136 replies to this topic

[Der Kopfsammler]

ScrewCityChris, on 17 April 2012 - 08:22 PM, said:

This is true for all mechs but the Mad Cat. Cats hate water so canon does not allow for Mad Cats to cool in water.

Thats why people perfer naming the MadCat as TimberWolf... At least wolves like water.

[guardian wolf]

The TIMBER WOLF, is it's true name is, loves the water, and I can't wait to get my hands on one... YOU HEAR THAT PAUL?!?! It's a Timber Wolf, not a friggin' MadCat.

[SideSt3p]

I don't believe it's been confirmed either way by PGI.

I personally would think there isn't (no coolant flush in novels/TT game from what I know of). I could see it being a pilot module though that you unlock and it allows say 1-3 uses and cools your 'Mech by a % rapidly for a cost.

[Dream Seaker]

HereticTLL, on 18 April 2012 - 05:43 AM, said:

I really hope the MW2 model is followed rather than the MW3 or MW4 models.

What does that mean? No Coolant Flush.
It's a broken mechanic (it breaks the Heat System and balance between energy weapons and ballistic & Missile weapons)....the most idiotic thing I hear in MW games is "Coolant is ammo for energy weapons" a phrase that is just wrong in every detail.

'mechs are not Transformers urinating for schnits'n'giggles, Heat is the Mechwarriors worst enemy, coolant destroys this, and the idea of a "Flush" is just stupid.

As to Coolant Pods? All for them, but they are not what some of you might believe a reserve that is "flushed" away in a one-shot. The Coolant Pod is like a massive domestic refrigerator condenser, It replaces hot coolant with stored cold coolant, but it cools the hot coolant by compression, this is why a full coolant pod explodes so energetically, at no point is any coolant lost from this system, no "flush" ever occurs.

CPod coolant "flushing" is balanced as it comes with sacrifices (crit/s taken up, tonnage used and it costs, plus the detonation when hit), Free-Coolant-For-Everybody is massively unbalanced and a dumbing down of gameplay, lore and skill....not a good thing (unless you are a rabid MW4 fan and just want MW:o to be MW4 with better graphics).

I really hope that in MW:O we do not see coolant unless we have a coolant pod fitted (and that's a few years later in the time-line).

Transformers is annoying

are you suggesting, that coolant pods be attached to the mech, not flush and blow up when hit? O.o they help cool the mech constantly, and are an attachable add on, not required?

If thats what you are saying, i think i like this idea :3

[Victor Morson]

The removal of the flush coolant button (at least unless they ever include coolant pods as equipment with all their drawbacks and "burst of doubling heatsinks" instead) is one of the things I'm most excited about in MWO. What the system ultimately turned into is acting as "ammo" for extremely hot energy boats and it's one of the reasons energy designs have been, in the past few games, far far more effective than ballistic/missile designs at the upper-tier of battles, with exceptions.

If you want to run a powerful energy boat like the Awesome, you won't be able to rip off all it's heat sinks to glue into other parts of the 'mech because you actually need them now. The changes to 'mech design philosophy will be great.

Edited by Victor Morson, 18 April 2012 - 09:38 AM.

[Rear Admiral]

I think they should have coolant flush pods but only available in the real money shop.




I kid, I kid.

[HereticTLL]

Dream Seaker, on 18 April 2012 - 09:29 AM, said:

Transformers is annoying

are you suggesting, that coolant pods be attached to the mech, not flush and blow up when hit? O.o they help cool the mech constantly, and are an attachable add on, not required?

If thats what you are saying, i think i like this idea :3

They'd take up crit space based on their size (IIRC You can have standard and Heavy pods, the heavy would have a longer duration of effect or maybe faster recharge rate I'd guess), Ideally a C-Pod would be an actual model visible in a weapon slot to give your opponent something to aim for 8) But yes, they recharge,

Also it'd be interesting that the damage from a damaged pod explosion was linked to the recharge cycle of the C-Pod, so that if your pod was at the start of the recharging cycle you'd take less damage from the explosion than if it was fully charged,

They wouldn't cool the 'mech constantly unless you stacked them at the expense of firepower; For example: imagine that the C-Pod has a 5s effect on your heatsinks per charge, it then take 20s to charge before it can be used again; during the 5s of effect your single heatsinks are 200% efficient.....nicely getting you out of any heat problems. Stick 4 of these C-Pods on a 'mech and you can chain-fire them as a weapons group for constant double heat efficiency (only 1 can be active at anytime, but once the 5s effect is over the next can be chain-fired if charged).....cost is you're wearing a suicide vest!

Only downer is that C-Pods are a good few years away from our current ingame date

[Strum Wealh]

Sarna.net cites 3049 as the year in which the Federated Commonwealth starts Coolant Pod production.
The 135-K Coolant Truck has been around since 2588 (though, there is no word that I know of as to whether it would be implemented in MWO).

IMO, 'Mechs should not have anything resembling a coolant flush unless they are 1.) connected to a Coolant Truck (must remain still and near the truck) or 2.) equipped with one or more Coolant Pods (cost weight and space, are single use, and work as described in the BT sourcebooks).

[Ghost]

I object to coolant flushing on environmentalist grounds. 'Mech coolant is toxic, you know!

[Mason Ventris]

I'm a fan of the coolant flush. Gives you the opportunity to really pour it on to finish a fight or escape one(lol). That being said its not so pivotal that the game will die without it(as well as me).

Smart pilots can get around it while crappy ones will perish from "ops da mek odurheted! No moar Dakka Dakka! No Moar Pew Pew!"

[Rejarial Galatan]

trycksh0t, on 17 April 2012 - 09:59 PM, said:

I have been involved with the BattleTech Universe for roughly 20 years or so, and have never heard, read, nor seen anything that insinutated 'Mechs had built in coolant tanks that could be used to rapidly cool their 'Mechs, aside from the previously mentioned coolant pods. And, no, a 'Mech will not overheat if a player is careful. Heat up, yes. Overheating occurs because you're either panicking, not paying attention, or just don't care. There is already a system in-place for heat management, they're called heatsinks. They reduce heat over time, but some people want the instant cool-down that popped up in MW3 and MW4, which was horribly broken.

Ok TrykSh0t riddle me this. Our mechs are powered by FUSION reactors correct? Now, I may have only been playing MW2, MW2GBL, MW2 Mercs, MW3, MW3 Mercs, MW4 and MW4 Mercs AND the TCG, but, what I know of nuclear reactors REAL WORLD and would apply logic that this follows in the 31st Century. Reactors with Nuclear FUEL HAVE COOLANT SYSTEMS. If not, whats stopping them on land, on ship on submarine and yes, on a BATTLEMECH from going critical because the fuel supply by its very nature over heated because of its radioactive nature?

[Calvin Vakarian]

ScrewCityChris, on 17 April 2012 - 08:22 PM, said:

This is true for all mechs but the Mad Cat. Cats hate water so canon does not allow for Mad Cats to cool in water.

But everyone knows that the proper name of the Mad Cat is the Timber Wolf. Since everyone also knows that wolfs do not hate water then they should obviously be allowed to cool down in water.

EDIT: Curses! I got nija'd TWICE!

Edited by Calvin Vakarian, 18 April 2012 - 07:28 PM.

[Lyon]

Rejarial Galatan, on 18 April 2012 - 07:10 PM, said:

Ok TrykSh0t riddle me this. Our mechs are powered by FUSION reactors correct? Now, I may have only been playing MW2, MW2GBL, MW2 Mercs, MW3, MW3 Mercs, MW4 and MW4 Mercs AND the TCG, but, what I know of nuclear reactors REAL WORLD and would apply logic that this follows in the 31st Century. Reactors with Nuclear FUEL HAVE COOLANT SYSTEMS. If not, whats stopping them on land, on ship on submarine and yes, on a BATTLEMECH from going critical because the fuel supply by its very nature over heated because of its radioactive nature?

And you will notice that on every one of those real-world reactors you mention, they DO NOT flush that coolant out. It's retained, passing through a cooling tower or hull heat sinks, then recycles through. Just like the coolant in your car, it stays in. In the rather stupid MW3/4 version, they added a green mist effect of lost coolant when you flush, and that means putting a hole in a closed circulatory system. Inherently stupid in practice, but effective for making laserboats possible.

Heat sinks are simply radiators, and shed heat at a specific rate. That should be more than enough. A mech produces heat, and if it produces too much, there should be consequences. I'd prefer to not defy basic thermodynamics for the sake of convenient gaming.

[Rejarial Galatan]

My fault for not following my thought out. IF your mech is heating up because your in a protracted and heated <no pun, seriously> fire fight, your fusion reactor will be generating MORE heat along with your weapons. A smart pilot would have SOMETHING on board to pour across those heatsinks to keep things from going critical or causing a shut down when your trying to fleet a no win situation or trying to kill your equally critically damaged foe before they kill you.

[Steamroller Stig]

mwhighlander, on 17 April 2012 - 08:16 PM, said:

I don't believe they will have a flush coolant system in MW:O. Flush coolant started in MW:3 and followed suit into MW:4. I was never really a fan of it since it just allowed even hotter 'mechs to run amok without any real consequence.

I could deal with or with out it, but really it's not like coolant was infinite. If your mech depends on coolant to stay in the fight than you're screwed when it runs out, and at MW4s rates it was really fast.

[CycKath]

Only as a coolant pod, too much a universe breaker to have as an integral part.

[Rejarial Galatan]

It should be integral on some level. Especially if said pod is contained inside your otherwise empty LT. But on the same note, I think that mechs should have atleast some form of emergency coolant flush capability pod or not.

[Victor Morson]

Rejarial Galatan, on 18 April 2012 - 10:48 PM, said:

It should be integral on some level. Especially if said pod is contained inside your otherwise empty LT. But on the same note, I think that mechs should have atleast some form of emergency coolant flush capability pod or not.

It sounds like an acceptable idea on paper that benefits new players, but in practice, all coolant flush turns into is "laser ammo." It completely redefines the balance of energy boats and skews them in a way that they would not have to be otherwise. Where as heat alone could be a balancing factor on some weapons, if you can just instantly blast the heat away, it has to be nerfed or changed in other ways to compensate.

Long story short, most imbalances we've had in past games have their dominos started with coolant.

Removing built in coolant is a huge, huge move in the right direction on every level.

Edited by Victor Morson, 18 April 2012 - 11:53 PM.

[God Hand]

I dunno, Since when is a giant electronic beast been fully submersible, would it or would it not affect your ammunition, your laser weapons, your missile pods, your jet packs, electronic warfare, countermeasures and so on? Honestly I think knee deep should be the max depth for a mech.

[Thorn Hallis]

Rejarial Galatan, on 18 April 2012 - 07:10 PM, said:

Ok TrykSh0t riddle me this. Our mechs are powered by FUSION reactors correct? Now, I may have only been playing MW2, MW2GBL, MW2 Mercs, MW3, MW3 Mercs, MW4 and MW4 Mercs AND the TCG, but, what I know of nuclear reactors REAL WORLD and would apply logic that this follows in the 31st Century. Reactors with Nuclear FUEL HAVE COOLANT SYSTEMS. If not, whats stopping them on land, on ship on submarine and yes, on a BATTLEMECH from going critical because the fuel supply by its very nature over heated because of its radioactive nature?

Thats why every reactor in a mech comes with 10 built-in heatsinks.