Jump to content

Thoughts On New Tech Weaps/old Tech Weaps Balance


7 replies to this topic

#1 Ziogualty

    Member

  • PipPipPipPipPipPip
  • Sergeant
  • Sergeant
  • 382 posts
  • LocationItaly

Posted 20 January 2017 - 04:17 AM

With the time clock (finally) moving on, we will deal with a bunch of new weapons.
While some stuff will have fresh mechanics (i think about MRM), It is inevitable that some of those new weapons will just be "better" versions of old ones. In the end, this is the whole point of tech advancements during war.

Assuming this, we will deal with quite a number of "old" weapons you have no reasons to chose in your final mech build. Of course old weapons could be tuned to still have some pros, like maybe less weight or less heat, but this will collide with the idea of new stuff being just better than the old one.

Yet those weapons could still have a significant role in MWO even if they are just worse. PGI could just make them cheap, adding a sort of xp wall in each mech to climb before being able to mount new tech stuff.

Should work just like this:
You buy a new mech, you cannot mount (yet) last tech stuff on it, so you stick with old but cheap weapons and equip. Even if your wallet is not fat, you have a easy way to test how your mech work with different weapons system. Is it a viable brawler? Is it better as a sniper, or a mid range fighter? Just test it on the field, it will be not so expensive.

Actually a Basic mech is far worse than a Mastered one, so being less effective than experienced counterparts is already a well known thing in MWO.

Once you reach the XP needed, you will move to new tech (more expensive and more effective). Due to experience done, you can focus on buying just what you need, avoiding to waste big amount of Cbills just for the sake of testing and finally having your mech at full potential.

Of course final builds will have new tech equipped 90% of the times, but old weapons will still be on the battlefield, in every match, equipped by a newcomer with a thin wallet, or a veteran that just bought a new chassi.

Could this work?
Is it doable in the new skill system revamp?
Cons that slipped out of my sight?

Edited by Attank, 20 January 2017 - 04:20 AM.


#2 FupDup

    Member

  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • Ace Of Spades
  • Ace Of Spades
  • 26,888 posts
  • LocationThe Keeper of Memes

Posted 20 January 2017 - 04:27 AM

Many of the "new" weapons will already be sidegrades at best because of their very nature. I'm talking mostly about the Inner Sphere "Catch Up" tech rather than truly new weapons.

Stuff like the IS LB 2-X, 5-X, and 20-X will be bad for the same reasons as any other LBX, but while taking up absurd levels of critical slots (4 for the 2-X and 11 for the 20-X).

The SSRM4 and SSRM6 are heavier than regular SRMs and have the gimmicky autoaim mechanic rather than actual aiming.

The UAC/2 will be fairly heavy for what it does. UAC/10 and UAC/20 are debatable.

The IS ERML could go either way versus the IS ML, but I expect it to be inferior to the Clan ERML for the same reasons that the vanilla ML already is (damage per heat ratio and damage per second during burn time). The IS ERSL will suck just as badly as the regular SL no matter what.

MRMs, it really just depends on how merciful PGI is here. For one you can expect low Ghost Heat limits, like only one MRM40 before Ghost Heat kicks in.


I'm a lot more enthusiastic about truly "new" technologies like Blazers, different PPC types, Light ACs, etc. instead of the "catch up tech" that tends to suck in many cases.


And no, locking new technologies behind the skill tree will not be any fun at all. The whole point of the new toys is to at least temporarily reinvigorate the game and make it feel less stale. They should be available to anyone who has enough C-Bills to purchase them.

#3 Hit the Deck

    Member

  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 4,677 posts
  • LocationIndonesia

Posted 20 January 2017 - 04:41 AM

View PostFupDup, on 20 January 2017 - 04:27 AM, said:

Many of the "new" weapons will already be sidegrades at best because of their very nature.
...

Yeah.

Remember that the new toys are not necessarily better, some could even potentially be worse per TRO like the Heavy Gauss Rifle. This needs to be taken into account when dealing with blanket treatment.

#4 Ziogualty

    Member

  • PipPipPipPipPipPip
  • Sergeant
  • Sergeant
  • 382 posts
  • LocationItaly

Posted 20 January 2017 - 04:48 AM

@FupDup: good reading, thnx for detailed reply! ;)

I know that locking new stuff behind a xp wall sounds "meh", and i can admit it probably does not fit for many of the new tech pieces you mentioned.

I'm just scared some old, iconic weapons will become simply obsolete in the new balance plan, and i'd be pretty sad to just see them gone from battles.

#5 Sjorpha

    Member

  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • Philanthropist
  • Philanthropist
  • 4,480 posts
  • LocationSweden

Posted 20 January 2017 - 04:48 AM

No power creep please PGI, no strict upgrades.

#6 Johnny Z

    Member

  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • Knight Errant
  • 9,942 posts
  • LocationDueling on Solaris

Posted 20 January 2017 - 04:56 AM

I like this topic because it gives the idea that this game could move toward mechbay upgrades rather than item and gear grinds that the other games use. Like a better mechbay could modify a mech more(new mech tree).

I think MechWarrior Online is already headed in this direction with talk of mechbay upgrading already on the forums before, and of course the new mech modification tree.

The idea of mechbay NPC's, mechanics/mechtek, quarter master etc, being lvled up to perform better has been mentioned also.(different npcs could also be acquired through DLC)

About gear, some new stuff is great, if its new. Also Lostech gear and theme needs to be added to the game. Really Lostech equipment should only be had through quests of some sort, because it would be priceless. I don't care if this is DLC adventures because all games do this and as long as it isn't pay to win power creep its fine, although many will troll it because they troll everything. DLC adventures/expeditions have also been mentioned on the forums(PVE).

Edited by Johnny Z, 20 January 2017 - 05:19 AM.


#7 Baulven

    Member

  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • Knight Errant
  • 984 posts

Posted 20 January 2017 - 05:31 AM

View PostJohnny Z, on 20 January 2017 - 04:56 AM, said:

I like this topic because it gives the idea that this game could move toward mechbay upgrades rather than item and gear grinds that the other games use. Like a better mechbay could modify a mech more(new mech tree).

I think MechWarrior Online is already headed in this direction with talk of mechbay upgrading already on the forums before, and of course the new mech modification tree.

The idea of mechbay NPC's, mechanics/mechtek, quarter master etc, being lvled up to perform better has been mentioned also.(different npcs could also be acquired through DLC)

About gear, some new stuff is great, if its new. Also Lostech gear and theme needs to be added to the game. Really Lostech equipment should only be had through quests of some sort, because it would be priceless. I don't care if this is DLC adventures because all games do this and as long as it isn't pay to win power creep its fine, although many will troll it because they troll everything. DLC adventures/expeditions have also been mentioned on the forums(PVE).


Daily quests give you objectIves. Complete X objectives find a lostech cache.

#8 El Bandito

    Member

  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • Big Daddy
  • Big Daddy
  • 26,736 posts
  • LocationStill doing ungodly amount of damage, but with more accuracy.

Posted 20 January 2017 - 05:42 AM

It is very easy to tweak the new tech to make them strictly sidegrades. Alas, I am not the Balance Overlord...





1 user(s) are reading this topic

0 members, 1 guests, 0 anonymous users