20 replies to this topic

[Chavette]

Its simply wrong that I can chase a jenner through a city while he is trying to lose me zig-zagging, while I just cut corners in my phract just because I see through the walls. All of these would make for a more balanced module. I really like the ideas, I think they are fresh an unique, I'll be a gentleman about it and share them with PGi.

My free2read intellectual property on what could be changed:

• Hit two birds with one stone and put a sneak mode in MWO. The less of its top speed % a mech goes, its range of detection will decrease, with 100m minimum cap.
  
• Don't change it at all and make it an active component. 20 second sensing, 1 minute cooldown, so you could actually lose someone if you maneuver smartly in a faster mech.
  
• Make it a sensor instead of an X-ray: every 4th step gets registered. You will know something is up, but your positional info wont be 0 day as it currently is.
  
• It could work as a submarine radar, with a cool radar animation. It would scan on the radar clockwise. Similar to the previous point but lets you put in some awesome visuals.

Edited by Chavette, 24 May 2013 - 11:22 AM.

[MavRCK]

Module should be removed.

Pilots should listen for the mech steps, look for the smoke trails and pay attention to the environment.

[Chavette]

MavRCK, on 24 May 2013 - 05:23 PM, said:

Module should be removed.

Pilots should listen for the mech steps, look for the smoke trails and pay attention to the environment.

It would make more sense to remove the module and have it as equipable component as its just a no-brainer right now, but as the chances of that are low I'm trying to work with what we have...

[General Taskeen]

Sneaking is OP. Nerf it.

I was waiting in ambush on a base, and had an enemy immediately turn to my direction when I was behind them. Then my group said, that's the seismic thing. I mean ****, its not even active/passive radar, it detects earthquake steps of Mech feet. At least if Active/Passive was in the game, I could still go passive and sneak around.

[MasterErrant]

it is a badly thought out mod and doesn't make a lot of sense.

[Corvus Antaka]

Id go with curbing the sensor to a 150/300 meter range, and cutting the ping time by half or even 4.

[Ralgas]

MasterErrant, on 25 May 2013 - 10:33 PM, said:

it is a badly thought out mod and doesn't make a lot of sense.

it makes a lot of sense in curbing ac/40/ a1 tactics, but won't someone think of the poor lights!?!?

[Ralgas]

General Taskeen, on 24 May 2013 - 09:37 PM, said:

Sneaking is OP. Nerf it.

I was waiting in ambush on a base, and had an enemy immediately turn to my direction when I was behind them. Then my group said, that's the seismic thing. I mean ****, its not even active/passive radar, it detects earthquake steps of Mech feet. At least if Active/Passive was in the game, I could still go passive and sneak around.

Waiting? as in standing still? sounds like you copped a uav, not seismic

[Matthew Ace]

I would make Seismic sensors dynamic, basing range on enemy tonnage and speed. The Improved Seismic Sensor further upgrades the range.

Example:
- A 30-ton mech moving at say.... 50 kph, will require the user to be much closer than a 100-ton mech moving at 50 kph.
- If the mech is light enough and moves slow enough, it may not even get picked up at all.

Edited by Matthew Ace, 27 May 2013 - 06:37 AM.

[Garth Erlam]

I really like the Submarine mode idea - would fit in with the Aliens 'pinger' sound I want to add to it now ;D

[Levi Porphyrogenitus]

Seismic is thematically appropriate and a godsend to Brawlers and scouts.

I'd love to see detection range vary based on both your own mech and the type of contact.

If you're in a big mech and moving, it should reduce your detection range by a goodly bit. If you're in a small mech, not so much unless you're moving fast, then it should reduce it by a lot (especially when you're moving over 130km/h or so.

If your target is a big mech, it should make a larger footprint (farther detection range). The faster it's moving the louder it'd be as well (again, high speed makes for longer range on detection).

To maximize range, then you'd move slowly yourself (or stand still) while the enemy is in 60km/h Atlases and 150km/h Jenners. If you're in an Atlas going 60km/h you'll detect almost nothing unless it's also a fast
Atlas. If you're in a Jenner going 150km/h you won't see much at all and you'll light up enemy seismic sensors like a Christmas tree.

Naturally, the Advanced module would have a longer base range and they could add an upgrade to reduce the interference from your own mech (say, Seismic Compensator upgrade).

Edited by Levi Porphyrogenitus, 27 May 2013 - 08:40 AM.

[EvilCow]

Probably it should just work only while standing still or your own vibrations would mask other's signals. Also it should have e non perfect accuracy and indicate an approximate zone rather than the exact position.

I like the idea but it is a bit OP right now.

Edited by EvilCow, 27 May 2013 - 10:34 AM.

[zenius]

Maybe they could change it to work how actual seismic sensors work. Assuming the design for the sensor is single point on the mech it is equipped on, it should only detect how far from the mech it is detecting activity. When 2 mechs with seismic sensors have overlapping sensor ranges, the map should show two possible locations for the activity. When 3 mechs with seismic sensors have overlapping sensor ranges, the exact location of the activity can be detected. Basically, give the sensor triangulation properties. The issue with implementing this system could be excessive information being relayed into your map so having an option to turn it on and off is recommended.

Another possibility could be to make the sensor directional instead of omnidirectional so that you can only detect seismic activity in a cone within your field of vision.

Edited by zenius, 27 May 2013 - 10:54 AM.

[TheComet]

This is just my thoughts, maybe a little too hard on it, but my thoughts

A few ways seismic could be tweaked:

v1: Instead of giving us 0 day info, it could instead only indicate distance and direction relevant to front, L/R, and back, so it remains useful but not as overkill
v2: the radar scan idea from above, adding a ping delay to the scans
v3: make it a special piece of equipment like ECM (so most likely it would be seen on light scout mechs and assaults)
v4: Scramble it with ECM and include dampeners for mech footsteps that garble the vibration of footsteps to sensors so they can only pick up range but not direction

Just my ideas on it

[MavRCK]

I had an amazing game using seismic module to my advantage until I totally blew it and mind fubar'd...

http://www.twitch.tv...avrck/c/2339732

One can see both sides....

On one hand, I could use the seismic module and see where my enemies were....

And on the other hand, they could see where I was going...

Overall, I think using one's mental abilities, one's hearing, one's visual recognition of smoke / environmental changes, and generally having better tactics - ie. simply outplaying your opponent - should be used..

This module is too easy-mode and takes away from the game...

We should be demanding more terrain / environmental changes, sound enhancements, etc etc that helps us clue into the positions of enemies... passive / active radar... things that demand skill and ability...

not an easy-mode module..

I think this module should be removed.

PS: I find it really annoying that the radar doesn't work when at different elevations of your enemies... but this seismic sensor does...!!!!

Edited by MavRCK, 27 May 2013 - 01:30 PM.

[Caseck]

Submarine rules should apply. Size*Speed=Signature. Detection=Range/Speed

[Reno Blade]

I've heard people saying "why can you sense seismic, if you are running and not only when standing still?" and I had to agree.
But if players now stop and go just because of the ping... i don't know.
Maybe just reduce range while running or the time between pings?
I like the submarine idea. (could be combined with slower recicle time for fast moving and faster/more detailed pings when standing still)

[Mechteric]

One more possibility is to balance it by also making it more realistic. For instance, there's no way to know exactly how far away a unit is away from you unless you have some form of triangulation surrounding the source that the seismic is picking up.

Rather than showing a blip of exactly where it is you should get an indicator that shows only the direction and strength of the seismic source. This could be indicated by a cone or something similar. The bigger the cone, the bigger and closer the seismic source. Also it would be possible to mask numbers since currently you can use seismic to tell exactly how many there are, where a cone would just get bigger but not really tell you if its a crew of 4 lights or a single atlas (other than how fast the steps are occurring)


* That said I don't think the "radar sweep" idea is very realistic with regards to a seismic detection device. That's something that only makes sense if your mech is sending out a "ping" of sorts, be it sound or laser based, but a seismic sensor doesn't work that way at all. It does sound cool though, I see that as more how the current standard radar could work if such a thing were to be implemented at all.

Edited by CapperDeluxe, 31 May 2013 - 05:33 AM.

[shellashock]

I think that the seismic sensor should work like a submarine sonar sensor, then the rotation speed could be changed to keep it from being too much of position giveaway, As a bonus, it would fit into canon because it could emulate the mw4 intro style, with maybe a few design changes. In addition, it should probably be limited to only working when stopped or at 1/4 speed or lower. After that point, the "noise" from your own footprints would just mask any seismic signals. In between stopped and 1/4 speed though, there could be a dynamic scale for signal strength based on position, speed and weight, although these values would need to be tweaked frequently.

Edit: Wait, isn't the MW4 intro displaying a radar sensor (not seismic sensor), with the sweeping update bar? If that is the case, then forget what I said about it fitting into canon.

Edited by shellashock, 31 May 2013 - 05:43 AM.

[shellashock]

CapperDeluxe, on 31 May 2013 - 05:29 AM, said:

* That said I don't think the "radar sweep" idea is very realistic with regards to a seismic detection device. That's something that only makes sense if your mech is sending out a "ping" of sorts, be it sound or laser based, but a seismic sensor doesn't work that way at all. It does sound cool though, I see that as more how the current standard radar could work if such a thing were to be implemented at all.

That's true, but it probably looks cooler and is less overpowered then a constantly updating feed with every footstep. I can't be sure about that because I have not seen either of these styles in action (the tweaked version discussed here), but it would be interesting to see which design would be more balanced.