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This would also imply a change so that weight is always affecting speed and turn etc. So if you gain weight you loose turn/speed based on weight. This would allow more dynamic mechs and give full use of current potential builds on mechs. Then when you add xl engine you are adding weight and more performance. Maybe adding 2.5 tons or more(depending on engine) but keeping the same speed. As you gain weight the XL engine will loose less performance per weight as opposed to the normal. This would be from having actual horse power calculations. You could also add live calculations of weight in game so as you loose parts you get faster! 8)
While were at it give all weapons realistic stats. Like adding horse power add realistic stats to laser use and ballistics. let there be more realistic limiters and added equipment to help. Say coolers to the guns or silencers etc. Then add effects to radar etc and more forms of detection. Then you can stay silent or heat resistant(from front, back, or other angles for more complexity. AKA realistic vent locations. All engines and like things have heat removal). use some straight forward realistic stats. Then it's easier to balance because those also have the most information behind them. And it's also very intuitive to players and more quickly learned.
Obviously all equipment adds weight so it is always being countered. Even if it's light. And let slots not always use everything up. Say silencer go on guns like heat sinks can go in some engines. But add weight. There is so much that can be done to this game that hasn't been. I imagine if you went realistic there is more to say for engine use also. A heavily loaded engine might produce more heat. depending on the engines limits(use realistic things about real engines to let it govern gameplay.) If a real engine would be limited add it to the game as a factor.
Another issue could be servos etc on the mech. Top weight could affect top turn while bottom weight might not. So keeping heavy things or ammo in the legs could be useful etc. (AKA weight distribution!) Also arms could be affected by weight on their servos/hinges. Keep adding stuff like this to the game and it will gain a lot more depths and balance will be natural as it will be based on real world things. All you would need to do is add in missing real world things to balance in most cases and real benefits and downside would exist and be reasonable. You can always calculate the weight and affect of x-caliber gun with so much powder in a shell x size made of y material. (Material being another one, if it is not all sci- fi materials, and their natural affects.)
Say you then also allowed more slots. You start to get into explosions and loss of items from areas of the mech blowing up killing functionality etc. You also potentially have problems with slot addons or other things being easy to hit etc. There are lots of natural counters. But none being really utilized or haveing the other things in game to bring them out completely.
You also currently have max engine. Which could be made more realistic for adding what limits it. Like the specs of the engine space it's held in and things played off of that. The preexisting engine max is already a good limiter as is and would make adding in more features alot easier. Then all mechs can do more and use more of their given potential payload. And the ability to choose weaknesses per situation.
It would be fun to load small mechs up with more stuff. Or go full speed with decent weapons to take down heavies going to heavy without proper support(a proper consideration in real strategy.).
Bring out more considerations to cost to field and maintenance or something and you probably have good natural balance. then light mechs with less stuff are good for repeated use while heavy hitters with the top notch equipment are good for power housing.
Of course game modes with less restrictions on number of mechs would help.. maybe a different consideration. Or a different design for mass warfare were economics are a proper consideration per side.. could make it so a wider arrangement of mechs are favored over just big ones. Even if this is already the case it could bring it out more.
On the material side different things have different benefits and drawbacks(especially weight over a large structure). Like copper or other things for resistivity(or lack thereof) and the ability to move heat in different ways. Clays or ceramics or other things can block heat,sound, etc. And do many other things. These details are what really bring out the interesting aspects of giant engineered monstrosities like mechs. It is what really gives them their characteristic. Without these qualities they cannot be anything but bland and lack the most interesting aspects of them! There are also simpler and cheaper(maybe) and more complicated and more expensive or time consuming to make things to get different benefits/drawbacks. If you look at real engineering, where this sort of genre originated. The ideas are endless. And if done realistically can be added endlessly without needing alot of balance.(besides needing to add more of them)
this of course sort of gets to another thing. Manufacturing and supply. Having everything magically available is also a bit bland and causes issues. You would want some natural limiter to manufacturers producing things. so if resources are limited or it takes alot of time you go with something else. this is one of the real reasons things are picked over others. Having everything magically available out of thin air is a major setback for interesting and balanced game play like this genre of game should have. It is also a gross simplification of maps and large scale strategy(which is already simplified as much as possible as is.)
I say all of thise because even if you want to focus purely on the military side of it. You cannot properly do so without the other sides existing completely in the game(or it exist as much as the others exist in the game) Even if it is automated the more it is in the game the more there is to do on the military/mech side. And the more rich the gameplay can be in the end.
this also all leads to one other thing existing in game. The value of expensive mech/good materials over time as the situation changes. Saving up and having mechs with rare materails becomes important as you lose access to nodes or resources for buying or even easy repair(Unless you can also save up materials and repair base wtih custom abilities to bypass the manufacturer, which you would in a military situation.) then these mechs are good to have as they can help hold things off until you get supplies back. Basically it adds more eb and flow to make more things in the game have more meaning at different times in different ways. And in more ways as more is added. This makes the game have more spice and be more interesting and hopefully more enjoyable as the things add make more dynamics making the game play have more depth and meaning to the players.
This all also lead to intel and other things being needed potentially. Which could lead to non mechs being needed for cheaper scouting etc. Or other types of things like hacking or other intel gathering of your enemies. But this is another issue I guess. (More like I got tired of typing.)
BTW, this is in the direction of how real world things like boats and tanks work. These things are real engineering challenges and issue in the real world and it provides a plethora of information and ideas to utilize. It can easily add massive depth to the game.
Edit: Here is a funny one. Realistic affect of balistic guns and missiles on the mech!! If they did something realistic with it's height and engine parts etc they could account for knock-back. Too much punch and the mech can fall down or be knocked down. this could lead to interesting work around and gameplay. if you need to, like with heat, you could do a large volley/set of gun spray if desired. Or go with a smaller gun layout. This would give flavor to both mech variants and different mechs ability to use a type of weapon. This is how adding realism adds flavor. Taking into account realistic engineering issues and a realistic amount of engineering issues. Some mechs can get up others need help or a mech to prop them up or special leg addons to help them fire larger loads(BTW, there is virtually always a way in engineering to do something. It's just a matter of which way and the drawbacks/benefits. It's always about the larger picture.) BTW, this could also affect shooting on the run. A wrong, or unknowledgable setup or move with a speed mech(or any mech) and you go flying in another direction! >< This could be used to your advantage though which could be even funnier. But either way it adds more to the game and gets into what mech would and should really be about. The engineering. if you know anything about real engineering going over what the real abilities of those legs should/could be, could be quite humerous!! ;d
Edit2: The title should probably be, "Realistic Mechs", not, "Realistic engines".
And lets not forget realistic balistics and armor penetration. Instead of hit boxes you could have the armor actually melted. So if a lazer can hit one spot it can bypass and hit structure etc!! 8d lazers could be good with other weapons then. Melt then lob a missile in the whole! Lots of new and potentially hard or interesting strategies for the skill/thinking inclined! Ballistics on missiles would be nice enough. They could do real damage to superstructures and potential penetration and much more(different missile types/warheads). That would be a godsend. Then you would really find out what anti missile tech is for!!!! >< MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA That would still bring out the importance of lights and other mechs and good composition and strategies/tactics.
Imagine getting good shots and taking down the legs or other mechs. Lazers burning wires(internal or exteriaor) or other parts and killing functionality. Or another level and adding tanks etc so you face more than mechs... Mind you in the real world, smaller and cheaper is more powerful potentially. Expensive weapons packages are literally massive waists of money(Highly specialized/limited) and must be used absolutely properly or you waist them and lose wars.
Edited by Arugela, 30 August 2016 - 04:58 PM.
