5 replies to this topic

[Mazzyplz]

laser weapons will be king in this game for a long time to come if ppc shots remain this slow -
in fact, if you look at how the weapons work in the game, laser is pretty imbalanced given that you do damage from the moment you aim, while ppc requires compensating for shots and travel times that a cicada can dodge.

if this is the case then laser will be strong for a long time, maybe forever in this game given that it's the only long range hitscan weapon.
however, i got to thinking why are our lasers falloff linear?

light falloff follows the inverse square rule in real life (not trying to bring up real life to the game, just bear with me) and i looked it up and this applies to laser as well which means that the dropoff in range should be a curve, pretty much exponential - this would make laser ranges like 25% shorter range at least..

i get why ballistic has linear falloff and i guess ppc as well since they are projectiles, but think about it the new laser effect already suggests more accurate real world falloff, why not use a bit of that on the imbalanced longrange hitscan weapon in the game? i think it would be good sense to do this and rebalance weapons if needed afterward.
maybe not inverse square falloff because that would be too short but a happy(er) medium

you know, a curve instead of a line.

[Y E O N N E]

Even the ballistic fall-off would be exponential. Remember:

KE = 0.5m(v^2)

Combine with the fact that materials have a minimum threshold after which they sustain permanent damage, and you get the picture.

But, I've actually always advocated for a curve. You can always extend the base range to keep them from being overly short of reach. You could even flatten the curve for certain lasers, like Smalls, giving them better max ratio than a Large to help offset their inherently short range.

Also, fun fact: BattleTech Large Lasers shouldn't even work in atmosphere, because it's described as a gamma ray laser. Lasers with frequencies beyond UV just scatter, which is why they are often called "vacuum frequencies."

[Mazzyplz]

it is a bit confusing because come to think of it the range on autocannons is already a curve because they LITERALLY arc into the ground as you shoot them. but unlike real life in this game the velocity of things and the damage they cause are not intrinsically linked.

but still it would be nice if at least the laser followed this logic a little bit, with a curve from optimal range down to max

Edited by Mazzyplz, 08 February 2016 - 01:13 PM.

[Y E O N N E]

Well, there's a difference between a damage curve and a ballistic trajectory. The two aren't even directly related in MWO (though IRL, angle of impact is incredibly important). Assuming your round maintains its energy perfectly, your maximum range is obtained by elevating the muzzle 45 degrees up. That's a long, long way to fly.

The ballistic arc also has nothing to do withe velocity unless the projectile is designed to generate lift, and everything to do with gravity just pulling it down. Slow rounds look like they drop faster simply because they lose more elevation per meter traveled laterally.

Personally, I would love to see angle of incidence play a part in the game, i.e. hitting a 'Mech's armor plate at an angle will result in less damage than hitting it head-on because you are having to penetrate more material. Combine with more accurate energy (as in physics, not the hardpoint type) mechanics, it could be pretty interesting.

[FupDup]

Yeonne Greene, on 08 February 2016 - 05:18 PM, said:

Personally, I would love to see angle of incidence play a part in the game, i.e. hitting a 'Mech's armor plate at an angle will result in less damage than hitting it head-on because you are having to penetrate more material.

I suspect that could cause even more complications with balancing mech hitboxes and geometries...

[Y E O N N E]

FupDup, on 08 February 2016 - 05:20 PM, said:

I suspect that could cause even more complications with balancing mech hitboxes and geometries...

Actually, I think 'Mech geometry is so complicated and the necessity of taking shots of opportunity is so strong that the law of averages would be in maximum effect and you would only notice on the most calculated of shots.