3 replies to this topic

[Matthew Ace]

Foreword
The ideas mentioned is inspired from the following:

• TT in the sense that longer ranged weapons, before accounting for minimum range, are supposed to be more accurate than shorter ranged weapons in certain range brackets (e.g. ISLL being easier to hit a target with than 2xISML at 4-5 hex (120m-150m)
  
• The current implementation of Pulse Lasers having shorter burn time as PGI's interpretation of -2 bonus to-hit.

What I hope to see PGI try on Laser weapons

• Reverse the trend of Laser class (S/M/L) with their burn-time - try out having the lasers burning for a shorter duration the larger the class is, but not to the extent of Pulse Lasers. This reflects the increased accuracy due to their range.
  
  • Larger-sized lasers need to maintain some useful form utility versus multiple smaller-sized lasers beyond just flexibility in range of engagement. This may be paid for by tonnage utilisation, critical slot (e.g. Putting a ISLL instead of 2 ISML when you have 2 hardpoints in CT), and heat.
    
  • One possible downside would be players' reluctance to see more peekaboo playstyle and this change may exacerbate things towards this direction further.
    
  • Another concern would be Small-class lasers losing their appeal - but I see this as something that can be resolved with tweaks to the weapons.
• IS ER Large Lasers (and hopefully in the future, IS ER Medium Lasers and ER Small Lasers) will keep their burn-time tagged to IS Standard Lasers, at cost of increased heat and perhaps longer cooldown (similar to current ED PTS4)
  
• All pulse lasers will have a significantly shorter burn-time (as per current implementation), with cooldown further shortened than even compared to ED PTS4 to put more emphasis on DPS. We're talking on the order of 0.5 seconds or more, not a measly 0.25 second shorter.
  
• Clan lasers will continue to keep their trend of longer burn-time and heat (in comparison to IS) as trade-off to higher damage, range and on occasion, tonnage.

Flame on. My body is ready.

[FupDup]

Matthew Ace, on 15 September 2016 - 06:58 PM, said:

Foreword
The ideas mentioned is inspired from the following:

• TT in the sense that longer ranged weapons, before accounting for minimum range, are supposed to be more accurate than shorter ranged weapons in certain range brackets (e.g. ISLL being easier to hit a target with than 2xISML at 4-5 hex (120m-150m)
  
• The current implementation of Pulse Lasers having shorter burn time as PGI's interpretation of -2 bonus to-hit.

What I hope to see PGI try on Laser weapons

• Reverse the trend of Laser class (S/M/L) with their burn-time - try out having the lasers burning for a shorter duration the larger the class is, but not to the extent of Pulse Lasers. This reflects the increased accuracy due to their range.

This would basically make Medium and Small type lasers entirely obsolete.

The balance between Medium and Large is actually not that bad in MWO. The primary issue is the IS SL being almost never useful, and a sort-of issue is the Clan ERSL being eclipsed by the Clan SPL for the same role.

[Nutta88]

For energy weapons, you could base max range on crit space required.

Using the current double max range for 3 crit like IS PPC. Weapons having a single crit only get 1/3 max range, 2 crits like LL 2/3 max.

So ML is 270M optimum 360M max and 315 effective.
LL 450M optimum 750M max and 600M effective.
IS ERLL 675M optimum 1125M max and 900M effective.
C-ERLL 740M optimum 987M max and 863M effective.

Then use just weight, range and maybe heat to work out some durations… If the extra weight of the LL doesn't mean it should have a buff over the ML, it is hard to justify balancing the lighter clan weapons.

Pulse should have half to a quarter of the cool down for half to a quarter of the damage and heat. Making pulse weapons drasticly different from lasers would leave a much wider range for the duration of lasers. This would mean that shorter range heavier lasers could have durations like the current pulse while lighter, longer ranger laser to have longer durations.

The current IS defensive quirks make it hard balance (nerf) the lighter clan weapons enough against what would be much short duration IS lasers.

This all still needs to have a reasonable heat cap and increased disipation to work...

[Greyhart]

I had a good think about this in this thread http://mwomercs.com/...balance-theory/

it is possible to make a formula for the calculation of range and cooldown for ballistics.

However lasers are the reverse of ballistics; the higher the damage/Heat the longer the range. Whereas ballistics are the lower the damage and heat the longer the range.

Now range is calculable on the basis of weight, damage, slots, and heat. cooldown on lasers however is vexing me. it has to factor in range, heat, & damage.