13 replies to this topic

[CtrlAltWheee]

This is a thread about stuff I’d like to buy in MWO. I’m feeling a bit of mech pack fatigue.

For monetizing in 2019 and beyond, here are some ideas. I love the mechs I have and just want to play them more.

1. Variable Geometry

Expand the bolt-on idea into new geometry. Same hitboxes, different model.

Current examples:

• The different atlas faces
  
• The original clan release had rounded legs on the primes
  
• The HBS battletech game has an alternate shadowhawk model
  
• The phoenix mechs had little bike racks, the founders catapult cockpit

The bolt-ons we have are okay, but I don’t like the heavy metal look. What attracts me is serious scifi / military look. I’d love to see Alex’s director’s cut on certain mechs, or have other artists at PGI contribute, or steam workshop contributions.

It doesn’t change the basic shape of the mech, but change the aesthetic.

Future possibilities:

• Future-style look on a mech.
  
• 21st century military / industrial. Tank-style.
  
• Make a boxy mech more rounded.
  
• Japanese-style.

It doesn’t need to be an extreme makeover. Just allowing a change in “head” would be great.

It’s okay if they are not compatible with every camo. It doesn’t need to be perfect.

If they sold them like a $10 skin that applies to all mechs of a chassis, I’d buy that.


2. Customizable Mech Lab

Not sure if this one is possible without a lot of forethought.

The hangars in MW2 were so cool. Different vistas in the back ground. Mechs walking by on patrol.

We all spend a lot of time in the mech lab. It would be cool to change colors and personalize it.

Product examples:

• Sell vistas that can be seen in the background. Like changing a desktop.
  
• Sell decorations like banners
  
• Sell different jumpsuits on the techs
  
• Christmas lights
  
• Halloween decorations
  
• Sell something like a “faction package” where faction-correct mechs patrol in the background. Kurita mechs walk by every minute. Mix and match faction packages with the different vistas. Kuritas in the city. Kuritas in the arctic. etc.

It gives more reason to buy colors and decals. Like a highly customizable beer sign / dynamic desktop.


3. Customize Jump Jet colors

This is controversial, but I’d like it if it’s a controlled color template. No pink jets.

But if PGI sold a template for $10 that was like 5 “realistic” jump jet colors, I’d buy that. Fun to put yellow jjs on my spider. Kind of like picking the lightsaber color in a star wars game.


4. 10% c-bill bonus to any mech

Hero mechs as unique variants are here to stay. They can stay.

But what about paying $5-10 for a permanent c-bill boost on any mech. I’d love that.

I’m okay paying a $5-10 premium to buy a hero mech, but what about when the basic variant has the better hardpoints? I think a lot of people have 10 or 15 beloved mechs that they would like to upgrade if they could.

I think it’s a win-win for PGI and players. And at this point in MWO’s life cycle, I don’t see anything to lose.


5. Map Supporter Pack

Kind of like the Tournament Supporter pack but for maps. It gives some perks to the people who buy in. I’d buy that.

***

I love MWO. I’ll be here next year, and I’ll be here with MW5.

Hoping that Russ would consider taking pre-orders to measure enthusiasm. Something like what he did with the urbie. I thought that was totally fair.

Have Alex do concepts for variable geometry. Give us a chance to pre-order it.

[Scyther]

I might not buy them myself, but I would like the look of glowing/lit portions on mechs. Sort of Tron-like blue or red edging of body parts, or stripes along certain parts or something. Possibly the ability to add a 'tracer round' effect to some projectiles, or a different look for missiles. These things aren't practical (easier to spot mech, see where an AC round came from etc), but then, mechs were never a practical idea to begin with.

Custom death/explosion animations, maybe?

Apart from vanity/cosmetics, I'm having a hard time coming up with 'things I might want' that don't cross over into P2W territory.

[FupDup]

A mech release schedule that was at least somewhat ambitious would be nice. Maybe even include an entirely new build archetype for IS mechs that is currently only seen on the Clan side...Hmm....


As for giving any mech we want a C-Bill bonus, I see no reason why it can't be the same 30% as a hero mech. Just make it cost the same MC as buying the hero mech of that chassis line.

Assigning an XP bonus to any mech we want would also be nice to have (for GXP grinding), again make it cost the same as buying the Champion mech of that chassis line.

Edited by FupDup, 24 September 2018 - 12:38 PM.

[Khobai]

IS omnimechs would be worthless without major buffs to ISXL

and honestly why would anyone want them anyway? the only reason people use clan omnimechs is because you at least get clan tech to offset their massive disadvantages

even if ISXL was buffed, the IS omnimechs still get absolutely nothing to offset all the other disadvantages of being an omnimech

if PGI wants to successfully market something new they should add quads to the game. And readd knockdowns so one of the major advantages of playing a quad is not getting knocked down.

FupDup, on 24 September 2018 - 12:36 PM, said:

As for giving any mech we want a C-Bill bonus, I see no reason why it can't be the same 30% as a hero mech. Just make it cost the same MC as buying the hero mech of that chassis line.

no lol

because new hero mechs sell for cash and not MC. So PGI doesnt want to undermine the cash sales of new hero mechs by allowing you to make better hero mechs out of non-hero versions of the same mech.

PGI would much rather have the cash since theres tons of free MC floating around.

thats why theyll never let you put a permanent 30% cbill booster on a mech for MC. However they might allow it if they sell it for cold hard cash. Like $5 for a permanent 30% cbill booster or something like that.

Edited by Khobai, 24 September 2018 - 12:49 PM.

[CtrlAltWheee]

FupDup, on 24 September 2018 - 12:36 PM, said:

A mech release schedule that was at least somewhat ambitious would be nice. Maybe even include an entirely new build archetype for IS mechs that is currently only seen on the Clan side...Hmm....


As for giving any mech we want a C-Bill bonus, I see no reason why it can't be the same 30% as a hero mech. Just make it cost the same MC as buying the hero mech of that chassis line.

Assigning an XP bonus to any mech we want would also be nice to have (for GXP grinding), again make it cost the same as buying the Champion mech of that chassis line.

Agreed, but I suggested 30% to Russ once and he shot it down hard. He wants to protect the business model as it is. Give heroes their value.

I don't blame him. It's stable and he has 100 mouths to feed. Hoping 10% is a compromise everyone can accept.

[FupDup]

CtrlAltWheee, on 24 September 2018 - 12:42 PM, said:

Agreed, but I suggested 30% to Russ once and he shot it down hard. He wants to protect the business model as it is. Give heroes their value.

I don't blame him. It's stable and he has 100 mouths to feed. Hoping 10% is a compromise everyone can accept.

Most people on this forum claim that the primary reason they buy hero mechs is because of their combat effectiveness, and this has shown with a number of the recently released heroes that are geared for being superior to C-Bill variants (i.e. Deathstrike).

Also, as I said, if it's the same MC price then a player choosing to hero-ize their own variant instead of buying a normal hero is still the same amount of MC sold. There is no loss at all. If anything it's a gain because people might currently choose to NOT buy a hero because they don't like its hardpoint/quirk layout but do like the layouts of a C-Bill variant. I think Russ' worry on this topic is foolish.

Edited by FupDup, 24 September 2018 - 12:47 PM.

[Khobai]

FupDup, on 24 September 2018 - 12:47 PM, said:

Also, as I said, if it's the same MC price then a player choosing to hero-ize their own variant instead of buying a normal hero is still the same amount of MC sold.

MC is not the same thing as cash though. there is tons of free MC floating out there that people never spent a dime to obtain.

new hero mechs only sell for cash they dont sell for MC

employees cannot be paid in MC. PGI wants cash.

so if the 30% cbill boosters were sold for cash ($5 each for example), thats something you can suggest to Russ, and hed probably go for it.

Edited by Khobai, 24 September 2018 - 12:52 PM.

[Jables McBarty]

I like these ideas. Something else that was bounced around when they re-skinned the pilot model in HD:

Customizable pilot models.

Same basic concept as OP's mechlab - select from a variety of suits/colors/patterns. Choose your pilot's gender and weight (since current pilot has the legs of a cross-country runner).

[CtrlAltWheee]

Khobai, on 24 September 2018 - 12:50 PM, said:

MC is not the same thing as cash though. there is tons of free MC floating out there that people never spent a dime to obtain.

new hero mechs only sell for cash they dont sell for MC

employees cannot be paid in MC. PGI wants cash.

so if the 30% cbill boosters were sold for cash ($5 each for example), thats something you can suggest to Russ, and hed probably go for it.

This is a good idea. The last time I brought it up to him was a year or two ago. Maybe he'd go for it if it's through the website vs MC. Like purchasing a hero token that can be applied to any mech.

Fupdup, I agree with you. There's not much to lose and a lot to gain.

[FupDup]

Khobai, on 24 September 2018 - 12:50 PM, said:

MC is not the same thing as cash though. there is tons of free MC floating out there that people never spent a dime to obtain.

new hero mechs only sell for cash they dont sell for MC

employees cannot be paid in MC. PGI wants cash.

so if the 30% cbill boosters were sold for cash ($5 each for example), thats something you can suggest to Russ, and hed probably go for it.

Didn't he shoot this suggestion down even before the era of pre-order heroes? Regardless, if this version of it would persuade him then that would be kewl.

[Stridercal]

CtrlAltWheee, on 24 September 2018 - 12:23 PM, said:

This is a thread about stuff I’d like to buy in MWO. I’m feeling a bit of mech pack fatigue.

For monetizing in 2019 and beyond, here are some ideas. I love the mechs I have and just want to play them more.

1. Variable Geometry

Expand the bolt-on idea into new geometry. Same hitboxes, different model.

Current examples:

• The different atlas faces
  
• The original clan release had rounded legs on the primes
  
• The HBS battletech game has an alternate shadowhawk model
  
• The phoenix mechs had little bike racks, the founders catapult cockpit

The bolt-ons we have are okay, but I don’t like the heavy metal look. What attracts me is serious scifi / military look. I’d love to see Alex’s director’s cut on certain mechs, or have other artists at PGI contribute, or steam workshop contributions.

It doesn’t change the basic shape of the mech, but change the aesthetic.

Future possibilities:

• Future-style look on a mech.
  
• 21st century military / industrial. Tank-style.
  
• Make a boxy mech more rounded.
  
• Japanese-style.

It doesn’t need to be an extreme makeover. Just allowing a change in “head” would be great.

It’s okay if they are not compatible with every camo. It doesn’t need to be perfect.

If they sold them like a $10 skin that applies to all mechs of a chassis, I’d buy that.


2. Customizable Mech Lab

Not sure if this one is possible without a lot of forethought.

The hangars in MW2 were so cool. Different vistas in the back ground. Mechs walking by on patrol.

We all spend a lot of time in the mech lab. It would be cool to change colors and personalize it.

Product examples:

• Sell vistas that can be seen in the background. Like changing a desktop.
  
• Sell decorations like banners
  
• Sell different jumpsuits on the techs
  
• Christmas lights
  
• Halloween decorations
  
• Sell something like a “faction package” where faction-correct mechs patrol in the background. Kurita mechs walk by every minute. Mix and match faction packages with the different vistas. Kuritas in the city. Kuritas in the arctic. etc.

It gives more reason to buy colors and decals. Like a highly customizable beer sign / dynamic desktop.


3. Customize Jump Jet colors

This is controversial, but I’d like it if it’s a controlled color template. No pink jets.

But if PGI sold a template for $10 that was like 5 “realistic” jump jet colors, I’d buy that. Fun to put yellow jjs on my spider. Kind of like picking the lightsaber color in a star wars game.


4. 10% c-bill bonus to any mech

Hero mechs as unique variants are here to stay. They can stay.

But what about paying $5-10 for a permanent c-bill boost on any mech. I’d love that.

I’m okay paying a $5-10 premium to buy a hero mech, but what about when the basic variant has the better hardpoints? I think a lot of people have 10 or 15 beloved mechs that they would like to upgrade if they could.

I think it’s a win-win for PGI and players. And at this point in MWO’s life cycle, I don’t see anything to lose.


5. Map Supporter Pack

Kind of like the Tournament Supporter pack but for maps. It gives some perks to the people who buy in. I’d buy that.

***

I love MWO. I’ll be here next year, and I’ll be here with MW5.

Hoping that Russ would consider taking pre-orders to measure enthusiasm. Something like what he did with the urbie. I thought that was totally fair.

Have Alex do concepts for variable geometry. Give us a chance to pre-order it.

TL;DR- Lipstick on a pig.

[Kanil]

Khobai, on 24 September 2018 - 12:50 PM, said:

new hero mechs only sell for cash they dont sell for MC

employees cannot be paid in MC. PGI wants cash.

Then make it so the 'mech has to be C-Bill available to do this. Then it's no different than buying a hero with MC.

Also if PGI wants cash, they'd make the (S) version be applicable to more than one variant. That's a $20 C-Bill booster that is very easy to instantly dismiss as "will never want this" simply because it's stuck to a variant I don't intend to use.

[Vellron2005]

CtrlAltWheee, on 24 September 2018 - 12:23 PM, said:

This is a thread about stuff I’d like to buy in MWO. I’m feeling a bit of mech pack fatigue.

For monetizing in 2019 and beyond, here are some ideas. I love the mechs I have and just want to play them more.

1. Variable Geometry

Expand the bolt-on idea into new geometry. Same hitboxes, different model.

Current examples:

• The different atlas faces
  
• The original clan release had rounded legs on the primes
  
• The HBS battletech game has an alternate shadowhawk model
  
• The phoenix mechs had little bike racks, the founders catapult cockpit

The bolt-ons we have are okay, but I don’t like the heavy metal look. What attracts me is serious scifi / military look. I’d love to see Alex’s director’s cut on certain mechs, or have other artists at PGI contribute, or steam workshop contributions.

It doesn’t change the basic shape of the mech, but change the aesthetic.

Future possibilities:

• Future-style look on a mech.
  
• 21st century military / industrial. Tank-style.
  
• Make a boxy mech more rounded.
  
• Japanese-style.

It doesn’t need to be an extreme makeover. Just allowing a change in “head” would be great.

It’s okay if they are not compatible with every camo. It doesn’t need to be perfect.

If they sold them like a $10 skin that applies to all mechs of a chassis, I’d buy that.


2. Customizable Mech Lab

Not sure if this one is possible without a lot of forethought.

The hangars in MW2 were so cool. Different vistas in the back ground. Mechs walking by on patrol.

We all spend a lot of time in the mech lab. It would be cool to change colors and personalize it.

Product examples:

• Sell vistas that can be seen in the background. Like changing a desktop.
  
• Sell decorations like banners
  
• Sell different jumpsuits on the techs
  
• Christmas lights
  
• Halloween decorations
  
• Sell something like a “faction package” where faction-correct mechs patrol in the background. Kurita mechs walk by every minute. Mix and match faction packages with the different vistas. Kuritas in the city. Kuritas in the arctic. etc.

It gives more reason to buy colors and decals. Like a highly customizable beer sign / dynamic desktop.


3. Customize Jump Jet colors

This is controversial, but I’d like it if it’s a controlled color template. No pink jets.

But if PGI sold a template for $10 that was like 5 “realistic” jump jet colors, I’d buy that. Fun to put yellow jjs on my spider. Kind of like picking the lightsaber color in a star wars game.


4. 10% c-bill bonus to any mech

Hero mechs as unique variants are here to stay. They can stay.

But what about paying $5-10 for a permanent c-bill boost on any mech. I’d love that.

I’m okay paying a $5-10 premium to buy a hero mech, but what about when the basic variant has the better hardpoints? I think a lot of people have 10 or 15 beloved mechs that they would like to upgrade if they could.

I think it’s a win-win for PGI and players. And at this point in MWO’s life cycle, I don’t see anything to lose.


5. Map Supporter Pack

Kind of like the Tournament Supporter pack but for maps. It gives some perks to the people who buy in. I’d buy that.

***

I love MWO. I’ll be here next year, and I’ll be here with MW5.

Hoping that Russ would consider taking pre-orders to measure enthusiasm. Something like what he did with the urbie. I thought that was totally fair.

Have Alex do concepts for variable geometry. Give us a chance to pre-order it.

I've been suggesting most of these things for years.. so.. yeah..

+1 on all of those!

[Black Ivan]

Just more transactions to fund the development of MW5? I guess PGI will happily jump on the train sooner than later.

For me wallet closed as long I see no real development for MWO anymore