87 replies to this topic

[MeanFacedJohnny]

So my roomate and his brother have been playing since closed beta and ever since it became open they have been bugging me to try it. I had been skeptical because from what I had seen and heard so far it seemed the only reason the game went open was for a moneygrab, (premium time, hero mechs, cash paint jobs, etc...) and still needed a lot of work.

I said "screw it" last week and downloaded the game. I enjoyed the little that I had played MW3 (I think that was the one) back in the day, and a non-COD shooter had been sounding fun for awhile. (Just to clarify I hate COD and all that ride it's coat tails.) So far I really have been enjoying the game. There are a few issues, which I'm sure will be worked out in due time, but all in all it's a very enjoyable experience.

Time to digress. I've been playing League of Legends for over two years now. I love that game and it's f2p model and because of that I like to show my support for Riot Games buy regularly purchasing RP. (The equivalent to MC if you aren't aware) I have easily spent WELL over $500 (sometimes it hurts to think about lol) on that game over that past two years and plan on continuing to do so. End of digression.

Since I've been thoroughly enjoying MWO I thought I would purchase $15 worth of MC. My thought process was that with $15 worth of MC I would be able to buy at least one of any non-hero mech an maybe an item for the cockpit, I like that kind of stuff.

I had used my initial c-bills from the cadet bonuses to purchase an Atlas AS7-D. It took a good while to get the loadout but I love the beast. So I wanted to spend some MC on the Atlas AS7-D-DC because I wanted a second mech to toy around with and not have to grind forever to get it. And Again, I'm very much enjoying this game and wanted to show my support for it.

Thank heavens I did not buy the MC before looking at the price of the mech. It costs more than the most expensive hero mech. I mean holy ***** man. I'm expected to pay damn near $30 for one mech and it's not even a hero or anything of the sort. My mind is boggled beyond belief. I just can't comprehend the thought process behind the MC pricing on the mechs.

All f2p's have one competitor right now, League of Legends. In League I can spend $10 and get ANY character in the game, AS WELL AS a cheap skin or a boost of some sort. This is why I continue to support this game, By the time a new character comes out I usually have enough in-game currencey built up to buy that character without spending real cash, but I still spend cash on it to buy all kinds of skins because I want to support a game that I love and at the end of the day is absolutely free.

For $15 worth of MC I can't hardly get jack, and it's upsetting because I would like to see this game succeed. It can be a blast to play, and the customization is soul-stealing. But I'm not ever going to spend $20-$30 on one decent mech, and I find hard to believe many others will.

So I purchased the Humble Bundle 7 today instead. http://www.humblebundle.com/ I'd rather my money go there than this cash-grab system. I'm so pissed off right now about the fact that I'm expected to either grind for days or spend half the cost of a AAA title for one mech that a good part of me wants to delete this game and forget about it.

I guess for now Riot Games will continue to receive my monetary support. Sorry Pirhana, you were so close to having me.

Quick edit: A lot of people are recommending that I purchase premium time. This doesn't really work for me as I don't have the time, more often than not, to devote a whole day or two to playing. I'm able to play maybe 5-6 games a night, 3-4 nights a week. So premium time isn't really an option for me. Thank you though for that thought though.

Edit 2: One thing I can definitely say is that compared to League of Legends so far the community here on MWO and on this forum has, for the most part, been exceptional.

Edited by MeanFacedJohnny, 26 December 2012 - 02:41 PM.

[Cebi]

Buy premium time if you want that Atlas. It's much better value if you can put in a bit of time. and makes the "grind" rather invisible.

[Deathswarrior]

Yeah,it took me a good while to get him to play and after he found out how much a regular mech will cost he was pissed.

[MeanFacedJohnny]

Cebi, on 26 December 2012 - 10:18 AM, said:

Buy premium time if you want that Atlas. It's much better value if you can put in a bit of time. and makes the "grind" rather invisible.

I thought about that but I'm not really the type to devote a whole day or two to playing the same game. I like to get on a play a few games for an hour or so and then quit, If they had win boosts or something that would be different. I could see buying that.

[MeanFacedJohnny]

Deathswarrior, on 26 December 2012 - 10:19 AM, said:

Yeah,it took me a good while to get him to play and after he found out how much a regular mech will cost he was pissed.

YOU... Getting me hooked on this game only to have it rip my heart out. BAH!! to you sir.

[SJ SCP Wolf]

We told PGI when we handed our money over (especially legendary founders) that it was OK to charge us 20 dollars for a mech. The pricing falls completely on the community. We are to blame. We paid those prices, and we told PGI it was OK when we pressed checkout.

[StickEGreen]

The MC prices really do need to come down. The only reasonably priced thing atm are mech bays. Personally I'm still coasting on my founders MC and don't plan on buying anymore until I get a better value for my money.

[Hammish]

I don't think it's all that fair to compare the pricing to LoL, honestly, and that's coming from a long-term LoL player as well. It's a bit apples to oranges based on a few factors, probably the three largest of which are:

1 - Invested work up-front. I could be wrong, but given the complexity of the models and especially with morphing mechs that change appearance in locations based on loadout.. well, I daresay it takes a substantial amount more work to push one mech through development than it does a MOBA hero. Higher-quality modelling and artwork in general. It'd be more fair to compare with the price of, say, epic skins over in LoL.. and you pay through the nose for those over there, too, for the same reason: they're more involved with the redesign on effects and sounds.

2 - Longevity. A champ pick in LoL is more or less a static thing. Sure, you can build differently each match to counter opposing builds/picks, but with a few exceptions your play experience will be the same with any given champion across multiple matches. Not so with Mechwarrior; if I drop cash or C-bills for say, a Stalker.. I'm effectively buying three champions from LoL. I want to play it as a long-range support? I can build it that way! Short-range bruiser? Works too! Mid-range llas boater? Also valid! You have a lot more flexibility here.. and thus, while you pay a bit more for each chassis, you're getting a more broad play experience out of each as well.

3 - Total stable available. MWO's still a relatively new game. New stuff is always more expensive. Give it time, I bet by the time we see mech #18-20 you start to see bargains offered on the older stuff. It's all part of the F2P metagame, if you will, to keep older stuff fresh in people's minds. Not that you're likely to see a sale on the D-DC anytime soon, given how important it currently is to the combat metagame.

[Martini Henrie]

Mechs are expensive, but they aren't going to be past their sell by date in a couple of months like the LoL heroes seem (comments from friends that play it, I didn't get into it personally). Have a look at WoT for a comparison, some of the tanks cost upwards of £40, and I'm doing my best to keep my hands in my pockets on that score.

You are better off getting a hero mech and some bits n bobs than getting a regular mech with MC. They reduce the grind on whatever you want to buy. The illya and the flame are well balanced mechs that have a lot of good builds going for them. The other hero mechs are good if you know how to use them properly.

I bought a flame today, and am really enjoying the extra cbills and the fact that for me it is the best laid out Dragon. At the end of the day the price point is upto you, but I would advise on getting a mech that has a bonus attached it

[MeanFacedJohnny]

Hammish, on 26 December 2012 - 10:33 AM, said:

I don't think it's all that fair to compare the pricing to LoL, honestly, and that's coming from a long-term LoL player as well. It's a bit apples to oranges based on a few factors, probably the three largest of which are: 1 - Invested work up-front. I could be wrong, but given the complexity of the models and especially with morphing mechs that change appearance in locations based on loadout.. well, I daresay it takes a substantial amount more work to push one mech through development than it does a MOBA hero. Higher-quality modelling and artwork in general. It'd be more fair to compare with the price of, say, epic skins over in LoL.. and you pay through the nose for those over there, too, for the same reason: they're more involved with the redesign on effects and sounds. 2 - Longevity. A champ pick in LoL is more or less a static thing. Sure, you can build differently each match to counter opposing builds/picks, but with a few exceptions your play experience will be the same with any given champion across multiple matches. Not so with Mechwarrior; if I drop cash or C-bills for say, a Stalker.. I'm effectively buying three champions from LoL. I want to play it as a long-range support? I can build it that way! Short-range bruiser? Works too! Mid-range llas boater? Also valid! You have a lot more flexibility here.. and thus, while you pay a bit more for each chassis, you're getting a more broad play experience out of each as well. 3 - Total stable available. MWO's still a relatively new game. New stuff is always more expensive. Give it time, I bet by the time we see mech #18-20 you start to see bargains offered on the older stuff. It's all part of the F2P metagame, if you will, to keep older stuff fresh in people's minds. Not that you're likely to see a sale on the D-DC anytime soon, given how important it currently is to the combat metagame.

I do understand what you mean about the amount of work put into mechs compared to Moba heroe's. But even the Legendary skins (that so much more work goes into) I can buy for less than 15$ and still have rp left. $15 here will get me mechs that a ) I have no interest in and b ) aren't all that much in c-bills.

Martini Henrie, on 26 December 2012 - 10:37 AM, said:

Mechs are expensive, but they aren't going to be past their sell by date in a couple of months like the LoL heroes seem (comments from friends that play it, I didn't get into it personally). Have a look at WoT for a comparison, some of the tanks cost upwards of £40, and I'm doing my best to keep my hands in my pockets on that score. You are better off getting a hero mech and some bits n bobs than getting a regular mech with MC. They reduce the grind on whatever you want to buy. The illya and the flame are well balanced mechs that have a lot of good builds going for them. The other hero mechs are good if you know how to use them properly. I bought a flame today, and am really enjoying the extra cbills and the fact that for me it is the best laid out Dragon. At the end of the day the price point is upto you, but I would advise on getting a mech that has a bonus attached it

No disrepect and no offense but WoT is a joke.

Edited by MeanFacedJohnny, 26 December 2012 - 10:47 AM.

[von Pilsner]

I believe it is called a cash grab...

I prefer the sane and reasonable pricing of planes for Rise of Flight.

[Cebi]

MeanFacedJohnny, on 26 December 2012 - 10:20 AM, said:

I thought about that but I'm not really the type to devote a whole day or two to playing the same game. I like to get on a play a few games for an hour or so and then quit, If they had win boosts or something that would be different. I could see buying that.

Grab a month's worth. It's great value for money where compared to pretty much any other game's per-month-charge and more cost effective compared to 1 day premium if you play a short amount most days.

Edited by Cebi, 26 December 2012 - 10:55 AM.

[Felbombling]

I had my wallet out, my credit card in hand and couldn't buy Mech Credits because of a glitch on the payment page when Open Beta started. I am an ex WoW player who can grind out just about anything without blinking an eyelid, so I just started playing and now have four Mechs without paying a cent. I will still spend money on the game [barring another payment glitch], but looking at the price points and what you can get for a similar amount of cash from a finished title off the shelf, it is fairly difficult for me to drop cold, hard cash.

I look at the payment structure of things like double heat sinks to single heat sinks and back again, or buying a paint job and having to purchase the same paint/pattern combo, should I change my mind down the road, as serious reasons NOT to spend money on the game. Pricing structures like that are actually a deterrent to supporting the game in my estimation. Mech Bays and premium time might be the best investments moving forward.

I will say this, though. If the publisher or designer were to offer the first paint job free of charge, I would be much more inclined to purchase paint jobs for other Mechs. It is a matter of introduction to a game feature that will whet the appetite for that same feature on other Mechs. As it stands now, unless they come up with a floating vanity mirror that follows my Mech around, I see no reason to paint my Mechs. Perhaps that will change when I get serious about the game, join a clan, etc.

[Dane Dread]

Vote with your wallet. Personally, I'm not paying those prices for a mech in a game with 4 maps and two modes. I may be ponying up a small amount for some more mech bays in the near future as my first 4 are now full but that'll be it until I see more bang for my buck.

Obviously by the number of hero mechs I see in matches, everyone has a different value they assign to this game. For me, its a fun diversion for a few matches a day but it needs a lot added before I'd consider putting much money into it. Others are willing to put their money down first and gamble that the product they want materializes.

[Halen]

StickEGreen, on 26 December 2012 - 10:32 AM, said:

The MC prices really do need to come down. The only reasonably priced thing atm are mech bays. Personally I'm still coasting on my founders MC and don't plan on buying anymore until I get a better value for my money.

yup, agreed and coasting on founders MC as well. Twill not buy more until PGI makes it reasonable to do so

[MeanFacedJohnny]

von Pilsner, on 26 December 2012 - 10:46 AM, said:

I believe it is called a cash grab...

I prefer the sane and reasonable pricing of planes for Rise of Flight.

You s.o.b. Now you've got me thinking of buying the ICE edition, this games looks fantastic. And it's only $8 bucks lol.

Edited by MeanFacedJohnny, 26 December 2012 - 11:14 AM.

[von Pilsner]

MeanFacedJohnny, on 26 December 2012 - 11:13 AM, said:

You s.o.b. Now you've got me thinking of buying the ICE edition, this games looks fantastic. And it's only $8 bucks lol.

[Rascal2pt0]

Inflation aside Microsoft charged between $10.00 and $20.00 for their clan and IS mechpacks back in the MW4 days and that was without any subscription based service. Ultimately the goal of any F2P site is to get people to buy the premium level, because its guaranteed monthly revenue. I went all in and bought the founders pack so I've already given $120.00 to this game, I aim to probably not give anymore for a good while, I got my 4 founder mechs and a good chunk of MC. that will last me a while.

A few things to keep in mind.

1. This game is still in BETA
2. Numbers suggest that PGI got roughly 5.7M from the founders program, remove processing fees, admin etc... I'd assume they have a decent cushion for now.
3. People don't understand and probably never will understand how much it costs to build software from the ground up and constantly provide patches.

If higher prices mean that this game will last for 5 or even 10 years I'm all for it. All that being said I think more than $15.00 for an assault mech is a bit much. They'd see a lot more conversation at lower price points.

As an aside to all this the devs have been VERY receptive to our requests and bug fixes so I also feel a lot of times like I'm using a premium product and as such have to pay a little more.

[AlanEsh]

Yes pretty much everything about this game is overpriced. Aside from the 50MC holiday items.

[Nik Van Rhijn]

The base game can be fun to play - if you can - what PCs can play at a "reasonable" fps/lack of CTDs etc seems to be potluck. Until netcode and optimisation is sorted I won't be activating my Founders or spending MC.