804 replies to this topic

[Tyr Gunn]

Fresh_Meat, on 26 April 2012 - 10:40 AM, said:

When the clans come I think "enrollment" should work like one of the IS factions. Rank should regulated so that audacious people don't just claim it unjustly, it should be earned just as it is within the IS factions where play time and skill are deciding factors.

Edit: someone with a Star Commander tittle should have play skills representative of that rank.

Except realistically rank has nothing to do with skill or ability. How many Generals do you find on the front line? I'd bet you a weeks salary, your average Gunny in the Marines can out shoot most Colonel's, nevermind Generals. But that's really beside the point.

[Fresh Meat]

Tyr Gunn, on 26 April 2012 - 10:52 AM, said:

Except realistically rank has nothing to do with skill or ability. How many Generals do you find on the front line? I'd bet you a weeks salary, your average Gunny in the Marines can out shoot most Colonel's, nevermind Generals. But that's really beside the point.

Well yeah, realistically it's all BS. But here in our idealistic BT universe people earn "loyalty points" that represent a tittle. For the clans i would like to see a system similar to the IS but with a nice clan twist, such as trails of position, etc

Edit: its in dev blog 1

Edited by Fresh_Meat, 26 April 2012 - 11:04 AM.

[Ramien]

Officers in a professional army have a different skill set than front line soldiers. However, in a setting like MechWarrior, the officers often lead from the front, which mean they do need to be some of the best pilots out there, or at the very least, competent enough to keep form tripping over their own two feet while monitoring and coordinating with their troops.

Edited by Ramien, 26 April 2012 - 11:05 AM.

[Dihm]

Well, I will most certainly not lead from the front. I'm fire support, I have other people to die for me.

[Togg Bott]

Tyr Gunn, on 26 April 2012 - 10:52 AM, said:

Except realistically rank has nothing to do with skill or ability. How many Generals do you find on the front line? I'd bet you a weeks salary, your average Gunny in the Marines can out shoot most Colonel's, nevermind Generals. But that's really beside the point.

QFT

[Ramien]

Dihm, on 26 April 2012 - 11:10 AM, said:

Well, I will most certainly not lead from the front. I'm fire support, I have other people to die for me.

Even then, you're still taking a direct part in the fighting and piloting a mech directly.

[Thorn Hallis]

Tyr Gunn, on 26 April 2012 - 10:52 AM, said:

Except realistically rank has nothing to do with skill or ability. How many Generals do you find on the front line? I'd bet you a weeks salary, your average Gunny in the Marines can out shoot most Colonel's, nevermind Generals. But that's really beside the point.

Sure, but this the Battletech Universe, where Colones and Generals outshoot their privates,

[Kylarus]

Tyr Gunn, on 26 April 2012 - 10:52 AM, said:

Except realistically rank has nothing to do with skill or ability. How many Generals do you find on the front line? I'd bet you a weeks salary, your average Gunny in the Marines can out shoot most Colonel's, nevermind Generals. But that's really beside the point.

Except this is not like a situation of the USMC or USA, this is closer to how the typical AF operates. Enlisted members will stay back in the hangers and bases doing the grunt work, while the officers will go forth in the war machines and do the fighting. Many higher ranking USAF officers I know of have spent a large chunk of their commissions in the seat, even if we aren't engaged in a hostile engagement.

Edited by Kylarus, 26 April 2012 - 12:13 PM.

[CoffiNail]

Xyph3r, on 26 April 2012 - 10:51 AM, said:

Boromir: "One does not simply "claim a Bloodright."

Edited by CoffiNail, 26 April 2012 - 12:21 PM.

[Jaroth Corbett]

Coffinail you nailed it! (pun intended )

[Tyr Gunn]

Ramien, on 26 April 2012 - 11:05 AM, said:

Officers in a professional army have a different skill set than front line soldiers. However, in a setting like MechWarrior, the officers often lead from the front, which mean they do need to be some of the best pilots out there, or at the very least, competent enough to keep form tripping over their own two feet while monitoring and coordinating with their troops.

I totally agree, and it's a good thing for me and those following me that I'm pretty good. With that particular horn soundly tooted, I'll move on. Let's not be silly and pretend that there isn't a certain amount of offline, out of game management that comes with leading a company of players in this game that even the best player might not have the skills to accomplish.

Just like in any setting. You'll have people not being fully utilized for their potential, and guys who are it a position far beyond their scope. So I guess my ultimate point is that if you claim it, you better be able to back it up. In my defense, I didn't "claim" the rank of Colonel for the Highlanders. I was nominated and elected with the four other leaders.

Kylarus, on 26 April 2012 - 12:12 PM, said:

Except this is not like a situation of the USMC or USA, this is closer to how the typical AF operates. Enlisted members will stay back in the hangers and bases doing the grunt work, while the officers will go forth in the war machines and do the fighting. Many higher ranking USAF officers I know of have spent a large chunk of their commissions in the seat, even if we aren't engaged in a hostile engagement.

You're totally right here with this parallel. I hope that I clarified my point a bit though? Rank is rewarded in game, for sure, but it doesn't necessarily mean they have the organizational skills to manage the team they're a part of. Know what I mean?

Edited by Tyr Gunn, 26 April 2012 - 03:05 PM.

[Ramien]

It depends a lot on if we're talking in-game ranks or within a player organization. Since the player organizations do need coordination and time out of game working with other members, skill should not be the only factor determining who gets promoted within the officer ranks. In game, unless improving in rank gives direct command over other players, it should be totally based on a measurable set of goals that skilled players will reach easier.

So, basically, I agree with you.

[Kylarus]

@Tyr Gunn, I completely agree on your point of rank not equalling leadership ability. It will fall on individual units to promote those that deserve it as they do and keep nepotism from spoiling it. Then again, promoting friends happens as often in the real world as it does in the canon, so meh. Hopefully we can get the cream to rise in our individual units.

[KageRyuu]

Here's my question for you Clanners out there, has anyone considered that since the game has a real world time scale of 1:1, that it'll be an actual year before The Clans will even appear in game? On account that the Clans don't enter Inner Sphere space until March 3050, with the current in game date being "April 25 3049", and that the currently revealed game map only includes the Inner Sphere "proper". That leaves the Devs with plenty of time to start the open Beta if not the full release, and reveal information on how player controlled "Clusters" (as I don't see them calling them Merc Corps) will work.

What we should be worried about now are how they'll control IS House Units, and notable Mercenary Corps, seeing as they planned for a summer open Beta (though they never did promise), which doesn't give them a lot of time realistically to reveal and disseminate such important information to what will most likely be a large and very vocal group. Unless of course they don't bother to allow Corps during the Beta, or wipe everyone's account for the full release (which I'm certain would infuriate some if not most to no end, depending on how long the Beta lasts, exactly).

Either way, I'm a loner for a reason, so it doesn't bother me one bit what they decide to do. I'll still be taking "top" C-bill from whichever House or Corp pays me to enforce their will upon others.

[Tyr Gunn]

KageRyuu, on 26 April 2012 - 03:50 PM, said:

Here's my question for you Clanners out there, has anyone considered that since the game has a real world time scale of 1:1, that it'll be an actual year before The Clans will even appear in game?

August 3049 is the first wave into the periphery. Assuming the periphery is on the game map, it should actually fall right in line with launch allowing for the gradual ramping up of their presence.

But that's two assumptions there. That the periphery will be in the game, and yours that the periphery won't be. I wouldn't take any in game map material "released" with much more than a grain of salt at this point.

Edited by Tyr Gunn, 26 April 2012 - 04:00 PM.

[KageRyuu]

It all depends on whether or not they include the Periphery on the map, though to be fair, even Catalyst Game Labs has been skirting the issue of developing a proper Deep Periphery map to date, especially before the Clan Invasion.

For those who are clueless, the Deep Periphery is Galactic North, of the Rasalhague Republic (teal zone).
http://mwomercs.com/...ner-sphere-3048

On the map above to the north above the teal zone you'll see a couple check-lined circles, the middle one of which is the Oberon Confederation which is part of the Deep Periphery and will be thoroughly destroyed/absorbed before the Clans actually invade the Inner Sphere, and funny enough, not a single Periphery state (the white blobs) on the map above will get involved in the Clan Invasion. Though much much later on (like 34 years later), the Outworlds Alliance (the white blob to the North West, right next to the red zone) and Clan Snow Raven will join together to create the Raven Alliance.

Edited by KageRyuu, 26 April 2012 - 05:29 PM.

[GrimFist]

What a healthy thread. We even managed to get Bryan thinking about something.

My only concern is names being thrown about that start messing with history of BT.

Be who you want. Considering the mechanics it will be intresting to see how many people they let in a unit. If you have 30-40 hardcore gamers, being in the same 12 man rotation for unit games is going to be tough.

[wwiiogre]

I just hope they don't install an arbitrary cap on total members of a unit. Seems silly, let us play with who we want to play with. Seems like a pretty simple concept. Well we will know eventually, and besides that may change after beta or even later. So just hoping for an amazing game I can grow old with.

Chris

[Salesninja]

Lots of good thoughts on this thread. Very much looking forward to Brian' s post.

When I first started reading up on MWO I was so stoked about the idea of being able to tap into and play as a cannon unit. I know some say they don't care, but I sure do. I am sure others do as well. My main interest is playing in a house unit. Now when i say that i mean i want to be part of a team of players that are not a bunch of house affiliated lone wolves but an actual unit Maybe I am missing something in the current understanding of what the guidelines are. But to me it sounds like there is no real way to accomplish that except to form a merc unit and say "we are house unit X". That doesn't really sit well with me. I understand some factions and units are protected, but I am hoping we have the option of not being "mercenary".

I have been holding off on signing on with anyone for this reason as well. I just hope I'm not missing the boat because of it.

Edited by Salesninja, 26 April 2012 - 07:51 PM.

[Thomas Oreland]

Cruiser, on 23 April 2012 - 11:03 AM, said:

Pfff. Only weaklings lay claim to names.

I will have you all whisper the name "Cruiser" with hushed voices and cold-sweat within weeks of the beta starting. And I will do so the hard way.

Cruiser ..... who the hell is Cruiser? Is that the dishwasher at the greasy spoon?