19 replies to this topic

[JayVrb]

... or are they two separate grouping types? I did a quick search and found some different answers. I also tested in testing grounds and found the Artemis missile formation to be different than that with no artemis + tag.

I'm wondering if it make sense for me to take both TAG and Artemis? Forget about ECM, at this point I'm only concerned with missile grouping in this question. Thanks.

Edited by Vrbas, 15 April 2013 - 07:30 AM.

[Thomas Dziegielewski]

TAG does not tighten missile groupings.

[Lycanstrom]

Thomas Dziegielewski, on 15 April 2013 - 07:32 AM, said:

TAG does not tighten missile groupings.

So the sole purpose of TAG is to nullify ECM then?

[Roland]

Tag improves lock time, I believe.

Thomas D. actually has a writeup on the subject in his "Breakdown" post.

[Jack Avery]

Lycanstrom, on 15 April 2013 - 07:37 AM, said:

So the sole purpose of TAG is to nullify ECM then?

No, I think it improves missile tracking as well. Though I haven't used it in a while.

[Lycanstrom]

Jack Avery, on 15 April 2013 - 07:40 AM, said:

No, I think it improves missile tracking as well. Though I haven't used it in a while.

Tracking as in homing abilities, or flight path? Because with TAG's limited range, neither of these should be much of an issue.

[DeeSaster]

Lycanstrom, on 15 April 2013 - 07:41 AM, said:

Tracking as in homing abilities, or flight path? Because with TAG's limited range, neither of these should be much of an issue.

You think 750m is limited range? Really?

[Ewigan]

Limited range? Well yeah 750m are limited, but what in this game isn't limited then? Tag for tracking and Artemis for missile spread work really well together. If you boat lurms, tag is a must!

[Jack Avery]

Lycanstrom, on 15 April 2013 - 07:41 AM, said:

Tracking as in homing abilities, or flight path? Because with TAG's limited range, neither of these should be much of an issue.

Homing abilities. It helps with fast light mechs. Stacks with Artemis, too. You can see the missiles make some pretty tight turns to track a Jenner if you can keep the TAG laser on.

[Lycanstrom]

DeeSaster, on 15 April 2013 - 07:43 AM, said:

You think 750m is limited range? Really?

My mistake. I should have been more specific. 750m isn't that limited, but the duration of TAG won't typically last from the time of TAGing your target to the time your missiles hit home at that distance. So perhaps I should have said "limited effective range."

[Cairbre]

Lycanstrom, on 15 April 2013 - 07:41 AM, said:

Tracking as in homing abilities, or flight path? Because with TAG's limited range, neither of these should be much of an issue.

Flight path is the main difference I've seen. Try firing at a moving target without TAG, then TAGing it about halfway through. Your missiles will turn about 90 degrees to go after the newly Tagged sucker. Without it, they won't generally stray from a 45 degree cone. That certainly does ensure more salvos hit, though I've never tested salvo density with just TAG.

[JayVrb]

If all it does is nullify ECM and decrease lock on time (which, btw, artemis already does that - lock on time i mean), it'd be nice if it guaranteed every missile hit

Since it does require a certain amount of effort to hold on fast mechs especially, which not only is taxing but limits your use of other weapons depending on convergence, where your TAG is, other things you could be doing, etc.

Edited by Vrbas, 15 April 2013 - 08:07 AM.

[Lycanstrom]

Vrbas, on 15 April 2013 - 08:01 AM, said:

If all it does is nullify ECM and decrease lock on time (which, btw, artemis already does that - lock on time i mean), it'd be nice if it guaranteed every missile hit

Since it does require a certain amount of effort to hold on fast mechs especially, which not only is taxing but limits your use of other weapons depending on convergence, where your TAG is, other things you could be doing, etc.

Personally I'm okay with not every missile hitting. But I'd like to see the duration increased so you don't have to maintain your lock, especially at or near max range where it's nearly impossible.

And let's be honest: until the current snowflake kisses we call LRMs are fixed, it's not worth bringing them anyway.

[Target Rich]

Boy this is entertaining.... I'm a 25 year missile boater... mostly because of the fact I play normal laptops at work (60-70 percent of the PC market btw) and the laptops have lag and graphic engine frame rate problems that preclude fine tuning aiming with the sniper or the dance of death.

So I have become killer with LRM's and MRM's and Streaks...and had a fun gaming experience for the past 20 years or so....

Until the last patch...dropped the frame rate to almost nothing....totally unplayable now even for a missile boater...hope PGI gets a clue and works on streamling that Cryengine 3 to have basic minimal functionality on normal laptops to recapture poor but honest mechheads like yours truely back in the game who are willing to shell out some limited bucks for MMP Mecha...but who just cannot affort $1,500 to 3,000 for a graphic gaming laptop. with another $200 for basic joystick/game mouse for play.

And hopefully somebody on the PGI team will exhibit the basic common sense to play a LRM boat in this currently totally random beta....and work with the LRM spotter. I mean really..does ANYBODY think that a LRM heavy mech will be able to KEEP THE FRICKING TAG LASER (range 500m) on any kind of mech with sufficient reliability to work with the stupidly slow speed of LRM's. That LRM boat will be cored in about 2-3 seconds by said target ...in direct fire dance of death trying to keep the fricking target reticle on that target..

Seriously seriously STUPID...and not battletech...

[KuruptU4Fun]

Lycanstrom, on 15 April 2013 - 07:46 AM, said:

My mistake. I should have been more specific. 750m isn't that limited, but the duration of TAG won't typically last from the time of TAGing your target to the time your missiles hit home at that distance. So perhaps I should have said "limited effective range."

A gaming mouse would allow you to create a(bloody heck I can't remember what they're called), lock on TAG to a specific weapon grouping by itself. Hit the button and keep it on all the time. Though you'll have to turn it off before you open up a chat...

[Jack Lazarus]

Jack Avery, on 15 April 2013 - 07:40 AM, said:

No, I think it improves missile tracking as well. Though I haven't used it in a while.

It does. Spent a lot of time with a shiny new Trebuchet-5N this weekend. After the first bunch of games running around seeing how it handles and just what it's like to be in one, I customized it and made it perform. I also paid a lot of attention to just how much of an effect TAG has. Missiles will adjust their flight path much more aggresively when the target has TAG on it. My LRM15 hit percentage went from about 21 percent where it has always previously been used as an annoyance weapon (I've never had an LRM boat before the Trebuchet) to over 35%. If I keep playing games with that mech I'm sure it'll easily break 40% or maybe even more.

[JayVrb]

Jack Lazarus, on 15 April 2013 - 09:09 AM, said:

It does. Spent a lot of time with a shiny new Trebuchet-5N this weekend. After the first bunch of games running around seeing how it handles and just what it's like to be in one, I customized it and made it perform. I also paid a lot of attention to just how much of an effect TAG has. Missiles will adjust their flight path much more aggresively when the target has TAG on it. My LRM15 hit percentage went from about 21 percent where it has always previously been used as an annoyance weapon (I've never had an LRM boat before the Trebuchet) to over 35%. If I keep playing games with that mech I'm sure it'll easily break 40% or maybe even more.

When you say "aggressive", is that just in its "sharp turning"? Or does it also affect missile speed?

[Jack Lazarus]

Vrbas, on 15 April 2013 - 09:13 AM, said:

When you say "aggressive", is that just in its "sharp turning"? Or does it also affect missile speed?

Sharper turning. I did not notice any change in speed.

[Leiska]

Target Rich, on 15 April 2013 - 08:43 AM, said:

Until the last patch...dropped the frame rate to almost nothing....totally unplayable now even for a missile boater...hope PGI gets a clue and works on streamling that Cryengine 3 to have basic minimal functionality on normal laptops to recapture poor but honest mechheads like yours truely back in the game who are willing to shell out some limited bucks for MMP Mecha...but who just cannot affort $1,500 to 3,000 for a graphic gaming laptop. with another $200 for basic joystick/game mouse for play.

Yeah, let's make the graphics **** so the few fools trying to play games on business equipment can enjoy the game.

Edited by Leiska, 15 April 2013 - 10:14 AM.

[Mercules]

Target Rich, on 15 April 2013 - 08:43 AM, said:

...hope PGI gets a clue and works on streamling that Cryengine 3 to have basic minimal functionality on normal laptops

"normal" laptops are not designed to play high end video games. Desktop.