Cross Atu
OSG Planetary Operations
Covert Intervention
3268
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Posted - 2014.10.16 10:10:00 -
[1] - Quote
Good thread, worth the read (and thanks again for sending me the link, my sig quote really is there for a reason  I'm always happy when someone makes use of it).
On more specific and relevant thoughts.
The points you make about fits are salient, and I think that having more fits - exposing a player to the various races and roles of Dust - offered out of the gate is a useful concept. I fully agree that messaging needs to be clear so that players do not misconstrue "AUR allows you to do more, faster." For "AUR allows you to do more, period."
Many F2P and micro-transaction based games have been so low quality in their business models (yes I'm looking at you EA, but you are not alone) that I had started to avoid the whole genre until Dust, which has proven to be an example (though happily not the only one) that F2P can be done without P2W.
I mention this because a player with my prior background could easily jump to the wrong conclusion with little to no provocation, and we certainly want to avoid that. After all, more players = more fun 
My first thought here is to provide both AUR fits as is presently true, and MLT ISK fits. Both types allow for a more accessible skill threshold and they also display that there are options available. Since you've clearly given this some thought, what additional messaging would you think needed in that context to avoid player misconceptions?
I'm inclined to think that a message about the free fits, as Maken suggests, would cover the bases. Does anyone feel that more is needed?
MLT scanner doesn't seem conceptually problematic to me, the MLT cloak is something I am more dubious about, that one I'll have to give more thought before I can really take a firm stance. I do see what you are going for with it, and I also like the idea of every play type having a MLT option so players can test it without the huge SP buy in, but how to balance such a thing is something to wrestle with.
Universal passive armor reps I would have to say should be benched. Either A) it would confuse new players when the expect to have it on their non-starter fits and don't or B) it would require adding it to all suits which is a much larger game wide rework.
I would be more inclined to inject Electronics and Engineering at level 1 for new players. While this does not provide as much as the level 2 suggestion, and while more fittings resources are always going to be useful when compared to less fittings resources, I am not on board with the idea that these skills should have their meaning deeply mitigated or removed (but as usual I remain open to discussing the topic). In my current view a level 1 offer does the most while changing the least and I am a great supporter of iterative changes so I lean this way, the whole 80/20 rule.
I haven't sat down and really worked the numbers at first blush the points you make about slot layout seem to track.
Quote:Basic frames should get a 5%/level bonus to BASE armor and shield HPs (i.e. it wouldnGÇÖt modify additional extenders & plates). This gives newer players more survivability (which is critical). It also allows for new players to experiment with different weapon combinations early on, as the bonuses arenGÇÖt tied to a specific weapon profile. The prices on these should also be decreased significantly.
This I found particularly interesting. I have long been of the a mind that the basic frame suits needed some kind of value beyond "what you use until you can unlock the role suits" this idea may very well provide that. At bear minimum I think it is a great place to start looking for possibilities, and if it helps the NPE into the bargain so much the better, that's win-win.
Academy Mode - This would likely require a client patch and thus is something I wouldn't focus on right now/until patches become a thing for Dust. That having been said a two tiered experience does offer some appeal, but honestly I'm not inclined to try and define this too heavily without being able to see our current game state when/if it actually becomes something we can discuss.
New Player Channel - This is something the CPM is actively discussing, but last I heard there were some resource/tech issues due to how the Dust Mercs lack of 'location' interact with TQ. Honestly the explanation was a bit esoteric to me so I doubt I have all the details. The summation is that while I would very much like this feature, I doubt it's something we'll be able to see any time soon.
Okay it is very early in the morning for me and I'm doing the "what is sleep" thing again so apologies if I've missed something or if some bit of what I've said doesn't make sense.
As ever I am open to further conversation, and thanks for spending the time to write this up
Cheers,
Cross
See a cool idea thread? Mail me the title and I'll take a look =)
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