[plodder]

Skills screen.
Once you own a mech, you can then work on your pilot skills for that particular mech. I usually do the heat related ones 1st, the kinetic burst, the hard brake then anchor turn. Everyone has their own sequence but that is mine. you will develop your own.

Once you have 3 mechs with the same chassis but different variants and you level them all past basic, you can then work individually on a variant 1st to elite(which will double you basic's skills bonus) then till it is mastered(which will give you an extra module slot)

Module slots are used for boosting weapon range and rate of fire, mech sensors vision and other capabilities. Also there are consumables which you can use to see enemy on mini map and for locks, to cool your mech, to inflict damage etc.

You save your GXP(you only get a small amount every match. More if you have premium, it is based on xp earned)
you use it to level up(up to level 5) your modules in pilot trees (it is on the left side middle way down on skills page.

[Koniving]

Don Kiebals, on 19 May 2016 - 08:44 AM, said:

So I think I need a little help understanding what I get when I make a purchase for MWO. I just downloaded the client recently and played a few quick games. Seems like a fun game, I played the original Mechwarrior games, and even before that the old Battletech titles for DOS. I also played in the old virtual world simulators before they went under.

Looking for any points of view. Thanks!

The Trial mechs are all "Champion" mechs, which are basically a shortcutter's way to have all the enhancements plus some build that some "competitive" player on PGI's payroll (the guy on the NoGutsNoGalaxy thing with the younger voice; decent player but views on balancing would break the game further; makes me thankful all he does is testing and talkshow hosting).
Champion mechs go for real money and give a 30% experience boost (not worth it; it really isn't).

Regular mechs (do not have ( C ) marks) are available for cbills.

Hero mechs are combinations of two existing mech variants OR based on some Battletech Lore [but even then still wind up being a combination of two variants] and give a 30% cbills bonus.
This snapshot is a bit dated, but...

The symbol is your Freebie earnings price.

Note: The price you pay is OR , never both. is real cash. There's ways to earn it in game, too, mostly having to do with groups in faction play and holding planets though.

Also welcome to MWO.

I suggest getting in about 25 matches minimum before considering which mech to get (the bonus pay helps a lot with getting started).
Also completing things in the Academy nets additional funds as well as training you.

Back in the day, it looked like this.

Which I think looked a lot better, but coding issues had a number of problems with what they could do with it. Also it lacked space to work with/see and had another issue with being in windowed mode and 1280x720 regardless of your resolution. (Back then they only had 30 people working on it, yay 2011/2012).

Edited by Koniving, 19 May 2016 - 09:40 AM.

[plodder]

SPEND HOURS HERE FOR VERY HELPFUL STUFF



OR FIND A TEAMSPEAK 3 CHANNEL AND SPEAK TO ANYONE HERE FOR A FEW MINUTES.

You can also friend anyone in game then send message to get to their teamspeak, MWO has its own also

na1.mech-connect.net not sure if there is a pw
. I use No guts no galaxy ngng

ngngts.com:9992
pw: MechWarrior

So download teamspeak 3

[Spike Brave]

If you are still having trouble with the store check this out.



Also about the pricing, almost all of the packs work out to ten dollars a mech, which is pretty reasonable. You'll also get some goodies like premium time. The important thing to remember is that you never need to buy anything with real money to stay competitive in this game. Every single mech, with the exception of the Hero mechs and Champion mechs, will be available for C-bills, the in game currency you get for playing. Hero mechs aren't any better than the regular ones, just a custom paint job and boost to C-bills. Same goes for the Champs, they just get a boost to exp. If you choose to buy a pack what you are really paying for is to save time and early access if the mech is available for C-bills yet.

Edited by Spike Brave, 19 May 2016 - 04:39 PM.

[Rogue Jedi]

Moomtazz, on 19 May 2016 - 08:58 AM, said:

As far as the $200+ mech pack you refer to, that was Clan Wave I and included 12 mechs, of which 4 of those mechs provide a +30% C-bill earning boost

you are mistaken
, the Clans (wave 1) pack, assuming you got the whole pack, included 3 variants each, including 1 cbill bonus varient, of 8 Mechs for $240, that is 24 Mechs including 8 with a 30% cbill bonus.

Koniving, on 19 May 2016 - 09:34 AM, said:

The Trial mechs are all "Champion" mechs, which are basically a shortcutter's way to have all the enhancements plus some build that some "competitive" player on PGI's payroll (the guy on the NoGutsNoGalaxy thing with the younger voice; decent player but views on balancing would break the game further; makes me thankful all he does is testing and talkshow hosting).
Champion mechs go for real money and give a 30% experience boost (not worth it; it really isn't).

sorry Koniving, you are mistaken about how the current Champions were designed, the current Champion Mechs each had a thread put up in the developer outreach forum for players to design, with the 3 most "liked" designs for each chassis put up for vote.

while it is possible Phil from NGNG submitted a few of the designs, and he did design many of the originals most now are not his, however I think it unfortunate that most of teh chosen designs were based around the "Meta" at the time they were designed which seriously reduced the variaty of builds..

[Pskonejott]

Basically it boils down like this:

When a new chassis is released it's offered for a period for RL money only, after that it's offered for a period for MC only, and after that it's generally available for cbills. Hero mechs are unique variants and are only ever available for MC, and when packs are released they typically include 1 mech that carries a +30% cbill bonus and has a custom camo, otherwise it's identical to the ones that can be bought with cbills.

Generally speaking hero mechs (with their unique loadout) are not the strongest choice for that chassis, so there is no need to shell out for them to be competitive.

What purely free to pay players struggle with is mech bays, you need one bay for each mech you own. They are given away from time to time in events, but not really enough to keep up with cbill earnings. You'll want to buy some MC to pick up what mechs bays you need, once you get going.

Buying mech packs gets you two things, early access to new content, and a reduced grind. The reduced grind is two fold, obviously you get a mech outright, but if you get +30% cbill mechs they earn you more cbills for future purchases.

At the start you'll be desperate for cbills so that's when buying mech packs helps the most, but that's also when you have the least knowledge as to what you like playing and also what mechs are actually good (the Timberwolf is a solid mech). Based on what you said about your finances I'd recommend buying a pack, play the trials enough to be confident you'll want to play that chassis a fair amount, and if you do it right once you're itching to try something else you should have enough cbills to buy your next set of mechs for in game currency.

In terms of pricing, they are reasonably steep for what you actually get. On the other hand though, you can easily get as many, or more hours entertainment out of them compared to a typical AAA game. You don't need to spend RL money to enjoy the game, but doing so can get you more enjoyment from the game through playing what and how you want, especially at the beginning.

[TercieI]

plodder, on 19 May 2016 - 09:41 AM, said:

SPEND HOURS HERE FOR VERY HELPFUL STUFF



OR FIND A TEAMSPEAK 3 CHANNEL AND SPEAK TO ANYONE HERE FOR A FEW MINUTES.

You can also friend anyone in game then send message to get to their teamspeak, MWO has its own also

na1.mech-connect.net not sure if there is a pw
. I use No guts no galaxy ngng

ngngts.com:9992
pw: MechWarrior

So download teamspeak 3

Wise words. The ending lowercase L is actually a capital I in my name. Feel free to add and ask.

[TooDumbToQuit]

Yeaaaaa, I did get a few questions answered asking players in the game etc. A few...

I'm been having some more of my deep thoughts about what I'd do if I owned this game.

Besides adding new areas with NPCs using Armor to infantry as defenders.

I would do more to bring in more new players and give them help. Older players do not need it and would not be able to get XP from these. Ads would need to be put out to get this to the masses.

These new things would only last during an NEW player's first let's say 30 days in the game. I think this would help not only bring in a lot of new players (which is always needed) but for 30 days it would semi keep them out of the hair of the older players. And it would give them training.

1) Mech bundles for less. For a limited time, bundles would be almost 1/2 off. Also, special "smaller' bundles of only one Mech etc. For a number of reasons. For instance, IMO, someone who had bought a Mech will stay playing to use them. Mechs etc not really cost MWO anything. So selling something that does not cost nothing but helps new players and helps keep them playing is a plus. Also, I'd make a lot more bundles. During this 30 day, time you can buy anything.

2) Interactive training missions where only new players get XP. MWO needs an NPC "Aggressor Unit".

I just watched a video showing the Steelers using a robot tackling dummy. http://www.steelers....64-66867db975e6 http://mvpdummy.com/

So I find it hard to believe that the folks at MWO cannot do something like this. The training missions would be based on real missions. Same maps etc. The weapons on the NPCs would start out being very low powered and by the 30th day, they would be full power. They start simple and they start AFTER the new players has done the tutorials. The new players do not have to do any of this, but it only last for 30 days and he gets C-Bills and XP for doing them.

At first, the newbie is alone with only the training Sgt. He walks the maps, sees the gates, shown the Gens and Omega, and shown where and how to hit them. After this, the friendly NPC training unit would join. The new player will now be taught to work with others. As an example, he will be trained to stay with his Lance, to stay in a "Congo Line", to redirect fire to one target.

An important thing is that the new players can also LOSE XP by not doing the right thing. You leave your Lance to go off by yourself, shoot the wrong target or whatever, you start losing XP and a counter in your Mech shows your C-Bills and XP dropping.

The next part would be learning to work with others and it would start by showing the new players where the LFG button is. There will be a new "looking for group" just for the 30-day missions. So each new player now has to find or group with 3 others. And a new phase of training starts including scout missions just for the four as well as them working with 8 NPCs.

The 30 days should end with players forming 12 man drops using LFG.

Edited by LikeUntoGod, 20 May 2016 - 07:57 AM.

[TercieI]

LikeUntoGod, on 20 May 2016 - 07:06 AM, said:

Yeaaaaa, I did get a few questions answered asking players in the game etc. A few...

Well, in match isn't the time or place.

This also goes for politics and balance discussions.

[plodder]

Also... donut sell your mechs
Look at the nasty donut, smell it, taste it but do not sell it.
Ooh but look at this new shiny mech... blink blink....

What? I can have 1.5 million for a 8 million dollar mech? really? what about the 5 million in upgrades, I can keep the engine and weapons, cool. With1.5 million I can buy a double heatsink upgrade on my new mech... boooo.

dunna do it lad