41 replies to this topic

[Vapor Trail]

I'm still of the opinion that the startup threshold is too high. A mech that shuts down should have to cool to 26 heat (not 26 + SHSE, as is apparently the case).

This would make a max heat (6ppc Stalker that fired while at 99% heat) take almost half a minute to cool before even beginning to start up.

Would help with the rash of "Hex-strike, cool a bit, hex-strike, cool a bit, hex strike, kill a mech, and put heat at 150%, and startup ten seconds or so later.

If you look at one way, the heat mechanism is the "energy" system. The draw on the reactor is what creates the heat, not the weapon firing. A Gauss draws a little power at a time, over a "long" time and stores it, releasing it all at once (hence the capacitor explosion) to drive the projectile. That small draw is what allows the Gauss firing to produce only 1 heat.

An ERPPC draws a lot of power over a very short time, which causes the reactor power output (and thence heat) to spike. Heat doesn't go away quickly, so you can't do this very often.

Basically, heat effects (including accuracy penalties) are effectively non-existent, and even shutdown isn't punishing enough.