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[Vespere Dax]

Hi guys,

I'm fairly new to this game (a few weeks) but I enjoy it a lot and would like to see it improve. I am aware and experience some or most of the imbalances this game suffers from. Mind you it's still fun as heck but as in any game people will end up exploiting advantages that found within the current game mechanics. Though there are many I will concentrate on one today, roles of mechs.

As it stands, there should be specific roles mechs classes are good at, currently there are some that good at everything (i.e. lights) and some that are good at nothing (meds) and some that are better at some roles then they should be.


Let me start off with the light mechs:

My very 1st game I start with a Jennar. It was crazy, I was running around like a mad man. Got blown up trying to play like a heavy mech. Next game I thought I'd circle strafe and blow off some of their back armor. Boom! I downed at Atlas and then an Awesome. I had some yellow spots but no armor breached. All I did it walk around them andcouldn't turn fast enough to aim at me. So in two games I effectively learned to kill heavies and Assaults mechs in a light. . Fun as hell but I was like 'what?!'. So I must be really awesome of there's something wrong with this.

In the table top an Atlas would eat a Jennar for lunch. Here's the prob, these mech are too slow to turn. In 1 turn at atlas could always turn 5 hexes in rotation. It seems like the mech now can only turn like 1.

This is what you do, yes allow bonus for lighter and med and heavies but make the majority of someone turning speed depend on thier speed they are going no thier engine. In TT all mechs turned at the same speed that's why if you in a jennar and wanted to hit the back armor of an atlas you had to give it a wide berth and come around.

Also, as a light, if am going 146kph I should turn like crap not be able not do ring around the posey around a heavy. A light mech should run in and hit and be gone....generally running in one direction. Aslo add a head shake to the mech running at high speeds. This should make targetting harder as it should be when travelling at high velocity (-3 to hit when moving 8+ or something like that) This should limit the OP'ness of light mechs in their current state.

Medium Mechs

These were suppose to be the jack of all trades and master of none. Currently they are just masters of none. Too slow to out maneuver and light to go toe to toe. It's been outlined before that a raven has almost as much front armor as a cent and just about the same fire power and heavies with a better engine can turn and run at the same speed with a ton more weapon payload. It's just unfortunate that in the current game there is no advantage to playing a med mech. Kinda like the proverbial 'Right Whale' of MWO. Yes a skillful player can do well in a med he can do 4x better in a heavy and with repair cost not being a factor, why would you play a med?

Here's what you do. First of all, decrease the size of these mechs. A cent stands as tall as a cata or cataphract. IMHO meds should be only slightly bigger then a light. They should be able to take cover from terrain a heavy or atlas cannot. Mechs should all be the sweet spot of speed and maneuverability. They don't travel as fast as lights but they should still be fast and turn on a dime. A heavy turning at 65kph and a medium at 65kph, there should be a marketed difference in maneuverabililty. About payload, these mech should also have thier hardpoints increased. Light mechs have as many weapon hardpoints as med. These suggestions would be a step in the right direction.

Heavy Mech and Assault Mechs
Like I said, a light mech should have to be very careful when taking on a heavy or assault. One thing would help an assault/heavy versus lights is an general increase in turning speed especially when static. Sure a light can get behind a heavy but he shouldn't be able to stay there. He should hit his alpha and run the dickens for cover. Now the disadvantage is when the mech hits top speed it turns like a pig and obviously it can't run for cover as easily as a medium or light.


I hope these suggestions help.