24 replies to this topic

[Panzer Puppy]

One of the challenges that has been repeatedly touched on is the need to bring income back into the game. This may have been mentioned but I have not been able to find a thread on this one.

I would love to see a greater variety of Skins in game. Specifically Weapon and Parts Skins. Ideally what would be great would be Part Variations. This could be as simple as scaling of weapons. Think about how odd it is that a small laser and a large pulse laser have the same visual dimensions. Some ballistic weapons scaling between weight classes just blows my mind...
This could hopefully be taken even further into different looks. I would love to see this expanded to all parts of the mech to allow from some super unique units. Personally I prefer more authentic Battle tech parts.

Like many players I have an abundance of Mechs and with no new Mech releases, my MWO purchases have decreased. I would be willing to fork out to build my perfect Mech look. Anyway just my 2 cents.

[VonBruinwald]

Honestly, I'm surprised they haven't sold us laser beam colours yet.

I want a pink PPC splash!

[Hunka Junk]

What gets overlooked in discussions of further monetization is that this game is already hypermonetized.

The cost to buy a heavy or assault mechpack will buy you a well-developed if not AAA game.

The cost to buy paint will buy you Among Us on Steam.

There's plenty of money already, but it doesn't generally get spent on this game.

You monetize this more, and more money goes to MW5 or pays for a bearded dude to make videos.

[Panzer Puppy]

Hunka Junk, on 05 December 2020 - 02:23 PM, said:

What gets overlooked in discussions of further monetization is that this game is already hypermonetized.

The cost to buy a heavy or assault mechpack will buy you a well-developed if not AAA game.

The cost to buy paint will buy you Among Us on Steam.

There's plenty of money already, but it doesn't generally get spent on this game.

You monetize this more, and more money goes to MW5 or pays for a bearded dude to make videos.

I can understand your point but maybe it doesn't apply to everyone the way you may think. Most players have been playing quite some time and have boat loads of mechs, decals, paint and mostly skilled out mechs. Obviously this isn't everyone but it is one of the points that has been raised. If Piranha is going to spend money to expand and work to improve the game there has to be a corresponding return on their investment.

Judging by your profile I bet you actually fall into this situation yourself. I can honestly say I used to spend a great deal on this game and still could and would but there just isn't anything that I really need.

[Rock Roller]

<--- Panzer Puppy's other account. I have 5 total accounts with way to many mechs. I have hardly played on any of those accounts over the last few months. It used to be rare for a day to go by that I didn't log on. After NASCAR and the fun of a game that was evolving and expanding died for me; I tuned out. Its sad because I love the Franchise and the game. MWM5 was fun but it just doesn't have the same re-playability for me.

Darren and Russ stated clearly they are looking for ways to both add features and fix issues that the community wants. They also were pretty clear that the game would have to generate a renewed investment from the player base and they stated all of the concerns that I listed. Anyway its just an idea that appeals to me. Maybe I am an exception.

Edited by Rock Roller, 05 December 2020 - 03:35 PM.

[JediPanther]

I'd like to get a very mech specific "quirk" based on a mech's stock load out. Such as the cptl-k2. I ripped off ppcs as soon as I could. They suck no matter what type for the heat to dmg ratio in current nascar land. I'd pay mc for some thing like:

cptl-k2 ppc heat -50% note that it only works for that mech but works for all ppc and not just 'ppc' It also comes to be a good quirk from the mech's stock load out.

[LordNothing]

new players are presented with astronomical prices for what is effectively dated content and old players already own everything they want.

they need to lower the prices on legacy content and/or buff the hell out of the weaker stuff. along side that the older players need new sources of novelty to spice up their mothballed collection. while they have been doing a lot more sales lately to make up for the diminished income. on the novelty front nothing new has been added to the game since newtech and several mech packs and that lame reskin they call a map.

even though mechpacks are already overdone, i think if they dropped one right now it would sell because people are starved for content. if they could do a single clan and is pack quarterly i think people would buy them. they should be hyping up the next thing they plan to sell, not make longwinded podcatst that dont go anywhere.

[Hunka Junk]

Rock Roller, on 05 December 2020 - 03:34 PM, said:

Darren and Russ stated clearly they are looking for ways to both add features and fix issues that the community wants. They also were pretty clear that the game would have to generate a renewed investment from the player base and they stated all of the concerns that I listed. Anyway its just an idea that appeals to me. Maybe I am an exception.

Russ still has features from 2014 that he hasn't implemented. They don't need more features to implement considering the previous ones are an extravaganza of failure and incompetence.

And let's not pretend he's interested in new features. He's interested in looking like he gives a flop about this game for his new bosses.

You've been around long enough. The proof is in the historical pudding.

[w0qj]

That's what I've been saying all along about the replayability of MW5, as an outsider to MW5.
It's similar to the replayability of Diablo 3 vs Diablo 2. (Hint: Diablo 2 has hit 20 years milestone, and is still being played!)

One would suspect that the sudden flurry of renewed PGI interest in MWO might maybe perhaps be related to this MW5 issue.

Rock Roller, on 05 December 2020 - 03:34 PM, said:

...MWM5 was fun but it just doesn't have the same re-playability for me.

[w0qj]

LordNothing, on 05 December 2020 - 04:16 PM, said:

new players are presented with astronomical prices for what is effectively dated content...

they need to lower the prices on legacy content and/or buff the hell out of the weaker stuff...

+1 Agree! Oh, and there has never been any A-La-Carte discount either (there should be one!).

Hope MWO/PGI is reading this:
Legacy Packs (items) at astronomical prices, and MWO is selling the "hero-like" Prime variants (+30% C-Bill bonus) vs the pay-2-win power creep of the modern Hero version of the same mech!

The Clan Wave 1 (US$240) & Clan Wave 2 (US$120) comes to mind especially.
http://mwomercs.com/clans
http://mwomercs.com/wavetwo

(A) Option #1: Just give a flat 50% discount for buying both Clan Wave 1 & Clan Wave 2 at the same time, and I just might buy it at that 50% Off. The point is, a number of Prime variants are simply uncompetitive vs the Hero variants of the same mech.
But the above legacy packs cost more?

(B ) Option #2: Break up into individual "Prime Collections" and price accordingly for all 13 different mech chasis for both Clan Wave 1 & Clan Wave 2. And provide periodic promotional discounts from time to time.

- - - - - - - - - -
I've compared very carefully Clan Wave 1 & Clan Wave 2 "Prime" mechs vs its Hero mechs.
The ones interesting to my own playstyle, and can compete againts the "Hero" variants are:

Mad Dog MDD-Prime(I) ==> Must buy both complete Clan Wave 1 + Wave 2 to get it at US$370 !!
Warhawk WHK-Prime(I)
Nova, NVA-Pirme(I) ==> I wish it had AMS, perhaps another premium mech with AMS option in the head?
Hellbringer, HBR-Prime(I)

Does above four (4) Prime(I) justify US$370 price? No.
At 50% Discount of US$185 price for Clan Wave 1 + Wave 2 ? Yes, I would personally by it!

[Edit] I also want the Warhawk WHK-C(S) from the Steam Pack which is no longer available. But I digress.[/Edit]

LordNothing, on 05 December 2020 - 04:16 PM, said:

new players are presented with astronomical prices for what is effectively dated content..

To address the problem, "a number of Prime variants are simply uncompetitive vs the Hero variants of the same mech":

***Perhaps changing Omnimechs (Clan Wave 1 + Wave 2 + Wave 3) to "6-Piece Omnipod Bonus", instead of the current "8-Piece Omnipod Bonus").
***Perhaps adding new "AMS" hardpoint into the Head. (Why must my Timberwolf AMS hardpoint be stuck with a Missile hardpoint for my laser or ballistic themed mech?

LordNothing, on 05 December 2020 - 04:16 PM, said:

...even though mechpacks are already overdone, i think if they dropped one right now it would sell because people are starved for content. if they could do a single clan and is pack quarterly i think people would buy them. they should be hyping up the next thing they plan to sell...

+1 Agree!

Edited by w0qj, 06 December 2020 - 05:54 AM.

[w0qj]

OR the other option is to convert your favorite standard variant mechs into a Hero/Champion-like mech, at a price of course!

http://mwomercs.com/...uses-xp-bonuses

[LordNothing]

perhaps they should turn all the bonuses into a hardpont slot. if the mech has a bonus already that hardpoint will be occupied by the appropriate bonus. so you could buy a hero or champion, and then transfer its bonus to another mech. then simultaneously add new bonuses that can be added. each can be sold in the store.

[Rock Roller]

I actually agree with the need to lower the entrance cost for new players. Most existing players aren't spending much on it anyway. This actually would have a net increase in revenue for Piranha and bring in more players. I do play quite a few other games and the costs associated with a mech package is just a tag out of focus now.

Believe it or not I have issues as some of our responders with the decisions made along the way. That being said I want to see the game play improve. For instance I still struggle with Balance as a whole, Engine Desync and the Rescale has always been an issue for me.

Balance: I feel that the best time for balance was just before the time line jump. The jump itself is not the problem. More work needed to happen to fully implement it. It was promised but not really finished.

Rescale: The outliers to the rescale are what bug me. There is some logic to the system but some mechs just come off "wrong". Once again it seems like its 85% right to me. That being said the other 15% makes that statement lost in translation because they stand out so much. Seeing 40-45 ton mediums appear to dwarf some Assaults just blows the immersion for me sometimes. Once again, if more effort had been put in to some 5-10% scale adjustments on some of these outliers could have gone quite a way to visually "balancing" the end result.

Engine Desync: Exactly the same issue as my other two examples. It made sense on inception but doesn't feel complete. Some mechs and engine-tonnage combos just lost to much. Once again if more attention was given to fixing the outliers, the feature would have been more palatable. This was done on some of the most glairing examples but not enough. To many units/builds just became unplayable; especially since the dawn of NASCAR.

In the end, my issues all revolve around game features or fixes that were put in place and not fully worked through till they felt "done".

All that aside my main point of the original post was that if we want the game to revive there has to be a economical reason for Piranha to invest in the game. May as well suggest things that would add things we would like to see and are willing to pay for being forwarded as ideas.

[LordNothing]

one npe suggestion i made was to simply give new players 8 free mechs in place of the trial mech system. these can be cadet tree rewards, so you dont need to do anything but change the rewards there, and start everyone with an is heavy (you would get four clan and four is mechs all together, in each weight class).

give them pre-clan is mechs (raven, hunchback, orion, highlander) and the b list mechs from the first clan pack (adder, nova, summoner, warhawk). not sure about pre clan mechs, i wasn't around much in the early days. trying to avoid iconic mechs like the timby or the atlas would be a good idea. might also be a good idea to avoid high skill variants like the nova-prime which will just make new players explode a lot. it should also fit in a drop deck so players who complete the cadet tree can jump right in to fp if they want (the fp drop decks would be issued as the last reward in the cadet tree).

Edited by LordNothing, 06 December 2020 - 01:54 PM.

[Rock Roller]

LordNothing, on 06 December 2020 - 01:05 PM, said:

one npe suggestion i made was to simply give new players 8 free mechs in place of the trial mech system. these can be cadet tree rewards, so you dont need to do anything but change the rewards there, and start everyone with an is heavy (you would get four clan and four is mechs all together, in each weight class).

give them pre-clan is mechs (raven, hunchback, orion, highlander) and the b list mechs from the first clan pack (adder, nova, summoner, warhawk). not sure about pre clan mechs, i wasn't around much in the early days. trying to avoid iconic mechs like the timby or the atlas would be a good idea. might also be a good idea to avoid high skill variants like the nova-prime which will just make new players explode a lot. it should also fit in a drop deck so players who complete the cadet tree can jump right in to fp if they want (the fp drop decks would be issued as the last reward in the cadet tree).

This is a great idea. You would give them a solid base to build from.

I would select builds that are easy (IE: 2 weapon groups) and fairly meta load outs. I originally loved the concept of this game, loaded it a few months after it came out, got stomped game after game for 2 days, uninstalled it and didn't revisit it again for 7 months. Most games I pick up very quickly but MWO has a steep learning curve and a lot going on.

[LordNothing]

Rock Roller, on 06 December 2020 - 02:56 PM, said:

This is a great idea. You would give them a solid base to build from.

I would select builds that are easy (IE: 2 weapon groups) and fairly meta load outs. I originally loved the concept of this game, loaded it a few months after it came out, got stomped game after game for 2 days, uninstalled it and didn't revisit it again for 7 months. Most games I pick up very quickly but MWO has a steep learning curve and a lot going on.

i think id steer clear of the meta for a couple reasons. the obvious one is you want them to buy mechs. but the other is that meta builds tend to require higher levels of skill to use effectively. upper-middle tier would be more appropriate. builds where you dont have to work around ghost heat (a skill a lot of meta builds absolutely require) with plenty of cooling and a sensible loadout (probably eliminates the warhawk prime as that's a lesson in heat management in itself, maybe the whk-a instead).

Edited by LordNothing, 06 December 2020 - 05:12 PM.

[Rock Roller]

LordNothing, on 06 December 2020 - 04:51 PM, said:

i think id steer clear of the meta for a couple reasons. the obvious one is you want them to buy mechs. but the other is that meta builds tend to require higher levels of skill to use effectively. upper-middle tier would be more appropriate. builds where you dont have to work around ghost heat (a skill a lot of meta builds absolutely require) with plenty of cooling and a sensible loadout (probably eliminates the warhawk prime as that's a lesson in heat management in itself).

Okay, I misspoke. I meant capable Mechs with decent hard points, maneuverability and firepower. Also ones that avoid beginner traps like high heat issues...not even ghost heat. Simple is better when you are learning how to drive, aim and fight a mech. IE solid all around. Pretty much what you are suggesting.

[w0qj]

+1 Agree.

I had to look outside of MWO to find out what is Ghost Heat, and what it meant.

But it was directly affecting my mech layout and gameplay in Nova-Prime, as an example.

LordNothing, on 06 December 2020 - 04:51 PM, said:

i think id steer clear of the meta for a couple reasons. the obvious one is you want them to buy mechs. but the other is that meta builds tend to require higher levels of skill to use effectively. upper-middle tier would be more appropriate. builds where you dont have to work around ghost heat (a skill a lot of meta builds absolutely require) with plenty of cooling and a sensible loadout (probably eliminates the warhawk prime as that's a lesson in heat management in itself, maybe the whk-a instead).

[LordNothing]

w0qj, on 06 December 2020 - 05:13 PM, said:

+1 Agree.

I had to look outside of MWO to find out what is Ghost Heat, and what it meant.

But it was directly affecting my mech layout and gameplay in Nova-Prime, as an example.

it kind of does, but its a little yellow warning icon in the mech lab that is incredibly easy to miss. ui needs a tutorial overlay to point everything out and explain it better.

Edited by LordNothing, 06 December 2020 - 05:29 PM.

[Elizander]

I think that the way PGI implemented camo makes it too difficult on their artists to cover all the mechs in the game. Too much effort for the return or they can't produce fast enough. Generally it's a production issue on PGI's part which they can't sort out. It might be impossible to streamline with their current system. I believe some of the same issues apply to Bolt-ons.

Cockpit items and decals are easier because they do not need to customize it for the geometry of a specific mech chassis or variant, but not everyone is into cockpit items.

PGI can perhaps focus on limited camo pattern releases for mech variants that are:

• Played often
  
• Owned by paying and potentially paying customers

This means they won't need to 'fit' the pattern to every mech in existence and just focus on the popular ones. This is a pure money move which I don't mind personally, but they'll need to ignore people who complain that they can't get the camo on their precious Centurion AL.

Voice packs are just a one-time recording thing and if they can get decent voice actors at a good price then they can churn out a few and see how it goes.

They can look at mechs that people do not yet own or have owned previously and sold and consider giving those specific variants fun quirks that make sense. These are just examples based on my personal preferences and experiences. Opinions will vary.

• Give the Yen Lo Wang -40% UAC jam chance since it can mount a UAC/20 or 2x UAC/5s and give it armor quirks instead of structure.
  
• Give all Centurions armor instead of structure quirks.
  
• Give the Direwolf S set JJ quirks so it can jump higher than a hop and allow it to at least clear close to 20m.
  
• Give Jenners -10% Heat quirks.
  
• Give Griffins some torso structure like the 3M.
  
• Give Hunchbacks some CT armor or CT structure.
  
• Give potential underperforming brawlers MPL heat and range quirks, SRM heat quirks and SRM / LBX spread quirks.
  
• Give some LRM boat mechs a big missile spread and missile velocity bonus when firing on a tagged target.
  
• Give some poor performing lights +100m of Seismic Sensor which goes on top of existing nodes.
  
• Give some poor performing peek and shooters +20% or +40% radar derp quirks so they get 100% by spending just the basic 9 points.
  
• Give mechs that use all 3 types of weapons some +ammo quirks so they don't need to spend 50 points on the offense skill tree to reach Magazine Capacity and Missle Rack on opposite ends.
  
• Give some light mechs a lingering TAG effect where it lasts for 1.0 to 2.5 seconds even after TAG is off the target.
  
• Give some light mechs bonus UAV duration and range.
  
• Give some medium mechs bonus artillery shells or even allow some to carry +1 more Artillery/Airstrike for a total of 3.
  
• Take a look at possible velocity quirks for specific weapons to line up weapon speeds for multi-weapon mechs.
  
• Make CASE into a quirk and give it to some IS mechs that need ammo but are underperforming.
  
• Give some weight-starved IS mechs the quirk to function for 5.0 - 15.0 seconds longer after they have an XL side torso blown off.

There are still a lot that PGI can do to make mechs more appealing to buy/rebuy and play and give them a unique feeling without breaking the game.

Edited by Elizander, 06 December 2020 - 10:58 PM.