1 reply to this topic

[Sephlock]

TL DR version: Could the balance issues be solved, at least in part, if we had game modes that rewarded versatility and/or role warfare over DPS?

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Bottom line, people are incentivized to value DPS over, say... versatility.

That's what is at the root of what people are noticing when they say (after something gets nerfed) that others will just "move on to the next FOTM". There is some truth to that statement, but people aren't doing that solely out of a desire to be the munchiest of all munchkins.

Yes, you CAN make a versatile build, but go too far in that direction and you'll find yourself getting whupped at all ranges. On the other hand, if you boat heavily, you may be boned in certain situations, but will tend to wreck face in the situations you've designed for (mg/flamer boats aside), and be quite formidable in most others a good chunk of the time*.

Now, I'm not trying to say "LOL ITS ALL THE DEV'S FAULT THEY AREN'T EVEN FOCUSING ON THE RIGHT THING", I'm just wondering if maybe all of this tweaking might ultimately be futile, since the end results are likely to end up being either:

1: Unsatisfactory, since the basic differences between the weapon types guarantee that some are going to be better than others, either in terms of versatility or ease of use.

2: Unsatisfactory, due to the weapons becoming so similar in terms of versatility and/or ease of use that they all become bland and samey.

I guess part of it may be map design, but only to the extent that map design should (IMHO) be at least somewhat intertwined with game mode design.


*This has become less true over time, especially with the nerfs to missiles, but again, all that has really done is force those people to boat other things because the basic incentive to boat is still there. Even the proposed heat penalty for carrying multiple weapons seems like a band aid at best, because the basic problem is the strong incentive to carry more homogenous dakka.

In fact, if you think about it, what would a heat penalty really DO? At most it would necessitate switching between weapon groups (ala MechWarrior 2) or buying a four button mouse. People would still play the same way and design their mechs in the same basic way, just with 1 or 2 less SRM6s in favor of an MLAS or 2, or something along those lines. The end result wouldn't be all that different because there is no incentive to really alter one's fundamental playstyle...

[Karenai]

We have those, they are called capping. If you do it, your teammates will curse you, unless it wins the game by a hair.

You can run balanced builds. They even perform well. Only most of the time in pugs you have to bring down the other mech with no help at all. That is why people tend to go for most bang for the buck. If you don't do it. You will die on your first contact. Wich is not fun, at all.

Also altering your own fundamental playstyle is no fun, at all. In every game on this plane of existence.