35 replies to this topic

[Sinthrow]

I believe the lock will help those trying to use joysicks and game pads more then anyone else.
I think I may have to get out my old stick and see how everything is working.

[Stoicblitzer]

Phaesphoros, on 21 March 2013 - 10:03 AM, said:

w/ arm lock
=> reticles aligned during torso twist
=> shoot torso and arm weapons at the same time = hit the same location

i appreciate you being patient with me. My idea is that the torso x-rotation is much slower than the arms as depicted in your images in the OP. Also, some mechs have much smaller angles to rotate x-wise. The arms extend angle and allow for precision.

Maybe it would make more sense for this arm-lock option to work in reverse i.e. hold shift down to lock arms to torso instead of the other way around?

[3rdworld]

Gaan Cathal, on 21 March 2013 - 10:00 AM, said:

Because having Arm Lock enabled doesn't stop you having that extra arm twist. It just requires a (remappable) button to be held down while you do it.

Was not aware of that, but I still doubt I will ever use it, I don't have any issues lining them both up now. adding another hotkey would just be superfluous for me.

[Padic]

Stoicblitzer, on 21 March 2013 - 10:09 AM, said:

Maybe it would make more sense for this arm-lock option to work in reverse i.e. hold shift down to lock arms to torso instead of the other way around?

Like I said earlier, I haven't played with it yet, but I believe that's what disabling the option will do

[Taemien]

I don't know why people say its easy mode. Its just to keep weapons together when you have a weapon group that has weapons in torso and arms. I don't think it should be an option in settings, but a toggle ingame. I have some configs I'd like to use it on, and some I wouldn't.

Besides once you unlock Pinpoint, your arms and torsos align anyway until you move too fare for the torsos to aim at. No one has complained about Pinpoint.

[Gaan Cathal]

3rdworld, on 21 March 2013 - 10:09 AM, said:

Was not aware of that, but I still doubt I will ever use it, I don't have any issues lining them both up now. adding another hotkey would just be superfluous for me.

Given that when laterally torso twisting, the arm reticule leads the torso reticule, it is actually impossible without armlock to have both reticules overlayed while rotating the torso. For a lot of mechs torso rotation is essential to mid-fight survival, this allows them to concentrate weapons fire while doing so. As I pointed out before, the Dragon is a good example of a benefiting mech with it's arm/torso split lasers and reliance on high maneuverability.

[scruffy416]

Phaesphoros, on 21 March 2013 - 10:03 AM, said:

Help! Anyone please PM me if you know how to explain this more clearly.

I'll try again:
Top players can benefit from arm lock e.g. if they want to focus fire on a moving target.

Moving target
=> you follow with your reticles using what's called "torso twist" (mouse X axis).

w/o arm lock
=> reticles not aligned during torso twist
=> shoot torso and arm weapons at the same time = hit 2 different locations

w/ arm lock
=> reticles aligned during torso twist
=> shoot torso and arm weapons at the same time = hit the same location

Also, remember, you can keep your Torso facing one direction, hold down the Free Look button and independently aim the Arms. So you could keep CT stationary and aimed on one target and follow a second moving target with the arms and Free Look held down.

[Commander Kobold]

Doobles, on 21 March 2013 - 09:20 AM, said:

Logic behind this IMO:
Developer 1: "So we have found that everyone loves catapults, so why not make it so every mech fires like it has no arms like a catapult!?"
Developer 2: "Genius!"

I think the idea as a whole is silly. I feel like I am dragging my entire mech when I try to shoot something.

then don't use it?

3rdworld, on 21 March 2013 - 10:09 AM, said:

Was not aware of that, but I still doubt I will ever use it, I don't have any issues lining them both up now. adding another hotkey would just be superfluous for me.

it's also good for lowering your sensitivity for longer ranged shots (because your torso moves/adjusts slower than your arms.

[80Bit]

Phaesphoros is correct that this is a new ability which will can be useful to skill players. While I doubt most will leave it on by default, it is absolutely useful to have as an option.

[Mercules]

CapperDeluxe, on 21 March 2013 - 09:23 AM, said:

mechwarrior 3, ever played it?

Yeah, did you not realize you can move your arms separate in MW3? People used to swear when I would run away and shoot them as they followed me with the weapons on one of my arms.

[Incredible Slug]

I thought it would be annoying at first but as the OP pointed out you have more control over the torso cross hair with less acceleration, and you can focus fire moving targets (like, ravens ) which for me is useful as I have 2 lasers on arms and 2 on my torso.

I just hit shift when I need the added mobility of the arms for something close, which is seriously extremely rare and pretty much only when a light is 25 meters away from me travelling 150 kph. 99% of the time though you can only benefit from having the arms locked to the torso.

People who for some reason need to aim with their arms more can always turn it off in the options.

Great addition to be honest.

[Pyrrho]

I keep reading this and seeing people saying that overlapping the reticles is impossible while torso twisting and going "But... that's why I have free look."

And I very much realize the issue with my statement. My brain is slow today.

[Screech]

Arm loc allows you to group weapons from different locations more effectively. Since a mech can't lean out from cover it is often a benefit to group similar weapons to either the left side or right side regardless of them being in your arms or torso. On some mechs I will use the arm loc on others I won't it depends on what role I am playing.

Having an option is always a good thing, don't like it don't use it.

[Duncan Longwood]

Its not like you just got a second option for how you aim, you got a third. You can use the free-look button to aim with arms while not moving the torso reticule.

While I think having your arms locked by default is a handicap, I will try to leave some real-world examples for how I find the addition of arm-lock-to-torso to be useful in my games.

Example 1:
I'm in my spider doing my thing with some lasers in the arm and chest. My arms scan much faster than my torso so they are much harder to aim when going 150kph doing a death-dance with a raven. This change lets me hit the button for a second and line up all lasers, but most importantly it keeps them aligned for the 1 sec it takes to discharge my lasers. Before, I could be more accurate, under certain circumstances, by using my keyboard to scan my target with lasers rather than my mouse.

Example 2:
I'm playing a gauss-phract and sniping from max range. My arms move faster than my torso and create a less stable firing platform. My crosshair is lined-up but my dot is bouncing with every little movement of the mouse. Now I can hit the button and steady my crosshair by using the impulse speed from the torso instead of the warp speed of my arms. It's like holding your breath for mecha snipers.

[Commander Binz]

I immediately turned it off.. while I think it will be good for learner players, I much prefer the flexibility of being able to fire at two different targets, split fire if you will.

Main example is: I run a DDC and a 3L (yes yes, I would like some whine with my cheese)

DDC has two ERLL in the arms, with great flexibility to hit lights (state rewind) and sniping at Long range. Torso has SSRMs (which are irrelevant for aiming, they *always* hit) and an AC20. I only use the AC20 on enemies at close range, so arm lock does not benefit my DDC in any way.

My 3L has 2 ML and 2 SSRM, 2 ML in the arm and the SSRM in the torso. Same thing as the DDC. Because I dont equip the third ML (torso one) I always hit the same location with every laser shot, and therefore do not need armlock.

In saying this, my wife plays also, and really struggles with the two reticules, so armlock would allow newer players to cut down on distractions and achieve better accuracy and results.

Your mileage may vary of course, but I think it is not only player specific, but also mech specific. If I had mechs with torso lasers and arm lasers, I would probably make more use of armlock.

[TOGSolid]

I like how the people whining about this are just people who love to complain and people who are too ******** stupid to just uncheck the Arm-Lock box. Never change MWO boards.