3 replies to this topic

[Erebus Alpha]

So, the Firestarter now has nearly as much frontal surface area as a Timber Wolf.

Anyone who knows anything about geometry knows that cylinders are very efficient at containing a lot of volume without using a lot of surface area. This is why, IRL, tanks for fluids and stuff are usually cylindrical; you can put more stuff in them and use less material. This is also why the volumetric balancing approach has HEAVILY favored cylindrical or near-cylindrical mechs, with long, easily shootable center torsos (AKA, nearly all clan mechs).

Geometry now has a heavier hand in defining brawl efficiency. The shapes that a battlemech is composed of now define its utility on the front line.

The Firestarter is not volumetrically optimized for brawling - in fact, it's the opposite - squished, flat, and broad when viewed from the front (which is the direction you have to turn to shoot things).

...Is there going to be a rebalance? Are Firestarters (and nearly every other non-cylindrified mechs) going to get enormous quirks to compensate for their terrible, terrible, terrible geometric inefficiency?

Geometric inefficiency does not affect heavier designs terribly badly; I've turned my Griffins and Victors into long-range fire support builds with relative success, because they have the tonnage to fit a few long-range weapons and still be viable.

Should I just sell my Firestarters, or are these bullet-magnets going to be powerful enough to be viable again?

[Kalleballe]

Mount all weapons on one side and use other arm as shield? Fire, torso twist repeat. Also, do more corner peeking.

[DemonRaziel]

Kalleballe, on 22 June 2016 - 12:49 PM, said:

Mount all weapons on one side and use other arm as shield? Fire, torso twist repeat. Also, do more corner peeking.

And if you happen to lose your weapon arm, well, you just got neutered by a single lucky shot
Also, no corner peeking on the other side for you

[Lily from animove]

Falconer Sword, on 22 June 2016 - 11:24 AM, said:

So, the Firestarter now has nearly as much frontal surface area as a Timber Wolf.

Anyone who knows anything about geometry knows that cylinders are very efficient at containing a lot of volume without using a lot of surface area. This is why, IRL, tanks for fluids and stuff are usually cylindrical; you can put more stuff in them and use less material. This is also why the volumetric balancing approach has HEAVILY favored cylindrical or near-cylindrical mechs, with long, easily shootable center torsos (AKA, nearly all clan mechs).

And Anyone with eyeballs knows that they do not have the same surface.

Edited by Lily from animove, 22 June 2016 - 01:35 PM.