James Argent, on 04 May 2018 - 07:47 AM, said:
OK, I don't want to ever hear any complaints from you about 'immersion' if you're not going to consider 'a supply cache' as a shipment of actual parts that your mechwarrior receives
Either show me one post where I argued for immersion or refrain from putting words into my mouth.
Also, immersion does not excuse poor design decisions.
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and you only consider the technical limitations of the game engine.
I also consider
internal consistency with PGI's previous approach to installable cosmetics (see: cockpit items) and
a major obvious problem with their current approach.
Right now there's 9 or 10 chassis supported, but the game has some 90 chassis already with another added every month. Once they add bolt-ons for more chassis, that bolt-on you "win" is more than likely to be for a chassis you never played and are unlikely to ever touch - or perhaps for a cash shop chassis that you never intended to buy in the first place. When that happens, the value of that cache amounts to nothing - the item is both useless to you and unsellable.
As far as the obvious "perhaps it will make you buy that chassis" argument goes... without an inventory page for them, you will never be able to keep track which chassis you actually have bolt-ons for unless you go through checking each and every one individually. So yeah, that ain't happening either.
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Yes, the game engine also has the capability to make every mech one pixel in size. Do you want that also, just because it's technically possible? You also don't get to say, 'Well, I wanted a UAC-20 but my supply cache came with a MG, so I should be able to redeem a 'ballistic coupon' for what I want.
Actually, the UAC/20
coupon is an argument for my side: it's useable on every mech with matching techbase, hardpoints and sufficient space/tonnage to carry it. It also can be sold off for C-Bills (giving it at the very least the "utility" of a currency token), whereas the bolt-ons are stuck in your inventory forever.
Now imagine it came in a separate version
for each chassis and
could not be sold - which is
exactly how the bolt-ons are handled right now. How do you feel about that
Raven UAC/20 you just won?
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And really, cockpit lights?
A cosmetic item with individual in-game geometry based on the mech it is applied to, yes. That is the extent of the analogy here.
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A string of lights as a physical object is absolutely designed to articulate infinitely and conform to whatever item to which you apply it. Bolt-ons...the use of the term 'bolt' should be a huge clue here...are simply not.
Game design and user experience cannot be considered purely from a role-playing perspective the way you're trying to do here .
Edited by Horseman, 04 May 2018 - 10:59 AM.