425 replies to this topic

[Volume]

I understand that PGI needs to make money. I realize that someone who has acquired four of their own well-equipped and upgraded battlemechs has probably gotten many hours of enjoyment out of MWO, and maybe therefore "should" pay for the entertainment.

However, I find it unfair that players can hit a F2P wall and be unable to progress without heavy compromise.

I feel that there needs to be a way to let F2P players explore all the elements of the game without forcing them to essentially backtrack in terms of Battlemechs.

I don't think a player should need to sell the one he has been using to try a new 'Mech. It's not that they can't make a choice, it's that that choice simply shouldn't have to be made, because it's not a sensible choice to impose on players.

Like I said, I don't expect PGI to give everything away for free to players. I would think that allowing slots to be purchased with C-Bills could be a mistake, but perhaps if a player is capable of getting a few extra slots from pilot rank ups or GXP, he would have a fair degree of wiggle room.

What I find hardest here is that the number of available 'Mechs to play has more than doubled, but F2P slots remain locked at 4. It takes three of the same 'Mech to even get a Chassis to Elite/Master, and having three variants of the same 'Mech and one other seems like a strong limit, leaving the player having only two different 'Mechs to play (3 variants of the same one, one variant of another) unless you count the abhorrent trial 'Mech loadouts with no pilot skills (Which are very, very gameplay-affecting).

Don't push away the players who want to play your game - empower them to earn the items they want, even if they have to grind for them. Otherwise they may not play at all. I think pushing away free players is a scary idea and obviously not what we want to do. It's a good thing that you keep XP even if you sell a chassis, but at the same time, it is a hefty c-bill loss if you decide you want to pick up that chassis again - one that is unfair to a player without a founder's bonus and premium account.

I just don't want to be losing players over this.

Edit: Just putting links to my other three posts in this thread here so they can get some more exposure, because most of pages 10-17 are people arguing about things without considering what I posted on pages 6 and 8.

Edited by Volume, 15 February 2013 - 11:14 PM.

[Rotaugen]

"it is a hefty c-bill loss if you decide you want to pick up that chassis again - one that is unfair to a player without a founder's bonus and premium account."
Unfair? How? We PAID. You will not get the full game experience of owning tons of mechs without paying. You get to play and can max out one chassis (or even two) but that's it. If someone hasn't decided to buy anything at all by that point, they aren't going to anyway. BTW, by YOU, I mean any player out there playing for free, not you specifically, as you were a Founder.)

Edited by Rotaugen, 14 February 2013 - 01:05 PM.

[Jabilo]

If you are playing this game for hours and hours and taking fun and enjoyment from it day after day, do you not think that perhaps you should contribute a little something to it?

Mechbays cost next to nothing. If that is all you need to spend real money on then it is a bargain.

Man up and put a few dollars down.

Cheapskate.

Edited by Jabilo, 14 February 2013 - 01:08 PM.

[Rizzelbizzeg]

Accounts are free, start another one and BAM 4 FREE SLOTS!!1! (plus a fattie cadet bonus)

[One Medic Army]

I think there was talk of some being rewarded for achievements.

That being said, F2P players do have a way to get more mechbays: having multiple accounts.
They get a "free" 8mill cbills on each new account so long as they can stomach 25 matches in trial mechs, along with 4 mechbays.
As I understand it, some of the diehard F2P players are doing this already.

Now, PGI should do something to encourage people to not do this, as having multiple accounts discourages people ever buying MC in the long run.

[Warrax the Chaos Warrior]

I think players should be able to sell MC to each other for c-bills. PGI would completely control the market and the price to prevent any sort of exploits. Whales that spend lots of cash will still have a reason to buy more MC once they have all the things, and people who don't spend will keep playing to grind c-bills to get MC. PGI gets paid when the MC is bought regardless of who uses it, and nothing is "locked behind a pay-wall".

[Lee Ving]

Remove one of the last profit incentives here?

Maybe if the bays cost 30,000 GXP.

[Grimlox]

I think with the existence of trial mechs that F2P players have enough variety to try things out with that and their 4 full customisable bays

[Corpsecandle]

I'm generally all about the F2P features, but I have to disagree with you on this one OP. I was originally thinking that they'd give F2P two slots, one for keeping your favorite mech, then a slot for a mech to play with. There needs to be an incentive for spending cash, and I'd much rather it be convenience than power, and mech bays are the most blatant feature for this to remain true.

[Iwaslost]

Because not paying for a game is a great way to make sure it sticks around. Just shell up the $7 and get 4 more.

[AlixX]

Just a simple no. 300 credits is nothing. Be a man and give em 10 dollars..

[Nonoka]

M A L I C E, on 14 February 2013 - 01:01 PM, said:

F2P PLAYERS NEED A WAY TO ACQUIRE 'MECH BAYS WITHOUT BUYING MC.


No they don't.

Oh God, I actually agree with Malice.


I feel so dirty.....

Edited for Speeling =)

Edited by Nonoka, 14 February 2013 - 01:22 PM.

[TheStrider]

Perhaps a free mechbay for mastering a chasis. Hard to get there, but a nice bonus.

(And by mastering I mean all 3 chasis having the extra module slot fully unlocked.)

On the same thread, hero mechs should come with a bay...

[Congzilla]

No.

[Mal]

F2P players have a way to get MechBays.. they can buy the cheap MC package, and spend the MC on C-bills.

Problem solved, everyone wins!

[Corpsecandle]

TheStrider, on 14 February 2013 - 01:11 PM, said:

On the same thread, hero mechs should come with a bay...

This I would like to see as well, but understand why it isn't currently the case. Unfortunately the mechanic is that you need an empty mech bay before you can even see the mech purchase list....they'd have to do a lot of mechLab tweaking before they could include a bay with the hero mech.

[Rhent]

Volume, on 14 February 2013 - 01:00 PM, said:

I understand that PGI needs to make money. I realize that someone who has acquired four of their own well-equipped and upgraded battlemechs has probably gotten many hours of enjoyment out of MWO, and maybe therefore "should" pay for the entertainment.

However, I find it unfair that players can hit a F2P wall and be unable to progress without heavy compromise.

I feel that there needs to be a way to let F2P players explore all the elements of the game without forcing them to essentially backtrack in terms of Battlemechs.

I don't think a player should need to sell the one he has been using to try a new 'Mech. It's not that they can't make a choice, it's that that choice simply shouldn't have to be made, because it's not a sensible choice to impose on players.

Like I said, I don't expect PGI to give everything away for free to players. I would think that allowing slots to be purchased with C-Bills could be a mistake, but perhaps if a player is capable of getting a few extra slots from pilot rank ups or GXP, he would have a fair degree of wiggle room.

What I find hardest here is that the number of available 'Mechs to play has more than doubled, but F2P slots remain locked at 4. It takes three of the same 'Mech to even get a Chassis to Elite/Master, and having three variants of the same 'Mech and one other seems like a strong limit, leaving the player having only two different 'Mechs to play (3 variants of the same one, one variant of another) unless you count the abhorrent trial 'Mech loadouts with no pilot skills (Which are very, very gameplay-affecting).

Don't push away the players who want to play your game - empower them to earn the items they want, even if they have to grind for them. Otherwise they may not play at all. I think pushing away free players is a scary idea and obviously not what we want to do. It's a good thing that you keep XP even if you sell a chassis, but at the same time, it is a hefty c-bill loss if you decide you want to pick up that chassis again - one that is unfair to a player without a founder's bonus and premium account.

I just don't want to be losing players over this.

By the time a player has bought 4 mechs, they have invested a heavy chunk of time in the game. If they want to get more mechs then they should have to pay for that privilege, or they can sell of a mech to buy a new mech. They have 4 mech slots, there is no reason why they can't sell their old mech, free up a slot, and then buy the new mech. They can do that 3 more times, get to expert with the mech they want, and then sell off all four mechs and start for a new chassis.

[Roland]

If you want to have more than 4 mech bays, pay a freaking buck and buy a new one.

Most purchases in MWO are ridiculously priced, but the mechbays are none one of them. Paying a buck for a mechbay is totally reasonable.

[Havyek]

[J4ckInthebox]

A free alternative for everything?

What is this, France ?