MWO focused WAY too much on the concept of offense vs defense, sword vs shield... your tank vs assassin. And that's because of the source material...
Which in itself is limiting. The fact is, people love slower games. CoD can't retain audience for more than 2 months. People play fast and go 24-0 and ruin the fun for everyone else. That's why there are always limiter like "crouch match only," which often draw higher crowd than the base game.
So the market for a "slow" FPS is out there. A big robot FPS is not a niche. But the simplicity of the game to focus so much on the concept of tank vs assassin with nothing else, I think is the primary reason why this game doesn't have a bigger crowd than it is.
Look at Overwatch and other team base FPS games out there. Almost every one of those games don't just center gameplay solely on tank vs assassin, but the full spectrum of MMORPG formula...
Tank vs Assassin vs Healer vs Magic
It's how you create the circle of diversity. When you have 2 things, it's one or the other. And when you have 2 of something, it's OP and people start crying about P2W. With 4 elements? That horizon broadens.
The problem with BTech lore is that there are only tanks or assassins. There are absolutely nothing else in between. It's why the original lore attract niche fans for its 80s style grunge heavy metal feel. But it's also limiting for modern gaming.
So at some point before MWO2, one really has to choose. Do you want to continue this niche formula to appease to only hardcore game? Or expand the horizon, deviate from the lore, and just focus on making a freaking fun game?
Imagne if mechs with hands can act as healers. They can do battlefield salvage of parts to replace actuators, carry however many tons of "spray on armor ammo." Imagine if mechs can deploy smoke screen, introduce elements that either reduce damage or increase damage dealt (your magic)
How diverse would that game be? And it is something that's entirely absent in the gaming market. So it's just whether someone want to grab it or not.
So really, the question comes down to... continue making the game for lore fans? Or just make a fun game?
Edited by razenWing, 13 June 2018 - 03:13 PM.