42 replies to this topic

[Riptor]

The big problem that never translated well from tabletop to simulation game is the seperation of the torso into three regions.

Right torso, center torso and left torso makes it wayyyy to easy to kill an enemy just by quickly punching out the center... wich is also the most easiest location to hit on most mechs.

What they should have been doing is pool the entire torso region together hitwise and only keep the seperation for the crit spaces. Not only would it make mechs more durable it would also make dearming mechs or legging them a completly viable strategy and raise the importance of headshots.

While at the same time making crit seeking weapons like machineguns and LBX more important since the inner structure HP would also be combined.

Sure you could say that would make mechs easier to hit... but really any mech right now kept for lights is easy to hit.. and on them you would also lower the amount of wonky hitboxes while giving them a bit more survivability making sure they dont become one hit victims.

Im sure someone will try to shoot my idea down but most likely they wont have an idea on their own *shrugs* thats the way it goes in these forums.

Edited by Riptor, 24 August 2013 - 04:43 AM.

[Khobai]

Another option wouldve been to have a damage reduction system.

So like if both side torsos are still intact the center torso gets 50% damage reduction (25% from each side torso).

What that does is simulate the damage spread from battletech without adding randomness to the game.

[Threat Doc]

Karl Split, on 24 August 2013 - 04:30 AM, said:

Id like cone of fire personally, forcing you to stop dead to aim the perfect shot.

I'd hate the game if everyone was just running about soaking up damage endlessly it'd feel like no skill to me.

The original intent of the board game was that you were supposed to be like a World War II fighter pilot, flying by the seat of your pants, working with the tactics you know as much as possible and, if you got that right move, got into the right position, the dance would end with the death of one of you. (For those who don't believe me, see Shrapnel) It was never supposed to be about how much armor or internal structure you had, those were just things that would naturally go on a walking tank. It's not even supposed to be about how many weapons you have on the 'Mech, it's about how and when they're used.

I don't know how to do a spoiler block, so I'll just do it the old fashioned way and warn people that, if you've not yet seen Gamers: Hands of Fate, you may not want to read any further...

In Gamers, the soul of the story centered around a collectible card game. This was a story game, where the ideals of questing to win had given way to winning by "starving" out your opponent's army and then slapping them with undead to finish them off. For several years, however, questing had been the best way to win the game. Not only does this apply to how many role-playing games -since 1993- have changed in their development purposes, but it applies to BattleTech, and to MechWarrior Online. It stopped being about tactics, good unit coordination and actions, somewhere around the time MechWarrior III: Pirate's Moon came out, and started being more about who could do what with what 'Mechs in the Large Laser and PPC arms race, who could run in where angels would fear to tread, with no role-playing sense remaining whatsoever, and blast who before they, themselves, got blasted to oblivion, themselves.

People, today, call valid tactics shooting others in the back, in the head, while they're hull down because of damage or environment, sniping them from insane distances with various weapons, working to remove their legs, etc. Tactics are how you maneuver to relieve your competition of the ability to get a good shot on you while still placing yourself in a better place to shoot them. Fortunately, the developers have removed a good many of these problems, and this game is closer than ANY I have ever seen to what at least a sword fight by Knights in armor should look like. The difference is that the Knights are quite the distance away from one-another, pummeling each other with heat and bullets, and the armor crumples off in 125 pound sheets, instead of using only one weapon and making deep cuts in melee combat.

Does anyone who's not studied the game care? No, they really don't. Are they interested in learning? Few are. Does it change the fact that this is little more than a first-person shooter with some BattleTech elements, right now? No, they just want to kill **** as fast as possible and move on.