3 replies to this topic

[MacCaileanMor]

Because solaris mode has forced the introduction of mech tiers, we can use this as an opportunity to add logistics to faction play.
Faction play could run in seasons. Units would "buy" mechs at the beginning of each season. Buying mechs might be as basic as selecting a number of lights, mediums, heavies, and assaults based on a weight allowance or could be as complex as selecting actual models of mechs.
The game will be adding a tier list of mechs for use in Solaris mode. Presumably, higher tier mechs would be more expensive and thus rarer -- as would repair parts. Casualties (i.e. dead mechs) would strain the supply chain for the unit. Eventually, top tier mechs (rarer mechs with rarer repair parts) would not be available to the unit. As casualties mounted the unit would have lower and lower tier mechs. Perhaps units could buy drops ships that would extend their ability to fight with higher tier mechs.
To determine casualty levels, the game would just need to track the number of active players compared to the number of dead mechs. Because one unit-member can die 4 times in a match, a unit would have some multiple of its active players when it was at 100%. I don’t know what this multiple would be but it might need to be 50 or 100 times the number of active players. You would want to base this on active players so that units do not fill their ranks with dummy players.
To make it even more interesting, the game could allow players to eject in a certain area without suffering a combat loss. Rather than “burning out” in a beat up mech or a mech without ammo, the player could return to a safe area and eject without killing that mech. It would not be available for the rest of that drop/mission but would not count against the unit as a casualty for that season.
Adding this element of logistics to the game would have several benefits. It would create a need for some strategy. Factions might want to hold some units back to preserve top tier mechs for later in the fight. Units would have to decide what weights of mechs to “buy” at the beginning of each season. Less experienced players may not want to roll out in assault mechs as the unit would not have an unlimited supply. Units would be forced to use low tier mechs not ordinarily used. Because lower tier mechs would be on the battlefield we might see some different weapon systems as not all mechs can boat lasers or ultra ac10s.

[Molten Salt Reactor]

wrong the player base asked for a better elo system than the old one the tier thing came in way before solaris mode was considered

[Molten Salt Reactor]

and the rest is far to complex to drop on an already struggling player base i think this would completely kill faction play off again

[MacCaileanMor]

It appears NBT is running again. That is what I was expecting out of a meta-game. That seems much easier to create than the faction play game that has no point.