3 replies to this topic

[Victor Morson]

As we all know the NARC is badly underpowered. It doesn't last all that long, it weights a ton, it requires ammo, it's difficult to hit with, etc. All of this is really bad, and it needs buffing more than any other hard point item, honestly. Yes, I'm saying it's worse than flamers or machine guns.

Yes, that's not what I'm here to talk about. I'm here to talk about the fact it's missile grouping advantage. You see, it will stack with TAG for very tight groups - but to avoid a "tripple stack" they made it not stack with Artemis.

What?

I think it could use every edge it could have, honestly, and should stack with all three - but if it was going to conflict with any system, why wouldn't it conflict with TAG - it's rival system - instead of Artemis? What I'm getting at, and the next part is important: Every single serious missile 'mech is going to have Artemis. Every single one. They all need that weapon grouping, close or range and the lock bonus alone is a huge deal.

While technically you could get tighter groups with TAG+NARC than TAG+Artemis, nobody ever is going to take Artemis off even if NARC was way, way better. You can buff NARC in a thousand different ways and if it's incompatible with one of the most vital missile systems in the game, it's never going to be worthwhile.

I don't know about you but I don't want to take several tons out of my light 'mech to mount a NARC so one guy with a backup LRM10 and no Artemis on his 'mech will have better groups. I want to carry hardware like that when I can count on serious LRM support... and not to repeat myself, but serious support is not going to be lacking Artemis.

I'm honestly at a loss how this even got past the concept phase honestly, let alone put into the game. If you even stop to think it over for five minutes it's just .. strange. Let's get rid of it.

[Levi Porphyrogenitus]

Voted Other. NARC should not change grouping at all.

NARC should increase tracking ability for all guided missiles (making them better against evading targets), and it should provide a sensor contact that you can actively target to achieve lock-on without line of sight. This sensor contact should have a 700m range, and ECM should cut that range in half (350m). It should last for one minute or until the stuck location is destroyed (whichever happens first).

These changes would make NARC incredibly useful.

Edited by Levi Porphyrogenitus, 20 June 2013 - 06:35 AM.

[Victor Morson]

Levi Porphyrogenitus, on 20 June 2013 - 06:34 AM, said:

Voted Other. NARC should not change grouping at all.

NARC should increase tracking ability for all guided missiles (making them better against evading targets), and it should provide a sensor contact that you can actively target to achieve lock-on without line of sight. This sensor contact should have a 700m range, and ECM should cut that range in half (350m). It should last for one minute or until the stuck location is destroyed (whichever happens first).

These changes would make NARC incredibly useful.

For clarification I'm not suggesting exactly what the NARC should do with Artemis, only that it should work with it. If anyone is planning on voting, please keep that in mind.

There's lots of good ideas for how NARCs could be better out there. But no matter how good they are, they're not worth stripping Artemis for in a practical environment.

Edited by Victor Morson, 20 June 2013 - 06:41 AM.

[Zyllos]

Levi Porphyrogenitus, on 20 June 2013 - 06:34 AM, said:

Voted Other. NARC should not change grouping at all.

NARC should increase tracking ability for all guided missiles (making them better against evading targets), and it should provide a sensor contact that you can actively target to achieve lock-on without line of sight. This sensor contact should have a 700m range, and ECM should cut that range in half (350m). It should last for one minute or until the stuck location is destroyed (whichever happens first).

These changes would make NARC incredibly useful.

Agreed with the tracking strength.

I think the current system is fine with NARC cutting through ECM. But that is based off the idea that PGI is not going to change the current ECM system. It technically should be opposite, ECM should not block lockons, increase the missile lockon time, decrease time allowed for not aiming at the selected target box before losing the lockon, and all EW equipment should be blocked from giving a bonus (TAG/NARC/Artemis). But I think PGI is deadset on leaving ECM the way it is so NARC has to provide some bonus in a ECM field, thus the ability to lockon.

I think the current ammo loads (12 per ton) with the current duration (40s) is plenty of time. The problem is that NARC is removed after one or two salvos of hits. So either remove the entire "damage threshold" or the section that was hit is removed destroys the NARC is both fine.