15 replies to this topic

[Moosegun]

Posted this on another post but thought it might be worth putting out there as an idea.

The best solution for FP might be to use faction rank, when a new player starts faction play they are put into the training academy faction which has a single rank and can choose to drop on either side (IS or Clan) in the training queue. When they play they can only drop into a different FP training queue. Unless they are in a group with experienced players.

This queue plays only other new players and doesnt count at all towards faction play results. This mode would also have a mentor system (see below).Once the player reaches training rank 1, or they join a group, then they can play in the proper queue.

Mentor System - What would also work would be that experienced players (those of a certain FP rank or above) could queue to play in the training mode as a mentor. Each side could have one mentor per team and those players would act as drop caller.

Reward Changes - Also the merc contracts should be based purely on Clan vrs IS population and results, the more one side is getting beaten the more the contracts increase / decrease. Start giving IS +75% and Clan -75% and the balance will shift, as it does the payouts will drop back.

Edited by Moosegun, 19 December 2016 - 09:05 AM.

[naterist]

This idea genuinely deserves a look. Idk about leting just anyone of x rank mentor, cause high ranked trolls do exist. What if instead, make 2 training ranks, and once people get to training group 2, theyre allowed to join groups through lfg in the real faction warfare, as long as the other people in the group are beyond the 2 training ranks already.

that way, you let information seep in over time, and it doesnt leave you with total culture shock when you leave the training que since hopefully youll have been exposed to it already in training group 2 through group play. And those who've done group play can try and transfer what they learned to training que, so even training group 1 starts off a little exposed to basic dropdeck and invasion strategy.

[Moosegun]

naterist, on 17 December 2016 - 07:05 PM, said:

This idea genuinely deserves a look. Idk about leting just anyone of x rank mentor, cause high ranked trolls do exist. What if instead, make 2 training ranks, and once people get to training group 2, theyre allowed to join groups through lfg in the real faction warfare, as long as the other people in the group are beyond the 2 training ranks already.

that way, you let information seep in over time, and it doesnt leave you with total culture shock when you leave the training que since hopefully youll have been exposed to it already in training group 2 through group play. And those who've done group play can try and transfer what they learned to training que, so even training group 1 starts off a little exposed to basic dropdeck and invasion strategy.

How the training ranks would work and how quickly players could integrate into full FP is open to discussion. Multiple levels with different access permissions would be a possibility. As for the mentor system, it would be open to trolling but as you would be dropping solo I am not sure what people would gain from that. Not sure you can dismiss the idea on the possibility that a few people might take advantage.

The more I think about this the more it makes sense as it solves a number of issues;

1/ It removes new players from the main faction play queue, which should results in more competitive matches and allows any further balancing to be based on the actual competitiveness of both sides without it being distorted by newbie pugs.
2/ It groups up new players together into one game mode which would make it far easier for the community to engage with them and try to educate them in the required disciplines.

[Cataclysm315]

I like this idea a lot. I think the main problem with IS at the moment is that most of the good players have left and started fighting for clan. The only people left fighting with IS are the new people as the mechs are cheaper and are therefore more attractive to a newer player.

I think adding this would also give the new players a chance to learn, this game has an extremely steep learning curve and sticking them in with experienced pilots to get battered is just not helping at all.

[naterist]

trianing mode is cool, i love your idea, but restrictions should definetly be put in place.

can you imagine if a troll from evil came in and just killed everyone?

the right people could probably take on both teams solo considering the quality of some pugs ive seen. youd have occassional matches with both teams working together against one guy, and score would end 48-44, with that one guy having just decimated everyone.

instead, you could limit it to only unit leaders can jump in. they tend to have better training programs already in place, so after a match, any interested bodies can go check them out, and it gives a good unit recruiting pool. also, having the unit leaders in there recruiting would really highlight to the newbies just how vital that teamwork is. then when they go into the real fw, if they decide to solo, theyre at least making an educated decision with an idea of how that normally would work out.

i believe this is an amazing idea though. someone tweet russ a link to this thread.

[Moosegun]

The best way to restrict mentors is to reduce the return, not faction loyalty rewards points, no leaderboard stats, just basic cbills and xp. I have no issue with 'troll from Evil' going on an killing everyone if they are telling the pugs how they do it. That is part of the reason for them being there.

100% agree with the recruitment opportunity though, this is one of the main reasons I would hope units would embrace the mentoring idea, as it groups all new players together into one place.

[WANTED]

Like the idea but is there enough players to divide up into s.training tier? I know WWIIONLINE as it was known had a small community like this but they had people who actively volunteered to train players in a training area online. Mostly this was driven by players not Cornered Rat. We need more to the same here.

[Moosegun]

I think there would be a lot of players up for playing the mentor role as it would be the number one place to recruit.

PGI could really incentive it by having a reward for completion of all training tiers. A choice between a Hellbringer or Warhammer for example, pretty equal mechs but the extra cb value would push more new players into the clan path thus helping to balance the current biggest issue, which is the population of solo new players on IS.

[naterist]

Moosegun, on 19 December 2016 - 09:09 AM, said:

I think there would be a lot of players up for playing the mentor role as it would be the number one place to recruit.

PGI could really incentive it by having a reward for completion of all training tiers. A choice between a Hellbringer or Warhammer for example, pretty equal mechs but the extra cb value would push more new players into the clan path thus helping to balance the current biggest issue, which is the population of solo new players on IS.

i like that, maybe the training teirs could allow mixed tech for nonmentors, and when they graduate the training teirs they have like a cutscene or something cool af, and they make you swear loyalty to a side, or a merc unit?

then you make a more educated guess as to what mechs you like better, and itll let people with only one or two mechs split strangely between IS and Clan get in and learn a bit about what they want to commit to.

also, for people questioning if there will be a que issue, think about it. there are people who will NEVER get past the training teirs if they make it something you have to be a decent pilot to get out of. use the same psr system as mm, but with new values only for the academy. think about it, some people NEVER MAKE IT OUT OF TEIR 5. or it takes them months, and after a while theyll go back to teir 5 again, and they bob up and down there, until they figure it out. those are the people we WANT in there, so itll be a constantly filled que, almost as filled as the main one, if its implemented alongside a major population upswing like we had after mechcon. if they put it in without fanfare, itll never que up.

also, no experience or monetary rewards for those who go into the mentorship role in que, but massive LP bonuses for those who do, because theyre technically training their factions new recruits, which is like teaching. doesnt pay well, but its massively needed.

[Moosegun]

naterist, on 20 December 2016 - 04:06 AM, said:

also, no experience or monetary rewards for those who go into the mentorship role in que, but massive LP bonuses for those who do, because theyre technically training their factions new recruits, which is like teaching. doesnt pay well, but its massively needed.

That idea is definitely in!!

Double LP - this will also make mentors focus on the result and training

Edited by Moosegun, 20 December 2016 - 05:46 AM.

[naterist]

BUMP BECAUSE THIS IS A GREAT IDEA, AND TO INSERT AN IDEA.

what if they had a way to record the average match score of a player over a series of 10ish games, and when the new player isnt allowed to graduate if he gets good scores on his first games until he makes it to 10 games total. they then allow you to graduate when that average hits a predetermined number, so when youve done 11 games, the first one isnt considered anymore in calculating your match score average. you add in some achievements that give boosts to cbills when they complete them, anything to stuff some mechbays with for when they do finally graduate and need a more complete dropdeck, and to point them in the right direction if a mentor isnt around.

now, as for mentors rewards, you can use the mentees current average, and then base the mentors rewards on how high above that average the mentees scores are for that specific game. so if someone is genuinely improving because of you, you get rewards, but if you drop in and no one learns from you because your not teaching very well, then you get nothing. this does the two birds one stone thing by incentive-izing the people who are good at teaching pugs to do it more often. because lets be honost, when you run into some of these pugs out there, you stroke out from the effort required to get information through to them, so that requires a descent reward for those with the patience to do it and do it well, and that reward, will of course be lp.

Edited by naterist, 20 December 2016 - 10:53 PM.

[Moosegun]

I had another idea for training mode, no trial mechs, instead players can either use there own mechs or choose between one of four premade drop decks. These will contain good standard mechs based around different roles such as brawling, sniping, support and all purpose. At the end of training the player has the option to purchase these decks or seperate mechs from them at a discount.

Edited by Moosegun, 21 December 2016 - 12:43 AM.

[naterist]

They could grant a "standerd" dropdeck to people upon graduation as well, something like the lesser variants of the stormtrooper dropdeck, and if you go loyalist right off the bat, you get rewarded with that dropdeck. Nothing extremely comptetive, but something that will make them competetive. Maybe some of the mid teir mechs with competent, specialized loadouts, they can have a bit of a boost. Maybe only reward it to people going straight to loyalist right out the academy. Then you can let loyalists vote occasionally on what mechs they want their new pugs to get in their dropdecks... or maybe there can be a faction dropdeck that all loyalists have access to with community voted loadouts and base what chassis everyone can vote on by what pruduction planets they control.

It would instantly give noobs access to faction wide approved loadouts on factions lore mechs, gives noobs a leg up, and is a nice blend of lore and practicality if i do say so myself.

(Its like trials, but they should be pretty decent, and theyre only for loyalists, and mainly going to new people who havent built a more L33T dropdeck)

[DevlinCognito]

I like the idea, for years we have been asking for a FW tutorial, but if PGI let us do it instead I'd be up for it.

[naterist]

Bring it up during the roundtable. According to twitter, Russ is doing one after new years.

[Lehmund]

Moosegun, on 17 December 2016 - 10:18 AM, said:

Posted this on another post but thought it might be worth putting out there as an idea.

The best solution for FP might be to use faction rank, when a new player starts faction play they are put into the training academy faction which has a single rank and can choose to drop on either side (IS or Clan) in the training queue. When they play they can only drop into a different FP training queue. Unless they are in a group with experienced players.

This queue plays only other new players and doesnt count at all towards faction play results. This mode would also have a mentor system (see below).Once the player reaches training rank 1, or they join a group, then they can play in the proper queue.

Mentor System - What would also work would be that experienced players (those of a certain FP rank or above) could queue to play in the training mode as a mentor. Each side could have one mentor per team and those players would act as drop caller.

Reward Changes - Also the merc contracts should be based purely on Clan vrs IS population and results, the more one side is getting beaten the more the contracts increase / decrease. Start giving IS +75% and Clan -75% and the balance will shift, as it does the payouts will drop back.

I like it but would make it simpler:

1. Put Invasion maps and objectives in QP 12 man. Would be another asym type of gameplay and would allow everyone to get a sense of and practice a bit or train with units / groups etc...

2. Warn Tier 4-5 players that FW is rough and they should have practiced much, a good custom drop deck set up and ideally a group to start playing FW every time they go to the FW section. Players of Tier 3+ have been playing enough to have gone through Invasion in QP and gave decent experience to get started and compete in Invasion mode matches.

Edited by Lehmund, 29 December 2016 - 09:19 AM.