8 replies to this topic

[Gentleman Reaper]

I've been making a document for my dream stats of every weapon, including future tech. While I'm not expecting PGI to introduce new tech anytime soon, if ever, the recent hiring of a new employee dedicated to balance and the impressive patch notes gave me a bit of hope that the infamous dartboard of balance might disappear.

I would like to know what you think of these stats and what you would change, think about their performance alone or with mixed weapon loadouts, and not with a Gauss Rifle, because that's a whole other issue that deals with other game mechanics, like torso twist rates:

PPC:

Spoiler

Mass: 7 tons
Slots: 3
Damage: 10
Cooldown: 4 -> 3.5
DPS: 2.5 -> 2.86
Heat: 9.5 -> 9
HPS: 2.375 -> 2.57
Speed: 1200
Minimum range: 90 meters
Optimal range: 540 meters
Max range: 1080 meters

I wanted to give each PPC type a distinct and specific role. For the standard PPC, lowered heat and increased RoF gives a decent DPS buff for a marginal HPS increase, making the PPC's role fit that of a medium range brawler.

ERPPC:

Spoiler

Mass: 7 tons
Slots: 3
Damage: 10
Cooldown: 4
DPS: 2.5
Heat: 13.5 -> 13
HPS: 3.38 -> 3.25
Speed: 1300 -> 1800
Minimum range: n/a
Optimal range: 810 meters
Max range: 1620 meters

For the ERPPC, a significant velocity buff makes for a very accurate, but hot, sniper weapon, capable of easily landing precise strikes even past its optimal range.

Clan ERPPC:

Spoiler

Mass: 6 tons
Slots: 2
Damage: 10 -> 13
Cooldown: 4 -> 6
DPS: 2.5 -> 2.17
Heat: 14 -> 16
HPS: 3.5 -> 2.67
Speed: 1300
Minimum range: n/a
Optimal range: 810 meters
Max range: 1620 meters

With the Clan ERPPC I wanted to see the weapon having evolved to be something different from the IS's version. While the IS ERPPC is an accurate sniper, the Clan ERPPC turn into something more of a hole-puncher, being more powerful, but slower firing, hotter and less accurate at range in comparison.

Light PPC:

Spoiler

Mass: 3 tons
Slots: 2
Damage: 5
Cooldown: 4
DPS: 1.25
Heat: 5
HPS: 1.25
Speed: 1300
Minimum range: 90 meters
Optimal range: 540 meters
Max range: 1080 meters

The Light PPC sees the introduction one of the lightest PPFLD weapons available. At 3 tons, it can be equipped by any type of mech, even lights. To offset the weapon being less than half the weight of a normal PPC, I've made the heat of two paired LPPCs higher than a single PPC.

Heavy PPC:

Spoiler

Mass: 10 tons
Slots: 4
Damage: 15
Cooldown: 4
DPS: 3.75
Heat: 13
HPS: 3.25
Speed: 1200
Minimum range: 90 meters
Optimal range: 540 meters
Max range: 1080 meters

The Heavy PPC is the heaviest energy weapon in lore, at 10 tons. While the weapon is supposed to have 15 heat for its 15 damage, I felt this was too much for the weight and range profile, especially since my cERPPC would have 13 damage, along with more range and being 4 less tons.

Snub Nose PPC:

Spoiler

Mass: 6 tons
Slots: 2
Damage: 10
Cooldown: 4
DPS: 2.5
Heat: 9.5
HPS: 2.38
Speed: 1600
Minimum range: n/a
Optimal range: 450 meters
Max range: 750 meters

The Snub Nose PPC is actually an experimental weapon dating back to the Star League era, finally entering production after the Clan invasion. In exchange for being lighter and losing the minimum range, the snPPC has limited range, its max range being less than 2X the optimal range. One interesting trait in TT is that it was extremely accurate, so I've illustrated this with a much higher velocity than the standard PPC.

[cazidin]

Didn't PGI try this during the Energy Draw PTS?

[Andi Nagasia]

you Forgot the I-PPC(or C-PPC) PPC stats but -1Ton & -1Crit, (from: Interstellar Operations)
i can also tell you at +2Heat +2Cooldown, no one will use C-ERPPCs even for 13Damage,

Edit-

cazidin, on 12 December 2016 - 09:41 AM, said:

Didn't PGI try this during the Energy Draw PTS?

PGI tried giving C-ERPPCs 15Damage, but that was seen as too Strong,

Edited by Andi Nagasia, 12 December 2016 - 09:48 AM.

[Snazzy Dragon]

I'd love to see new tech for IS and any buff to IS is good, but it only further consolidates the PPFLD meta. But at this point, does it really matter?

[Davegt27]

I think what is needed is some light Mech weapons

an AC between the MG and the AC2

and a Light weight ERPPC

I been running around with an ERPPC on my new fire starter and it does not do much but is a lot of fun

[Gentleman Reaper]

Andi Nagasia, on 12 December 2016 - 09:42 AM, said:

you Forgot the I-PPC(or C-PPC) PPC stats but -1Ton & -1Crit,

You're thinking of the Enhanced ERPPC, which was a middle-point between the PPC and the Clan ERPPC, it was obsolete and discontinued after the Clans upgraded the ERPPC. I'm not opposed to seeing a fictional Clan PPC to give the Clans a cooler PPC as an extra option.

Quote

PGI tried giving C-ERPPCs 15Damage, but that was seen as too Strong,

Indeed, 15 damage was far too much, although I don't understand why they ditched the idea rather than just lowering damage.

Snazzy Dragon, on 12 December 2016 - 09:44 AM, said:

I'd love to see new tech for IS and any buff to IS is good, but it only further consolidates the PPFLD meta. But at this point, does it really matter?

I agree that they need to find some way to tame the PPFLD meta, my thoughts being slower torso twist rates, although that alone wouldn't fix it.

[Levi Porphyrogenitus]

PPCs are problematic. They have the best of both worlds between energy and ballistic, having full damage on a single point like an AC without the ammo and generally with much higher projectile velocities than the heavier AC grades (meaning higher accuracy for their damage values). They're also lighter and more compact.

My favorite approach to balancing them is to give them a different role than other weapons. If ACs are sustained DPS for relatively low heat (until their ammo runs out), and if Lasers are high heat, moderate DPS weapons that can plug in to pretty much every build (workhorse weapons, especially the ML), then PPCs (and the Gauss) should be high damage low DPS punch weapons. Their heat needs to be relatively high to limit how many can be fired at once, but their cooldown should be long enough that they'll lose over time to other weapon choices. They then become about smashing a volley into the enemy and withdrawing, dumping a lot of damage into a very small area but requiring the pilot to duck back into cover or else take more than he dished out while his weapons cycle.

The standard PPC should be analogous to an AC10, but with maybe double the cooldown time and many times the heat. ERPPCs would radically ramp up the velocity and range at the cost of a significant heat bump and a slight cooldown increase (doubling down on the design philosophy). The cERPPC would be turning an ERPPC up to 11 as it were, increasing damage at the cost of yet more heat and another bump to cooldown time.

One of the things that many players are obstinately unwilling to have happen is for weapons to be given distinct roles. They want everything to fit their particular bucket, which generally means simultaneous fire of multiple high-damage shots into a single component in as short a time as possible. Role-based weapon design would allow for that, but at a cost, one that is steep enough to allow for weapons that fill other roles to be able to exploit.

Obviously something like this would be hard to do without also making changes elsewhere, but then I've been pushing for a universal weapon overhaul for years now.

[Andi Nagasia]

Gentleman Reaper, on 12 December 2016 - 09:54 AM, said:

You're thinking of the Enhanced ERPPC, which was a middle-point between the PPC and the Clan ERPPC, it was obsolete and discontinued after the Clans upgraded the ERPPC. I'm not opposed to seeing a fictional Clan PPC to give the Clans a cooler PPC as an extra option.

nope Enhanced PPCs are from Clan Wolverine,
im talking about Improved PPCs(which are a Clan Normal PPC) from CGLs Interstellar Operations,


I-PPC Stats=.......DMG: 10.......Heat: 10.......Range: 3/6/12/18.......Weight: 6.......Crits: 2...

Edited by Andi Nagasia, 12 December 2016 - 10:15 AM.

[Gentleman Reaper]

Andi Nagasia, on 12 December 2016 - 10:12 AM, said:

nope Enhanced PPCs are from Clan Wolverine,
im talking about Improved PPCs(which are a Clan Normal PPC) from CGLs Interstellar Operations,


I-PPC Stats=.......DMG: 10.......Heat: 10.......Range: 3/6/12/18.......Weight: 6.......Crits: 2...

Huh interesting, Sarna nor Skunkwerks mentions an Enhanced PPC, only an Enhanced ERPPC http://www.sarna.net...rojector_Cannon