3 replies to this topic

[Bud Crue]

PGI says one goal is to make each mech and each mech variant have a unique play style and that is what I try to do with my builds. Many of my builds are driven by quirks. I tend to obsess over trying to make builds which take maximum advantage of specific quirks to create unique mechs, some of which are perhaps, well, stupid from a meta or even casual game play perspective. They are nonetheless unique. So that is where I am coming from here.

Now please bare with me...

So I was obsessing over the latest patch changes and started with modifying my BJ-1x as a result. With the loss of dedicated ML quirks, I was experimenting with other builds (my thought was to move toward a non-ghost heat SPL build, especially in light of the armor buffs). This got me to thinking in a similar vein about my other mechs and how messing with the 1x would lead me to messing with other mechs to try and maintain unique differences. This, in turn, got me thinking of how the 1x with the traditional 8 ML (or 6ML + 2MPL) differs from say my Crabs (with mostly combinations of large and medium lasers), but is similar to the "laserback". This then got me to start tinkering with those builds to make them more unique as well. In the end, after some in game experimentation, I put every dang mech back to the way they were (this endeavor also included the lovely experience of pissing away a couple million c-bills changing out several mechs and then putting them all back), with one exception: The Cicada-3F(L).

With the loss of PPC quirks I see no reason to maintain this as the PPC using harasser I had been playing. As noted to me by many fellow forum users the BJ-3 performs that task better, and since that mech is quirked for PPCs that is its role for me.

My post however is not looking for Cicada builds (I will no doubt come up with something, though if you have something inspired, please feel free to share) but rather to see if others find the new quirks affecting your builds, and if so how? Have the new changes made you gut a formerly reliable/enjoyable build and try something new? If so please share.

[Wildstreak]

I have not looked at all my Mechs but I did note a few.
Awesomes, I already am wondering why keep my 2LL & 4ASRM6 8R with the loss of LL quirks, seems that Brawler took a hit. Might also have hit the 2LL & 2LRM15 build I saw a few using well. No way I will run 4ALRM15, did it before, too vulnerable.
Pretty Baby is another I have to redo focusing again on Missiles but unsure how.
8V seems to have become more Missile focused when my favorite build was 3LL & 1ALRM15.
8T barely touched.
8Q and 9M seem to only really suffer a Range loss but it can be worked around.
Still no buff to make it worth playing compared to other Mechs its mass, just a lot of Missile focus and changing how the PPC ones work. Victors got buffs and Zeus also just got toyed with, shifting from one thing to another.

I think it was all based on which Mechs were used in the PTSs. The ones that got ignored and should not have got little.

[Bud Crue]

Wildstreak...you are going to give me a nervous break down. I haven't even looked at anything other than my mediums thus far. I fear the changes are really going to drive my OCD nature over the edge when I start looking at my collection of heavies and assaults. On the plus side, I suppose this will give me something to do when I can't actively play!

[PeeWrinkle]

I pilot a ton of mediums and I have not really changed any of them. I could be wrong but it seems many are not vastly different. It seems the ones that lost weapon specific quirks had there weapon type quirks increased to compensate. For example the BJ-1X had Energy Range at +10% and Medium Laser Range at +10% prior to the patch (if I am remembering correctly), but now it has Energy Range at +20%. So it changes nothing when using Medium Lasers, but does grant any other energy weapons a greater range than it previously had.

I have always hated specific weapon quirks. I always felt it limited my builds. I would much rather have reasonable generic weapon class quirks. Which is seems like they have done for a lot of mechs but not all.

I might be miss remembering but I thought at some point they were going to get rid of all weapon specific quirks and go with generic weapon class quirks instead. With the plan being to make the mech variants different based on Sensor Ability, Added Armor, Better Heat Management, Mobility, etc. So they would actually perform differently and be better suited for different tasks.

I hope I am not miss remembering that because I got very excited when I read about it somewhere. For example I have one Cicada that is much better with sensor range and time to lock, I have another that has buffs to armor, I have another that can dissipate more heat, maybe one is more mobile and/or fast. In those cases you could probably have all the same weapon hard points and build them out differently. And get a real different feel while in game.

Add in generic weapon class quirks and you can really take advantage. Although I can see that being a boating high pinpoint alpha exaggerator. Which is a problem now, but if you have a quirk for all lasers vs just one type you might be less likely to boat anyway. Not entirely sure how it would affect that though, I just know I would be more likely to put a mix of long and short range weapons of that type than just boat all the same ones.

Personally I'd like to see weapon quirks broken up into the following generic categories:
ER Lasers/Lasers
Pulse Laser
ER PPCs/PPCs
SRMs
Streaks
LRMs
ACs/LBXs
Ultra AC's

That would get rid of super generic quirks like all energy. It would also not be as weapon specific, for exampling forcing you to only want to use Medium laser on mech. Instead it would make you think this mech is better with any pulse laser, but not regular lasers or vice versa depending on what is quirked. Another example is a mech could use a PPC or an ERPPC with the same quirk making you decide if range with more heat is better for you or if you would rather not run as hot but have a minimum range.

Just some thoughts I had.

Edited by PeeWrinkle, 02 December 2015 - 11:06 AM.