Koniving, on 19 July 2014 - 06:00 PM, said:
Agreed.
Boar's Head with 2 Tags, 4 LPL, good standard engine.
Pwn the Clan mechs at their own laser game. Every arm deals 21.2 damage. You can pump out a second shot from each arm in 3.85 seconds.
Lets say a fight lasts between 8 and 9 seconds.
0 seconds: 21.2 damage
0.5 seconds: 21.2 damage
3.85 seconds: 21.2 damage
4.35 seconds: 21.2 damage
7.7 seconds: 21.2 damage
8.2 seconds: 21.2 damage.
3 firings per arm. 127.2 damage.
(In that same time, 2 AC/20s for the same tonnage = 120 damage in 8.0 seconds and you won't get it nearly as pinpoint due to ghost heat and heat retention [making it worse each time you fire without letting off for longer than the reload]).
IS LPLs deal damage almost equal to Clan ER Large Lasers, but in a bit less than half the time and for less heat.
The tags do a few things: 1) they inform you if you will be able to hit the target [no shots wasted on invisible walls].
2) They inform your allies which mech you are fighting (Tag reticule? FIRE THE LRMS! Make it rain!).
3) They inform anyone that can see you engaging the enemy exactly where they should be firing. (See red dot on left torso? Aim for the left torso to kill it faster).
But most of all, 4) if you trace TAGs over the cockpit window of a Clan mech, you will almost always get a reaction of looking away even if you don't fire. Their cockpits are huge and easy to hit.
Two back to back volleys of 2 LPLs each will instantly kill any Clan mech. Thus if the perfect opportunity comes up it's worth the alpha strike.
1 shot of 4 IS LPLs = instant death on Any Clan Mech. And the ghost heat is MUCH less than twin AC/20.
Without the tags, you can replicate this in an Atlas RS; the best Atlas.
Did you know I can make that exact same build with my TWolf - but with JJs and moving 90kph - and clan LPLs, that have slightly longer burn time but way more range? I can also mount more DHS to take the heat better since Clan TAG weighs less.
Generally though I get by better with the UAC20 (which has a DPS of 10 with double-taps - like having 3AC5s for 12 tons) and 2xERLL (more damage than LPLs and almost triple the range, but again longer burn time), JJs and nearly heat-neutral.
I'm unfortunately not surprised at how many people didn't realize the last part of my post was intended to be sarcastic - which is, in itself, ironic.
If paying money in the game provides you an advantage - any advantage at all -, you're skirting P2W. All the Clan Mechs did was cut that about as close as possible without being totally obvious.
My opinion? Release all Clan mechs for C-Bills on Tuesday. Give everyone who bought Clan Mechs an extra 60 days of Premium Time to make up for it, maybe a paint color or even extra paint scheme or something.
I'm all for people getting value from the money they spend - I absolutely no question believe PGI deserves paid for the work they do too.
Extended periods of exclusivity are absolutely toxic to a multiplayer game however. Same with Hero mechs. Sell Hero paint-jobs instead, or even similar to the current Clan/Phoenix concepts sell the primary variant with a 30% cbill/XP boost and a unique paint scheme.
Don't mess with hardpoint layouts/JJs/etc. that are only available for money. It will inevitably create an issue. Don't mess with months of exclusive access - it'll make everyone else bitter and those who do get it will feel a bit let down when that time expires, especially when they start losing to people who just bought it for c-bills.
Keep exclusivity to 2 weeks max or for paints and cammo and decorations. Sell bundles (like the last ones) more on the value they give and 2 weeks access plus premium time, paint, etc. that add value someone might not have bought stand-alone but will equate into the value of the package when picked up together. Sell primary variants with cbill/xp bonus.
This keeps the community in harmony with each other and with PGI while still providing revenue.
And figure out the damn decals for mechs. We'll beat you with money for those - Rank markings for Houses and Clans, kill-counters and let people win unique decals in tournaments that require you to have premium time running to play in - people don't buy gold mechs for anything but status. People don't value early access for anything but status and a lack of patience. 2 weeks early access will do that just as well, as will unique decals.
Are Clan mechs P2W?
Yes. Absolutely. A tiny bit but yes. Like the DS is. Especially given the 5 months of exclusivity for the Timber Wolf. By the time it's out for cbills the nerfs will be in and something new will be out for cash. That's not cool and it'll breed discontent over time.
There's a reason this sort of toxic business practice got abandoned by WoT and the other prior grand offenders of P2W. Don't poison your own well. The Clan mechs are awesome - people should get to enjoy them more and not view them as a haves vs have-nots. Money should never, EVER equal any advantage. A bit less grind time, a little early access, a pretty hat and a new dress is alright. Advantage, exclusivity for months? We're a divisive enough community as it is. Spraying us with lighter fluid and shooting fireworks at us isn't helping.
That aside... The Clan mechs and their weapons are brilliant in design and balance overall. They look, handle, *feel* good. They make me want my IS mechs refreshed. They make me content to spend money with PGI for the experience I'm getting. I just really, really don't like this current model and the direction it's going.
Edited by MischiefSC, 19 July 2014 - 08:23 PM.
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