6 replies to this topic

[Utilyan]

Theres some pluses from using stock mechs arlready prob reflected in repair cost ect.

As we start getting into having houses, clans, factions ect. I think it would be nice to add more incentives for using particular mechs. And a blue print to reference to remake the stock mech. This is not only inclusive to stock mechs, but we might be given blue prints from a particular house for example and they tell you what you need to clone it.

These mechs could even have a secondary tree of pilot lab skills even team based. Imagine you have a house Liao Commando Com-1b Ma Chao blueprint. The blue print gives exact ingredients to make this particular build. Once you have it complete it gives certain bonuses.

This gives the player lots to do.....scavanging for particular chasis, engines, weapons ect. Once complete a team based example might be 5% increase to speed when in the presence of another team member mech who also achieved the same blue prints build.

You can even spread this out to multiple mech types have "SETS" of lance teams.

A Liao FOUR TIGERS-squad. Might have exact blue print to be completed by a light, medium, heavy, assault. Once everyone gots the make demanded and exact ingredients, that team together unlocks a special ability shared by all.

The light mech might have to be a commando with tag, medium a hunch with lrms, heavy with beagle probe, a assault with machine guns. The blue prints not so demanding like having one particular weapon equipment to being very demanding specific chassis, armor, weapon and quipment. Once the team has collected the set they get bonuses, abilities, or cosmetics, higher loyalty points for furthering house ideals and morales.



Every house could have special squad setups, A rasa viking raiding party blue prints ect. Kurita ninja team. Stiener gothic knights. (can you imagine like gothic style mechs)

This gives incentive to us players to own more then just our comfort god-mode power mech.

It even gives you a good "AHA!" as to why the stock mechs are abundant.

Its sorta of a twist and addition to what other games do with having items sets, this would be "mech sets" Where if every team member meets the exacting specifications of a blue print setup to thier mech between them all it would unlock bonuses maybe even abilities.......like a drop ship full of kittens that rub on the mechs and make them form voltron, devastator and power ranger super samurai mech (well I'm sure you guys could think of better abilities)

I think you get the idea.


This gives people something to work next for instead of just settling for thier uber mech. Having more mech bays starts looking real good.

[Utilyan]

Some of the most fun I have is building mechs. Doing this would make a good incentive to get particular parts and having more mech bays.


Imagine you have blue print for a super flamer mech. The blue print might say ok you need a hunchback, 6 flamers, a 260 engine ect. Once you meet the requirements and complete your "set" in unlocks abilities like might be 20% more damage.

The "blue prints" themselves could be something shared along the lines of modules, or even dump the term "blue prints" and call these "hero modules" or something.


So imagine you got a missle commander hero module. The module could be mech specific. Like in this case for a Catapult. It might require multiple requirements 4 srm6z, specific engine, specific armor, once you meet the requirements it could unlock a tow ability that makes srms follow the target reticule.

Stock mechs should come with a stock module, which would require you to set your mech to stock configs giving you a cash or xp bonus.

And again teams should have team modules. like a module might specify custom builds. so a set might require 4 players having very specific set ups and that unlocks a team bonus.

Like the fang and flame mech, when they drop together on a team it could give a twindragon awareness bonus that gives both 10% extended sensors.



Bottom line look I got a mech best engine, best weapons, all tricked out, master.....now what? I don't need a weaker engine, don't need new weapons.

But if there was a blue print that required me to hunt for specific parts now I get to get a specific engine....now I got to get a new weapon..... It gives incentives to get more gear.

You can even make it where a person has to buy 4 medium lasers to make 1 special medium laser (thats no stronger then a regular) but it was required to make the blue print set.

You understand this gives us grinding work to do, it will be fun.

Edited by Utilyan, 28 December 2012 - 12:06 PM.

[Túatha Dé Danann]

Nope. The whole idea of self-config you mechs is to self config your mechs and not to stick with a fixed design. Bonus for certain loadouts is illogical.

[Utilyan]

As is people are sticking to fixed designs, which is why you got guasapults, streak-cats, sway backs ect. Folks are sticking to the designs that they are even comming up with names for them.

This gives an incentive to try differ designs. Like you can have a mech that follows a setup that only uses machine guns and this unlocks extended range, or follows a sniper template that unlocks cooldown bonus, or where having specific engine and small weapons unlocks jump jets. A template that has a mech with NO WEAPONS, might unlock multiple ams hard points, extended ecm and beagle capabilities, extended tag range, multi info gathering capabilities. One mech might unlock a coolent flamer type weapon that cools friendly mechs.

I've seen alot of streak commandos, but you hardly see one with LRMs, so there could be a particular design which would unlock no min range. Or like if you have a hunch back with 2 narcs......... normally we would think what the hell does a huncback with 2 narc launchers good for? practicly useless. But if there was a blue print that allowed those narc long range homing capabilities then it starts looking useful.

This way you could give meaning to what otherwise be considered a useless mech. The balance is kept through the specifications of a blue print coupled with needing that module(blue print). Like it could say you could only have so much armor, or that you have to have particular weapons, particular engine, ect.

As a money sink it gives us a reason to need a particular engine we might never care for before, same for weapons and any other equipment. Gives incentive to get more mech bays.

[Túatha Dé Danann]

You sound like those popular designs are fixed - they are not. They are chosen, because they are effective. And thats the whole point of them: Getting an effective loadout for a specific mech. I don't see any problem with that. Its a metagame in the game to find a loadout you like.

Remember, all chassis have to ability to be spammed. Hardpoints already reduce those effects. Remember MW3 with 16 medium lasers Thor aiming for the leg?

[Wells]

Shevchen, on 28 December 2012 - 01:50 PM, said:

Nope. The whole idea of self-config you mechs is to self config your mechs and not to stick with a fixed design. Bonus for certain loadouts is illogical.

I love the ability to customize mechs (metagame as a previous poster mentioned) However, after I have tweaked my mech, I can't figure out any easy resource for what the vanilla version looks like (so I can go back to the orginal loadout). I have upgraded/downgraded a variety of parts, engines and weapons. Added and removed points of armor and heat sinks. I would love a button to return mech to stock loadout (obviously with C-Bill cost for any parts that I sold or put on another mech(

[Elyam]

I actually think this could take a different direction if the meta-game eventually takes off. I can imagine an approach (similar to ones I've used with tabletop MW groups for decades) where the player(s) gets the chance to work and take missions for an existing entity, whether a major or minor House, a merc unit, etc., and in these cases the player(s) are granted use or lease of some standard units (reflected in early rendition in MWO presently by the free use of the stock mechs). Eventually the player(s) might rise in the ranks of that service and have greater options but still ones guided by the standards of that organization OR, once having earned some bank the player(s) may strike out on their own to form an independent merc unit and then the only thing keeping them from having fully-customizable mechs is the c-bills, contacts and resources to get it done. Either path has it's bonuses and complications.

This is a natural approach to whether very-customized units or standardized units get used, and is a norm for tabletop BT when flavored with the Inner Sphere meta-game or for the full MW RPG. It shows the Inner Sphere as it really is.

I'm not against the idea of MWO offering special mech or mech-team designs and bonuses, but when the meta-game is done properly it doesn't need to push players toward a certain direction of mech use - the players will do it based on, as the earlier poster said, what is effective - whether this effectiveness comes from great custom designs or from being a member of a powerfully-backed organization offering prime contracts, duty, missions, etc.

Edited by Elyam, 28 December 2012 - 04:23 PM.