31 replies to this topic

[Kdogg788]

It's pretty simple actually. If a player has no damage and no experience from in game actions then they should get no xp or c bills from the match. Everything else can remain the same.

-k

Edited by Kdogg788, 02 December 2012 - 04:01 PM.

[Eumenes]

It's been suggested elsewhere, but simply make trial mechs unavailable once you purchase a real one. I would add an additional feature: an "observer" role for real mech owners, with no reward at the end of a match. Still allows you to mess around with a trial mech but gives no monetary benefit. You can get around this by staying in trial mechs, but what can you spend all of your cash on if not for real mechs?

[xDark]

PGI tried this during closed beta and it was god awful.

[MungFuSensei]

Kdogg788, on 02 December 2012 - 04:01 PM, said:

It's pretty simple actually. If a player has no damage and no experience from in game actions then they should get no xp or c bills from the match. Everything else can remain the same.

-k

Again, a simple bot could run up and shoot at an enemy once, then just suicide. Wouldn't stop farming, just slow down the rate of payment.

[Kaijin]

What about a randomly generated set of 3 numbers that would be displayed at the start of the match that everyone would have to input to 'start' their mech?

[M Jordanus Sicarius]

MungFuSensei, on 02 December 2012 - 03:51 PM, said:

I rarely play premade (only a group of 2 when I do), and sometimes I roll a trial mech as I never own more than one mech at a time. I can consistently get 3-400 on my bad days with trials. On the surface, your idea sounds great, but that wouldn't prevent farming, just lower the rate of payment, as you could easily bot movement paths on the different maps, link to an aimbot, fire off one shot, then suicide. Quite a bit more complicated, but not out of the realm of possibility, so farming wouldn't stop. Still, good to hear more ideas. Keep 'em coming.

It would also be way easier to detect, and even a very limited warden system would catch it every time. That method would eliminate a very large percetage of the farmers.

[Bagheera]

One simple way to do this is just have the rewards for in-game activity. Tweak their values up some so that they form a decent base number for an average player.

Then turn win/loss into multipliers. A loss doubles the base (could be done invisibly); getting rid of guaranteed income for non-participation. A win could be be a 3-4x multiplier, thus there's a substantial enough gap to still reward winning. Tune the numbers to taste.

This does still have problems: Brand spanking new players who insta-die are going to be faced with repair bills and no income, and probably open to griefing. TK someone before they can participate in the match and again, repair bills with no income. Of course if repair bills for those who were TK'd could be ameliorated without creating a system where people could just TK each other right before dying to reduce repairs that would help.

Really though, any economy that PGI creates is going to seem unfair to new/inexperienced players so long as new/inexperienced players are consistently matched against veterans. Stringing together loss after loss after loss isn't (and shouldn't be) a viable way to make income in the game, but many players are stuck in that position because they are still learning the game and fighting against those of us who have been playing for months. For the record, I may be experienced, but that doesn't mean I'm very good. Just generalizing to make commenting easier.

Edited by Bagheera, 02 December 2012 - 07:42 PM.

[xxx WreckinBallRaj xxx]

MungFuSensei, on 02 December 2012 - 01:40 PM, said:

The simplest way to combat farmers would be to remove guaranteed c-bills from winning or losing.

The smart users on this forum have been trying to get them to realize this and do it for quite some time now.

[Thomas Covenant]

Guarantee ammo will be resupplied. Otherwise premium members and/or cbill boost mech weilders have an advantage to weild gold ammo more heavily ammo reliant builds.

[MungFuSensei]

Thomas Covenant, on 02 December 2012 - 07:53 PM, said:

Guarantee ammo will be resupplied. Otherwise premium members and/or cbill boost mech weilders have an advantage to weild gold ammo more heavily ammo reliant builds.

A valid point, which is why we'd have to figure out how to rig the system to ensure that it's very easy to break even. Maybe have a bonus up to 75-80k, and then diminishing returns after?

[Xandre Blackheart]

Yes, because distinguishing between people that crash in game right now and people who are afk or botting or suiciders is so easily implemented.

Sure, once they fix the damned stability issues, then you can worry about it. But right now you're going to be hit harder than most of the exploiters, because they don't crash nearly as often.

Edited by Xandre Blackheart, 02 December 2012 - 08:48 PM.

[Kaijin]

Xandre Blackheart, on 02 December 2012 - 08:47 PM, said:

Yes, because distinguishing between people that crash in game right now and people who are afk or botting or suiciders is so easily implemented.

Sure, once they fix the damned stability issues, then you can worry about it. But right now you're going to be hit harder than most of the exploiters, because they don't crash nearly as often.

Yep - With this patch, I'm getting CTDs on launch around 50% of the time. I haven't played much because it's been expensive, though I suppose I could use trial mechs.

Nah. I've got my Founders' button. Think I'll just not play much until the game is stable.