6 replies to this topic

[Inappropriate1191]

I was reading Sarna, and something occurred to me. The simple, easy way to balance IS vs Clan, without having to nerf this, nerf that, and at the same time, also make IS medium mechs a lot more viable. I will also explain exactly how this will make everything better, and how current items can be rebalanced to make them continue to be viable and useful.

You hardliner Canon {Godwin's Law} are gonna hate this, however.

Basically, we make what I call some of the, "Cheap Capellan Knockoff" technology available sooner than 20 years from now. I will detail not only the actual mech gear that would greatly help in game balance, but also how it can be justified from a story perspective.

The main items in question that would not only help achieve some actual parity with Clan tech, but also help make medium mechs viable again are: ER small and medium lasers, Light AC 2 and 5, and Light Fusion Engines.

Some background on all: All of these items were made after the Clan Invasion, as an effort for the IS to be able to compete. However, they still failed to be as good as actual Clan tech. "Cheap Chinese Knockoffs" if you will. However, despite not being as good, they still do help in achieving parity with Clan tech.

Links:
http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Light_AC/2
http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Light_AC/5
http://www.sarna.net...t_fusion_engine
http://www.sarna.net.../ER_small_laser
http://www.sarna.net...Er_medium_laser

Here's how they balance:
The smaller ER Lasers help, because they allow smaller mechs to be able to get standoff distance that they, before, could not get, while not having to use extremely hot and tonnage heavy PPC and ER large lasers. Bottom line, standoff distance = longer life for medium mechs. My theory is that one reason why medium mechs are so much harder to play, is because, due to their lower tonnage, they can't mount the heavy, long-range weapons heavier chassis can use, while at the same time, they lack the hit and run speed that light mechs can achieve.

Light ACs give medium mechs with heavy reliance on ballistic weapons the ability to make full use out of what would otherwise be useless hardpoints.

Light Fusion Engines would, most of all, help brawlers, especially lighter brawlers such as the Hunchback, because they would get some way to save weight, while still not having to essentially do something as suicidal as using an XL engine.

All this achieves some competitive parity with Clan tech, as well as making mediums a more attractive option.

Story explanations.
This is actually a lot simpler than it seems. Canonically, the LFE comes from Wolf's Dragoons running short on Clan resupply drops, particularly on Clan XL engines. The need to maintain a superior technological advantage, yet faced with the reality of having lost Clan support causes the Wolf's Dragoons to commission Blackwell Enterprises for the creation of a substitute engine. This can be pushed back earlier, and still work great with the story, as, canonically, Wolf's Dragoons end up siding with the Inner Sphere during the Clan Invasion. This merely gives them another reason to do so.

Light AC's and smaller ER lasers are even simpler to explain. They're just simply natural results of further studies of the Helm Memory Core, and efforts to scale down successful weapons.

On top of all this, the Clans have already invaded the Periphery worlds, and are already hitting some mainline Inner Sphere worlds on the edge of Inner Sphere space. Some tech could already be getting studied by this point.

How to keep current items still viable:
In this case, it's a simple matter of making people decide whether to save tonnage, or get more survivability or range. The LACs have always been balanced by simply having less range, and less durability than regular ACs. A slightly lower rate of fire would also keep current ACs as attractive options for those who can spare the tonnage.
ER Small and Medium Lasers always run hotter than standards. The standard medium laser can have its heat rolled back to 3, thus making it a viable and attractive option.
Standard engines can just simply get a buff in their hitpoints. This makes sense, as standard engines tend to be built from the heaviest, and most durable materials. As a result, mechs that continue to use standard engines will be able to find themselves better filling the brawler role, by being able to soak far more punishment.

Thoughts, comments, and trolling, you know where to put it.

[El Bandito]

They can't even balance the existing weapons properly, now you wanna add more?

There is no word from PGI as to when exactly they will implement the Clans in the game. Judging from the fact we don't even have CW yet, Clans are at least half year away from now.

Edited by El Bandito, 29 August 2013 - 09:03 AM.

[Inappropriate1191]

Might as well add in a few more guns. It's not like they'll ever get the PPC or Gauss Rifles right, so we might as well at least add in some weapons that can make medium mechs a more attractive option.

[3rdworld]

The light ballistics would be nice.

There aren't really any that can be used as secondary weapons at the moment because they weight to much, or are terrible.

[Kanatta Jing]

Light AC 2's are awesome. We need them.

Earliest in the timeline they can show up is as ultra rare items during the clan invasion.

But atleast they should be easy for PGI to program in right?

[SweetJackal]

To this suggestion I ask:

What will become of AC/2, AC/5, Small Lasers and Medium Lasers should the Light and ER versions be added to the game?

[Inappropriate1191]

Kanatta Jing, on 29 August 2013 - 09:52 AM, said:

Light AC 2's are awesome. We need them.

Earliest in the timeline they can show up is as ultra rare items during the clan invasion.

But atleast they should be easy for PGI to program in right?

I already approached this. Basically, PGI should just ignore the timeline, and put a story reason for these to come in earlier, via advanced studies done after the Helm Memory Core and the Wolf's Dragoons commissioning Light Fusion Engines after they start losing Clan support, rather than make us wait 20 RL years for this.

SuckyJack, on 29 August 2013 - 11:20 AM, said:

To this suggestion I ask:

What will become of AC/2, AC/5, Small Lasers and Medium Lasers should the Light and ER versions be added to the game?

I already covered what happens to them. The standard AC/2 and AC/5 have longer range, are more durable, and will have faster rates of fire, therefore, higher DPS. If that's not enough, the LACs could also take up one additional crit slot (It adds up when you use DHS and Endosteel, trust me). The smaller ER lasers would have the same issue as the ER large laser: heat.

The standard lasers are still attractive as they would be running cooler, and would also have more boating potential.

Edited by Inappropriate1191, 29 August 2013 - 11:36 AM.