I wouldn't say this device does nothing, but I will say it does nothing significant.
The Bad-
Crits are useless in this game. Period. You can only crit when someone has no armor on a location. Considering you have x4 times the armor as you do structure, actually critting someone is pointless. No need to waste time killing a single component. 100 armor, 25 structure. Why waste time with crits when it only takes a little extra damage to collapse the location and kill every component in it?
I could understand if we had x1 armor and x4 times the structure. But we do not which makes crit nothing more than useless code that sucks down cycles.
Zoom Bonus
The bonus's this module provides should be in internals of 20% otherwise you will not get enough benefit. That means with a Class VIII - 7 ton targeting computer you will have 140% zoom bonus. Meaning instead of 1.5x zoom you will have 3.6 zoom and instead of x3 zoom you will have 7.2 zoom. With advanced zoom, instead of 4x zoom you will have 9.6 zoom.
Quicker information Gathering
I find it irrelevant, some people might like this. It does nothing for me. Even then it should also be in intervals of 20%.
Range Bonus:
Useless. The amount of range you gain is so minimal as to be pointless. With a 7 ton targeting computer my ER Large went from 890 to 956m range. For 7 tons? Please.
The Good:
Nothing.
What should be done:
Targeting computers should lower duration of laser based weapons. CONSIDERABLY.
Every class should lower the duration of laser weapons by 10% per level.
A level 7 targeting computer should lower the duration of a Er large laser by 70% meaning instead of a duration of 1.5 the Er Large laser would have a duration of 0.5
He is paying 7 tons to make his 4 ton weapons more effective.
AC's should fire their rounds with quicker impulse. In other words depending on the class of targeting computer (Bigger = better) your AC's should fire their multiple rounds closer together. With a Class 7 targeting computer your AC's should streaming rounds so close together that they should almost be a single slug. Only the most frantic of fights or skilled torso twister would be able to diffuse the damage over several locations.
PPC's with a targeting computer should increase the pinpoint damage while decreasing the splash damage.
With a class 7 targeting computer a clan ERPPC should be dealing all 15 dmg pinpoint and have 0 splash with increased projectile speed.
7 tons of targeting computer to make worthwhile a 6 ton high heat weapon.
LBX with a targeting computer should dramatically reduce spread. With a Class 7 targeting computer the LBX should almost be firing a single slug. In other words tighten up the choke the more TC you have.
This is the only way I see targeting computers becoming worthwhile.
Edited by Carrioncrows, 24 June 2014 - 07:21 PM.