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Yes, I know energy draw is in testing and subject to change. My issues with it aren't things that can be addressed without making the system overly complicated. Read on for what the issues are, OR stop by the intermittent TL:DR's that I provide for summaries.
Addressing Implementation "Issues" for Zero-Convergence (which don't actually exist)
Spoiler
(As a small note. When I say mixed build, I don't mean a few kinds of lasers. I mean more like lasers+srms. Or lasers+ac's. Or ac's+missiles. Something where the weapon leads/projectiles don't sync up and are thus, not as accurate. PPC's + Lasers isn't much of an issue, whereas PPC's+Gauss or Lasers+Gauss is because the lead differences are smaller.)
Ghost Heat:
On to the goal. Ghost heat was implemented to prevent boating and limit pinpoint alphas by discouraging people from taking many of a single weapon type. This led to synchronizing builds with multiple, similar enough weapons to get the same or greater pinpoint alpha damage.
Energy Draw:
Energy draw attempts to deal with this by being, essentially, an "all encompassing" version of ghost heat. The issue arises where it punishes a well mixed build, whose alpha strike was and is entirely inaccurate, just as much as it punishes a boated build whose alpha is pinpoint, very accurate, easier to use, and leads to faster deaths much more often.
Now, if you think that you shouldn't be alpha-striking with a mixed build anyways... so what? It still doesn't need to be penalized then, because it's already ineffective compared to a boated build's alpha strike. You could say "separate weapon draws more". But then you complicate the system just as much as ghost heat was, and get back into the synergy build alphas that ghost heat didn't address (maybe to a lesser extent). Energy draw is supposed to be a more new-player friendly version, as it is "less complicated" and "more obvious" than ghost heat. Differentiating weapon draws even more takes away these few beneficial features.
Ghost Heat vs Energy Draw:
Ghost heat managed to punish boating builds without hurting mixed builds (with exception for boated ballistics), whose alpha wasn't accurate. Energy Draw, while addressing workarounds to ghost heat, doesn't manage to punish accurate boated alphas more than inaccurate, mixed build alphas. And Energy Draw STILL doesn't really address boating ballistics. In fact it doesn't actually hurt boating any more than not boating. It punishes ANY build just as much as the next. Ghost heat directed its penalties at problematic areas, whereas Energy Draw just deals out punishment to everything equally, regardless of how effective/or accurate the build may be, so long as it is sending a certain amount of damage out (even if the damage is completely ineffective).
TL:DR-Ghost heat was a penalty directed at problematic boating builds. But had workarounds. Energy draw, while it reduces workarounds (ac boats aren't as effected, since they are dps anyways) deals out punishment to any and all builds equally, even if they aren't effective with the damage they send down range.
Zero-Convergence:
Goal Addessed:
The zero convergence idea is meant to address the accuracy of alpha striking DIRECTLY, instead of attempting to only address boating (ghost heat), or only address amount of damage being sent out (the in-testing energy draw). By removing convergence other than by means of a lower arm actuator, weapon fire is not only made more realistic (as you don't have bullets coming out of barrels at weird angles, or 90 degree turning in lasers or something) it also prevents the accuracy that one gets now by boating multiple of the same weapon OR matching weapons with similar trajectories WITHOUT effective mixed loadouts, as they were already spreading damage with differently functioning weapon systems.
Randomness? Skill? New Players?
Zero-Convergence makes each weapon hit in a different spot, but DOES NOT have any kind of randomness or skill takeaway. All it does it make each weapon shoot where the weapon itself is pointing. So if you have a weapon on your shoulder and a weapon at the hip, one will impact higher than the other, spreading damage out while keeping your hits entirely predictable, and requiring NO explanation at all for new players, since the mechanic itself is clearly visible, simple, and understandable.
Workarounds?
Convergence does not have a workaround. Even a mech like the nova will have its damage spread out more. Even the laser banshee with close mounted weapons on the shoulder will spread damage more. A mech like the timberwolf may begin to seem ideal for zero convergence, as each arm can point in and the central hardpoints impact close to center, but you still don't have pinpoint accuracy, and even the timberwolf must then spread its weapons out more.
You can put more weapons in the arms to take advantage of lower arm actuators, but arms are more vulnerable and are lower mounted weapons. This also means that mechs with every weapon in a single arm have an accuracy advantage, BUT they can easily be completely disarmed (pun intended).
Risk vs Reward Building:
The only way to gain accuracy in a zero-convergence environment is taking a smaller mech (since the weapons are closer together, they impact closer together), or putting every weapon in one spot, AND OR putting all your weapons in arms with lower arm actuators. All of these have drawbacks. Smaller mechs have less armor. By putting all your weapons in one spot, you MAY gain a shield side, but you can easily have all your firepower taken away. Having all your weapons in the lower slung arms means you have to expose more of your mech, while also making you easier to disarm.
Firepower vs Accuracy Building:
You can build an assault for large firepower, a light for higher accuracy, and anything in between. Lights now gain a proper combat role as accurate shooters, whereas assaults properly shred enemy mechs faster, but do waste some firepower IF and only IF they fire everything.
Chainfire vs Alpha Striking:
You now gain a decision to make. Do I alpha strike and attempt to finish of the enemy through immense firepower, and waste heat and damage on unimportant locations, potentially failing to kill, or do I fire each set of weapons individually to focus on that component and take the target out efficiently while having more face time and risk him running away to soon? An alpha strike no longer becomes a go-to strategy to build for, as an alpha strike simply won't hit the right spot with every weapon. (unless you are a small light shooting a large assault mech. Which is perfectly fine)
TL:DR-A zero-convergence environment addresses the issue of accurate alphas directly. Boating is allowed, high alpha is allowed, but neither is inherently better anymore. It does not punish inaccurate mixed builds, because they were already inaccurate to begin with. It has no randomness, does not remove skill-based shooting whatsoever, and is easily seen and understood by newcomers. It has no workarounds. Accuracy always has a drawback of armor (light mech accuracy), location vulnerability (getting disarmed or torso'd and being combat ineffective), and time (chaining takes more face time). It brings about risk vs reward building/playstyles, firepower vs accuracy building/playstyles, and chainfire vs alphastriking is turned into a meaningful and very impactful decision, where both methods have benefits and drawbacks.
Super TL:DR-Ghost heat addresses boating only. Energy Draw addresses damage only. Zero-Convergence addresses BOTH by addressing accuracy of alpha strikes in a predictable and non-skill inhibiting fashion, than is easily seen and understood by new players. In addition, it has multiple beneficial effects on gameplay and mech building variety.
Edited by Gamuray, 21 August 2016 - 05:29 AM.
