96 replies to this topic

[verybad]

Orzorn, on 21 December 2011 - 12:30 PM, said:

They could base it on faction loyalty points. Why take Merc Corp A that you've never worked with, when you could use Merc Corp 1 with 20 missions for your house under their belt?

Well the other side of that is perhaps a Merc Corp wants to build loyalty points with a particular house, and thus bids low in order to get more bonuses from that house later...(Depending of course on what loyalty points will get you). Less experienced mercs will probably need to bid lower to get the job, which makes sense.

It's an interesting system, certainly looking forward to more details.

Though of course Mercs are honorless scum in general...Moneyswords that do not care for the ideals of their master.

Edited by verybad, 21 December 2011 - 01:18 PM.

[CaveMan]

Hmm.... there's an interesting idea: loyalty points with the faction in question could provide a "deduction" from your actual bid to make your bid effectively lower than it is (thus you're more able to get contracts that are fiercely competed over, and for normal contracts you can bid a little higher and get more cash).

[Barantor]

I wonder though if it would be possible to see what other corps have bids out on certain contracts. This could be detrimental if you sow bad blood with another merc unit and they consistently under bid you for the sole reason to cut your profits.

What happens if you can never bid? Can a merc corp go under or are there always going to be bids that will at least cover costs?

Since we can't be both in a merc unit and a faction house this makes me wonder, since in effect you could be bid out of the game.

[Xhaleon]

Prosperity Park, on 21 December 2011 - 12:36 PM, said:

4 advanced Mechs will destroy 4 basic Mechs, though, because advanced Mechs are most often in the hands of experienced pilots...
...unless newbies can pay real-life cash to get advanced equipment from the get-go.

Eh? I believe they said that you had to unlock them first via loyalty, then you can buy them with C-Bills or real money.

On tie-breakers, I don't think that it'll be based just on any one factor. If the mission is particularly important to a House or other faction, then the game would decide on who has the most experience, best track record (for this House) and the lowest price; all factors given weight and compared against each other. Yes, it might lock out newbies from tough contracts, but that could be a soft form of "level restrictions" to prevent newbies from ******** up important missions. They can always compete amongst themselves for the lower tier missions.

Hmm... would go hand in hand with House-affiliated pilots trying to get assigned to important missions themselves. Newbies and experienced pilots are herded into their respective groups all the same, just with a slightly different mechanic.

I was going to say something on what "minimum bid" means, but then I read the Q&A2 again and it seems like nothing of the sort. This is just confusing.

[Foxfire]

Depends on how they handle assets and upkeep costs. They could make the bid level affect the assets available on planet or they could make it where you would not make any C-bills or even lose some on a low bid for a contested planet.

[Skarr]

Barantor, on 21 December 2011 - 01:37 PM, said:

I wonder though if it would be possible to see what other corps have bids out on certain contracts. This could be detrimental if you sow bad blood with another merc unit and they consistently under bid you for the sole reason to cut your profits.

What happens if you can never bid? Can a merc corp go under or are there always going to be bids that will at least cover costs?

Since we can't be both in a merc unit and a faction house this makes me wonder, since in effect you could be bid out of the game.

You can't under bid since you have to bid higher than the other merc corp. Also you can only see the amount of corps that that have already bid and the minimum bid.

I'm pretty sure you can always make money by doing regular faction fighting. All your loyalty points just go to the corp and you get the c-bills or maybe they have solaris in for the mercs.

[Felicitatem Parco]

Skarr, on 21 December 2011 - 01:55 PM, said:

You can't under bid since you have to bid higher than the other merc corp.

See? Why are we bidding *higher* than each other to get a contract?!

Devs? Help?


The only answer I can fathom is that Merc Corps have to pay the Houses for the right to assault and control a planet, and then the Merc Corps will receive periodic c-bill infusions for maintaining control of a planet... but then why do we have to pay for the right to attack a planet? Can't we just drop in and attack it without a House's permission? These are non-House planets, so we don't need to pay them for the "right" to launch an assault on their behalf - they should pay US to launch an assault on their behalf!

Edited by Prosperity Park, 21 December 2011 - 02:34 PM.

[Damocles]

If only the children of kerensky would return someday to explain this system to us. . . .

Or the devs could clarify. -.^

[Nik Van Rhijn]

I read it as there was a certain minimum amount that they would pay for the contract and your bids have to be at least at that level?

[Slyck]

Skarr, on 21 December 2011 - 01:09 PM, said:

You are bidding for the rights to control a planet and all it's income? Basically you should know how much income you will get for a certain period of time of control but the enemy will try to take it away once you have it. So obviously you want to pay as little for the rights because that saves you money but if you bid to little someone else will get the rights and you won't have the income.

I want to re-emphasize this post. This would be the reason contracts are bid UP. This isn't like a construction contract system, what's happening is Merc companies are bidding for the license to take control of and govern a particular world on behalf of a faction. The companies aren't rewarded by the contract but rather by the production of the world for as long as they can control it.

Edited by Slyck, 21 December 2011 - 02:52 PM.

[Damocles]

So, bidding on the value of winning the world/resource.
Dunno how I got turned around on that

[Larry Headrick]

Skarr, on 21 December 2011 - 01:09 PM, said:

You are bidding for the rights to control a planet and all it's income? Basically you should know how much income you will get for a certain period of time of control but the enemy will try to take it away once you have it. So obviously you want to pay as little for the rights because that saves you money but if you bid to little someone else will get the rights and you won't have the income.

Ah no. You are working for someone and thay are paying you. thay are the ones who control the planet. the contractor is payed to build the house he doesnt own it.

[Skarr]

Prosperity Park, on 21 December 2011 - 02:29 PM, said:

See? Why are we bidding *higher* than each other to get a contract?!

Devs? Help?

The only answer I can fathom is that Merc Corps have to pay the Houses for the right to assault and control a planet, and then the Merc Corps will receive periodic c-bill infusions for maintaining control of a planet... but then why do we have to pay for the right to attack a planet? Can't we just drop in and attack it without a House's permission? These are non-House planets, so we don't need to pay them for the "right" to launch an assault on their behalf - they should pay US to launch an assault on their behalf!

Because you pay for the right to collect income from that planet. If you didn't pay a house then that house would still want control over that planet either directly or via a merc corp meaning your little merc corp would have to defend itself against another great house this time with no support. Also once you've paid and you win you effectivly own that planet until someone can take it from you making that initial bid pay itself back over and over. Also they haven't actually stated you use c-bills for the bidding so it is possible that you bid loyalty points (that you get back if you succed and more) or that you bid what sort of forces you are going to commit in a more clannish system.

You probably also pay them so they set up a supply chain so you don't have to worry about all that. They probably also supply the jumpships and dropships so your merc corp don't have to invest in those as well. So you can concentrate on your mechs and combat while the house you work for takes care of the logistics.

Edited by Skarr, 21 December 2011 - 03:05 PM.

[Slyck]

Larry Headrick, on 21 December 2011 - 03:02 PM, said:

Ah no. You are working for someone and thay are paying you. thay are the ones who control the planet. the contractor is payed to build the house he doesnt own it.

But merc companies aren't builders, they don't create a product they provide a service. In this model the service they provide would be best described as aggressive management companies.

[MaddMaxx]

Quote

"[PAUL] The bidding on a contract involves a minimum bid (i.e. reserve). The bidding is done in a silent auction format where you will not be able to see bids made by other Merc Corps. You will only know that there have been X number of bids placed which all exceed the minimum bid amount. If this reserve is not met, the contract expires. "

With the min LP available at Launch there should be lots of contracts to get everyone off and running. Assuming certain groups will favor certain Houses the contracts will be broken up as such. It appears if you fight for one House, the LP reserve for the others is reduced. As such the first WON bid may lock you out of some of the other Houses until more LP's are generated allowing further bidding for the "opposition" Houses if they are more lucrative.

As to the Bid, if you have to invest something of your own, C-Bills, LP or Mechs (whatever) your more likely to finish the job rather than turn tale and run while losing nothing. It seems logical that the resources or perks a OWNED planet will provide a Merc Corp will heavily outweigh any Bid amount required to be put forth, unless you lose of course.

Edited by MaddMaxx, 21 December 2011 - 03:20 PM.

[Felicitatem Parco]

Slyck, on 21 December 2011 - 02:51 PM, said:

I want to re-emphasize this post. This would be the reason contracts are bid UP. This isn't like a construction contract system, what's happening is Merc companies are bidding for the license to take control of and govern a particular world on behalf of a faction. The companies aren't ewarded by the contract but rather by the production of the world for as long as they can control it.

That would imply poor Merc Corps could not take a contract, and thus go broke without any way to revive themselves if they can not afford to buy a contract.

Edited by Prosperity Park, 21 December 2011 - 07:23 PM.

[Kristov Kerensky]

Ok..some people aren't reading the info given us except for what is out today, ignoring what's already been stated by PGI

Mercs will bid on contracts to CONTROL planets, planets are owned by the Houses, NOT Mercs..not yet That contract will oblige said Merc unit to kick anyone on the planet NOT with the House off of it. After you do that, you'll get paid for controlling the planet for the House, AND you'll get LP for doing work for a House.

It ain't that complicated folks, this is just the final bit of info given us over the past..almost 2 months now.

Oh, and you won't have a clue who bid what on the contracts, you'll just now that other people HAVE bid at least the min reserve amount, that's all..that's what silent auctions are..no one knows who bid what.

Prosperity Park..yes..that is exactly what it would imply..why? You have a problem with a Merc unit that can't perform going under? It's neither cheap nor easy to be a Merc unit, takes work and money. If you've got a bunch of bad pilots, you won't last long at all, cause without wins, you just burn c-bills...

[Felicitatem Parco]

I just don't like positive-feedback loops like this. If a Merc Corps has little funds, then there is no way for them to play as a Merc Corps, so they have to disband and play as Lone Wolves.

It sounds like, from what's been said, it's impossible for a Merc Corps to get any money unless they already have enough money to buy a contract, and then they would have to be the highest bidder in order to purchase that contract... that means all new Merc Corps will have to be given large sums of cash upon their formation so they can play the game as a Corps.

This is silly, and has 2 possible implications:

1.) Either PGI will have to give all new Merc Corps a cash bonus for forming in the first place, or
2.) There must be a way for Lone Wolves to pool their cash together to form a Merc Corps account, which will also be coupled to a mechanism to distribute cash back to the Corps Members upon disbandment.

Edited by Prosperity Park, 21 December 2011 - 07:22 PM.

[Ghost73]

Prosperity Park, on 21 December 2011 - 07:08 PM, said:

2.) There must be a way for Lone Wolves to pool their cash together to form a Merc Corps account, which will also be coupled to a mechanism to distribute cash back to the Corps Members upon disbandment.

This probably. After all, mercs are supposed to be veterans of the battlefield already and come together to get paid to do what they do best.

[Felicitatem Parco]

Ghost73, on 21 December 2011 - 07:25 PM, said:

This probably. After all, mercs are supposed to be veterans of the battlefield already and come together to get paid to do what they do best.

But Lone Wolves can only join in fights that are hosted by Merc Corps, according to the latest Q&A, so... yeah... all Merc Corps that exist at game launch need a direct C-bill infusion so they can start the game.

Edited by Prosperity Park, 21 December 2011 - 08:19 PM.