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[Anyone00]

Note: all numerical values mentioned are semi-arbitrary there to convey the point unless already in the game.
O.K. I’m going to throw yet another heat idea into the ring (which likely something very similar has been thought of before and it is sort of similar to the power draw idea).
Currently Ghost Heat is not immediately apparent to players and done on a weapon/weapon group basis; what I’m proposing is a Ghost heat system that is immediately apparent in the mech’s hud and is based purely on heat in general and not on a per weapon basis. Also, this proposed alternate system does not make things less complicated but it makes things more apparent.
Basically it represent [insert technobabble about weapon cooling jackets, connecting hoses between heat sinks, and the mech’s supplemental pumps between heat sinks]. It is purely independent of the type and number of heat sinks.
Here’s a crude mock-up of an additional read out that would appear immediately to the left of the current heat bar (and in between the heat bar and the coolant bar):

• It actually starts out empty; the little pip corresponds to the color region it is in (it’s green when everything is zeroed out).
  
• The yellow and red regions impart a percentage based heat increase.
  
• It fills up in a linear fashion based on base weapon heat (and possibly jump jet heat) and decreases fairly fast; but the time it takes to go down is somewhat exponential. Plus going past the red bounds greatly increases the time it takes causing the pip to flash from red to an even brighter red.
  
• Lower heat weapons are counted first.
  
• The blue region is greater than 0 and less-than-and-equal-to 10: no penalty and it takes ~.35 seconds to reach zero from 10.
  
• The blue region is greater than 10 and less-than-and-equal-to 20: 30% heat increase and it takes ~1.5 seconds to reach zero from 20.
  
• The red region is greater than 20 and less-than-and-equal-to 30: 80% heat increase and it takes ~4 seconds to reach zero from 30.
  
• Push it pass 30 it gains an additional ~6 seconds of being stuck past the red region where heat is increased by 150% and resets every time more heat is generated while past the 30.
  
• A laser is actively burning will stop this scale from going down; possibly the same for jump jets being active. Also the main heat bar being beyond the safe maximum threshold (actively in override) will stop this secondary scale from going down. A gauss weapon charging will also stop this secondary scale from decreasing.
  
• Generally penalties are based on where a weapon ends up on the scale but a single weapon firing from a ‘green pip’ (zeroed out/base state) gains no penalty.

O.K. let’s fire off some PPCs for an example (because 10 heat weapons are easy):

• One PPC fired: scale goes to the upper edge of the blue; no penalty due to still being in the blue and starting from the base state. 10 heat gained to the main heat bar.
  
• Two PPCs fired simultaneously: scale goes to the upped edge of the yellow; first PPC gains no penalty, second PPC gains a 30% penalty. 23 heat gained to the main heat bar.
  
• Three PPCs fired simultaneously: scale goes to the upped edge of the red; first PPC gains no penalty, second PPC gains a 30% penalty, third PPC gains 80% penalty. 41 heat gained to the main heat bar.
  
• Four PPCs fired simultaneously: scale goes past the upped edge of the red; first PPC gains no penalty, second PPC gains a 30% penalty, third PPC gains 80% penalty, fourth PPC gains a 150%. 66 heat gained to the main heat bar.
  
• Five PPCs: 91 heat gained to the main heat bar.
  
• Six PPCs: 116 heat gained to the main heat bar.

The penalties kick in sooner and it doesn’t seem as stiff at higher numbers fired as the current system; but once the top of the yellow region is reached it takes longer to zero out to the base state and it affects all weapons making it more costly to defend with other backup weapons.

Now let’s look at good old Medium Lasers:

• 1x Med. Las.: 4 heat
  
• 2x Med. Las.: 8 heat
  
• 3x Med. Las.: 13.5 heat
  
• 4x Med. Las.: 18.7 heat
  
• 5x Med. Las.: 23.9 heat
  
• 6x Med. Las.: 31.1 heat
  
• 7x Med. Las.: 38.3 heat
  
• 8x Med. Las.: 40.3 heat
  
• 9x Med. Las.: 50.3 heat

Admittedly this system would hurt some light builds with Medium Lasers’ current heat value; not too much difference to a 9 Med. Las. HBK-4P.

Thoughts?