41 replies to this topic

[Mookan]

The Battletech table top rules have held up ok for decades but I feel it's time to revise how weapons are handled with regards to weight class.

If weapon size was restricted to weight class it would help to really define what each class does on the battlefield and the range they fight at. The current rules where internal space is the same regardless of mech is an old and outdated concept, a Commando should not have as much internal space as an Atlas. I understand that weight limit and that smaller mechs are more likely to have Endo steel and FF armour are limiting factors to load out but it still doesn't stop a light from packing PPC's or multiple medium lasers.

Light mechs should only be able to mount the smaller weapons, small lasers, MG, A/C 2, SRM 2, TAG, NARC, Streak 2 etc. This would define them as short range fighters and spotters.

Medium mechs can mount medium wepons and lower, medium lasers, A/C 5, LRM 5, SRM 4 etc. This would give them a better short range punch than lights and allow them to be limited range support.

Heavy mechs in turn could mount large lasers, A/C 10, LRM 15, SRM 6, PPC, Gauss etc.

And the hardest hitting wepons would be limited to Assults, A/C 20, LRM 20 etc.

I know this would render a lot of official variants void and limit player customisation choices but it would really cause classes to focus on their range and role on the battlefield.

[Hans Von Lohman]

No.

There are plenty of cases even in the table top game of light mechs carrying around a giant weapon. The Hollander only has a Guass Rifle for example, or the Panther that has a PPC.

If I were to make any change at all (which is far too late by now anyway) I would have more types of hardpoints for big and small versions of the three types of hardpoints we already have. I.E. Small ballistic which allows for MG's, AC-2, AC-5, and Ultra-AC-5, but you cannot mount an AC-20, 10 or Guass rifle there.

Again, moot point. The design system in place is the design system that is in place.

The only time this might come up again will be when omni-mechs get introduced. You might see the Clans using more restrictive hard points like a small ballistic slot, but at the same time their mechs can swap out the hardpoints/pod space restrictions as well.

[FupDup]

1. Light mechs without medium lasers? That's worse than heavies and assaults without autocannons.

2. The idea of critical space being standardized across all chassis is necessary for the viability of non-assault mechs, especially with advanced 3050 tech floating around. Lights without the ability to run Endo, FF, or even XL would effectively remove them from gameplay entirely. Mediums would probably get shafted too.

3. You shouldn't be afraid of lights armed with PPCs. They are generally joke/troll loadouts.

4. There are legions of mechs equipped with weapons outside of your given ranges, i.e. SRM4 and 6 on many lights, ML on virtually every light, Gauss Rifles (Hollander), PPCs (Panther), AC/10 (Urbanmech), and so on. You would end up invaliding nearly every mech ever designed in Battletech.


In short, your ideas are bad and you should feel bad. Really bad.

Edited by FupDup, 03 October 2013 - 02:09 PM.

[Gregory Owen]

No.

[Thanatos676]

No..just no..

[TheGallows]

How to people come up with this garbage? Did you really sit there in your commando and think "man this game would be improved if I couldn't mount medium lasers in this thing".

[ColdPsyker1]

Invalidate about 75-95% of all Battlemechs in existance? Genius plan right there.

I think the OP has some bad memories of Urbanmechs effortlessly destroying his team.

[dustNbone]

A world without AC20 Ravens. Madness.

[Carrioncrows]

And take my LB10-X off my Spider-5K

Edited by Carrioncrows, 03 October 2013 - 07:02 PM.

[Igorius]

Your premise would not only invalidate most current and possible future design choices (Hollander, Champion Spider, Charger(?!), UrbanMech, etc.), but would render most Clan variants (most Kit Fox & several Stormcrow and Nova variants, etc.) moot as well. I understand the initial appeal of defining roles better, but limiting weapons to specific weight classes would only damage all classes together. Assaults would be the only viable weapon platform at all, as no one in their right mind would take an undergunned light to battle (Spider pilots aren't in their right minds, so they don't count). The balance is already in favor of the top end in weight without pushing an artificial limit onto those people who (like myself) aren't big fans of assault 'Mechs.

[C4RNAGE]

Simple solution
Need too be a space for weapons systems seperate from regular heatsinks engine elecrtonic systems:

cut in half the space for weapon in lights mechs

ad 2 times more to heavy and assalut mechs.

But any way is not enough weapons places(crits) the energy ones exacly.

So every 40 tons or more mech shuld get another 2 energy slots right now today no joking.

And in game shuld be reduced speed of shooting about 20%.
Means 20% more time reload of a weapon LONGER pauses betwin the shots.

[Bagheera]

FupDup, on 03 October 2013 - 02:07 PM, said:

In short, your ideas are bad and you should feel bad. Really bad.

It needs to be said more than twice.

[Levi Porphyrogenitus]

No.

This is toxic to balance, violates (in every sense) lore, and is completely unnecessary.

[Rhaythe]

No.

*reads through thread; sees other response*

Oh. Well, no anyway.

[sC4r]

no

lunchbacks couldnt carry thier precious
same for yolowang
and some other mechs

besides there was even this 30 ton mech with ac20



and this 35ton one with gauss

Edited by sC4r, 06 January 2014 - 01:22 PM.

[Yiazmat]

my ac/10 or 20 medium mechs couldn't agree with this less.

what's needed is a mech by mech hardpoint size restriction. or an allowance that amounts to a certain number then no more, regardless of weight.

[Hexenhammer]

The Urbanmech Gang does not approve of this thread. ThUG has spoken.

[Roland]

Terrible idea is terrible.

[Triforceelf]

Assault mechs dominate the battlefield enough as it is. If you were to take away the hunchies AC20, what would be the point to having it? As tempting as it would be to limit a mechs loadout to define it better, that's not how this game works. True, its turned every mech into an omnimech, but really once you got omnimechs in Battletech you never used anything else because their flexibility made them so much better. What we have now isn't optimum, but what you are suggesting would make it far worse.

[DONTOR]

I dont have time to LIKE all the comments here so Ill just say if this was implemented it would be the only thing that would actually make me stop playing this game. Free customization IS the best part to me. I also like how a light could take an AC2 but not a medium laser WTF!