66 replies to this topic

[Edustaja]

I actually like the feel of the economy atm. Then again I like mostly the lighter spectrum of mechs, Lights and mediums and haven't felt too restricted when customizing my rides. I feel like I have ownership in *my* variant of the mech and try to tweak it to be as good as possible.

I know there are some players that have tricked out heavy mechs, but I don't actually mind playing with or against them. I'm having fun either way and seem to do just fine against all comers. So it feels most like just playing with my setup and not a grind... I can then purchase new mechs along the road when I feel like it but haven't really felt pressured to even look at my cbills in a while The pilot exp trees are fun too but should be expanded soon to make the best out of them.

I also seem to see a lot more lighter mechs on the battlefield now, which is a good thing I know the next reset is going to hurt though

[Firefun]

Grinding is like doing the same routine over and over, which can get boring. e.g. In a MMORPG where you kill the same kind of mob in the same place, again and again for XP.

I just think that the repetition of doing something often is what people don´t like. But how to alleviate/remedy this, the way the systems work? The "grinding" could be made a lot more fun imo.

Mechwarrior should have a good meta game and stuff to keep us interested in e.g. Community Warfare

[Zanathan]

pursang, on 07 October 2012 - 01:49 AM, said:

Its a problem with the game in general if people quit because they find the repetitiveness boring. Personally I play this game to have fun, but I and many other people don't have fun doing the same thing over and over again. People quitting because of grind = less people playing the game. Less people playing the game = less potential revenue for the developers. Less potential revenue for the developers = less content. Simple, no? MW:O needs to strike a happy medium, which it hasn't hit yet.

That's a good point and I understand the commerical aspects required for the game to thrive. The problem is, the biggest cry/concern I've read is the cost of mechs and if these are lowered, it wouldn't take long for a player to accumulate all of them and eventually the items and skill trees thereby leaving them wanting more and also degrades the value of said items.

[FrAvatar]

I personally like that you have to gain exp piloting each mech chassis individually. and that the game gives you exp from piloting it well. it's the closest analog to real life. people seem to forget that it's not the chassis that makes the difference .. it's the pilot. a good pilot can be effective in any chassis. pay attention how the game gives out exp,... spotting, assists, kills, individual component destroyed,.. those are all things that show you are gaining real skill with that specific chassis. throw a founder noob in an atlas and he gets steamrolled cause is in a powerfull mech but has no exp. take that same player who has "grinded" (you mean practice? ok well practice is by definition grindy) 100 missions and you hopefully have a different story. so you grinded 100 missions in the atlas and guess what, you're actually good, and if anything you've learned how to take out an atlas first hand. but even after 100 missions you've just only scratched the surface, since you haven't even started piloting any other chassis. it's not grinding to unlock exp, it's practice to be a better pilot.

[Banshee Bullet]

It certainly is not grinding when you first start playing, but after a few months of resets you get tired of playing in mech configs you don't really care for while you earn enough c-bills to rebuild your favorite mechs. I use XL engines in my two favorite mechs and them aint cheap. That's why people call it grinding. I haven't even been playing much lately because open beta is coming up soon so I'll barely have my **** back before they reset everything. Plus I crash a lot these days, if that got fixed I would definitely be playing.
Right now.

Edited by Banshee Bullet, 07 October 2012 - 05:44 AM.

[Shismar]

What some people call grind is the core gameplay of this game.

Yes, you can speed up getting a mech you really like. But you still need to gain the piloting exp to maximize your gear.

I also do not find it repetitive to play these matches. Every game is different, that is one advantage of pugging. Of course, if you self destruct right after drop for a couple hours, that is grinding.

Just play the game. After the next wipe is early enough to worry about getting CB and exp.

Edited by Shismar, 07 October 2012 - 06:08 AM.

[Lege]

If I have to stay in the same mech that I don't like for X hours to be able to afford the mech I do want.
That is grinding.
If I have to use a trial mech for any period of time. Devs they need double heat sinks.
That is grinding.
If I'm pugging instead of playing with my friends.
That is grinding.
If I can't afford to use the systems I want and have to use a standard mech.
That is grinding.
If it takes 50 games to get what I want.
That is grinding.
If advancement is painfully slow, like 40 hours a week slow.
That is grinding.
If it feels more like a job than a game.
That is grinding.
If there is no real difference between maps.
That is grinding.
If there is no variance in objectives each game.
That is grinding.

So let's stop the grind and make it fun.

[Gun Bear]

Its just a term for the labor involved in getting a reward whether or not you enjoy it. Such as a job being called "The daily grind"

[FlareUKCS]

It WAS a grind prior the the latest economy patch, when there was no rewards for actions in the game...in a trial mech all you got was 36k, win or lose... epic battle or take a nap in the base, 36k, takes a lot of 36k to get the cheapest Comando variant at aprox. 1.5 million (40 - 50 matches) in trial mechs so you cant customise nor earn any experience for your pilot..

The grind aspect has been greatly reduced (about 20 matches for that Command) AND the winnings are more varied, I got about 60k - 110k a match and seeing you get rewarded for kills and assists (amongst other actions) made the battles more fun... you could see a difference in your rewards based on how you played.

The game is about progressing to your goals, and the progress marches at the slow steady pace of a mech bearing down on it targets... but its reasonable now, and its fun when you just need a few more matches before you can pick out your first mech... hell I waited until I got enough for a Hunchback, and still waited until I was happy with my choice before slapping down the c-bills.

In short: It WAS a grind, it has been greatly rectified by increasing potential earnings and varied results depending on your performance in battle... its not such a grind anymore.

[Belorion]

chewie, on 07 October 2012 - 01:20 AM, said:

Its grinding to get the experience point in order to get tweaks, to make you mech (and you) perform a little better.

Just like in any MMO, you upgrade you or your equipments abilities.

And to make the cash in game to get better mechs.

That's what they mean by the grind.

Or... you could look at the bonuses as rewards for playing the game.

[h00n]

It's grinding because the trials mechs are not fun.

If they were fun and threatening in combat, it wouldn't be a grind.

[wolfpuppy]

And your argument also fails in that you eventually do get progression with CBills thereby allowing you to buy items. Sure it's slower but again I emphasize that if you enjoy the battles, then it doesn't matter.


[/quote

I just started this "new" version of MechWarrior, but I played the originals by Activision back in the day. But to your point of being able to earn credits to buy stuff? What I have found is that, yes, you can earn CBills during play, but, unless you have purchased a Mech (in other words, not using a 'trial' Mech), you will not earn MC, or Mech Coins. I am using the four trial mechs that I was given to use when I joined this beta group, and have amassed over 6 million in CBills, but not one MC, Unfortunately, one cannot purchase anything without some of both, CBills and MC's. So, the argument free to play is true, but with the caveat that you only use the mechs given you. To progress anywhere in the game, you are going to have to spend real dollars.

I am not against the idea of throwing a few bucks their way, since I appreciate their effort in bringing back one of my all time favorite video games, even if it isn't "quite" the same as the original. However, what is holding me back is not really knowing what I am getting for my money, or exactly what I can do with it. For example, I realize I can purchase a mech, not with credits earned through gameplay, but with real money. I get that. But can I custom my mech from ground up with the weapons and equipment that I want, or do I have to be satisfied with the weapon loadout that it comes with? It looks as though the founders packs are time limited, in other words, not permanent. If one buys a founders pack that gives a mech with it, do we get to keep the mech after the time limit runs out?

I am considering buying some Mech Credits just to see what I can do with them and if I can answer some of my own questions. In my opinion, this game will rise or fall according to how players are able to custom out their individual mechs.

[Belorion]

Mechs are purchased with either MC or cbills. Not both. MC can't be earned in any mech, they are only purchased.

All mech purchases are forever. The only thing that is time limed is the premium account time.

Edited by Belorion, 07 October 2012 - 10:59 AM.

[Zanathan]

^ What Belorion said. You don't need MC to buy items.

Edited by Zanathan, 07 October 2012 - 03:17 PM.

[Gun Bear]

h00n, on 07 October 2012 - 10:21 AM, said:

It's grinding because the trials mechs are not fun.

If they were fun and threatening in combat, it wouldn't be a grind.

I use trial 'mechs to practice my basic skills, I can assure they do not suck, they are threatening, and they aren't any less fun than any other 'mech.

[Noth]

Zanathan, on 07 October 2012 - 03:41 AM, said:

That's a good point and I understand the commerical aspects required for the game to thrive. The problem is, the biggest cry/concern I've read is the cost of mechs and if these are lowered, it wouldn't take long for a player to accumulate all of them and eventually the items and skill trees thereby leaving them wanting more and also degrades the value of said items.

You don't have to lower the cost of mechs universally. What you can do to help players get past the initial grind (and hook them) is offer the first mech purchase be at a discount. Or introduce a leasing model that allows you to get a mech but pay it off over time. The idea is to decrease the starting grind, not decrease all the grind.

[Freeride Forever]

Zanathan, on 07 October 2012 - 01:11 AM, said:

Having been reading the forums for sometime and having the pleasure of being invited to closed beta I seriously don't understand everyone's sentiments of 'grinding'. This is a PvP game! The whole point of it is to fight against others players. From what I have read, players are complaining about the grind of fighting against other players ... it boggles my mind. I enjoy PvP and I don't 'feel' that the matches are a grind. The same applies to other PvP games such as FPS. The enjoyment comes out of PvPing and if you don't enjoy this then what is the point of playing this game and complaining about the grind of .. PvPing?

Yeah I've wondered the same thing. Small dicks I think mostly. It's not about the game for those people, it's about being on top, winning. K/D ratios & grabbing kills & ****. That ****'s all nice & I like running the mechs I like, but if you play the game for the game, it's not a grind. It's kinda like if you love your job it's not a job anymore. If you're driven by money & acquisition of things, you're probably gonna be miserable most of the time & do a lot of complaining like "PPC sucks", "K2's are OP" etc. GFY *******. Good post Zan.

[JollyRoger4u]

A good game dont need any grind, that sillyness is just glued to the frontal lobes of gamers thanks to WoW and most of the multiplayer games since then, especially Battlefield and CoD.

I used to play multiplayer games because it was fun, not because i just needed to get that "extra-nibbly Vorpal Warebadger sword"
I used to play games where you got nothing from playing it, except fun,
If MWO manages to captivate their players, does it really have to be any other rewards? The only thing money-grinds leads to is that a few can call themselves better, since they can point to their fully upgraded stuff and say "see? I got that, that stuff is better then yours, so HA!"

I hate unlocks, I hate xp-progression, all it does is punishing the new guy
Why not balance things properly instead, so that you can as well outfit everyone with XL-engined Gauss-atlas, and see them fail since they lack scouts and support? And dont bring the old argument about profits for the company... They would do fine with skins and other flashy stuff.. oh, and mechbays

Anyways, i know this wont happen since the devs have gone another route, but i just get upset when people say that you "have" to have a grind, a grind in a game is a developer choice, not a necessity and if your whole game is based on a grind (with more or less flashy stuffs) alot of people will leave. Sadly the success of CoD/Battlefield and WoW will leave us in the unlock swamp quite awhile longer

[Belorion]

As the op points out. Progression =/= grind. If you like the game play the game. All the rest is just a bonus.

[The Laughing Man]

I have two comments. A: Getting what you want right away means you don't enjoy it and takes away from the awesomeness of having something. We all wanna be rich, but spoiled kids don't usually respect what they have. (paris hilton anyone?) B: This is still beta. Things can still change. That being said, this game follows a set storyline already. Things cost so much. Money is only so forthcoming, etc etc... Not saying things wont get tweaked. Thats why this is BETA.