Author Topic: Upcoming Releases Volume XIII: Unlucky Release Edition  (Read 198347 times)

ColBosch

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Re: New and Upcoming Releases Volume XIII: Unlucky Release Edition
« Reply #60 on: 19 July 2018, 17:55:38 »
I liked the Lance packs. 4 Mechs for I think it was $25. It's a pretty good price.

I've bought them all, and multiples of several. They're fantastic.
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Re: New and Upcoming Releases Volume XIII: Unlucky Release Edition
« Reply #61 on: 19 July 2018, 18:07:11 »
I liked the Lance packs. 4 Mechs for I think it was $25. It's a pretty good price.

I don't think the issue with lance packs was that they weren't good. I think the issue was a production (rate/cost/something) vs. sales velocity mismatch.

The new minis look great, and I want to get my grubby mitts on extras, but CGL has been pretty clear that there are no new lance packs in the public road map, and that they won't be commenting on anything outside that one way or the other.

SteveRestless

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Re: New and Upcoming Releases Volume XIII: Unlucky Release Edition
« Reply #62 on: 19 July 2018, 18:58:23 »
My issue with the lance packs was just that. That they were Lance Packs. Had there been Star Packs, or even packs of four clan mechs, I don't actually care if there's 5 or not, I'd have been all over a way of affordably inflating my clan miniatures collection. Still would be.
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ActionButler

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Re: New and Upcoming Releases Volume XIII: Unlucky Release Edition
« Reply #63 on: 19 July 2018, 19:22:37 »
I’m going to posit that, had the Lance Packs included the exceplent new sculpts that we are getting in the new boxes, especially the new Unseen sculpts, CGL wouldnt have been able to restock them fast enough.

Same with Star Packs of the REVIVAL omnimechs. 

I loved the sets that we did get, they were an excellent value, but there is no denying the orginal core Inner Sphere and Clan machines have a certain amount of gravity to them that a Grasshopper or a Charger do not.
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ColBosch

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Re: New and Upcoming Releases Volume XIII: Unlucky Release Edition
« Reply #64 on: 19 July 2018, 19:30:41 »
I agree with both of you. I want to see more of the Classics and the original Clan OmniMechs in plastic sets. I'm actually selling most of my metal pieces - keeping only those I've already finished and a couple of rarities - but I would very happily replace them with plastic.
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Joewrightgm

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Re: New and Upcoming Releases Volume XIII: Unlucky Release Edition
« Reply #65 on: 19 July 2018, 20:07:55 »
Honestly, if ever there was a case for multi-part plastic mechs, it’d be the revival omnis.

I know Battletech isn’t a WYSIWYG game, but having one or two variations plus the prime would be soo cool.

Fear Factory

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Re: New and Upcoming Releases Volume XIII: Unlucky Release Edition
« Reply #66 on: 19 July 2018, 21:30:10 »
I’m going to posit that, had the Lance Packs included the exceplent new sculpts that we are getting in the new boxes, especially the new Unseen sculpts, CGL wouldnt have been able to restock them fast enough.

Same with Star Packs of the REVIVAL omnimechs. 

I loved the sets that we did get, they were an excellent value, but there is no denying the orginal core Inner Sphere and Clan machines have a certain amount of gravity to them that a Grasshopper or a Charger do not.

I agree with both of you. I want to see more of the Classics and the original Clan OmniMechs in plastic sets. I'm actually selling most of my metal pieces - keeping only those I've already finished and a couple of rarities - but I would very happily replace them with plastic.

Oh man...  plastic sets of the Original/Classic 3050 Omnis, the 24 4th edition 'mechs, and 14 3rd edition 'mechs, THAT's what I would go for.  I would also thrown in the other missed classics next to the 3rd editon minis (OST's, Scorpion and Goliath, Valkyrie).
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pheonixstorm

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Re: New and Upcoming Releases Volume XIII: Unlucky Release Edition
« Reply #67 on: 19 July 2018, 21:58:38 »
The price on lance packs started at $19.99 then dropped to 9.99 and finally settled on 14.99 on the Catalyst store.

If done right, with perhaps only one repeat, they could be a viable product if you use the remaining classics. Also a good way to capitalize on any other new redesigns done to the 3039 mechs before IWM starts their own run on the designs.

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Re: New and Upcoming Releases Volume XIII: Unlucky Release Edition
« Reply #68 on: 19 July 2018, 23:23:03 »
They need to gank MWO's art or redesign most of the mechs from the lance packs though. Harebrained Schemes BattleTech and MWO players might be willing to try it out if we weren't still running designs and poses from the 80's.
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Empyrus

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Re: New and Upcoming Releases Volume XIII: Unlucky Release Edition
« Reply #69 on: 20 July 2018, 00:47:47 »
MWO 'Mechs won't happen due to licensing issues, as technically those 'Mechs are ultimately Microsoft's as they own digital BattleTech IP. Or, well, unlikely to happen anyway. Besides, why would they use MWO 'Mechs since the classics got new art?

Further lance packs will depend on how well the new box set sells, undoubtedly. And if it does sell well, then the likely contents for the lance packs are "more of box set 'Mechs" and "missing classics" (now that the lawsuit's over), of which there are several, at first anyway. EDIT There are 7-10 missing classics, depending if you count Osts or not (do remember Ostscout got new art and mini), more if the Goliath and Scorpion are added to mix. Mix the missing classics and box set minis with about two and two ratio and you can create quite a variety of lance packs.
Plus since the Commando, Awesome and Catapult got new minis, very distinct from MWO's models, other TRO3039 'Mechs getting new sculpts in the future isn't impossible. Provided the box set sells well and lance packs would contain more than the missing classics.

Of course, lance packs might not be on table even if the box sets sell well. Would 'Mech-only "expansions" sell well? Perhaps some other kind of thing might be more interesting products, such as small scenario packs that come with a 'Mech or two, similar to the new intro box? A map, a 'Mech or two, some fiction, some scenarios and appropriate rules.
Of course such things would likely make only one sale per customer, i know i'm not terribly keen on idea of having multiple copies of same non-miniature material, whereas multiple lance packs are just fine. On the other hand, a new 'Mech miniature would be nice incentive for getting a scenario pack.

But then again, this all depends on how well the box set does.
« Last Edit: 20 July 2018, 00:52:06 by Empyrus »

captnmartin

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Re: New and Upcoming Releases Volume XIII: Unlucky Release Edition
« Reply #70 on: 20 July 2018, 02:05:03 »
Besides, why would they use MWO 'Mechs since the classics got new art?

Playerbase size?  Even getting 1/2 a percent of MWO's playerbase interested in tabletop would be a pretty sizeable victory for the board game.  I think the classics getting new minis is a good start, but an image overhaul to be closer in line with MWO's designs would be well received (and I'm spitballing) by 90% of the current community with a bonus of attracting new players as well.
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Re: New and Upcoming Releases Volume XIII: Unlucky Release Edition
« Reply #71 on: 20 July 2018, 02:56:41 »
I'm not a miniatures guy to begin with, but I have to say no single MWO 'Mech redesign looks as good to me as the FASA/Ral Partha/IWM/CGL minis. A few are okay, most are passable, some are meh or outright atrocious. My main complaint is that I find it surprisingly difficult to tell them apart sometimes. The CGL redesigns look much better in this respect.

Why not introduce the MWO players to the "real" look?
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captnmartin

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Re: New and Upcoming Releases Volume XIII: Unlucky Release Edition
« Reply #72 on: 20 July 2018, 05:53:15 »
I have to say no single MWO 'Mech redesign looks as good to me as the FASA/Ral Partha/IWM/CGL minis.
Why not introduce the MWO players to the "real" look?

My opinion differs from yours regarding the MWO designs vs the old IWM sculpts.  And as for 'real' look, MWO has already proven its popularity.  With the HBS BT game, the designs are getting more exposure, and a lot of acclaim as well.  The number one complaint I hear from people I convince to play battletech on tabletop with me (ok, no2 after 'why is there no app to make the calculations easier')  is that the old sculpts just are not exciting or good looking.

But that's all opinions.
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Re: New and Upcoming Releases Volume XIII: Unlucky Release Edition
« Reply #73 on: 20 July 2018, 06:36:54 »
I'll believe it when the Classic Marauder and Warhammer are released.

Then again, I'd be happy with Touring the Stars or something.  We need get this dry period over, i'm not counting the box sets being part end of it.  Universe solidly stuck right now.
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abou

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Re: New and Upcoming Releases Volume XIII: Unlucky Release Edition
« Reply #74 on: 20 July 2018, 07:46:30 »
I'm just going to put this out there and say it:

We need to stop talking about redesigning 50+ 'mechs just because they are "showing their age". The financial investment for such a small company like CGL puts it close to the realm of at least implausible. Then you add in the cost of sculpting so many new miniatures. THEN if you want plastic the setup costs for even creating injection moldings would be insane -- not mention what that would do to your relationship with IWM.

We can't get the MWO art due to licensing and I wouldn't even want them. I grew up with 'mecha and am only 33: the MWO art is beginning to look all the same to me. Yes, I can identify them quickly, but after playing the BattleTech PC game my brain was as tired of looking at those 'mech as it was of the gameplay.

The clean lines and individuality of the original versions is stronger than a lot of us give them credit for: and not just for retro charm. Even when 'mechs are based off of another, we can tell that there might be inspiration, but also tell them apart (eg. the Marauder family). The MWO versions get into the realm -- thought not nearly as bad as -- the Bay Transformers. If it wasn't for the fact that some of the Autobots had different colors, reliable identification would be impossible.

No one is out there saying redesign X-Wings and Star Destroyers. And while that may be due to the religious-like zeal of Star Wars fans, there is something to be said about designs that have lasted so long. BattleTech has been around for almost 34 years and that certainly says something. The lack of a box set and product support is more of a survivability concern than old drawings. And well-painted miniatures go further for promoting a game than anything else.

A similar comparison is how he old Ral Partha D&D minis are a joy to paint compared to the overly busy newer fantasy miniatures. Details don't mean anything if the whole mini is just details.

klarg1

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Re: New and Upcoming Releases Volume XIII: Unlucky Release Edition
« Reply #75 on: 20 July 2018, 07:49:45 »
The price on lance packs started at $19.99 then dropped to 9.99 and finally settled on 14.99 on the Catalyst store.

If done right, with perhaps only one repeat, they could be a viable product if you use the remaining classics. Also a good way to capitalize on any other new redesigns done to the 3039 mechs before IWM starts their own run on the designs.

I'm not sure what you're saying on price. Is it that $19.99 was good, or a little too high?

I have to assume that $19.99 was the "regular BT profit margin" price, while $9.99 was the "Why are these still in the warehouse!?" price.

Any new pack would presumably have to be sold at something like the former price to make sense. (Meaning MSRP $20-25, but you could probably find them for ~$16-20 from an internet discount retailer)

Fear Factory

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Re: New and Upcoming Releases Volume XIII: Unlucky Release Edition
« Reply #76 on: 20 July 2018, 08:17:37 »
I'm just going to put this out there and say it:

*snip*

The best example in recent memory, as far as re-imagining designs, are the new "nuseen" (shimmering sword) AND the TRO:3050 revisions (brent evans).

BUT for the love of god, please fix the scale!  (Picture for reference.  Top is now, best being the bottom part of the picture).  MWO looks so damn silly when you see a tiny Locust running around an Atlas twice its size.  Even the new PC game.  It looks so terrible.
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Re: New and Upcoming Releases Volume XIII: Unlucky Release Edition
« Reply #77 on: 20 July 2018, 09:38:31 »
The best example in recent memory, as far as re-imagining designs, are the new "nuseen" (shimmering sword) AND the TRO:3050 revisions (brent evans).

BUT for the love of god, please fix the scale!  (Picture for reference.  Top is now, best being the bottom part of the picture).  MWO looks so damn silly when you see a tiny Locust running around an Atlas twice its size.  Even the new PC game.  It looks so terrible.

This is funny because most lights used to be even smaller. I actually prefer small lights. If you make them too big it's a drastic decrease in their survivability. Because you know.... real time FPS and all that.
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Re: New and Upcoming Releases Volume XIII: Unlucky Release Edition
« Reply #78 on: 20 July 2018, 10:20:56 »
This is funny because most lights used to be even smaller. I actually prefer small lights. If you make them too big it's a drastic decrease in their survivability. Because you know.... real time FPS and all that.

Any more smaller and the light mech mechwarrior is going to be tinier than a protomech pilot.
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Re: New and Upcoming Releases Volume XIII: Unlucky Release Edition
« Reply #79 on: 20 July 2018, 10:58:08 »
This is funny because most lights used to be even smaller. I actually prefer small lights. If you make them too big it's a drastic decrease in their survivability. Because you know.... real time FPS and all that.

This is funny, it's the same argument as "what works for the board game won't work for the computer game."  Flip the arguement, and keep the MWO asthetic out of my board game.  Really small lights look terrible.
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Re: New and Upcoming Releases Volume XIII: Unlucky Release Edition
« Reply #80 on: 20 July 2018, 11:19:53 »
Side note:  ANY chance TRO Sucession Wars will get a reprint with the rest of the classics added in?
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Kitsune413

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Re: New and Upcoming Releases Volume XIII: Unlucky Release Edition
« Reply #81 on: 20 July 2018, 11:45:00 »
The Catalyst redesigns of the old mechs look great. Obviously they should use those for minis.

I was referring to things like... Jagermechs and Jenners.
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Re: New and Upcoming Releases Volume XIII: Unlucky Release Edition
« Reply #82 on: 20 July 2018, 11:59:05 »
This is funny, it's the same argument as "what works for the board game won't work for the computer game."  Flip the arguement, and keep the MWO asthetic out of my board game.  Really small lights look terrible.

For TT it's purely subjective and doesn't really matter.  I'm pointing out there's gameplay reasons lights are small in a real time shooter. It's not an arbitrary decision to make them comparatively small vs TT.
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Re: New and Upcoming Releases Volume XIII: Unlucky Release Edition
« Reply #83 on: 20 July 2018, 12:07:51 »
lights are one of the more consistent scale-wise, 20 tonners especially. like everything else there are some oddballs like the Hermes and Stiletto.

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Re: New and Upcoming Releases Volume XIII: Unlucky Release Edition
« Reply #84 on: 20 July 2018, 12:14:11 »
I'm not sure what you're saying on price. Is it that $19.99 was good, or a little too high?

I have to assume that $19.99 was the "regular BT profit margin" price, while $9.99 was the "Why are these still in the warehouse!?" price.

Any new pack would presumably have to be sold at something like the former price to make sense. (Meaning MSRP $20-25, but you could probably find them for ~$16-20 from an internet discount retailer)

I think it's that $20 was good.

And I'd love to see TRO:IrregularTech before a new printing of TRO:Succession Wars. I've already got all those 'Mechs. ;)
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Re: New and Upcoming Releases Volume XIII: Unlucky Release Edition
« Reply #85 on: 20 July 2018, 12:57:21 »
Also I'd argue that having five times more mass than something else would make you bigger than that thing.
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captnmartin

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Re: New and Upcoming Releases Volume XIII: Unlucky Release Edition
« Reply #86 on: 20 July 2018, 13:26:11 »
We need to stop talking about redesigning 50+ 'mechs just because they are "showing their age".

That's called stagnation.  Again, you are of course welcome to your opinion, but in my experience, players do not like the old late 80s early 90s aesthetic of some of these designs.  If they perceive something to not be 'cool' then they are less inclined to purchase or spend money on the product.  There's some value in nostalgia of course, but that doesn't open the hobby/game up to new people, it just plays off the emotional connection current players have to earlier times and memories of the game.

There's also been shouts of "No licenses, Microsoft, contracts" every time MWO designs are brought up, by what is really known?  A solid business case for revisiting the deals to allow for MWO production minis might not be the worst idea in the world.  Why not investigate that avenue?  If there is a demand for it, (which would make for a neat poll) why not see if the roadblocks are as concrete as some here believe them to be?  The old sculpts from RP IWM will still exist, so what's the harm?  The tabletop game allows you to play with coins if you want, so it's not going to intrude on anyone's fun, or tell a sect of players "Your fun is wrong, nufun is the only way to go!"
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Re: New and Upcoming Releases Volume XIII: Unlucky Release Edition
« Reply #87 on: 20 July 2018, 13:27:40 »
I have a question about a possible new publication format.

What about publishing sourcebooks as to the Historicals, Era Reports or Hot Spots just as text (without stylish design and no illustrations)?
I would like to have many sourcebooks for my Kindle e-book reader (or for Smartphone readers) and such a simple format would be very suitable for this.
You could offer these variants for a lower price than the *full* publications and so increase the audience.
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Re: New and Upcoming Releases Volume XIII: Unlucky Release Edition
« Reply #88 on: 20 July 2018, 13:37:01 »
I have a question about a possible new publication format.

What about publishing sourcebooks as to the Historicals, Era Reports or Hot Spots just as text (without stylish design and no illustrations)?
I would like to have many sourcebooks for my Kindle e-book reader (or for Smartphone readers) and such a simple format would be very suitable for this.
You could offer these variants for a lower price than the *full* publications and so increase the audience.

Which Kindle do you have?  B/c mine has those SBs as PDF docs.
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Re: New and Upcoming Releases Volume XIII: Unlucky Release Edition
« Reply #89 on: 20 July 2018, 13:37:19 »
I have a question about a possible new publication format.

What about publishing sourcebooks as to the Historicals, Era Reports or Hot Spots just as text (without stylish design and no illustrations)?
I would like to have many sourcebooks for my Kindle e-book reader (or for Smartphone readers) and such a simple format would be very suitable for this.
You could offer these variants for a lower price than the *full* publications and so increase the audience.

I, for one, could not read those without the fancy art styles or illustrations. If you can, good job. I am a very visual person who likes art.

 

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