FupDup, on 01 October 2014 - 10:07 AM, said:
The reason that JJs are an "issue" right now is because they're very very badly designed. Most of the benefit seems to come from the first few (1-3) jets, and the rest aren't really that effective. And that should change. I'd suggest a linear scale of X number of jets = X effectiveness. So, 1 jet would be X power. 2 jet would be 2X power. 5 jets would be 5X power, and so on. Mechs who get them hardwired to the base config wouldn't be cursed by their hardwired jets if Jump Jets actually functioned in a sensible way.
I was thinking about this, and I agree on principle.
Practically speaking, it's harder to balance than it looks imo.
Just some thoughts on it.
Do we make it so that 1 JJ does basically nothing, so that in comparison 5+ JJs is now “worth it” in that comparatively speaking the other option of “less than max” is a false option? What about 2 JJs? Should that also be non-viable? Where is the cut off point for basic investment if your only goal is avoid crappy terrain issues and not jump-combat?
Also if we make less than 5 very weak, what happens to mechs that can only slot 2-3? Where is the cutoff point for functionality?
Or do we have more of a gradient scale of usage so that 1 JJ is enough to just clear problem terrain like rocks, and 5 JJs are completely amazing, enough to leap over tall buildings and enemies like an acrobat, having huge tactical and combat advantages? (This is sort of the direction I’d like to see, maybe not so extreme at the high end of 5+)
If we don’t make 5, or 7, or whatever “max” JJs amount amazing then the tonnage investment
will always be hard to justify in a game where there is never a
MUST HAVE JUMP JETS situation. (Which is good, there should not be must have situations the way the game is currently played). Tonnage is tonnage, and optimized builds are tight. This isn't TT, we don't use stock armor values, almost no one uses SHS, almost everyone who can takes endo, I'm not sure holding to some "must have 5 JJs" rule makes any sense in light of that either.
If we do make them really amazing, are the tonnage costs alone enough to balance them vs. mechs that can’t have any JJs? We have to worry about them too, it's not just "1 JJ user vs. 5 JJ user".
Here's just a rough gradient (I'm spit-balling here)
1 to 2: Clear basic terrain, get up hills quicker - but it requires feathering, not actually leaping over hills.
3 to 4: Able to jump fast and high, can get up the sides of Canyon network
fast and with ease - but not so fast they can leap over enemies in combat without a running start.
5+: High end mobility, can leap quickly over buildings on Frozen City from a standing (non-running) jump, can leap over enemies mid-combat with ease.
Edited by Ultimatum X, 01 October 2014 - 07:22 PM.