1
Motivation:
Very often, trying to build a proper loadout leads to results like this:
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...c270267b803a01a
Or especially painful, this:
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...fed67f4c158361e
(Please don't discuss the tactical viability of those builds at this point, they are only meant exemplary)
Despite having enough free weight AND slot space, no more heat sinks can be mounted.
This is frustrating and kind of unfair compared to the half ton ammunitions.
This is NOT some indirect energy-versus-ammo balancing, it's an obvious loadout consistency oversight by Battletech rules.
Ammo weapons create heat as well and balancing of energy weapons against them is a matter of the weapon's stats, not a matter of slot count modulo conflicts.
I know there are some limited "other ways" to make the fittings work, e.g. stuffing in a targeting computer, a BAP, or similar.
But in the end, that's nothing more than a makeshift "solution out of embarrassment" (doesn't translate well from German).
Therefore, I suggest introducing "Partial Double Heat Sinks".
(Because "half double" would sound kind of silly)
with the following stats:
Partial Double Heat Sink - Inner Sphere
Weight: 0.5 tons
Space: 2 slots
Cooling: -0.07 H/s, +0.7 buffer (50% of a full DHS)
Partial Double Heat Sink - Clans
Weight: 0.5 tons
Space: 1 slot
Cooling: -0.05 H/s, +0.5 buffer (36% of a full DHS)
Rationale:
Balance
Both version are less efficient than using a full 1-ton DHS, so there is no advantage in using multiple partial DHS in the same component instead of a full DHS.
They are really only to make better use of slot gaps in components.
Story
Consistent to the full DHS, the clan version is similarily more efficient than the IS version as it occupies only half the space for only slightly less cooling effect (clans have "smaller" but better partial DHS).
Consistency
There are already half ammunition packs with similar weight/slot ratio, so it would only be consistent to have such DHS as well.
Canon
I don't see this as "breaking" the canon rules, more like extending them. No existing rule or value is contradicted, there is simply something additional that provides a useful, but balanced new possibility.
Implementation
The required effort should be rather minimal.
No existing loadouts would be affected, stock or otherwise.
No rules or GUI would have to be changed.
It's a simple matter of introducing a new equipment item with a new set of values.
As a personal side note, I don't quite get why PGI sticks so slavishly to the very often nonsensical original Battletech rules but painfully fiddles on additional values like cooldown, projectile velocity or laser duration for balancing the game. If something in the established rules is obviously ill-conceived (e.g. clan LRM slots, general AC weight & heat, missing heavier MGs or smaller PPCs, missing advantage of FF over Endo-Steel, etc.), then it must be allowed to adjust it to make the game more viable as a whole.
Thank you for reading
Edited by Paigan, 25 February 2015 - 05:53 AM.
