50 replies to this topic

[Stahlseele]

What do you think?
In there or not?

[ApheX]

Twisting arms yes. It worked well in MW4, but rear firing weapons? I don't think it would work imho.

[Ilfi]

Arms that twist and 360-spin torsos (chassis restricted, of course) have both been done, and I would suspect both be in, but I think it's fair to say that rear-mounted weapons won't happen.

[Wahlnutz]

In the old Battletech 3025 by EA, all the mechs that had the variants containing rear facing weapons were actually used quite often from what I remember. It also brings back memories of when EA showcased the game at a large convention they allowed the people there to use any mech they wanted... right after they had reset the servers. So my team had 3 Jenners and one Raven going against a Commando, 2 Jenners and an Atlas. Took out all the light mechs and ALMOST got the Atlas, I was the last survivor on my team and wouldn't you know it, shot me with twin rear facing mediums Good times

[Youngblood]

Would be nice if there were an easier way to fire off to your side so you don't have to always have to point your torso exactly straight at what you wanted to hit like in Mech4. Mech3's point-and-click shooting was interesting, but it was a bit cheesy.

360-degree torsos were interesting in MechWarrior 4, but they made 'Mechs too much like turreted tanks. Flipping arms and a rear camera are a bit unwieldy in first-person games, but it would make so much sense for certain 'Mechs like the JagerMech.

[Sheilei]

i loved the way mech 3 handled the arms but- (i don't have much knowledge about servers and stuff like that. So i'll just ask.)- Won't that put a huge strain on the servers?
I mean there is a huge amount of players aiming their arm mounted weaponry here and there. And then you got to start worrying about hitlocations.

Maybe it would be better to do the same type of targeting they had in EVE only with some major changes- Such the torso must be swiveled manually and not to mention the fact that you ain't mounted on tracks here.
You're free to run wherever whenever.

If targeting becomes like Mech 4 i'll just start crying til i become a dried out husk.

[DamnCatte]

Both flippable arms and rear firing weapons are present in the traditional game, and I think if just for that alone they should at least be implemented. Not all mechs can flip their arms, not all mechs have arms, but there are many that do have rear firing weapons, even if they are minor. It's a strategic element, and while I'm sure it will be prone to many inappropriate jokes (it already has, as far as my gaming circle is concerned), It can give faster mechs a bit more pause when they try to circle-strafe.

[UncleKulikov]

It should be an upgrade that takes space or something similar. The capability should be there, but not explored past making it balanced.

[Xaks]

If I recall correctly, you had to:

1.) HAVE arms
2.) Have no hand or wrist actuators
3.) Have weapons on the end of your...armlike tings.

Only then could you flip arm weapons to fire into the rear arc. Marauder, Rifleman, Warhammer, Crab, etc. Not just one arm, but both...all or none.

Plus, also IIRC, you couldn't fire forward that turn either, you had to have the flip back forward as part of the NEXT turn (tabletop, obviously)

[Joachim Viltry]

rear weapons would be great. it would force different game play decisions on players, and really make things interesting. sure you can try and shoot out that atlas' back... but if he sees you he just has to flip to rear view and snap off a couple med laser shots, while he figures out which way to torso twist to give you a really bad day....

[Gunslinger2]

Rear facing weapons were also in many of the Battletech novels, ive often wished for them while playing MW4 to keep the heads of the jump snipers down while making my way back to some cover.

[ice trey]

I'm all for it, so long as MWO manages to have a "Look Backwards" button that isn't cumbersome to use. Some designs (like the Jenner, Atlas, and Quickdraw) seem to rely on having rear firing weapons or flippable arms to hit their targets. I'm all for it.

...But that said... considering that we're unlikely to have melee combat or the use of hand actuators in this game, there would be a definite advantage felt by 'mechs with turret-arms like the Catapult, Jenner, and Stalker.

Unless the team behind MWO are going to go all-out and add the features necessary to make the decision to have flippable arms or actuated arms a trade-off, rather than a foregone conclusion than I think that arm flipping should be omitted altogether. Rear-firing weapons on torso locations should still be permitted as an option, though. Many canon variants of 'mechs cover their six with a medium laser or two.

[Uziel Tesshin]

I'd say yes. But limit them to smaller weapons, the largest being an SRM 6 for balance. Arear mounted laser or MG can come in handy.

[Corvus Antaka]

Flippable arms are a must. They are super useful, are a great skill based skill to learn, and nothing...NOTHING...is cooler than looking to your right and pointing your arm at a guys mech and blowing him to smithereens. well...except maybe DFA.

[Methuselah Honeysuckle]

I think it should be implemented eventually, but let's be real here. Piranha doesn't have any impressive games in their portfolio so they should concentrate on the major parts of the game first. Definitely keep things like melee and rear mounted weapons in mind for future updates.

[Owl Cutter]

+1
I like having to choose between battle fists and flip-arms, it's an interesting choice and both options are important parts of urban combat. I hope that actual use of hand actuators gets implemented later on, so I also hope that flip arms get implemented at the same time so we don't have an awkward period where every one wants a chassis with either full actuators or minimal, depending on which feature comes first.

In the mean time, I can enjoy loss of the awkward way using lower arm but not hand actuators gives you (mostly) the worst of both worlds, since for some reason it's a terribly popular compromise on canon chassis.

Rear-mounted weapons and collision damage would be nice stepping stones, though, and would go a long way toward filling the hole in urban combat left by the omission. Also, in the Invasion era when 2-crit PPC weapons become an option, I want to see people doing William Wallace impressions (Mel Gibson version) with head Flamers and center torso Snubbies.

[Red Pins]

...If I remember, the only one with this is the Rifleman. Not exactly a killer, but a solid unit - paper armor on the back, though.

[Steevo]

Dont sweat rear firing, just get the game running smoothly, and add it as an update, just get it rolling:)

[Bishop L]

FenixStryk, on 31 October 2011 - 03:28 PM, said:

but I think it's fair to say that rear-mounted weapons won't happen.

I hope your wrong about this! I would be upset if my Centurion didn't have it's rear mounted med laser.

[Sartris]

Back in MPBT: Solaris, you could fire your arm-mounted weapons sideways by using the POV controls to look left. Seems like a fairly clean implementation. Rear-mounted weapons could be fired in a similar way.

Edited by Sartris, 08 November 2011 - 05:11 PM.