Game scheme?

[GilFuin]

I mean... a lot of toys are coming: mechs, elementals, aerofighters, tanks and infantry... Will people play with all at the same time in the same map? Different maps or game types for each one? How the people will get any of them to play a match?

[PanzerBoxb]

If you do a little digging you will see that the team is working on using something akin to C-bills (money) to purchase equipment.  It will most likely be earned by destroying enemies and achieving objectives.

[death_grin]

For the most part it is combined arms with out classes.  Meaning that anyone can pilot a mech, aerospace, ground vehicle, be a elemental, etc. Infantry (not elementals) have been taken out for first release to ensure we meet our release date.  Provided you have enough cbills (battletech currency) to purchase the item, you can use any of these to complete your mission.  There may be some maps more restricted, such as maps without aerospace etc but that will be the exception not the norm.


All vehicles and mechs are purchased from a 'mech and vehicle bay while aerospace from a aerospace runway.  On some maps they are purchased from a dropship that has mechbays inside it and aerospace bays.

[KorJax]

When you purchase the item be sure to make it so the player either instant teleports inside of it, or lock it so only the player who purchased can use it

[PanzerBoxb]

I see it being more of a "ghost" view when you die where you get to select what you want to buy and then spawn in that.  That would not easily accommodate the team leader buying gear for his troops though.

[Tiger842]

When you purchase the item be sure to make it so the player either instant teleports inside of it, or lock it so only the player who purchased can use it

All they need to do is put locks on vehicles only for the person purchasing them. For those that don't know, in Crysis MP you could buy a vehicle and it would be locked. However, once you got in that vehicle and got out it was open to any teammates. It gets really frustrating when you buy an expensive Guass Tank and get out to repair it and some nub on your team steals it and does something stupid with it. I really hope that we get locks for our vehicles/Mechs even if we get out of the Mech/vehicle. I would be royally pissed off if some idiot on my team stole my brand new Atlas when I got out to capture something.

[Stallion Osis]

If thats the case, could you make it so that you can either do an individual purchase or a team purchase? This way if your a team leader and need to buy a team asset for someone else on your team to use you can. Or you can purchase your own that only you can use.

[AoP]

If thats the case, could you make it so that you can either do an individual purchase or a team purchase? This way if your a team leader and need to buy a team asset for someone else on your team to use you can. Or you can purchase your own that only you can use.

Right now, it's supposed to be possible to pool money on one player so they can go and buy bigger and heavier gear. I know it's not exactly what you're asking for, but we believe it is usable in that way and it doesn't necessarily have to be the teamleader who buys the expensive stuff.

[PanzerBoxb]

Ah, thanks for that clarification, AoP.  That kind of flexibility will be much appreciated.

[MWLLKeeper]

I see it being more of a "ghost" view when you die where you get to select what you want to buy and then spawn in that.  That would not easily accommodate the team leader buying gear for his troops though.

No, it's setup basically like the Crysis vehicle buy zones. Infantry equipment can be bought while waiting to respawn, but vehicles will have an extra "prep time" after the player spawns into the base. It should also be noted, that in ToA will have 2 different kinds of buy zones, HQs and outposts. HQs will have the full stock of avalible vehicles, including aerospace, while outposts will have a lighter arsenal. This makes outposts a bit harder to defend, and also gives the lighter vehicles a bit more of an advantage, in being able to be built closer to the front lines. I foresee a lot of the ground attack Aerospace attacking both the front lines, and the heavy armor trains traveling up to the front lines, softening them up a bit.

[PanzerBoxb]

Thanks for clarifying that, Keeper.

[Criminal]

When you purchase the item be sure to make it so the player either instant teleports inside of it, or lock it so only the player who purchased can use it

All they need to do is put locks on vehicles only for the person purchasing them. For those that don't know, in Crysis MP you could buy a vehicle and it would be locked. However, once you got in that vehicle and got out it was open to any teammates. It gets really frustrating when you buy an expensive Guass Tank and get out to repair it and some nub on your team steals it and does something stupid with it. I really hope that we get locks for our vehicles/Mechs even if we get out of the Mech/vehicle. I would be royally pissed off if some idiot on my team stole my brand new Atlas when I got out to capture something.

This is already fully implemented and working. Your vehicle is always locked to only you on purchase.

[Swissjak]

How large are these facilities and how much danger could one incur trying to get from the purchase terminal to the vehicle?
Would be very sad to buy a brand new mech and then get shot while running to a mech-bay a hundred feet away.

While on this train of thought: what happens if you buy a vehicle and get killed on your way to enter it. Will it still be locked or does it open up to your team, etc?

[KorJax]

If thats the case, could you make it so that you can either do an individual purchase or a team purchase? This way if your a team leader and need to buy a team asset for someone else on your team to use you can. Or you can purchase your own that only you can use.

Right now, it's supposed to be possible to pool money on one player so they can go and buy bigger and heavier gear. I know it's not exactly what you're asking for, but we believe it is usable in that way and it doesn't necessarily have to be the teamleader who buys the expensive stuff.

I hope this means the high-end equipment actually takes work to get by yourself then.

Pooling money sounds like a great idea (Free Allegiance allowed players to donate their "paychecks" they got to the commander so he could get higher technology).  However if you do this, make it so it takes time and effort to be able to get some of the higher-end stuff on your own (unless say everyone on your team pools money to you).

Take the Experimental Units for Supreme Commander (an RTS).  It takes ALOT of resources to build most of them, and alot of time (upwards of 30 minute build time for the highest-end unit if you only have one engineer assisting the construction).  However, they truely are a domination of the battle when you build them (plus or minus some balance issues).  And it's really cool stuff too, like a flying fortress mobile aircraft factory/carrier with a beam of death, a building that basically gives you infinite resources, a giant walking death robot, etc.

I think it would be good if it took some time and a good chunk of change to get the really high end stuff.  Obviously not as long/expensive as the stuff in supreme commander, but enough that it isn't something where you see like half the team with the most expensive mechs.

Then again in Mechwarrior a heavy mech class doesn't nessicarily mean it's the god of the battle, it just means it packs more firepower.  I can't tell you how many times in MW4 multiplayer I would get my ass handed to me by a crafty raven or catapult pilot.  So maybe you don't need a really really high cost and time for some large mechs?

[Seraph]

Or let players chose how much of their paycheck they wish to pool on another player and add a cap of how much they are able to transfer. Like 50% of the paycheck. For one thing the commander gets cash faster and even players still get some money to at least buy a tank or something