0. Currently very few players are using Champion mechs from what I've seen.
Feedback on forum seems that CBills bonus is by far the greatly valued trait in Hero/Special/Loyalty mechs.
ie: Champion mechs are languishing due to no CBills bonuses.
1. Proposal #1:
1a) Champion mechs for all current and future models of all chasis, both IS and Clan.
Champion mechs can only be sold by MC or real life money, bringing in revenue for MWO/PGI.
Champion mechs have (new) +20% Cbills bonus, along with its traditional +30% XP bonus.
(Champion mech variants same layout as the standard variant, as per past MWO practices).
eg: Kodiak KDK-3 vs KDK-3(C) Champion mech.
~KDK-3(C) fully skilled out @91 Skill points gives me no real benefits after fully skilled out, so why buy it with real MC/money?
~KDK-3: I'll rather buy KDK-3 with virtual CBills grinded form playing MWO instead.
~Does MWO/PGI see the loss in revenue here? Yet KDK-3 is a very popular mech.
eg: All existing mech models would also have Champion variant sold for MC/money, even if there's currently no Champion mech variant.
ie: Hunchback HBK-4P with laser vomit, standard variant, bought with virtual CBills. Give a new Champion variant with +20% CBills, and players may buy it with MC/money!
~Ditto for Catapault K2 laser vomit models.
~All standard variants would have a Champion variant, purchasable with MC/money.
1b) Reasoning:
~ +20% Cbills bonus in Champion mechs entices players to buy, especially if the favorite mech they are playing is only available in standard variant (no Champion variant).
~The proposed +20% C-Bills Champion Bonus is actually kindness with a hook--it also entices user to buy two (2) Civil War Ultimate Packages for that additional total of +10% C-Bills Bonus hanging/standing items. For a total of +30% CBills (ie: 20% Champion bonus + 10% hanging/standing item bonuses.
==>Since Champion mechs are the exact same layout as the standard variants, there's very little work involved for MWO in this proposal.
2) Proposal #2: Pay-to-Win (somwhat Machiavellian):
2a) Champion mechs come standard with new ECM hard point in center torso that is optional to use. (Again, there's very little work involved for MWO in this proposal). This causes an ECM arms race with MC/money in player base (see point (2b) below).
2b) Sell one (1) hanging item that counters ECM.
~Sell another one (1) standing items that counters ECM.
***Equipping both above hanging/standing items would more than defeat the Champion ECM bonus (or any ECM mech for that matter, such as Atlas AS7-D-DC).
2c) In effect, players playing missile boat mechs chasing Pay-to-Win (read: MC/money) might be sorely tempted to buy their favorite Champion variant, and also buy both hanging/standing items to defeat others' ECM.
2d) Would well-heeled players paying MC/money with Champion mechs + hanging/standing items ECM advantages put off too many free-to-play players in MWO? THis is the real question that MWO/PGI needs to ponder.
3) I'm not a fan of Pay-to-Win, but the motivation for Proposal #1 (and perhaps maybe Proposal #2) is to increase real money revenue to keep MWO servers going, to keep this MWO game afloat.
Edited by w0qj, 13 August 2020 - 08:48 AM.