4 replies to this topic

[Shifty McSwift]

Just as a thought, how viable or balance-able do you think weapons with a predetermined lob trajectory would be?

Grenade launcher type weapons were the first thought, being able to lob damage over hills blindly (or not so blindly with scout vision), but not having too much (or any) control over the range.

It could also be extended to slow falling flares (moving short timed UAVs), smoke grenades, artillery style weapons and maybe even some cluster bomb variants.

It would of course need serious damage balancing, but just conceptually, would lob trajectory mechanics like this, to you, suit well, or not at all?

[Guile Votoms]

I'd love it. Grenade launchers have always been my favourite weapon.
They are great for support and herding enemies to where you want them to be or chase them out of cover.

I think it would add a very interesting new tactical option to the game.

[Cichol Balor]

Guile Votoms, on 24 March 2017 - 12:05 AM, said:

I'd love it. Grenade launchers have always been my favourite weapon.
They are great for support and herding enemies to where you want them to be or chase them out of cover.

I think it would add a very interesting new tactical option to the game.

Isn't that what LRMs already do?

[Moonlight Grimoire]

Battletech has what you want already, Mech Mortars. I feel they should be in the game as a way to help break the poke meta as you can punish people constantly cowering behind cover with lobbing some shells over their cover and onto their mechs. Sadly they come in 1, 2, 4, and 8 damage variety which is not that great for MWO as really only 4 and 8 make a dent. PGI would have to alter how mech mortar's work to make them actually viable weapons (double damage) as a mech mortar 8 weighs and takes up the same amount of space as a LRM20. They are however immune to AMS so it would be hilarious addition to the game, since there is no real guidance it would take more skill to use as well. But, yeah. Mech Mortar's, double their damage and increase ammo per ton by 1/3rd to be on par with LRM's but just do less damage and require manual aim I think would be balanced.

[Shifty McSwift]

Cichol Balor, on 24 March 2017 - 05:42 AM, said:

Isn't that what LRMs already do?

They work to a similar capacity, but travel where your mouse pointer dictates on a flight path specific to the mech/hardpoints. A lobbing system would just have a predetermined arc, much the same for all mechs, with a possibility to change trajectory by aiming up or down (or not at all, I.E. locked to one specific range).

Moonlight Grimoire, on 24 March 2017 - 10:42 AM, said:

Battletech has what you want already, Mech Mortars. I feel they should be in the game as a way to help break the poke meta as you can punish people constantly cowering behind cover with lobbing some shells over their cover and onto their mechs. Sadly they come in 1, 2, 4, and 8 damage variety which is not that great for MWO as really only 4 and 8 make a dent. PGI would have to alter how mech mortar's work to make them actually viable weapons (double damage) as a mech mortar 8 weighs and takes up the same amount of space as a LRM20. They are however immune to AMS so it would be hilarious addition to the game, since there is no real guidance it would take more skill to use as well. But, yeah. Mech Mortar's, double their damage and increase ammo per ton by 1/3rd to be on par with LRM's but just do less damage and require manual aim I think would be balanced.

Yeah sounds pretty much like how I had imagined, cool as.

But also the idea of slowfalling flares that work like a moving UAV would be sweet, and would suit well IMO, make it a support weapon with ammo like NARC. If they add lob trajectory mechanics, they might as well take full advantage hehe.

As for the damage, it seems low but being able to blind fire over hills without locks is powerful stuff, low damage decent AOE would be plenty to get those campers moving

Edited by Shifty McSwift, 24 March 2017 - 08:55 PM.