5 replies to this topic

[Ialdabaoth]

Situation 1:

Right now, there isn't much point in having a large number of jump jets, other than getting into a few niche places in a few maps.

I will admit, that in and of itself is fun.

Situation 2:

While most people agree that nerfing the poptart build was necessary, there's a lot of people complaining that it went overboard.

Proposed solution to both problems:

Have jump jet shake and mid-air maneuverability both tuned to the number of jets on a unit, rather than tuning it to weight class or any other factor. This makes sense, in that multiple jump jets should give you more fine-tuned control, where the first few jets are used to overcome gravity and the remainder can be used for stabilization and boost.

This also means that 'mechs like the Spider-5V suddenly become incredibly desirable as pop-tart builds, but can only support a few weapons while doing so - whereas 'mechs like the Highlander-732 can use jumping for terrain navigation and maneuverability, but won't be able to fire easily in mid-air.

I'd recommend having the current level of screen shake happen at 2 jump jets, with twice that shake happening with 1 jump jet, 2/3 happening at 3 jump jets, and so on. In other words, just double the amount of screen shake, and then divide that by the number of jump jets mounted.

This will make the Spider-5V an actually useful aerial combatant, which elevates it from its current near-uselessness, while making jump jets on heavies and assault 'mechs useful but not overpowered.

What do you think, sirs?

Edited by Ialdabaoth, 08 June 2013 - 04:24 PM.

[Soy]

wait what?

shouldn't it be other way around?

****, this is all so pointless. lets have fun and kill each other robots, ill go first.

[Ialdabaoth]

Soy, on 08 June 2013 - 04:25 PM, said:

wait what?

shouldn't it be other way around?

****, this is all so pointless. lets have fun and kill each other robots, ill go first.

Not at all. With fewer jump jets, what jets you have need to struggle harder to lift your 'mech, and all your thrust is coming from just one or two clusters of exhaust ports.

With more jump jets, those jets can afford to angle more, applying more stabilizing thrust vectoring as opposed to just struggling against gravity to lift your 'mech in the air.

[One Medic Army]

Option 3, having 2 jets gets you twice as high, and twice as far as 1 jet.
5 jets gets you 5x as high/far as 1 jet.

[Ialdabaoth]

I'm not sure that's easily implemented, given how jump jets seem to currently work.

[Levi Porphyrogenitus]

If anything, more jets should increase shake.

I will admit that it might be nice if they rewarded balanced JJ distribution by having balanced builds (equal numbers in the right/left torso or right/left leg, with center torso JJs counting as balanced) have slightly less shake.

However, I think that weight class shake balancing is a far superior and far more sensible option than that in the OP. Each JJ you add puts a new rocket on the back of your mech, increasing the forces being applied to it and making it that much harder for the gyro to keep up. Sure, balanced force distribution would help a bit (hence my suggestion above), but still, a mech is not an aerodynamic flying machine. It's a many-ton chicken or guy with giant rockets strapped to its back, being flung into the air gracelessly.