40 replies to this topic

[Arugela]

I hated the decoupling. It ruined my favorite dire wolf build and my favorite build in the game.

Gave me an idea. What about making an item in the game to pay for an engine coupling. Then you can pay for a very expensive mod to get the coupling back in the engine as part of one of the toggle mods like the type of heat sink etc.

This could also modify the options and close of or change the value of the tree values to not make it OP. Then we can have best of both worlds. And it makes a means to balance it. And mechs could choose what they want for different mech with all the options on the table.

Although having extra turn and options might be good. Just like there is more armor now there would be higher speeds to go against potentially. It depends on what the new playing field looks like now compared to pre decoupling.

Mechs could even come default with different values. Old mechs in some cases could come coupled and some decoupled.

They could also have different engines available with different settings. Then we could get even more varied options. Coupled could be the old engines. Decoupled could open up whole new engine types only available to mechs that can use it. Or whatever brings about the proper options per mech per lore etc.

Edited by Arugela, 17 April 2020 - 04:09 PM.

[RickySpanish]

That's a good idea actually, for the price I think it should be dynamic and take into account a variety of factors. I'm a programmer so I have a pretty good grasp on how that might work. For example on the server side:

pResponse->SelectedMechEngineCoupleCost( pPlayer->TotalCBills() + 1 );

[Arugela]

I would pay a lot for the coupled engine again. I would give it like 5 million and make it a major expense if needed. Unless 5 million is not a lot now. I haven't played in a long time.

My main mech was along this lines: UltraViolent

It needs the original rotation to get the ability to tank by torso twisting full left arm to right arm as opposed to half way. This evenly distributes all damage across the front and allow relative snap shots when the time is right. You basically lead first with twisting, unless presented with a target, fire, then twist again and keep pushing. It needs all of the original forward push and twist/rotation speed for basic survivability. It's lacking the rotation. It was basically the perfect push mech. but people complained because they always looked forward and didn't twist and used basic fire tactics and died fast because it's based on taking own an assault mechs armor as fast as possible.

You have to keep correct distances(increases defense) also and fire control while giving time to quickly kill rushing smalls. It's made for normal matches. the original stats for the direwolf had the perfect combo of solo defensibility and group dynamics offensively and defensibly. You had to kill targets to lower return fire as fast as possible. And to solo a light you needed everything else dead to turn or kill it very fast. If you were smart you could take on any target. If not you could be killed. But nobody did flanking back then. they just poped in and out or face tank and died fast. Even mediums would try to get you withinn 45 degress of your front instead of trying to get to the sides to concentrate fire.

Edited by Arugela, 17 April 2020 - 05:40 PM.

[HammerMaster]

Decouple ruined a lot of usable mechs. Won't return.

[Arugela]

If it cost money and is an option designed to not give extras to appropriate mechs it could work. There are a lot of ways to balance it.

[FRAGTAST1C]

That's a good idea. Also, let us buy an item that will make any mech give 30% bonus C-bill. I don't care about the pattern. Just the C-bill boost.

[VonBruinwald]

I kinda like the engine decoupling, I just wish they actually finished it and went through with rebalancing all 'mechs on an individual basis...

[ShiverMeRivets]

FRAGTAST1C, on 17 April 2020 - 06:31 PM, said:

That's a good idea. Also, let us buy an item that will make any mech give 30% bonus C-bill. I don't care about the pattern. Just the C-bill boost.

That item is called premium time. It is available in the store.

[martian]

Even though my Mad Cat and Ryoken are still playable after the decoupling, the fun and joy are gone ...

[Der Geisterbaer]

ShiverMeRivets said:

That item is called premium time.

Nope the item he is looking for is not premium time. And while

ShiverMeRivets said:

It is available in the store.

... the "item" is indeed available in the store it's limited to particular mechs in either the MC-only mech sales of individual (hero) mech sales or part of direct package sales in form of one specialty "non-hero" variant within the package

[ingramli]

Der Geisterbaer, on 18 April 2020 - 05:02 AM, said:

Nope the item he is looking for is not premium time. And while

And we now have the new terminology - "Item as a service" (IAAS), you can "subscribe" for a given period of time, but you can't "buy" the ownership with a one-off payment

[CFC Conky]

FRAGTAST1C, on 17 April 2020 - 06:31 PM, said:

That's a good idea. Also, let us buy an item that will make any mech give 30% bonus C-bill. I don't care about the pattern. Just the C-bill boost.

Wouldn't that cut into MC and Premium Time sales? However small those sales might be right now, it's still revenue.

Good hunting,
CFC Conky

[FRAGTAST1C]

ShiverMeRivets, on 18 April 2020 - 04:07 AM, said:

That item is called premium time. It is available in the store.

I constantly have PT running. I meant what I said. Read again. I want to convert some mechs into 30% C-bill boosters. PT applies to all the mechs and stacks with the C-bill boost.

CFC Conky, on 18 April 2020 - 07:59 AM, said:

Wouldn't that cut into MC and Premium Time sales? However small those sales might be right now, it's still revenue.

Good hunting,
CFC Conky

I wouldn't say it'd cut into those sales 'cause this item will apply only to a mech that's converted. PT still stacks with it, just like Heroes or Special or Loyalty mechs so, PT + C-bill boost is more enticing. If this item is sold for MC or whatever and people buy, that's revenue coming in.

This reminds me of those video libraries that wanted to get extra sales in by bringing the movies straight to the customers' homes but didn't want to let go of the late-fees revenue and then suddenly, Netflix stepped in and video libraries are almost a thing of the past.

[ShiverMeRivets]

OK, you want to stack chassis 30% with premium time bonus.

Paying to turn a regular chassis into (S) variant seems like a legit request. If PGI can turn this into a profit, then why the hell not. However, the way it works now is that the mechs that get the +30%, like those marked as special (S) or loyalty (L) are recognized as another chassis variant - may be a problem to implement for all mechs in the game, or may not.

[FRAGTAST1C]

ShiverMeRivets, on 19 April 2020 - 03:06 AM, said:

OK, you want to stack chassis 30% with premium time bonus.

Paying to turn a regular chassis into (S) variant seems like a legit request. If PGI can turn this into a profit, then why the hell not. However, the way it works now is that the mechs that get the +30%, like those marked as special (S) or loyalty (L) are recognized as another chassis variant - may be a problem to implement for all mechs in the game, or may not.

We could just get one of those cockpit items to do this. There's no need to rewrite anything to normal mechs into Hero, Loyalt or Special class.

[Vxheous]

No, they just need to increase baseline agility to all mechs.

[Nearly Dead]

I have only been playing since mid Dec. I bought 6 months of PT and I do run Hero mechs when I can. Because I like to buy mechs and I am not careful with my C-bills, if I want an engine, I buy it, if I want to buy a mech and it doesn't work for me, I strip and sell it to free up the mech bay. And despite my spendthrift ways I broke 300,000,000 last night when I claimed the Stay at Home event rewards. It adds up.

I would never want this game to go PTW, that would be the final nail in the coffin IMHO, but having nice things is nice and I am willing to pay for them.

[Der Geisterbaer]

FRAGTAST1C said:

We could just get one of those cockpit items to do this.

There are already cockpit items that do this and their bonuses are in addition to the respective hero, specialty and loyalty chassis bonus. I'm fairly certain that owners of heros, specialty and loyalty mechs would weclome a further increase of the C-Bill income via such items beyond the current +5% standing and +5% hanging item

FRAGTAST1C said:

There's no need to rewrite anything to normal mechs into Hero, Loyalt or Special class.

Indeed ... unless of course you want to make those normal mechs equally desirable to said hero, loyalty and specialty mechs in terms of C-Bill acquisition.

Wait I can see the answer: Those cockpit items you're talking about are then not supposed to work on those mechs that already have that inherent bonus?! I'm not too sure about such an attempt not being equally error prone when compared to idea of turning the mechs themselves into [S*] variants (without special paint jobs / geometry)

[FRAGTAST1C]

Nearly Dead, on 19 April 2020 - 06:18 AM, said:

I would never want this game to go PTW, that would be the final nail in the coffin IMHO, but having nice things is nice and I am willing to pay for them.

Exactly. P2W is never going to happen when all that some of us are asking for is an item to make any mech give 30% bonus C-bill which can stack with PT.

Der Geisterbaer, on 19 April 2020 - 06:31 AM, said:

Indeed ... unless of course you want to make those normal mechs equally desirable to said hero, loyalty and specialty mechs in terms of C-Bill acquisition.

Wait I can see the answer: Those cockpit items you're talking about are then not supposed to work on those mechs that already have that inherent bonus?! I'm not too sure about such an attempt not being equally error prone when compared to idea of turning the mechs themselves into [S*] variants (without special paint jobs / geometry)

The quality of a mech (or desirability) comes from hardpoint location and how it handles. A Kodiak 3 is one of the worst mechs 'cause of the way it handles despite having great hardpoints. I'm just giving an e.g., here to show that not every mech would suddenly replace hero mechs. Furthermore, we're meant to buy such cockpit items. Therefore, more ways to earn revenue.

If 60% stack from Hero+Cockpit item is a worry, then limit the % gained to what it is now, i.e., not more than 30% boost + PT + 10% (from the 2 cockpit items that we already have). That way, using a 30% boosting cockpit item on a mech that already has such a boost is a big waste.

[Der Geisterbaer]

FRAGTAST1C said:

The quality of a mech (or desirability) comes from hardpoint location and how it handles. A Kodiak 3 is one of the worst mechs 'cause of the way it handles despite having great hardpoints. I'm just giving an e.g., here to show that not every mech would suddenly replace hero mechs.

And nothing I wrote was about the (subjective or objective) quality of mechs and their hard point distribution.

FRAGTAST1C said:

Furthermore, we're meant to buy such cockpit items. Therefore, more ways to earn revenue.

Again: Besides the point I was making ...

FRAGTAST1C said:

If 60% stack from Hero+Cockpit item is a worry, then limit the % gained to what it is now, i.e., not more than 30% boost + PT + 10% (from the 2 cockpit items that we already have). That way, using a 30% boosting cockpit item on a mech that already has such a boost is a big waste.

And here you're finally getting closer to what I actually wrote about. How confident are you that PGI would be able to properly implement such a +30% cap when implementing such cockpit items as MC purchasable store item vs. one store item that turns a whole mech into a [S*] variant?
Once you have given the answer there try to ask yourself this: What solution would PGI prefer there? The one that allows you to swap between mechs and thus is only required like once to possibly four times or a solution where you'd have to buy the upgrade for each mech individually?