Enter Artemis IV.
Today we got a new toy. Artemis allows missile flight paths to loop up and over ANY cover that isnt capped on top. Since there is very little cover that is capped on top, we'll just say that Artemis renders cover useless. Artemis Also groups the missiles very very........VERY tightly. So much so that the missiles have a tendency to hit just one or two components on the target mech. Like, I dunno, say, the COCKPIT??? Artemis also tends to drop directly on top of the target in an extremely rapid fashion, rendering AMS completely impotent. Even geoups of 4-6 AMS have nearly no effect on the damage done or time-to-kill (this was tested over a series of matches using tightly grouped Atlas-Ks ). So, that said let's take a quick inventory. LRMs have a handy downside in that with smart maneuvering any pilot can avoid being hit by them by using cover, AMS, and by taking advantage of the longer TTK (as compared to direct fire weapons) to close within the minimum effective range. Artemis eliminates ALL of the existing downsides or "counters" to LRMs listed above.
So I say again. I must come to you with humility and embarrassment and admit to you all with a heartfelt apology that now...(only now) are LRMs over-powered. When I played today and tested the new features against my current builds I was shocked and horrified. Members of my own team were using these things to decimate the enemy team so effectively that the LRM boats on both sides were the only mechs with kills. This weapon has utterly shattered the balance of LRMs so thoroughly that I am at a complete loss as to what to do. I have spent hours playing and trying to discover a way to counter this and i am completely empty handed. I have been made a fool of and it does not feel good.
So this thread is here for three reasons: to apologize, to make a point about the balance of these weapons, and to ask for the input the community. Let's get constructive. How can we counter Artemis assisted LRM boats? What strategies and loadouts have you used with any success against them?
Ground rules: don't say AMS, because I tried that. It worked against the old LRMs but not against these. And don't say ECM because we can't use that yet.
Thanks for reading.
Edited by Memory, 06 November 2012 - 06:09 PM.