39 replies to this topic

[Dead Winter Dead]

I know that salvage has not been confirmed but it seems likely that if nothing gets destroyed then nothing gets salvaged. What about this?

They might be able to implement it as 'Random Drops' after the battle. Let's say you destroy a mech with 4 med lasers and an AC 10. After the battle you are awarded a Med Laser and 3 tons of AC 10 ammo, provided your lance wins. Items would be randomized based on the class and loadout of the defeated opponent. The randomized salvage would be based on the components that were not destroyed on the defeated mech based on when it was officially out of the game.

You have the choice to store it for future use or sell it for C-Bills. The player whose mech you destroyed is not effected by this in the least. This way no one loses material but salvage could be viable. Knowing that you have the possiblilty to salvage a valued weapon or attachment would force you think about your shots.

This could make for an interesting contract negotiation phase before the round. You could chose the percentage of your award in C-Bills vs salvage. The lower the salvage percentage the more C-Bills you collect but the less valauable salvage. The higher the salvage percentage means less C-Bills but a higher possibility of 'Elite' salvage.

[Adrienne Vorton]

hm...sounds not too bad in the basics the idea of random drops after the match depending on destroyed opponents ... i like it somehow but weapons should not drop too often

[Redshift2k5]

Ok, so not talking about taking away anyone's mechs or equipment. Salvaged rewards would be duplicated.

I'm not really seeing any advantage here vs simply earning Cbills to buy gear. Extra difficulty of implementing a loot system for very little payoff?

[PANZERBUNNY]

I've posted in other salvage threads about a simple salvage currency. IS and Clan that lets you trade in those points like C-bills for weapons/gear. Making salvage the only way to get clan tech on your IS rigs and unique IS tech on your clan mech.

I think this game doesn't need random weapon drops and items when the game can be designed around a more streamlined approach to gearing up your machines and not rely on "luck".

It would produce less of a grind as you can budget and plot out your purchases.

[Dustbunny]

unless the total value of the defeated remains is calculated and divided up among the winners..with percentages based on damaged or spotting but must be careful some isnt forgotton in that calculation.

also are there going to be ojectives to be captured or held which maybe will factor in.

they should add a salvage element as that would be truer to the spirit of the game...even if it is a damaged component you will have to repair.

perhaps afte battle lobby where lot is assigned somehow or the team picks by random rolls and or just picks as they need it with what ever is left is sold and the c-bills divide among them.

[Dead Winter Dead]

I suppose the advantage would be this: While in MechLab you would have a list of 'Stored' material (weapons, Ammo, etc) These would be items accumulated through the salvage system. This would allow you to save C-Bills while outfitting your mech. Since the weapons are never destroyed I do see your point. Once you salvage a Med.Laser you would never have to pay for one again. That idea would need some tweaking, but ammo would be usfule to stockpile since it does deplete.

I might work if salvaged items were flagged as 'Destroyable' items. Meaning this: Your equpiment is never to be destroyed ie: things pruchased. What if salvaged items were a 'use until destroyed' asset. You salvage a PPC, you equip it in the next round and win two matches with it taking no damage. In the last round it is destroyed during battle, since it was an initally salvaged item it is gone forever.

DustBunny had some interesting ideas as well.
I understand the concern that it becomes 'Grinding' but isn't fighting for C-bills grinding in a sense? 'I'm fighting for money to keep fighting.'
At least with salvaged ammo you could save money for other things.

Edited by Dead Winter Dead, 28 May 2012 - 08:55 AM.

[PANZERBUNNY]

Dead Winter Dead, on 28 May 2012 - 08:49 AM, said:

I suppose the advantage would be this: While in MechLab you would have a list of 'Stored' material (weapons, Ammo, etc) These would be items accumulated through the salvage system. This would allow you to save C-Bills while outfitting your mech. Since the weapons are never destroyed I do see your point. Once you salvage a Med.Laser you would never have to pay for one again. That idea would need some tweaking, but ammo would be usfule to stockpile since it does deplete.

I might work if salvaged items were flagged as 'Destroyable' items. Meaning this: Your equpiment is never to be destroyed ie: things pruchased. What if salvaged items were a 'use until destroyed' asset. You salvage a PPC, you equip it in the next round and win two matches with it taking no damage. In the last round it is destroyed during battle, since it was an initally salvaged item it is gone forever.

DustBunny had some interesting ideas as well.
I understand the concern that it becomes 'Grinding' but isn't fighting for C-bills grinding in a sense? 'I'm fighting for momey to keep fighting.'
At least with salvaged ammo you could save money for other things.

I would love weapons and gear having item decay, but I think they want people building up their mechs, making it as cool as they want and move onto another mech. Repeat.

I think the problem will come with clan tech on IS rigs. If there isn't a system to recycle and destroy them, optimal rigs with clan gear will surface. (If Clan gear will be allowed on IS mechs at all.)

[FinnMcKool]

I like the idea of "thinking about" your shots, trying not to completely destroy your target , just put them down.
this would add an interesting component to the game.

I hope they add salvage in some way, shape, or form.

[Dead Winter Dead]

PANZERBUNNY, on 28 May 2012 - 08:53 AM, said:

I would love weapons and gear having item decay, but I think they want people building up their mechs, making it as cool as they want and move onto another mech. Repeat.

I think the problem will come with clan tech on IS rigs. If there isn't a system to recycle and destroy them, optimal rigs with clan gear will surface. (If Clan gear will be allowed on IS mechs at all.)

Item decay would be nice. I understand it would be frustrating to lose all of one's equipment but it seems odd that nothing decays. One of the things I always loved about the BT Universe was the idea that technology was in a sense a currency itself. Mechwarriors, especially Mercs, depended on salvage to keep going. Often times that was how a new mech was aqquired. It was rebuilt from a salvage award.
Maybe if the base model of the mech you bought was always avaiable to you in 100% condition but any after market upgrades you did yourself were subject to battlefield lose or damage. This might make salvage viable.

[Dead Winter Dead]

FinnMcKool, on 28 May 2012 - 08:56 AM, said:

I like the idea of "thinking about" your shots, trying not to completely destroy your target , just put them down.
this would add an interesting component to the game.

I hope they add salvage in some way, shape, or form.

In the first Mechwarrior video game this was a valid tactic. I used to run behing BMs and Warhammers with a locust and destroy one leg, watch them topple can collect some salvage.
In the end I hope some form is implemented. Since it is, afterall, a part of the universe.

[yaay]

unless this is twinned with the aforementioned item decay I can't see it happening because has the potential to soften grind too much.

[Wolfgang Von Schmuck]

well, why not make it part of the free market, as a sort of 'clearance rack'?

IE a brand spankin new PPC from the free market (with the repair manual and EVERYTHING! =P) would run you (note, all numbers are completely arbitrary<hope i spelled that right....>) 750K C-Bills, and would last a long time, say 50 destructions (or permanently, though i would REALLY reccommend nothing bought with in-game currency <aside from perhaps mechs> be safe from decay.....)

BUT!
if you buy that same model of PPC from the Salvage Bin, (which will have limited availability: think of it as the scratch and dent clearance bin some stores have) it only runs you 20K C-Bills, but because the manual's missing and it's showing some wear and tear, it'll only last 5 or 10 destructions.
now it might seem like the Salvage bin is better than the free market, but consider:
the free market has ALL available tech (i look at it as online or mail-order myself)
the Salvage bin is local, but only has a few random items (IE, you won't be able to completely refit your mech from the salvage bin, and there's often not a whole lot of selection)
the Free Market gear lasts longer, which can be a big bonus on an expensive mech, or if you die often because it reduces the cost of losing your mech by having some of the gear survive.
i agree the game does need some form of item decay, which while somewhat annoying, will ensure that things do not become stagnant. after all, once you're in a tricked out (insert favorite mech here) what do you have left to buy?
this would also make a cash sink for the devs: Anti Decay Kits that make a single piece of equipment Permanent.

Thoughts? Comments? RAGEFLAME BBQ? mmmm tasty... =P

[Xendojo]

If your fighting for a specific faction do you only get to purchase from that factions available tech and chassis? or will there be a Black Market? Or a combination of both?

Just a thought i had while reading this thread, that any salvage system would also impact whatever vendor system the game ends up with.

[Scav]

Ya can also add to salvage 'unusable' junk (eg, blown reactor, dmged beyond repair laser, ect.) Then, ya can recycle those for materials and/or bills.

[Major Rampage]

I like the concept, I'm just worried that people will lose interest due to an inability to suspend disbelief. If your weapon is destroyed and then you get it repaired, what is there to salvage? The ammo makes sense, and maybe some armor too, given repair costs.

Maybe individual components for weapons would be a better idea for salvage? That way you can have your damaged/destroyed weapons repaired while giving some salvage.

[Sarriss]

I don't think I like the idea of decay causing my weapon to disintegrate after so many damages or times it's been blown off in battle. I can see it costing money to repair each weapon. The devs talked about how your mech will always be repaired just enough to function but at a reduced capacity then 100% repaired. So maybe these guns don't fire as accurately, possibly jam, or backfire/overload. Put the cost somewhere around 1/4 or 1/3 of the initial weapon cost to repair 100%. I don't want to have to rebuy weapons I've bought, but I don't mind paying a little extra in repairs to keep them at 100% efficiency or the strategic risk/reward of not repairing, all weapons, all the time, to keep cost down. As far as salvage goes, I think allowing you to salvage ammunition from mechs, post match is a nice little bonus and a neat idea, but I doubt you'll see much in the way of salvage in the game, especially at launch. Post launch who knows, but I wouldn't hold my breath.

Edited by Sarriss, 28 May 2012 - 10:57 AM.

[00dlez]

Because there is no trading of mechs/items/money, I am assuming the only form of "salvage" will be c-bills. Without the ability to trade for what I want, I would prefer to just get currency to use on what I want versus stuff I have no use for.

[Nick Makiaveli]

Redshift2k5, on 28 May 2012 - 08:33 AM, said:

Ok, so not talking about taking away anyone's mechs or equipment. Salvaged rewards would be duplicated.

I'm not really seeing any advantage here vs simply earning Cbills to buy gear. Extra difficulty of implementing a loot system for very little payoff?

And we have a winner!!!!!!!!!!

[Ferrox]

Maybe we should abandon the idea of salvage

and instead reward fullfilling our role or completing objectives with additional exp and cbills and maybe a chance of some random tech.

[PANZERBUNNY]

I don't think it would be too much to have different tiers of weapons. Lower more default weapons, once you have them, you have them in your pool. The more advanced or rare bits of gear could have a shelf life depending on times destroyed, matches played. Just a % that ticks down.

Does this game need traditional money sinks beyond the initial purchase and repair cost of equipment?