10 replies to this topic

[wwiiogre]

First off:

Clan players must bid for contracts with bonuses and negatives applied to use of to much or not enough force. Second, in game lockout hud to stop clan players from targeting more than a single mech, the first one that fires at them until they receive incoming fire from other enemy mechs.

As has seen before, players do not roleplay the clan rules but usually just play clan to get the good gear and an advantage. So reward commanders for good bidding, penalize commanders for overhitting. Award clan players for solo kills, penalize them for multi kills.

Just a thought to make it a real immersive experience if players get to play clan. Personally I would rather have the Dev's or non players as clan.

chris

[Slyck]

I expect that a lot of Clan-ish behavior will be enforced through the Loyalty Points system. Players can be penalized Loyalty points for switching targets or calling for support. The can be rewarded for one-on-one kills and kill streaks.

One of the things I've been wondering about lately is whether the Clans will actually have a technological superiority in this game. The devs have said before that there will be no faction specific mechs or equipment and that you will always have access to every Mech at some cost (i.e. no unlocks). So when the Clans show up will they have their own store with clan equipment in it or will there just one store where everything is available to everyone.

[Convaras Bloodskorn]

Slyck makes a valid point, the developers have repeatedly said that there will not be faction specific mech.s, so I suppose my conclusion is that the clans wouldn't either. Yes, I recognize they have incredible advantage in technology, but how are they going to introduce it? Suddenly they introduce a ton of clan tech into the player-accessible stores? Well, that seems kinda silly considering that would imply that the factions would essentially be an equal power with the clans and that a clan invasion therefore becomes highly unlikely to be successful.

Then there's the matter of how the clan invasion itself will be introduced. Who will play them? Players can just up and change their pilot allegiance to a clan's overnight? Somehow that seems to be contrary to the idea of the canon. Random lottery of the players to decide it? That seems like its doomed to failure from the start. Just make a new account and join clan? Probably the most likely, but I still see this as also being problematic for different reasons like how the player population would fluctuate.

Then as far as the clan rules and canon-friendly behavior? I just feel like that would all be so difficult to try to work into the gameplay that its far simpler to draw another conclusion. My thoughts about things like these just cause me to decide that I will not be at all surprised if the clans aren't even playable at all to players, but are simply a metagame aspect that are controlled by the developers. I dunno, I sometimes ask myself if other people facepalm themselves when they see the abundance of suggestions/ wild speculation surrounding the clans.

[DarkTreader]

I figure, they have a year before the Clans really make a serious presence in the timeline. After launch, that gives them a lot of time to work on the Clan tech, as well as a really good AI. If they can make a solid AI STM that follows zellbrigen? And is actually hard as HELL to fight against? That may be our introduction to the Clans.

Even better (though this one is probably going a bit far, and is purely coming out of my head as I type it) would be if there was a system in place that allowed the Clans (AI at that point) to claim bondsmen. Your 3 lances go against a full Trinary, and you get demolished. Behind the scenes, there's then a % chance that you're captured and don't make it out of the AO. You then have a 24 hour wait time (yes, here's the place where people complain), then have the opportunity to undergo a Trial of Position. Not everyone would have the chops to roll out as a Star Colonel or Captain, so you'd have a lot of people who would then form your Clan lances. They'd basically start from scratch, losing all of the 'Mechs they'd acquired, but they'd now be on the Clan side.

The only drawback to this would be if you had people of a House or Merc unit on opposite sides... then there would be 'fun' opportunities for things like, oh, turning traitor to the Clans, helping out your former unit in the midst of battle, etc... How that would all work, I have no idea, but it's something to think about.

[Slyck]

The more I think about their game model the more I think they'll handle this economically. They've told us that within the Loyalty point system there will be cash bonuses and discounts. If they make the cost of buying and repairing mechs relatively high then they can encourage people to pilot faction specific mechs by making these discounts substantial. Say normally it would take two drops to pay for repairs of my Hunchback IIC, but because I'm a Star Colonel for Clan Steel Viper I have a 60% discount on repair for that chassis now I can afford it.

This kind of system will work right off the bat to encourage Kurita into Dragons and Lyrans into Commandos. And because we can buy C-Bills with RL cash people can still pilot what ever they want if they're willing to drop a little money into the game.

[metro]

Give the DEVS some credit.

As mentioned, Clan Honor System may be controlled.

We can only hope!

Or it will be one massive flash mob out there!

[CoffiNail]

Metro, on 24 February 2012 - 08:13 AM, said:

Give the DEVS some credit.

As mentioned, Clan Honor System may be controlled.

We can only hope!

Or it will be one massive flash mob out there!

Nah they already in a non NGNG podcast claimed they are going to try to reward players who practice Zell. I mean with all the games and their messed up crazy nigh impossible achievements, tracking who you are shooting should not be hard. Plus I still have the feeling the nice gents in PGI liked my idea of a Clan 'Claim target' button i suggested in November... that or they already had that idea and i was just using my wiggy mind powers again unknowingly.

I do not see Zell being that difficult to control. Sure you can gang up and focus fire to eradicate. I mean, even when Clan battles de-evovle in to a melee I still always felt a lot of warriors would continue to fight with honor regardless. I know it did happen a lot when fighting IS forces. Even though the warriors were told to disregard Zell, it is how they fight and many still went ahead and did their best in fighting one on one and honorably.

[metro]

Good deal...if Zellibregen(sp) is enforced either by command or AI...then it will aide in holding off the ensuing tsunami! =)

[Jumbik]

Honor the code fellow Claners.

Yes that is a good idea how to resolve the technical differences. If you follow the code you advance in XP and ranks etc. If not you are stuck.

IS can do whatever they want so 2 IS to 1 Clanner would be a normal sight and fair also I think.

But there is one question, how to prevent everyone from jumping to Clans? There must be seomeone to fight with...

[CoffiNail]

Jumbik, on 24 February 2012 - 08:43 AM, said:

Honor the code fellow Claners.

Yes that is a good idea how to resolve the technical differences. If you follow the code you advance in XP and ranks etc. If not you are stuck.

IS can do whatever they want so 2 IS to 1 Clanner would be a normal sight and fair also I think.

But there is one question, how to prevent everyone from jumping to Clans? There must be seomeone to fight with...

TBH that should be worded Honor the Rede fellow Warriors.

[guardian wolf]

We need to not only have PGI enforce Zell, but also, we must police ourselves. I for one am completely on board with Coffi's claim target button, and having to fight opponents one on one, until my Khan says that they are dezgra, then we get to completely destroy them. We also need to put in a bidding system, that makes it have players not just bring Assault mechs into the fray, and it would allow for one of the best parts of clan warfare to be implemented and experienced. I can see the smaller clan units already bidding on what they will bring into the fight, each team leader always one upping their rival, and then while one wants the honor of combat, another could be plotting to undermine his rival, by making him bid too low, and watching that would be quite a show.