57 replies to this topic

[Aresye]

Quote

· New laser visuals and range - For the reason of general improvement and for better visual feedback to the players we have changed lasers so that there beam gets thinner and ends at the point where they no longer will apply damage. This means you will no longer have lasers look as though they are hitting and doing damage when in fact they are out of range. There has also been minor changes to the range number and coloring on the weapon load outs to better display when the weapon is doing full, partial or zero damage. There is also a hope that these changes will result in at least minor FPS gains with ray traces not going out as far as frequently.

So lasers are going to now look like needles narrowing to a point now? I'm sorry, but so far every mental image for the various ways this could look makes me cringe. It's already bad enough that lasers just stop in midair, like they're blocked by an invisible wall, but this just sounds about as arcadey and unrealistic as possible.

I'd prefer it if lasers just kept on going. Obviously keep the same damage dropoff, but we need more minor things like this for the few immersive elements this game still has.

Say goodbye to laser light shows like @ 2:30 in this video:

[Captain Stiffy]

I like the change definitely will make it easier for nubs.

[Alistair Winter]

It'll be interesting to see how it turns out. The laserbeams in MWO are extremely thick and colourful, so maybe a simple gradual fade to invisibility looked too weird for LPLs, for example. I can see how that would make the LPL beams look too much like flashlights. On the other hand, the tapered laserbeams could end up looking like lightsabers.

We'll see how it turns out.

[Impyrium]

I have no idea how this breaks immersion in the slightest. If anything it makes more sense, though we'll have to see how it looks before we judge.

[Ultimax]

Players start using R_glow.

Other players have a hissy fit about a .cfg option.

PGI locks R_glow.

PGI then basically adds elements of R_glow back into the game for all lasers.



I laughed.

Edited by Ultimatum X, 01 January 2016 - 06:30 PM.

[BigBenn]

Me thinks the author of this thread is a drama queen. The changes have not even been made yet, we do not even know what the lasers will look like and he is complaining. Seriously???

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (or William Tom Frank for us LEO/civilian types)

[Deathlike]

What was "kinda" needed was feedback that you firing @ max range would look like it made sense. Although, I don't think every new player realizes what happens when the reticle changes red (I'm unsure how the colorblind notices this) means you are actually doing damage... and even then, some don't know "how much actual damage" they are dealing, due to having no HTAL display (which should make things 10x easier to understand/explain than a paperdoll that doesn't update quite right).

[Khobai]

because laser vomit really needed to be easier

now the game is gonna hold your hand and tell you when your 55 damage laser alpha is doing full damage, half damage, or no damage lol.

Edited by Khobai, 01 January 2016 - 06:58 PM.

[FupDup]

I'm not sure how a Medium Laser projecting a full-sized beam past Clan ER LL ranges is somehow "immersive." It's more realistic if anything, because laser energy dissipates as distance increases.

[Madcap72]

Aresye Kerensky, on 01 January 2016 - 06:03 PM, said:

So lasers are going to now look like needles narrowing to a point now? I'm sorry, but so far every mental image for the various ways this could look makes me cringe. It's already bad enough that lasers just stop in midair, like they're blocked by an invisible wall, but this just sounds about as arcadey and unrealistic as possible.

I'd prefer it if lasers just kept on going. Obviously keep the same damage dropoff, but we need more minor things like this for the few immersive elements this game still has.

Say goodbye to laser light shows like @ 2:30 in this video:

Go immerse someplace else then.

[Mechwarrior Buddah]

Alistair Winter, on 01 January 2016 - 06:09 PM, said:

It'll be interesting to see how it turns out. The laserbeams in MWO are extremely thick and colourful, so maybe a simple gradual fade to invisibility looked too weird for LPLs, for example. I can see how that would make the LPL beams look too much like flashlights. On the other hand, the tapered laserbeams could end up looking like lightsabers.

We'll see how it turns out.

yes and when ppl can change them to look different they lock it out of the cfg lol

[Escef]

It's not necessarily realistic to even see lasers at all.

[Mechteric]

Atmosphere breaks up lasers over distance, so i don't see a big deal. It's a video game after all.

[Khobai]

Quote

It's not necessarily realistic to even see lasers at all.

its not realistic. because non-visible light like high frequency x-rays have the highest energy potential. which is why invisible x-rays would be used for weaponized lasers.

and if you were fighting in a vacuum, like on hpg manifold, thered be no sound either. So you wouldnt see or hear the lasers lol. mechs would just explode for seemingly no reason.

youd just be walking along nonchalantly and then explode. thats how the game should be. realism.

Edited by Khobai, 01 January 2016 - 07:17 PM.

[Kraftwerkedup]

Ultimatum X, on 01 January 2016 - 06:21 PM, said:

Players start using R_glow.

Other players have a hissy fit about a .cfg option.

PGI locks R_glow.

PGI then basically adds elements of R_glow back into the game for all lasers.



I laughed.

Yup. First thing I thought.

[VirtualRiot]

Khobai, on 01 January 2016 - 07:09 PM, said:

its not realistic. because non-visible light like high frequency x-rays have the highest energy potential. which is why invisible x-rays would be used for weaponized lasers.

and if you were fighting in a vacuum, like on hpg manifold, thered be no sound either. So you wouldnt see or hear the lasers lol. mechs would just explode for seemingly no reason.

youd just be walking along nonchalantly and then explode. thats how the game should be. realism.

Actually hpg is realistic. You can not hear any sounds coming from outside your own mech.

[MauttyKoray]

Aresye Kerensky, on 01 January 2016 - 06:03 PM, said:

So lasers are going to now look like needles narrowing to a point now? I'm sorry, but so far every mental image for the various ways this could look makes me cringe. It's already bad enough that lasers just stop in midair, like they're blocked by an invisible wall, but this just sounds about as arcadey and unrealistic as possible.

I'd prefer it if lasers just kept on going. Obviously keep the same damage dropoff, but we need more minor things like this for the few immersive elements this game still has.

Say goodbye to laser light shows like @ 2:30 in this video:

IMMERSION?! HAHAHA.

According to Battletech, that's how it happened, in fact these maximum ranges are immersion breaking technically. The lasers were 'effective to a certain range' and then just STOPPED. You heard me, they shot to a certain point and STOPPED.

As for the needle thing? Hell, i dunno, let's see how it looks I guess.

Edited by MauttyKoray, 01 January 2016 - 08:59 PM.

[The Image]

Deathlike, on 01 January 2016 - 06:54 PM, said:

... (I'm unsure how the colorblind notices this) ...

Y'know, we really don't.

Yes, let's change the shape of something we can't see, so that we can't see it differently than before?!?!

I'm not sure how the F PGI came up with this as a solution for colorblindness.

[Impyrium]

Khobai, on 01 January 2016 - 06:55 PM, said:

because laser vomit really needed to be easier

now the game is gonna hold your hand and tell you when your 55 damage laser alpha is doing full damage, half damage, or no damage lol.

It wouldn't be for the people firing the lasers. In fact, I'm willing to bet you won't really be able to see the difference from the perspective of the 'mech firing it. It'll be more for those being shot at, so you can more or less judge the distance they're being fired from and the danger they pose.

If anything it might even go against laser vomit because of that.

[Ted Wayz]

Captain Stiffy, on 01 January 2016 - 06:04 PM, said:

I like the change definitely will make it easier for nubs.

Nubs will still fire them outside of their range. Just like they do with all weapons. And of course with IS missiles they fire them inside of their arming distance. It is their way of saying, "Don't count on me, I'm currently a liability".

They will learn.