I actually didn't even mind the highly simplified version found in the Mech commander titles, where you had a grid (think diablo style inventory) and it was different sizes and shapes for different mechs... if it wasn't tall enough you couldn't put a gauss on the thing, if you didn't have enough heatsinks you couldn't equip a given weapon.
I'm not suggesting that we do that here, this is a much more detailed game and a very different style, but even still that system made sense and it worked within the game.
Which is why I bring it up, I don't care how the system gets fixed, but it needs fixing. Perfect, instantaneous convergence at all times, very high heat capacities, and lack of hard point restrictions are all contributing to the high alpha meta. I really just want to have viable load outs other than high alpha.
To address "fixing" high heat capacities, I hesitate to suggest that as it's a pure burden on the new player who doesn't have double heat sinks. Until there's a reason to take single heat sinks, I don't know why they still exist. There is no down side to having them in any practical build, yet they're stock on nearly every mech. It's purely a 1.5M CB tax on being able to play well. And the die hards will all say... "so what, that's nothing". But to a new player it's 5 or more matches where you're just totally out classed and overheating. With the added heat penalties (damage for high heat shut downs) this will only become more pronounced. Unless they do something totally silly like allow singles to give you higher threshold and (a smaller CD) vs. a larger CD and lower threshold for doubles, I don't really want to see the massive heat penalties in the game.
ON that note, I wish there were honest choices in all the mech upgrades. (pro AND con) to each the way Artemis is set up.
No one runs without endo, it's stupid not to. 14 crit slots aren't a big deal. If you traded that tonnage against 10% less internal HP and 14 crit slots it would be a much more interesting choice. If FF didn't give tonnage but gave 10% higher armor cap at all hard points(and consequently you can pack more armor on, but it costs extra weight)(alternatively, give 10% more armor value and 10% less speed, lots of ways you can go) and had 14 crit slots, it would also be a much more interesting choice.
You'd then have a much harder decision in most mechs over what to take since most builds can't accommodate 28 spare crit slots: extra tonnage (more offense/less defense) or extra durability (more defense/slower). You'd also have to be willing to sacrifice something from the stock load outs(the most middle ground balanced choice). THIS would give a much broader range of load outs a more viable edge. It would help bring stock load outs back into viability. These upgrades currently have no real downside, when they SHOULD be very rare to find and ungodly expensive to maintain. I understand that RnR isn't coming back, but without it, there's no real balance without adding something like this to the upgrades.
Remember, if you can't get/don't want that tonnage from Endo and/or FF that's probably one less large item on your mech. Right now you just take it... it gives you spare space, you don't look back, ever.
As for convergence... there's tons of methods people have mentioned. My favorite is putting in the equivalent of a scope in time between perfect convergence and a "neutral" position where your torso weapons shoot forward at the width of your mech(arms converge without issue if you have all the actuators, otherwise they're treated as the torso weapons if you can't swing them side to side). When your mech is on the move, or changing ranges quickly your cross hair spreads a little and perhaps changes color. When you stop and aim for .5 or 1 second the cross hair collapses inward from "neutral" to "aimed" and you get the perfect convergence. This is not random spread, a truly excellent pilot would be able to account for the lack of convergence on the move by using single fire. It's the best compromise I've seen/can think of. It preserves the sniper role in the game, but gives it a much higher skill cap to be successful, and makes true snipers more susceptible to brawlers.
In the end, I don't care what they do, but things need fixing and more hard point restrictions are a good place to start.
Edited by Prezimonto, 28 June 2013 - 09:33 PM.
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Ialdabaoth, on 28 June 2013 - 08:44 PM, said:
