147 replies to this topic

[InnerSphereNews]

Greetings MechWarriors,

After evaluating the implementation of the Long Tom and your feedback since the April 19th patch and the April 21st hot-fix, we have completed a server-side change to scale back the power of the Long Tom Artillery, effective immediately. This change has already been completed, and does not require any downtime.

Today’s change is a straight reduction to the Long Tom damage value, from its previous 700 DMG down to 300 DMG.

While the hot-fix on April 21st simply listed a damage reduction for the Long Tom, that change specifically involved the removal of Critical Damage from Long Tom strikes.

This damage reduction for the Long Tom was rolled out today in advance of an upcoming re-write of the code which handles all ‘explosive’ weaponry; Artillery Strikes, Air Strikes, and now the Long Tom. As Russ touched on briefly in the Town Hall from April 29th the explosion code that the Long Tom inherited causes it to behave unpredictably in terms of where and how it deals damage. As an example, the current code gives these strikes a random chance of targeting and destroying a ‘Mechs head component.
It is this kind of behavior that we will be fixing in the May 17th patch, not just for the Long Tom but for all strikes.

While the sheer power of the Long Tom will be reduced with today’s damage reduction and the additional code changes on May 17th, the Long Tom will still be, and should be, a strong offensive weapon.

[xSONOHx]

Nice.

[Luscious Dan]

Seems like a good thing, hopefully the splash damage code goes through without incident in a future patch as well.

[MoonUnitBeta]

Quote

As an example, the current code gives these strikes a random chance of targeting and destroying a ‘Mechs head component.

I still think this should be removed for Art and Air strikes as well.
Consumables clearing out cockpits… even if it’s just a 1-time thing every 25 games… it sucks big-time for the person who got cleaned out by a consumable…
One that has a very poor visual effect – takes too long to show up, and lasts too long after the strikes hit.

But this is just an opinion that doesn’t matter, so what evs. It's cool I guess.

[Mcgral18]

Does it still have the linear falloff damage?

Because that's still a 267M face killing zone


Although, instead of being a 267-286M Sphere of Death, it's now RNGeesus who decides your face blows up?

[LordLosh]

Someone should be demoted for this.
#1 you knew the code was screwed up but they decided it was still a good idea to set it at a high damage value
#2 after multiple complaints and grossly obvious stats you lowered the value but not enough to even make a difference
#3 how you even got to this point after 1 and 2 is beyond me.... testing or even playing one game with it at any stage would tell/show you it was broken and needed fixed

[Rick Windwalker]

Just get rid of the whole Long Tom thingy.

Into the trashcan of history it shall go!

Let scouts uncover e.g. repairpads or rearmpads or alternative spawnpoints for the invasion groups instead as third objective.

Rick
out

[Appogee]

But I like the Uber Tom.

It gives teams a reason to Scout.

[PFC Carsten]

I am wondering how much playtesting went into phase 3 seeing now how PGI is backtracking step by step a mechanism that caused and causes major grief in the player community. Especially after PGI president Mr. Bullock repeatedly stating how much work has gone into Phase 3 and how PGI was busy with it for months.

[A Vieira]

Ok, the head damage thing is a problem.

But maybe instead of the amount of damage, if the frequency between barrages was increased and some more time added between smoke and hit, it would make it more acceptable.

Anyway any mech within 75-100m should take heavy damage.

[Deathlike]

Honestly, I don't think PGI understands that the frequency of the Long Tom is more absurd than the insta-head gibbing aspect of the weapon.

There's something about keeping people on their toes, but with the few minority of units/players equipped to deal with them (and you need organized teams from the get-go), it stands to murder 90%+ of the population that don't know how to mitigate them properly.

Just changing the cooldown from 2 minutes to 4 minutes (every other scanner sweep) would actually help the situation out.

Edited by Deathlike, 02 May 2016 - 02:41 PM.

[M i s t y]

Just remove the stupid long tom from the game . Its show that you ( PGI ) do not have a clue by keeping it in there .

[DivBy0]

Still every 2 minutes?
Still only a short warning and a little smoke?
Still not time to flee or seek cover? (cover?)
Still absurd enorm radius?
Still 1 Mechs dead and 6 other without armor, left as living corpses to be farmed?

Skillcrow-Mode and this terribel bad stupid Gamedesign-Desaster-Highlight "Long Dumb" has ruined my motivation to play FW. Why must PGI F... Up Phase 3 so badly? So many good ideas and then they destroy it with Skillcrow-Mode and Long Dumb.

I do not find the words without get banned. And your event... I know what you can do with it....

Remove Long Dumb!

[wanderer]

Changing the arty coding to disallow headshots? OK.

I'd just have liked the LT to not deliver a single nuclear blast and instead been an actual artillery barrage the controllers could fire like consumable ones, with a greatly increased area of effect and number of impacts + a moderately higher damage per impact.

The vorpal artillery was only good for making sure people stuck to scouting when a world hit 90%.

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Skillcrow-Mode

Maybe if PUGs actually realized that Skillcrows against other IS 55-tonners are called "target practice" and stopped bringing Urbanmechs for recon, this would change.

[Moebius1]

Clans Vs. IS - 90% of the time Clans have the long tom. I want to know why this hasn't been reevaluated. Why bother playing CW as an IS when you're just going to get nuked to death every 2 minutes. GG

[BlackHeroe]

As i see it its the problem, that it all comes out of the blue, with no actually counter in game.
Every MW before had the possibility of killing the Long Tom Armor - in-game.
That also would need a scouting and Lance Attacking in-game - not out in a "seperate" game.

I also think you have misunderstood the wishes of the people to have for a LongTom available. I know no one who wanted to have another Strike comin from nothing out of nowhere. People wanted to field their Long Tom in Mechs or atleast within an artillery piece. That brings in opportunity, but its not undefeatable - so you have to protect that piece.

Before i have seen LongTom killing 27 Mechs in agame - you should make it in the leaderboard and it would stand on top.
And yust btw an originially Long Tom mad yust 30 DMG on a single target, so this is still an very good targeted barrage of 10 Long Toms at once

Edited by BlackHeroe, 02 May 2016 - 03:11 PM.

[Mcgral18]

I guess I need to update this...although it may not be a true Sphere of Death anymore

Only a potential Sphere of Death

Praise be RNGeesus

[wanderer]

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90% of the time Clans have the long tom

Vs. PUGs, a pack of Streakcrows cleans house.

And there are far more PUGs in Scouting than unit lances right now. This goes triple for IS defenders vs. Clan, who generally have derp pilots swarming in to die by the dozens. Like I said. Urbanmech recon forces.

Quote

People wanted to field their Long Tom in Mechs or atleast within an artillery piece.

Mech-equipped LT's are a "artillery cannon" that deals less damage and far less reach than a real LT arty piece.

If it gave you an on field LT battery, though- that'd be pretty darn awesome. Even it simply was a six-pack of destroyable cannons that would fire at sensor-locked targets at random.

Edited by wanderer, 02 May 2016 - 03:20 PM.

[Void Angel]

MoonUnitBeta, on 02 May 2016 - 02:08 PM, said:

I still think this should be removed for Art and Air strikes as well.
Consumables clearing out cockpits… even if it’s just a 1-time thing every 25 games… it sucks big-time for the person who got cleaned out by a consumable…

InnerSphereNews, on 02 May 2016 - 01:41 PM, said:

As an example, the current code gives these strikes a random chance of targeting and destroying a ‘Mechs head component.

It is this kind of behavior that we will be fixing in the May 17th patch, not just for the Long Tom but for all strikes.

Edited by Void Angel, 02 May 2016 - 03:34 PM.

[Void Angel]

Oh hey, that reminds me:

InnerSphereNews, on 02 May 2016 - 01:41 PM, said:

As an example, the current code gives these strikes a random chance of targeting and destroying a ‘Mechs head component.

It is this kind of behavior that we will be fixing in the May 17th patch, not just for the Long Tom but for all strikes.

This exact behavior is exhibited by overheat damage, with the exact same results - a single tick of overheat damage can one-shot a 'mech's head component. Any chance we could get that fixed as well, particularly if the code does happen to be similar?