Khobai, on 14 May 2014 - 08:59 AM, said:
Its not really a role though. Using artillery doesnt require you to give anything else up. Everyone just takes it because it because its better than everything else.
In a properly balanced role warfare system, taking an artillery module, would mean not taking something equally important.
I beg to differ, having actually served in the Artillery.
Our role in combat is to lay a serious beat-down to everything within an area at the request of our military's forward elements. There's a reason they're calling for us and not some kind of surgical strike. They want a path of advance denied to the enemy, destruction of a specific target (ever dropped an arty strike between 3 turrets?), or just pounding the snot out of the enemy. They don't call us the "King of Battle" for nothing.
Joe...spot me on this one, tabletop wise. The amount of damage caused by an Arty strike in BattleTech is based upon the artillery piece doing the shooting. You've got 3 Howitzer types...Longtom, Sniper and Thumper...and one missile based, the Arrow IV.
In MW:O, a standard Arty strike is six rounds that do 40 points of damage to any location they hit directly and then have a blast radius effect that does less damage. The strike increases to 10 rounds if you buy it with MC or upgrade the module.
So, a potential of 240 (for normal) to 400 points (for improved/MC version). Noone is EVER going to take the full amount of potential damage....not unless they're running real fast in a circle and catching every round coming down.
In Battletech, the Long Tom (that's the biggest of them all) does 25 points to the hex it hits (ie: hits the target), 15 to everything between 31-60m and 5 points to everything 61-90m. BUT...that having been said, in Battletech, your artillery is available for however long the parameters of the battle say, not just one volley.
In Battletech, if you have a force that has access to a Battery that can fire 10 Long Toms, your enemy isn't going to last long. Artillery is SUPPOSED to be scary.
Joseph Mallan, on 14 May 2014 - 09:01 AM, said:
Arty should cost tonnage. Having a Command Console could allow an exemption for the first Tonnage cost.
Part of me agrees with this, if for no other reason than to give purpose to the Command Console. However, only Heavies and Assaults can equip a Command Console...and that should NEVER be bastardized by PGI out of convenience sake.
Granted, I absolutely agree with requiring something be equipped to allow communication with the Fire Direction Team. Be it some kind of "spotters" module that allows you to call it or even some .25 ton communications gear or something. If you want to limit the number of Arty strikes being used, limit the access to players that actually build a mech with fire support in mind.
Khobai, on 14 May 2014 - 09:03 AM, said:
Why? Your mech isnt launching the artillery. Its being fired from offboard. So it doesnt make much sense for it to take up tonnage. Unless Long Tom is added to the game... and THEN artillery is a ROLE. Because taking Long Toms means giving up access to other weapons.
True, but you're not taking into account how Artillery REALLY works. At least in the real world.
It requires someone to request the indirect fire. Normally, that's a forward observer of some flavor....but, most importantly, he's able to communicate with the Fire Direction Center (FDC) and to request the strike. Sometimes it's done by voice (giving of grid coordinates and adjusting fire) but nowadays, digitally is more common. But that STILL requires someone to laze a target and request the support mission. You don't just hit a button and watch the world explode.
FDC gets the request and begins putting the mission together. They have to take into account things like distance, the weather, types of charges and rounds available to their unit, location of each piece to receive the mission, etc. Once they have all that together, then they send the fire mission down to the Gunline.
The Guns receive the mission, swing to the appropriate elevation and declination, call out for the correct charge and round, then wait for FDC to give the command to fire.
And ALL of this happens BEFORE you worry about how many mapboards/turns it takes before the artillery hits.
It's absolutely a role and requires the coordination of a LOT of people to make it happen accurately and efficiently. Putting 10 rounds into a group like you see in the game takes a LOT of practice (unless it's digital, and even then, it's not exactly simple).
What I would like to see are different types of Artillery Mission modules available...not just HE rounds. Smokescreens, Minefields, forest fires....all are easily and frequently accomplished with Arty in our day and age. I'd like to think it'd be the same in 3050.
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