Gas Guzzler, on 24 October 2015 - 12:25 PM, said:
No actually its the whiners that claim optimized mechs are exploiting game mechanics and people who don't think and get killled too quickly because of terrible positioning and decision making that are why this game is a frustrating bag of garbage.
Now that we got the dumb insults out of the way...
Low hardpoints don't completely break a mech, but they do give it some disadvantages. There is no adapting when a BLR can poke over cover and shoot you, but your low weapons can't shoot back without hitting the cover that they just shot over, which is an objective disadvantage and is an indisputable fact. Of course you can play the game such that you are not in that position and constantly working flanks and side peaking, but that doesn't change that you have objectively less capability. Seriously, a good player can wreck in any mech, its a matter of removing as many disadvantages as possible in a competitive situation, because you know your opponent will have done the same. Rational people working in their own self-interest will not intentionally hamper themselves with a disadvantage when an alternative option exists that would provide an even playing field.
But there's nothing FUN to this mentality, especially not for me.
I know what works in this game, I've been here since the beginning, I've been playing Mechwarrior since MW2. I know what works in these games, and what doesn't... look at my profile and see how long I've been here. I've been in MWO since wave 2 of closed beta invites.
I've seen the fads come and go, I've seen the meta shift with every iteration, and I've seen the elitist's decide "what works."
And it's seriously, broken the game. I still gain fun out of this game for the most part... but you know what's not fun, 6 large laser stalkers because that's "what works" 4+spulse ACH's because "that's what works". Poptarting victors and highlanders because that's "what works."
It get's stale and boring. I'd much rather see an AS7-D walking through the battlefield firing off LRM's, AC, AND lasers... I'd much rather see Warhammer's with dual ppc's and lasers and SRM's. Jagermechs running dual ac5 dual ac2 and backup lasers. Catapults...
You know... BATTLETECH. But instead, all anyone can think about is "Must have my optimum everything ever! Must use high mounted hardpoints because it works, must boat lasers because IT WORKS."
Just because you CAN do it, doesn't mean you should, and frankly, this entire mentality of "Do it because it works." has broken this game and mashed it's corpse into a hole while building a funhouse over it. It's lame, it's boring and it's frustrating to beat all hell when I've SEEN what a good match can be, I've SEEN how interesting this game can be when we're not focusing on "The Meta". It's bloody amazing. Missles and Lasers and Auto Cannons everywhere... mechs with roles and mechs that back up other mechs. I've seen fights that go on for the duration of a match not because the players suck, but because there's actual skill... instead of "Put laser on for full burntime enmasse till it pops."
So no, Optimized mechs have ALWAYS broken Battletech, it's why in a normal Battletech game, you have a gamemaster, that tells the OP mechbuilders to go shove off with their munchkin builds, munchkin building, isn't Battletech man.