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Machine Guns
MGs are getting their damage doubled to 0.08/shell.
MG range is going to be 120m and they will fall off to 0 damage at 240m.
MG Spread will remain unchanged for the moment.
LB10-X has had it's cone of fire reduced by 20%, giving it a bit more focused punch through it's travel space.
LRM speed will be increasing from 100m/s to 120m/s. This equates to about 5-10% more missiles hitting a moving target and it's quite a bit harder to dodge LRMs.
AC/5
After reading my last post, I think I was smoking something other than a cigarette when I said AC/5 damage would be changing. AC/5 damage is NOT changing. Their range however is increasing from 540m out to 620m.
NARC is going to have its firing distance increased as well as it's duration. This is still undergoing testing and will have numbers for you when they're ready.
BAP
Now here's the biggie. BAP is meant to increase your sensor range by amplifying your sensor systems. It allows you to get detail targeting information faster and also allows you to detect nearby shutdown Mechs. Yeah? So?... well...
BAP will now negate ECM within 150m (tuning number) of the enemy. Negate? What 'chu talkin' 'bout Paul?
If Mech X has BAP, and Mech Y has ECM, and Mech X gets within 150m or less of Mech Y, Mech Y loses all effects of ECM. It is a 100% counter to ECM. Mech Y is now vulnerable to LRMs/S-SRMs as long as Mech X stays within 150m. Any friendly Mechs to Mech Y will no longer be shielded until Mech X leaves the 150m area around Mech Y.
ECM is now a long range Mech item. A scout can now use it to remain hidden from LRMs while performing their job. A LRM/command Atlas can rain down death while maintaining LoS on their distant targets without worries of LRMs coming back at them.
ECM is now getting a dedicated hardpoint that works just like AMS. It will be located in a dedicated component such as the right or left torso.
ECM will also no longer mess with friendly IDF markings so you always know who's friend and foe.
Missile Update:
Missiles are coming along. A lot of stuff has been rewritten and we have to test and retune numbers to get them ready to be released back into the live game. So far LRM's are looking really good and SRM's are soon to be addressed as well. As of this writing we're putting the final numbers on LRMs so they'll be ready for large scale testing very soon.
DATE: All of the above is expected to be released in the May 21st patch.
The Machine Gun changes are a good step in the right direction. Honestly think setting it to 0.1 per shot would have been fine as it still leaves it pretty weak against armor.
LBX/10 is another good step in the right direction. On the surface, 20% does not seem like enough but I will not be able to test this out for sure until June. The only thing I am looking for is for 8 of the 10 pellets hitting the target at optimum distance against a Medium mech on average.
LRM change is also in the right direction but from 100m/s to 120m/s seems really small. Again, I will not be able to test this until June but it that is only a difference of 10.0s to 8.33s at 1km.
The AC/5 change of 540m to 620m is EXTREMELY odd. Why not reduce the cooldown to match that of the UAC/5 instead of upping the range?
NARC is in need of a duration change (I suggest by 100%, to 30.0s) but the major issue with NARC is that it is easily removed by damage. The 27 damage threshold is what is killing NARC. A single player can just shoot a single LRM/20 or some direct fire weapons and it will be knocked off. That is not enough benefit.
I guess the people of the community who wanted BAP to counter NARC won out here. I think this still just hides the power of ECM with another bandaid. Guess I will have to wait and see in June.
ECM being forced to a location, can't make a comment about it yet. If that heavily affects mechs who utilize it negatively, then it might be a step in the right direction for balance. But as it still stands, ECM is still making a variant the go-to variant.