4 replies to this topic

[Bromineberry]

Hi,

what about giving each weapon a new value called "energy consumption"? Each engine size has a specified "energy output" and each weapon has an "energy consumption" value. As long as you are below the "output" with your "consumption", everything is fine. But as soon as you exeed your "output", the reload takes longer. An additional penalty could be a slowdown of the mech.


For example, a "300 sized" engine would have an "energy output" of let's say 300. If a PPC were to need exactly 150 "energy points", the mech would be able to have 2 PPCs in reaload, without suffering any consequences. Of course he still would be able to mount 6 PPC, but if the reload rate maybe tripples because they need 3 times as much energy as the engine provides (6*150 = 900, 900/300 = 3) where is the point?


It's just a rough idea, and real numbercrunching has to be made to make it work, but I think it would be a nice additional handwheel to adjust balance.

Of course I'm pretty sure, that people will tear this idea appart in seconds and it probably has been around before, but nevertheless I'm interested in opinions.

[Terror Teddy]

Or you could make it equal to Heat.

300 Engine has 300 Energy
Weapons have an energy cost equal to heat.
Heatsinks cost 1 energy per second to operate

Energy regeneration is like heatsinks and gives 1/10 per second of engine rating.
Energy regeneration would be hampered by heat management as the engine would strive to send energy to heatsinks - loosing 1 point of energy per heatsink per second.

So a HBK-4P with 9 medium lasers and a standard 260 engine would spend 36 heat in an alpha and regain 26 energy per second. If the mech has 20 heatsinks it would also loose 20 point of energy and only gain 6 points per second.

Would make the game more complex and less battletech? Might do, but I'm all for more complexity - especially if we never get a proper heatscale.

Edited by Terror Teddy, 30 June 2013 - 10:19 PM.

[Unbound Inferno]

Well, since we have "energy" weapons, it may be better to call it "power" from the engines.

I believe the idea has come up before, a kind of SP/MP or 'spell' bar you can relate to in other games where you only have so much power to fire weapons and it takes time to recharge. This forces you to either conserve, time or limit shots because you don't have enough power to do so sometimes. It definitely slows the pace of the fight down, but it'll make the game lean towards those pinpoint alphastrikes more for the shots that count.

The issue with relating it to engine sizes is that it utterly cripples any build that is based around a slower speed vs someone that is more powerful, as the more powerful engine beats out on the damage output. Its a tricky one to balance or to justify that way.

There has been other suggestions that would have similar results in the form of a targeting computer power system or an alphastrike limitation "buildup" bar that limits those alphastrikes and forces chain fire for a similar result to this.

[Terror Teddy]

Unbound Inferno, on 30 June 2013 - 10:19 PM, said:

Well, since we have "energy" weapons, it may be better to call it "power" from the engines.

I believe the idea has come up before, a kind of SP/MP or 'spell' bar you can relate to in other games where you only have so much power to fire weapons and it takes time to recharge. This forces you to either conserve, time or limit shots because you don't have enough power to do so sometimes. It definitely slows the pace of the fight down, but it'll make the game lean towards those pinpoint alphastrikes more for the shots that count.

The issue with relating it to engine sizes is that it utterly cripples any build that is based around a slower speed vs someone that is more powerful, as the more powerful engine beats out on the damage output. Its a tricky one to balance or to justify that way.

There has been other suggestions that would have similar results in the form of a targeting computer power system or an alphastrike limitation "buildup" bar that limits those alphastrikes and forces chain fire for a similar result to this.

Yup, I realized that my rought idea above has a far to punishing heatsink energy cost aspect.

Well, mechs with smaller engines usually have fewer weapons but we also have the other part of the curve like the Atlas-D which for all it's hardpoints usually dont get very heat intensive - unless you slam on a pair of ERPPC on the arms (me, I prefer MPL).

An Atlas D with a 320 engine would never have energy problems.

Edited by Terror Teddy, 30 June 2013 - 10:27 PM.

[dario03]

Bromineberry, on 30 June 2013 - 10:06 PM, said:

Of course I'm pretty sure, that people will tear this idea appart in seconds and it probably has been around before, but nevertheless I'm interested in opinions.

It has, actually I just posted it again a few days ago (well not that idea exactly but same basic principle).

Quote

I would rather we had a maximum amount of crits be allowed per weapon class. Or add something else like power draw and assign every weapon a certain amount of draw and each mech a amount of power (possibly affected by engine). That way stock builds wouldn't have to be affected, every mech could still run every weapon (assuming it has the hardpoints), hardpoints wouldn't need to be lowered. So for example you could still have stalkers with 6 energy harpoints but lets say it can only use 10 crits for those weapons. They could carry 6ml if they want or 5LL, or 3ppc and 1ml but they wouldn't be able to carry 6LL or 4ppc, Or add in the power draw system (or call it whatever) and tweak those numbers to get different limits. Could help balance some mechs out too, for example maybe do something like let the awesome have more energy potential than the stalker.

So obviously I'm for it. Perhaps these restrictions could lead to more variety if done right. Either one could work ok but personally I would prefer that we went with the setup that just doesn't let 6ppc stalkers exist. Making them have longer reloads would be a nerf but it wouldn't stop them from popping out and blasting away half a mech in one shot.

Edited by dario03, 30 June 2013 - 11:29 PM.