9 replies to this topic

[wanderer]

The LRM. Incredibly slow velocity relative to direct fire weapons, requires lockon to guide it the entire way to target- making it virtually useless outside 500m as people casually shamble into cover/ECM and the missiles simply eat dirt, rocks, and various terrain features harmlessly.

Let's actually make the LRM more useful at range, shall we?

That is, have LRMs require a lock-on as normal for the first three seconds (480m) of distance. After this point, they have sufficient targeting data to follow a target on their own, regardless of the user no longer having lock-on or not. If the launcher maintains lock, the missiles retain all appropriate bonuses (Artemis, NARC, etc)- if not, the LRMs remain guided but revert to "standard" LRM spread and guidance. This puts them midway between the current mode and "fire and forget" launchers ala older MW versions. Of course, if the pilot loses lock before a missile goes 480m, the missile fails to get lock and reverts to dumb-fire mode and -stays- that way regardless of if lock-on is re-achieved before impact. ECM does -not- break self-guided missiles, but it of course removes all bonuses those missiles normally would get from other equipment (and if it breaks lock before they become self-guided, of course they end up in "dumb" mode.)

[Miles McQuiston]

I would not go as far to have fire and forget, but crank up the velocity. LRMs should be fast once in flight.

[Havyek]

What about leave everything as is, but once LRMs reach their peak, they act as UAVs and can maintain their own locks (if they still have LOS)?

[wanderer]

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I would not go as far to have fire and forget, but crank up the velocity. LRMs should be fast once in flight.

They were. Complaints were widely made about it and the velocity tweaked down again.Therefore, not a potential solution.

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What about leave everything as is, but once LRMs reach their peak, they act as UAVs and can maintain their own locks (if they still have LOS)?

Basically what I'm saying- 480m is slightly less than 50% of an LRMs full potential flight cycle. Giving them a less effective "own-guidance" mode at that point means they're not truly fire-and-forget, but at least with this you could get a salvo off at range and reasonably expect it to get to it's target.

Think about that an LRM takes 1) normal lockon then 2) SIX SECONDS to reach from launcher to maximum-range target.

By comparison, any ballistic weapon will cover that distance in half a second to just under a second, PPCs in the same amount of time, and lasers instantaneously- none of which need locks.

[MechB Kotare]

LRMs are too weak to be used by single launchers. Boost their damage, flight speed, in exchange of prolonging rapidly their cooldowns.

[wanderer]

I wouldn't mind seeing slower reloads/higher damage to reduce LRM barrage spam either- but again, higher velocity has been tried and reverted due to it effectively making superaccurate, undodgeable launchers. People were torqued at LRMs being even 175 velocity- any significant increase would be met with the same resistance as what got them dropped to 160 to begin with.

[Vellron2005]

I think LRM's could be greatly improved if they acted as SRM's when they have no lock..

When you have lock, up and over opstacles they go.. when no lock is achieved, str8 direct fire just like regular SRM's..

I know this idea is not lore-worthy, but it would be usefull..

And as far as making SRM's usefull then.. they would still be usefull as-is.. CSRM6 is 12 damage for 1,5 tons. LRM10 is 10 damage for 2,5 tons.. but with lock-on capability.

If needed, simply amp SRM damage a bit.. And as far as SSRM's go.. LRM's don't arm in 180 meters..SSRM's do.

You would still need that splatcrow..

Edited by Vellron2005, 04 September 2015 - 05:06 AM.

[Kmieciu]

wanderer, on 03 September 2015 - 12:58 PM, said:

I wouldn't mind seeing slower reloads/higher damage to reduce LRM barrage spam either- but again, higher velocity has been tried and reverted due to it effectively making superaccurate, undodgeable launchers. People were torqued at LRMs being even 175 velocity- any significant increase would be met with the same resistance as what got them dropped to 160 to begin with.

Yeah but wasn't that before radar deprivation?
Right now, the LRMs are a no threat to a decent player. Yesterday my (not so good) friend decided to run a LRM Atlas in the group queue. We won the match, he survived it. He scored 38 damage. The whole enemy team was under ECM from the beginning to the end (last guy was in a ACH). And because of constant torso twisting and everybody using radar derp, he did not have a single solid lock through the whole match.

In my opinion the ECM should not prevent locks, only increase their time. And radar deprivation should not invalidate the target decay module.
Because of ECM and radar derp, you could increase the LRM damage by 500% and the top teams would still not use them, while the underhive would be totally dominated by them.

Edited by Kmieciu, 04 September 2015 - 05:31 AM.

[wanderer]

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Yeah but wasn't that before radar deprivation?

Nope.

And as I've said many a time in the past, LRMs started second-rate and get worse with each new ECM design to grace the field. Because ECM is not only good for skunking LRMs, it's just plain good, meaning the odds of full ECM coverage have only constantly gone up as we went from merely Atlas/Raven pilots to a broad variety of weights, hardpoints, and chassis capable of The Miracle Of Jesusbox.

[Wildstreak]

LRMs will get a buff when the ECM change goes through, then we can see.