The ProblemUnder existing code, when an operation requires a minimum skillsum, the Mekwars code is indifferent to which units have levels. So, for example, if an operation requires a minimum skillsum of 8.5 (which is two leveled mechs in a 4 mech army) the mekwars code doesn't care if the leveled units are the heaviest or lightest mechs.
The reason this is an issue is player behavior. Players quickly realize that if they have a HHMM army, it's better to level the mediums than the heavy mechs, because leveling the mediums will increase the army's BV by less than leveling the heavies. As a result, when players have the ability to choose which units they level (which I personally think is good), they tend to level only their lower BV units (which is slightly bad IMO).
Proposed SolutionSomething I strongly feel would solve the above problem is if we had a setting that
weighted the average skillsum according to base BV (e.g. "UseBVWeightedSkillsum=true").
The way this would work is Mekwars would determine the average base BV of all non-infantry units (maybe ignoring infantry units needs to be it's own setting) and then assign a
weight to each unit based on whether it's above or below that average.
For example, let's say you have an army with 4 mechs, with 1500, 1250, 1000, and 750 base BV. Here's how you'd calculate the weights:
Mech 1: 1500 base BV
Mech 2: 1250 base BV
Mech 3: 1000 base BV
Mech 4: 750 base BV
Average Base BV = 1125
Mech 1 Weight = 1500/1125 = 1.333
Mech 2 Weight = 1250/1125 = 1.111
Mech 3 Weight = 1000/1125 = 0.888
Mech 4 Weight = 750/1125 = 0.666
So now lets say you had an operation with a minimum skillsum of 8.75 (like I'm suggesting for Drop Incursions). In the old system you could have have made the 750 BV mech a 4/4 and that would qualify you for the op. But with BV-weighted skillsum that wouldn't work.
Lets do the math with a 4/4 pilot in the 750 base BV unit (Mech 4).
Mech 1 (4/5 pilot) = 1.333 * 9 = 11.997
Mech 2 (4/5 pilot) = 1.111 * 9 = 9.999
Mech 3 (4/5 pilot) = 0.888 * 9 = 7.992
Mech 4 (4/4 pilot) = 0.666 * 8 = 5.328
Total Weighted Skillsum = 35.315
Average Weighted Skillsum = 35.316 ÷ 4 mechs = 8.829 (does NOT qualify for 8.75 minimum skillsum)
By contrast, if you put the 4/4 in the 1250 mech, you get a different result:
Mech 1 (4/5 pilot) = 1.333 * 9 = 11.997
Mech 2 (4/5 pilot) = 1.111 * 8 = 8.888
Mech 3 (4/5 pilot) = 0.888 * 9 = 7.992
Mech 4 (4/4 pilot) = 0.666 * 9 = 5.994
Total Weighted Skillsum = 34.871
Average Weighted Skillsum = 34.871 ÷ 4 mechs = 8.718 (DOES qualify for 8.75 minimum skillsum)
Expected OutcomeIf the proposed solution were implemented, I would expect to see different player behavior when making level-up decisions. Whereas the current system dis-incentivizes leveling higher-BV units, if BV-Weighted Average Skillsum were used, players would probably be somewhat more willing to level higher-BV units.
Granted, players would probably still try to find ways to minimize the BV increase due to leveling (by leveling an heavy instead of an assault in a AHHM army, for example), but it would still be a step in the right direction.
Possible DownsidesA possible downside to this proposal is it would require a little more experimentation on the part of players to figure out if a particular army met the minimum skillsum requirement or not.
I think this is a minor issue, however. As we've seen with the
Dynamic BV Spread System, the Mekwars interface makes it pretty easy to figure out when an army does or does not qualify through drag-and-drop trial and error.
Honest DisclosureI'm a strong proponent of player choice in leveling, but I'm also a strong proponent creating incentive structures that will encourage players to level voluntarily. Right now our system provides a pretty strong dis-incentive to level high-BV units. I think this proposal would even things out a bit.
