The problem with implementing the 30 heat hard-cap is that many weapons front-load their heat output. So, if you fire an ERPPC, you get 15 heat, which leads to a bunch of different checks and penalties iirc, since your heat sinking value is per 10 seconds. That is to say, if you sink 20 heat per turn, you're effectively sinking 2/second, if you break it down into real time. but that weapon is going to give you 15 heat any time you use it. This probably wouldn't be a terrible place to argue for split ACs like the clans get, and lower damage/heat all around, since the heat and damage generated by weapons in TT is supposed to be TOTAL generated in 10 seconds of continuous fire or whatever. You'd have to either break up the damage and heat into smaller less-than-10 second portions, or lower ROF a bunch. Either way, you'd probably want to scale back armor alongside those factors. It'd basically take a total rebalance of EVERYTHING.
I suppose what you could do is set the 30 heat hard cap, and then have penalties apply after ten seconds, using the lowest heat value reached over the last 10 second period. Like, you fire one of the aforementioned ERPPCs, get 15 heat, and wait for 2 seconds, sinking 4 heat. Then you fire your other ERPPC (assuming you have two, since there are often paired) generating another 15 heat, and setting your number to 26. You let that sink for a little bit, say, 5 seconds, but a light rolls up on your flank, and you end up shooting a pair of small pulse lasers at it, giving you a total of 26-10+4, or 20 heat. You spend the remaining 3 seconds before it starts counting cooling, and end up with 14 heat, which means that the low value for that time period was 11, at second 2. So, for two seconds, you suck a 21 kph movement penalty and some aiming sluggishness, then make a check or shut down (since the next newest low value is 14) retain the movement penalty, and take a slightly worse accuracy penalty, for a second. Then, assuming that you don't generate more heat, the penalties gradually go away over the course of 5 seconds, since the first couple of heat points don't penalize you.
The downsides to such a system include its complexity and the temporal disconnect between cause and effect, since you won't see the effects of heat unless you keep it up for a while. That is to say, alpha striking up to (and indeed beyond) 30 heat might destroy your mech, and WILL shut it down, but it won't kick in for up to 10 seconds, which gives you time to scramble for cover or even keep shooting, since you're probably dead anyway if you carry ammo at all, or if they implement pilot health, or if you didn't kill whatever you were shooting at.
It'd be a slower game. Less action, more tactics. Completely different.
/edit: It has occurred to me that at least with this system you SHOULD have plenty of time to slap the override shutdown button, since the computer would be able to warn you well in advance of any shutdown that would occur. I know that is something people have been wanting.
Edited by Tim East, 10 July 2014 - 12:54 PM.