4 replies to this topic

[Skyfaller]

The damage the LRMs do now is perfect. It makes them true support weapons when it comes to damage.

However, the following changes need to be made so that the LRM becomes a functional weapon:

1- Remove Missile Warning.
2- Double Ammo per Ton.
3- Missile Rewind needs to be added.
4- LRM speed should increase with distance.
5- Add 'Missile Guidance' on/off option.
6- Artemis on/off switch option.

1- Removal of missile warning. They're no longer high damage weapons so this counter-LRM feature no longer serves a purpose. In fact all it does is make the currently lower damage LRM very ineffective.

2- Increase in ammo per ton. This is needed because if currently I need to spend almost 3 tons of ammo just to kill an Atlas that is standing still in the open (this is 4 LRM15's with artemis in the test map) then the use of LRM as support is not of much use since I would likely run out of ammo before doing any useful damage to the enemy team (not individual atlas for example). Since the LRM damage was removed almost by half the ammo per ton should be doubled.

3- Rewind needs to be applied to missiles. This would fix the issue of mechs traveling 100+ kph not being hit and also that of mechs moving vertically (JJet up/down or moving up/down a steep slope) not taking damage despite being hit.

4- Since its a missile the LRMs should launch at a slow .. 50m per second and accelerate at X rate so that at 1km the missile should be traveling at 500m/s (5 times faster it currently does). That way the LRM should have its fastest speed at max range and slowest at short range (makes AMS have more time to shoot them at close range). This not only makes the LRM into a niche long range support but it also adds a whole new dynamic to the game since with the increased speeds the LRM can, for once, be used to fire at terrain without a lock and have it reach the spot in time to be of use (poor man's artillery strike in a sort of way).

5- Guidance on/off key would switch the LRMs from firing in guided mode and unguided mode. Guided mode is what we have now: missiles are guided to their aimpoint and their flight path is up then down. Unguided mode switches them to fire like SRMs: straight ahead. Guidance OFF would see the missiles not having convergence since their guidance is disabled (they are not SRMs!)

6- Artemis on/off switch is needed for when the LRM is to be fired in 'shotgun' mode (missile spread tightening not desired). For example, if I see a cluster of mechs ahead of me at 300m I may prefer to switch guidance off and artemis off and fire an LRM shotgun volley. Missiles will be spread out and fly forward unguided.

Edited by Skyfaller, 20 April 2013 - 12:01 AM.

[Adamski]

I agree that LRMs need to have their effectiveness increased. Personally I would really like a missile speed increase so that they can get from launcher to target faster (I'm thinking double their current speed), as well as an increase in the damage they do.

As a trade off, they should have a very small or non existent blast radius (if a missile hits the right torso, then only the right torso will be damaged, not the right torso, right arm, and center torso and possible right leg), and they should have a large enough spread by default that an immobile mech would be hit on at least 3 or 4 sections by every volley. TAG and Artemis can tighten the spread from there.

[Troutmonkey]

Missile Warning is absolutely needed. It provides a very useful "suppresion" mechanic where players under fire panic and go to ground to avoid LRM damage, essentially making them make less offensive.

Missile also need better tracking AI, instead of chase AI. I'm not going to go into detail here but Intercept missiles don't need to travel faster to hit a moving target, they just predict where the mech is moving too

[Skyfaller]

Troutmonkey, on 20 April 2013 - 06:35 AM, said:

Missile Warning is absolutely needed. It provides a very useful "suppresion" mechanic where players under fire panic and go to ground to avoid LRM damage, essentially making them make less offensive.

Missile also need better tracking AI, instead of chase AI. I'm not going to go into detail here but Intercept missiles don't need to travel faster to hit a moving target, they just predict where the mech is moving too

I disagree. The warning system was added when LRM lethality was high and players QQ'd to high heaven about getting hit from long range by highly visible missile volleys. Right now that system does not even function to suppress since the LRM damage is not lethal anymore and all it does is make the 'long range' portion of the LRM go away..since it gives the target a freaking 10 second warning (@1km) to hide...and the missiles are just wasted. Too much benefit to the intended victim. With the LRM damage reduced the only warning the target should receive that he is getting missiles lobbed at him is the bright, swirly cloud of missiles coming their way.

...and as suppression goes I tell you that in the old days, people would ALL hide when LRMs lit the sky since none knew if they were aimed at him or the guy next to him. Today that is not the case since the warning message also gives the enemy players the benefit of knowing who the LRMs are coming for.

[MasterErrant]

the damage is fine right now the accuracy is what is lacking i'm getting around 20% and that is abysmal. all they need is to soften the targeting requirements by matbe 20% and double the speed. (Which would cut the max flight time to 5 sec and allow close range direct fire.

I think that the way the Min range is implimented if off too. a 15 pound missile hitting at 200+ MPH is gonna do damage even if it doesn't explode.

the missile warning is wrong to start with it should be a targeting warning...there is no way for you mech to know missiles are comming from out of line of sight. but when a hostile mech paints you that you can detect.