Wedge A, on 03 April 2012 - 03:57 PM, said:
What, if we assume for a moment, that you have already been regarded as worthy enough to join a faction mech academy at the beginning of the game? Qualifying for mech academy training does not automatically make you a good mechwarrior and based on the different paths/roles (e.g. recon, fire support, front line, and commander skills) I assume that few people will try to balance/distribute evenly their XP and other points for their player character, because you could end up not being really a jack-of-all-trades, but rather someone who will not thrive in any of the above paths/roles. Hence, it seems that specialisation will be the key to success in MWO.
Michael Rosario, on 04 April 2012 - 11:43 AM, said:
Fair enough, but will a 'Trial of Position' just reward those who are most capable on the trigger and pilot their mechs as if they are one with them? Depending on how the 'Trial of Position' is set up combat tactics could also play a role. Moreover, in order to obtain a high enough rank to direct other mechwarriors in battle one will have to show her/his capabilities also in battle, otherwise the respect would most likely not be mutual and this could be a rather important detail in the DCMS. I absolutely agree that those who may be the best mech pilots in a battle will not necessarily be the best strategists and decision-makers, but I reckon that the respect will have to be earned within a unit anyway and one would think that a specialisation on a command path should offer that player some advantages, while limiting the player's effectiveness for other paths at the same time. One function of the mech academy would be to guide the player to the role that he would be most suited/talented for ... is there a guarantee that the academy training/choice will always max out cadets' abilities and point them into the right directionm regarding their path/role (?), no, not really and some players may want to be challenged and try to be good in something that has not been recommended to them (during academy training) ... overall, there would still be choices but player's that will not be doing well in one path/role will eventually consider trying a different one.
Pel Morba, on 05 April 2012 - 03:46 AM, said:
That seems pretty reasonable; however, in my opinion there should be a limit on how often one can repeat the academy training test scenario that will be evaluated (for instance, two more times before the score is locked in, but if the score will be worse than in the previous try the player will have to live with that, too), otherwise, the training test scenarios will just be memorized by some players until the test has been aced and in battle you will usually not get a second chance ... naturally, there should be the opportunity for practicing the player's own skills as often as one wants prior to the tests, but once the test is under way there should be no chance for turning back and cheating (for example, disrupting the internet connection or quitting of the program in the middle of the test, just because the test did not go as expected) will not be an option, but a lost opportunity and dishonor.