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I hadn’t brought this up before, mainly because there were more free starter mechs to choose from at one point (I can’t say when. Sorry, NDA). The way it stands right now in closed beta, I’m uncomfortable with the playstyle of the Assault mech, and would really have liked to play with an A-class mech straight off the bat without using my points. I’m not certain if the developers intend to model future closed beta tests and even the open beta on this model of “here’s one class as a starter mech, enjoy”.
Psychologically-speaking, this approach also fosters greater attachment with the purchased mech, as the player will then need to stick with the mech they’ve purchased (for better or worse). Providing an empty garage gives users the option to pick the starter mech they want to play with (and experiment with and perhaps even die with), which feeds into the customisation aspect of the game. There are some players who will immediately be comfortable with the B-chassis starter, and that’s fine for them, but this puts players who favour the slow, lumbering nature of C-class mechs and the lightning-fast nature of A-class mechs at an immediate disadvantage.
As an alternative to this recommendation, please provide three starter mechs, albeit one from each class. One A-class, One B-class, and one C-class mech would favour this balanced start from the get-go, where new users will be able to immediately familiarise themselves with the behaviour of the different mech chassis and easily translate their skills into a different (purchased) mech of that chassis. The skills a person learns from playing with a C-class mech do not translate directly into playing with an A-class mech, let me tell you.
In summary: Please provide us with an empty garage and enough Hawken points to buy our very first mech from the mech shop. OR, ALTERNATIVELY: Give us access to one starter mech from each weight class.
Edited by Conquistador, October 30 2012 - 09:59 AM.
