27 replies to this topic

[Vance Avalon]

Who are the Clan Pilots gonna be when the invasion starts next year?

It seems to me that their aren't ever going to be any non-player characters (NPCs)...at least not based on what I have seen. So, when the Clans invade, who are theses clan pilots gonna be? Are they gonna be people paid to play...I doubt it. New players? Not likely...remember, the Clan pilots not only have superior technology to the Inner Sphere (IS), but they are better pilots

I suggest that the top 10%, 15%, or 20% of players be given the opportunity to become Clanners and be part of the invasion of the IS. This would make the invasion of the Clans more like canon.

If we are NEVER meant to be Clan pilots then I wonder what is going on? Do the Devs record the better players "style" of play and use machine learning to emulate that style later for the better NPC pilots?

What is the plan here for the Clan invasion of the IS?

[Erasus Magnus]

yeah... why should the top notch players only given the chance to be the clan invaders? if at all it should be the newbs leading the invasion. the only thing that is awesome about the clans is their tech. remember, they were beaten up by mere inner spere "freebirths" in "crappy" foundtech. pff

that is what happens if you reduce total war to a mere test of who is stronger. you get beaten up by people who actuially know what war is.

pff...space nazis...

Edited by Erasus Magnus, 08 November 2012 - 12:32 PM.

[Vance Avalon]

Except that the Clan pilots WERE better than IS...but their system of combat, once the IS understood it, was able to be manipulated into working in the IS favor. The IS only won like 3 battles, otherwise they lost dozens and dozens and dozens.

[Stickjock]

Restrict some players choice of playing Clan based on game play?? Seriously doubt that will happen...

Devs have said they will have something in place so players can play as Clan... what that is who knows...

As for being better?? Meh... restrict the number of Clan Mechs vs IS Mechs in battles... one way of balancing them out... enforce a "code" type system?? who knows... again, restricting play to "top" % players... never gonna happn...

[Woodat]

Vance Avalon, on 08 November 2012 - 01:19 PM, said:

Except that the Clan pilots WERE better than IS...but their system of combat, once the IS understood it, was able to be manipulated into working in the IS favor. The IS only won like 3 battles, otherwise they lost dozens and dozens and dozens.

Cause that sounds like fun for the remaining 80-90% of the players in this game!

[MrMasakari]

Tbh theres no slightlest clue to how its going to be done. I just hope they make it more so like; You want your clan mechs and clan tech, you have to pay stupendous amounts to get them, field them, repair them, buy weapons for etc etc.

That will make the ones who really want clan tech will spend a month solid getting enough CBills to buy their Clanmech, If they want another variant, another grind it is. There's no elitism that way either. If people want those Clan mechs with clan tech bad enough, theyre going to have to work their butts off to get them.

Im personally up for it.

[RedHairDave]

i like the top 10% option, the clanners are supposed to be the best pilots the IS has ever seen. they should be the best, and always out numbered, but never out gunned.

i support only the best getting in, if you dont make it, try harder.

[Vance Avalon]

Woodat, on 08 November 2012 - 01:24 PM, said:

Cause that sounds like fun for the remaining 80-90% of the players in this game!

I'm sorry I wasn't very clear; you are right, there will have to be a balance, of course. It would be no fun to be whipped by the Clanners over and over again. That is partly why I imagined that it would be the top 10% or so...this would obviously mean the IS out numbered the Clanners and therefore have a numbers advantage. As it stands, Clan mechs are worth like 3 or 4 IS mechs; combined with the piloting they would really be a problem.

So, in short; of course, balance it out with greater numbers of IS pilots in IS mechs vs. Clan pilots in Clan mechs.

[RedHairDave]

Vance Avalon, on 08 November 2012 - 03:59 PM, said:

I'm sorry I wasn't very clear; you are right, there will have to be a balance, of course. It would be no fun to be whipped by the Clanners over and over again. That is partly why I imagined that it would be the top 10% or so...this would obviously mean the IS out numbered the Clanners and therefore have a numbers advantage. As it stands, Clan mechs are worth like 3 or 4 IS mechs; combined with the piloting they would really be a problem.

So, in short; of course, balance it out with greater numbers of IS pilots in IS mechs vs. Clan pilots in Clan mechs.

ya, thats why i like the 10% number. they will have to be outnumbered, and much better driven. could you imagine if some afk'er or suicide window licker was in a clan mech and died in 1 minute. there would be no way to recover. while the IS side could lose 3 before its a problem. likely the top 10% have good machines(computers and connections), and are good pilots(as the clanners are supposed to be.) and are likely willing to follow rules of clan combat(or lose their covited place as a clan pilot.)

if we let all the drivel and scrubs into clan mechs, it still wont be a challenge to kill them. the only way i can see balance coming from the clans, is if there is consistency in the pilot skill. something that cant be had, without picking those who preform consistently, so the top players. (consistently poor is also consistent, but not the right one.)

[Vance Avalon]

Bump...I would love to hear more input.

[General Taskeen]

I will still be a Lone Wolf Pirate then. And I will have a stolen or acquired Clan Mech or Clan Tech (hopefully) .

[Agent of Change]

The initial setup will have to be something like this. For the first few months the clan pilots have to be great, just kiling them let alone beating them needs to feel like a hell of an accomplishment. Otherwise what's the point, it just becomes yet another tech upgrade when it could be a very interesting and impactful Event.

I'm hoping that the clan pilots are invited from the top pilots out there, and that clan tech is kept completely separate from IS for a while.

[Peg Leg Pete]

I hope they have a system where there is a random chance of one of the teams being converted to CLANNERS.

Like 4% chance on drop, (completely random number) that one team will be given Clan mechs in the same weight class. You wouldn't know until first contact that you are facing a clan.

There would be no way to buy a clan chassis, but everyone would have that chance to play their Timberwolf. It would also give both teams the "Oh Snap!" surprise effect. Balancing wouldn't be a concern because things are supposed to be balanced mech for mech. The balance would be the inability to plan it and the RNG.

Dev's could pop into every topic on OMG!!11!Eleventy!! Clan ER XL Pulse Laser Auto-Gauss Cannons are OP!!!! and just say "Yup" then lock the thread and go get a cup of coffee.

They could even do events and play with the odds of it happening to be like "Oh Teh Noes August! where there is a 40% you'll have a clan lance each drop."

Edited by Peg Leg Pete, 13 November 2012 - 10:48 AM.

[Loach]

Erasus Magnus, on 08 November 2012 - 12:32 PM, said:

yeah... why should the top notch players only given the chance to be the clan invaders? if at all it should be the newbs leading the invasion. the only thing that is awesome about the clans is their tech. remember, they were beaten up by mere inner spere "freebirths" in "crappy" foundtech. pff

that is what happens if you reduce total war to a mere test of who is stronger. you get beaten up by people who actuially know what war is.

pff...space nazis...

+1 to this, being dropped into a game with 4 to 8 people on Skype or teamspeak is bad enough, but 4-8 founders with a gaming record to put them in the top 10-25%. Yeah, me thinks no on that one.
Perhaps some sort of rotation similar to the Trial Mechs? Give everyone the chance to rotate some games in and out of the Clan 'mechs?

[RedHairDave]

Loach, on 13 November 2012 - 10:45 AM, said:

+1 to this, being dropped into a game with 4 to 8 people on Skype or teamspeak is bad enough, but 4-8 founders with a gaming record to put them in the top 10-25%. Yeah, me thinks no on that one.
Perhaps some sort of rotation similar to the Trial Mechs? Give everyone the chance to rotate some games in and out of the Clan 'mechs?

if the average window licker pubber hopped into a clan mech, they would die, almost as fast as they always do. without clan pilots being better than the rest, it breaks the story, also what are the odds a pugger will ad-hear to the rules of combat for clanners. there is alot of the reason they lose at all in there, without the rules of war they fight with, they are truly unstoppable.(in the hands of good pilots)

it makes no sense to let anyone and everyone drive them, either only the best(which i doubt i will make the cut) or AI only. if the clans can be grabbed by anyone and no one has to follow rules, then there is no reason to bother with the IS stuff at all. should have just started with clan stuff as the norm.

if you say otherwise, you just want more powerful stuff, and thats normal, but it doesnt fit battletech to let scrubs drive clan mechs. maybe 3rd line clan mechs anyone can have, thats fine. they even sold those to the IS.

Edited by RedHairDave, 13 November 2012 - 12:40 PM.

[Qarnage]

On a players vs players setup with Clans against Inner Sphere, more likely than not Clans will have less Mechs on the field than Inner Sphere. I agree with most of you on the fact that an inexperienced player will be likely to die quickly anyway in a Clan Omnimech without being a real challenge, which is why I disagree on having Clan Omnimechs too much accessible.

We want Clan tech in the same branch as Lostech, more rare, more hard to get, more expensive to repair or refit. This mechanic is already in place in the game, we will naturally see better players tend towards Double Heat Sinks, Endo Steel, Artemis or XL Engine.

[Draco Harkins]

I was thinking of this, just this morning and found this thread. Instead of starting a new one i will explain my ideia here:

As the OP i also had in mind that in secret the PGI would recruit the best clanners out there and give them ONE mech chassis of their choice free of charge stock (of course) and block the chassis for everyone else. This has a reason bear with me. The only way a regiment/group can unblock the buy option for a chassis is if you beaten a group using it and "salvaged" it. This would limit the clan mechs flooding MWO on the first month and efectively killing all IS mechs (all players would just buy clan chassis and leave IS ones until IS omni mechs come along) but also would respect lore since it would be players invading in an huge event and not NPC's. They would still be extremely costly to purchase needless to say that one is a must.

[RedHairDave]

as long as the vast majority cant have clan stuff, otherwise the vast majority will have clan stuff. if its better, they will flock to it.

[WardenWolf]

I had a lot of thoughts on this that I posted back before closed beta - I think the ideas I put forward would still be a great way to do the Clan invasion:

http://mwomercs.com/...on-balance-etc/

[RedHairDave]

wow, you have some good ideas