Steel Claws, on 15 January 2014 - 03:48 PM, said:
Personally I see a lot more lasers in use than anything else. Autocannons are good for damage on large slow mechs but much harder to use on small fast ones. If one were to look at the data I think they'd be surprised how even things really are.
Disagree. There are quite many laser beams flashing through a match, yes. But there are at least as many AC shells flying around and combined they kill more and faster. Laser has so many drawbacks that you can't totally make up for with skill, that they are inferior to ballistics. We don't judge the pilot here, only the weapon systems. If you account for the shooter - there are many players that can't hit anything with an AC, but in total it is harder to fail with ballistics than with lasers.
Skill can't make up for heat. If your laser mech has to back down due to overheat, the ballistic mech will simply keep firing. Ammo limit and immense weapon weight are drawbacks, but this game has one goal only: fast kill. So any weapon system that helps you to put out much damage on one location insanely fast is superior to any other weapon that requires time and skill to deliver the same amount of damage.
That's why people load ballistics and fill in with lasers, not the other way round. Some vets play special builds like LL Stalkers and similar, they work pretty well under certain circumstances and totally go down the drain in other situations. They are not good examples to proove that a certain weapon system is/isn't UP/OP. Laser packed lights are another example. They make use of their small size and their speed (and lag). So lasers fit them well and they can use them pretty efficiently. It's not the lasers, it's the fact that they can hit you in the back constantly.
I am not against making skill the characteristic factor for certain weapon systems at all. But PGI should think about the consequences. It drastically limits what new and medium players have at hand and it makes games pretty one sided very soon, as you can see now. LRM Missiles were thought to be a beginners choice, not so any more as LRM players never get any targeting support. Often LRM boats are a complete waist in matches where nobody cares to even hit R. Even if they do, they go back into hiding the next second, sending your missiles into limbo.
The game should be a healthy mixture of all weapons and playing styles. Jump sniping included. But not excessively. People tend to choose what makes them successfull, and currently that is running the well known ballistic builds. If I can get a mech that allows me to pack two of the deadliest pinpoint guns in game, that can core a medium mech with one mouse click....what do you expect me to do? Take 8 med lasers or 4 LL instead and watch myself cook off (even without Ghost Heat)?
Steel Claws, on 15 January 2014 - 08:27 PM, said:
Sorry - no.