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Mechwarrior Online 2021: Monetization

2021 monetization

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#81 Greyhart

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Posted 20 November 2020 - 03:38 AM

View PostHorseman, on 17 November 2020 - 12:05 PM, said:

Another thing about customization... could we get a brief end-of-match screen showcasing some of the best performers on the match (see how Heroes of the Storm does it). More advertising for the cosmetic options and mechs, basically, while also giving players a few pats to ego and vanity (or motivation to strive to make it to the showcase in future match)

I mean, you want an RPG. This is a shooter and bolting RPG mechanics onto it is not a good idea.
Now, selling in-game avatars that display when you're using voice chat or at the end of match? That would still be something some of us would spend money on purchasing and customizing. Vanity is a powerful force.


Not particularly an RPG.

But combine the pilot with a respawn mechanic.

Load up a dropship. Drop at a location in mech 1. Get destroyed or eject. Run back as pilot to respawn point (dodging being shot at) get new mech. OR have the pilot killed and have to redrop (you'd be looking at new game mode not current FP).

A pilot with a very short skill tree would work with this because then people would not want their pilot to die and have to restart the skill tree. However, the game assumes that a pilot would not live long enough to become very attached.

So RPG in that there is a consequence to death, but not really worried about the death.

Part of the problem with the game and why is resolves into a deathball is that there is no consequences to destruction.

#82 Soviet Alex

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Posted 20 November 2020 - 04:22 AM

Packs containing multiples of the same chassis are a relic of the days when we needed them to master the chassis. Much less relevant now, although I would not support removing them entirely. There's still a couple I would look to buy if I was playing regularly. But it's worth considering other ways of bundling (weight, House/Clan, role, whatever). New Steam packs would be a good start, if only because Steam notifications are free advertising.

I have over 700 hours of banked premium time, but I have to activate it in big chunks. If I could use that in 24-hour increments, I could dip in & out of the game & use the premium time I've already paid for. At the moment, it's money spent on content that I might never use.

#83 Alreech

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Posted 20 November 2020 - 08:58 AM

View PostHorseman, on 20 November 2020 - 01:02 AM, said:

I don't think he's talking about map unlocks in the literal sense, more along the lines of a "goodies pack" that you buy as a form of crowdfunding the development of a particular new map.

Could be done as low tier battle pass.

Low tier battle pass = money used for maps, reward for the player cockpit items with C-Bill or XP Bonus (as done with the tournament supporters pack)
Higher tier battle passes = money for new Mechs, reward for the player one, two or three of them... & the low tier battle pass.

#84 MovinTarget

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Posted 20 November 2020 - 09:59 AM

How about this;

Monthly Subscription that includes:

One monthly ultra rare supply cache containing:
- Random mech + mechbay
and 3 of the following
- Pattern you don't own for a mech you *do* own
- Set of 3 colors you don't own
- X Amount of MC
- Y Amount of Cbills
- Z Amount of GSP

All are commodities are a fixed amount.

ON TOP OF THIS, you get a set amount of a NEW KIND OF PREMIUM TIME that is consumed by the hour so that you only use an hour at a time and keep the rest. This way whether you play casually everyday, or have occasional binges, your PT doesn't get used unless you log in (though I would say if you play for 1hr, 15min, you'll be cashing in 2 hours).

#85 Dregian Bloodwrath

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Posted 20 November 2020 - 10:02 AM

i dont think pay to win or monthly subscription is the way to go mwo is a niche game. best thing would be to change mech packs often and also make it possible to buy 4 mechs of your choice as mentioned in one of the posts above cockpit items that adds a small boost to xp, cbills or mc can also be sold in store boost from 10% to 30% the higher the boost the higher the price. i also like the idea of ui colors, mech lab customization, lazer colors, soundpacks, thats something i would buy

#86 Mycroft000

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Posted 20 November 2020 - 11:12 AM

View PostDregian Bloodwrath, on 20 November 2020 - 10:02 AM, said:

i dont think pay to win or monthly subscription is the way to go mwo is a niche game. best thing would be to change mech packs often and also make it possible to buy 4 mechs of your choice as mentioned in one of the posts above cockpit items that adds a small boost to xp, cbills or mc can also be sold in store boost from 10% to 30% the higher the boost the higher the price. i also like the idea of ui colors, mech lab customization, lazer colors, soundpacks, thats something i would buy


I'd like a subscription that would allow for all cosmetic options to be freely added to anything(easy to wipe out once a subscription ends, just default back to original, or last paid paint job), and eliminates the need for mechays. I'd still expect to pay c-bills for standard chassis unlocks, and real money for hero mechs(maybe at a discount).

#87 Kodan Black

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Posted 20 November 2020 - 11:17 AM

In general stuff is too expensive. Stuff being $60 or $100 considering the age of the game and playerbase is unrealistic. Clan assaults should be the most expensive and even those should be <$50.

If you dropped to like Hero + 1 or 2 variants for $10 people would buy more. Really price should scale over time. First released it is 100%. In 6 months it goes to 75% of cost. At 1 year 50%. At 2+ years 25%. Say the base is $40. Do special collector packs at $50 that give some kind of special variant or cockpit item that does something like more MC or Cbills or whatever.

This opens mechs up to newer players with a lower money commit. As a new player do I want to drop $60 for some mechs when I likely don't even know what I like to play? I'll wait. Give me some options at $10 though and now I can grab a couple older mechs and have some variety and that enhances the game experience.

#88 MovinTarget

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Posted 20 November 2020 - 11:41 AM

View PostKodan Black, on 20 November 2020 - 11:17 AM, said:

In general stuff is too expensive. Stuff being $60 or $100 considering the age of the game and playerbase is unrealistic. Clan assaults should be the most expensive and even those should be <$50.

If you dropped to like Hero + 1 or 2 variants for $10 people would buy more. Really price should scale over time. First released it is 100%. In 6 months it goes to 75% of cost. At 1 year 50%. At 2+ years 25%. Say the base is $40. Do special collector packs at $50 that give some kind of special variant or cockpit item that does something like more MC or Cbills or whatever.

This opens mechs up to newer players with a lower money commit. As a new player do I want to drop $60 for some mechs when I likely don't even know what I like to play? I'll wait. Give me some options at $10 though and now I can grab a couple older mechs and have some variety and that enhances the game experience.


I think they could add new variants/mechs that are cheaper. This would appeal to old and new players w/o making some veterans pissed that they paid a lot more for the same thing. If new players want some of the older mechs, they can pony up.

NOTE: I am not advocating the obsolescence of the old mechs nor the "watering down" of new ones.

#89 Void Angel

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Posted 20 November 2020 - 01:48 PM

I'm not a new player, and with my activity level, I don't buy many 'mech packs these days - though I still view the Overlord package from Project Phoenix to be the best $80 bucks I ever spent on a game. So while I'm not the market audience for those particular subjects, I do have some thoughts in general about monetization:

I'd strongly recommend against anything that requires money on a regular basis, or that provides a material combat advantage for money. I'm sure you recall the firestorm in the IGP days when they wanted to make MC-bought strikes better than C-Bill strikes. The player response to that was likely to have made an... impression. Pay to win is always a fear for free-to-play games; that's why the (laughably failed) disinformation campaign enacted by certain liars during the Steam launch claimed that pay to win was a problem here. It's never been a problem, and I for one have always appreciated that about MWO. Just don't give the liars any ammunition - the best lies are always those built upon a grain of truth.

Edit: Oops, meant "IGP days." I must have blocked their name from my memory.

Edited by Void Angel, 22 November 2020 - 12:30 PM.


#90 OldTeef

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Posted 20 November 2020 - 07:32 PM

Love you, love your game,

My strongest opinion on this subject is that it is waaay too expensive to custom color a mech. Charge me for the color ONCE for decals and ONCE for the mech and I am golden. I find it hard to believe anyone can afford the actual custom changes their heart desires.

What I mean is: charge per color. If someone buys red... they have it unlocked for all mechs.

#91 MW Waldorf Statler

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Posted 21 November 2020 - 12:04 AM

View PostMovinTarget, on 20 November 2020 - 09:59 AM, said:

How about this;

Monthly Subscription that includes:

One monthly ultra rare supply cache containing:
- Random mech + mechbay
and 3 of the following
- Pattern you don't own for a mech you *do* own
- Set of 3 colors you don't own
- X Amount of MC
- Y Amount of Cbills
- Z Amount of GSP

All are commodities are a fixed amount.

ON TOP OF THIS, you get a set amount of a NEW KIND OF PREMIUM TIME that is consumed by the hour so that you only use an hour at a time and keep the rest. This way whether you play casually everyday, or have occasional binges, your PT doesn't get used unless you log in (though I would say if you play for 1hr, 15min, you'll be cashing in 2 hours).


Why many Abonement games now F2P ?!worse Idea for a Dying game

View PostGreyhart, on 20 November 2020 - 03:38 AM, said:


Not particularly an RPG.

But combine the pilot with a respawn mechanic.

Load up a dropship. Drop at a location in mech 1. Get destroyed or eject. Run back as pilot to respawn point (dodging being shot at) get new mech. OR have the pilot killed and have to redrop (you'd be looking at new game mode not current FP).

A pilot with a very short skill tree would work with this because then people would not want their pilot to die and have to restart the skill tree. However, the game assumes that a pilot would not live long enough to become very attached.

So RPG in that there is a consequence to death, but not really worried about the death.

Part of the problem with the game and why is resolves into a deathball is that there is no consequences to destruction.


No with this Maps, and this Climbsystem ,and the problems tahts little Models make ...why IK for Mechlegs/feets not came back (Hitzone/Terrain problems)...what was with Knockdown/Collisionssystem.

PGI Has not hired Gandalf the Gray or the Wizard from Ox

Bis Problem with all Custum Things here ...the Mechlab , and to find Cockpit Items, own decals ..all is a heavy Clickwork and no own Settings to save own Collections in easy way

Edited by MW Waldorf Statler, 21 November 2020 - 12:12 AM.


#92 Alreech

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Posted 21 November 2020 - 02:05 AM

View PostOldTeef, on 20 November 2020 - 07:32 PM, said:

What I mean is: charge per color. If someone buys red... they have it unlocked for all mechs.

???
If you buy currently a color or a decal you unlock that for all Mechs.
One Shoot Cameo Patterns are buyed per Mech, Cockpit Items & Bolt Ons per Item.

#93 Horseman

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Posted 21 November 2020 - 02:16 AM

View PostOldTeef, on 20 November 2020 - 07:32 PM, said:

My strongest opinion on this subject is that it is waaay too expensive to custom color a mech. Charge me for the color ONCE for decals and ONCE for the mech and I am golden. I find it hard to believe anyone can afford the actual custom changes their heart desires.

What I mean is: charge per color. If someone buys red... they have it unlocked for all mechs.
Colors and decals are one-time unlocks. Once you have one, it is permanently unlocked for all mechs you own. The only thing that differs is the camo - one-shot camos you pay for every application, unlock camos are more expensive but are permanent unlocks for any mech of the same chassis and you can switch to them at will.

#94 evil kerensky

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Posted 21 November 2020 - 07:15 AM

what about an engine bundle in the ingame store. 15$ and you get 1 of every engine in the game. those are the most expensive things that arent mechs, and saving for them adds the most amount of time to creating a build. id buy one once at least, especially if i was a new player building up my stable of mechs.

#95 AnAnachronismAlive

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Posted 21 November 2020 - 08:00 AM

# Monetization

Disclaimer: On-going work-in-progress trying to sort and conclude the input given here until now and furthermore: so keep on posting! In case you have proposals / notations aiming to improve the following assumptions or correct misinterpretations: feedback is very appreciated as long as it is provided in a structured and expedient manner - yes, even if this means to agree on what is „expedient / a general goal“ at all. Furthermore the english language ain’t my mother tongue, so lingual flaws can not be ruled out. Feel free to correct misleading descriptions.

General Remarks:
With a (rightfully deserved) scepticism rooted deep in most parts of MWOs community grounded in decisions PGI has taken in the past, transparent, public and goal-oriented communication between the parties involved (between PGI and the playerbase left / still interested in broadest sense), feels essential for the future of MWO (sim-shooter in the BT-Universe).
Since PGI seems to be in a state of risk-averseness or feels like having run into some sort of strategic dead-end (for reasons one can (only) assume), the creation of revenue – or to be more speficic – a reasonable ratio between investment and revenue on side of the producer and meaningful content subsequently adding to the joy the core-game-mechanics provide for the consumer feel crucial.

Assuming PGI is not in funds / does not have the financial ressources for significant amounts of advance investments anymore, low-risk with moderate-reward improvements seem to be the most likely / promising short-term measures for NOW that could generate the revenue needed to fund further mid- to long-term improvements - therewith hopefully creating some kind of a sustainable upward-spiral of a content-revenue-cycle again.

So whatever potential area of improvement (and there are a lot for sure) is discussed here, will likely profit from a general mind-set tuned to an assessment of a measures impactfulness for the (potential) playerbase and revenue possibilites for PGI.
The assumption of the upcoming steam-release of MW5 spillin‘ some (new) folks onto MWOs shore again, underlines the necessity of being prepared to absorb as much of these „potential drop-ins“ into the existing playerbase as possible while creating worthwile content for the veteran player at the same time.

General question in terms of monetization seems to be what audience groups can be catered with what kind of content while creating a reasonable amount of revenue short-, mid- and long-term? Would it help to assess the following „archetypes“ to be applicable and check single areas of improvement for their potential? Just trying to provide some simplified identification of audience groups allowing to roughly scetch potential motivations and adequate measures here (feel free to refine!!!).

======================================================|
Mech-Packs (see MWOComp-Document)
General Remarks: Revise overall mech-pack and mech pricing! Think about regional pricing adaptions (3rd world countries - as long IP-fraud can be ruled out).

======================================================|
Lore-Based Mech-Packs [Source: Will9764 – Post #104]
Some people play MWO for and/or with a heavy lore-infused / house-affiliated degree of motivation (at least in their early days /in the beginning). As proposed by Will9764 (see #104 for details) the introduction of faction-based mech packs containing one faction-iconic mech of each weight class (+mechbay) and one (existing or to be implemented - hello new content!) hero-mech (+mechbay) might/will very likely serve this kind of interest. Add a reasonable amount of faction fluff items (Paint-job, colors, items, etc.), a reasonable amount of GSP and make it reasonably priced => there you go! Might furthermore imply revenue potential by adding faction-based match announcements / general sound packs and/or other faction-related stuff.
  • (Unique) Selling Proposition for:
    All audience groups with some degree of lore/faction affiliation not being in ownership of that concent. Other audience groups interested in specific parts oft he pack (interesting hero-mechs, certain fluff-items).
  • Degree of ressources needed:
    Low to low-medium, since most ressources are already implemented in game already. Additions (faction-specific heroes, new fluffaudio-files etc.) seem not very ressource-intensive.
  • Resume:
    Low investment, medium to high reward.
======================================================|
Starter Mech-Packs [Source: Original Source Unknown – see MWO-Comp Document]
New / starting players often have a hard time in terms of judging the general performance potential of their first mech bought / builds and therefore with earning the reasonable influx of c-bills needed to keep playing while more likely losing than winning in the beginning. Might lead to some degree of frustration and make new players quit the game as worst possible outcome. As proposed somewhere (Original Source unknown – see MWOComp-Document), the introduction of one or more cheap priced starter mech pack(s) containing one solid mech of each weight class (+mechbay) might/will likely attract new players. Add a small amount of fluff items (Greenhorn-PaintJob or Cadet-PaintJob, Greenhorn- or Cadet-Items, etc.), a small amount of GSP, a medium amount of C-Bills to allow some modifications and there you go. Might furthermore imply revenue potential by adding status-based match announcements / general sound packs.
  • (Unique) Selling Proposition for:
    New / fresh players. Other audience groups interested in specific parts of the pack (Items, Paint-Jobs, Sounds).
  • Degree of ressources needed:
    Low to low-medium, since most ressources are already implemented in game already. Additions (Paint-Jobs, Items, new audio-files etc.) seem not very ressource-intensive.
  • Resume:
    Low investment, medium to high reward (depending on degree of advertisement, placement).
======================================================|
Themed Packs [Source: Original Source Unknown - see MWO Comp-Document]
The introduction of thematic packs (whatever theme sounds applicable – encourage a discussion about what seems suitable/adequate first!) seem to be a general possibility to generate revenue even though very likely depending on the quality / content single theme packs provide. Certain fluff-items, camos and paint-jobs may do the job here. Might furthermore imply revenue potential by adding status-based match announcements / general sound packs.
  • (Unique) Selling Proposition for:
    MWO-audience in general (like completionists etc.) if interested in the pack / interesting packs in general.
  • Degree of ressources needed:
    Low-medium, assuming that appealing (!) camos, decals and paint-jobs gotta be created first, while minor ressources may be implemented in game already. Can’t be about „Re-cycling“ stuff only. Can not judge upon ressource-intensity.
  • Resume:
    Low-medium investment, uncertain (IMHO) reward - depending on degree of advertisement, placement).
======================================================|
Improve(d) Cockpit (Bonus) Items [Source: Original Source Unknown - see MWOComp-Document]
Improvement of already existing or creation of improved Cockpit Items is very likely gonna be a well received and sought after source of monetization. Several boni that come to mind easily / exist already are: C-Bill-Bonus (X Percent), MechXP or GeneralXP-Bonus (X Percent), Faction-Reputation-Bonus (X-Percent) or even a combination of such. Existing faction or even any cockpit items (standing and hanging) could be adjusted (changing colors between faction color and gold for C-Bills; changing colors between faction color and [insert color here] for GXP, etc.).
  • (Unique) Selling Proposition for:
    MWO-audience in general.
  • Degree of ressources needed:
    Low-medium, assuming that appealing items gotta be (re-)created first. Can’t be about „Re-cycling“ stuff only. Can not judge upon ressource-intensity.
  • Resume:
    Low-medium investment, medium to high reward likely.
======================================================|
Voice Packs (Bitchin‘ Betty, Announcers etc.)
Creation of custom soundpacks for bitchin‘ betty (more likely) or other in-game voice acting (less likely IMHO – mebbe minor exceptions like faction- or solaris-based announcements etc.) could be some source of monetization. This will hugely depend on the immersive quality or catchyness singular soundpacks are able to provide.
  • (Unique) Selling Proposition for:
    MWO-audience in general.
  • Degree of ressources needed:
    Low-medium, assuming that appealing soundpacks gotta be created first. Can not judge upon ressource-intensity.
  • Resume:
    Low-medium investment, medium reward likely.
======================================================|
Supporter Packs - Source: NuttyRat #17)
(Tournament Packs, MWOComp-Packs, Team-Packs, Streamer Packs, Tutor Packs)
Packs granting a title, iconic decals, colors, items and sounds (like warhorns that make streamers, popular players or MWO-memes comment once ye achieve a kill or alike) that show, you are a pillar of the MWO-community by supporting one of this game’s many branches. Part of revenue created with these packs going into price buckets, to streamers, content generators or new player tutors. Adds a social pull-factor / value that could make people buy such packs. Get some prestigeous fluff-items while supporting the MWO-Community and create revenue for PGI too!
  • (Unique) Selling Proposition for:
    MWO-audience in general, team-afficionados, consumers of community content.
  • Degree of ressources needed:
    Additions (Titles, Items, new audio-files etc.) seem not very ressource-intensive.
  • Resume:
    Low investment, high reward likely.
======================================================|
Bolt-On Overhaul / Creation of appropriate Bolt-Ons (Military themed and heraldic items) [Source: MW Waldorf Statler – Post #58]
Adding military themed bolt-ons (like searchlights, armor-plates, transport- & ammo-boxes)? Placing heraldic items (like shields etc.) to show off your allegiance? What a no-brainer with endless monetization possibilities! Do it! DO IT --- but don’t you dare em to fall off when touched by a tag! Placing immersive / heraldic items (no, not necessarily more of that exaggerated solaris stuff, but something more appropriate in terms of being part of a military force! Great idea!
  • (Unique) Selling Proposition for:
    MWO-audience in general, lore-enthusiasts, folks with interest in individualization.
  • Degree of ressources needed:
    Might be a little ressource-intensive, since „floating“ items ain’t very immersive, prestigeous or nice to look at.
  • Resume:
    Medium investment, high reward.
======================================================|
New Hero-Mech(packs) [Source: Original Source unknown]
Adding new Hero-Mechpacks (more heroes of existing in-game variants) will add new toys to the „store“ people can spend some money / MC on. Try to make / quirk em unique somehow, so there is more incentive to buy them (like some mobility and REAL-jump orientied assault or whatever smart stuff you / the community can think of or that lore has already sketched out a little). People are starving for new mechs (even if heroes only), so it seems to be a short-term solution to create revenue with low cost.
  • (Unique) Selling Proposition for:
    MWO-audience in general, veteran-players and completionists.
  • Degree of ressources needed:
    Low to medium, since you got the mech-models already.
  • Resume:
    Low to medium investment, high reward.
======================================================|
Steampacks [Source: Original Source unknown]
Lots of people (new players especially) might be a little defensive about third-party / credit card payments via the games website. Why not taking the quick buck, if ye can? Impulse-purchase are severely interdicted by being in need of checking out (suboptimal) webshops first. So even though steam is taking a (big?) share of the sales happening there, the assumed plus of people buying MWO-stuff promoted directly over the steam-interface might still be worth it (like the new player packs, fluff-items packs etc.). Was the Solaris Hero Pack such a bad deal for PGI? Some sort of „One(Trusted)Shop-One(Trusted)Stop“-principle applies here too, not?
  • (Unique) Selling Proposition for:
    MWO-audience in general, new players.
  • Degree of ressources needed:
    More a question of negotiations (legal + pricing) than coding-work.
  • Resume:
    Unclear degree of investment needed, constant influx of revenue expected.
======================================================|
(Client-Based) Custom Colors for UI, lasers weapons, etc. [Source: Original Source unknown]
Comparably miniscule/small changes with unclear monetization effects. May add some fluff / individualization options while being not ressource-intensive at all.
  • (Unique) Selling Proposition for:
    MWO-audience in general, completionists.
  • Degree of ressources needed:
    Nil to low, can not judge upon the coding-work though (replace some numbers and potentially implement some selection buttons in-game / options).
  • Resume:
    Nil to low, medium reward likely.
======================================================|
Early Adopter Variants
(Re)Add exclusive early (but not Pay2Win) adopter variants to the mech packs (again). Special paint-jobs, minor design adaptions (like some unique armor / bolt-on pieces exclusive for this variant), unique patterns/decals, titles and/or mirror-inverted loadouts could be non-game breaking incentives to buy (reasonably priced) mechpacks right from the start.
  • (Unique) Selling Proposition for:
    MWO-audience in general.
  • Degree of ressources needed:
    Low. Inverting loadouts and creating minor model-changes shouldn’t be too much of a hassle.
  • Resume:
    Low to medium effort, plus in sales/early sales likely though - if the exclusive early-adopter variants have unique looks / are recognizable and stay (!) exclusive.
======================================================|
Add metallic paints
Another no-brainer. Add metallic paints to generally enlarge the base of colors available and therewith allow more visual customization options.
  • (Unique) Selling Proposition for:
    MWO-audience in general, lore-enthusiasts, folks with interest in individualization.
  • Degree of ressources needed:
    Low. Shouldn’t be quantum-physics to add some special paint-jobs,
  • Resume:
    Low investment, plus in sales.
======================================================|
Player designed (Unit)Decals / Top-Team Decals etc.
Can’t tell if this is a little late for the party, since the big unit times seem to be over (for now). But still, adding player designed custom decals after having them reviewed by PGIs art-/tech-team could be a welcome addition for some people. Gotta keep potential game-file-bloat in mind (showing all decals/items makes the UI hickup alreay – at least in my case). The more customization options the better.
  • (Unique) Selling Proposition for:
    MWO-audience in general.
  • Degree of ressources needed:
    Low-medium. Grant decent instructions on how to create decals to keep the review-process as simple as possible on the technical side. Reject „absurd“ or „non-fitting“ submissions though.
  • Resume:
    Low investment if done right, plus in sales.
======================================================|
(Voluntary/optional) Subscription models / battle passes
Now that is a pugnacious topic IMHO. While some sort of monthly subscription model(s) (various tiers granting different degrees of goodies) could be thought of, it would be in need of very, VERY careful implementation. Dangerous minefield in my opinion, since a lot of people will certainly not regard this to be an appropriate act due to MWO being on development lockdown / content starved for a long period of time now. But hey, some people brought it up and „everything is on the table, right?“
  • (Unique) Selling Proposition for:
    Uncertain
  • Degree of ressources needed:
    Low. More a question of responsible / reasonable effort and reward correlation than technical difficulties.
  • Resume:
    Uncertain
======================================================|

Edited by AnAnachronismAlive, 27 November 2020 - 01:15 PM.


#96 AnAnachronismAlive

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Posted 21 November 2020 - 08:07 AM

Personal Totem-Mechs / Personal Favourite Mechs [Source: Original source unknown]
Been discussed for a long time already. Create some sort of one-time package allowing people to „upgrade“ their most favourite mech to receive the or one of the boni hero and special mechs receive. Limit this possibility to be one-time per account only, so that the „raison d’être“ for hero- and special-variants does not get devalued. Furthermore place a warning sign once people try to select their personal favourite mech, indicating that this is an irreversible and one-time decision. Some minor style / individualization or title options depending on the mech chosen, could be implemented as well. Important: limit the possibility of boni stacking to a reasonable extent, so a certain degree of time invested to acquire the ressources needed for new mechs or modifications stays in the game. Being able to buy a new mech should feel like an achievement, not like some sort of sisyphean task on one or child’s play on the other hand.
  • (Unique) Selling Proposition for:
    MWO-audience in general.
  • Degree of ressources needed:
    Low-medium. Might need some coding and fine-tuning regarding mutual influences of the several boni system (premium time, cockpit-items and the totem-mechs). In the end more likely a question of responsible / reasonable ratios between boni, effort/grind needed to achieve stuff and the relation to monetization in a F2P-title.
  • Resume:
    Low to medium, high (one-time) revenue likely though.
======================================================|
Legendary Lore-Packs [Source: MW Waldorf Statler - Post #126]
Lore-heads delight! Buying the GreyDeath-Legion command lance pack with the lore-appropriate mechs, camos and decals? Wolf‘s Dragoons? Kell Hounds? Keep on coming! Lots of possibilites to provide attractive mech-packs in terms of lore and new toys to play with while even providing some unique variants (if fitting / lore-appropriate).
  • (Unique) Selling Proposition for:
    MWO-lore enthusiasts, general MWO-audience.
  • Degree of ressources needed:
    Low to medium, since you got the mech-models already.
  • Resume:
    Low to medium, high revenue likely.
======================================================|

Edited by AnAnachronismAlive, 28 November 2020 - 04:12 AM.


#97 Will9761

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Posted 21 November 2020 - 07:59 PM

If there is any type of Bundles I would like to see added to MWO, it would have to be one based on the primary factions. Have 4 mechs from light to assault that has been produced by or used heavily by the IS and Clan Factions. Along with a hero mech based on what faction their pilots comes from. The faction mechs would have a Faction Skin and Faction Letter to it as a Default with C-bill boost. ([D] for Davion for example).

Here is what the Faction Pack would consist of:
  • 4 Faction Produced Mechs or Mechs commonly used by the factions with a Faction skin from light to assault.
  • 1 Hero Mech Based on the Faction
  • 6 Faction Colors
  • Faction Decal
  • 5 Mech Bays
  • 30 Days Premium Time
  • Faction Based Cockpit Items (Standing, Hanging and Warhorns)
For an example of a faction mech, here is the Davion Enforcer. notice that the Davion skin is its default and it has the (D) tag:



Posted Image

The Faction tag even shows on your HUD:
Posted Image

Here are some examples I made if you want to look at what faction bundles could look like:

Inner Sphere Faction Bundles







House Davion
Spoiler






House Liao
Spoiler






House Steiner
Spoiler






House Kurita
Spoiler






House Marik
Spoiler






Free Rasalhague Republic
Spoiler





Clan Faction Bundles







Clan Ghost Bear
Spoiler






Clan Jade Falcon
Spoiler






Clan Smoke Jaguar
Spoiler






Clan Wolf
Spoiler

Edited by Will9761, 23 November 2020 - 11:46 AM.


#98 Void Angel

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Posted 22 November 2020 - 12:25 PM

View PostSheridan Mackison, on 16 November 2020 - 07:11 PM, said:

Player designed decals for a “small” fee. Include the ability for each member of a unit or friends to share decal files.


A nice idea, though you'd have to implement some kind of limiting factor to prevent everyone's custom decals from bloating the game files. PGI could take a page from League of Legends and create decals for the top teams in the annual tournament, or hold an event with a decal design as the prize.

View PostLordNothing, on 18 November 2020 - 05:39 AM, said:


mostly in the form of reduced grind.

there are also other things you can boost besides cbills and xp. idk why the solaris pack didnt have acc bonuses for example. make it easier to grind for bolt ons. fp packs should come with rp/lp bonuses. you could sell merc themed packs with rp (say the gray death legion color scheme from the locust/shadowhawk heros), and faction themed packs with lp. you might also have a bonus to supply cache progress.

i think that players who have contributed a certain dollar amount to the game should reach a point where everything else the game has to offer is grindable. even stuff you would normally have to pay for. its anti whale, but those people probably own everything they are going to buy by now, pgi isnt exactly making content anymore.

im to the point where i feel i have contributed enough monetarily to the game where the only things i will consider buying are low dollar impulse buys, for which there are none. the ones you need to get to buy stuff are the ones who haven't spend a dime yet (see my posts about initial buy-in bonuses). i think it would be an important goal for funding if you could convince everyone who hasn't to buy at least one mechpack. and you do that with strong grind reducers that everyone who has bought their first thing gets.


Creating low-money impulse buys might also be indicated. =)

#99 Will9761

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Posted 22 November 2020 - 03:28 PM

I'm glad that Clans: Nova Cat, Steel Viper, and Diamond Shark are in the game, but they deserve their own paint schemes for clan mechs. These are the colors and Galaxies they should be based on. I mean hey, MWO already has their Cockpit Items, decals, mechs and icons, so they should go the whole nine yards with the reserve clans.

Clan Nova Cat Pattern:
Alpha Galaxy - Victory over Delusion
Colors: Nova Cat Black, Nova Cat Blue, Nova Cat White
Although the SnowFall pattern does a decent job representing the Alpha Galaxy theme, it wouldn't hurt to see MWO's interpretation of the Nova Cat's Alpha Galaxy's scheme.
Posted Image

Clan Diamond Shark Pattern:
Sigma Galaxy - Fox's Welps
Colors: Diamond Shark Aqua, Diamond Shark Blue, Diamond Shark Green
For this scheme it should have a water pattern to it like rolling surf or clear water for an aquatic tone.
Posted Image

Clan Steel Viper Pattern:
Beta Galaxy - Steel Fang Galaxy
Colors: Steel Viper Metal, Steel Viper Light Green, Steel Viper Dark Green
Posted Image

Edited by Will9761, 23 November 2020 - 10:47 AM.


#100 AnAnachronismAlive

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Posted 23 November 2020 - 07:08 AM

Need some input on the summarizing #Monetization post please. Certain points missing since their source was in threads I have not seen yet? Structure sub-optimal? Of value anyhow or without need? Please make substantial (!) suggestions to improve it.

Wanna go on to the next topic with a similar structure, but only after having refined this ... don't wanna overhaul more than one thread. Thank you!

Edited by AnAnachronismAlive, 23 November 2020 - 07:36 AM.






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