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[Paul Inouye]

Weapon Updates and News

We have some Clan weapon information for you all as well as some updates to IS weapons too!

Gauss Rifles

The Gauss Rifle will operate as is but only 2 Gauss Rifles can be charged at one time. For example, the Dire Wolf 'Mech can theoretically equip 4 Gauss Rifles. This would be VERY nasty on the battlefield since Gauss Rifles do not generate heat and can sync their charges all at the same time. Due to the amount of energy it takes to charge a Gauss Rifle, any given 'Mech can only charge and sustain 2 Gauss Rifles at any one time. If you put all 4 Gauss Rifles on the same weapon group and hit and hold the key, you will see that only 2 of them will charge. If you do not fire them, the two charged weapons will discharge and the other two Gauss Rifles will instantly start charging. If you do fire the first two Gauss Rifles, you can start charging the other two immediately. Basically this translates to only being able to fire 2 Gauss Rifles at the same time. This mechanic will also be carried over to the Inner Sphere version of the Gauss Rifle.

The Clan ER-PPC

The Clan ER-PPC will be spreading its damage across multiple components. As you may know, the Clan ER-PPC does 15 damage compared to the IS PPC doing 10. The extra 5 damage will be split to 2 adjacent components at 2.5 damage each. For example, if you hit a 'Mech with the Clan ER-PPC in the center torso, 10 damage will be applied to the center torso and 2.5 damage will arc to the left and right torso. If you hit a component that does not have an adjacent component, the 2.5 damage will dissipate into nothing. An example of this is if the Clan ER-PPC hits an arm, 10 points of damage will be applied to the arm and 2.5 damage to that side's torso. The other 2.5 damage will be negated so total damage done on the shot is 12.5. Now it is understood that this has been a requested feature for the IS PPC for a long time, but this mechanic was needed to help curb the sheer OP power of the Clan ER-PPC to help us keep Clan tech somewhat in-line with the IS tech already in the game. When Clans go live, the IS PPC will behave as it does now with no changes. We will continue to watch what is happening on the battlefield and will make adjustments as needed afterwards.

The Clan LBX Cluster vs Slug Ammunition Selection

As mentioned in the last Dev Vlog, we ran into an issue with the ability to swap ammunition types on the fly while playing the game. This has not changed. For the time being, we have created a one off weapon type that has the exact same characteristics as the LB-X in terms of weight and space requirements but fire slugs with the same characteristics of the Clan Ultra AutoCannon counterparts. For example, the Clan LB 2-X will fire a cluster round totalling 2 damage. The Clan AutoCannon/2 will fire a 2 round volley with each slug doing 1 damage for a total of 2 damage. Players will have to make the choice as to which weapon to equip to their Clan 'Mechs according to the firing style they wish to use. The space and weight of the Clan AutoCannon/2 is the same as the Clan LB 2-X. The range, firing mechanics, damage, etc. are the same as the Clan Ultra AutoCannon/2 (minus the double tap ability). These "Clan AutoCannon/#" weapons will remain in the game until such time that we can get the ammunition switching working.

Clan LRM Minimum Range

Clan LRMs are supposed to not have a minimum range to do damage. Unfortunately we have not had the time to get this fully working for the Clan launch. During the development of this feature, to be released shortly after the Clan launch, we will have the same minimum range as the Inner Sphere LRMs of 180 meters. We apologize for not getting this in on time for the Clan launch but it is not something we are going to forget about. Engineering has the design in their hands and they will start working on it as soon as possible which will likely show up in the first patch after Clan launch. Just to keep you in the loop as to what will be happening, so you're not left in the dark, Clan LRMs will have ramping damage in the 0-180 meter range. This will not be a linear ramp (i.e. damage will not be 1/2 at 90 meters). In order for damage to climb to normal levels, it will slowly climb in the 0-100 meter range and then quickly ramp up in damage from 100-180 meters. Exact numbers will be released as the system goes into testing.

As per usual, feedback can go here. Thanks!