Metal Gear Solid 5 Offers Base Insurance via Microtransactions

Konami has detailed the latest update for Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, which includes Event Forward Operating Base (FOB) missions, new equipment, and the new option to spend real money to insure in-game bases.

The update is scheduled for release on October 6 and is largely focused on FOB missions. The new Event FOB missions let players invade another person's FOB without the risk of retaliation, so you can steal materials and abduct staff without worrying about invaded by your victim later.

FOB Insurance, meanwhile, compensates you for any materials and staff lost when another player infiltrates (outside of the FOB Event missions). Insurance can be purchased with Mother Base Coins, which can be acquired using real world money. The details of the FOB Insurance and other new additions to the game, as written by Konami, can be found below:

FOB Insurance

• Your FOBs are always at risk of coming under attack. Now, you can rest easy with FOB insurance (paid service). If you sign up for insurance, then during the insurance period you will be compensated for any materials and staff lost due to rival infiltrations.
• Staff/materials stolen by the rival will in fact remain on your base, and an identical amount of staff/materials will be handed over to the rival instead.
• MB Coins are purchased with real money, but free MB Coins are also distributed periodically as login bonuses, etc.
• The following are not covered by FOB insurance: Staff/items that are not fully your property, such as abducted staff being held in your Brig (FOB), Wounded staff (staff lost due to death or extraction will be compensated), Staff used by you to deploy in defense of the FOB (neither death nor extraction will be compensated), Nuclear weapons.

New Combat Deployment

• Get ready for a broader, more varied range of missions available in Combat Deployment (Online). The rewards will diversify to match! Some missions may reward you with extremely high-rank soldiers, and others may provide rare medicinal plants such as Haoma and Digitalis (Lutea).
• Additionally, the time it takes your units complete their mission can be shortened using MB Coins.
• MB Coins are purchased with real money, but free MB Coins are also distributed periodically as login bonuses, etc.
• Deployment time can only be shortened in Combat Deployment (Online) missions. Normal offline missions cannot be shortened.

New Equipment Grade

• New weapons and items are on the way, to give you that added edge in missions. Additionally, where the highest possible grade of equipment was previously Grade 6 (★6), following the update you will have access to development projects of Grade 7 (★7).
• The following are just a few of the new weapons on offer: S1000 Air-S is a Grade 7 pump-action non-lethal shotgun sends enemies flying at close range, with enough power to knock an enemy out cold with a single hit. Arming your FOB security guards with this will give greater punch to your FOB defenses. The Hail MGR-4 is a Grade 7 magazine-fed grenade launcher. Using a drum magazine gives this upgraded weapon a much higher ammo capacity. This is an ideal choice for quick tactical decisions during a firefight; use it to suppress (or take out!) multiple enemies with quick blasts over a large area, or punish enemies hiding in cover.

  A versatile launcher that can be used for assault, diversions, or FOB defenses. The AM MRS-71 Rifle upgraded to Grade 7, this 7.62mm semi-automatic sniper rifle provides greater power and accuracy than before. An additional option slot provides extra customisability, so any user can adapt the weapon to a range of scenarios. Equipping your FOB security guards with this is a surefire way to send invaders back with their tail between their legs.

Night Vision

• If you avoid being spotted by enemies, and refrain from killing/extracting staff and damaging/extracting containers and equipment, you can now play all the way through an FOB infiltration without the rival player being notified.

FOB Expansion

• Constructing new platforms for your FOBs takes a long time, but now you can use MB Coins (paid service) to purchase time reduction and speed things up! The more platforms on your FOB, the more difficult it will be for a rival to infiltrate unseen. MB Coins are purchased with real money, but free MB Coins are also distributed periodically as login bonuses, etc.

On-Screen UI Improvements

• Following the update, there will be certain improvements to the way data is displayed on menus such as the Controls and Results screens; for example, detailed breakdowns of espionage points earned or damage suffered due to your FOB being infiltrated. Look forward to a tighter, more refined FOB Mission experience.

GMP and Material Limits Increased

• Following this update, the maximum amounts of GMP and materials you can possess will be much higher than before, as additional amounts can now be stored online by the server. You will need to be online to make use of GMP or materials amounts that exceed the local limit (the limit when playing offline). While offline, you will not be able to make use of GMP or materials stored on the server.

Other Changes

• Improvements have also been made to other elements, including PF Rating, which indicates the strength of your Mother Base, and sort functions on the mission deployment prep screen. Also, for auto-assigning staff to units, an option for prioritising the Security Team has been added, to make FOB Missions even easier to enjoy. Various balance adjustments and bug fixes have been implemented as well.

Metal Gear Online is expected to go live worldwide on Tuesday, bringing player-versus-player online multiplayer to the game. GameSpot recently spent some time with the mode and has offered its impressions. Is Metal Gear Online worth your time? Read our piece and find out.