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[NeoAres]

So this the second part of my two-part counter to the changes being proposed in the PST. The first dealt with weapons balance and can be found here: http://mwomercs.com/...eapons-balance/
To summarize, I theorized that shorter recycle times combined with lower "full damage" range on lasers (maintaining close to current potency and heat vaules) would diminish the advantages of boating large numbers of them without nerfing the weapon system in general.

In this second part I aim to develop a simple alternative to the proposed "infotech" system as a means of mech balance. While I am not resistant to change or complexity, the infotech system has no real plausible explanation to back it up in lore or common sense.

My solution is based upon my experiences playing MW4, particularly in the Mekpak era. Utilizing nothing more than the adjustable traits already available in MWO, the mech designers were able to provide each mech with a distinctive "feel" that not only kept the game experience fresh and exciting as players learned to adjust to different mechs and their characteristics, but also helped balance mechs against each other despite a fair amount of hardpoint overlap.

Anyhow, with the impending removal of weapon-based quirks (and hopefully "free armor" quirks as well), here is a list of quirks I feel, when properly distributed, will recreate that sense of balance simply and effectively. Some of these have already been implemented as quirks or varied stats, but most of these are oversimplified.

Familiar Agility Values
Most of these "rate" values are varied based on engine size, a characteristic I can understand to some extent. As a workaround, PGI implemented percentage-based quirks to enable some mechs to take better advantage of higher-rated engines than others. I think this is a fine system (though I will argue for making the chassis more of a factor and the engine less of a factor than each currently are), and for the most part my gripe is simply that they half-assed it. A dedicated effort to provide true variation in these values would go a long way. Pitch range, a huge game-changer in matches with a plethora of UAVs and/or elevation differences, are very noticeably unquirked and barely varied at all in general. That absolutely needs to change.
A list:
*Turn Rate (already a quirk)
*Twist Range (already a quirk)
*Twist Rate (already a quirk)
*Pitch Range (technically a varied stat already, but the amount of variation is a joke)
*Pitch Rate (no quirk yet)
*Arm Yaw Range (already a quirk)
*Arm Pitch Range (already a varied stat but could use more fleshing out)
*Acceleration/Deceleration (already a quirk)

Adjustable Internal Structure Values
While IS additions are commonplace amongst mechs with unfortunate silhouettes already, I would like to flesh out the concept more by adding crit % and damage multiplier buffs/debuffs to certain sections on certain mechs (or to certain mechs in general). This will be especially effective on clan mechs as a way to balance out omnipods with unfair hardpoint discrepancies.
*Internal Structure HP (already a quirk)
*Internal Structure Crit % (new idea)
*Internal Structure Crit Multiplier (new idea)

New Quirk Ideas
Merely imploring PGI to do a better job with the quirks they already have would be a waste of time for me to write and for you to read. Of course I have some new ideas, ideas that have already been proven variable within the game.
*Hill Climb Angle: this is a no-brainer. Some mechs should be able to handle obstacles and inclines better than others based on more than simple weight differences. A very valuable quirk for players sick of getting caught up on stuff.
*Hill Climb Rate: this is already in place as a module, but there's no reason we can't make that module cumulative with a quirk. There's already precedent.
*Shock Absorbance: once again, a module that can be a quirk as well.
*Gyro Stability: another module that is inexplicably not also a quirk. Who doesn't like a smoother ride?
*Jump Vibration: a quirked variation of the amount of vibration and crosshair jump caused by utilizing jumpjets.
*Base heat capacity: while not exactly canonical, there is nothing strange about some chassis being better equipped to deal with the effects of heat than others. Mekpak-era MW4 had it.

None of these quirks require big changes and all are just a matter of punching in numbers and doing the testing to get them right. It's an untapped gold mine of mech balance just sitting there waiting to be taken advantage of.