22 replies to this topic

[Reinhardt Drescher]

First of all, my apologies if there is already another thread with this subject.

Should every 'Mech be available from the get-go?

By which, I mean: should 'Mechs of all weight classes be available to any noob fresh into the frying pan? Should new players be able to choose anything from a Commando to an Atlas, no matter their actual talents and (possible) absolute lack of practice?

OR:

Should there be only light 'Mechs available to new players, and maybe a few low grade medium mechs (maybe only available to selected commanders)?

As a pilot progresses and gains experience and practice (and piles of cash), more 'Mechs become available, until the crown jewels (the highest grade weapons/upgrades and the Assault class 'Mechs) are 'unlocked'. People who have earned the right to tromp around the battlefield in an Atlas can do so, while the new pilots serve their time in the mud and work their way up the ladder.

This game, like any, will need to compel players to return and keep playing again and again, and giving them something to look forward to and work their way up to, and will encourage them to keep coming back.

I spent more time playing Blizzard's Diablo 2 than I care to admit, but I very vividly remember that the beginning was always the funnest for me. Starting out fresh on the bottom rung of the totem pole, picking up almost everything I saw just so I could sell piles of crap to buy that slightly more powerful weapon. I felt like the whole videogame world was in front of me and I had so much to get my hands on, but by the time I've maxxed my level and could kill basically anything without much trouble, all the magic's gone, and I'm just plain bored.

I'm on the side of starting small, but hellz yes, I'm looking forward to stomping noobs in my damn Atlas.

[Sinitron]

I don't really care as long as the game is balanced and a team can't go full-on mass Atlas and roll all over everyone else.

[LackofCertainty]

I assume that you'll probably start with enough money to buy a light or maybe medium mech, and then the "unlocking" of the other mechs will just be a factor of how long it takes you to save up for them.

As I understand it the xp system is more for getting access to new modules as well as getting small passive boosts to a mech that you use often. Not a "You must max you talent tree with all light mechs before you can pilot a medium mech," thing.

Also, I assume that the balance to a team full of atlases would be that they are slow, and the enemy team would just need a scout and someone with an artillery/air strike module to slowly ruin the big brutes. (or any decently manuverable mech with a ppc)

Edited by LackofCertainty, 04 March 2012 - 04:32 AM.

[Maris]

IIRC it has already been confirmed that the mechs are all accessible, as long as you have the C-Bills.

And the game is not linear (Thank God!) where everyone ends up with an Assault class and all other mechs are obsolete.
The end-game is not about having the biggest mechs, its about specialising in a specific role and contributing to the overall team strategy/tactics.
Please read the various dev blogs and interviews.

If you think you are going to stomp the other mech classes just because ur in an Atlas, you are going to get owned, tbh

[CCC Dober]

OP: I can relate to D2 and the idea of growing into a bigger pair of shoes. MW:O might be able to limit the access to what is commonly accepted as best in its class. If let's say experimental IS or Omni Clan Mechs represent that, then 2nd line and standard Mechs would be the logical starting point in the career of a MechWarrior. Earning your stripes and all that I guess.

[Vexgrave Lars]

ER PPC, LRM20, GAUSS RIFLE, and of course the AC and LBX 20. All great, one shot, equalizers... a lot like Col. Colt's 45. You can only have so much head armor and IS... after that the meat is dead, or ejected. Yes I know, head shots are tough to get, but luck and skill with even a few small laser blast or even machine gun fire will do the trick regardless of tonnage.

I like the clan thinking that doing more with less is the measure of a good Mechwarrior or Star/Lance.. if you like. Yeah anyone can be devastating with an Atlas or an Awesome... but to be devastating with a Jenner, that takes skill and fortune.

Your tonnage is not your value on the battlefield, its simply the amount of target profile the enemy gets to paint with bounding boxes. It should absolutely be open field choice at start for the weight class you begin with. I only hope that character generation values origin, training, which successor state/merc troop your work for or with, and those other nuances, I can't think of right now. I hope they will come into play for HOW you start off, and with What.

Like any good gift.. we will have to wait and find out what the dev's have in store for us. Isn't it cool to not know.

[Morashtak]

In order to have a well rounded Company a variety of sizes/roles are required. Only going out in 20 - 30t scouts may be fun but it's not going to give us the experience of total team play. As stated on any number of boards players are excited about all the sizes/roles not just screaming "Atlaaaas!".

It's good to see that all Mechs included at launch will be available immediately. It will take time for the majority of players to get a feel of which Mech best suits their style as well as giving leaders (still like "Commander") ample experience on how to best give out "suggestions".

[Randal Waide]

Maris, on 04 March 2012 - 04:32 AM, said:

IIRC it has already been confirmed that the mechs are all accessible, as long as you have the C-Bills.

And the game is not linear (Thank God!) where everyone ends up with an Assault class and all other mechs are obsolete.
The end-game is not about having the biggest mechs, its about specialising in a specific role and contributing to the overall team strategy/tactics.
Please read the various dev blogs and interviews.

If you think you are going to stomp the other mech classes just because ur in an Atlas, you are going to get owned, tbh

Thank you I just made a similar comment in a similar thread. This is going to be about team play, balance and skill. Not "gold member mechs."

[FinnMcKool]

This isnt your Grandfathers (my) Mechwarrior)

Its been made clear that its not a race for the biggest Mech.

Its about Excelling in your chosen Role ,if every one wants to
Be the Assault, that Team will lose.

And I personally think this will be Awesome.

[fakey]

If they stick to the traditional C-Bill costs of the mechs from the Battletech game, anyone who jumps into an Atlas from the get-go will be bankrupt after their first loss as the cost to repair the damned thing should be huge.

I can see it being we start with access to a light/medium mech of a stock configuration and have to save up to something heavier or more exotic. This seems to fit most naturally with the build of the game as the various "Role" skills can be leveled regardless of what sort of mech you are piloting and you aren't constrained by a limit to how many mech skill points you can throw at the various mechs (it's been confirmed repeatedly that you can unlock every skill in the game, both mech and role, given enough time).

So, if you want to save until you can get that Atlas, sweet, you should understand the game and the role by that point, and be pulling in enough C-Bills to keep you afloat. Or you can pick a lighter mech (which is pretty much any other mech in the game) and work on that one until you want to pick something else, your time/C-Bills are never wasted.

[Alaric Wolf Kerensky]

You should probably be able to purchase at least low-end heavies from the beginning. If you have to grind up from lights, then you will once again have an arms race, where a small group of "pasties" are going to play 48 hours straight after release to get into the heavier chassis, and the piles of lights everyone else has are going to be hard-pressed to take the first heavies and assaults (assuming their team supports the properly) showing up on the field down. Starting off seeing heavies and lights in more equal numbers will seem more reasonable, and as a reward for starting in the light path, light pilots might tend to make more money by having reduced repair costs.

[Dumat]

I'd like to see one mech of each class available at the outset, preferably a crappy one that has an easy learning curve. That way new players can find their niche relatively easily, while making sure that pros don't just stomp on noobies.

[Mechteric]

Considering they want people to buy things, you know to keep the game running, very likely you will be able to buy that Atlas as your very first ride, but only if you have some real cash, otherwise you'll have to earn the in-game credits. Hopefully it'll be something reasonable like no more than $5-$10. However, fear not, what we've heard from the devs is that person in the 100 ton mech isn't going to necessarily going to be instant winner over the lighter mechs. With any luck, the lessons we've learned from Mechwarrior 4 and the Daishi-fest that it was may soon be a thing of the past!

[TheRulesLawyer]

Supposedly you'll be able to start as an assault. You will be able to buy any mech if you have the cbills (or $$) Mech acquisition is going to be very flat. I just wonder how they intend to make it fair for the folks that choose to start in a lighter mech?

[Kaemon]

There should be some type of progression (which will be handled it appears by the pilot/mech xp unlocks) I agree with that.

I'm not interested in starting out in a Flea and ending in an Atlas, mostly because it implies that Light and Med mechs are nothing more than game filler until you get to the Heavy/Assaults.

Role specfication (or diversity) directly contradicts this, there are no 'better' or 'more effective' mechs, unless you're talking about a specific task or 'role'.

[Risky]

Leveling up would be, in my words, retarded for such a game. I believe it should be retained to what you can afford to field, earning just enough to repair your destroyed mech after every round after a loss or being able to keep that money if you win.

[Larry Headrick]

I believe the first mech is granted, and you start with x amount of money.
You will be given too or three choices of mechs depending on what Role you chose for your pilot. With different things going for them.

For instance say you choose Scout.you have

Very fast and light firepower. (Locust) Good in the open.
Fast and medium firepower. (Jenner) Good in the open.
Slower and medium firepower. (Commando) Good in the city forest.

I see it happening Something like this opposed to, heres 10,000,000 go nuts.

(Note the devs haven't said anything yet so it is possible im completely wrong)
Edit: Spelling
Edit2: Clarification

Edited by Larry Headrick, 04 March 2012 - 02:18 PM.

[Kraktzor]

Larry Headrick, on 04 March 2012 - 02:11 PM, said:

I believe the first mech is granted, and you start with x amount of money.
You will be given too or three choices of mechs depending on what Role you chose for your pilot. With different things going for them.

For instance say you choose Scout.you have

Very fast and light firepower. (Locust) Good in the open.
Fast and medium firepower. (Jenner) Good in the open.
Slower and medium firepower. (Commando) Good in the city forest.

I see it happening Something like this opposed to, heres 10,000,000 go nuts.

(Note the devs haven't said anything yet so it is possible im completely wrong)
Edit: Spelling
Edit2: Clarification

The Devs have already said that the role you choose is not static, they are jusr Scout, Defender, Assault, and Commander Skills in different trees you can mix and match for how you want to play. Its not a "Choose this role FOREVER" type of game.

Edited by Kraktzor, 04 March 2012 - 02:44 PM.

[LackofCertainty]

My hope is that they provide you with just enough C-bills to afford 1 heavy mech. So the choice is, you can buy your heavy mech, you can buy a medium mech and have a few million kicking around, or you can buy a light mech and probably have enough left over to almost afford a 2nd light mech.

If they start you with just a light mech, then that would really eff with the distribution of mech types. (at least early on)

Edited by LackofCertainty, 04 March 2012 - 02:58 PM.

[Cold3y3s]

The Devs have said that you get to start in one of the four types of mechs but that being in an assault is not an instant win, from what I've heard it sounds more like an instant lose. As to leveling up, you level up your pilot and your mech, rather like selecting perks in other games, not trying to get in an Atlas as soon as possible.