I was thinking something along the same lines for single player. Right now, every mechwarrior gets the same amount of XP for the mission. I think it would be 'great' if the overall base XP is reduced, but then give bonus XP for things like:
- Damage done while sensor locked (xp to the sensor locking pilot)
- Top damage done
- Top components destroyed
- Hit percentage over 75% / 90%
- 3+ mech kills
- 3+ turret/vehicle kills
- Recovery mech (i.e. the mech that steps into the recovery area and survives gets a bonus)
- Knockdown of opponent mech
- Destroy cockpit of opponent mech
- Successful melee attack
- Highest damage ratio (dmg taken / dmg dealt)
- Highest hit defense (i.e. the pilot that had the lowest hit percentage against it, not necessarily the one that got hit the least)
I'm sure there are a bunch of other things that folks can think of...
Another alternative would be to reduce the XP / skill point but grant skill-locked XP for certain actions:
- Guts XP for shooting ballistics in consecutive turns, running above 90%+ overheat threshold, taking injuries
- Piloting XP for getting shot at and having evasion chevrons removed, successful melee attacks, generating evasive chevrons
- Gunnery XP for hitting targets, getting critical hits, using gunnery abilities, making successful called shots
- Tactics XP for indirect fire, sensor locking, firing on sensor locked opponents, manipulating the initiative order (i.e. using morale abilities, knocking down opponents, etc)
- General XP for completing mission objectives
The general XP could be used on any skill, but skill locked XP would only work on the given skill. I'm torn between whether it should automatically increase the skill level or not. If it does, then the skill-based abilities would something that would NOT automatically get selected at skill point increase. So for example, if you automatically apply gunnery XP and it takes you up to level 5, you don't automatically select multi-shot...but you also won't go up to level 6 unless multi-shot is no longer an option. So you could hit level 5 in gunnery, hang out there until tactics and piloting hit 5, select evasive move and sensor lock, and then gunnery would be able to progress to 6 since multi-shot is not a selectable skill anymore. Or you could select multi-shot and keep going...but the ability selection wouldn't be automatic.
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