1 reply to this topic

[tenderloving]

The current heat scale is an unfortunate departure from the interesting system set up in battletech. An important tactical/strategic aspect of the game is currently overlooked The advantages of properly managing heat and the disadvantages of poor management are very binary right now: Either your mech is operating or it's not. This is boring and silly.

Many others have pointed out that a proper heat scale would solve some of our current problems, but this isn't about that.

If you could implement your own heat scale. What would it look like? It doesn't need to be perfectly balanced, but what effects would you like to see?

Here's mine. I imagine a system where the designers are extremely concerned about the disastrous effects of overheating and damaging such an expensive piece of equipment. They built in a lot of systems to prevent the pilot from killing himself and destroying the mech, while allowing the pilot to manually overide the safety systems when he feels it necessary:


Manual Override: The following systems can be overridden at any time for a period of 5 seconds by pressing the Override key. During override none of the positive benefits of the heat conservation system are available.
0-25%: No effect. +0% Dissipation Rate.

26-100% (Heat conservation systems kick in): Mech movement speed reduced by 1% for every 5% of heat, for a total of 15% reduced speed at 100% This includes torso and ground movement. +1% Bonus Dissipation Rate for every 1% speed reduction, for a maximum of 15% at 100% heat.

50%-100% (Heat Warning): When the player crosses 50% heat, a warning notice or chime is given by the computer. Weapon cooldowns begin to automatically increase by 1% per every 1% of heat, for a total of 50% reduced firing rate at 100%. +0% Bonus Dissipation Rate.

75%-100% (Dangerous Heat Levels): The computer flashes the HUD to alert the pilot. The flashing gets more intense as heat levels climb. +0% Bonus Dissipation Rate
90%-100%(Critical Heat): Non-engine heat sinks begin operating above tolerances, taking damage over time and generating 120% of their normal dissipation. A random heat sink will be struck for 1 point of damage every second. Heat sinks cannot be destroyed by this damage, but will instead drop their effectiveness once they reach 1 health. +20% Bonus Dissipation Rate

100-110% (Unsustainable Heat): The mech's computer shuts down all heat generating systems to protect the pilot. The heat sinks operate at 150% efficiency total until the mech reaches 80% heat. Heat sinks continue to take damage and can be destroyed by this damage for an instant heat loss of 5%. If there are no remaining heat sinks, a random component will take one damage per second until heat levels drop to 90%. Total Dissipation rate 150%.

110%+ If the pilot performs an action that takes the mech above 110% heat, there is a high chance of catastrophic engine failure as well as fatal cockpit conditions. The computer attempts to save the pilot if at all possible, even if it results in the loss of the engine. It will first attempt to sacrifice heatsinks, but if none remain it will be forced to allow the engine to take damage. --This action cannot be overridden and will eventually result in the destruction of the mech.

[Mechteric]

I think the max running speed should be affected by high heat, probably not until past around 66% or so though. Other than that the only other thing I would have done is make it so even if you don't override the auto-shutdown at 100% that you still take damage until you drop below 100% while you are shutdown (rather than only taking that damage if you override while over 100%).