2 replies to this topic

[Draykin]

Oh, another Jump Jet thread? Haven't we seen enough of these? I'm sure we have, but I feel it important that I get my opinion out, just in case it triggers something.

I don't like the current state of jump jets. I really don't. They feel too slow and too cumbersome. People take only one jet still, and use it only to get over "small obstacles like rocks". I rarely see jump jets in use, and it makes me sad, especially when I see Highlanders who never leave the ground. I remember when I used to see Lights jumping around corners and into the sky. When I would see Assaults in tight, urban environments use jump jets to to a "Heavy Corner Jump", which is similar to the tactic in Team Fortress 2, where they use the jets to keep foreward moment while turning, so that they can jump around a corner and be immediately ready to face the enemy. Moreover, I remember when I saw people using jump jets intelligently and with thought, rather than "Jump rock? Jump wall?".

I had an idea, recently, regarding jump jets. I was wandering the libraries of Sarna, looking for the next 'Mech that might be added after the Vindicator, when I noticed most jump jets values on 'Mechs exceed either ninety (90) or one-hundred and twenty (120) meters. I pondered for a bit after I noticed this, and then I went to sleep because it was like four in the morning. And then I thought some more, and after seven days of thinking, I believe I have an idea that I can present.

My suggestion here is that jump jets take a new method to their function. When you jump, you take a rapid motion into the air, and then gravity sets in. You do not slowly rise into the air, whereupon you need to willingly slow yourself down. To that logic, I propose the following:

• Jump Jets, when activated, accelerate the 'Mech rapidly into the air so long as the button is held down, to a maximum number (Determined by factors such as the number of jets, engine size, and 'Mech weight category).
  
• By some method, jump jets can be used for both vertical (High) and horizontal (Long) jumps. This allows for jump jets to be used much more intelligently, and with greater variety. As an example, a high jump would allow you to climb a cliff in Canyon Network, while a long jump would allow you to cross one of the valleys of the same map.
  
• Jump Jets do not use jet fuel, but energy from the engine. As such, jump jet height is much less a fuel meter more than it is something along the lines of the jump jets reaching their own heat limit, or something similar.
  
• Once a 'Mech is in the air, secondary jets kick in to drastically slow the 'Mech a safe descent speed. These jets are passive, and as such are built to only be used to slow the fall of the 'Mech. They use a separate energy pool to the manual jump jets, and create their own background heat.
  
• When in the air, a 'Mech can disable the passive jets to rapidly descend, at the cost suffering from falling damage. This could possibly be used in the future to help towards the fan-favorite DFA (Death From Above) move.

I do not claim to be a game designer myself, and I do not claim to be the smartest person on the subject of jump jets. I am merely trying to push out with my opinion, and see if other people share my thoughts on the subject.

If you have any thoughts, criticisms, see any flaws, or have anything to say, please comment below.

[Loganauer]

I think 'mechs should still have to leave a little extra fuel manually for a landing, and having knockdown as a penalty for failing to do so. Knockdown should make a comeback in general, especially if Jump Jets get a makeover.

[Levi Porphyrogenitus]

Jump jets should have the following:

1 - Initial burst of acceleration and lift. This should raise the mech ~6m in the air per JJ equipped. It should happen very quickly, and be very jarring. It should impose significant screen shake when the JJs trigger, and the mech should receive a sizeable dynamic precision reduction rating (shot deviation around the aim point) that decays slowly over time.

2 - Initial JJ use should consume 1 JJ worth of fuel, plus 50% of the remaining burn time (to account for the additional lift that extra JJs provide). The remaining fuel would be used for feathering and deceleration (safe landings, distance extension, etc.). Note, one JJ would not have any remaining fuel, so you'd damage your legs each time you land if you jump with only a single jet. You'd need a minimum of 2 JJs to avoid this, assuming you feathered your JJs to cushion your landing.

3 - Initial JJ use should impart significant forward momentum in addition to the burst of verticle acceleration. The ideal would be that a jump that expends all fuel before landing would get you ~15m per JJ. This is lower than TT's distances, but seems a bit more reasonable than seeing a 30t Spider with 8 JJs fly 240m in a single jump (at 15m per JJ it'd only go 120m, which is still incredibly far).

4 - Initial JJ use should impart 3 points of heat to the mech, with further heat scaling based on the number of JJs (more height costs more heat). In addition, expending excess fuel to slow your descent and extend a jump should generate a small amount of heat (flat for a given burn time; more JJs give more burn time so the scaling is already built-in).

5 - Initial DPR (see above) should decay at a moderate rate, but subsequent JJ burns (to land safely or to extend horizontal jump distance) should pause the decay rate. Landing should impose another DPR jump if you take leg damage. If you land correctly (no leg damage) it should instantly clear any remaining jump-imposed DPR.