Posted 15 December 2016 - 08:04 AM
While this shouldn't come as news to anyone, it's good to have someone point this out in a clear and consise manner, while wearing a hat that exudes an undeniable air of authority. So obviously, I'm happy with the premise of the video.
I have to disagree vehemently with the solution, however. As has been said already, it's a cop-out. I don't like the fact that heavier mechs = better mechs and I don't like that clan mechs = better mechs. It grinds my gears to see Kodiak players who puff their chest and think they're God's gift to MWO because they know how to copy a build from metamechs.com. You see them in the solo queue all the time. "Oh sorry, guys. I couldn't carry you all to victory, but I did 800 dmg, lol." Just from a sporting perspective, it grinds my gears to see those munchkins.
Furthermore, it's not like the balance between Clan mechs and IS mechs has gone back and forth constantly since 2014. It's been pretty consistent. At no point has the Timber Wolf and Stormcrow been mediocre. Granted, it hasn't always been the case that the best mech in every weight class was a Clan mech (the Firestarter reigned before the ACH, for example), but nevertheless, the graph has pointed pretty clearly in one direction since Clan Invasion Wave 1. So for PGI to just throw their hands in the air and say "Well, golly, I guess Clans are just always going to be better, so we may as well give up" is a huge cop-out.
Apart from brief periods, when the ERPPC TDR-9S and Black Knight were pretty powerful, for example, the top mechs in the game have tended to be Clan mechs. And in CW / FP, it hasn't been such a pressing issue when if had better light mechs or better assault mechs, because they could just make a great dropdeck out of heavies and mediums anyway.
TL;DR - Time for PGI to actually do some of that "aggressive balancing" and fix this imbalance. If they can't figure it out, do another roundtable that doesn't involve buckets.
PS: This is definitely not the alt account of Alistair Winter, a member of Isengrim.