4 replies to this topic

[TheMadTypist]

Background:

Currently, we have a build on the PTS that has several major adjustments to how the game plays. Some of these, such as the addition of infowar, show potential for fun new gameplay mechanics. However, I noted with some disappointment the lack of weapons quirks, which were fun tweaks that contributed to the flavor of a 'mech in ways that made sense, (in most cases,) based on the stock configuration.

However, some of those quirks created new, over-the-top monsters, which I presume is why quirks are not considered as working as intended. I've got two ideas I've been sitting on for awhile, that I think might be useful to consider in order to keep some of the flavor of the current quirk system while reducing the negative elements, and still leave room for the fun new additions we've seen sneak peeks of already.

The primary issue of weapons quirks comes in when multiples of a heavily quirked weapon are equipped at once, essentially giving the 'mech one big gun with lots of bonuses. The two ideas chip at this from two angles- 1). limit the bonuses of mounting multiple quirked weapons, and 2). limit the use of short-ranged equipment at longer ranges, which could potentially allow a reduction on the bonuses to longer-ranged equipment to increase their TTK without giving every advantage to the close-combat 'mechs.

Scaling Weapons-Specific Quirks:

This idea is simple enough to summarize: Allow weapons-specific quirks to apply their full bonus only so long as the weapons the quirks affect are fewer than a set number, and reduce the quirk bonus on the entire 'mech by a set percentage for each weapon added after a limiting value.

For example: the Thud-5SS has a +25% energy range, and a +25% Med Pulse range quirk currently. Most pilots simply load 7MPL and go nuts, which creates a "problem" build. I would propose under this system that the limit be set as 3 MPL for the full bonus, and -5% to the Med Pulse range quirk on the mech for every MPL equipped after 3. These 7MPL builds go from +50% range (25 and 25) for all their MPLs, to +30% (25 and 5) for all of them instead.

As the quirks themselves start out as 'mech specific, I would also recommend the numeric limit and the percent penalty value be 'mech specific. Where a Cplt-K2 might have a PPC velocity quirk limit at 2, with a loss of 5% to the overall quirk for each PPC equipped after, the Aws-8Q could have a PPC velocity quirk limit at 3, with a loss of 10% to the overall quirk for each PPC equipped after.

Maximum Convergence Ranges:

The basic idea here is that weapons would only be able to converge out to their maximum effective range, rather than their maximum total range. That is to say, while weapons can still do their reduced damage beyond the effective range, they cannot do so as precisely, as when fired at points beyond that effective range their convergence point is set at their maximum effective range, which will cause overlap and loss of pinpoint focus beyond that distance.

For Example: Currently, a standard IS medium laser has a effective range at 270 meters. It can still do damage out to 540 meters, though it is reduced. A standard IS large laser has effective range at 450 meters, and can do damage out to 900 meters. With this suggestion, the medium laser, fired at a point 80 meters away, converges at 80 meters, but if it is fired at a point 300 meters away, converges at 270 meters instead. It may do damage, but the damage of multiple medium lasers is scattered by the crossover. The large laser, meanwhile, fired at a target 300 meters away, converges at 300 meters, as its effective range goes out to 450. When fired at a target 600 meters away, however, the large laser converges at 450 meters- it may still strike a target, but the crossover makes it harder to hit that target, and will scatter the effects of multiple large lasers.

In this manner, we reduce pinpoint damage of multiple small weapons in certain conditions, making them more situational, and make effective range versus maximum range more of a consideration when firing longer-ranged weapons with a desire for accuracy. It also opens the door for the potential of "minimum" ranges that exist in TT but don't make sense to do zero damage in a live environment, such as for AC2's, 5s, and Gauss Rifles- perhaps set them such that they simply can't converge on a point closer than a given minimum value.

Wrap up:

What we have on the Live servers is a fun game. What we have on the PTS has the potential to be a fun game. However, they are both very different games. Currently, the way weapons behave and interact with quirks introduces elements that have an undesirable effect ("This is why we can't have nice things"), such that they are almost entirely absent from the PTS's vision of the future. These two ideas would hopefully chip away at the negative aspects of mounting multiples of the same weapons to allow us to have our weapon-quirk-flavor and our role-based-infowar cake too.

[Hotthedd]

Personally I would like set convergences ONLY, that could be adjusted in the mechlab, but your idea seems to be a nice compromise.

[Kalimaster]

I like the weapon quirks idea, but lets leave convergence alone.

[Spleenslitta]

I like the convergence idea but i wish torso weapon convergence was completly removed althogeter.
Arm weapons convergence is fine in my book but arm convergence coupled with your idea would be even better.
It sounds perfectly fine to aim a focusing lens in each of your lasers mounted in the torso enough for them all to converge.It's such a small part after all but.......But making two 15 tonn bulky Gauss Rifles converge when they are mounted in the torso sounds very farfetched.

Sure there are some mechs that would become less popular such as the Banshee which is very lacking in the arm mounted weapons department.
But if it had some good weapon quirks to make up for it things would go well.

Besides in the lore and the novels even the best mechwarriors didn't have much accuracy. Especially when the heat was high since the mechs started to move very sluggishly.
As for the weapon quirks idea you had OP. It's new and wellthought out and you deserve praise for your hard work.
It's a very good alternative.

[TheMadTypist]

Kalimaster, on 14 September 2015 - 06:56 AM, said:

I like the weapon quirks idea, but lets leave convergence alone.

The quirks idea is the one I've been kicking around in my head for longer, so I'd say it's the better thought out of the two. The convergence idea is more recent, and I'm not even sure it's technically viable- they took out gradual convergence in the closed beta (at least partially) because of a desync between what convergence the clients saw and what the server thought happened.

The quirks one would probably be the most helpful in the current environment because it could reign in our immediate outliers.