149 replies to this topic

[Zhanna Kerensky]

Hi folks,

What if the developers will decide to give everyone a fixed amount of 10,000,000 C-bills as start-up costs, so that each first time player can invest the C-bills either in a more expensive battlemech model with less room for modifications/upgrades and repairs or in a lower cost battlemech type with plenty of additional upgrades available at the beginning of the game?

How would you choose based on this concept? Would you regard such a concept as appropriate for getting started in MechWarrior Online (MWO)?

Edited by Zhanna Kerensky, 26 May 2012 - 09:26 PM.

[Everend Dracmarr]

. Interesting concept. I would imagine there will be some choice. Like this upon character creation. I would imagine house affiliation would ave some effect on your base resources

[Ryuu Tetsuhara]

My choice is pretty obvious, as the Dragon appeared to be the best match from a 'House' (Kurita) perspective and it would fit my allround style of playing best, although I would obviously like to have more options regarding mods/upgrades ... tough luck, one cannot have it all :-) ...

Will such a setup for MWO be fair/balanced at the beginning ... that will depend if the C-bill price is really a fair assessment of the mech type and its performance ... obviously, the prices are the original ones generated by FASA and one would have to assume that the higher the amount of C-bills that will be needed to afford a certain mech, the more powerful it will be ...

... last but not least the amount and usefulness of the offered modifications/upgrades will also play a major role in estimating whether it will be more worth to get a cheaper mech with more mods/upgrades or a more powerful one with less options at the beginning of the game (so that one will have to work comparably harder to modify/upgrade the mech later on).

[HIemfire]

Bubble burster: The developers have released no information regarding customizeability beyond modules and pilot skill points. What information they have released seems to lean towards either canonical or PGI vetted variants only. Now we are still fairly early in their release of information so that may change, but for now it would be safer not to assume anything more than they have already given us.

Now that we have a Mech Lab confirmed... Hmmm.. The system you have outlined looks pretty nice, I would have to say the Commando for now unless they select a medium mech that strikes my fancy.

Edited by HIemfire, 24 March 2012 - 05:34 PM.

[wwiiogre]

we tried this style in start up for many tt mech games. Some with success, some that were overly exploited. But in the end we just wanted to play and after the first moment after start up and once we got into the game, then what we did on the battlefield and the experience we gained counted way more than what we started with.

I personally like to start with less and earn it all, makes it so much more valuable. I would also like none of it to be transferrable other than loyalty points. This keeps gold farmers out of the game and leaves the game for those who truly love it and want to work for all the goodies. Salvage, as start up players in reality we would get crap contracts and little to no salvage probably just enough to cover our expenses depending on who the contract was with we might even be bullied into company store contracts, etc. So as this is free2play and there would be no end to bitterness if starting up kept costing money to merely compete with a fully functional mech each game, I can see as that probably is not going to happen.

But I will be happy with whatever actually works with the least amount of pay to win or pay to get an advantage. I don't mind if they charge us for more mechs other than what we start with, but I would prefer that actually be earned with in game money earned or loyalty point bonus discounts to ingame money. But hey that is my opinion and like arses we all have them.

Great subject thanks for the ideas

chris

[osito]

this looks like a decent set up. So right off the bat everyone can buy their whatever mech they want. You have to watch out on spending to much though. What if you buy a atlas. Spend almost all you credit then get your mech smashed badly. You wont be able to afford full repair and have to go into next match only partially repaired. Ouch.

[FinnMcKool]

I would go scout, light mech all i can buy for her.

[Gwenaelle Focht]

This could work, especially, if there will be a selection of at least 20 (hopefully more like 40) different mechs from all categories (between 1,512,400 C-bills (Locust) and 9,626,000 C-bills (Atlas), but excluding start-up mechs above 10,000,000 C-bills up to 32,120,333 C-bills (Berserker) for first time MWO players, that can only be won as salvage from battle) to choose from at the beginning.

I would opt for the Hunchback + enhancements for melee scenarios ...

[Kiff Stevenson]

Maybe I'm missing something (entirely possible ), but we aren't totally sure how the economics of this game will work, are we?

Mercenaries will probably get paid, but aside from salvage, how will House-unit players be remunerated? I think at first I'd be inclined to 'bank' as much money as I could for early repairs!

[Bluey]

if devs let people free about chosing a starting mech everyone would go 85+ which would kill game day one lol

[Hador]

I doubt that everyone would go for assault mechs.

Personally i prefer a decent Medium or even a Heavy mech.


Perhaps we get some info about the start when they reveal new bits at the GDC.

[Mautty the Bobcat]

I'd say no to this concept. Unless there's some sort of special condition, a rookie mech jockey starts in a light, maybe a medium depending on circumstances

[Maurice]

This sounds good to me but i think maybe new jocks should test out in there mech to start with

[Rattlehead NZ]

Using the BSGO F2P concept. You would start with something a choice between 2 standard light mechs. One would be more speed and toys vs guns and armor. And from that point you earn your c-bills to get newer mechs (which will have minimum lvl requirements). Some mechs may require special points which can only be earned by getting kills or winning rounds. That way wallet warriors (who fuel the game and we still love you lol) can have all the c-bills in the world, but still have to put the same play time in to get certain specialty mechs and equipment.

Maybe certain skills also have to be trained to be able to use larger mechs as well. The BSGO system works well to a point which is only limited by its lengthy wait for upgrades and new ships.

[Kip Wilson]

Being able to buy an atlas or any other assault class 'mech right out of the gate is a bad, bad idea. I learnt of World of Tanks from this forum and have the last weeks or two been playing the game fairly consistently. After 2000 battles and working hard to reach a teir 8 heavy tank, one of my biggest pet peeves of mine are the players that spend real money to buy their teir 8 gold tank right out of the gate. These players generally have less than 100 or 200 matches under their belt, know nothing about how to play their tank, know nothing about the various maps and care nothing for playing as part of a team.

Nothings worse than having the heaviest hitters on your team go rushing out in the middle of a map and get completely ganged up on. It pretty much guarantees a loss. Most teams can survive loosing a light or medium tank thats driven by a rank amateur but loosing a heavy while the other side still has theirs makes things very difficult.

People say that "most" players wouldn't take an assault or even a heavy if they had the option. That might be the case here on the forums but that wont be the case for the typical player. If this is allowed, what we will see is games of complete newbies duking it out in their stock assaults and getting themselves and their teammates completely pwned.

No, I have to say that players need to earn the right to pilot heavies and assault. Im not talking spending 12 hours a day for a month grinding away just so you can get into that Atlas, that makes things no fun either. Maybe they should be unlocked after a certain number of battles have been played, or better yet, a certain number of battles have been won by the player. Something reasonable, like maybe a week worth of playing, when the player starts understanding how to play the various maps and what kinds of tactics works best.

Im also not disregarding the value of a light or medium 'mech. As a matter of fact, in WoT Iprefer to use medium tanks myself (which is why I know how important heavies are in a game). A good scout 'mech can definately influance in a battle, and so can a well played medium. With that being said however, even skilled light/medium drivers have to depend on the heavy/assaults for support.

My vote would be to make the starting cash somewhere around 5-6,000,000 c-bills. That way you can start out in a very nicely equippped light or a good solid medium. If you're smart, you even might be able to get into an entry level heavy, but that's the limit.

[Fiachdubh]

Less cash, make people earn their Atlas.

[Vernius Ix]

Kip Wilson, on 26 February 2012 - 11:30 AM, said:

Being able to buy an atlas or any other assault class 'mech right out of the gate is a bad, bad idea. I learnt of World of Tanks from this forum and have the last weeks or two been playing the game fairly consistently. After 2000 battles and working hard to reach a teir 8 heavy tank, one of my biggest pet peeves of mine are the players that spend real money to buy their teir 8 gold tank right out of the gate. These players generally have less than 100 or 200 matches under their belt, know nothing about how to play their tank, know nothing about the various maps and care nothing for playing as part of a team.

Nothings worse than having the heaviest hitters on your team go rushing out in the middle of a map and get completely ganged up on. It pretty much guarantees a loss. Most teams can survive loosing a light or medium tank thats driven by a rank amateur but loosing a heavy while the other side still has theirs makes things very difficult.

People say that "most" players wouldn't take an assault or even a heavy if they had the option. That might be the case here on the forums but that wont be the case for the typical player. If this is allowed, what we will see is games of complete newbies duking it out in their stock assaults and getting themselves and their teammates completely pwned.

No, I have to say that players need to earn the right to pilot heavies and assault. Im not talking spending 12 hours a day for a month grinding away just so you can get into that Atlas, that makes things no fun either. Maybe they should be unlocked after a certain number of battles have been played, or better yet, a certain number of battles have been won by the player. Something reasonable, like maybe a week worth of playing, when the player starts understanding how to play the various maps and what kinds of tactics works best.

Im also not disregarding the value of a light or medium 'mech. As a matter of fact, in WoT Iprefer to use medium tanks myself (which is why I know how important heavies are in a game). A good scout 'mech can definately influance in a battle, and so can a well played medium. With that being said however, even skilled light/medium drivers have to depend on the heavy/assaults for support.

My vote would be to make the starting cash somewhere around 5-6,000,000 c-bills. That way you can start out in a very nicely equippped light or a good solid medium. If you're smart, you even might be able to get into an entry level heavy, but that's the limit.

I disagree completely. I like the fact that at launch I can choose any mech I want to start in. Its the first MMO style game that doesn't make a grind of starting out.

[Nik Van Rhijn]

Don't forget the possible repair costs, especially if you get totalled a few times in loosing matches.

[El Loco]

I would go for a medium 'Mech... not because of the option of adding stuff, but because I prefer mediums and light heavies.
Do I think the system would be balanced? Hell no! I don't think we should be able to buy extras and modules for our 'Mechs right from the start.
Do I think we should be given a fixed amount of money to buy our first 'Mech? No! I'd prefer it, if we had to chose our role and favourite 'Mech class, complete a tutorial and get to chose from a selection of 'Mechs fitting the role and class. Of course, for this model we would need more than 12 'Mechs at launch.

[Kip Wilson]

Vernius Ix, on 26 February 2012 - 11:45 AM, said:

I disagree completely. I like the fact that at launch I can choose any mech I want to start in. Its the first MMO style game that doesn't make a grind of starting out.

You are certainly entitled to an opinion, and if this was a single player game I would agree with you. But as a team based game, jumping into any Assault class 'mech and not having any idea of how to pilot it or knowing the map you're on or anything else that helps your team is doing a great disservice to your fellow team members. They are counting on the Assaults to hold the line while they can do their jobs. If an Assault pilot is inexperienced or just to selfish to care, it turns a fun game into an unpleasant experience for everybody.

I agree with you though that grinding isn't fun. However some limited amount to let a new player become familiarized with the game would be fair and appropriate IMO.

WoT allows the brand new player to buy a teir 8 tank without a single second of grinding, hense my whole previous post. So if MWO did the same, they wouldn't be the first to do it. They would be the first to do it for free.

Maybe everyone just has to start in a Chameleon for the first 25-50 games as part of ”training" THEN they can choose whichever 'mech they want. I'd be OK with that as well.