Energy recharges at 20 per second rate. Different builds have different fire rates and alphas.
Even if you change a single laser in a mech with multiple weapon systems, your fire pattern must change accordingly to avoid penalty.
Currently the safe margin for avoiding ghost heat is 0.5 seconds always. Which really is not enough of a reason to use a macro because memorising 0.5 seconds is easy... also the current chainfire in the game (0.5 seconds delay) kinda does that for you if you have multiple weapons.
The problem with ED comes in the form of delay it takes between each shot in order to avoid penalty which is highly variable depending on the weapon you are using.
As an example: Firing 2 Gauss rifles in a quick sequence takes 0.5 seconds with no penalty. Yet, doing the same with AC20, the delay is 0.9 seconds
Needless to say that things will get even more complicated if you try to mix different weapons together. Going by muscle memory makes it very difficult or even impossible to match a fully capable macro designed specifically for a build to output max dps.
The only chance a human player using no macro has against such issue is to find a mech with a single or double weapon type and train himself using only that mech while being discouraged in making any change in builds in mechlab.
In higher levels of play, being as efficient as possible in damage output is very important, and ED makes it difficult for human muscle memory to match a macro.
Specially in a brawl
So my conclusion is that:
- - The difference between a macro player and a normal player would become very large
- - Multiple weapon types would be a disadvantage
- - Customisation is highly discouraged
My suggestion:
- - separate energy pool and ammo-based pool
- - Implement recoil or reload capacity for ammo eapons, instead of energy draw
- - reduce or increase the pool sizes for each mech based on mech hardpoints
- - Keep the cumulative penalty free alpha of both pools to 30-35.
Also I would appreciate it if any PGI staff reads this an comment.
Edited by Navid A1, 26 August 2016 - 02:22 PM.