Posted 25 November 2013 - 10:21 AM
I think that some of you are overestimating the complexity involved in balancing Clan and IS forces that will be available when Clan Mechs do finally appear. That's no to say that no balancing will be needed, just that I think things are a lot closer than some people really think.
1) Advanced equipment (endo-steel structure, ferro-fibrous armor, double heatsinks, XL engines) are all readily available.
In lore these components were either all LosTech, prohibitively expensive to take full advantage of, or both. Basically, everyone has access to Star League equipment (save for some specialized components such as Null Signature Systems), which is what ComStar had when it beat the Clans in the proxy battle for Terra.
2) Modular Components
The ability to rapidly configure an OmniMech, and the speed at which the 'plug and play' pod-tech allowed damaged parts to be replaced and ammunition stocks restored. The current Mechs are already capable of being reconfigured via the hardpoint system, something which the cannon IS mechs could not do, or at least not do readily and easily. While this does not allow the full customization of OmniMechs it is a nice middle-ground *and* goes a long way to preserving the 'House flavor' of specific Mech variants .
Furthermore, the game mechanic as is actually favors rapid repair/rearm functions. Might PGI reintroduce a c-bill 'cost' for repairing an rearming Mechs? Of course, but this function has never made a mech unavailable do to a 'time out' effect while the repairs and rearmaments were being conducted.
3) Mech-only combat.
Yes, this thread is about balancing mechs, but by being mech-oriented MWO has already removed some major disparities between Clan and IS militaries. There is no Powered Armor, for example (something that came as a total surprise to the IS), and most IS military units made use of conventional armor which the Clans lacked. And yes, I fully realize that some conventional armored units (or even specific tanks) totally out-classed the majority of mechs, but for the most part the Clans were content to use IS tanks for target practice.
Likewise we won't be seeing aerospace fighters or, ahem, Clan WarShips in orbit.
The OmniMech at this point only has two real advantages:
1) Less bulky components leave OmniMechs with more slots.
2) The inherent superiority of Clan Weapons.
Some of the latter come with their own disadvantages, or to which the Inner Sphere has off-setting advantages.
The Clans do not field standard autocannons, which means that they cannot (even if they were willing) to make use of special munitions, which we will probably see first. Clan LRMs have no minimum range, but otherwise the missiles themselves have no advantage over their Inner Sphere counterparts, and again, the IS has access to alternate missile loads that the Clans lack.
A major limiting factor in IS mech design is total mass, but most Clan weapons are, while of lesser mass (much lesser, in some cases) they tend to be only slightly less bulky (Endo-Steel, ferro-fibrous, and XL engines aside) than IS equivalents which will rapidly make space a major limiting factor where Clan OmniMechs are concerned.
Consider the Clan Dire Wolf (Daishi, for those that prefer the Inner Sphere designation). The prime variant has an LRM-10, 2x Ultra 5, 4 ER Large Lasers, and 4 Medium Pulse Lasers. HOWEVER, it has only 1 ton of ammunition for each of the UACs and LRM-10 which is far from sufficient for the battles we've been seeing. Does that mean it lacks a potent energy battery? Of course not. But it also means it lacks an AMS and so the LRM boats go to work... (for one potential strategy).
So, will some tuning for weapon balance be needed? Of course. Will such balancing be as much (or as brutal for Clan Mechs) as some people think it will need to be? Well, that depends.
It will depend upon the introduction of alternative missile and autocannon munitions (and a way for getting people to cycle through them in the middle of combat, maybe some keying of a mouse wheel). In particular I see the LB-10X as a natural weapon to start testing this with since in lore it is supposed to be capable of firing both ball and cluster munitions.
It will depend upon the introduction of lore components (PPC capacitors, cooling sleeves, armored components, rear-mounted weapons...) .
It will depend upon an effective method of skill balancing (and remember that a team is always more effective than a player on his own) and tonnage-balancing. Possibly with some number balancing as well, such as facing IS companies against Clan binaries (but then also ensuring that the Clans don't suffer from dropped connections since their already reduced number of platforms will make losses more keenly felt).
It will depend on players (that's us for those of you who have gotten this far and not decided to skip ahead to the next post) playing both sides in the spirit of those sides and giving effective feedback (feedback, mind you, not harping, whinging, complaining, berating, etc.) to PGI. Some threads/commentators have gotten pretty hostile, the vitriol spewed could be processed down and loaded into my autocannon to make them more effective, and really I have grown quite tired of seeing it. I am sure that PGI staff is even more tired of having it directed at themselves.
And while I am on the topic, one thing that occurs to me is that the IS shouldn't feel on par with the Clans. Playing for the FRR especially should feel like having one's back to the wall and the water rapidly rising up past your neck. (of course, that is just one opinion but it is the one I will offer to PGI if and when I am asked).
What will this mean when PGI finally unveils Clan OmniMechs? I have no idea. Will the weapon systems mass less? Almost certainly. Will they be less bulky? Again, almost certainly. Will they (energy weapons especially) have as long of a reach and hit as hard? Honestly, this is where I see most of the 'balancing' taking place, and will probably result in beams that have longer reach and hit harder than IS equivalents, but probably not as long-reached or hit as hard as in TT. Probably that will set the tone for any balancing, something more than in-game IS, but not as much as in TT.
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Kataiser, on 18 November 2013 - 02:35 PM, said:
. Mind..... i'd be ok with that...in addition, for community warfare purposes...a side should be clan, or not clan, no mixing.....at least not until enough salvage on a side can be built up to start fielding rebuilt units..........
(-not possiblle, those are OmniPods.. 
).
