Pjwned, on 19 October 2014 - 09:05 PM, said:
I realize it's not the greatest example, especially because I could just use 1 SRM4 launcher instead if I really wanted that range buff, but it's still an example of feeling like you might be pigeonholed into a certain build when a less specific quirk might be more appropriate for people that run slightly unusual builds.
Specific quirks are obviously not a nerf but it feels crappy missing out on something useful just because it doesn't fit your exact build, and while I realize not every single mech should have quirks that are almost universally good for each basic weapon type, it does feel like in some cases PGI could try a little harder to make the quirks more broad.
Here's the thing though: If those quirks were all general ("+X% Energy Weapon Range" and similar) or even if they were a general/specific stacking, how is PGI to balance them across 100+ variants without making every variant a big generic blob with the same quirks? It wouldn't be very different than how it is now, you would just look at the variants that got a ballistics quirk, then use the one that's heaviest/has the best hitboxes for your AC20/Gauss mech, and ignore all the other ones.
Just like how the Shadowhawk is an empirically better AC20 platform than the Hunchback, right now.
With specific quirks instead, PGI can make them larger, noticable buffs and since they're more specific they can more easily distinguish variants. Does this mean we're likely to see less build diversity within a specific variant? Probably. But the other side of that coin is that (if done right) it will result in seeing more variants being played, ultimately INCREASING build diversity.
The idea is that instead of simply choosing the 'best' mech and loading up whatever preferred guns you want on it, instead you will think to yourself "Hey I like X type of weapons, which chassis/variant takes advantage of those?"
With that sort of system in place, now there is a reason to use an HBK-4G instead of a Shadowhawk variant if you want an AC20 - because the 4G is better at leveraging it. Now if you want AC5s then the Shadowhawk is likely to get buffs to that, or you can move up 5 tons and play a Dragon that gets 50% faster cooldown on them.
The idea is to get more types of mechs actually being played, instead of the same half-dozen 'meta-approved' ones constantly. There are other ways to do that, but people don't seem open to the idea of sized hardpoints or removing customization entirely. The proposed quirks system (no nerf, just buffs if you choose to build to take advantage of them) strikes me as a decent enough compromise between "I should be able to do anything I want!" (you can) and "This is how Mech A is supposed to be played" (you don't have to, but you get a bonus for doing it).
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