The problem is: I get it. I get it all.
I get that the game needs to be accessible to new players. I get that the game needs a broad player base to thrive. I get that a tabletop game as complex as Battletech must be a tough nut to tranlate to a videogame.
But I'm still not getting what I wanted. QQ indeed.
We have been told, that solving the 3PV-problem with a seperate hardcore mode would not offer enough benefit to justify implementation. Well, why don't you offer more with it? Would it be so hard to tweak the rules back to a hardcore Battletech simulation?
Look at it this way: Noone could cry about that, right? The tabletop argument could be used against the complaints for once. Not enough armor? It's tabletop. Too hot? It's tabletop. Broken? It's tabletop. That's what I want, and I'm going to guess, that I'm not alone
So no double armor. An AC20 has to be bad news at close range. Lights nee to be the least favorite target to survive, not rely on armor. And lonely assaults should be fodder for the swarm.
Heat, and lots of it. The Solaris set uses good rules to introduce recycle time and its effects on heat.
No Stealth-ECM. Its purpose is to counter Artemis, BAP, Narc ond some stuff that isn't even in the game yet. Leave it at that, and it's a non-issue.
Maybe even a restriction on Tech-Level. I don't subscribe to the idea of stock-variant games. Tech-Level 1 matches might offer something new though.
Engine ratings could be limited to multiples of weight, like in the tabletop.
There is more, but you see where I'm going with this. Balance is difficult and not always needed. I believe there's a crowd of players who would enjoy adapting to the harsh rules they're given, instead of seeing those rules bent to be more accommodating. Recent examples of games which have been successful in this way include Dark Souls, DayZ anf Hotline Miami. They're all very different games, but none of them are trying to give the player an easy time.
I believe it would add to the game, without standing in the way of the direction the game is headed now. If nothing else, It would make for an interesting experiment. I guess, the numbers would tell rather quickly whether it's well received or not.
Edited by Frechdachs, 08 September 2013 - 04:45 PM.