Posted 22 May 2013 - 08:18 AM
Here's my two cents (for what it's worth - less than two cents?).
I've had a Cat C4 sitting in my hanger for a couple of months now because, well, LRMs weren't that good and/or I wasn't very good at using them. I was bummed about it because I used LRMs a lot on table top. Eventually I stopped seeing LRMs deployed at all. When the patch came out I was stoked because I thought maybe my C4 would be viable again. I was pleased that the damage was increased slightly, and was curious as to the "new flight path," so I fired up a training ground and laid to waste some dummy mechs. I enjoyed the flight path because I liked the idea of plunging fire with missiles.
I thought I was ready for the big show. My results were sub-optimal. While I was doing more damage before dying than I had with the C4 previously, I was still not getting any kills. So the increase in damage was, to me, noticeable. However, I probably need more practice because I still am terrible at using the LRMs. In essence, I've not noticed any dramatic increase in my personal use of them. This, again, could simply be my inability to effectively use LRM tactics, as others have noted a big increase in LRM efficacy.
On the flip side, I haven't experienced that many more deaths from LRMs in an admittedly small sample size (I think I did six or eight matches last night), despite seeing vastly more LRMs deployed. So I can't speak to the OP nature of LRMs at the moment. I'm not saying it's not true; it seems that many are having some issues. I think that these issues are valid even if I haven't experienced them.
I have no real issues with the speed or trajectory of the new missiles. Speed has always been a problem with my use of them. Perhaps the simplest solution is to lower the damage back to 0.7? I don't know. I'm not a master at this game by any means nor am I as familiar with the inner workings as some of my peers. In the end, I would like to see LRMs as a viable weapon system, but no so viable that they rule the battle space. As it stands (or stood), most everything was pretty balanced from my perspective. As annoying as the poptarts were, I was able to nullify that tactic effectively. Six PPC Stalkers are troublesome, but use some cover and concealment and get in their rear and take care of 'em. I've no problem trying to figure out effective tactics to counter new systems and their implementation, and frankly, I'm looking forward to the challenge of combating massive LRM boats. Should be fun!