5 replies to this topic

[Nighthawk513]

Right now, using a tag laser means you have to hold a beam on a target (not exactly easy by itself) while also having a "HEY, I'M OVER HERE" laser beam pointing at your mech.
Wouldn't it make more sense for the Tag to be a IR laser, which would be invisible to the normal view mode but slightly visible in night vision and obvious in thermal? The user could still have a projection on the hud of the laser if they were in normal view mode though for aiming purposes, but the projection would vanish if the hud was disabled.

It would be less obvious that it was being used, but all it would take is someone to go "Hey, that friendly has a tag symbol, where is it *Switches to thermal* Hey there's a nice line, let's alpha down it." There goes a chunk of the spotter, and since there is a decent chance that spotter is a light, they might be dead instantly, or at least crippled.

As for seeing tags on LRM boats... Just follow the missile streams and flicker to thermal for a second or 2. Congrats, you found the LRM user.

[Mister Bob Dobalina]

You got my vote on that vote, especially with the Night Vision option.

[Miles McQuiston]

I have made this suggestion before. It should be in IR spectrum and this would greatly increase it's usefulness. I would like to see Arrrow IV module with countdown timer. Thus you activate module with a target tagged a countdown timer would start and at 3 seconds to impact you would TAG your target again and guide it in. The missile would hit whatever you have tagged, be it mech/specific part of mech/terrain etc. Timer could be 20 seconds. I would make it single use and deal 40 damage... 20 pinpoint to location of TAG and 10 splash within 90 meters.

In addition to this airstrike and artillery strike should not have a smoke indicator. I would replace that mechanic with a bitching Betty alert of artillery launch and enemy bombers inbound. Thus all enemy pilots would get a warning but not know where the artillery will impact. Hence greater warning to move their asses, but no knowledge of where to move. I think the system would make artillery/airstrike employment more tactical, as the enemy team should not know what area to avoid, simply that there is artillery inbound in their direction. You could even have bitching Betty call the grid square where artillery is inbound or overlay it on battle map. Oh and a smoke indicator I can "employ" at any range..... Seriously.

Edited by Miles McQuiston, 26 September 2016 - 08:30 AM.

[Nighthawk513]

@ Thomster: With the night vision mode, I was thinking it would be similar to how it is in visual now, where you can see it, but it isn't incredibly obvious. Thermal mode would show it as about the same strength as a regular laser.

@ Miles: I think we should hold off on what are almost laser designated long tom strikes right now, especially aimed ones.
And I like the way strikes are now, if they can't see the smoke they have no idea what is coming.

[Miles McQuiston]

@Nighthawk513: 20 pinpoint once a match plus some splash in ECM radius is hardly longtom level damage. Plus you have to bring TAG and you have to time it such that you are on target at 0 seconds. Otherwise you just get 10 splash in a 90 meter radius. The countdown timer alone would prevent a bunch of these from coming back to back and each mech that used it would have to spend 1 ton on TAG instead of just equipping a module. I would bet 50% of the time no pinpoint is ever dealt and it is no better than an airstrike/artystrike.

@Nighthawk513: Can't agree with you on smoke as it is counter intuitive to think you can drop smoke an indeterminate distance from your mech to identify a target to friendly artillery and aircraft. So essentially it is a hey enemy team the artillery will be landing here marker which detracts from the simulation aspect of gameplay. A warning of incoming is much better. Call it an air raid siren or a counter-battery radar system. Anything other that smoke on the ground indicating here comes artillery is better in my opinion.

They shouldn't know what is coming...... kinda the point...... Enemy should not know POI only the fact that artillery or aircraft are inbound hence bitching betty call. Enemy aircraft would be "enemy aircraft inbound" enemy artillery would be "enemy artillery incoming". You could even have artillery strikes called by your team be announced to your team. Something like "artillery D3" letting your team know stay out of a particular area, essentially warning you when your team has mistakingly called artillery in an area where "danger close" applies.

Anyhow thanks for suggesting the invisible TAG as it would improve gameplay. I just tacked on things I thought would help the simulation feel of the game and be true to the tabletop. I.E. when you use Arrow iV indirectly it tells you the number of turns before impact and in order for homing Arrow iV to hit you need the target tagged on that turn.

[Blue Pheonix]

+1 to the OP idea, the tag laser should be invisible in regular viewing mode, just like it is in real life.

As suggested, while invisible in regular viewing mode, there should be ways to see the tag laser. One way is by switching to thermal viewing mode. Another way could be an indicator on the tagged mechs hud showing tag, similar to how an indicator comes up on the hud of a narced mech.

PGI, please make the tag laser infrared/invisible in normal viewing mode.

Edited by Blue Pheonix, 27 September 2016 - 10:17 AM.