2 replies to this topic

[Livewyr]

Currently, we have ghost heat.. so since PGI is willing to break the logic barrier when it comes to "balance" I have an idea also outside the logic barrier that might prove a little more..fun.

Weapon diversity incentives: Rate of Fire.

1-2 weapon types = No change in RoF.
3 Weapon types = 20% increase in RoF (reduce cooldowns by 20%)
4 Weapon types = 30% increase in RoF (reduce cooldowns by 30%) Increase HS efficiency by 10%
5+ Weapon types = 40% increase in RoF (recuce cooldowns by 40%) Increase HS efficiency by 25%


Weapon Types:
LRM (includes 5,10,15,20)
(S)SRM (includes SSRM 2, SRM2,4, 6)
Large Laser (includes LL, ERLL, LPL)
(S)Med Laser (includes SL, SPL, ML, MPL) *WHEN PAIRED, you must have 2 of them minimum to count*
PPC (includes PPC, ERPPC)
Large ballistic (includes Gauss, AC20, AC10)
Small ballistic (includes AC5, UAC5, AC2)
Tiny Ballistic (MG) *When paired, and with ammo*

Items that do not count as types to avoid people throwing on tiny useless items for the purpose of boosting the RoF of their intended weapons.
Items:


Flamer
TAG (no point in pairing)
NARC (^same^)
AMS (not even really a weapon)
BAP
ECM
etc... I think you get the idea.

My thinking is that, because different weapon types work so differently, (one doesn't use AC2s with an AC10 typically), they're more challenging to use in an engagement versus 1-2 weapon type alphas. (AC5/PPC seems most popular right now)

So this is a rough draft (thought of it a few minutes ago) and I'd like to see where it could go.

Any thoughts?

Edited by Livewyr, 21 April 2014 - 09:05 AM.

[Livewyr]

*cricket*

[Osric Lancaster]

Not a good idea. What you're talking about would -
1 - horribly disadvantage some 'Mechs based on hardpoint type and
2 - ruin hot weapons in general, except as fill to raise the ROF of your low heat weapons.

The trick to making people take different weapons is to make them situationally useful. TT did this by dividing weapons by range, damage, damage spread, heat and critical spread. (as weall as mechanics like indirect fire, heat delivery and obfuscation.) Eg -

SRMs - short range, high critical spread, low point damage, low heat high total damage. Useful in a brawl at close range.
(in tt a srm 6 had 6 times the critical potential of a single hit weapon)

AC/5 - long range, low critical spread, modest point damage, low heat, low total damage. Useful for taking heat-cheap pot shots at long range.

LRM - long range, modest critical spread, modest point damage, moderate heat, moderate total damage. Good for long to mid range damage and indirect fire support.

LB10-X [cluster] - Moderate range, fantastic critical spread, bad point damage, low heat, modest total damage. Good for mid to close range critical destruction.

etc.

MWO messes up weapon balance by having instant weapon convergence, a poor critical hit and health system, a half-assed heat system, and a few other munchy issues. Fixing those would go much further to diversifying the intended situational usefulness of equipment in MWO than any adapt-or-die band-aid to force diversity.

That's a bare bones rundown, but I'd be glad to clarify.

Edited by Osric Lancaster, 21 April 2014 - 04:23 PM.