IMTatsu, on 29 June 2012 - 07:09 AM, said:
There's been considerable activity in other forums, so I thought I'd bring it here.
From the beginning of time, in as much as it relates to us here, we have followed the Honor Code of mech combat, primarily defined as:
1. No Heading
2. No Legging
3. No Unnecessary Beatdown of an Incapacitated Foe.
With the potential massive influx of the new 'Pepsi Generation', they're understanding is 'Play to Win'. Every rule of warfare they've ever been subjected to up to this point is 'By Any Means Necessary'
Battletech purists would argue that the most effective method of mech combat completely contradicts the Honor Code we have traditionally clung to. If the game employs salvage rules, this is going to be an even more important topic.
Here it is gang. What do you think?
I believe the feedback provided is due to the lack of understanding of where you are coming from.
Primarily the no legging/heading started during MPBT Solaris (AOL/Gamestorm) Initially due to the initial coding, a legged mech was a bump in the road. There were no alternate views nor could the pilot fire his weapons except from the mech's foreward arc, which meant with a legged mech the enemy had to be standing over the downed to be hit by return fire. And no, the player mech was not destroyed with both legs gone. As for the head, it was almost always an instant kill.
With that in the light, lots of people who were dropping into the game as newbies, there was no fun nor joy in laying on your backside waiting to be destroyed (and most did not know how to eject) or within seconds of contact with the enemy losing your mech losing its head. Not very long the House Leaders came together with the community and adopted the no legging/heading rules, wrapping honorable game play around it. The aim was to reduce the frustration involved and allow the new players time to learn and love the game. Those who refused to abide by the community rules were ostracized if they did not step in line. Usually this started with discussions but if ignored their names were posted everywhere and people stopped dropping with them. If they were part of a unit then peer pressure was used or they were removed from the unit.
Eventually code went in that randomized headshots, as well as not only having alternate views but the ability to fire from those views (arm or rear mounted
weapons).
It was the more seasoned merc/house units, iirc, who urged the lifting of the ban on heading/legging. The restrictions were not utilized in their tourneys most of the time and allowed different and more of a variety of gameplay. Once it was decided the community was informed of the decision a few weeks before the SSW that was being hosted by House Kurita. The lifting of the ban also meant tactics had to be tweaked or changed, dependent on class and lance mix. For the veteran players and units alike, for some it was a bigger change than for others. Players during their matches could request that the head/legging not be allowed for that match and as long as the other players agreed then that was honored during that match.
Then came MW2-3-4 and that idea carried over into those games, each with their own issues and weirdness, for a variety of reasons but no small part due to those MPBT Solaris players.
As for us snakes
We were the host for the first SSW when legging/heading was allowed. Fun times, especially for those who had no tactics when that removal. Lots of people went legging without understand that it has its place and time, thus ended up losing matches unnecessarily.
Edited by Tarl Cabot, 29 June 2012 - 06:56 PM.
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