26 replies to this topic

[Hans Von Lohman]

I sill like Wanderer's idea for having your weapon convergence be part of information warfare. If you have a lock, you're good, everything works as it does now. However, if you have no lock on a target, your weapons converge at infinity and fire parallel to each other.

I know why that lock ons and lasers were linked. They wanted to nerf lasers a bit since they're so popular right now, so two birds, one stone.

Still, I think the convergence idea is better for a few reasons.

1. Convergence doesn't have anything to do with just lasers. I can guess that someday another weapon combo will be popular, and then we may be glad that convergence is a thing for all weapons, not just lasers.

2. The effect of not having a lock is too esoteric with laser damage. You can't even tell it is happening. Convergence is blatantly obvious when you fire without a target, and then with a target locked.

3. Spreading damage around may help make the matches last a bit longer. To me the game feels like the mechs die too fast for my liking, but that is subjective and just my own personal preference.

Edited by Hans Von Lohman, 20 October 2015 - 02:26 AM.

[VXJaeger]

I support this.

[Jack Shayu Walker]

I think many of us support this, but I think it's doubtful that PGI will listen to us and program this into the game.

[Night Thastus]

I tried brining up CoF or convergence to reddit, but that ended up with it getting shot into the ground. Don't expect anyone to ever support it except a very, very small chunk of the community.

[VXJaeger]

CoF would be bslap to precision weapons face, so convergence misalligment without targetting would be better idea.

[TyphonCh]

I heard recently that it ate a ton of memory in game with 16 players all sending and receiving different convergence scenerios... Mechs were literally rubber banding like on an old dial-up internet connection. Maybe that's why they seem to be pussyfooting around the idea...

Edited by Team Chevy86, 19 October 2015 - 08:12 AM.

[Weeny Machine]

The problem is that a CoF would also "nerf" other weapon system.

PGI obviously tries to bring lasers in line to that other weapon systems get chosen, too. Imo a good way of thinking. The method, though, well...I am not sure if it is ok. Let's see.

[Cion]

I LOVE any convergence idea, but PGI has killed this thought too many times.

My guess is that they have no idea how to implement convergence on the engineering side. Probably no one understands the code they created or how to modify it since the original engineers left....

[Sabertooth1966]

I suggested in the poll thread about this to use the radius of the cross hairs in the H.U.D for non-locked targets. I figured it might be a little easier to code since it is something that is always there and the further away the target was the less accurate the weapon would be.

Edited by Sabertooth1966, 19 October 2015 - 12:53 PM.

[Sergei Pavlov]

Convergence is the best solution for almost every balance issue in this game.

It should be obvious for anyone with eyes that can see.

If PGI can't make it work, hire someone that can.

Just make it happen.

Edited by Sergei Pavlov, 19 October 2015 - 10:55 PM.

[Mark of Caine]

The OP summed up just about everything that is currently wrong about the way weapons work in this game, and how to fix it. Been saying this for almost 3 years.

[Dracol]

Sergei Pavlov, on 19 October 2015 - 01:45 PM, said:

CoF is the best solution for almost every balance issue in this game.

It should be obvious for anyone with eyes that can see.

If PGI can't make it work, hire someone that can.

Just make it happen.

For those suggesting CoF, how would lasers "look" with it? Would a 1 sec beam start some place off center and the pilot is able to bring it onto target? Or, would the laser hop around during its entire duration?

If its the first option, then CoF would be a major nerf to ballistics and only a minor nerf to lasers.

If its the second option, that would servery nerf lasers and look a little silly.

Is there something I am missing?

Edited by Dracol, 19 October 2015 - 03:00 PM.

[Sergei Pavlov]

Dracol, on 19 October 2015 - 02:59 PM, said:

For those suggesting CoF, how would lasers "look" with it? Would a 1 sec beam start some place off center and the pilot is able to bring it onto target? Or, would the laser hop around during its entire duration?

If its the first option, then CoF would be a major nerf to ballistics and only a minor nerf to lasers.

If its the second option, that would servery nerf lasers and look a little silly.

Is there something I am missing?

All your weapons, regardless of type, converge at infinite. When they hit something in-between, say an enemy, each weapon hits the point where their individual trajectory intersects with the enemy's body, so basically each weapon hits a different part of the enemy Mech that's "in the way" of your shot.

To prevent this convergence at infinite, you need to lock a target. Then, all your weapons converge at the exact distance that target is from you.

It's simple and just pure genius.

[Tangent253]

I like and support this idea.

Edited by Tangent253, 19 October 2015 - 03:54 PM.

[Dracol]

Sergei Pavlov, on 19 October 2015 - 03:43 PM, said:

All your weapons, regardless of type, converge at infinite. When they hit something in-between, say an enemy, each weapon hits the point where their individual trajectory intersects with the enemy's body, so basically each weapon hits a different part of the enemy Mech that's "in the way" of your shot.

To prevent this convergence at infinite, you need to lock a target. Then, all your weapons converge at the exact distance that target is from you.

It's simple and just pure genius.

I was asking about Cone of Fire, the alternative solution proposed along side of the target for convergence.

[Sergei Pavlov]

Dracol, on 19 October 2015 - 06:18 PM, said:

I was asking about Cone of Fire, the alternative solution proposed along side of the target for convergence.

My bad. I thought we were talking about the same solution. How does CoF work?

[Loganauer]

This is a lot more logical and sensible since I can't wrap my head around why targeting would impact the damage of something if it's hitting it either way. Convergence however, makes sense with targeting.

[Hans Von Lohman]

Here is a simple picture of what I am talking about. You want people to care about information, and getting a lock on, then you have to make it affect combat directly.

I just don't think making lasers act weird is the way to go.

[oldradagast]

Bush Hopper, on 19 October 2015 - 08:14 AM, said:

The problem is that a CoF would also "nerf" other weapon system.

PGI obviously tries to bring lasers in line to that other weapon systems get chosen, too. Imo a good way of thinking. The method, though, well...I am not sure if it is ok. Let's see.

Again, the cone of fire would be small - just enough to deal with the pinpoint, long-range, high-alpha damage idiocy that has plagued this game for years now. It also wouldn't apply to none precision weapons, like SRM's and LBX's, since they are already unable to deal pinpoint damage.

[oldradagast]

Dracol, on 19 October 2015 - 02:59 PM, said:

For those suggesting CoF, how would lasers "look" with it? Would a 1 sec beam start some place off center and the pilot is able to bring it onto target? Or, would the laser hop around during its entire duration?

If its the first option, then CoF would be a major nerf to ballistics and only a minor nerf to lasers.

If its the second option, that would servery nerf lasers and look a little silly.

Is there something I am missing?

How would it look? The weapons would not all hit at the same spot on a mech at long range, basically. A small, random element would affect their exact aim, so they'd be off by a bit, though sometimes you wouldn't even notice. Again, the goal is NOT to turn all weapons into shotguns that spray damage all over, but to end the ability to drop two Gauss rounds and a pile of lasers and PPC's (or a pile of AC rounds, etc.) perfectly on one hit location every time at along ranges. At mid to close range, yeah, you probably won't even notice the cone of fire.

Edited by oldradagast, 21 October 2015 - 03:19 AM.