18 replies to this topic

[Spheroid]

To my knowledge dropdecks have never been on sale. By never altering price there is no data by which to validate the current pricing model.

Its not a us vs. them situation. Gamer utility and profit need not compete. PGI has mechanisms which tell them certain game items are failures. Many premium paints and patterns have been deemed duds, which is why you see them given away as event prizes. Examples include things like Applejack or envious eardrum, which I suspect sell very poorly compared to equally priced items.

As it stands now you will never need more than four scouting decks and perhaps eight to ten invasion decks. Most people have not bothered to buy any additional decks beyond the two free ones supplied. The goal should be to vastly increase the number of owned decks, while staying under the utility saturation limit. Mass adoption would be the scenario that results in the greatest profit, not the current ludicrous marcro transaction one.

I propose that as an experiment the base price of dropdecks be reduced 50% and that current owners receive duplicates of all bays beyond the two free initial decks. Recent tweets by Russ indicate base pricing could be flexible as the Urbanmech would be more expensive than the Javelin for an equivalent set of goods.

Failing that how about a non-frills weekend sale on dropdecks? What feels acceptable to you before the ripoff and or disinterest limit is reached? 500MC? 750MC?

Edited by Spheroid, 29 January 2017 - 11:43 AM.

[Appogee]

The annoying thing about Drop Deck charges, from my perspective, is that I already bought those Mech Bays once.

It doesn't seem reasonable to me to have to pay the same cost over again (ie 4x the cost of a Mech Bay) just so that I can link those those Mech Bays into a Drop Deck.

To answer your question: I think 300 MC per Drop Deck would be a more reasonable price. At that price, I'd certainly buy 10 or so.

Edited by Appogee, 29 January 2017 - 01:41 PM.

[Bud Crue]

PGI perceives Drop Decks as a convenience item. Thus they feel justified in charging an exorbitant premium for them.

Players who originally begged for saveable drop decks perceived them as something necessary to play the game because they were physically incapable of re-configuring a drop deck for each map and mode within the allotted 60 seconds (really more like 50 seconds as often a deck did not save if you didn't hit "save" before the countdown got to 10 seconds).

So from the latter perspective Drop Decks are a necessary part of the game that should have been an inherent feature from day 1 and we shouldn't have to pay anything for it since finally including them was correcting a serious flaw.

From PGI's perspective CW's game play mechanisms are, and always have been, "fine" and thus drop decks are just one more feature that they have seen fit to gift to its players, and besides, since the first 2 are free they feel that they have gone WAY over board in pleasing the community and meeting its needs and desires.

My perspective is this is just one more way that PGI has alienated (current and former) dedicated CW players. We wanted the ability to save drop decks, not be required to buy a second set of mechs bays in order to play the damn game. Moreover by only allowing 4 decks, even for those willing to buy them, thus has an inherent insufficiency for the CW mode, given the addition of QP maps and modes. When I originally was begging for drop decks I envisioned 1-2 desks for each map. A four deck limit provides me no reason to have more than the free 2 decks (hot and cold) since I can't customize to the maps, and in light of that lack of usefulness, at that price, I wouldn't even consider buying more.

Cut the price in half (at least) and let folks have, say...8 decks, or better yet 12 (or more)...and then maybe folks would have a reason to buy more, use more and desire more.

[AnTi90d]

I begrudgingly bought a 3rd one to have an ERLL deck.. but I can't justify the 1200MC price to buy a 4th one to have a brawling deck.

I think it would be good for the game if they lowered the price and also if they let us have more than 4 Invasion decks. After you fully kit out your existing dropdecks, there's little incentive (for someone that mainly just plays FP) to buy more mechs unless you plan on working them into one of your decks.

More decks at a lower pricepoint would definitely incentivize me to keep buying mechs. Sometimes the drop caller wants fast mediums, sometimes they want lights.. sometimes they want the weight frontloaded, sometimes they want the weight more evenly distributed.

[K O Z A K]

The limits and costs in now are totally unreasonable given how much changes QP maps and modes brought in. Now to compete well you're basically required to have a hot, cold, long range and conquest deck (since amazingly conquest becomes actual conquest in FP). Mostly players will shy away from the high cost of the 2 additional decks, and this puts them at quite a disadvantage

[LordNothing]

i think the price reflects the low demand and difficulty to implement. and its something that top level players will buy just for the convenience. but i think its a little silly. std::vector is not that hard to use. you could easily have unlimited drop decks, and offer them at a much more sane price.

Edited by LordNothing, 29 January 2017 - 03:59 PM.

[justcallme A S H]

60 sets plenty of time to change a deck or mod 1-2 mechs if needed and done.

I can't think many would've purchased decks for thst reason. Definitely convenient type item.

[PhoenixFire55]

Two dropdecks is what 99% of people will ever need. 95% of people are using one anyway.

[gloowa]

LordNothing, on 29 January 2017 - 03:57 PM, said:

std::vector is not that hard to use.

Unless of course you try to debug code with something akin to

vector.push_back( vector.front() );

Try it. It's Dwarf Fortress type of fun.

Edited by gloowa, 30 January 2017 - 04:14 AM.

[Jon McFuzzy]

Appogee, on 29 January 2017 - 01:41 PM, said:

The annoying thing about Drop Deck charges, from my perspective, is that I already bought those Mech Bays once.

It doesn't seem reasonable to me to have to pay the same cost over again (ie 4x the cost of a Mech Bay) just so that I can link those those Mech Bays into a Drop Deck.

To answer your question: I think 300 MC per Drop Deck would be a more reasonable price. At that price, I'd certainly buy 10 or so.

Y.E.S. ! (please)

[theUgly]

Boyz come on.

You have a minute to change your sh@t,
before the game starts instead of scratching your nutz .

[Bud Crue]

justcallme A S H, on 29 January 2017 - 06:14 PM, said:

60 sets plenty of time to change a deck or mod 1-2 mechs if needed and done.

I can't think many would've purchased decks for thst reason. Definitely convenient type item.

PhoenixFire55, on 30 January 2017 - 03:42 AM, said:

Two dropdecks is what 99% of people will ever need. 95% of people are using one anyway.

theUgly, on 31 January 2017 - 05:52 AM, said:

Boyz come on.

You have a minute to change your sh@t,
before the game starts instead of scratching your nutz .

Yep. But if decks were cheap (at least significantly cheaper than now) AND plentiful (could have more than 4 "invasion" decks) I think a lot of folks would buy them. But as it is, and give that we do have time to switch, I don't know many people who have bothered to buy the extra 1 or 2 (I personally only know of one person who bought a 3rd, and the AnTi90d above is the only other).

[Van mw]

theUgly, on 31 January 2017 - 05:52 AM, said:

Boyz come on.

You have a minute to change your sh@t,
before the game starts instead of scratching your nutz .

You have minute only if you are solo or familiar with group you play. Otherwise it takes 20-30 sec to realize what you should bring. And if you have to redone all your deck for group's strategy - remaining 20 sec are defenitelly not enough.

[Vxheous]

I own all 4 invasion decks, they're like $6.50 USD a deck (similar to the price of a rune page in League of Legends). I bought them for convenience, instead of having all my potential dropdeck mech/weight combinations written down on a piece of paper in front of me. IS is definitely harder to switch mechs on the fly within the 60 seconds simply because there are so many different combinations of mech tonnage that works, while clans is easy because every mech that is good is either 85/75/65/50 tons, with a 30/35 sprinkled in.

Edited by Vxheous Kerensky, 31 January 2017 - 11:19 AM.

[Willard Phule]

Meh, I just have the two decks. I call one "Skill" because it requires aiming and the other one "Potato" because it's nothing but LRM troll builds.

[Appogee]

Bud Crue, on 31 January 2017 - 07:34 AM, said:

I don't know many people who have bothered to buy the extra 1 or 2 (I personally only know of one person who bought a 3rd, and the AnTi90d above is the only other).

I bought an extra two. And I'd buy more if they were available at a cheaper price.

One levelling deck.
One long range deck.
One meta tryhard deck.
One hot map deck.

Maybe the price for each successive deck should go down for the more you buy?

[Amsro]

WAAAAAY to overpriced to even consider buying extra drop decks. IMO.

[Crockdaddy]

I believe the Drop Decks are overpriced for what they are. I did buy one anyway so it worked in PGI's favor. I'd have bought several if the price point was different. Then again I think MWO is vastly over priced for what it is yet I've spent close to 800$ over the last 5 years in this game either for items I needed or gifts.

[Appogee]

Van mw, on 31 January 2017 - 07:44 AM, said:

You have minute only if you are solo or familiar with group you play. Otherwise it takes 20-30 sec to realize what you should bring. And if you have to redone all your deck for group's strategy - remaining 20 sec are defenitelly not enough.

Plus, it's stressful. I play to relax, not get more stressed playing the "DropDeckSwapoutPhewJustMadeItOhShitForgotToHitTheSelectButton" Minigame.