43 replies to this topic

[Stoicblitzer]

lmao. that mech is a wifi hotspot! then my next thought is "who brought a ******* narc?"

[Vahnn]

I've had this scenario in my head for a while of how NARC would be used ideally.

A quick light will hit a target with NARC. He will then give the signal to fire, and everyone on the team with LRMs will let it all out. If everyone on the team had at least an LRM5 or 10, that's one dead 'mech.

Move in for another pass and another NARC... I don't know. It seems like a lot of work, not sure if it would be worth it. Sounds like a fun thing to try, though.

[General Taskeen]

Everyone doesn't get NARC, because PGI created a Myth for it, much like some of the other Mythical lackluster weapons/items in the game, instead of reminding people what NARC actually did from the original game it came from or acknowledging what it did and just say that improvements are on the way. It did a lot more for 3 tons.

Not to mention, NARC was and is far more useful in other Mech games it appears in. In MW:LL, they made it do exactly as is described in the tech manual, it allows for SRMs and LRMs to auto-seek the beacon without prior targeting and for true indirect fire that does not give the enemy a missile warning. They took the idea originally from MW3 that made (regular) SRMs able to target-lock/track towards your target.

So ask PGI, why mess with a good thing, when other games already have proven methods for making NARC work right?

Edited by General Taskeen, 29 March 2013 - 12:53 PM.

[Lord Ikka]

At the very least, the damage amount should be taken off and the duration increased to one or two minutes. With LRM flights at 600-1000m taking up to 15 seconds to impact, the 20 second duration is a joke.

[Nathan Foxbane]

General Taskeen, on 29 March 2013 - 12:51 PM, said:

Everyone doesn't get NARC, because PGI created a Myth for it, much like some of the other Mythical lackluster weapons/items in the game, instead of reminding people what NARC actually did from the original game it came from or acknowledging what it did and just say that improvements are on the way. It did a lot more for 3 tons.

Not to mention, NARC was and is far more useful in other Mech games it appears in. In MW:LL, they made it do exactly as is described in the tech manual, it allows for SRMs and LRMs to auto-seek the beacon without prior targeting and for true indirect fire that does not give the enemy a missile warning. They took the idea originally from MW3 that made (regular) SRMs able to target-lock/track towards your target.

So ask PGI, why mess with a good thing, when other games already have proven methods for making NARC work right?

Probably remembering the horror of MW 4 where if someone used Narc on a target EVERY friendly LRM whether the firer wanted them to or not homed in on the target. Hell I tried firing it at one 'Mech and switched targets to another only only to have ALL my LRMs home in on the first even though I did not want them to and had successfully locked onto the second. At least the original TT and MW3 Narc required the player using LRMs or SRMs to actively target the 'Mech with a beacon attached to get the bonus instead of the "lol ultimate missile magnet is uppon you! Welcome to LRM hell!" of MW4.

[Siliconwolf]

Well, to be honest, NARC is kind of a moot point until they fix LRM's in general and I think that relies more on fixing ECM than the missiles themselves.

[Cik]

Vahnn, on 29 March 2013 - 12:41 PM, said:

I've had this scenario in my head for a while of how NARC would be used ideally.

A quick light will hit a target with NARC. He will then give the signal to fire, and everyone on the team with LRMs will let it all out. If everyone on the team had at least an LRM5 or 10, that's one dead 'mech.

Move in for another pass and another NARC... I don't know. It seems like a lot of work, not sure if it would be worth it. Sounds like a fun thing to try, though.

worked perfectly in living legends. in fact, NARC was one of the greatest weapons in the game. all missiles without preexisting locks would seek any narced target on the field. this meant that you could literally blindfire from behind a hill and all of your missiles would obliterate whatever poor sucker was narced. was great.
also the ARROW IV missiles could seek narcs from 3000m, meaning they were the artilleryman's best friend.

Edited by Cik, 29 March 2013 - 01:57 PM.

[Protection]

Comassion, on 29 March 2013 - 10:05 AM, said:

It doesn't happen often because it doesn't work. The NARC beacon disappears too quickly to be useful, even if you aren't getting jammed by ECM.

NARC should last until the armor section the NARC beacon hits gets destroyed - no time limit. It should constantly broadcast your signal to the enemy, letting them know where you are and lock onto you regardless of cover. ECM can still suppress the signal, but that's about it. It should be a very nice piece of equipment, as it's the heaviest thing we have in the information warfare arsenal, and it's ammo-dependent to boot. Being hit with a NARC beacon should be a huge 'oh ****' moment for the target.

This really sums it up.

Narc is a bloated, inefficient, shorter lasting, harder to use version of TAG right now, and takes away a valuable missile hardpoint that could have been used for a Streak SRM2 or SRM6.

[Quxudica]

Comassion, on 29 March 2013 - 10:05 AM, said:

It doesn't happen often because it doesn't work. The NARC beacon disappears too quickly to be useful, even if you aren't getting jammed by ECM.

NARC should last until the armor section the NARC beacon hits gets destroyed - no time limit. It should constantly broadcast your signal to the enemy, letting them know where you are and lock onto you regardless of cover. ECM can still suppress the signal, but that's about it. It should be a very nice piece of equipment, as it's the heaviest thing we have in the information warfare arsenal, and it's ammo-dependent to boot. Being hit with a NARC beacon should be a huge 'oh ****' moment for the target.

That would be over powered as hell even with nerfed missiles. Lock on weapons are already far to simplistic for the effect they can have.

[Deathlike]

NARC? The only thing that goes off is the stock "bucket" build that's currently running that uses NARC...

That's how I know it "exists".

Plus, it comes standard on a 3L.

Edited by Deathlike, 29 March 2013 - 02:22 PM.

[Protection]

Quxudica, on 29 March 2013 - 02:21 PM, said:

That would be over powered as hell even with nerfed missiles. Lock on weapons are already far to simplistic for the effect they can have.

But LRMs never really had any success in competitive 8-mans. The RHOD teams all shunned LRMs like the plague, and no one seriously ran LRMs in a league game or tournament (except as a trick or gimmick) since closed beta.

Giving them a way to maybe be of some use to organized teams isn't that terrible of an idea.

[Denolven]

Vahnn, on 29 March 2013 - 12:41 PM, said:

A quick light will hit a target with NARC. He will then give the signal to fire, and everyone on the team with LRMs will let it all out. If everyone on the team had at least an LRM5 or 10, that's one dead 'mech.

"Missile incoming"
"One more shot, then going backwards two steps. Them noobs firing LRMs again, wonder how many salvos it takes before they notice how useless they are."

[CMGrendel]

I test it every time they buff it as I rather like the idea of mechanics that encourage teamwork. Spent a couple of hours with my corp testing it last buff.

Still utterly useless. Even if it locked and fired like a Streak, the damage cap results in it being useless as someone almost always does enough damage for it to drop off just as the first missiles are arriving.

[xxx WreckinBallRaj xxx]

I tried it out for the first time in the Trial 7M. The fact that I couldn't remove it is the only reason I used it. But since it was there and locked, I figured I may as well shoot it. Most of the time I wasn't even able to hit an enemy with it. When I did, it vanished 2 seconds later due to the damage they're already taking. My conclusion is that it's complete crap and I'll never use it again. Too inaccurate, falls off too easily, doesn't do enough to be worth the trouble or its weight. There's a reason why every pilot takes variants with a NARC hole, yanks the NARC out, and puts a Streak in instead. The Streak actually hits enemies, does something, and weighs less too, oddly enough. Having a Trial variant with a NARC is just Piranha giving players the shaft. Trials are already horrible due to poor armor, poor cooling, and next to no ammo, but having a NARC on one too is like being kicked in the dick after being tripped.

Edited by Bluten, 30 March 2013 - 07:22 AM.

[Orbit Rain]

....pre-nerf, before the latest missile fiasco, narc *was* overpowered ( yes, I said it! ; )...

of course now it is useless, since missiles are useless

Edited by Orbit Rain, 30 March 2013 - 07:29 AM.

[whiteknight]

Lefty Lucy, on 29 March 2013 - 10:23 AM, said:

If TT narc existed in MWO it would be crazy powerful. One hit, and you can be targeted by indirect fire LRMs with artemis-like spread for the rest of the game, with no spotter necessary.

To be fair its not quite THAT powerful in TT, you can either get good indirect targeting, or the Artemis like bonus when you're using direct targeting, not both at the same time, but yeah, its still a lot better in TT,

[Moromillas]

Yep, it's that useless.

[Belorion]

General Taskeen, on 29 March 2013 - 12:51 PM, said:

Everyone doesn't get NARC, because PGI created a Myth for it, much like some of the other Mythical lackluster weapons/items in the game, instead of reminding people what NARC actually did from the original game it came from or acknowledging what it did and just say that improvements are on the way. It did a lot more for 3 tons.

Not to mention, NARC was and is far more useful in other Mech games it appears in. In MW:LL, they made it do exactly as is described in the tech manual, it allows for SRMs and LRMs to auto-seek the beacon without prior targeting and for true indirect fire that does not give the enemy a missile warning. They took the idea originally from MW3 that made (regular) SRMs able to target-lock/track towards your target.

So ask PGI, why mess with a good thing, when other games already have proven methods for making NARC work right?

If they made Narc act that way, and made it punch through ecm, that might be the equalizer for ecm that we have been looking for. In fact that alone, might topple the ecm dominance, and make narc worth using.

[Monkeystador]

I agree with some posters! The weight of the NARC, the difficulty for attaching it etc. should be rewarded. Make that beacon light up the mech for anyone even if noone has LOS. The decay of the beacon after damaging the mech is fine so far.

This would allow some nice sneaky tactics for light to attach beacons and run away again. While the remainder of the team can send out a LRM barrage. And it would be only one that gets through since the beacon would just decay after the first missile salvo hits.
Teammates could even friendly fire to take of the beacon.

[General Taskeen]

Nathan Foxbane, on 29 March 2013 - 01:50 PM, said:

Probably remembering the horror of MW 4 where if someone used Narc on a target EVERY friendly LRM whether the firer wanted them to or not homed in on the target. Hell I tried firing it at one 'Mech and switched targets to another only only to have ALL my LRMs home in on the first even though I did not want them to and had successfully locked onto the second. At least the original TT and MW3 Narc required the player using LRMs or SRMs to actively target the 'Mech with a beacon attached to get the bonus instead of the "lol ultimate missile magnet is uppon you! Welcome to LRM hell!" of MW4.

That's the price you pay for being NARC'ed, and that's why ECM counters NARC. MW:LL actually refined what you said. The missiles only auto-seek (nearest beacon) if you dumb-firing missiles while in Active radar. IF you target something else and intend for your missiles to go elsewhere, the missiles will track the target you have locked. It also only lasts for 30 seconds, and falls off Mechs if they are hit by enemy or friendly PPC fire.

1. Give it a lot of tracking, auto-seek SRM/LRM power (i.e., the true NARC)
2. ECM is the counter
3. Duration (30 Seconds)
4. Soft Counter PPC