0
How the idea sprung up is of little importance, but when re-reading a thread about a Battletech-Novel idea for a degree of randomness on targeting it reminded me on how the current pinpoint accuracy of the mechs isn't cannon at all - this made me think perhaps we need a non-cannon approach to armor to make it even out.
The problem at hand is extremely high pinpoint damage and an armor system that can be segmented to cripple a mech in this game. The combination spell out bad idea from the start, but its what we've got.
This pinpoint accuracy is better featured in other FPS like CoD, Halo. Teamfortress - where you have to contest with an armor bar, of a max relative amount to kill. In those games the health regenerates somewhat, but that's not quite what I am proposing.
I like the segmented part, it makes sense here if it can be done. But this pinpoint accuracy is really killing the idea. So the solution was previously to double the armor levels as the increased recharge showed it doesn't last. At the moment now we face mechs being cored fast by simply being able to focus the damage. What we all want is that to be prolonged some, but not to a ridiculous amount. Those in the pinpoint camp fear the randomness thinking they'll never get a kill in while everyone else wanting change doesn't mind the idea of it turning into a slugfest like the lore of old. So we're at a stalemate and it appears PGI doesn't want random or wild shots, so it may never go.
So, here's this idea for armor adjustment; a kind of Adaptive Armor System. Its not a regenerative one per se, but rather a readjusting system over time that helps the mechs in how they receive damage and potentially recover from shots.
So, how does this work?
I'll take one of my Catapults as an example; 400 points of armor that split up in the sections; 63 CT, 42 sides, 40 arms, 50 legs, 18 head and rear sides and the rear CT at 19.
Being blasted by a 4x PPC snipe at extreme range I can take 20 points of damage. Let's say I got hit in the arm, a common place for me. The arm's armor is reduced to 20 and I duck for cover with 380 total armor remaining.
Taking enough time to let my armor balance with this system after a moment or so of not being shot the armor would balance out over time. I now have 38 armor in the arms, 39.9 on the sides, 59.85 on the CT 47.5 on the legs 17.1 on the rear sides and head (maybe, up for debate) and 18.05 on the rear CT to balance the 380 armor in values like I had originally. The next time I am shot I am not in danger of that arm being blasted off at extreme range, but instead am only slightly hindered on the armor scale in the next engagement.
However, if that PPC blast was under Long Range and dealt the full 40 and I got shot enough for the internal to be blasted I would have lost the arm. Loosing the segment means it doesn't recover, and am left with just what I have on the other parts.
The balancing factor is an ability to handle damage in certain situations, but not remove the dangers of full force combat if you are shot hard enough. Thus mending the spike damage effect and helping to prolong the matches.
The balancing rate of armor could be done to occur only so fast, maybe requiring it to be out of combat for a moment to work, but fast enough to at least mitigate some of the specific damage in favor of helping to outlast in the long run.
The dangers are it doesn't help in some situations, but instead if its working well enough in-combat something like a Light can become really annoying. However if its not working well enough it doesn't help a massive target like an Assault. Perhaps depending on the mech tonnage would determine if it can work in combat, how well or how long out of combat needs to be done. Some form of balance and tuning would be needed, but its a plausible idea to keep the segmented parts but deal with the pinpoint damage.
However I am not taking it as a serious one to really press, as it doesn't solve the problem only treating the results of it. That and its so far off cannon I really don't think its worth more than the though of it, but it would be interesting to see what others thought as well.
Personally I think its better to fix the convergence or seriously re-balance the weapons instead.
Edited by Unbound Inferno, 29 June 2013 - 06:01 PM.
