1 reply to this topic

[Sable Phoenix]

I know what you're thinking, but no, I'm not going to talk about getting rid of weapon convergence. The lore itself mentions that each weapon on a mech has its own actuators to facilitate targeting and tracking. Convergence is a part of the BattleTech universe. Not only that, but the convergence mechanic is already too deeply embedded in the meta and, presumably, the code of the game to root out at this point. The fix for pinpoint damage is not eliminating weapon convergence.

It's eliminating group fire.

I don't mean eliminating weapons groups. Weapons groups are necessary for real-time weapons management. I mean eliminating the ability to fire every weapon in a group simultaneously. Make chain fire our only option.

If you look at the way the tabletop plays, there is quite obviously no such thing as group fire. No matter how many weapons you fire, each one is treated as its own separate attack and is resolved individually.

I know people are going to ridicule this idea on reflex. I realize that group fire has been a tradition of the MechWarrior games since MechWarrior 2. I get it. But that doesn't mean this wouldn't fix the problem.

Implement this idea, add some recoil onto the weapons that realistically ought to have it (ballistics and PPCs), and your days of AC/40 Jaegers and PPC Stalkers ruling the kill and damage columns are over.

Edited by Sable Phoenix, 06 July 2013 - 12:21 PM.

[Foxfire]

Eh... I think this change would needlessly harm the faster mechs more than anything. It makes hit and run tactics less effective because you have to be exposed more to do the same level of damage.

You refer to the TT.. and yes, there were actuators to help aim weapons but what you call out as a TT example of no groupings is actually an example of how weapons didn't converge on a single dot(as they do in the game).

IMO I think we would be better served by having weapons diverging based on the number(and size) of the weapons being fired at a time. I'm not saying that it should be some random 'cone', but something predictable based on the location of the weapons. Something along the line of saying that the more you shoot, the closer that each weapon comes to shooting along the 'target line' as if they were coming straight from the weapon point and not towards the center of cross hairs.

E.G. if I fire one weapon of any size, it is dead on target(based on convergence time).. if I fire two small lasers from, say, a Jenner, then the weapons should diverge slightly from the cross hairs in a direction that goes towards true straight from the weapon pods. If I fire 4 PPCs(ignore that you can't fit that many on a Jenner), then the weapons should fire parallel to the line of fire made by my crosshairs.

Edited by Foxfire, 06 July 2013 - 12:34 PM.