KuroNyra, on 03 October 2014 - 01:52 PM, said:
If you want to destroy them, you don't really have a choice.
And yes, it does happen with the lasers too. a guy using 4 medium laser will always hit the exact same location for the laser, and most of the time. It's where he intend to. Heck, my Dire Wolf is boating multiple style of laser, large, pulse and medium and they are absolutly devastating against my opponent. Even if they are torso twisting.
If you want to destroy them, play them at 270m where they're going to have a problem hitting you and you won't. Again, basics of counterplay.
Lasers you have time to react to... by torso twisting.
Mcgral18, on 03 October 2014 - 01:55 PM, said:
I'm going to have to disagree with you there.
It's the root of every balancing nightmare in MWO, bar the splash damage of 15+ damage per SRM.
It's lead to gauss charge, ghost heat, small and med lasers getting their heat boosted. HoverJets™ are a direct result of it, although it had its own share of issues.
Hoax415, on 03 October 2014 - 01:57 PM, said:
Its THE problem with the game. Pinpoint alphas have resulted in the following changes that some/many/most hate:
-Gauss charge up
-All the PPC nerfs
-Ghost Heat
-All the laser duration and the nerfs that have left IS pulse worthless
-Doubling Armor
-Quirks to increase internal or armor values
If pinpoint alpha fit the gameplay we wouldn't have to continually nerf every mech or weapon system that takes advantage of it. But it doesn't fit the gameplay.
Russ has said repeatedly that he's not comfortable with how low TTK is. But its that low entirely because of pinpoint alpha.
The only problem MWO's core gameplay has that is anywhere near as pervasive is the heat scale.
Pinpoint damage *is* a core, fundamental facet of gameplay. Your weapons are accurate - that is where they are balanced! If they are not accurate the validity of high heat builds goes out the window, gameplay becomes less about skill, and RNG will become a factor in a game where very little already exists.
Predictability is a large part of what makes this game as good as it is. If you know weapons, you'll know how much damage they deal. You'll know their effective ranges. You know what mechs can mount what, and where their weapons are located. Because this game is so reliant on the parts system and the lack of a static HP pool, accuracy is more important here than other games. The relatively long weapon cooldowns play a part as well.
Implementing cone of fire would overall make the game less enjoyable, less skill based, and would require rebalancing basically everything.