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[Unbound Inferno]

Now, if you’ll be kind enough to read through my rough WOT (that I admit still needs a ton of refining for appearance purposes but it has my thoughts laid out on it all) these are some of my choice changes I would like to see in MWO to make the game hopefully more user-friendly and overall better in my opinion.

tl;dr folks – convergance nerf to kill most extreme-range alphatrike snipers, missile fix to make them practical but hopefully not overpowred and an ECM overhaul to hopefully make the game more balanced without completely screwing over one side or the other


Convergence and Direct Fire changes;

Translate the Optimal Range as the Long range where the weapon can get maximum damage

Torso weapons are set for the Optimal range for perfect targeting. Adjustable only within a certain % of that range, more or less. I’ll use 10% for now for example purposes
Medium Laser as an example is Long at 270, Max of 540. Take 10% of the max range as the variable of the accuracy, so it is pinpoint accurate from 216 to 324 in the torso position
Arm mounted with only upper acuators can only adjust accurately from the Optimal range to the Max range.
Again, the Medium Laser would be pinpoint accurate only from 216 to the max of 540 in a partial Arm mount.
Full style arm mounted weapons with both Upper and Lower acuators can converge with pinpoint accuracy at almost any range. The lower limit is a small % of the max range of the weapon.
With a full arm the Medium Laser is accurate from 54m to 540m.

The initial idea is that the weapons automatically default to their optimal range (long range where max damage can be applied) for converging, but you need to lock-on for it to adjust to converge at other ranges.
Battle Tech Novel inspired idea style of a hovering target delay for converging weapons from optimal range, to show the delay for converging fire – called a Direct Fire Target Lock taking normally a second to get. That duration can be disrupted by ECM to be longer or shortened by TAG and NARC
Direct Fire Target Lock must have LOS to work and cannot be prevented so long as the mech is targetable, however it cannot gain an indirect lock and begins to lose it once LOS is broken.

Crosshair over target mech, and a targeting pattern that shifts to a diamond-shape over the target box to indicate converging fire confirm for intended target. Flashing Gold for solid lock and all weapons can converge, flashing between Black and Gold for partial – some weapons not locked – and a flashing Black/(or other color) for a lock, but no converging fire due to distance and weapon mounts.
The pattern shifts out from the Square to that Diamond as the lock progresses, full Diamond is locked.
I see it essentially taking the corners of the box and bending them out to extend to the full Diamond shape with the Target Box within. However, the lock is lost if the crosshairs shift back to the usual Square Target Box and must be required again. However its not like the Missile Lock where it is completely lost, it begins to fade from the Diamond back to the Square and can be caught partial to reacquire it quickly.

Skills such as Pinpoint and Arm Reflex would decrease the time needed for the lock as well as TAG and NARC. I might also suggest having Pinpoint also adjust the restricted range that pinpoint can occur to encourage upgrading that.

Energy Weapons remain a straight shot and relatively reliable, but with the convergence changes they end up having a massive spread at their max ranges, but remain relatively reliable under Long range
Ballistic Weapons should suffer from a slight arc, leaving a slightly more unpredictable shot at such ranges if fired without a good lock. An idea involving a random cone widening from Long range to Max isn't too bad. The Direct Fire Target Lock will bring it to a near pinpoint precision on the crosshairs once acquired, no longer needing to lead the target to guess where you may shoot. I know it sounds like it dumbs down the difficulty there, but it helps even the playing field with the convergence changes. Depending on the weapons involved, some ballistic weapons like LBX and Machine Guns still have a cone area they hit around that point.
The Direct Fire Target Lock makes it pinpoint precise at that target and range, and can be aimed at any point of the mech for that focused fire. However with the restrictions of the mounting areas it may not be possible for all of the weapons to converge their fire there.
For example from Medium Lasers finding a target at 90m; the Full Arms will have a pinpoint accuracy, but partial Arms and Torso will not as its intended to converge at minimum of 216m. Depending on the mech position and size, all shots might hit a different mech part, so it could spread the damage somewhat but not completely eliminate the intended target area. It is most noticeable at long to max ranges where the convergence before the target makes the shots spread out significantly more. So a target at 500m will receive pinpoint damage from Full and Partial Arms, but the Torso mounts will not converge and likely miss at such extreme ranges.

This however does not completely remove certain intended snipers and skill from the elite FPS sniper that can lead targets. It will limit what weapons can be used, but a good player can still manage a crazy good shot at extreme ranges even if the arc is slightly off - but at the very least it can help reduce what damage to expect at such extreme ranges.


Missile changes;

LRM Missile Launchers should fire off in staggered Salvos, set to max of Missile Tubes available from the mech - much like the current background, the Catapult on the left is a great example.
Each Salvo is changed to launch one Missile every 0.1 seconds up to max Missile Tubes – then like a 0.5 sec reload delay for the next Salvo. In instances of Multipurpose Tubes you need to wait for the first salvo to launch, then the reload delay.
In the instance of an A1, it has a 15 Multipurpose tubes. If equipeed with a LRM 20 and 2 Streak SRM2 it can launch 15 LRMs, then delay before 5 LRMs. It must wait for the complete launch of the first LRMs before firing SSRMs with the remaining tubes.
Reload times need to be adjusted for the launching time added in, subtracting the salvo launch time from the total reload time to balance it. However when equipping a larger launcher on a mech that doesn’t have as many tubes it is automatically penalized with a longer reload between extra salvos.

SRMs should still fire in the intended all-at-once salvo, but if there is not enough missile tubes it would wait that 0.5 sec delay for the next salvo.

Each Missile tracks its own target trying to aim for the center of a targeted hitbox, depending on the Launcher Size determines what hitboxes are chosen from the target

SRM2, LRM5 selects the CT – the current flightpath
SRM4, LRM10 randomly chooses CT, LT, RT to add a slight spread
SRM6, LRM15 randomly chooses CT, LT, RT, LA, RA, LL, RL making the spread wider
LRM20 is the only one that could randomly target the head specifically with the rest of the mech
The main intention of the change is to let smaller launchers still mainly target CT, but allow the larger to be more likely to cause overall damage instead of CT coring. Torso twisting, mech placement and relative firing arc can drastically change how the damage is received.

Missile Spread is influenced from the Launcher and the number of Tubes with a default minimum distance each missile must keep. This is only for the missiles launched from the same mech – not intended to overlap with other missile launchers.
The initial spread is determined by a bubble for the min distance between each missile, forcing others to move out of the way. Its like a small footprint for an intended missile path, the next one can’t land there so it needs to be outside that one – adding up as more are launched. The initial spread for the first volley ends up tight, and further adjusted by ARTEMIS, TAG and NARC. A consecutive launch that exceeds the Tube number forcing that 0.5 sec reload makes that next bubble even larger and forces the missile path further out from the intended target point. Massive excessive boating ends up forcing many of the later launches missing completely. This can be gotten around by setting stagger fire and waiting at least a full second between launching one salvo from the first launcher and the next, however rushing the fire ends up spreading it out. The other solution to this is to simply not overload what is not appropriate for launchers. That coupled with the reload delays adds up to discourage excessive boating while leaving the missiles typically more accurate overall if used in moderation.

The bubble is an invisible area around the end pathing of the missile target area, and adjusts that path of the next missile from there. The missile follows that pathline so long as there is a target lock – losing that lock leaves the path on the last course set, unless its reacquired within LOS and you have ARTEMIS. However it should not reacquire if it is indirect without LOS.
The duration of that Missile Spread pathing bubble I guess to call it is defaulted to last normally until the missile hits or is shot by an AMS allowing another new missile launch to take its place and keep the intended accurate hit. That duration and size of the target bubble is reduced with ARTEMIS, TAG and NARC so it can allow for the creation of that tighter launch sooner if loading larger launchers. Balancing is needed, but could help force most excessive missile boats to just outright miss, reducing its effective abuse while still allowing to reward more practical builds with accurate missiles and spreads.

Remove Splash Damage outright
LRMs do 1 Damage – with the pathing changes, more will hit. I am aware its not that close to TT, but it makes them more viable in MWO
SRMs do 2 Damage – coupled with the pathing changes they become increasingly dangerous, and as such more viable in MWO

AMS according to the last patch seems alright to leave it as it is I think.

Hopefully the change in pathing would end up having more damage overall for even smaller launcher groups, but penalize excessive boating without overpowering or totally nerfing it.



ECM overhaul

ECM on Counter will counters one ECM on Disrupt
ECM on Disrupt reduces the max distance you can get a target lock with LOS
Lock-on for Direct Fire and Missile is drastically slowed so long as there is a LOS with the target, and cannot be completely prevented so long as the LOS remains normally
Indirect fire (without LOS) cannot happen on a mech under ECM Disrupt normally

ARTEMIS for LRM and SRM reduce the required time to gain a target lock, the size of the Missile Spread pathing bubble and the duration of it leading to a tighter packed missile flight.

TAG drastically increases lock speed and retention of both Direct Fire and Missile Locks, reduces Missile Spread pathing bubble and allows indirect targeting of a mech under ECM Disrupt. The range of TAG should be reduced

NARC is permanent for the match and drastically increases lock speed and retention of both Direct Fire and Missile Locks, reduces the Missile Spread pathing bubble – but also makes the mech indirect targetable wherever it on the map so long as it is not under an ECM Disrupt. Special note is that the NARC will allow indirect targeting for Direct Fire weapons that normally can’t do that, allowing for faster reflex shots in instances it comes out from under cover.
TAG, NARC and ARTEMIS bonuses stack together where it applies; TAG making it targetable even under ECM on Disrupt, NARC allowing it to be targetable anywhere outside it and ARTEMIS drastically improving missile effectiveness

Beagle Active Probe increases the range you can gain a lock normally. So long as your mech has LOS and a successful target from a teammate mech outside an ECM Disrupt bubble can allow you to target it at further ranges. However if LOS is obscured you lose the assisted lock. Still allows detection of shut down mechs at close range.
THE Major change; BAP no longer disrupts ECM at close range, as that function would not be required under the suggested changes to targeting allowing LOS targeting to function with only that longer duration increase for acquisition.

Final note: Balanced numbers. Outside the general idea of these implications, I do not have a clear idea of balanced numbers that would make such changes appropriate. That would be something that should be tested extensively to make it fair IMO.


I left out the Hardpoint restrictions idea (I think it has merit) mostly because I am not sure if that level of detail should really be enforced. The Convergence change and Missile Salvo and Spread changes with existing mounting and tube restrictions ought to be enough for this. But I wouldn't be completely against the idea of restricting what Energy/Ballistic/Missile weapon size or type can be mounted where on top of this. But as far as I understand the basic TT doesn't restrict that, so I don’t know a valid reason it should be here.