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[General Taskeen]

With the way radar works and indirect fire in general, I think there is a lot of room for improvement and making the game more in-depth (and balanced).

When I first heard of this game, I thought they were going to expand on what previous Mech Games did with those issues:

* What we have now (the lowdown) ->

• If someone on your team is targeting an enemy Mech, that you can't see you, you can target that same Mech, and yet still gain all info for that target (what it carries)

• and you can indirectly fire while not even in LOS and the friendly Mech doesn't even have to use any Indirect Fire tools to provide that function

^That is how "radar" works in the game now and should be revamped if possible, which made the following happen:

• Specifically LRMs went through several phases of balance from very damaging, to very little - simply due to the underlying way radar worked.

• ECM was introduced in a non-canonical way that prevented LRMs from firing in direct LOS, (and only partially canon-wise indirectly), which itself causes a plethora of issues - including preventing stock builds from being able to do very little with LRMs and SSRMs and relying purely on luck in random matches depending on what people mount. <- Very discouraging for players that wish to use stock or stock-like loadouts and are unable to due to half their weapons not working.

If current Radar was revamped, what could it look like?



* Active/Passive Radar

• Active increases your radar signature to detect Mechs further away, through terrain, but only if they are also in Active can they be detected. Even though you can target an enemy, you still aren't able to fire missiles.

• Passive reduces radar signature by a significant margin, making you undetectable by Active Radar, along with other disadvantages such as not being able to lock on to an enemy with your missiles, unless you switch back to Active.

^ With the above - When a contact pops up on "Active" you can target it, but you only know where it is not what it is. Knowing what it is would require several factorsfor pure balance purposes, and more clearly defined roles, and more decision making when it comes to outfitting your own Mech and a Lance, which over all would provide a much more interesting element to the game.





* Since it will likely be some time before Active/Radar is added, the current way Radar works could be tweaked for balancing purposes.

Changing Current Radar Functionality

* Tweaking when indirect fire and target data sharing is and is not possible

• Change to Targeting: When someone targets a Mech that no one else has LOS of, others can target it as well - However - Indirect fire should not be able to occur unless specific equipment is used; C3 Master Computers, TAG, and NARC (in other words, in such a scenario you would receive a 'no lock warning' and the missile would not fire)

• Change to Target Detail: While someone can target a Mech that no on else has LOS of, others can target it as well (they know where the enemy is) - but - they are not able to see the detail of the target; Mech Variant, and Mech Loadout (Example, if not in LOS - you see "Centurion ?" with an unknown loadout). Either the player will have to relay information by word of mouth (voice) or specific equipment can be used to relay detailed targeting data when no LOS is available; Mountable C3 Master Computers -> Relay to Mountable Slave Computers.

• This makes "Information Warfare" far more in-depth and meaningful. This is not in anyway a "nerf" to Light Mechs, but it does encourage further an actual role for scouting, spotting, sneaking, and/or relaying information to a whole new level.

Additional Equipment



* C3 Master and C3 Slave Equipment

• C3 Master Unit (typically used on Heavy and Assault Mechs, but also became popular on Light Mechs in canon due to their speed). Acts as the "Command Unit" which collects data from targets and relays them to up to 3 additional C3 "Slave" Units (directly useful for a Lance)

Advantages: Share Target Detail including variant type name and loadout, also acts as TAG for indirect fire on any Mech it is currently targeting (other bonuses could be applied if needed) (the "TAG" indirect fire ability is shared with any Mech that is not part of the network)



Disadvantages: If the C3 Master is under the "umbrella" of an ECM Mech, its abilities are completely shut off and directly cuts off the entire "target sharing" network. Becomes an Important Target and the most Important Mech to defend in the Lance.

• C3 Slave Unit - Obtains targeting data from the network that is 'downloaded' from the C3 Master Unit and shared, over distance (if in range) of C3 Slaves within range of the C3 Master. What this means is the 'target sharing' can be strung out over a long distance -> C3 Master (proximity to enemy, sharing data)->Slave Unit 1 (within promixity of C3 Master, 200m)->Slave Unit 2 (within proxmity of Slave Unit 1, 200m)->Slave Unit 3 (within proximity of Slave Unit 2, 200m) <-Slave Unit 3 in this example is 600m away since the network string is actively strung together (these distances are just example numbers)

Advantages: Can obtain shared data and/or other bonuses over long distances. If one C3 Slave is destroyed, the network is still up.



Disadvantages: If the network is cut off in the middle by ECM, the furthest Slave unit is cut off from the network and receives no bonuses



Tweaks to Current Equipment

* TAG

• Target Acquistion Gear - For the most part this already works like it is supposed to, (accept it also allows sharing data since a Mech targets the TAGed unit), and thus would be an additional tool (with very long range) that allows a Mech to provide indirect fire support so other Mechs can fire missiles when they do not have LOS. (obviously a lot less complicated than C3, as it is simply allowing indirect fire, not sharing data)

Advantage: Allows Indirect Fire at longer range and cuts through an ECM 'umbrella'



Disadvantage: Doesn't work when under ECM 'umbrella'

* NARC

• The NARC Missile Beacon - Missing 2/3rds of its actual functionality from "TT" (functionality which existed in previous Mech Warrior games). Currently only has one of its features, which is to plant a beacon on a Mech, which allows indirect fire - however, again any Mech can do this without NARC (it simply gains a bonus to lock on time and accuracy in the game). Disadvantaged further in-game by the beacon itself falling off from damage

• Currently requires more tweaking or redevelopment compared with any current equipment in game: Damage from fire = NARC falls off (needs to go away), Additionally needs to -> 1. Allow any SRM type (2 through 6) to lock onto a target that has been NARC beaconed, and once fired with 'lock,' should seek out the beacon (in other words, limited tracking ability, which is a canon intrepretation). 2. Allow Dumb-Fired LRMs to auto-seek nearest NARC Beacon, unless user targets a Mech, then those missiles go where they intend them to (their target).

Advantage: Can used be used in conjunction with SRM systems at close range, and allows indirect fire (by dumb-fired missiles LRMs). The best advantage of missiles that are "dumb-fired" seeking a beacon is that the person on the receiving end receives no missile warning.



Disadvantage: The Beacon does not transmit if a ECM umbrella is blocking it.

* ECM

• Electronic Counter Measures or Guardian ECM: Currently does too much from its intended purpose, which was simply to counter C3 Computer Master Units, Disrupt C3 Networks, and Shut off NARC Beacons

• Current Functionality Prevents Indirect Fire, but also direct fire: The change is simple - ECM should only be shutting down a NARC Beacon (to "assist" a friendly Mech from being fired at indirectly), or a unit that is TAGing if the ECM unit is able to get in range of said unit, and additionally shutting down C3 computers if that item were to be added.

• ECM should keep its base buff of longer lock on times and slightly delayed target information acquistion, it should not however, ever stop a Missile system from locking onto said unit, or units under its protection, from firing those Missiles when in Direct LOS. You should always be able to fire at what you see in front of you with any weapon system.

• Additionally if Active/Passive were to ever be added, ECM gains a bonus on said unit, since ECM should have a reduced signature range. In other words, a Mech using Active Radar for example detects another Mech using Active Radar out to a certain a range (800m). A Mech using ECM wouldn't be able to be detected by Active Radar for example at 500m.

ideas used from sources:

http://www.sarna.net...C3_Command_Unit
http://www.sarna.net...cquisition_Gear
http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Narc
http://www.sarna.net/wiki/ECM

Edited by General Taskeen, 18 October 2013 - 12:03 PM.

[Asbjorn Ironside]

This is brilliant. How has no one posted on this yet...