24 replies to this topic

[Pur]

Had this idea for about a month now, and I've stated it briefly in passing, but never made a specific topic about it. And frankly speaking reddit would probably be a more pertinent place to post this, but here goes...

• Air Strike and Arty should have a 5 second 'charge' time, ie, painting the designated target, before they are actually used and consumed.

• UAV should have a 5 second stationary requirement to deploy.

As they are currently in the game, they require very little thought or skill to use, just a simple arbitrary hot key click.

However, the above suggestions would make the use of these consumables a bit more immersive and balanced, with proper utility and discretion required for their use.


This is all I have to say, short and sweet. Have a nice day, MechWarriors.

[Andi Nagasia]

disagree,

both Strikes already take 7 seconds to Drop, this would just be over kill,
perhaps a half second Charge like cause then fire but no more than this,

stationary for 5 seconds to get a UAV off would be super over kill for Lights that Launch UAVs,
i can suggest again a half second Charge like cause then fire but no more than this,

[El Bandito]

Cap strikes at one per mech. Done.

[Andi Nagasia]

El Bandito, on 12 July 2017 - 06:16 PM, said:

Cap strikes at one per mech. Done.

or just increase the Global Cooldown, that works too,

[Appogee]

Andi Nagasia, on 12 July 2017 - 06:18 PM, said:

or just increase the Global Cooldown, that works too,

Let's have both.

Consumables are a blight on the game.

[DerMaulwurf]

Require Command Console to use.

Attaches an actual cost to strikes and gives a useless piece of equipment a reason to exist.

[Zergling]

Or make them an item that costs tonnage and slots, instead of cbills.

[jss78]

El Bandito, on 12 July 2017 - 06:16 PM, said:

Cap strikes at one per mech. Done.

DerMaulwurf, on 13 July 2017 - 02:17 AM, said:

Require Command Console to use.

Attaches an actual cost to strikes and gives a useless piece of equipment a reason to exist.

Or to combine the two, tie ability to use more than one to command console.

Either way it'd be a sensible way give the command console some character. Especially with nu-tek coming next week it'll basically be a variant of the targetting computer, with a slightly different set of bonuses.

[Shifty McSwift]

DerMaulwurf, on 13 July 2017 - 02:17 AM, said:

Require Command Console to use.

Attaches an actual cost to strikes and gives a useless piece of equipment a reason to exist.

That could be interesting, could go further and make a command console necessary for using any consumables, but then it would just become stock standard equipment for all.

Zergling, on 13 July 2017 - 02:19 AM, said:

Or make them an item that costs tonnage and slots, instead of cbills.

Yeah, for arti and air strikes they are used like an extra weapon, they might as well be classified as equip-able weapons for all intents and purposes.

My suggestions in the past were to make arti/air a gun, like tag laser or NARC with charges, make coolshot an energy weapon with ammo that needs to be equipped, and make functionality for grenade/lob trajectory weapons, to have UAVs as ballistic type flare-style launcher weapon, where the UAV would travel over a distance and then slowly drop and die, spotting anything it travels over.

But yeah that is a lot more work than many other suggestions posited.

Edited by Shifty McSwift, 13 July 2017 - 02:42 AM.

[LORD ORION]

Airstrikes and Arty's should be on independent cool downs so they can both be used at the same time.

[ScrubLord1]

There already is a 4 second delay before the bombs actually land, and that requires some level of prediction to use, its not a braindead click-anywhere-I-want item. A 5 second 'charge' time hardly makes any difference.

I dont see anything bad about instant uav deployment. They are easy to spot when launched and easy to destroy.

The real balance needed is to limit consumables to one. Solves a lot of problems, makes their once-per-match-use much more strategic.

[Khobai]

We know how to balance strikes. Because they were balanced before. Limit them to 1 per mech.

[Kaeb Odellas]

I'd like to see them increase the travel time for strikes, but remove the red smoke. Instead give a hud and minimap indicator to friendly mechs of an incoming friendly strike, and a text and audio warning for incoming artillery/air strikes to the enemy.

All mechs will have more time to react to an incoming strike. Friendlies would be able to avoid it because they can see exactly where it will land, while enemies only vaguely know that a strike is coming, but not where.

[DrSaphron]

If you see smoke use your jumpjets if you can't get out of the way in time. Air and Arty strikes are used primarily to disrupt enemy formations, damaging mechs is just an added bonus.

[Brain Cancer]

The reason we have things as they are now is because they're a handy way to "hide" additional grind.

After all, if consumables win battles, they become requirements. And thus, C-bill sinks.

[Pur]

Only idea in this thread that I've seen as being legitimate and interesting is...... tying in Command Console.

[Aggravated Assault Mech]

Two charges per strike, but halve the effectiveness of each usage, then add a 1-2 min cooldown. Leave the 20 second internal cooldown between separate strikes.

Increase the internal cooldown on coolshot.

UAV is fine, IMO.

Nerfing strikes without touching coolshot is a bad idea.

Edited by Aggravated Assault Mech, 13 July 2017 - 07:41 PM.

[Tyroki]

I like the idea of limiting them to one or the other per mech from medium to assault, and giving lights the ability to take multiple.

I also wouldn't mind ditching the smoke and aiming at the area with a laser pointer akin to TAG for 5 seconds before it hits. Any more than a small area of deviation would reset the timer. This way you can't just charge it up then pop your head over a hill to unleash hell. You'd have to give it face time, no more of this 'fire and forget' crap.

[QuantumButler]

Make it so you can't use arty or airstrikes unless you take the command console.

[Mystere]

LORD ORION, on 13 July 2017 - 08:09 AM, said:

Airstrikes and Arty's should be on independent cool downs so they can both be used at the same time.

^^^ This! ^^^