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[Wildstreak]

Given all the topics I see lately of requests for specific Mechs to get a quirk pass, I figure this is a good time for this request. I believe we need a complete system overhaul that does not require a thread for specific Mechs, indeed some of those specific Mech requests would be affected by a system overhaul.

Detailed Main Points.

1 - Generic weapon quirks appear to be fine, main reason is they do not kill build diversity. Specific Weapon Quirks were designed to encourage stock builds but sometimes go too far. A couple of examples from Mechs I have used.
A - Hunchback-4G, I hardly ever see anyone doing anything but the AC20 build. There was a time when you had people running 2LBX, 2AC5, 3AC2, 3MG and big Energy. Now except for one dual AC5 all I see are AC20. Every time a Hunchback-4G is spotted, you think AC20, stay away from close range, this actually nerfs this Mech.
B - Hunchback-4J, quirk wise, I do not like the LRM cooldown quirk and the Heat Generation does nothing good for it. I ran the LRM build before the quirks, the LRMs were fine but for some unknown reason the firing rate got buffed. Heck, the build was fine because you dealt with negatives that countered the positives and made for a balanced build either STD or XL. Now it is a heat producing monster that expends missiles quickly rendering the LRM part a short term operation.

1A - Missile Spread, just why????? Why have a quirk reducing Missile spread? Was this not what Artemis was for? Don't we already have Artemis, TAG, NARC and LOS beneifts to Missile damage? Is this some way to give Missile Pinpoint damage that is a problem already with non-Missile systems?

2 - Armor/Structure Quirks have buffed some Mechs to the point where they are tougher than they should be. Despite some saying this is needed, let's be honest and admit at least the level may not be needed if Weapon Quirks got changed. Weapon quirks that make firing easier making killing easier so Weapon Quirks partly create Armor/Structure Quirks. Even 100 tonners have Armor/Structure Quirks!

3 - Agility Quirks, some of these just make me scratch my head. A couple of chassis examples.
Hunchback - It has been described as having average maneuverability yet it has torso twist buffs that make it very agile and combined with the twist range, it can even shoot while running away at an angle. Seems to have become the opposite of what it was supposed to have been.
Grasshopper vs Awesome - The Hopper is supposed to be an agile and maneuverable Mech. It has a speed advantage compared to an Awesome by running bigger engines and the 10 ton difference in mass. Yet thanks to torso twist quirks, the Awesome actually twists better than a Hopper running max engine, I know since I have both. The Hopper-5J comes close due to a higher engine cap but it makes me lost to see the agility of one Mech given to a different one that is not supposed to have it.

4 - Complexity, yes this like other CBT based games has a degree of complexity, the question is when is too much too much? There is a reason Quirks were an optional rule set in the board game, here it has become mandatory and sometimes looks overly clunky. It can easily put off people from playing due to the amount of information that has to be learned. Cut down the Quirks and simplify to a degree the learning curve.

5 - Not a Big Deal to Me Quirks
A general category for those I do not consider a big problem (now). This includes:
Acceleration Rate
Deceleration Rate
Reverse Speed
LBX Spread
UAC Jam Chance
Max Engine
Torso & Arm Yaw & Pitch Range
AMS
NARC
MG

Now all that may seem like one massive nerf. To the anti-nerf folks who are gonna complain, I say this.
- Can't make everyone happy.
- Depending on changes, how and what Mechs are played will change and that can be good.
- Still more, keep reading.

There are a couple of new Quirks I would like to see introduced.

6 - Clan Omnipod Quirks. There is already a XP Quirk where if you run a Clan Mech with stock Omnipods, you get a piddling XP bonus. Why not give other Quirks based on stock Omnipods? Clearly this could be done. This can be both a nerf and a buff while not limiting players to stock weapons. A few examples:
A - Adder-Prime and Nova-A, I use both due to both having 3 Energy points, similar ERPPC Quirks and near similar stock weapons. There is no reason to really run these Mechs in stock Omnipod configurations and customization options are limited.
2cERPPC/cLPL/cERLL + 1 Energy
1cERPPC/cLPL/cERLL + 2 Energy
Really anything else like 3cERML and you have too much room left over. Who is gonna run this or this? There is no point to using stock Omnipod configurations. Now if they had a generic Energy Quirk that only worked in stock Omnipods mode, you can still try different weapon configurations while having the challenge of using stock Omnipods.
No, I do not want Quirks that eliminate the option to mix and match, just enough to give incentive to consider the choices.

7 - Faction Quirks for CW. There was talk of limiting Faction players to Mechs preferred by that Faction. While not done, giving a Faction incentive to using certain Mechs should be looked into and the reward should be in a small percentage of CB. XP and LP are not really options because once you reach a certain 'level' (Unlock Master Efficiency with XP, get the highest Achievement with LP) there is no point to such a Quirk but a CB bonus keeps giving forever. It would look something like this:
Jenner-K, Kurita players in CW gain +5% CB, doubled if they are Loyalists.
This would apply to all IS and Clan Mechs based on variant, some would have it, some would not.