2 replies to this topic

[Bromineberry]

There is one thing, that has always been bugging me in this game, from the moment I got my beta invite: How the armour is handled. I think, it's quite boring that every mech with the same weight has the same amount of max armour and there is nothing one can do about it.
So I thought about three different things to change that. Maybe, these things have been discussed somewhere before, but I'll still post them and hope you don't mind.


Number 1:
I think armour should just vary between chassis. For example, the Trebuchet as a fast medium mech with a high engine cap should not be able to have the same amount of max. armour tonnage, that the Hunchback or Centurion have. This would make the mechs much more unique which is ok at a point, at which there are several mech within the same weightclass. We've got four 55 ton chassis soon...but all can fit the same amount of armor. I think that's boring.


Number 2:
There should be additional armor packs for additional tonnage and crit slots available for some mechs. Something like ECM: Not every mech has a hardpoint for it, but some do.
Let's say you get a one or two slot "armor slot" that weights one ton and gives you the fitting armor points you'll get for it. How much of course depends on the fact, if the mech has fitted FF or normal armour. So you can get a maximum of 32 or 38 armour. These additional armour points are:
Variant a: distributable only on the torso sections, but with a maximum of 50% that can be allocated to one section.
Variant b: distributable on the hole mech with a maximum of 50% in one location.
So no 32/38 additional armor points for the Dragon nose or the Hunchback hunch.
I prefer Variant a, because additional armour plates would not be hard to fit on a boxy body, but very complicated to fit on the moving legs and arms.


Number 3:
Another option would be to change the way, FF works:
- Like now, you have to invest 14 hardpoints
- Like now, the amount of armour a ton gives you raises from 32 to I think 38(?)
- Unlike now, not the maximum armour points stay the same but the maximum armour TONNAGE stays the same. So you have the option of having the same armour with less weight like now, but the additional option of MORE armour with the same weight. I think this would make FF more viable in comparison to Endo and would lead to more variety in mech builds.

And yes, I know that none of these things are in TT. But I don't care much in this case.

Opionions about my ideas (and not my spelling/grammatical errors)?

[GODzillaGSPB]

I like the armor-slot-idea. It would be reasonable for a Hunchback to armor that gigantic thing that is his primary weapon, that thing that can be hit from left, right, front, rear and that can't be saved by any amount of torso twist, nor shielded from lrms.

The problem though is, that MWO has still so many problems at the very base of the game, that new and fresh ideas are not a good idea. And you know why? Because PGI will pick them up and implement then, ignoring the base problems.

[Kazairl]

I remember reading somewhere that they were going to implement chassis perks, and I would imagine that a 5% increase in armor would be the type of thing we'd see a hunchback getting.

I like the idea of being able to up armor a mech, perhaps with a visual element like you see on real tanks.