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Agent1190, on 21 January 2017 - 11:50 AM, said:
As stated earlier - you can't introduce Light Engines without figuring out a way to keep the Standard Engine viable as an option in game.
I've posted about introducing Light Engines in regards to balance before. It's a perfect lore solution without making non-lore changes to either the IS Standard, IS XL or the Clan XL engine. My thoughts were to make IS Light Engines the same number of crits as a XL engine (6 CT and 3 each ST). That wouldn't be much of a deal breaker. For Mechs that want to run AC20s in the side Torsos, they would still need Standard Engines (making Standard Engines viable). Between that and the ability to Zombie, it's an advantage the Standard Engine would have over the other options.
The other option would be to make Clan BattleMechs use IS engines (like the current Standard Engines) with the same penalties regardless of tech base.
I've posted about introducing Light Engines in regards to balance before. It's a perfect lore solution without making non-lore changes to either the IS Standard, IS XL or the Clan XL engine. My thoughts were to make IS Light Engines the same number of crits as a XL engine (6 CT and 3 each ST). That wouldn't be much of a deal breaker. For Mechs that want to run AC20s in the side Torsos, they would still need Standard Engines (making Standard Engines viable). Between that and the ability to Zombie, it's an advantage the Standard Engine would have over the other options.
The other option would be to make Clan BattleMechs use IS engines (like the current Standard Engines) with the same penalties regardless of tech base.
Actually the answer is to implement it as is and it's balanced just fine.
Light fusion engine doesn't save so much weight that STD engines would(/will) be obsolete, and if you don't want significant penalties for engine damage when you lose your side torso (or if you just have a mech with a low engine cap, like Stalkers) then STD is still the answer.
Concerns about lower engine rating (compared to lighter engines) having an unreasonably high impact can easily be mitigated by decoupling agility from engine rating.
Tarl Cabot, on 21 January 2017 - 12:53 PM, said:
Why not? SHS is basically obsolete except in a few troll builds. What a STD does not get hit with are penalties when sides of the mech's side torso is damaged. A STD is meant to be replaced. Now it would have a place, a bad place, if there was an economy but that would make things even worse for the IS side despite the setup.
The few reason I could see the REASON to buff the STD is so that when played in STOCK mode, it is more effective. Then there are the "meta" IS energy boats that would benefit from a buffed STD, though still have a speed higher than 64KPH, and is not affected by heat/movement penalties and/or death when a torso is destroyed, or brawlers like the Atlas...
The few reason I could see the REASON to buff the STD is so that when played in STOCK mode, it is more effective. Then there are the "meta" IS energy boats that would benefit from a buffed STD, though still have a speed higher than 64KPH, and is not affected by heat/movement penalties and/or death when a torso is destroyed, or brawlers like the Atlas...
Putting aside that STD engines wouldn't be obsolete, nor should they be, the answer to SHS is actually extremely simple because all that's needed is to normalize the 10 internal engine heatsinks to 0.2 dissipation (and 2.0 heat capacity).
