What I am willing to pay for:
Gameplay Stuff
-$15.00 to unlock-Voice Chat. This is a biggie. Some people may not like the idea of making voice chat a paid option and think it would be unfair to those who don't get it. Well I counter with the fact that many of us
were ready to buy the game before it had 'free-to-play status'. Simply consider this a small purchase fee. Besides making voice cost money to unlock will weed out unwanted people like griefers who get in a game simply to bother legit players with screaming and annoying recordings. It may also filter some younger players who may or may not understand the meaning of the words "good sport" or "inside voice" or "**** KID!".
-$10.00 to purchase-Deleted Battlemechs. Maybe you didn't want to put in the
Hatchetman because melee combat isn't included. If infantry aren't modeled, maybe that
Firestarter is without a purpose. Maybe you just thought a 'Mech was too obsolete to include. But someone will want to pilot them, even if their disadvantages handicap them. If I want a dang
Mackie, I'll pay to drive the museum piece around.
-$5.00-$10.00 per kit-Refit Kits. Let's say I've got an older
SDR-5V Spider Battlemech. New technology has made the upgraded
SDR-7M model available. Since I already have the
5V design and the changes wouldn't be too drastic, I can buy a $5.00 Refit Kit that upgrades it to the new model. Now let's say I have an
ENF-4R Enforcer. The same thing happens; new technology makes the
ENF-5D model available. But this upgrade involve much more sweeping changes. In order to get a Refit Kit that will upgrade my
4R to a
5D, I have to pay $7.50. This goes on and on, with the most extensive Refit Kits costing $10.00, and those should be unavailable part of the time. It's expensive, but this balances the Kit method with the normal process of saving up C-Bills and etc.
-$0.50 per special ammo load-Example: "I've got a 'Mech equipped with LRM launchers. The year is 3052 and I want to try Thunder LRMs, which spread minefields. So I buy 2 tons for a dollar." There's lots of specialty ammunition that, if used improperly, can be trouble. Making ammunition types like Thunder LRMs or Inferno SRMs
money-only items may prevent people who don't really know what they're doing from causing accidental damage to themselves or their teammates.
-Up to $60.00 to unlock-Single Player Campaign. I don't mind if we have to wait several months after launch. That'll give you time to plan, use experiences in the multiplayer game to make changes, and do recordings and programming and etc. Just try to make it at least as deep as other Mechwarrior SP campaigns. If you program it, money will come. Guaranteed.
In-Cockpit
-$2.00 per item-Cockpit props. Just little decorative doodads. It'd be especially cool if you added animation to some of them (gently swaying Dreamcatcher, sticky notes that flutter, bobbleheads that bobble). Just let me keep them even if my 'Mech gets shot out from under me (I grabbed 'em before I ejected okay?).
-$1.00 to unlock-Several different HUD modes/looks. Being able to change the color/layout/reticule of my HUD is an option I would be willing to pay for if it wasn't available for free. It'd also be cool to have a choice of computer voices. Maybe we have some basic, ho-hum voice to start with, but we can upgrade to MW2's *******' Betty, or the
Duncan Fisher Edition. Oh yeah.
-$0.75 per item-Different control appearances. It wouldn't be a bad idea to make the controls of most 'Mechs (older than 3040) look dirty/old in the cockpit view to start with; most 'Mechs are pretty old, and it'd be immersive if the cockpit reflected that. Maybe a few wires are duct taped in place, or a joystick is grubby looking, or a few back-lit buttons have gone out. There are all sorts of variations. Some people may prefer the grubby look, but I and others would probably pay to be able to revamp the inside appearance. Maybe several old, cracked screens could be replaced by a single large Multi-Function Display, or a panel of old buttons could be replaced with new ones. Again, having in-cockpit animations reflect those changes would be awesome.
-$0.50 per gesture-I'd pay money to be able to flip the bird in cockpit. I doubt anyone would be able to see it, but being able to purchase animations of rude gestures would be fun.
Battlemech Visual Items
-$2.00 per custom paint job-There are lots of artists out there, and giving us the option to create custom paint jobs would be great (I'm sure a few people would want their
Highlander to have a Scottish kilt). We could have the option to fix a damaged paint job for 10-25c, or we could leave them patchy for that weathered look.
-$1.00 per camo paint job-It's hard to disguise 4 stories of metal moving at 70kph, but we'd like to try. Make up some nice camouflage paint schemes that actually work in their environment (ex: Urban, Swamp, Forest) and we'll buy em.
-$0.50 per custom badge/writing-A few basic stock badges should be free, but I'd pay to use custom badges. Another nice feature would be to let us write custom messages on our 'Mechs like phrases(ex:
'Takin' Care of Business') labels(
'Big Bertha' on a
Hunchback's AC/20), or a 'Mech's name (
'Doom').
-$2.00 per effect-Maybe I want to put kill marks on the barrel of my Panther's PPC or a fanged grin on it's head. Having little effects like that for each 'Mech would be something I'd pay for, especially if there were unique 'Mech-specific effects (exskull paint job on an Atlas).
'Mech Bay
-$5.00 per slot-We're probably going to want to buy more Battlemechs than we have room for. Whether we want to try several different roles at once, or just have a 'Mech we can't get rid of because of nostalgia, we'll want to have more than 1 'Mech at once. It'd be nice to start out with at least 2 Mech Bays. Just make sure our bay expansions are permanent; no 'renting' of Mech Bays please.
-$0.50 per simple prop-We'll probably be spending a lot of time in the Mech Bay. Eventually, we'll get bored of the stock appearance. We could get things like oil slicks, a stack of ammo, a pinup poster, or a national flag to personalize things. There's lots of possible options for that.
-$2.00 per complex prop-Big shiny things. We all like them. Maybe a wide-screen TV with scrolling market prices, a holographic map of the Inner Sphere, or a radio that plays music and the occasional bit of news. Or perhaps I just want a window.
Avatar Customization
-$0.50 per item-Physical features and clothing. You give us a character creator. We pay to unlock additional advanced features. Mechwarrior Porkins; a short, fat, smelly lump of a pilot with a lot of heart. Sir Fancy Pants; monocle and sneering upper lip=equipped. Darkman; can he possibly have more scars on his body? I don't want bondage gear or ****-less chaps (and please *** no fursuits). But give me plenty of options.
-$1.00 per item-Props and accessories. Gun belts. Sunglasses. A cape. Gloves & boots. These are things that would be awesome to equip.
Actual Real-Life Merchandise
-$5.00-$25.00 per item-Clothing and apparel. Give it to me baby. Patches, hats, shirts, if it can be worn I'll be sporting it.
-$30.00-A boxed copy of the game with a
thick color manual. A manual. In case you didn't see it the first time,
A. BIG. MANUAL. I and others like manuals; their weighty heft, the physical sensation of turning pages. It's a thing with us, and I know I will pay to have one. Cmon. There's gotta be a Kinko's or other somewhat professional printing company nearbye. Just humor us luddites huh?
-$15.00-$30.00-Artbooks and posters. The gig is up. We
know you have FlyingDebris. Whether he's tied up in a dark room somewhere, or sipping Mojitos in Miami, I want his art. If he draws a 'Mech, I will probably be wanting to buy a copy of it. Blow up some for posters, or just package a couple dozen in a nice book with some commentary and other concept stuff. We'll buy it.
No offense intended to the other project artists, it's just that Mr. Debris aka A. Iglesias has hypnotic power. I...must...buy his art...
Edited by andrew harvey, 02 November 2011 - 08:29 PM.
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Tweaks, on 02 November 2011 - 05:15 PM, said:
