32 replies to this topic

[Angel of Annihilation]

So for the very first time, I am strongly considering the reinforcements and I am wondering how people feel about them. Basically are they worth the buy?

Normally I don't even consider the reinforcement pack because in about 3 months time your going to be able to have access to those mechs and maybe more importantly the omni-pods on those mechs for C-bills anyway but I have to admit I am strongly tempted to buy them this time around.

First the hard points on the Reinforcement package will allow you to mount up to 4 Energy high up in the side torsos. This is a pretty huge advantage. Additionally they allow you to combo up Energy and Missiles in the torsos allowing for some interesting builds.

Second, I am liking that UAC jam chance reduction quirk on the C variant and I can think of a couple solid builds that could work very well with that quirk.

However, again, all this is available for C-bills 3 months down the road though I guess you could end up selling up to 2 of the Chassis right out of the gate and rake in a quick 20 million C-bills which still getting access to the variants you want and have early access to the omnipods.

So what do you thing guys, it is worth $15 to get early access to the pods and covert two of the chassis into 20 million C-bills??

Edited by Viktor Drake, 17 October 2016 - 03:55 PM.

[Pariah Devalis]

Without a doubt, yes get the reinforcement. However, you will want to keep the extra chassis. The mech is so flexible, you might very well find yourself using all of them with totally different load outs.

Pulsevom? Gaussvom? Double UAC10? Triple UAC5? Quadruple UAC2? Poptart? Missile boat? Hybrid?

The ultimate Surmlord, Pakhet with P arms, requires the hero and the Reinforcement P.

Edited by Pariah Devalis, 17 October 2016 - 04:04 PM.

[Gas Guzzler]

Well, as I have de-activated my auto buy feature because of the impending doom of energy draw, I'm going to try to make do without the reinforcements, and I think there are several builds you can do without them. Going to try to hold out until C-bill release. If I mained mediums I probably would have gotten it though.

[RestosIII]

Considering how close it is, I'd wait a few days after they launched to decide to buy them or not. See how the base models hold up, and how the reinforcements are viewed by the rest of the playerbase. Just so you're sure you want to spend the cash.

[Angel of Annihilation]

Gas Guzzler, on 17 October 2016 - 03:57 PM, said:

Well, as I have de-activated my auto buy feature because of the impending doom of energy draw, I'm going to try to make do without the reinforcements, and I think there are several builds you can do without them. Going to try to hold out until C-bill release. If I mained mediums I probably would have gotten it though.

Yeah there are quite a few builds you can put together without them especially since I am likely to pick up the Pakhet as well as the basic but being able to mount those 4 extremely high energy mounts and use to them for hull down gameplay is terribly appealing and honestly I don't even know if I am going to be playing this game in 3 months. It might just be worth just saying screw it and realizing that $15 is a cheap investment for the extra enjoyment I would probably get out of having access to those pods.

[Pariah Devalis]

Viktor Drake, on 17 October 2016 - 04:06 PM, said:

Yeah there are quite a few builds you can put together without them especially since I am likely to pick up the Pakhet as well as the basic but being able to mount those 4 extremely high energy mounts and use to them for hull down gameplay is terribly appealing and honestly I don't even know if I am going to be playing this game in 3 months. It might just be worth just saying screw it and realizing that $15 is a cheap investment for the extra enjoyment I would probably get out of having access to those pods.

Well, you can think of it this way. How much is a movie ticket? And that gets you... how much entertainment? Two hours worth?

If you get enjoyment out of it for more than 2 hours, I'd say it was a better use of your money than seeing a movie you can illegally download 3 months later.

Edited by Pariah Devalis, 17 October 2016 - 04:12 PM.

[RestosIII]

Pariah Devalis, on 17 October 2016 - 04:11 PM, said:

Well, you can think of it this way. How much is a movie ticket? And that gets you... how much entertainment? Two hours worth?

If you get enjoyment out of it for more than 2 hours, I'd say it was a better use of your money than seeing a movie you can illegally download 3 months later.

And then you get banned for promoting pirating

[Pariah Devalis]

I never said you should do it. Only that you can do it.

Edited by Pariah Devalis, 17 October 2016 - 04:15 PM.

[chucklesMuch]

I hope so... having pre-ordered both hero and reinforcements. (Based solely on desire to drop with 8xSRM from the get go!)

[LT. HARDCASE]

The reinforcements have some pretty amazing hardpoints. The C lets you take E+M torsos, and the P has dem quad M arms.

This is literally the first and only time I've opted for the ultimate pack.

[El Bandito]

Pariah Devalis, on 17 October 2016 - 03:55 PM, said:

Without a doubt, yes get the reinforcement. However, you will want to keep the extra chassis. The mech is so flexible, you might very well find yourself using all of them with totally different load outs.

Pulsevom? Gaussvom? Double UAC10? Triple UAC5? Quadruple UAC2? Poptart? Missile boat? Hybrid?

The ultimate Surmlord, Pakhet with P arms, requires the hero and the Reinforcement P.

All those configs, except the mass missile build, are already possible in HBK-IIC--which is definitely a better mech. Thus it is hard to get excited with the Huntsman.

[cazidin]

What's this? People are still giving PGI money? I thought all of our wallets were collectively closed!

[Angel of Annihilation]

El Bandito, on 17 October 2016 - 05:43 PM, said:

All those configs, except the mass missile build, are already possible in HBK-IIC--which is definitely a better mech. Thus it is hard to get excited with the Huntsman.

I think it is too early to say that the Hunchback IIC is a better mech. I mean it might very well end up that way but we haven't seen what the Huntsman can do or not do yet. There is only one thing that is absolutely certainly better about the Huntsman than the Hunchback and that is that the Huntsman is much better looking.

cazidin, on 17 October 2016 - 05:47 PM, said:

What's this? People are still giving PGI money? I thought all of our wallets were collectively closed!

I don't really like the way PGI has handled this game but I still have fun with it so I don't mind spending a bit of money.

[cazidin]

Viktor Drake, on 17 October 2016 - 05:49 PM, said:

I don't really like the way PGI has handled this game but I still have fun with it so I don't mind spending a bit of money.

Don't you understand? The only way to force PGI to improve is to starve the beast and hope that they see the negative income as a sign to change and not to permanently close their doors and move onto a new game or merge with a large triple A company that will likely be bad in totally new and exciting ways!

[El Bandito]

Viktor Drake, on 17 October 2016 - 05:49 PM, said:

I think it is too early to say that the Hunchback IIC is a better mech. I mean it might very well end up that way but we haven't seen what the Huntsman can do or not do yet. There is only one thing that is absolutely certainly better about the Huntsman than the Hunchback and that is that the Huntsman is much better looking.

HBK-IIC is definitely a better mech thanks to its full customization and the fact that all the good hardpoints are located high in the torso. Huntsman for example, can't do the 4xCUAC2 or 6 energy build without having some of them in the lower mounted arm hardpoints. Such high hardpoints will nullify any hitbox issues the HBK-IIC have in relation to the Huntsman.

Only thing the Huntsman can clearly do better, aside from the massed missiles I mentioned, is the ability slightly jump higher thanks to five fixed JJs, vs 4 the HBK-IIC has. FIXED JJs though. No me gusta.

I mean sure, the Huntsman can probably brawl better than the HBK due to its much better twisting, and might not feel inferior in pug matches, but I personally feel that every comp player will agree that the HBK-IIC is superior, from what we know now. Stormcrow is already here for Clan brawling--while running faster than the Huntsman.

Edited by El Bandito, 17 October 2016 - 06:05 PM.

[Angel of Annihilation]

cazidin, on 17 October 2016 - 05:55 PM, said:

Don't you understand? The only way to force PGI to improve is to starve the beast and hope that they see the negative income as a sign to change and not to permanently close their doors and move onto a new game or merge with a large triple A company that will likely be bad in totally new and exciting ways!

No what will happen is the second option, they will permanently close their door. Also when money flows generally positive thing happen. Seriously, when they have a real cash cow, generally a developer will actually try to improve the game because it has demonstrated it can be very profitable to do so. About 80% of the reason I think we have stagnation in this game is that PGI doesn't like the rate of return it is seeing so the only investments they are making into this game are small cosmetic changes and adding mechs, basically things that don't cost them alot of money but still generate enough cash flow to keep the game up and running.

So, if people don't want to open their wallets, well this is all we are going to get.

[FupDup]

Viktor Drake, on 17 October 2016 - 06:02 PM, said:

No what will happen is the second option, they will permanently close their door. Also when money flows generally positive thing happen. Seriously, when they have a real cash cow, generally a developer will actually try to improve the game because it has demonstrated it can be very profitable to do so. About 80% of the reason I think we have stagnation in this game is that PGI doesn't like the rate of return it is seeing so the only investments they are making into this game are small cosmetic changes and adding mechs, basically things that don't cost them alot of money but still generate enough cash flow to keep the game up and running.

So, if people don't want to open their wallets, well this is all we are going to get.

How many mech packs are going to have to be sold before PGI decides to rework CW? Buff underperforming mechs or weapons? Fix bugs? Etc.?

The truth of the matter is that the majority of mech pack revenue is invested directly into developing the next mech pack. For example, your Huntsman dollars will help PGI make the Linebacker. Linebacker dollars will help PGI make the Bushwacker. Bushwacker dollars will be used to make whatever the heck comes after that, and so on.

Edited by FupDup, 17 October 2016 - 06:10 PM.

[Angel of Annihilation]

El Bandito, on 17 October 2016 - 05:59 PM, said:

HBK-IIC is definitely a better mech thanks to its full customization and the fact that all the good hardpoints are located high in the torso. Huntsman for example, can't do the 4xCUAC2 or 6 energy build without having some of them in the lower mounted arm hardpoints. Such high hardpoints will nullify any hitbox issues the HBK-IIC have in relation to the Huntsman.

Only thing the Huntsman can clearly do better, aside from the massed missiles I mentioned, is the ability slightly jump higher thanks to five fixed JJs, vs 4 the HBK-IIC has. FIXED JJs though. No me gusta.

I mean sure, the Huntsman can probably brawl better than the HBK due to its much better twisting, and might not feel inferior in pug matches, but I personally feel that every comp player will agree that the HBK-IIC is superior, from what we know now.

It is all relative. While I can definitely appreciate the value of high mounted Hardpoints, the superior target tracking ability that arm mounted weapons allow can't be denied either. Also the Huntsman using arm mounted weapons and a lower arm actuator will be able to almost fire directly behind itself, something that the Hunchback IIC cannot do.

As for competitive play, it isn't representative of the gameplay that 90% or more of us deal with on a daily basis and holds very little relevance for the bulk of players. That being the case, the more important criteria might be which of the two mechs is more PUG friendly.

Some of the things people who refer to the competitive scene don't keep in mind is that first, those who play competitively are typically much higher skilled than the average player meaning that can make mechs and builds work extraordinarily well that the average player will struggle with. Second, competitive players typically play on a coordinate team designed with mechs and builds that complement each other. This cohesion and continuity doesn't exist in the game most of us play. Also the competitive scene revolves around very specific meta builds and a very short list of optimal mechs that use these meta builds. The non-competitive game most of us play is full of unoptimized, non-meta builds and many people play even flawed mechs like the Gargoyle or Urbanmech. Basically the rules of competitive play don't apply to non-competitive play which is why competitive and non-competitive players often feel like they are playing entirely different games.

So yeah, I am going to say the jury is still out. For the competitive gamers, maybe the Hunchback IIC will always be superior or maybe not but in the game most of us play, I will say I think the Huntsman will give absolutely give the Hunchback IIC a run for its money.

[Angel of Annihilation]

FupDup, on 17 October 2016 - 06:04 PM, said:

How many mech packs are going to have to be sold before PGI decides to rework CW? Buff underperforming mechs or weapons? Fix bugs? Etc.? The truth of the matter is that the majority of mech pack revenue is invested directly into developing the next mech pack. For example, your Huntsman dollars will help PGI make the Linebacker. Linebacker dollars will help PGI make the Bushwacker. Bushwacker dollars will be used to make whatever the heck comes after that, and so on.

That is what I said. The cash flow incoming into this game right now is likely just above the sustainability levels so they are investing as little as possible and in things that will directly translate to generating income now. Investing in things like reworking CW, buffing underperforming mechs, etc, would mean investing a lot of money into a game that may or may not produce a return.

[El Bandito]

Viktor Drake, on 17 October 2016 - 06:22 PM, said:

So yeah, I am going to say the jury is still out. For the competitive gamers, maybe the Hunchback IIC will always be superior or maybe not but in the game most of us play, I will say I think the Huntsman will give absolutely give the Hunchback IIC a run for its money.

Suppose you are right about Huntsman vs. HBK-IIC--that they might be equals. Even then, why should an average pugger buy the Huntsman when the Crow exist? Crow is still the best Medium omni by far thanks to its fast speed and deadly loadout. And it has proven and friendly hit boxes.

Edited by El Bandito, 17 October 2016 - 06:32 PM.