A short time ago, at a computer terminal far, far, away, Jack Mamais wrote:
>Salvage works this way: > Your patrons, be they Draconis Combine, Comstar or whoever collects all >the salvage that is taken during a particular mission. They then >distribute it too you as they see fit. What does this mean to you? >Simple, the salvage is predetermined by the Designer (In this case Dustin >Browder) and then the computer randomly determines what you get depending >on the terms in the contract. What you kill does have an affect on you >because you get additional money for each enemy you vanquish, but it has >no effect on salvage. > >Hope this helps... >Jack Mamais >Director >Mechwarrior 2: Mercenaries
Hi Jack, thanks for the clarification. I'd just like to offer the opinion that this was a poor design choice, and creates a frustrating, if not futile and impotent, experience for the player.
You've pointed out that the salvage depends on (a) the mission designer, (b) the contract, and (c) randomness. The player does not have ANY control whatsoever over any of these conditions, so you are therefore saying that the player has NO CONTROL over the salvage. _None_, none whatsoever.
First, I have to point out that in this case, what the player is receiving is not salvage, at all, but just another "payment" for the mission. Salvage, by definition, depends on what's left on the battlefield, but you've said that it's not dependent on that at all. So I would argue that the advertisement claiming that Mercenaries implements a salvage system is patently false.
Second and more importantly, when a player is unable to control his rewards - when the outcome is wholly unrelated to his actions - it just plain isn't any fun. That's what a game is all about, isn't it? If, no matter what the player does in a mission, he always receives the pre-determined salvage - or, worse, the result is always a "luck of the draw" - there's no incentive to perform well in the mission. There's no challenge. There's no reason to play the game at all. You _do_ want people to want to play your games, I hope?
If nothing the player does affects the salvage, then there's no skill involved. If there's no skill involved, then it's not truly a game, is it?
It's like rolling a die. Sometimes you get a six, but how long are you going to keep doing it, if you can't affect the outcome?
I hope some of this gets across to you, and that you understand why this is so unsatisfactory to myself and many others. I can't help but point out that it's _only_ Activision's fault that we expected such a player-determined salvage system. Mechwarrior I, also released by Activision, showed us it was possible, and that it _worked_, and that it was very, very satisfying to a player. Honestly, how could we expect _anything less_ from Activision this time around?
Sincerely, Will Day
P.S. It occurs to me to ask, did any of the Mercenaries staff ever actually play Mechwarrior I? If not, that would explain a lot.
(cc: jmamais@activision.com, comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action, rec.games.mecha, alt.games.mechwarrior2)
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Will Day