14 replies to this topic

[Attalward]

I have been pondering about being able to select a starting mech from each weight class, and the more i review this idea the more i think is bad oriented from the role warfare aspect as well as from the economical view.

Why is it bad in my opinion:

1) Role warfare means you have to use a certain mech that fulfills a certain role. I see this from Devs explanations is that the tonnage doesnt matter much but what the mech is aimed for do. So of course there is roles that will favor certain tonnages for example i see defender role as favoring heavier classes.

2) The heavier the mech the more expensive as far as we know like in TT (not counting advanced technology here). So kind of giving away free heavier mechs seems to me a bit like a bit spoiler

3) to be a light recon pilot takes expertise it will be problematic to start as one and getting blown off constanly before learning how it works.

Edited:

Now How about starting in mechs from heavy and medium class.

I support this from the point that it is never good for learning a game to start with a very specialized character with a extreme behavior. This usually leads to frustration over difficulty and other similar issues.

So i suggest resctricting starting mechs to medium and heavy class in a try to moderate innitial reactions and give a feeling about armor versus speed, weapons versus utility and so on.

Edited by Attalward, 20 May 2012 - 03:08 AM.

[Adridos]

But that involves grinding and makes mediums look as just those " I want to be like that, but I can't because I suck." machines, that do everything others do, just worse.

[Kenyon Burguess]

the highlight of MWO is role warfare. sticking everyone into the same weight class seems very counterproductive to that goal to me

[Nik Van Rhijn]

This is just a rehash of the multiple "everyone should start in a light" threads. Devs have already said it isn't going to be that way. Their view of MWO is different from what we have seen in the past (why they call it a "reboot") in that its not a race to get into an Assault.
I will likely start in a medium for a multitude of reasons, including personal preference, but wouldn't want to force that choice on anyone else.
Some people fell naked (Lyrans) in anything less than as Assault, while others wouldn't be seen dead in anything bigger than a Jenner.

[neodym]

[Kairaku]

Not just no...hell no. Adrios has it absolutely right.

Adridos, on 19 May 2012 - 10:53 AM, said:

But that involves grinding and makes mediums look as just those " I want to be like that, but I can't because I suck." machines, that do everything others do, just worse.

Medium's fulfill some specific roles very well in their own right, for example

• A Scout hunter: what is better than finding a locust and having enough wheels and juice to get close and blow it's legs off.
  
• Scout support/command: goes without saying really.
  
• A breach exploiter: Once the heavies and assult mechs have punched a hole in the enemy line then medium mechs are the perfect frame to flood into the breach and cause maximum damage over a wide area.
  
• Perimeter guards: Mobile enough to cover a wide area and with enough defensive capability to stand and take it while the heavy support arrives.

By forcing people to use medium mechs you marginalise these important roles and discourage tacticians from making the most of this weight range.

[Redshift2k5]

We have some very important points straight from the horse's mouth:

Garth Erlam, on 17 May 2012 - 11:13 AM, said:

I disagree, but I see what you're getting at - for me, we want new pilots in Assaults. Why? They'll survive mistakes and learn. And as they learn, they'll realise that those light, quick 'Mechs are picking them apart, so they'll try something new. Stick a new pilot in a light, and he rounds a corner head-on at an Assault, gets quickly destroyed, hates his experience, moves on.

This isn't to say Assaults take no skill, merely that heavier 'Mechs allow mistakes where lights don't.

Imagine you are a new player, not just new to MWO but new to all of Battletech (there will be lots). Imagine how disheartened you would feel if you must take a lighter mech, and then in your first match *kapow* you're smeared by an Assault. It would be a huge turn-off to a lot of people. This game is getting a lot of press, and will attract a lot of brand new virgin mechwarriors, and their introduction needs to be as smooth as possible.

Mediums are great, and should be able to stand up on their own as a solid weight class, and PGI is doing a lot to make that true, if they do everything right starting with an Assault is not going to marginalize mediums .

I would have been happy starting in a medium, but you need to look at the big picture, not just or us on the forums but for all the new players too.

Edited by Redshift2k5, 19 May 2012 - 03:32 PM.

[byFid]

Start light FLEA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Attalward]

Okay seems that view is nto at all supported.

People heavily dislikes grinding, although i would say that getting a free mech of any class doesnt eliminate grinding at all unless you are very lucky and get the mech you want in that selection. But it is clear that it involves less grinding than my medium start.

My brain still aches a bit about giving valuable assets to any new pilot. But fine we can just ignore that for the shake of having a more immediate enjoyable gameplay. Although repair bills for an noob pilot in a expensive mech will be interesting.

My view point comes from the general rule that it is never good to start from the extremes of an interval or the very specialized characters in a game. I would then moderate my suggestion to start in mediums or heavys but taking the borderlines out.

Edited by Attalward, 20 May 2012 - 03:07 AM.

[Beazle]

If i could start with a heavy, why would i ever need to change? What would i be working towards? I would say give people enough cash to buy a Med or Light to start with, that way they can still pick their role.

[Jonas]

Really why are we talking about this again. I mean really It has been said if you stay with the game long enough you be able to fill all the Pilot skill trees there is no limit on how many Mechs you can own. So if you want to be an Assault Pilot then a Scout then something else you can there is no reason to start small then go big. Pick a Mech you want and play if you dont like it then buy another one.

[TripleHex]

Personally, I wouldn't mind starting in a light mech... something like a Wolfhound or Panther. Not sure if those choices will make it into the game, but I'd like them to be at least considered. If we DO start out in a medium mech, it should be something like the Centurion or something. NO HEAVY/ASSAULT-CLASS STARTERS! But that's just my opinion.

[Owl Cutter]

I recommend always, always, ALWAYS including an other/misc. option in polls, because "depends on 'mechs offered" is not the only qualifier by any means. I agree that middling 'mechs will probably be the "best bet" starting point for newbies not sure where they want to go, but not all players creating a character- even for newbs to the Battletech world. I also agree that you should be able to choose whichever class you want. PGI is trying to make a game where each class has a crucial role, and forcing one to be overrepresented by new players runs counter to that. As such; I support _recommendation_ for newbies, MAYBE even a slight incentive beyond that, but definitely not restriction. So, if "use as starting points" is supposed to be interpreted specifically to mean restriction as described in the OP, then my vote would be "NO!" If it's supposed to be interpreted more broadly, so as to include simply highlighting that range as a "default" option alongside all the other options, then my vote would be "yes."

Nit to pick: To me, going from [some one thinks it's] "probably best jack-of-all-trades and thus probably best place to find one's calling," to [that person must then think it] "has no usefulness other than as the 'noob class,'" looks like a huge flying leap of unsupported reasoning.

Edited by Owl Cutter, 22 May 2012 - 12:27 PM.

[Drang]

neodym, on 19 May 2012 - 01:32 PM, said:

lol

Give everyone a Flea and be done with it.

Edited by Drang, 22 May 2012 - 04:23 PM.

[BlooWaffle]

Gold rounds that does more damage.