6 replies to this topic

[Serpentine Shel Serpentine]

Hello: I am a new player and have just learned the details about the new skill system in public test. It seems to change a great deal affecting how one would spend money on the game and I wish new players would be advised about it. Since the new system seems to not have a "Mastery" system requiring you to level up three variants of the same chassis to unlock certain skills. So there seems to be little value in owning multiple variants of the same chassis and therefore little added value from the Mastery Bundles that are still being sold, and previously were said to be a great value. I suppose unless you really like a chassis and just want three variants, in which case I guess its still a bargain if you want to spend MC at all on a mech.

Can anyone tell me if I understand that new system properly. And does anyone else think its a little unfair to sell the Mastery Bundles to new players without the warning that the Mastery System is about to be eliminated? I bought one just this past week!

Thanks.

Edited by Artemis65, 20 February 2017 - 06:05 PM.

[TooDumbToQuit]

Good questions.

One of the first things we need to learn if this will even happen. Other "ideas" have not. But I'm thinking this will.

I'm assuming that Premium Time will stay which means your Mastery Bundles were good buys. I think 30 days of PT is $12-13.00 and the time is banked. Plus you get 3 mech bays.

There are people on this forum that have 100's and 100's of mechs. But now it is going to cost more to outfit each one so I think the amount usable Mechs in stables are going to drop at least for a while.

I'm been doing the PTS and it is down now so they are ready.

But so far there are reasons to have more than one kind of one type of Mech. You only have a certain amount of skill points or whatever they are called. It was 91.

So you have enough skill points to optimized one weapon and some speed/agility pluses. But you will not have enough for two weapons unless you are fine with a slow and unwieldy mech.

I personally think that most players will max out their lower chassis and at least part of their top and maybe barely put points into a weapon.

And I need to mention that you pay a penalty for changing a mech so if you make one a certain way, you are more likely to keep it that way.

One area that I find interesting is the full ECM suite available. I have maxed a Pirate's Bane out with everything. So I now have a true "Scout".

You might want one that does Ballistic well or is an ER PPC sniper. I meant to take screenshots of the new "quirks" possible but they shut down the PTS before my Internet issues were fixed.

https://mwomercs.com...ree-pts-update/


hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

O wow, I need to keep up, a lot of changes here. The cost of the "skill nodes" are lower and no penalty for changing. Well, I guess we will know more in a few days. Honestly, I would not buy anything for a week or so, lol.

Edited by LikeUntoGod, 20 February 2017 - 08:00 PM.

[Rogue Jedi]

the Public Test Server has been turned off so PGI (the developer) can make changed based on the feedback they have received.
they are working to update the build for the PTS, we have not yet been given any information on what the next build will be, and again that new build will be subject to change based on player feedback.

at current we do not know for certain what will end up being implemented into MWO, and while PGI are targeting a March patch release, it could still be April or May depending on how long it takes to get to a point where we (the bulk of the testers) think it is an imporvement over the current system.

it is very likely (but not certain) that the 3 Mechs to master requirement is gone, it is also very likely that some sort of cbill cost for mastering a Mech will be there, however I am hoping it ends up much less than the 9.1 million it was on the previous build.


as for reasons to own multiple varients of a chassis, some Mechs have minimal diferances between their varients, e.g. the Crab, all varients are pretty simular, ok, 1 varient has Jumpjets, the others do not, but otherwise the diferance it the position of the energy hardpoints and the base equipment,
while if you look at the Spider the 4 varients each have rather diferant loadouts,
the 5V can mount 12 jumpjets (none of the others can mount more than 8) but can only take 1 large or 2 small/medium lasers,
the 5D has an ECM but pays for it with a lower engine cap, and can take 3 energy weapons,
the 5K can have 4 machine guns and a laser
and the Anazi can have 2 energy weapons, 2 balastics, a missile and 2 AMS ^{(none of the others can mount more than 1 AMS, or missiles)}
so you have one which is more mobile (5V), one which is more stealthy (5D), one which works great as a harrasser (5K), and one which does not know what it wants to be and is no fun (anazi).

some chassis are more like the Crab, with little diferance between varients, while others are more like the Spider and have significant diferances between varients, under the new system (assuming it does not change too much) I will probably master 1 Crab, 4 Spiders (two 5Ds, and one each 5v and 5K), there are several chassis I will want to master two varients of and a few I will want to master 3-4 of.

after the new system comes in Mastery Bundles will no longer be quite as useful as they have been, but still you are effectivly paying for 2 varients and getting 3 varients + premium time and cockpit items, they will still be a reasionable deal

Edited by Rogue Jedi, 21 February 2017 - 02:56 AM.

[Exard3k]

I'm pretty sure they will change mastery bundles soon, same with mech packs. But there is no disadvantage in buying a mastery bundle now. Great deal even with the upcoming system. Hero, Champion and another variant is always great when you like that mech.

Edited by Exard3k, 21 February 2017 - 04:26 AM.

[Dee Eight]

They won't change the existing bundles and collections and the pricing will stay the same since its based on its contents, not the game rules which govern the usage of that content. And except for certain combinations of sales events, the web store prices are always better than the in-game store prices. Take the resistance 2 mauler pack as an example, $80USD for 12 mechs, 12 mech bays, 4 of the mechs are special resistance version variants, 60 days of banked premium time, and 6 faction content packs which unlock among other things, 36 colors. The amount of MC you'd need to spend via the mechlab/in-game store MC prices for those 36 colors alone far exceeds $80 worth.

I myself am considering buying that pack still even though I don't need the premium time as I have sooo much active and banked right now I can go three years without needing more. But I don't own any of that pack's mechs, nor do I own thirty three of those the colors. Granted all the basic versions of those mech variants are available in-game for Cbills, but the resistance versions are not and as I said above, the MC amount required to unlock all that faction content far exceeds $80 pack price.

As already explained above, the different variants have different weapon hard point and equipment fits, and that is the reason why you still may want to own more than one of a chassis. Also there are the bonuses for cbills and xp of hero/special version mechs and champions respectively that are included in the different packs, custom colors/camo of hero and special mechs, faction contents, the premium time, cockpit items, etc. When I started playing 13 months ago, my first cbills mech purchase was a battlemaster 1G, but when I realized the amount of game grinding I'd need to get the c-bills to buy two more under the existing 3-variant rule, and how much premium time costs, that I just bought a wolverine mastery bundle which got me a hero mech to play for 30% more cbills, and a month of premium time for 50% more (so 80% combined).

[Spangle]

They'll probably rename them "Collectors Packs"

[Serpentine Shel Serpentine]

These are all very useful analyses -- thanks for posting!